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00:35 Hello, friends, welcome again to Sabbath School Study Hour
00:38 here at the Granite Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:40 in Sacramento, California. 00:42 I'd like to welcome those who are joining us online. 00:44 I know we have a number of online members 00:46 that tune in every week to be part of our Bible study time 00:50 right here at the church. 00:51 I'd also like to welcome those who are watching 00:54 on the various television networks. 00:56 And we're glad 00:57 that you're part of our study time. 00:59 As well as our regular church members, 01:01 and I know we have some visitors 01:02 who are joining us this morning, 01:04 I'd like to welcome all of you. 01:05 You've come for a great Bible study this morning. 01:08 As many of you know, 01:09 we've been studying through the Book of Revelation. 01:11 That's been our theme for the entire quarter. 01:14 Today, we find ourselves 01:15 in the very heart of the Book of Revelation. 01:17 Our lesson is lesson number 10, 01:20 and it's entitled "God's Everlasting Gospel." 01:24 We're going to be talking about the three angels' messages. 01:27 Well, before we get to our study for today, 01:28 I'd like to let those who are watching 01:31 know about a wonderful free offer that we have. 01:34 It's one of our new sharing DVDs. 01:39 And this is going to be available for those 01:40 who call and ask. 01:41 The number to call 01:42 if you'd like to receive this is 866-788-3966, 01:47 and you can ask for offer number 817. 01:50 We'll be happy to send this out to anyone who calls and asks 01:53 or you can send a text message to the number, send the code, 01:59 "SH055" to the number 40544, 02:05 and you'll be able to get a link 02:06 as to where you'll be able to watch "Revelation: 02:08 The Bride, the Beast, and Babylon," 02:10 just a great documentary dealing with 02:12 a number of these important truths 02:14 that we find in the Book of Revelation. 02:16 Well, before we get to our study today, 02:18 let's begin with the word of prayer. 02:20 Dear Father, once again, 02:21 we are grateful that we have this opportunity 02:23 to gather together and open up Your Word 02:24 and study a very important passage 02:27 found in the Book of Revelation. 02:29 And, Lord, I pray that as we open the scripture, 02:31 and as we study together, 02:32 Your Holy Spirit to come and got our hearts, 02:34 our minds, and help us to grasp and understand this 02:37 very important end time message that is found right here 02:40 in Revelation 14, for we ask this in Jesus' name. 02:44 Amen. 02:46 Well, today, we're going to have Pastor Doug Batchelor 02:48 lead us in our study this morning, 02:51 but I'm going to be joining him on stage, 02:52 one of my favorite topics also is the three angels' messages. 02:56 And so we'll try and do this together this morning. 02:59 Pastor Doug, good morning. Good morning, Pastor Ross. 03:02 You know, the Bible says that 03:03 when Jesus sent out the disciples, 03:05 He sent them out two by two. 03:07 And so we're going to try to get 03:08 the dual stereo benefit 03:11 of Pastor Ross and I teaching this together. 03:13 And we didn't practice this today, 03:15 so I don't know what part of it he's going to say 03:17 or what part of it I'm going to say. 03:19 But we do a radio program every Sunday, 03:21 where we kind of tag team in the answers. 03:25 Now when we do the radio program, 03:27 we're looking at each other, most people are just listening, 03:29 and we can give, you know, signals like I got a thought 03:32 over here, you know. 03:34 And sometimes Pastor Ross will go like that mean, 03:36 I got something I want to say. 03:37 And if I'm not done, I avoid eye contact. 03:40 And until I'm done, and then I say okay. 03:43 So, but what we're going to do now is we get this purple, 03:46 and I have a tendency to get carried away, 03:48 so if Pastor Ross has a thought, 03:49 and I'm going too far, he'd just... 03:51 That's what he's got to do to tell me, 03:53 "That's my turn to talk." 03:56 So we're very... 03:57 And this is, you know, 03:58 this subject today is absolutely foundational 04:02 for Seventh-day Adventist. 04:04 As you travel around the world, 04:06 and you see Seventh-day Adventist churches, 04:08 how many remember 04:09 when they had the logo of the globe, 04:11 it kind of had a globe with some lines through it, 04:13 and three angels going around it. 04:14 That was our official logo. 04:16 And then since then we've updated the logo, 04:18 so it's like three swirls going around the globe, 04:22 same principle. 04:23 The three angels' message is foundational 04:26 to the Seventh-day Adventist movement. 04:28 And so it's very important for us 04:29 to understand our study today. 04:32 So we're going to get right into lesson number 10, 04:35 and we've got a memory verse, you see it on the screen. 04:37 I hope everyone will say it with me, 04:39 the memory verse is actually from Chapter 12. 04:42 Most of what we're studying today 04:43 is going to be Chapter 14. 04:45 I'm sorry, Revelation 14:12, 04:47 and we invite you to say that with me. 04:49 Are you ready? 04:51 "Here is the patience of the saints, 04:54 and here are the ones 04:55 who keep the commandments of God 04:57 and the faith of Jesus Christ." 05:00 And that'll sort of be the point 05:02 we're aiming for in our lesson. 05:04 Now I ask Pastor Ross to do the same thing 05:07 we did last week on Revelation 13. 05:10 In case we don't get all the way through it. 05:11 I said, let's just at least read through the verses 05:14 we're going to consider today. 05:16 I think it's what, 6-12? Yes. 05:18 Revelation, if you're following your Bibles, 05:20 we're going to be looking at Revelation Chapter 14, 05:22 we're going to be looking at the three angels' messages, 05:24 and it begins in verse 6, 05:26 and we'll read through the verse 12. 05:28 So Revelation Chapter 14 beginning now in verse 6. 05:32 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 05:35 having the everlasting gospel to preach to those 05:37 that dwell upon the earth, to every nation, tribe, 05:40 tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, 05:43 'Fear God, and give glory to Him, 05:46 for the hour of His judgment has come, 05:49 and worship Him that made the heavens, the sea, 05:52 and the springs of water.' 05:55 And another angel followed saying, 'Babylon is fallen, 05:58 is fallen, that great city, 06:00 because she has made all nations 06:02 drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication.' 06:05 Then a third angel followed them 06:07 saying with a loud voice, 06:09 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, 06:11 and receives these mark 06:12 in their forehead or in their hand, 06:15 he himself shall also drink of the wine 06:18 of the wrath of God, 06:19 which is poured out full strength 06:21 into the cup of His indignation. 06:23 He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone 06:26 in the presence of the holy angels, 06:28 and in the presence of the Lamb. 06:30 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, 06:33 and they have no rest day or night, 06:35 who worship the beast and his image, 06:37 and whoever receives the mark of his name.' 06:41 Here is the patience of the saints, 06:44 here are those who keep the commandments of God 06:47 and the faith of Jesus." 06:49 All right, thank you. 06:51 You know, one thing, you're noticing right here. 06:52 First of all, this is the most fearful curse 06:56 that you find in the Bible. 06:57 It's in Revelation Chapter 14 in the third angel's message. 07:01 It doesn't get more serious than the smoke of their torment 07:04 ascending up forever and ever, 07:06 if you get the mark of the beast. 07:09 That is in contrast at the end, 07:12 where those who keep the commandments of God 07:14 and have the faith of Jesus, 07:15 and so you've got the two polar opposite groups 07:18 in the last days. 07:20 Now to understand why it's so important for us 07:23 to read the three angels' message, 07:25 the next verses, matter of fact, 07:27 Pastor Ross, why don't you read verse 14? 07:30 What happens right after these three messages were given? 07:33 Read verse 14 and, well, maybe 15. 07:36 So immediately after the proclamation 07:37 of the three angels' messages, verse 14, John in vision says, 07:41 "Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, 07:43 and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, 07:46 having upon His head a golden crown, 07:48 and in His hand a sharp sickle." 07:51 Then it says, "Another angel came out of the temple, 07:53 crying with a loud voice to Him that who sat on the cloud, 07:56 'Thrust in Thy sickle and reap, 07:58 for the time has come for You to reap, 08:00 for the harvest of the earth is ripe.' " 08:03 All right, so who is it that we see sitting on a cloud 08:06 coming to harvest? 08:08 Jesus. What time is that? 08:11 It's the Second Coming. 08:12 Christ said, "I am the sower, the Word of God is the seed, 08:15 harvest is the end of the world," 08:17 in His parables. 08:18 So these three angels' messages are happening immediately prior 08:23 to the Second Coming. 08:26 So these are messages that go to the world. 08:28 So that's why it's so important for us to look at that. 08:30 First angel's message, let's review, 08:32 and we'll start now going through them one by one. 08:35 "I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 08:37 having the everlasting gospel..." 08:40 All right, let's pause right there. 08:42 What is the everlasting gospel? 08:43 Is that a different gospel than the one that Abraham knew? 08:48 Were the Jews saved under a different gospel 08:50 than the Gentiles? 08:53 Is there a different gospel in the New Testament 08:55 than the Old Testament? 08:58 Or is the everlasting gospel, 08:59 the same gospel that goes from Adam, 09:02 all the way to the second coming of Jesus. 09:05 It's that we are saved by grace through faith, 09:09 we are saved from our sin, God gives us a new heart. 09:14 Abraham believed God, 09:16 and it was counted to him for righteousness. 09:17 They were saved by faith, looking forward to the cross, 09:21 we are saved by faith, looking back to the cross, 09:24 the power is in the cross, 09:26 we're all saved by the blood of Jesus. 09:28 The everlasting gospel is the same gospel. 09:31 So this gospel is then to go tells us the scope of it 09:34 to all those who dwell on the earth. 09:37 Is this a message just for Israel? 09:39 Or is it... 09:40 It's a global message, right? 09:42 And what's the great commission in Matthew Chapter 28? 09:46 "We're told to go preach, make disciples, 09:49 baptize people in the name of the Father, Son, 09:51 and the Holy Spirit." 09:53 You'll notice the first angel's message 09:54 goes to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, 09:57 actually all three messages do. 09:59 And the reason for that is, 10:00 immediately following the proclamation 10:02 of the three angels' message, 10:03 you have the second coming of Christ, 10:04 which will affect every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. 10:07 So the gospel is go to all the world 10:09 because all the world is going to be affected 10:11 at the Second Coming of Jesus. 10:13 So it's a worldwide proclamation of good news. 10:16 As Pastor Doug mentioned that good news 10:18 is the same that was preached in the Old Testament 10:20 and the New Testament. 10:21 It's centered in Jesus, the savior. 10:24 Jesus said, "And this is eternal life, 10:26 that they might know the only true God 10:28 and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent." 10:30 The essence of the everlasting gospel 10:33 is coming into a personal saving relationship with Jesus. 10:37 Amen. 10:38 So first part of this, 10:39 of course, is this angel flying, 10:41 and what does it mean, 10:42 an angel flying in the midst of heaven? 10:44 I'll get to that in a second. 10:45 Here's a great quote, 10:47 why this is such an important priority. 10:49 In the Book of Testimonies volume 7, page 19, 10:53 "In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists 10:55 have been set in the world as watchman and light bearers. 10:59 To them has been entrusted the last warning 11:02 for a perishing world. 11:04 On them is shining wonderful light 11:06 from the word of God. 11:07 They have been given a work of the most solemn import, 11:11 the proclamation of the first, second, 11:14 and third angels' messages. 11:16 There is no other work of so great importance. 11:20 They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention." 11:25 So if you're going to a church, 11:26 and they're not talking about the three angels' message, 11:29 that doesn't mean all year long, every sermon. 11:31 But if that doesn't have a high priority, 11:33 something else is occupying their attention. 11:36 Now why are these messages to be so important? 11:40 I think the whole gospel's wrapped in there. 11:42 Now, first, we got to kind of back up and explain. 11:45 We're talking about three angels' messages. 11:47 You notice it says, "Another angel," in verse 6. 11:50 Why does it say another angel? 11:52 Because you've been seeing angels all through the book. 11:54 You got angels that are, you know, opening seals, 12:01 and pouring out vials. 12:03 And angel says, "Come here." 12:05 And what does this mean? 12:06 And so there's angels all through the book. 12:08 But these three are doing something particular. 12:11 The word "Angel" means messenger, 12:13 but it often is translated to mean announcement 12:16 or proclamation flying in the heavens. 12:21 You know, I don't want to... 12:24 I want to sound too sensational, 12:26 but, you know, I always thought that it was very interesting 12:32 when Three Angels Broadcasting started broadcasting. 12:37 They rented time on satellites in the sky, 12:41 and the satellites have these big solar wings 12:43 that capture light and turn it to electricity 12:47 to broadcast the gospel. 12:49 I just thought that was an interesting analogy. 12:51 I don't think those satellites are angels. 12:53 And I'm not saying that this prophecy 12:55 is talking about satellites 'cause right now, 12:56 these Christian ministries have about 20 satellites 12:59 that they're using. 13:00 So don't make a big deal out of that. 13:01 But I always thought that was really interesting. 13:04 Also, with reference to the word "Angel, " 13:06 we always think of angelic beings, 13:08 when you think of angels. 13:09 But all angels mentioned in the Bible, 13:12 they're not all necessarily angelic beings. 13:16 Someone who was on a mission or an errand, 13:18 someone who is a messenger 13:20 is sometimes referred to as angel 13:22 because the word in the original Greek, 13:23 angel, means messenger. 13:25 So these three angels, 13:26 don't just think of angelic beings. 13:28 And I'm sure there will be angels 13:29 as we think of them assisting in the proclamation. 13:32 But in essence, God has given us a message 13:34 to take to the world. 13:36 So in the three angels' messages, 13:38 you see God's people doing a special work 13:41 of proclaiming these three end time warning messages 13:44 to the world. 13:45 Amen. 13:46 So that's what the word "Angel" means. 13:49 And it says that they have the everlasting gospel 13:52 to preach to them that are on the earth 13:53 to every tribe, tongue, and nation 13:55 saying, Here's verse 7, "With a loud voice..." 13:58 Don't miss that it says loud voice here. 14:01 It says, loud voice for the third angel's message, 14:04 but it doesn't say loud voice for the second angel's message 14:07 the first time. 14:08 So just make a note of that. 14:10 "Fear God and give glory to Him, 14:13 for the hour of His judgment is come." 14:14 We'll talk about the judgment part in a minute. 14:17 What does it mean to fear God? 14:19 Do you expect Job to be in heaven? 14:22 What does the Bible say about Job? 14:24 "There was a man in the land of Uz, 14:26 whose name was Job, 14:27 that man was blameless and upright, 14:29 one that feared God and hated evil." 14:34 I think another verse says, 14:35 "The fear of the Lord is to depart from evil." 14:39 I think it was John Wesley who said, 14:41 "If I had 300 men that feared nothing but God 14:47 and hated sin, I could change the world." 14:50 And so another verse here, Psalm 25:14, 14:55 "The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, 14:58 and He will show them His covenant." 15:00 So fearing God doesn't necessarily mean 15:03 being afraid so you run from God. 15:05 It's talking about, there may be some fear in that, 15:09 but it's like, it's a reverence. 15:11 A child might fear the strength of their father, 15:13 but they're not afraid to go to their father. 15:15 And another one that I think helps is Proverbs 9:10, 15:19 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, 15:22 and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." 15:26 So we just need to understand what it's talking about 15:28 when it says to fear God? 15:30 There's a message to have reverence for God. 15:34 Now do we... 15:36 Are we at risk of losing a sense of reverence 15:38 in some of our churches in modern Protestant America? 15:43 Have you noticed that? 15:46 I think that, you know, 15:48 we should be reverent with the Bible, 15:51 not treat it like other books. 15:53 I think that we should be reverent 15:55 when we come into sacred time of worship. 15:57 There should be respect, 15:58 there shouldn't be background talking going on, 16:00 you know, whispering and chattering. 16:02 There's a sense of, 16:03 we're in the presence of someone holy. 16:07 There ought to be a sanctity about the things of God 16:12 that we respect. 16:14 You know, when you look in the Bible, 16:15 in Old Testament times, also in New, 16:17 when the Bible describes God's glory, 16:20 His throne room, 16:21 it talks about these angels that have six wings. 16:24 Read about this in the Old Testament. 16:26 With two of the wings, they fly, 16:27 with two of the wings, they cover their feet, 16:29 with two of the wings, they cover their faces, 16:32 and in the presence of God, 16:33 their constant cry is holy, holy, holy. 16:37 So these angels that are being in the very presence of God, 16:40 they have an essence of God's glory 16:42 and His holiness. 16:43 These are perfect angelic beings, 16:46 and yet their constant cry is holy, holy, holy. 16:49 How much more reverence should we have 16:51 when we enter into God's presence 16:53 as we come to worship Him? 16:55 Yeah, notice the modesty of the angels. 16:56 They are even covering their faces and their feet. 16:59 And so there should be... 17:01 Adam and Eve, when they saw they sinned, 17:02 they thought, better cover up. 17:05 And then one of the important summaries 17:07 for what it means to fear God, 17:08 we'll move on is Ecclesiastes 12:13. 17:11 This is the end of Solomon's book 17:15 on wisdom following Proverbs, 17:18 and he said, 17:19 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: 17:22 Fear God, and keep His commandments." 17:25 So one of the ways we show fear for God is what? 17:27 Keeping His commandments. 17:29 What do we read in verse 12 of this chapter? 17:31 Here are those that keep the commandments of God? 17:34 Is that talking about 50%? 17:37 Or is it a people that consistently keeps all of them. 17:40 And so I think 17:41 that's one of the identifying characteristics 17:43 we find about God's people in the last days 17:46 is a returning to the entire covenant of God 17:50 and recognizing what sin is. 17:52 "Sin is the transgression of the law. 17:54 We fear God and keep His commandments, 17:56 for this is the whole duty of man." 17:58 Notice what else Solomon says, 18:00 "For God will bring every work into judgment." 18:02 Do we find judgment in this first angel's message? 18:04 "With every secret thing, whether it be good or evil." 18:08 And so any thoughts on that? 18:11 I think we're going to get to the next part of giving 18:13 or fearing God is also giving Him glory. 18:16 They go together. 18:17 And I think that's the next verse 18:18 that we have here. 18:19 1 Corinthians 10:31, 18:20 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, 18:23 do it all to the glory of God." 18:25 Isn't that interesting? 18:26 We can even eat or drink to God's glory, 18:28 meaning there are certain things 18:29 that God would have us eat that bring glory to Him. 18:33 Obviously, there are things that He would not have us eat 18:36 or not have us drink that would not bring glory to Him. 18:39 So even in the very practical aspects of life, 18:41 we ought to bring God glory, reveal His character. 18:45 Have you ever heard the health message 18:47 be given in the context of the three angels' messages? 18:51 It's part of what we're doing is we're giving glory to God, 18:54 and also keeping the commandments. 18:55 It says, do not kill yourself with your fork and your spoon. 19:01 1 Peter 4:11, "If anyone speaks, 19:04 let him speak as the oracles of God. 19:06 If anyone ministers, let him do it 19:07 as the ability which God supplies, 19:10 that in all things God might be glorified through Jesus Christ, 19:15 to whom belongs to glory 19:17 and the dominion forever and ever." 19:19 So the purpose in our lives is to bring glory to God 19:22 by whatever you do, whatever you say, 19:24 whatever you eat, whatever you drink, 19:25 we should be living for the glory of God. 19:27 All right, now we're going to move on. 19:29 You want to read that one, Pastor Ross? 19:30 Revelation 14:7, "Saying with a loud voice, 19:33 'Fear God, give Him glory, 19:34 for the hour of His judgment has come." 19:38 All right, so let's talk a little bit 19:40 about the judgment. 19:41 Now, does it make sense to everybody that 19:45 when the apostles live, 19:46 the great judgment of God had not happened yet. 19:50 The verses you read, it talks about the judgment to come, 19:53 all shall stand before, 19:55 all shall bow before the judgment seat of God. 19:58 Paul talked about the judgment to come 20:00 when he was before Felix and Festus. 20:03 It was always future tense. 20:05 But, obviously some judgment takes place before Jesus comes, 20:08 follow me. 20:10 When the Lord comes, is He dispensing rewards? 20:14 Does He know who gets caught up in a glorified body 20:17 and who does not get resurrected 20:18 in the first resurrection? 20:20 So the Lord... 20:21 Those things are determined before He comes. 20:23 God doesn't, you know, pull people out of heaven 20:26 and say, "Now it's time for the judgment." 20:29 And He doesn't pull people out of hell and say, 20:30 "We're gonna find out if you really were guilty." 20:33 The judgment happens prior to the Second Coming. 20:35 But at the time of the Bible writing that hadn't happen yet. 20:38 This is often called as pre-advent judgment. 20:41 It also happened in the Jewish feasts, 20:44 that ten days 20:46 it was a period of time before the end of the year 20:49 when they enter what they call the Yom Kippur, 20:51 we call it Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, 20:53 a time of investigation, judgment, 20:56 separating God's people from their sins 20:59 before the end of the year. 21:01 We believe that we've entered that 21:03 last phase of the church known as Laodicea 21:07 and God's people on the last days 21:09 have a message of judgment 21:11 that we need to prepare to meet our maker, 21:14 which is a solemn message, not a popular message, 21:16 but it's biblical. 21:18 You know, it's very interesting when you study 21:19 the judgment message found in the first angel's message. 21:22 There is a connection between Revelation Chapter 14 21:26 and Daniel Chapter 7, 21:27 a very tight connection Daniel 7, Daniel 8 21:30 because it talks about this judgment 21:32 that is to happen in Daniel, 21:33 just before the Second Coming of Christ. 21:35 Now we find the fulfillment of that prophesied judgment 21:38 in Daniel being fulfilled in Revelation Chapter 14 21:41 in the first angel's message. 21:43 So I think on the screen, we actually have that verse 21:45 that talks about the judgment in Daniel 8:14, 21:49 "And he said unto me, 21:50 'For two thousand three hundred days, 21:53 then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.' " 21:56 And leading up to that Daniel 7, 21:59 it talks about a time 22:00 when thrones are set in a position 22:02 and the books were opened. 22:04 It's very clearly a great judgment scene, 22:07 talks about the witnesses and the angels. 22:09 And then going over to Daniel 8, 22:12 it finally gives the date or the period of time 22:16 reaching up to that final judgment. 22:18 Now you know, the disciples when Jesus lived, 22:24 they totally misunderstood the nature of His first coming. 22:28 They heard Jesus say, "You know, I've come, 22:30 My kingdom of heaven is at hand." 22:32 They thought that He was coming the first time 22:34 to set up a literal kingdom. 22:36 And even after He rose from the dead, 22:38 they said, "Will You at this time 22:39 establish the kingdom?" 22:41 And He thought, "You still don't get it. 22:42 My first coming is a lamb coming, 22:45 the next time I come like a lion." 22:47 First is the sacrifice. 22:49 Next is the King. 22:50 Well, that got them backwards 22:52 and so they were greatly disappointed. 22:55 There was a movement that took place 22:57 about 150 years ago. 22:59 It's called the Great Advent movement, 23:00 not connected with Seventh-day Adventist 23:02 because this took place in the 1830s and '40s, 23:05 Seventh-day Adventists were not organized until 1863. 23:09 But the Millerites read this verse in Daniel 8, 23:13 2300 days then the sanctuary will be cleansed. 23:17 They looked at the starting point there 23:19 in Daniel Chapter 9 23:20 from the going forth of the commandment 23:22 to restore and build Jerusalem unto the Messiah, the Prince. 23:25 And it's the only starting point given 23:27 for these prophecies. 23:29 Well, that reads to 1844 from 457 and they said, 23:34 "Sanctuary will be cleansed. 23:36 Jesus is going to come." 23:38 They thought that the earth 23:39 was a sanctuary to be cleansed by the fires, 23:42 that are described in 2 Peter Chapter 3 23:45 and they made that 23:47 one little mistake there that... 23:49 But the Lord made the best of it. 23:50 They thought this is it and they were highly motivated 23:53 and God didn't really go very far to correct them. 23:57 And everyone... 23:58 There's a great revival that took place 23:59 because the Lord was, they thought about to come. 24:02 But He said, "No, 24:03 we're about to enter the age of judgment, 24:05 the final age of the church." 24:07 It's also interesting to note that the wording 24:08 that we have in Daniel 8:14, says, 24:11 "Then the sanctuary shall be cleansed." 24:13 Now, as Pastor Doug mentioned, 24:14 the Millerites thought the earth was the sanctuary. 24:17 But God allowed them to kind of preach, and teach, 24:20 and talk about the soon coming of Christ, 24:22 because after the experience, 24:24 after Jesus didn't come when they expected him to come, 24:27 they went back and search the Scriptures 24:29 and they began to retrace their steps, and they read this 24:32 and they began to ask the question, 24:34 "Well, where is the sanctuary?" 24:36 Then it was that they began to understand 24:38 in the Book of Hebrews, 24:39 talks quite a bit about the heavenly sanctuary 24:42 where Jesus ministers as our high priest. 24:45 Then it is that they began to understand this 24:47 very important work of judgment, 24:49 pre-advent judgment before Jesus comes. 24:52 And so it was through that disappointment that God 24:54 was leading them into a clear understanding 24:56 of His will and His purpose, 24:58 just like Jesus led the disciples 25:00 through their sorrow when Christ was crucified. 25:05 And as He rose from the dead, 25:06 then they begin to understand the prophecies 25:08 of the Old Testament so much more 25:10 and that gave power 25:11 to their witness in their testimony. 25:13 This was really the last piece in one of the most important 25:17 and one of the longest prophecies in the Bible, 25:20 that not only talked about 25:22 entering the last age of judgment 25:24 which began with the church of Laodicea in... 25:27 The word Laodicea means 25:28 a judging of the people, in 1844. 25:32 But it also helped them understand 25:34 the 490 year day prophecy that talked about 25:38 when Jesus would come the first time and die, 25:40 and this time that was going to be cut off 25:43 for the Jewish nation. 25:44 This is a chart, we don't have time 25:45 to go through this whole prophecy, 25:46 will never get through this lesson. 25:48 But when it talks about 25:49 the hour of His judgment is come, 25:51 part and parcel of the first angel's message 25:55 was understanding these prophecies in Daniel 25:57 and Revelation about Jesus' first and second coming 26:00 that just exploded prophetic interest in understanding. 26:07 So yeah, we don't have time to get into that one. 26:09 Yeah, I think we just have a summary, it says, 26:11 "The judgment here mentioned" in Revelation Chapter 14, 26:13 "began at the end 26:15 of the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14. 26:17 The preaching of William Miller 26:19 and his associates marks the beginning of the message 26:21 of the first angel, 26:22 but the message will continue till the end of time." 26:25 Now that's important to note. 26:27 Revelation 14 says, the hour of His judgment has come, 26:30 meaning present tense. 26:31 It is now. 26:32 So we have a time that we can connect 26:34 with the proclamation of the first angel's message, 26:37 at the end of the 2300 days or years, 1844. 26:41 So we are currently living, 26:42 during that time period of the proclamation 26:45 of the three angels' messages. 26:46 Yeah, and that's another very good point 26:49 is someone might say, 26:50 "Well, is the time of the first angel past, 26:52 or is the time of the second angel message past 26:55 or the third angel, is it only future. 26:58 All of these messages became relevant 27:00 when we enter that last phase of the church history, 27:03 and they still are today. 27:04 We're going to get into some of those messages 27:06 now a little more. 27:07 By the way, Peter says, speaking of the judgment, 27:10 "For the time has come for judgment 27:12 to begin at the house of God, and if it begins with us first, 27:15 what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel?" 27:19 Have you read in Ezekiel 9, 27:20 it talks about a marking of God's people, 27:24 and a judgment that begins at the house of God 27:27 and those who received the mark are spared. 27:29 In Ezekiel 9, the ones who get the mark are spared. 27:33 Put a mark in the foreheads of those who sigh and cry 27:36 for the abominations that are done in Israel. 27:38 That's a good mark. 27:39 It's like the seal of God, a good mark. 27:40 But He says, "Begin at my sanctuary." 27:42 It's almost like the story where they were all gathered 27:45 to stone Mary Magdalene 27:46 who was caught in the act of adultery in the temple. 27:48 Christ began to write out the sins of her accusers, 27:51 the priests, religious leaders 27:53 till they one by one left condemned, 27:55 so judgment in the house of God. 27:57 You see this pattern through the Bible. 27:59 So the final judgment is it for the world? 28:02 No, Jesus said, the world's already condemned. 28:04 I didn't come to condemn the worlds, 28:06 I already condemned, I came to save. 28:08 So this is a judgment, 28:09 evaluating those who have taken the name of Christ 28:13 and their authenticity. 28:15 All right, you need to keep moving here. 28:16 Second angel's or first angel's message part two, 28:18 I should say, you want to read that, 28:19 Pastor Ross? 28:20 Verse 7 continues and says, 28:22 "Worship Him that made the heavens, 28:25 the earth, the sea, and the fountains of water." 28:27 All right, we'll focus first on the worship Him that made. 28:31 In a crisis to soon come, 28:34 the inhabitants of the earth will need to choose 28:36 between worshiping God or the beast. 28:39 The Creatorship is one of the distinguishing features 28:41 of the true God contrasted with false gods. 28:44 The appeal to worship God 28:46 as Creator implies that we recognize 28:48 the sign of God's creative works 28:50 in the seventh day Sabbath." 28:52 And now are we living in a time 28:53 when people are doubting that God is Creator? 28:58 Isn't that interesting that 28:59 for the first 6000 years of history, 29:02 almost 6000 years of history, 29:04 virtually every nation in the world believed in God. 29:07 They might have been polytheistic or monotheistic, 29:09 but they believed in God. 29:11 They believe... 29:13 But finally about the time of the French Revolution, 29:16 nations began to organize that were officially atheistic 29:19 in their belief. 29:20 And until the fall of the iron curtain, 29:22 the majority of people in the world, 29:23 between Russia and China and others, 29:25 claim there was no God. 29:28 So this is a time when God really needed 29:30 to get back that message, worship Him that made. 29:34 This is a Creator that we are to worship, 29:36 and the Sabbath is a sign of that. 29:39 We're reading Ezekiel 20:12, 29:41 talking about worshiping the Creator. 29:43 "More over also I gave them My Sabbath, 29:45 to be assigned between them and Me that they might know 29:48 that I am the Lord that sanctifies them." 29:51 So not only is the Sabbath the sign that God creates us, 29:54 it is also a sign that God recreates us 29:56 that is to be sanctified, to be set apart for a holy use. 30:00 And why don't you read this verse as well? 30:02 Exodus 20:11, "For in six days the Lord made the heavens 30:06 and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them 30:09 and He rested the seventh day. 30:10 Therefore the Lord blessed 30:12 the Sabbath day and hallowed it." 30:14 Now that comes from one of the Ten Commandments, 30:16 which commandment is that? 30:17 Fourth. That's the fourth commandment. 30:19 Notice something that you find in Revelation 14:7, 30:22 in the first angel's message still, 30:25 "Worship Him that made, " 30:27 look at the words, "heaven, earth, sea, springs of water." 30:32 Now you see in Exodus 20:11, "He made heaven, earth, sea." 30:37 Where are those words that you find 30:40 in the first angel's message drawn specifically 30:42 from in the Ten Commandments? 30:45 Sabbath Commandment? 30:46 It's especially calling God's people 30:48 back to the Sabbath. 30:51 So His people 30:52 are not only commandment keepers, 30:53 but it's highlighting worshiping the Creator, 30:56 and the Sabbath, God says, is a sign that I'm Creator. 30:58 That's all part of the warp and woof of this message. 31:02 You also want to notice in this verse that 31:05 the Sabbath commandment, the last part says, 31:07 worship Him that made the heavens, 31:09 the earth, the sea, and all that is in them. 31:11 But when you read this in the first angel's message, 31:15 worship Him that made the heavens, 31:16 the earth, the sea, 31:17 and the fountains of water, 31:19 a slight different application there at the end. 31:22 Well, if you go back to the Old Testament, 31:24 and you read about 31:25 when the fountains of the deep broke open 31:26 or the fountains of water, it's a reference to the flood. 31:30 It's a reference judgment that came upon the wicked 31:33 in the days of Noah. 31:35 It's also important to note that 31:37 round the same time period, around 1844, 31:41 there were some ideas that were being presented, 31:44 fairly new ideas up to that point, 31:47 saying that everything that we see in nature 31:49 is the result of long periods of time, 31:52 and over slow changes, you know, men evolved. 31:58 Well, the Bible is telling us that these changes that we see 32:00 in our environment 32:01 isn't because of millions of years, 32:04 the Bible tells us that occurred at the flood. 32:06 The fountains of the great deep broke open. 32:09 Right about the time of 1844 is when I believe 32:14 that was Darwin's voyage of the Beagle 32:16 and he was forming his thesis. 32:19 You know, here's the actual original title of the book, 32:22 "The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, 32:25 and of the Preservation of Favored Races 32:29 in the Struggle for Life." 32:31 Preservation of favorite races? 32:33 A lot of people have changed the title 32:36 because it's an extremely racist view 32:39 that Darwin had. 32:40 He believed that the people in Europe 32:42 were more further evolved than other peoples. 32:45 And he says so very specifically. 32:47 And so that part of the evolutionary theory 32:49 is not taught in schools, is it? 32:51 But that was part of the same man, 32:53 who was teaching the theory of evolution 32:55 which of course took off. 32:57 Okay. What's next here? 32:58 Second angel's message. 33:00 Want to read that? 33:01 Revelation 14:8, says, 33:03 "And there followed another angel, 33:04 saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, 33:09 because she has made all nations 33:10 drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication." 33:13 All right, so it's talking about Babylon. 33:15 We need to find out, who is Babylon? 33:17 Is it talking about those ruins that you find over there 33:21 and God going to rebuild the ancient city of Babylon? 33:24 No, the prophecies are very clear. 33:26 Ancient Babylon is not what's being referenced here. 33:29 You look in Isaiah 13 and there's a prophecy says, 33:32 "And Babylon, the glory of the kingdoms, 33:34 the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, 33:36 will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 33:40 It will never be inhabited, nor will it be settled 33:42 from generation to generation." 33:44 He says, it's gonna be a place 33:45 where the goats are going to play 33:47 and nobody's going to rebuild that city. 33:50 Just a little footnote, you might find interesting. 33:52 There it says, yeah, 33:53 "Or the Arabian pitches tend to there, 33:55 nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there. 33:57 But wild beasts of the desert will lie there, 33:59 their houses will be full of owls, 34:01 ostriches will dwell there, 34:03 wild goats will scamper or caper there." 34:07 Saddam Hussein knew that the Hebrew prophecy said, 34:13 the Babylon would never be rebuilt. 34:14 And he said, "I'm going to prove that wrong." 34:16 So he had very expensive plans to completely rebuild Babylon, 34:20 which was nothing but ruins up until the time. 34:23 And you can read here 34:26 and this is a quote from a Newsweek magazine, 34:28 "Saddam had himself photograph not long ago, 34:31 in a replica of the war chariot of Nebuchadnezzar, 34:33 the Babylonian king 34:34 who Saddam apparently revered as his hero," 34:37 He actually said, 34:38 he was a reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar. 34:40 "Despite about of insanity that's recounted 34:42 in the Book of Daniel, 34:43 Nebuchadnezzar made his name 34:44 and history by destroying Jerusalem in 587 B.C. 34:49 and driving its inhabitants in the 70 years of captivity. 34:52 It is fair warning." 34:54 Here Saddam was saying, 34:55 I'm going to teach those Jews a lesson. 34:56 I'm the reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar. 34:58 I'm going to rebuild Babylon. 35:00 And then the Gulf War broke out. 35:02 That's as far as he got 35:03 with a tourism center in Babylon. 35:06 You can see they restored some streets, 35:08 nobody lives there. 35:09 It's still ruins. 35:11 And so what Babylon is Revelation 35:14 talking about in Chapter 2? 35:16 Well, to understand 35:17 who Babylon is in Revelation 14, 35:19 you need to look in Revelation Chapter 17. 35:21 Revelation 17 describes a woman 35:23 and her name written on a forehead 35:25 is Babylon the Great, 35:26 the mother of harlots 35:28 and the abominations of the earth. 35:30 Now you'll remember in a previous study, 35:32 we looked at what a woman represents in Bible prophecy. 35:35 A woman represents a church. 35:37 Revelation Chapter 12, you have the true church, 35:40 a woman clothed with the sun, standing upon the moon, 35:42 a crown of 12 stars, representing God's true church 35:45 throughout the Christian era. 35:47 But now in Revelation 17, 35:48 you have a woman that is a persecuting power, 35:52 and her name is Babylon. 35:54 So the Bible is describing a religious organization, 35:56 a religious political organization, 35:58 because it says the woman is sitting upon a beast. 36:01 The beast in Bible prophecy represents a political power, 36:05 and the woman is controlling the beast, 36:07 meaning this religious church 36:10 is controlling political powers. 36:12 So Babylon in Bible prophecy represents 36:15 this false religious system in the last days. 36:20 Now, it's interesting, it says, the first angel's message, 36:22 "Babylon is fallen, is fallen," she falls twice. 36:27 In Revelation Chapter 17, you have the mother Babylon, 36:30 but you also have the daughters Babylon. 36:33 So the mother church, 36:34 the mother Babylon would represent 36:35 the church of Rome, the daughter churches 36:38 would represent those Protestant churches 36:40 that came from the mother, 36:42 and yet held on to the false doctrines 36:45 and teachings of the mother church. 36:47 So there is a warning in the second angel's message, 36:50 "Babylon is fallen, is fallen." 36:52 Yeah. 36:53 And then if you look in Revelation 18, 36:55 to better understand how Babylon... 36:57 What Babylon is? 36:59 It says, "The first and the third angels 37:01 describe having a loud voice. 37:03 But the second angel is simply announcing that 37:05 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen.' 37:07 Why does the second angel not proclaim the message 37:09 with a loud voice?' " 37:11 But you go to Revelation Chapter 18, 37:14 and you can see where it says, "Babylon the city, 37:17 the great is fallen," and it says that there he cried 37:19 mightily with a loud voice. 37:21 That's Revelation 14:8. Yeah. 37:25 "He cries mightily with a loud voice," 37:28 in Revelation 18:1-2, "Come out of her, my people." 37:33 Now to understand coming out of Babylon, 37:36 first of all got to go way back. 37:38 Babylon starts out as Mesopotamia. 37:40 Babylon is a very old city. 37:42 Who was it that began? 37:45 Nimrod building, his first city was Babel. 37:49 Abraham brings his wife out of Mesopotamia 37:52 into the Promised Land. 37:54 Then later he doesn't want Isaac 37:55 to marry the local pagan girl. 37:57 He sends his servant Eliezer back to Mesopotamia, 38:00 to get Rebecca and brings her out of Babylon 38:03 to the Promised Land. 38:06 Rebecca then sends Jacob to find a wife. 38:09 He goes back to Mesopotamia. 38:11 He comes back with four wives into the Promised Land. 38:16 And then God's people are carried off to Babylon. 38:19 And they got comfortable there after 70 years. 38:22 And God says, "My plagues are going to fall on Babylon, 38:24 come out of her My people." 38:26 What's the struggle for them to come out? 38:27 They got used to being in Babylon. 38:29 They adopted the customs of Babylon. 38:30 They spoke Babylonian. 38:32 He said, look, I'm calling you to be my peculiar people. 38:35 So it was a real struggle. Some of them didn't come out. 38:37 They said, "We're comfortable here. 38:38 We've been here too long." 38:40 You have that same problem happening to God's people 38:42 in the last days. 38:44 He's asking His people, 38:45 God has His people mixed up in many religions. 38:47 They love the Lord. 38:48 They've got elements of truth, 38:49 but they've got some of the doctrines of devils 38:51 that are in Babylon. 38:53 And a curse is ultimately going to fall on Babylon. 38:56 God says, "Come out of her, 38:58 My people that you receive not of her plagues, 39:01 that you're not guilty of her sins." 39:03 And that's a message that's to go out. 39:05 Now to come back to pure biblical Christianity, 39:08 the faith that was once delivered to the saints. 39:12 You know just to build on that. 39:13 Get ready to hit the buzzer there. 39:14 You know what? I forgot. 39:16 There it is, okay. 39:17 Want to add something. 39:19 Talking about the fourth angel? 39:20 You have the second angel that says, 39:22 "Babylon is fallen, is fallen," 39:23 but it's not proclaimed with a loud voice. 39:26 But it should be proclaimed with a loud voice, 39:28 because it's going to go to all the world. 39:29 So now you find the fourth angel 39:31 in Revelation 18, which does just that. 39:33 Revelation 18:2, it talks about, well, 39:36 one talks about this mighty angel 39:37 coming down the earth, 39:39 he is illuminated with his glory. 39:40 In verse 2, "And he cries mightily with a loud voice, " 39:43 there it is, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, 39:46 has become the dwelling place of demons, 39:48 a prison of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean 39:53 and hated bird." 39:54 Now remember, Babylon is referring to this religious 39:57 institution, this church that has become corrupt. 40:00 There's an interesting 40:02 parallel passage talking about this, 40:03 notice it says, 40:04 a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 40:07 This is actually a quote from a prophecy 40:09 in Jeremiah Chapter 5. 40:11 I'd like to read it. 40:12 Jeremiah 5:26, 27. 40:15 Notice to what it says here. 40:17 It says, "For among my people are found wicked men. 40:20 They lie in wait as one that sets snares, 40:23 they set a trap, they catch men. 40:27 As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses, " 40:30 or you might add their churches, 40:32 "full of deceit, therefore, 40:35 they have become great and grown rich." 40:38 Is that a description of what's happening 40:40 in a lot of churches today 40:42 where false doctrine is being preached 40:44 and the people become very wealthy, very influential? 40:49 So what's being described here in Revelation 18 40:51 and Revelation 14 is the condition 40:53 that we see in Christianity by large today. 40:57 Now, of course, there's always exceptions, 40:59 God has got faithful people scattered throughout Babylon. 41:02 But part of the three angels' messages is to call people 41:05 to come out of religious confusion, 41:07 make their stand upon Bible truth. 41:10 Yeah, also just highlighting what Pastor Ross was saying, 41:13 not only is this message loud, 41:14 don't miss the part where it says, 41:15 the earth is illuminated. 41:17 Is that a good light? 41:19 There's gonna be the message, finally going forth 41:23 with great power in the last days. 41:24 We want to be part of that, don't we? 41:26 It's part of why we're doing, 41:27 what we're doing here at Granite Bay 41:29 and where they are building, we're wanting to broadcast 41:31 with great light this message around the world. 41:34 And to pray that we're effective that way. 41:36 And the message record is come out of her. 41:39 Notice he says, "My people." 41:40 Does God have His people in many different churches? 41:42 Yes. They love the Lord. 41:44 We're going to find a lot of folks in heaven 41:46 that maybe didn't understand everything 41:48 about the health message or go to church the right day, 41:50 but they walked in the light they had 41:53 and they love the Lord. 41:54 They understood the basics of the gospel. 41:56 And these churches need to hear the message. 41:59 How they're going to hear it? 42:00 Now, not only are they're being called out of Babylon, 42:04 what are they being called into? 42:07 How many churches are there in the last days? 42:10 Well, it's two. True and false. 42:12 Got mark of the beast, seal of God? 42:14 There's going to be a shaking and a polarizing, 42:16 you're going to notice that 42:17 everybody's going to be coming towards one or the other. 42:20 So when they come out of Babylon, 42:22 what did they come into? 42:24 Jesus said, "Other sheep I have," this is John 10:16, 42:28 "which are not of this fold, them also I must bring, 42:31 they will hear my voice and there will be one fold 42:34 and one shepherd." 42:36 Okay, so God's pulling His people together, 42:39 they'll be united group. 42:41 When Jesus sent the disciples out, He said, 42:43 "All men will know 42:44 you're My disciples by your love for one another." 42:46 Is a Christian church united today? 42:47 No. 42:49 Is there a false call to unity in the Christian church today? 42:54 I mean, does even the pope tell everybody 42:55 we need to unite. 42:56 John 17, put aside our differences. 42:59 Does he want us to unite for the sake of unity 43:01 or to unite for truth? 43:03 Truth needs to be uniting factor. 43:06 All right, we got to hurry along third angel's message. 43:09 Want to read that, Pastor Ross? 43:10 Revelation 14, beginning in verse 9, it says, 43:12 "Then a third angel followed them saying," notice, 43:15 "with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast or his image 43:18 and receives his mark in his forehead or on his hand, 43:21 he himself shall also drink 43:23 the wine of the wrath of God..." 43:25 By the way, the wine of the wrath of God 43:27 is described later in Revelation 43:29 as the seven last plagues, 43:31 "Which is poured out full strength 43:32 into the cup of His indignation. 43:34 He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone 43:36 in the presence of the holy angels, 43:37 and in the presence of the Lamb. 43:39 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, 43:42 and they have no rest day or night, 43:43 who worship the beast and his image 43:45 and whosoever receives the mark of his name.' " 43:49 Notice that, those that have the seal of God, 43:53 the Bible says they remember the Sabbath. 43:56 They remember God is Creator. 43:58 Those who worship the beast have no rest. 44:01 Doesn't the Bible tells us that the Sabbath He gave, 44:03 spake in a certain place of the seventh day 44:05 that they should enter into his rest. 44:06 Hebrews Chapter 4, Jesus said, 44:08 "Come unto me and I'll give you," what? "Rest." 44:12 The Sabbath embodies the rest that we have in Christ. 44:15 Those who worship the beast, they don't rest, 44:18 they don't have a rest day or night. 44:19 You'll notice the first angel's message 44:21 talks about true worship, fear God, give Him glory, 44:24 the hour of His judgment is come, worship the Creator. 44:29 The third angel warns us about false worship. 44:31 So the first angel is all about true worship. 44:34 The third angel is all about false worship. 44:36 Anyone who worships the beast or his image 44:38 or receives his mark in the last days, 44:40 all the world's going to be divided up, 44:42 everybody's going to be 44:43 worshiping someone or something. 44:46 Those of the seal of God will be worshiping 44:48 the Creator God and keeping the commandments of God. 44:51 Those who worship the beast power 44:53 will be keeping the commandments of the beast. 44:56 And so two groups of people are set up in the last days. 44:59 Amen. 45:00 You remember, 45:01 it's the same battle that starts all the way back 45:03 in Cain and Abel. 45:06 They both claimed to worship God. 45:08 There are only two groups, Cain's way and Abel's way. 45:12 And Cain when he manufactured his own form of worship, 45:17 a curse was placed on him and a mark. 45:20 So you can't read Revelation 13 and Revelation 14 45:23 without thinking about, this is the devil's attempt 45:25 in the beginning to set up counterfeit worship 45:28 opposed to the worship of God. 45:29 It says, Cain went out from the presence of the Lord 45:33 just like Adam and Eve. 45:34 They ran from God. 45:35 These are people who are separated, 45:37 your sins have separated you from God. 45:39 Represents all the sinners who were separated from God. 45:41 And ultimately they received that mark, 45:44 and then a very fearful judgment falls upon them 45:47 in the end. 45:49 So it's asking the question, "Will we keep the commandments 45:51 of God or the commandments of the beast?" 45:54 You've got two kinds of marks. 45:57 Bible tells us in Deuteronomy Chapter 6, "Hear, O Israel, 46:04 the Lord our God is one. 46:05 Thou shall love the Lord thy God 46:06 with all thy heart, mind, soul, and strength. 46:08 And these words that I command you this day," 46:10 Ten Commandments He just gave in Chapter 5, 46:13 "they'll be in your heart. 46:14 Teach them diligently to your children, 46:16 when you lay down, when you rise up, 46:18 when you go out, when you come in, 46:19 they'll be on the doors of your house. 46:21 You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, 46:24 they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." 46:27 So if we accept the everlasting gospel, 46:29 we have the law of God in our hearts, 46:31 it will then be in our actions, that means, 46:33 it's in your thoughts, it's in your hands. 46:36 If you do not have the seal of God, 46:38 then you got the mark of the beast. 46:40 The works of the beast in your hand 46:42 and in your forehead. 46:44 You know, so the key issue at the end of time 46:46 revolves around worship 46:47 and important part of worship is obedience. 46:50 So God's people will have to make a stand in obeying God, 46:53 in being faithful to His commandments. 46:55 Yes, there'll be some persecution in the last days. 46:58 But the Bible promises that if we're faithful to God, 47:01 God will be faithful to us. 47:02 It's far better in the last days 47:04 to have the seal of God 47:05 and may be face some persecution 47:07 than to have the mark of the beast 47:09 and face the seven last plagues. 47:10 Amen. 47:11 We need to decide which side we want to be on. 47:14 Now, ultimately, as we are preaching the three angel's 47:17 message and especially when that second angel goes again, 47:20 like Revelation 18, great power, loud, 47:23 illuminates the earth. 47:25 What will the devil do when God's message takes off? 47:28 Does he just stand back and acts after the gospel 47:32 was being preached 47:33 and the Holy Spirit was poured out? 47:34 You read in Chapter 8, a great persecution arose. 47:37 All that live godly will suffer persecution. 47:40 The beast power will consolidate 47:42 and begin to persecute God's people during that time, 47:45 till eventually probation is closed. 47:47 There's a statement from the book, Last Day Events, 47:50 "When our nation, in its legislative councils, 47:52 shall enact laws to bind the consciences of men 47:56 in regard to their religious privileges, 47:58 enforcing Sunday observance, 48:00 and bringing oppressive power to bear against those 48:02 who keep the seventh-day Sabbath, 48:04 the law of God will be to all intents and purposes, 48:07 be made void in our land, 48:09 and national apostasy will be followed by national ruin." 48:13 Friends, there are things happening in the world today 48:15 that should really capture our attention 48:18 and excite us to be sharing the message. 48:21 I just saw this week in Russia. 48:24 Jehovah's Witnesses have been outlawed, 48:27 now their property is being seized 48:29 and they're being imprisoned. 48:32 You can read this for yourself. 48:34 Now I don't agree with some of their beliefs. 48:36 But I know a lot of Jehovah's Witnesses 48:37 and they're not criminals. 48:39 They don't rampage up and down the streets, 48:40 they're law-abiding citizens and they are in Russia. 48:43 And Ukraine got a call this week, 48:45 I was supposed to do a TV interview yesterday, 48:47 it's being postponed. 48:49 Christians in Ukraine, Protestants are being 48:51 persecuted by the Orthodox Church to being imprisoned. 48:55 Those things happening all around the world and we think, 48:58 "Oh, that would never happen in our country." 49:00 But prophecy says ultimately it will. 49:03 And so now's when we need to be getting those messages out. 49:06 One more thought before... 49:07 I know you might have a closing thought, 49:09 you know, we have a free offer, we want to reiterate, 49:11 but Amazing Facts also has a lesson on this. 49:14 And it's called Angel Messages from Outer Space. 49:17 You can read it for free 49:18 by simply going to the Amazing Facts website 49:21 or go to Bible Universe and just, 49:23 you can type in the title, you'll probably find it online. 49:25 But if you want to better understand this, 49:27 we're giving you a condensed version of Revelation 14, 49:30 just Angel Messages from Space. 49:33 We'd also like to remind those 49:34 who are watching about our free offer today. 49:36 This is just a great resource, entitled, 49:37 "Revelation: The Bride, the Beast, and Babylon. 49:40 This is a DVD documentary that really looks at Revelation 49:43 Chapter 17. 49:45 If you'd like to receive it, the number to call is 49:46 866-788-3966. 49:50 And you can ask for offer number 817, 49:53 or you can text the code 49:54 "SH055" to the number 40544. 50:00 Thank you very much. 50:02 You can honk the horn. We're done now. 50:03 We're done. 50:04 Time is up. 50:05 We'll see you God willing, friends, next week, 50:08 and we want to thank you for joining us 50:09 for our Sabbath School Study Hour. 50:22 Among the people living in the tropics, 50:24 for thousands of years 50:25 the coconut has been a virtual tree of life. 50:29 The people use it for food, for clothing, for water, 50:32 for tools, for soap, it does just about everything. 50:37 The coconut has also saved a lot of lives. 50:41 During World War II, pilots that were shot down 50:43 or sailors that were stranded on Pacific Islands, 50:46 they lived for many months on nothing 50:48 other than the coconut trees that were on their islands. 50:51 Yes, sir, the coconut is a tree of life. 50:54 One of the amazing things about coconut is they're designed 50:57 so they're actually able to float across oceans. 51:01 Coconuts can go thousands of miles after many months 51:03 be washed up on some deserted sandy beach, 51:06 then they take root, sprout, come to life 51:11 and they'll develop a whole new ecosystem, 51:14 holding islands in place through a hurricane. 51:16 When the ancient Polynesian travelers crossing oceans 51:19 saw an island with coconut trees, 51:21 they knew there was hope. 51:23 It's amazing how in virtually no time at all, 51:26 those living on Pacific Islands know how to make baskets 51:29 and all kinds of tools 51:30 from the leaves of the coconut tree. 51:35 The coconuts even serve different purposes 51:37 at different times in their development. 51:39 The younger green coconut, they're full of water 51:41 and that'll keep you alive. 51:45 You can even make utensils from the coconut. 51:48 My spoon is part of the green shell and here, 51:52 this is a coconut jelly, makes good for breakfast. 51:58 The more mature coconuts, that's where you get the meat, 52:01 but you want to make sure that they're not bad, 52:02 the way you test this 52:04 is you can hear the water inside. 52:05 You bring that mike over here. 52:08 Can you hear it? 52:09 That's a good one. 52:10 How about we take a bite? 52:12 Now that makes meal that will really fill you up 52:14 and it cleanse your teeth at the same time. 52:19 Throughout the Bible, 52:20 Jesus uses a number of metaphors 52:22 to remind us that everything we need to survive 52:24 comes from Him. 52:26 He says that He's the living water. 52:28 Jesus tells us He is the bread of life. 52:30 His robe covers us with righteousness. 52:33 He is our good shepherd that protects us. 52:36 Jesus is the living vine through which we get our life 52:38 and our nourishment. 52:40 You might say Jesus is like the coconut tree, 52:43 a tree of life. 52:44 You know, the first few verses in the Bible tell that 52:47 God provided a tree of life for man 52:49 so he could live forever, 52:51 but because of sin man was separated from that tree 52:53 and from the garden. 52:55 But through trusting in Jesus 52:56 and trusting in His sacrifice on the cross, 52:59 we once again will have access to the tree of life 53:01 and have eternal life with Him in the kingdom. 53:04 But this is all made possible because we trust in Jesus, 53:07 who is the real tree of life. 53:09 Jesus said, "Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood, 53:12 you have no life in you." 53:13 But when we accept Christ as our sacrifice 53:15 and we allow Him to cleanse us and fill us with His Spirit, 53:18 we become new creatures, 53:20 and we can be with Him in sharing the gift 53:22 of everlasting life with others. 53:24 Matter of fact, we could do that right now 53:26 by tossing a coconut out 53:27 and praying that it lands on a deserted beach. 53:51 Amazing Facts Changed Lives. 54:01 I was heading south on Interstate 5, 54:04 this commercial come on KFBK radio 54:08 about a Revelation seminar by Amazing Facts. 54:11 I began, my chest began to tighten up, 54:13 I began sweating profusely. 54:16 I had difficulty in breathing. 54:18 There was this big rest area and at this time 54:21 I pulled into there, I thought, well, maybe 54:23 I'm having a heart attack. 54:25 I got out of my truck, 54:26 walked into the men's restroom therein, 54:29 put cold water on my face 54:31 and then finally things subsided. 54:33 A week later, again, I heard this Amazing Facts 54:36 commercial come on the radio. 54:37 In fact, the meetings were gonna start that very night, 54:40 and again immediately I had the same symptoms, I thought, 54:44 you know, this isn't my heart, I have to go to that meeting. 54:48 And as I was going down the Sacramento, 54:50 I decided to park and go inside. 54:53 Well, I got in and walked into the furthermost rear seat 54:58 they had in the pew there, 55:00 and this particular evangelist, his name was Kim Karen. 55:06 It was like taking one layer off at a time of an onion. 55:10 He laid it out so perfectly 55:12 that we could all understand it, 55:13 and I was really motivated, I couldn't believe it. 55:16 Well, I finished, I didn't miss the meeting. 55:18 In fact, on the fifth night, they had an altar call 55:22 and my knees stood right up and I walked forward 55:25 and I gave my heart to Jesus Christ. 55:28 I've learned throughout this whole thing that 55:31 when you leave the devil's territory, 55:34 he gets pretty active and causing a lot of problems. 55:38 Well, I have the evangelist come out 55:41 and they had prayer with me about my business. 55:43 I would find a sick business and make it well 55:47 and then market it. 55:48 I finally ended up with a business 55:50 that I really enjoyed, 55:51 that was one that was building equestrian centers 55:55 and they said to me, Steve, he said, you know, 55:57 if you're gonna really keep the Sabbath, 55:59 you gotta shut your doors on the Sabbath. 56:02 Well, I did and so I sold the business to my brother. 56:05 Took me 22 years to build that business 56:08 and he lost it in 33 months. 56:11 My son who was my business partner, 56:13 I've been giving him 10% of the business every year. 56:17 He thought I just fallen of the bridge. 56:21 My son didn't talk to me for five and a half years 56:25 and then a few other things happened. 56:26 So I had an ex-employee living in my guest house, 56:29 he kind of watched after our place 56:32 and he said, "Steve, " he said, "There's an elite moving van, 56:36 backed up to your front door in your home." 56:38 I said, "You're kidding." 56:39 I said, "What do you mean?" 56:41 He said, "They're moving everything out of your house 56:43 into this truck and your wife is out there supervising them. 56:47 And when I went home and opened the front door, 56:50 my voice echoed in that house. 56:51 There wasn't any furniture left anywhere. 56:53 There was one bed left in the house. 56:56 I knew my wife was upset 56:57 because of my coming to this church. 57:01 But I had no idea that she would move out like this, 57:04 that was a total shock to me. 57:06 It was sometime there, 57:07 that I locked myself in the bedroom 57:09 and I began reading the Bible. 57:11 It's been about a half a year, just every night getting home 57:14 and I would study. 57:17 It allowed me to have a personal relationship with 57:19 Jesus Christ. 57:21 Well, to make a long story short, 57:23 I met Crystal and she was a godly woman. 57:26 That was the Lord's doing, not mine. 57:29 And He was just there to let me know 57:31 that I'm with you all the way, 57:32 even though you're gonna have some trials, 57:34 you're gonna have some hardships. 57:36 I want you to know that I'll be with you 57:39 because no matter what I do now, 57:42 He is my leader, He's the leader of my marriage, 57:45 He's the leader of everything in my life today. 57:48 That one meeting with the Amazing Facts seminar 57:50 changed my entire life and to this day, 57:54 I'm still on fire for God, 57:55 I'm still witnessing to my neighbors. 57:58 My name is Steve Johnson and it's because of you 58:01 that Amazing Facts has changed my life. |
Revised 2019-03-06