The Bible tells us, "In
the beginning was the Word,
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and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God."
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It says "To
receive with meekness
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the implanted Word
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which is able to save your souls
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and to be diligent to present
yourself approved to God,
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rightly dividing
the Word of truth."
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Join us now for the
3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
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Our study today is
"Preparation for the End Time."
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Hello, and welcome to
3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
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I am Jill Morikone, and we
are delighted that you've taken
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this time as we
open up the Word of God
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and study together.
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If you've been
following with us every week,
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we just finished our
study on stewardship,
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and we're ready for
a brand new quarter,
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"Preparation for the End Time."
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One of my favorite promises
is Jesus giving this promise
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to His disciples right
before He went to the cross.
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I'm speaking of John 14:1-3.
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Jesus says, "Let not
your heart be troubled.
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You believe in
God, believe also in Me.
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In my Father's
house are many mansions.
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If it were not, so
I would have told you.
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I go to prepare a place for you.
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And if I go to
prepare a place for you,
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I will come again and
receive you onto Myself,
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that where I'm
there ye may be also."
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As Seventh-day
Adventist Christians,
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we believe in the
literal, visible, audible,
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and eminent return of
the Lord Jesus Christ.
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In this quarter, we'll study
the prophecies of His coming,
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Daniel and Revelation,
the three angels' messages,
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the soon return of Jesus,
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and we look at all that in
the context of, how are you?
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How am I?
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How are we to be
prepared for His coming?
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Right now, I want to
introduce to you our panel.
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We have Pastor CA
Murray, Mr. Danny Shelton,
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Ms. Mollie Steenson,
and Ms. Shelley Quinn.
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And it's a privilege to
share with each one of you
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to hear what God
has given to you,
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and to open up the Word of God,
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and to study together.
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Thank you for having us.
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It's a blessing
to share together.
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Before we go any further,
let's go to the Lord in prayer.
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And, Pastor CA, would you
like to lead us in prayer?
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I'd be glad to.
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Father, God, how
thankful we are for Your Word
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which is a lamp unto our
feet and a light unto our path.
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We are thankful for
the study of the Word
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and that we never
leave the study of Your Word
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but that we are
refreshed, inspired,
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enlightened, encouraged,
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and given strength to take
one more step along that road
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that leads to glory.
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We ask that You
may be the center
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and circumference of all
that we say and do today.
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So that as we speak,
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You will speak to
us and speak through us
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so that Your people may indeed
hear a word from the Lord.
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We surrender ourselves to You,
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and thank You for
what You've promised to do
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and answer to
the prayer of faith,
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in Jesus' name, amen.
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Amen. Amen.
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If you would like your own copy
of the Sabbath School quarterly
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as we study together,
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you can always visit your
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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and they'll give you
a copy of the quarterly.
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Or you can go to the website,
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that's ABSG, that stands for
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Adult Bible Study
Guide. Adventist.org,
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and you can download the copy,
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and follow along with
us as we study together.
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This quarterly was
written by Norman Gulley,
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he is a Research
Professor in Systematic Theology
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at the Southern
Adventist University.
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And I'm just
excited to share together
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on preparation
for the end times.
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Lesson number one is
on the cosmic controversy.
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When I grew up, Mr. Danny,
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we just called it
the great controversy,
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the battle
between good and evil,
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between Christ and Satan.
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I think the great controversy
is all about character,
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God's character, as it
is, as it were on trial,
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how He clears His
name of false charges.
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And the great controversy
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is all about choice, our choice,
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your choice at
home in this battle
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who we're going to serve.
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So let's look at our memory.
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Memory text, we're
in Revelation 12:17,
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and we'll read it together,
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and you at home
can join with us.
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Revelation 12:17,
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"And the dragon was
enraged with the women
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and he went to make war
with the rest of her offspring,
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who keep the commandments of God
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and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ."
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Amen.
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I think I learned
that in King James.
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So you, kind of, want to
say the remnant of her seed...
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Yeah. Yeah.
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Instead of the
rest of her offspring.
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On Sunday, we look at
the fall of a perfect being.
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And, you know, I like stories.
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I like reading
stories, I like writing stories.
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And all good
stories have three parts,
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a beginning, a
middle, and an end.
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And you think about this thing
called The Great Controversy.
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In the beginning of
the great controversy,
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began with war in heaven.
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And we'll look at that,
how sin originated in heaven
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and how sin originated on earth.
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The middle of this
whole battle is you, and I,
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and the decisions that we make.
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All throughout history,
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the great
controversy has been raging,
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you could say, and
the decisions we make
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either for or
against Jesus Christ.
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But we know the ending
of the great controversy
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and what is that
ending, Mr. Danny?
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You always say, "We
read the back of the book."
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Read the back of
the book and we win.
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Praise the Lord.
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And so we know that
is how it's going to end.
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So Sunday, I look at
the fall of a perfect being.
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We're going to look at
two different scriptures,
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Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14.
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So turn in your
Bibles to Ezekiel 28,
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we're going to start there.
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Ezekiel 28:1,
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"The Word of the
Lord came to me again,
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saying, 'Son of man, say
to the Prince of Tyre...'"
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Now prince in Hebrew
means leader, ruler, or prince.
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And the literal Prince of Tyre,
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now we can have
another application to this
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and when we get to
verse 11, there's going to be
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a supernatural
application to this.
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But the literal
Prince of Tyre at the time
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when Ezekiel wrote
was probably Ithobaal III.
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And he was known for his wisdom.
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We see that in verse 3,
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"Behold, you are
wiser than Daniel.
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There is no secret that
can be hidden from you."
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He was also
known for his wealth.
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We see that in the next verse,
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"With your wisdom
and your understanding,
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you have gained
riches for yourself
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and gathered gold and
silver into your treasure."
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He was also known for his pride.
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We see that in the next verse,
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"By your great wisdom and trade,
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you have increased your riches
and your heart is lifted up
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because of your riches."
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He was also known for
his claim to be divine.
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We see that in verse 2,
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"Because your
heart is lifted up,"
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there is that pride
again, "and you say, 'I'm a God,
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I sit in the seat of gods
in the midst of the seas.'
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Yet, you are a man and not a God
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though you set your
heart as the heart of a God."
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And we see the
end of him in verse 8,
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it says, "He would be thrown
down to the pit and slain,
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shall die the
death of the slain."
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Now we look again,
instead of the Prince of Tyre,
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now the Bible shifts in verse 11
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and we look at the King of Tyre.
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Let's look at that.
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Ezekiel 28:11,
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"Moreover, the Word of
the Lord came to me saying,
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'Son of man,
take up a lamentation
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for the King of Tyre."'
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Now we are shifting
from an earthly ruler,
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and it's almost as if
the curtain is pulled behind
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and we are taking a
look into heaven as it were.
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And let's look at the
qualities of this being,
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this angelic being.
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We see this in verse 2,
"Thus says the Lord God,
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'You were the
seal of perfection,
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full of wisdom,
and perfect in beauty.
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You were in Eden,
the garden of God.
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Every precious
stone was your covering.'"
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And it goes on with
what the stones were.
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"The workmanship of
your timbrels and pipes
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was prepared for you on
the day you were created."
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So we know this
being was perfect,
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he possessed
wisdom, he had beauty,
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he had status, he
had musical ability,
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and we also know,
Shelly, he was created
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'cause it said, "It
was prepared for you
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in the day you were created."
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Now, let's look more, verse
14 tells us more about him.
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"You were anointed cherub."
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So now we know he is an angel.
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"You were anointed
cherub who covers."
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In Hebrew, the word for "covers"
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means to overshadow,
to screen, or to cover.
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So this angel was almost
right next to God Himself
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and was covering or
screening the glory of God
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from the other angels.
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So this is a high angel
that we're talking about here,
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an exalted angel.
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It says, "I established you,
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you were on the
holy mountain of God.
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You walked back and forth
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in the midst of
the fiery stones."
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In the very presence of God.
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"You were perfect in your ways
from the day you were created,"
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this angelic being was perfect,
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"till iniquity
was found in you."
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The word for "iniquity"
in Hebrew means injustice.
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So this being began
to harbor in his heart
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a false belief
that God wasn't just.
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And then he started to spread
as it were this false belief.
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You know, anything you
believe really strongly,
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you start to disseminate.
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You start to
share with someone else.
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If you believe in
something passionately enough,
00:10:08.50\00:10:10.97
you start to share it.
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And this being did that.
00:10:12.37\00:10:14.18
In verse 16, "By the
abundance of your trading,
00:10:14.21\00:10:17.88
you became filled
with violence within."
00:10:17.91\00:10:20.02
Now if I read
that, I just think,
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"Okay, he traded."
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But what it really means is
to go about from one to another
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trading in goods or words.
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Slander, you could
take the word "slander"
00:10:31.43\00:10:34.10
if you look at it in the Hebrew.
00:10:34.13\00:10:36.33
So this being,
this created being
00:10:36.36\00:10:38.50
who is right
next to God Himself,
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he began to go from
one person to the next
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starting to slander
the character of God.
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And pretty soon, it
got a little more heated.
00:10:48.81\00:10:51.68
We see that in Revelation 12
00:10:51.71\00:10:53.21
and I know others
will be touching on that,
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the war that broke
out in heaven over this.
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And then it says, "Therefore
I cast you as a profane thing
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out of the mountain of God.
00:11:02.96\00:11:04.29
I destroyed you,
O covering cherub,
00:11:04.33\00:11:06.39
from the midst of
the fiery stones."
00:11:06.43\00:11:08.06
So this angel was
cast out of heaven.
00:11:08.10\00:11:13.00
And why did that take place?
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Let's look in our
remaining time in Isaiah 14.
00:11:14.60\00:11:19.04
We'll jump back a
couple of chapters
00:11:19.07\00:11:22.21
to Isaiah 14.
00:11:22.24\00:11:27.32
Now this being is
mentioned outright
00:11:27.35\00:11:29.22
in Isaiah 14 as Lucifer.
00:11:29.25\00:11:31.62
It says, "How you
are fallen from heaven,
00:11:31.65\00:11:33.39
O Lucifer, son of the morning.
00:11:33.42\00:11:37.33
How you are cut
down to the ground,
00:11:37.36\00:11:39.93
you who weakened the nations."
00:11:39.96\00:11:42.53
And then it goes on with
five "I" statements as it were.
00:11:42.56\00:11:46.17
And we see the sin of Lucifer
00:11:46.20\00:11:48.47
from the very
beginning was pride.
00:11:48.50\00:11:51.21
And I came up with five P's
00:11:51.24\00:11:53.21
that he's guilty
of and they all...
00:11:53.24\00:11:55.34
It's all related to pride.
00:11:55.38\00:11:57.45
It is position, power,
00:11:57.48\00:12:00.02
preeminence, prestige, and peer.
00:12:00.05\00:12:03.92
And we'll unpack
that here. That's good.
00:12:03.95\00:12:05.99
The five P's of
pride that we see in Satan.
00:12:06.02\00:12:10.09
Verse 13, we're in Isaiah 14:13,
00:12:10.13\00:12:14.33
"You have said in your heart,
'I will ascend into heaven."'
00:12:14.36\00:12:17.37
That's number one.
00:12:17.40\00:12:18.80
"I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God."
00:12:18.83\00:12:22.30
That's number two.
00:12:22.34\00:12:23.71
"I will sit on the
Mount of the Congregation
00:12:23.74\00:12:25.71
on the farthest
sides of the North."
00:12:25.74\00:12:27.51
Remember, whoever
was on the north was God.
00:12:27.54\00:12:30.21
So he wanted that place.
00:12:30.25\00:12:31.95
Number four, "I will ascend
00:12:31.98\00:12:33.62
above the
heights of the clouds."
00:12:33.65\00:12:35.75
Remember, clouds
represented the Shekinah Glory
00:12:35.78\00:12:38.72
and the tabernacle
when the cloud came down,
00:12:38.75\00:12:40.96
the presence of the
Lord came down and descended.
00:12:40.99\00:12:43.96
So he wanted the
glory that was given to God.
00:12:43.99\00:12:47.43
And then, "I will
be like the Most High."
00:12:47.46\00:12:49.66
So those five I's we'll see,
"I will ascend into heaven."
00:12:49.70\00:12:54.47
He wanted position.
"I will occupy heaven."
00:12:54.50\00:12:58.47
Number two, "I
will exalt my throne
00:12:58.51\00:13:00.51
above the stars of God."
00:13:00.54\00:13:02.04
The stars meaning the
angels, he wanted power.
00:13:02.08\00:13:05.25
"I will exercise authority."
00:13:05.28\00:13:08.08
Number three, "I will sit on
the Mount of the Congregation
00:13:08.12\00:13:10.79
on the sides of the north.
00:13:10.82\00:13:13.79
I will have all
in subjection to me."
00:13:13.82\00:13:16.62
That's preeminence, he
wanted to be preeminent.
00:13:16.66\00:13:20.43
Number four, "I will ascend
00:13:20.46\00:13:22.06
above the
heights of the clouds."
00:13:22.10\00:13:23.97
Remember, clouds
represented that glory.
00:13:24.00\00:13:27.04
He wanted prestige.
00:13:27.07\00:13:28.60
He wanted to possess
God's glory for himself.
00:13:28.64\00:13:32.41
And then number five, "I
will be like the Most High.
00:13:32.44\00:13:35.68
I will be like God."
00:13:35.71\00:13:38.31
He wanted to be
an equal with God,
00:13:38.35\00:13:41.02
to be
considered a peer with God.
00:13:41.05\00:13:44.45
Now how sin
began in the beginning,
00:13:44.49\00:13:48.26
I have no idea.
00:13:48.29\00:13:49.62
You know, to even understand
how a perfect being entertained
00:13:49.66\00:13:54.63
thoughts of the injustice of God
00:13:54.66\00:13:56.50
and then began to
spread that as slander,
00:13:56.53\00:13:58.80
that's something
I don't even know
00:13:58.83\00:14:00.17
if the human
mind can comprehend.
00:14:00.20\00:14:02.30
But we know that it
originated in heaven
00:14:02.34\00:14:06.34
and then it came
down to the earth.
00:14:06.37\00:14:07.71
And, Pastor CA,
00:14:07.74\00:14:09.08
you have that with the
origin of sin here on earth.
00:14:09.11\00:14:11.18
Indeed. Thank you, Jill.
00:14:11.21\00:14:13.21
Well done. Beautiful.
00:14:13.25\00:14:16.25
On Monday, we take a look
at more than a head knowledge.
00:14:16.28\00:14:20.52
And this is almost
a parenthetical insert
00:14:20.56\00:14:23.36
into this process.
00:14:23.39\00:14:25.06
But it is extremely necessary
00:14:25.09\00:14:28.93
because that which we
see at the beginning in Eden,
00:14:28.96\00:14:34.04
we also see rearing its
head in the church today.
00:14:34.07\00:14:38.01
As we come closer to
the second coming of Christ,
00:14:38.04\00:14:41.98
what is evident is that a
head knowledge of these things
00:14:42.01\00:14:47.52
will not suffice,
00:14:47.55\00:14:49.42
one, to keep us away from sin
00:14:49.45\00:14:52.29
but two, to put us in a position
00:14:52.32\00:14:55.69
where we can be
faithful to the Word of God.
00:14:55.72\00:14:57.89
Amen.
00:14:57.93\00:14:59.26
So in Eden, we see
at the beginning of time
00:14:59.29\00:15:03.37
that a head
knowledge was not sufficient.
00:15:03.40\00:15:06.47
And as we approach
the coming of the Lord,
00:15:06.50\00:15:08.77
again, a head knowledge
will not be sufficient.
00:15:08.80\00:15:12.84
The lesson says
00:15:12.87\00:15:14.31
though we cannot
explain why evil arose,
00:15:14.34\00:15:17.18
since no
justification for it exists,
00:15:17.21\00:15:19.68
scripture reveals that it
began in the heart of Lucifer,
00:15:19.71\00:15:23.39
as you said, Jill, in heaven.
00:15:23.42\00:15:26.39
So what is sin?
00:15:29.96\00:15:31.56
What is this thing that began
00:15:31.59\00:15:34.73
in the very
presence of God in heaven?
00:15:34.76\00:15:37.47
Well, the standard and perhaps
the most basic definition
00:15:37.50\00:15:40.84
is 1 John 3:4,
00:15:40.87\00:15:43.77
"Sin is a
transgression of the law."
00:15:43.81\00:15:46.07
Yes.
00:15:46.11\00:15:47.51
Hamartia missing the
mark is anomia in the Greek,
00:15:47.54\00:15:51.98
which is lawlessness.
00:15:52.01\00:15:54.88
And that's a pretty
good place to start.
00:15:54.92\00:15:57.32
Douglas Cooper in his
book "Living God's Love"
00:15:57.35\00:15:59.89
says that "Sin,"
00:15:59.92\00:16:01.26
and he's talking about
individual sin in our lives,
00:16:01.29\00:16:03.53
"is really a failure
to love God supremely."
00:16:03.56\00:16:06.46
Whenever you determine to do
something that's against God,
00:16:06.49\00:16:10.57
you are saying in effect,
00:16:10.60\00:16:11.93
"I love that
more than I love God."
00:16:11.97\00:16:14.94
And he says, "All
sin," all individual sin,
00:16:14.97\00:16:17.61
"is really a manifestation
of your love of that thing
00:16:17.64\00:16:20.91
more than you love God."
00:16:20.94\00:16:22.28
Because if you love
God more, you serve God.
00:16:22.31\00:16:25.31
And we kind of see this
in what happened in Eden.
00:16:25.35\00:16:30.02
Sin to my mind, I'm
going to toss the word in here,
00:16:30.05\00:16:31.92
is an interloper.
00:16:31.95\00:16:34.32
Now, what is an interloper?
00:16:34.36\00:16:35.69
An interloper is a
person or thing that is exerted,
00:16:35.72\00:16:39.73
inserted into a place
where it does not belong
00:16:39.76\00:16:44.70
and is not wanted.
00:16:44.73\00:16:46.07
Okay. That's sin.
00:16:46.10\00:16:47.44
It doesn't belong here
and surely isn't wanted.
00:16:47.47\00:16:49.27
Amen? Okay.
00:16:49.30\00:16:50.64
Even though we
practice that process out,
00:16:50.67\00:16:52.14
I'm at war with myself,
00:16:52.17\00:16:53.51
"I don't want
it but I'll do it."
00:16:53.54\00:16:55.51
So it doesn't belong here
00:16:55.54\00:16:56.98
and we've been wrestling
with this for 7000 years.
00:16:57.01\00:16:59.21
And praise God, soon
that wrestling will be over.
00:16:59.25\00:17:03.85
The lesson alludes to...
00:17:03.89\00:17:05.22
And I want to take a
moment just to read this
00:17:05.25\00:17:06.62
and it's going to take
a little bit of my time
00:17:06.65\00:17:08.26
but I think this
is very important,
00:17:08.29\00:17:09.62
Great Controversy
in The Origin of Sin,
00:17:09.66\00:17:12.59
I'm beginning at page 492.
00:17:12.63\00:17:15.76
And I think this is something
00:17:15.80\00:17:17.13
that we can take to our classes.
00:17:17.17\00:17:18.67
Ellen White says this,
00:17:18.70\00:17:20.27
"To many minds,
the origin of sin,
00:17:20.30\00:17:23.24
and the reason for its existence
00:17:23.27\00:17:25.57
are a source of
great perplexity.
00:17:25.61\00:17:28.28
They see the work of evil
00:17:28.31\00:17:30.25
with its terrible
results of war and desolation,
00:17:30.28\00:17:33.11
and they question,
00:17:33.15\00:17:34.55
'How all this can exist
under the sovereignty of one,
00:17:34.58\00:17:39.42
who is infinite in wisdom,
00:17:39.45\00:17:41.96
infinite in power and in love?'"
00:17:41.99\00:17:44.23
So how can a God of love
00:17:44.26\00:17:46.29
countenance this
thing in His universe?
00:17:46.33\00:17:48.80
Here is a mystery of which
we can find no explanation.
00:17:48.83\00:17:53.34
"There are those
who in their enquiries
00:17:53.37\00:17:55.24
concerning the existence of sin,
00:17:55.27\00:17:57.14
endeavored to search into that
00:17:57.17\00:17:58.87
which God has never revealed.
00:17:58.91\00:18:01.21
Hence they find no
solution for their difficulties
00:18:01.24\00:18:04.45
as such are activated
00:18:04.48\00:18:05.91
by a disposition
of doubt and Cavil."
00:18:05.95\00:18:09.18
Now I have to go back
and find out what Cavil,
00:18:09.22\00:18:10.69
c-a-v-i-l 'cause
that has, sort of,
00:18:10.72\00:18:12.49
slipped from the
English language.
00:18:12.52\00:18:13.99
Caviling means, petty
and unnecessary objections.
00:18:14.02\00:18:17.93
Okay. Petty and unnecessary.
00:18:17.96\00:18:20.56
So there are some people
who pick at stuff that God says
00:18:20.60\00:18:25.23
leave it alone,
don't pick at that,
00:18:25.27\00:18:27.34
leave it and it's like
so you keep picking at it,
00:18:27.37\00:18:29.07
picking at it, leave
it alone, that's caviling.
00:18:29.10\00:18:32.24
"They seize upon
this as an excuse
00:18:32.27\00:18:35.11
for rejecting the
holy words of writ."
00:18:35.14\00:18:37.38
Since they cannot understand it,
00:18:37.41\00:18:39.08
they reject it.
00:18:39.11\00:18:40.98
"It is impossible to
explain the origin of sin
00:18:41.02\00:18:44.72
so as to give a
reason for its existence."
00:18:44.75\00:18:47.59
You cannot explain it.
00:18:47.62\00:18:49.62
"Sin is an
intruder," is the word to use,
00:18:49.66\00:18:53.23
"for whose presence
no reason can be given.
00:18:53.26\00:18:57.00
It is mysterious, unaccountable,
00:18:57.03\00:19:00.17
to excuse it is to defend it.
00:19:00.20\00:19:03.44
Could excuse for it be found
00:19:03.47\00:19:06.24
or cause be shown
for its existence,
00:19:06.27\00:19:08.98
it would cease to be sin."
00:19:09.01\00:19:12.35
Our only definition of sin
00:19:12.38\00:19:13.72
is that given
by the Word of God.
00:19:13.75\00:19:16.08
"It is the
transgression of the law.
00:19:16.12\00:19:19.72
It is the outworking
of a principle at war
00:19:19.75\00:19:25.69
with the great law of love
00:19:25.73\00:19:27.66
which is the foundation
of the divine government."
00:19:27.70\00:19:32.37
That's the best we can do.
00:19:32.40\00:19:34.17
Now the lesson asks as we look
at how sin now comes to earth.
00:19:34.20\00:19:40.01
To discuss the
culpability of Adam and Eve
00:19:40.04\00:19:44.71
in the spreading
of sin to the earth.
00:19:44.75\00:19:47.75
Do they have culpability?
00:19:47.78\00:19:49.68
Well, the answer
is yes. Absolutely.
00:19:49.72\00:19:51.89
Because Eve knew,
00:19:51.92\00:19:54.89
and this is where
this idea of head knowledge
00:19:54.92\00:19:57.13
and heart knowledge comes.
00:19:57.16\00:19:58.66
Eve knew what God wanted.
00:19:58.69\00:20:01.63
And the reason we know she knew
00:20:01.66\00:20:05.47
is because of
what she said to Satan.
00:20:05.50\00:20:08.17
Satan said, "Has God not said
00:20:08.20\00:20:10.91
that you're not
supposed to eat?"
00:20:10.94\00:20:13.04
She said, "Yeah,
God has told us."
00:20:13.07\00:20:15.94
She talked with Satan,
00:20:15.98\00:20:17.31
she explained to
him what God had.
00:20:17.35\00:20:19.58
So we go to Genesis 3:1-7.
00:20:19.61\00:20:24.89
I just want to look at
what Eve said, I'm in Genesis 3,
00:20:24.92\00:20:29.19
Genesis 3.
00:20:29.22\00:20:30.56
Here we are,
and look at verse 2.
00:20:30.59\00:20:32.53
Genesis 3:2, "And the
woman said to the serpent,"
00:20:35.53\00:20:38.33
Eve speaking, "we may
eat the fruit of the trees
00:20:38.37\00:20:43.20
of the garden,
00:20:43.24\00:20:44.57
but of the fruit of the tree
00:20:44.61\00:20:45.94
which is in the
midst of the garden,
00:20:45.97\00:20:47.31
God has said, 'You
shall not eat of it
00:20:47.34\00:20:50.18
nor shall you
touch it, lest you die.'"
00:20:50.21\00:20:52.45
So she was fully conversant
with God's prohibitions
00:20:52.48\00:20:55.92
as to that tree and that fruit.
00:20:55.95\00:20:57.75
She knew it, she
knew it well enough
00:20:57.79\00:20:59.12
so that she could
repeat it to Satan
00:20:59.15\00:21:00.82
when she was questioned.
00:21:00.86\00:21:02.19
So she is culpable
00:21:02.22\00:21:03.79
because she knows in
her head what God has said.
00:21:03.83\00:21:08.73
And she knows it
enough to explain it.
00:21:08.76\00:21:11.43
So Satan says,
00:21:11.47\00:21:12.80
"Well, you
shall not surely die."
00:21:12.83\00:21:15.30
This says to me,
ladies and gentlemen,
00:21:15.34\00:21:19.74
head knowledge is not enough.
00:21:19.77\00:21:21.64
That's right.
00:21:21.68\00:21:23.01
Because God said
this, Satan said this,
00:21:23.04\00:21:26.65
and they chose to go with
Satan having a full knowledge
00:21:26.68\00:21:31.42
of what God's requirements
were and what His request was.
00:21:31.45\00:21:36.83
So this is very, very important.
00:21:36.86\00:21:38.89
One, spiritual things
are especially discerned.
00:21:38.93\00:21:43.33
1 Corinthians 8
says, "Knowledge puffs up."
00:21:43.37\00:21:46.40
It's not enough just
to know in your head,
00:21:46.43\00:21:50.34
you've got to
know in your heart.
00:21:50.37\00:21:52.37
Thank you. You've got to feed...
00:21:52.41\00:21:54.01
And particularly
in these last days
00:21:54.04\00:21:55.54
where everything that
you believe as a Christian
00:21:55.58\00:21:59.18
is going to be tested.
00:21:59.21\00:22:00.68
Do not think you
will skate into heaven,
00:22:00.72\00:22:04.19
untried and untested.
00:22:04.22\00:22:06.72
So it is not enough to
have the 2300 days in your head.
00:22:06.76\00:22:11.23
It's not enough to know about
vegetarianism in your head.
00:22:11.26\00:22:15.36
It's not enough to even know
that Jesus died on the cross
00:22:15.40\00:22:18.03
for you in your head,
00:22:18.07\00:22:20.04
you've got to
know it in your heart.
00:22:20.07\00:22:21.54
It's got to be part of who
you are and what you believe
00:22:21.57\00:22:24.87
because that will be tested.
00:22:24.91\00:22:28.18
So we have Matthew 15:8
00:22:28.21\00:22:32.78
which quotes
directly from Isaiah 29:13,
00:22:32.81\00:22:36.38
"These people draweth
nigh unto me with their mouth,
00:22:36.42\00:22:38.72
and honoreth me with their lips
00:22:38.75\00:22:40.66
but their hearts
are far from Me."
00:22:40.69\00:22:42.52
Again, they can talk the talk,
00:22:42.56\00:22:45.16
maybe even give a
pretty good Bible study,
00:22:45.19\00:22:47.40
but there's a disconnect
00:22:47.43\00:22:49.73
as far as what's
going on in my heart
00:22:49.76\00:22:52.17
and in the heart of God.
00:22:52.20\00:22:53.54
It's got to be
more than something
00:22:53.57\00:22:54.90
that comes out of my mouth.
00:22:54.94\00:22:56.27
It's got to come from my heart.
00:22:56.30\00:22:58.97
In Acts 8, we've got this...
00:22:59.01\00:23:02.78
We meet Simon the Sorcerer,
00:23:02.81\00:23:05.15
Simon the Sorcerer.
00:23:05.18\00:23:06.51
And the Bible says in verse 11,
00:23:06.55\00:23:07.98
he's been a
sorcerer for a long time,
00:23:08.02\00:23:09.82
serving the devil
a long, long time.
00:23:09.85\00:23:12.65
But verse 13 tells
us Simon also believed.
00:23:12.69\00:23:17.73
So he's got it in
his head, he believes.
00:23:17.76\00:23:21.36
Simon saw the saints, Danny,
putting their hands on people
00:23:21.40\00:23:25.20
and people are
getting the Holy Ghost
00:23:25.23\00:23:26.90
and he said,
"Whoo, I like that."
00:23:26.94\00:23:29.14
Yeah, that's a good thing.
I think I want some of that.
00:23:29.17\00:23:31.57
"Because listen, I
got a couple bucks.
00:23:31.61\00:23:33.41
Let me buy some of
that Holy Spirit from you."
00:23:33.44\00:23:35.01
Okay.
00:23:35.04\00:23:37.05
So he believes, and
he wants what he sees
00:23:37.08\00:23:40.72
but the heart
connection is not there.
00:23:40.75\00:23:43.35
And he had to be told,
00:23:43.39\00:23:46.72
"What you're asking not only
is it not right, it's not godly.
00:23:46.76\00:23:51.19
You can't buy the
Holy Spirit with money.
00:23:51.23\00:23:53.63
You don't have enough
cash to buy the Holy Spirit.
00:23:53.66\00:23:56.13
Your bank account isn't deep
enough to buy the Holy Spirit.
00:23:56.16\00:23:58.83
You don't use the Holy
Spirit, Holy Spirit uses you."
00:23:58.87\00:24:01.37
That's right. Okay.
00:24:01.40\00:24:02.74
So we have this New
Testament example now
00:24:02.77\00:24:04.87
of a person who's
got the head knowledge.
00:24:04.91\00:24:07.18
He's watching, he's
watching the people being saved
00:24:07.21\00:24:09.24
and he likes that.
00:24:09.28\00:24:10.61
But he figures this,
that's a cash kind of a deal,
00:24:10.65\00:24:13.18
and he's being told, "No,
that's not what we do here.
00:24:13.21\00:24:17.15
You've got to have
this thing in your heart.
00:24:17.19\00:24:18.69
And if it comes from your heart,
00:24:18.72\00:24:20.62
then the power will
be evident in your life."
00:24:20.66\00:24:25.26
So again, we do not
control the Holy Spirit,
00:24:25.29\00:24:30.63
the Holy Spirit controls us.
00:24:30.67\00:24:33.27
The truth is, the secret to
serving God has always been,
00:24:33.30\00:24:39.44
is now, and will
always be surrender.
00:24:39.47\00:24:44.21
Amen. The secret is surrender.
00:24:44.25\00:24:46.51
And the power comes
from a surrendered life.
00:24:46.55\00:24:49.22
We don't use the Holy Spirit.
00:24:49.25\00:24:51.55
The Holy Spirit
is pleased to use us
00:24:51.59\00:24:55.16
as we surrender to Him.
00:24:55.19\00:24:57.19
Amen. Thank you.
00:24:57.23\00:24:58.73
Well, I've learned a lot so far.
00:24:58.76\00:25:00.10
How about you?
00:25:00.13\00:25:01.76
I feel a little bit
like a duck out of water
00:25:01.80\00:25:03.83
'cause, you know, I made
all of these notes and said,
00:25:03.87\00:25:06.43
maybe mine is on war in heaven.
00:25:06.47\00:25:08.94
And so Revelation 12:1-17,
do I break all of this down,
00:25:08.97\00:25:14.31
you know, try to go
through all of this,
00:25:14.34\00:25:16.41
do I leave that
to the preachers,
00:25:16.44\00:25:17.78
what do I do.
00:25:17.81\00:25:19.15
But what the Lord
impressed me the other day,
00:25:19.18\00:25:21.28
I was talking to a
group of young people.
00:25:21.32\00:25:23.89
And they asked me
some questions and I said,
00:25:23.92\00:25:25.75
"Maybe this is what we
should talk about today,
00:25:25.79\00:25:28.42
the young people."
00:25:28.46\00:25:29.79
When we were
talking about war in heaven,
00:25:29.82\00:25:32.09
so first of all, they said,
00:25:32.13\00:25:33.53
"Well, why would
there be war in heaven?"
00:25:33.56\00:25:35.56
I mean, why...
00:25:35.60\00:25:36.93
If God is God, and
maybe you've thought about it
00:25:36.97\00:25:39.47
and I would be young
person, I've thought about it.
00:25:39.50\00:25:42.17
"If God is God, why
would He create an individual
00:25:42.20\00:25:48.04
that would turn on Him?"
00:25:48.08\00:25:49.64
That basically, can't a perfect
God create a perfect being
00:25:49.68\00:25:54.52
because He said he was perfect,
00:25:54.55\00:25:56.82
but when we look
at the whole picture,
00:25:56.85\00:25:58.45
of course, now we see
through a glass darkly
00:25:58.49\00:26:00.42
but then face to face,
00:26:00.46\00:26:01.79
but when we look at the
whole picture of the human race
00:26:01.82\00:26:04.63
and of God, God had to...
00:26:04.66\00:26:07.50
There's some
things He had to do.
00:26:07.53\00:26:09.80
He had to create beings
00:26:09.83\00:26:13.44
that would
serve Him out of love.
00:26:13.47\00:26:15.77
Thank you.
00:26:15.80\00:26:17.14
Otherwise, just
create a bunch of robots.
00:26:17.17\00:26:19.84
Otherwise, just have
people, create them as slaves,
00:26:19.87\00:26:24.78
and say, "You worship me.
00:26:24.81\00:26:26.15
You praise me." I
had a friend one time.
00:26:26.18\00:26:28.62
He said to me,
"How can you serve God
00:26:28.65\00:26:32.05
when He's so selfish?"
00:26:32.09\00:26:34.19
I said, "Well,
how's God selfish?"
00:26:34.22\00:26:35.59
"He demands that we praise Him."
00:26:35.62\00:26:37.19
He said, "What if I went around
demanding everybody praise me,
00:26:37.23\00:26:40.00
they would tell me, I
was crazy, narcissistic,
00:26:40.03\00:26:42.80
I'm everything.
00:26:42.83\00:26:44.33
And why can God do that?"
00:26:44.37\00:26:46.60
And I had to think about it
for a common sense standpoint
00:26:46.63\00:26:50.47
and spiritually, I
had to think about it.
00:26:50.51\00:26:52.57
And all of a
sudden it really hit me,
00:26:52.61\00:26:54.58
and over the years I've seen it,
00:26:54.61\00:26:57.65
God inhabits the
praises of His people.
00:26:57.68\00:27:00.25
What God did is,
He created a beings
00:27:00.28\00:27:03.89
even though they were in
heaven knowing Satan would rebel
00:27:03.92\00:27:08.42
and Satan would be
cast out to this earth,
00:27:08.46\00:27:10.86
and it says as
you already covered,
00:27:10.89\00:27:12.86
he drew a third of
the angels with him.
00:27:12.89\00:27:15.96
But he placed Adam and
Eve in the Garden of Eden.
00:27:16.00\00:27:19.37
God knew that Adam
and Eve would fall.
00:27:19.40\00:27:21.90
So this war in heaven,
that's the title of ours that
00:27:21.94\00:27:26.04
"War in Heaven," how
does this even happen.
00:27:26.07\00:27:28.68
God and His love for fallen
man allowed Satan to do this.
00:27:28.71\00:27:32.58
Because God
doesn't demand praise,
00:27:32.61\00:27:35.32
God is perfect.
00:27:35.35\00:27:36.85
God is love and
God is everlasting.
00:27:36.89\00:27:38.92
He says, "I am the way
the truth and the life."
00:27:38.95\00:27:41.26
So without the character of God,
00:27:41.29\00:27:45.19
we will all die.
00:27:45.23\00:27:46.66
His creation would die.
00:27:46.70\00:27:48.46
So the Lord gives us the Bible,
00:27:48.50\00:27:51.27
He gives us the Ten Commandments
00:27:51.30\00:27:53.84
so to see what not to do.
00:27:53.87\00:27:56.94
And there are ten promises,
you know, every one of these,
00:27:56.97\00:28:00.58
I promise you, if you submit
and commit your life to Me
00:28:00.61\00:28:03.68
that you won't
want to commit adultery.
00:28:03.71\00:28:05.71
I promise you, you
won't want to steal,
00:28:05.75\00:28:07.72
you won't want to kill,
00:28:07.75\00:28:09.08
you won't want
to lie and slander.
00:28:09.12\00:28:10.69
All of these
things, God has said,
00:28:10.72\00:28:12.85
"I'm going to make a way out."
00:28:12.89\00:28:14.22
So what He did in
His love for fallen men,
00:28:14.26\00:28:17.86
and Revelation is
the revealing of Christ.
00:28:17.89\00:28:20.53
And I love it because it
shows His grace, and His love,
00:28:20.56\00:28:23.70
and His mercy.
00:28:23.73\00:28:25.07
So it reveals to us
that every bit of this,
00:28:25.10\00:28:28.47
and you look at the timelines
00:28:28.50\00:28:29.84
with history of
Daniel and Revelation,
00:28:29.87\00:28:31.84
none of this is by accident,
00:28:31.87\00:28:33.61
none of it is by happenstance.
00:28:33.64\00:28:35.61
God has been in control
from the very beginning,
00:28:35.64\00:28:38.11
and He will be, and
always will be in the control.
00:28:38.15\00:28:40.65
"I am the Alpha, the
Omega, the beginning,
00:28:40.68\00:28:42.48
the end, the
first and the last."
00:28:42.52\00:28:44.35
So that's who we're serving.
00:28:44.39\00:28:45.72
So in your life today,
00:28:45.75\00:28:47.22
when you submit and
commit your life to Jesus,
00:28:47.26\00:28:49.49
you know that God is in control.
00:28:49.52\00:28:51.59
So the war in heaven,
God allowed that to happen.
00:28:51.63\00:28:54.66
Now it plays out on earth.
00:28:54.70\00:28:56.10
And we have basically,
00:28:56.13\00:28:57.67
every story has some characters,
00:28:57.70\00:28:59.60
so we have a dragon,
00:28:59.63\00:29:02.50
sounds scary, we
have a woman, right?
00:29:02.54\00:29:06.34
We have a man-child.
00:29:06.37\00:29:08.24
And so this controversy
that started in heaven,
00:29:08.28\00:29:11.45
God says, "I'm
going to let it play out.
00:29:11.48\00:29:13.48
All of the unfallen
worlds can watch what happens
00:29:13.52\00:29:16.82
when people choose sin."
00:29:16.85\00:29:19.55
So He's not there
saying, "Praise me.
00:29:19.59\00:29:22.12
I need praise. I need anything."
00:29:22.16\00:29:23.79
He's telling us, I'm going to...
00:29:23.83\00:29:25.79
There is rules, My
character is perfect,
00:29:25.83\00:29:29.33
and in order for
you to live forever,
00:29:29.36\00:29:31.37
you can't get outside
that, the sin that Satan did.
00:29:31.40\00:29:35.44
So in order for you to
understand what sin is,
00:29:35.47\00:29:40.21
I'm going to allow this,
00:29:40.24\00:29:42.31
we're like a theater
watching all that goes on,
00:29:42.34\00:29:44.81
I m going to let the
unfallen world see this,
00:29:44.85\00:29:47.35
so that they will understand
00:29:47.38\00:29:48.95
what happens when sin
comes in to this earth.
00:29:48.98\00:29:53.12
So now we have...
What am I going to do?
00:29:53.15\00:29:56.22
How do I get these people,
and repair what I've created,
00:29:56.26\00:30:03.03
and bring it back
into the perfect character
00:30:03.06\00:30:06.63
in alignment with My character?"
00:30:06.67\00:30:08.64
Ah, the plan of salvation.
00:30:08.67\00:30:10.91
God, the Father, God, the
Son, God, the Holy Spirit.
00:30:10.94\00:30:13.81
Now they form a plan.
00:30:13.84\00:30:15.58
Think about this love,
00:30:15.61\00:30:17.55
to do all of that when
He could easily destroy us
00:30:17.58\00:30:20.62
or could have just created us
00:30:20.65\00:30:22.52
to serve Him out of fear,
00:30:22.55\00:30:25.35
but He said, "We're going
to create a plan of salvation
00:30:25.39\00:30:28.59
that says this,
'I love you so much.
00:30:28.62\00:30:31.59
I'm going to come as one of you.
00:30:31.63\00:30:35.00
I'm going to be born
as a child on this earth
00:30:35.03\00:30:41.70
in the flesh, half
divine, half flesh."'
00:30:41.74\00:30:45.67
Right? "I'm going to do this.
00:30:45.71\00:30:47.64
And then I'm going to show
00:30:47.68\00:30:49.38
that it is possible
to live a sinless life.
00:30:49.41\00:30:53.25
But then I'm
going to shed My blood
00:30:53.28\00:30:54.85
on the cross of Calvary
as an atonement for your sin.
00:30:54.88\00:30:59.45
So when you fail
00:30:59.49\00:31:00.86
because you are
flesh, and you are weak,
00:31:00.89\00:31:03.32
and the devil is
a great deceiver,
00:31:03.36\00:31:04.86
he's out to steal,
kill, and to destroy.
00:31:04.89\00:31:07.50
He's the father of lies.
00:31:07.53\00:31:09.20
So when you do
fail and when you fall,
00:31:09.23\00:31:12.97
you can come to Me when
you're really sorry and say,
00:31:13.00\00:31:16.14
"Lord, please forgive me."
00:31:16.17\00:31:17.51
He says, "I'm faithful and just
to forgive you from your sins
00:31:17.54\00:31:21.21
and to cleanse you
from all unrighteousness."
00:31:21.24\00:31:24.95
So we have such a loving God
00:31:24.98\00:31:27.15
that now we have
a plan of salvation,
00:31:27.18\00:31:29.28
a plan of escape.
00:31:29.32\00:31:30.65
Isn't that amazing that God
would give us a plan of escape
00:31:30.69\00:31:34.96
that we now don't have to be...
00:31:34.99\00:31:36.79
See everyone on
this earth is born,
00:31:36.83\00:31:38.63
we have a
terminal illness, right?
00:31:38.66\00:31:40.93
No matter what, we are
all happy when we're born,
00:31:40.96\00:31:43.53
we came in with no teeth
and no hair and we go out,
00:31:43.57\00:31:46.27
most of us no teeth and no hair,
00:31:46.30\00:31:48.67
and it's just kind of...
00:31:48.70\00:31:50.04
That's the way of life.
00:31:50.07\00:31:51.97
But God says, "I
want you to live forever."
00:31:52.01\00:31:55.18
So all of this,
the war in heaven
00:31:55.21\00:31:57.55
has really started
out a spiritual war
00:31:57.58\00:32:00.72
but it ends up being
physical on this earth
00:32:00.75\00:32:02.92
and we struggle all the time
00:32:02.95\00:32:04.62
because we fight not
against flesh and blood
00:32:04.65\00:32:06.86
but powers and principalities.
00:32:06.89\00:32:09.09
But here's the
thing, God wins in the end.
00:32:09.12\00:32:11.69
We talked about it.
00:32:11.73\00:32:13.06
In heaven, Satan was kicked out.
00:32:13.09\00:32:14.53
So he came to earth
and he said, Satan says,
00:32:14.56\00:32:17.30
"Okay, I'm the
prince of this earth.
00:32:17.33\00:32:18.80
I'm going to win this battle."
00:32:18.83\00:32:20.37
So he goes to Eve,
00:32:20.40\00:32:21.80
as you talked
about, and Eve gave in.
00:32:21.84\00:32:25.24
Satan says,
"There is one for me."
00:32:25.27\00:32:28.44
So now, the
man-child in the story
00:32:28.48\00:32:31.88
representing a church,
00:32:31.91\00:32:33.28
Jesus is born on this
earth and the dragon says,
00:32:33.31\00:32:38.92
"I'm going to make war
and I'm going to kill him.
00:32:38.95\00:32:41.22
I'm going to destroy him
00:32:41.26\00:32:42.72
because I know
what's going to happen."
00:32:42.76\00:32:45.36
But he's born.
00:32:45.39\00:32:47.60
And though the
devil is the beast power,
00:32:47.63\00:32:51.90
he uses other
agencies and he always has.
00:32:51.93\00:32:55.27
In this case, King Herod.
00:32:55.30\00:32:56.77
So they made a plan, "I'm going
to destroy that Christ Child."
00:32:56.81\00:33:00.71
Well, it didn't happen.
00:33:00.74\00:33:02.14
So Satan lost that one.
00:33:02.18\00:33:03.75
Then the irreversible loss
for Satan was at the cross.
00:33:03.78\00:33:08.32
Absolutely.
00:33:08.35\00:33:09.68
When Jesus gave His shed
blood on the cross of Calvary,
00:33:09.72\00:33:12.82
the serpent's head was crushed,
00:33:12.85\00:33:14.79
it talks about it in
Genesis, was crushed.
00:33:14.82\00:33:17.56
Satan can't rebound from that,
he can't win any other battles.
00:33:17.59\00:33:22.63
It's literally
impossible to do so.
00:33:22.66\00:33:25.33
So you have the
woman, who's the true church,
00:33:25.37\00:33:28.30
and now what
happens, Satan says,
00:33:28.34\00:33:31.14
"So I'm going to make war
with the remnant of God's seed.
00:33:31.17\00:33:34.34
I'm going to destroy them."
00:33:34.38\00:33:37.28
But God made a place.
00:33:37.31\00:33:39.11
And so when Satan
attacks them, they spread out.
00:33:39.15\00:33:42.08
So all of a sudden, we
talk about, when we go,
00:33:42.12\00:33:44.39
I think it's 14, 15, and
16, that the earth opened up
00:33:44.42\00:33:47.99
and helped the woman.
00:33:48.02\00:33:49.36
So here you have
all of these people
00:33:49.39\00:33:51.66
that for hundreds of years,
00:33:51.69\00:33:53.60
they were hiding
during the Dark Ages,
00:33:53.63\00:33:55.36
when the papacy was in charge
killing millions of people.
00:33:55.40\00:33:58.43
So for all of these
years, they went into hiding,
00:33:58.47\00:34:00.50
some in the mountains of Europe,
00:34:00.54\00:34:02.54
some in Africa,
some even in Asia.
00:34:02.57\00:34:06.14
But then about the
time that the deadly wound,
00:34:06.17\00:34:09.81
the beast receives in 1798,
00:34:09.84\00:34:12.31
America became a nation in 1776.
00:34:12.35\00:34:16.38
So what you have is the earth
opened up and helped the woman.
00:34:16.42\00:34:20.32
It's showing the
discovery of America.
00:34:20.36\00:34:23.43
God knew this
thousands of years ago.
00:34:23.46\00:34:25.39
He didn't let the...
00:34:25.43\00:34:26.76
The Bible
writers didn't write it
00:34:26.80\00:34:28.13
because the
papacy didn't want to,
00:34:28.16\00:34:30.20
they wouldn't put it in the
Bible, they'd have destroyed.
00:34:30.23\00:34:32.13
So that's why all the
symbols, that's why the beast,
00:34:32.17\00:34:34.44
the power, the seven, you
know, the horns and all these,
00:34:34.47\00:34:38.27
I call it scary
monsters that are out there,
00:34:38.31\00:34:41.21
it's all symbolic.
00:34:41.24\00:34:42.91
But it's open now for a time,
these books have been opened.
00:34:42.94\00:34:46.51
So what happens
is in the very end,
00:34:46.55\00:34:50.39
the earth helps the
woman, United States of America,
00:34:50.42\00:34:55.19
where people can come
and worship God in freedom
00:34:55.22\00:34:58.39
without fear of persecution.
00:34:58.43\00:35:00.70
So now Satan is angry.
00:35:00.73\00:35:02.23
So what has he got to do?
00:35:02.26\00:35:03.67
He says, "I have to
destroy these people
00:35:03.70\00:35:05.87
because once again, once
again they're out in freedom
00:35:05.90\00:35:12.04
and they can spread truth."
00:35:12.07\00:35:13.71
So Satan through his
deception, he's done away,
00:35:13.74\00:35:16.34
tries to do away
with the Sabbath,
00:35:16.38\00:35:19.05
the law of God,
00:35:19.08\00:35:20.42
he's tried to do with
the state of the dead,
00:35:20.45\00:35:21.78
confused people on
all of these things.
00:35:21.82\00:35:24.55
And yet God says,
"No, I have a people,"
00:35:24.59\00:35:29.16
and Satan makes war
with the remnant church,
00:35:29.19\00:35:32.33
but God says, "I have a people
00:35:32.36\00:35:33.73
who love not
their lives unto death."
00:35:33.76\00:35:35.96
So you cannot be
a silent Christian.
00:35:36.00\00:35:39.20
Amen. You cannot be.
00:35:39.23\00:35:41.40
It says, "And they overcame
him by the blood of the lamb,"
00:35:41.44\00:35:44.07
that we just talked about,
00:35:44.11\00:35:45.44
"and the word of
their testimony."
00:35:45.47\00:35:46.94
Don't think you can
be a silent Christian
00:35:46.98\00:35:49.34
because the word...
00:35:49.38\00:35:50.71
You've got to testify of Jesus
and what He has done for you.
00:35:50.75\00:35:56.32
Jill, as you said, the end
of the story is when we submit
00:35:56.35\00:35:59.99
and commit our lives to Jesus,
00:36:00.02\00:36:01.89
we read the back of the book.
00:36:01.92\00:36:03.59
Satan is done away with forever,
00:36:03.63\00:36:05.89
root nor branch.
00:36:05.93\00:36:07.26
Malachi says, "It's done away,
00:36:07.30\00:36:08.90
and the righteous,
those who accept this,
00:36:08.93\00:36:12.37
Jesus stayed close
to the cross of Calvary,
00:36:12.40\00:36:16.20
inherit eternal life."
00:36:16.24\00:36:17.71
Amen.
00:36:17.74\00:36:19.14
Well, Danny, you took us all
the way from heaven to the end.
00:36:19.17\00:36:22.54
So you did a
beautiful job of that.
00:36:22.58\00:36:24.71
Thank you so much. You
know, I've got Wednesday.
00:36:24.75\00:36:27.82
And on Wednesday,
00:36:27.85\00:36:29.18
I get to deal with one
of the greatest promises
00:36:29.22\00:36:32.15
in the Word of God,
00:36:32.19\00:36:33.52
even the title of this is
00:36:33.56\00:36:35.59
"With you
always, even to the end."
00:36:35.62\00:36:37.96
What an incredible
promise we have in Matthew 28.
00:36:37.99\00:36:42.03
Now I want to say this,
00:36:42.06\00:36:44.30
we are talking about
the great controversy.
00:36:44.33\00:36:47.17
That's what we're
looking at this week
00:36:47.20\00:36:49.70
is that great controversy.
00:36:49.74\00:36:51.41
Controversy,
that's war, isn't it?
00:36:51.44\00:36:53.81
That's conflict between two...
00:36:53.84\00:36:56.04
So is there a great
controversy going on right now?
00:36:56.08\00:36:59.71
Well, I want to center in
on one small portion of it,
00:36:59.75\00:37:03.02
and I want to say this,
"History repeats itself."
00:37:03.05\00:37:05.85
Have you all ever
heard that? Absolutely.
00:37:05.89\00:37:07.22
History repeats itself.
00:37:07.26\00:37:09.02
How many of you
want to go to heaven?
00:37:09.06\00:37:11.46
How many of you
want the Lord to return?
00:37:11.49\00:37:13.40
Amen. All right.
00:37:13.43\00:37:14.86
Are things pretty
bad now in the world?
00:37:14.90\00:37:16.56
Yes.
00:37:16.60\00:37:17.93
I've got news for you,
00:37:17.97\00:37:19.30
things are going to
get a whole lot worse,
00:37:19.33\00:37:21.24
but then they're going
to get a whole lot better.
00:37:21.27\00:37:23.44
So they are going to
get a whole lot worse
00:37:23.47\00:37:25.17
before they get better
00:37:25.21\00:37:26.54
but, oh, they're
going to get better.
00:37:26.57\00:37:27.91
The Book of
Revelation foretold...
00:37:27.94\00:37:29.94
And I want you
to go to Revelation.
00:37:29.98\00:37:31.31
We're going to
look at two scriptures
00:37:31.35\00:37:32.68
in Revelation 12.
00:37:32.71\00:37:34.35
The Book of Revelation foretold
00:37:34.38\00:37:35.95
the persecution
that God's people
00:37:35.98\00:37:37.99
would face through a good
portion of church history.
00:37:38.02\00:37:42.29
The 1260 prophetic
days of Revelation 12:6
00:37:42.32\00:37:46.96
point to 1260
years of persecution
00:37:47.00\00:37:50.80
against the church.
00:37:50.83\00:37:52.17
Do we have in history
where that took place?
00:37:52.20\00:37:54.40
Yup.
00:37:54.44\00:37:56.64
I'm going to read a portion
out of The Great Controversy.
00:37:56.67\00:37:59.97
Now, I would encourage everybody
00:38:00.01\00:38:02.11
to get a copy of that book.
00:38:02.14\00:38:03.55
If you don't have one, hey,
we've got them here at 3ABN,
00:38:03.58\00:38:06.82
you call our call center
00:38:06.85\00:38:08.18
and we will make one available
to you absolutely free.
00:38:08.22\00:38:11.25
But let me read this to you.
00:38:11.29\00:38:13.52
It's on page 440,
Sister White tells us,
00:38:13.56\00:38:16.56
"These persecutions beginning
00:38:16.59\00:38:20.10
with narrow about the
time of the martyrdom of Paul
00:38:20.13\00:38:23.13
continued with greater
or less fury for centuries."
00:38:23.16\00:38:27.30
Have you read the
Foxe's Book of Martyrs?
00:38:27.34\00:38:30.11
"Do we know the
great controversy,
00:38:30.14\00:38:32.37
the great things that were done
in the name of Christianity?"
00:38:32.41\00:38:36.81
So horrendous.
00:38:36.85\00:38:38.21
"Christians were falsely accused
00:38:38.25\00:38:40.45
of the most dreadful crimes
00:38:40.48\00:38:42.65
and declared to be the
cause of great calamities,
00:38:42.68\00:38:45.89
famines,
pestilence, and earthquakes.
00:38:45.92\00:38:48.49
As they became the
objects of popular hatred
00:38:48.52\00:38:51.53
and suspicion,
and former stood ready
00:38:51.56\00:38:54.73
for the sake of gain
to betray the innocent.
00:38:54.76\00:38:57.73
They were condemned as rebels
00:38:57.77\00:38:59.57
against the empire
as foes of religion
00:38:59.60\00:39:03.24
and pest to society.
00:39:03.27\00:39:05.51
Great numbers were
thrown to wild beast
00:39:05.54\00:39:09.54
and burned alive
in the amphitheaters."
00:39:09.58\00:39:12.01
Now here is what we
read in Revelation 12,
00:39:12.05\00:39:15.95
I've got you in Revelation 12,
00:39:15.98\00:39:18.25
while this
persecution was going on,
00:39:18.29\00:39:21.32
look what the Word of God says.
00:39:21.36\00:39:23.53
Revelation 12:6,
00:39:23.56\00:39:27.00
"Then the woman fled
into the wilderness,"
00:39:27.03\00:39:29.03
Danny covered this,
00:39:29.06\00:39:30.47
"where she has a
place prepared by God
00:39:30.50\00:39:34.10
that they should
feed her there 1260 days."
00:39:34.14\00:39:39.41
Now there was a place
prepared for the woman.
00:39:39.44\00:39:41.41
Now, Danny, what's the woman?
00:39:41.44\00:39:43.55
That woman is a true
church. The true church, okay.
00:39:43.58\00:39:46.85
So this is saying
that a lot of Christians
00:39:46.88\00:39:50.45
were persecuted during this time
00:39:50.49\00:39:52.92
but y'all, God has
always had a remnant people.
00:39:52.95\00:39:56.56
That He has
always kept that remnant.
00:39:56.59\00:39:59.29
"The church was taken
care off in the wilderness
00:39:59.33\00:40:03.30
from all of those
forces who were trying."
00:40:03.33\00:40:05.60
Now remember, I'm talking
about history repeating itself.
00:40:05.63\00:40:10.61
Look at Revelation 12:14,
00:40:10.64\00:40:13.11
"But the woman was given
two wings of a great eagle
00:40:13.14\00:40:16.28
that she might fly into
the wilderness to her place,
00:40:16.31\00:40:19.68
where she is
nourished for a time,
00:40:19.71\00:40:21.78
and times, and half a time,
00:40:21.82\00:40:23.82
from the
presence of the serpent."
00:40:23.85\00:40:26.25
That great remnant,
00:40:26.29\00:40:28.32
and do we know
that in the end times,
00:40:28.36\00:40:31.33
there is going to
be great tribulation?
00:40:31.36\00:40:35.03
And do we know, oh,
we want to be in that
00:40:35.06\00:40:40.14
overcoming group of believers?
00:40:40.17\00:40:41.84
Amen.
00:40:41.87\00:40:43.20
But there is that
great tribulation.
00:40:43.24\00:40:47.28
But remember the title of
this lesson that I have today,
00:40:47.31\00:40:52.25
there is a great tribulation.
00:40:52.28\00:40:54.88
The church is going
to have to go through,
00:40:54.92\00:40:56.85
history will repeat itself.
00:40:56.89\00:40:59.69
But we've got
these great promises,
00:40:59.72\00:41:02.16
which is, "I will
be with you always."
00:41:02.19\00:41:04.99
Now just as surely
as there was a place
00:41:05.03\00:41:11.57
prepared in the beginning,
00:41:11.60\00:41:15.37
in this that we just read,
00:41:15.40\00:41:17.34
during all of that martyrdom
00:41:17.37\00:41:19.74
that has taken
place in our history,
00:41:19.77\00:41:22.54
there is a place prepared
for God's end-time people,
00:41:22.58\00:41:26.72
just assuredly,
history repeating itself.
00:41:26.75\00:41:29.72
And here is what Jesus said
00:41:29.75\00:41:32.35
just before He
returned to heaven,
00:41:32.39\00:41:34.69
that's Matthew 28:20,
00:41:34.72\00:41:38.59
"Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations,
00:41:38.63\00:41:42.96
baptizing them in
the name of the Father,
00:41:43.00\00:41:45.43
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
00:41:45.47\00:41:47.87
Teaching them to
observe all things
00:41:47.90\00:41:50.11
that I have
commanded you and, lo,
00:41:50.14\00:41:53.07
I am with you always,
even to the end of the age."
00:41:53.11\00:41:56.64
So are you going to
walk through anything
00:41:56.68\00:41:59.71
that the Lord isn't going
to be right there with you,
00:41:59.75\00:42:01.85
walking through it with you?
00:42:01.88\00:42:03.69
Romans...
00:42:03.72\00:42:05.05
Go to Romans now,
00:42:05.09\00:42:06.42
we're going to look in Romans 8,
00:42:06.45\00:42:07.79
going to look at three verses.
00:42:07.82\00:42:09.86
Romans 8:31, "What then
shall we say to these things?
00:42:09.89\00:42:15.50
If God be for us,
who can be against us?"
00:42:15.53\00:42:20.10
All right, Romans
8:35, and, I like this,
00:42:20.14\00:42:24.47
"Who shall or
what shall separate us
00:42:24.51\00:42:28.34
from the love of Christ?
00:42:28.38\00:42:30.05
Shall tribulation, great
tribulation, or distress,
00:42:30.08\00:42:35.72
or persecution, or famine,
00:42:35.75\00:42:38.35
or nakedness, or
peril, or sword?"
00:42:38.39\00:42:41.52
Now in the New
King James version,
00:42:41.56\00:42:43.73
it says, "Yet in
all these things,"
00:42:43.76\00:42:46.06
verse 37, "we are
more than conquerors
00:42:46.09\00:42:49.16
through Him who loved us."
00:42:49.20\00:42:50.53
But here's what the
King James version says
00:42:50.57\00:42:53.84
when the question is asked,
00:42:53.87\00:42:55.57
"What shall separate us
from the love of Christ?
00:42:55.60\00:42:58.01
It says, "Shall all of these
things nakedness, persecution,
00:42:58.04\00:43:02.81
famine, peril, or sword?"
00:43:02.84\00:43:04.35
It says nay.
00:43:04.38\00:43:05.75
Nothing, Danny, can
separate us from Him.
00:43:05.78\00:43:08.58
"No, yet in all these
things, we are the conquerors."
00:43:08.62\00:43:13.32
We are more than conquerors.
00:43:13.36\00:43:14.69
We are the overcomers.
00:43:14.72\00:43:16.06
We've read the end of the book.
00:43:16.09\00:43:17.56
We know that no matter
what we have to walk through,
00:43:17.59\00:43:20.70
He will never leave us,
He will never forsake us.
00:43:20.73\00:43:23.47
"He will go through nothing
00:43:23.50\00:43:26.33
but our own
rebellion and disobedience
00:43:26.37\00:43:30.97
is able to
separate us from the God."
00:43:31.01\00:43:33.64
Do I believe in
once saved always saved,
00:43:33.68\00:43:35.71
do you know what I do,
00:43:35.74\00:43:37.08
only under these conditions
00:43:37.11\00:43:38.98
that you walk up
rightly before God.
00:43:39.01\00:43:41.35
But if you make a choice that
you want to walk away from God,
00:43:41.38\00:43:46.55
yes, you can, you
can turn loose of it.
00:43:46.59\00:43:52.03
"Whether now or
in the end times,
00:43:52.06\00:43:54.80
nothing can separate us
from the love of our Savior.
00:43:54.83\00:43:57.77
That doesn't mean
that we're spared pain,
00:43:57.80\00:44:00.57
trials, or even death."
00:44:00.60\00:44:02.84
Let me make this statement,
00:44:02.87\00:44:04.47
"Many who were more righteous
than any of us were martyred."
00:44:04.51\00:44:10.18
They were martyred
in our history past.
00:44:10.21\00:44:12.91
However, we must
not be shortsighted.
00:44:12.95\00:44:15.48
This is not all there is.
00:44:15.52\00:44:18.35
I like Jeremiah 29:11,
00:44:18.39\00:44:21.49
how many of you
like that scripture?
00:44:21.52\00:44:23.26
We've got a future and
hope, this is now there is.
00:44:23.29\00:44:27.60
There's a future and there's
a hope as we remain faithful."
00:44:27.63\00:44:32.20
Now CA said, "As
we surrender to God,
00:44:32.23\00:44:36.84
as we remain
faithful, and eternity is ours
00:44:36.87\00:44:41.18
in the very presence of God."
00:44:41.21\00:44:42.54
I want to end with
this one scripture,
00:44:42.58\00:44:44.48
2 Timothy 4:8,
00:44:44.51\00:44:46.11
"Finally, there is
laid up for me, for us,
00:44:46.15\00:44:49.92
the crown of
righteousness which the Lord,
00:44:49.95\00:44:52.79
the righteous Judge,
00:44:52.82\00:44:54.32
will give to me on
that day and not to me only
00:44:54.36\00:44:58.26
but also to everyone of
you that love His appearing."
00:44:58.29\00:45:03.37
Thank you, Mollie Sue,
history will repeat itself.
00:45:03.40\00:45:06.13
History will repeat itself.
00:45:06.17\00:45:07.50
My lesson is Thursday,
The Law and the Gospel.
00:45:07.54\00:45:09.47
And as I've been
listening to you all,
00:45:09.50\00:45:11.07
it just occurred to me that
part of the great controversy,
00:45:11.11\00:45:15.21
there's a controversy
in the Christian church,
00:45:15.24\00:45:17.51
and it is between
the law and the gospel.
00:45:17.55\00:45:20.72
And what we've got to remember
00:45:20.75\00:45:22.08
is that the unifying
theme of scripture is that
00:45:22.12\00:45:25.45
God is a covenant
maker and a covenant keeper,
00:45:25.49\00:45:29.22
and each one of His covenants,
00:45:29.26\00:45:31.16
beginning back in Genesis
3:15 and all the way through,
00:45:31.19\00:45:35.60
each one of his covenants
builds on the one before.
00:45:35.63\00:45:40.17
His covenants are progressive,
00:45:40.20\00:45:42.37
revelation of His
plan of salvation.
00:45:42.40\00:45:46.34
So what my lesson
asks us to do today
00:45:46.37\00:45:50.38
is to look at a
few scriptures to see
00:45:50.41\00:45:52.81
how closely the law
and the gospel are linked.
00:45:52.85\00:45:57.42
And, you know, the good
news of the gospel is this
00:45:57.45\00:45:59.72
that Jesus Christ came to earth
to destroy sin in our lives,
00:45:59.75\00:46:04.49
to reconcile us to God.
00:46:04.53\00:46:07.10
He saved us by His love,
by His grace, by His mercy.
00:46:07.13\00:46:13.17
But let's look at Romans 1:18
is where we are going to begin
00:46:13.20\00:46:18.71
because this tells us something
about the nature of God.
00:46:18.74\00:46:23.55
Romans 1:18, and
the scripture reads...
00:46:23.58\00:46:28.88
And let me say this
before you all just turn,
00:46:28.92\00:46:31.99
when you think
about the law of God
00:46:32.02\00:46:35.52
and the Gospel of God,
00:46:35.56\00:46:36.93
what is the foundation of both?
00:46:36.96\00:46:39.36
God's love. God's love.
00:46:39.39\00:46:40.83
The law of God
is the law of love,
00:46:40.86\00:46:45.53
and that's why it is so
closely linked to the gospel,
00:46:45.57\00:46:49.94
which is His plan
of salvation of love.
00:46:49.97\00:46:52.74
Okay, Romans 1:18,
"For the wrath of God
00:46:52.77\00:46:55.91
is revealed from
heaven against all," what?
00:46:55.94\00:46:59.08
"Ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men,
00:46:59.11\00:47:04.19
who suppress the
truth in unrighteousness."
00:47:04.22\00:47:09.06
Wow, I could preach on
that one but we don't have time.
00:47:09.09\00:47:12.93
The main thing is that,
00:47:12.96\00:47:14.83
God's nature is
one of perfection,
00:47:14.86\00:47:19.27
moral perfection.
00:47:19.30\00:47:20.70
He is sinless.
00:47:20.74\00:47:22.07
He hates sin.
00:47:22.10\00:47:24.21
You know, the Bible says
that God is a consuming fire,
00:47:24.24\00:47:27.34
that fire is His love,
00:47:27.38\00:47:29.68
and sin cannot stand
in the presence of God.
00:47:29.71\00:47:33.68
He abhors sin. That's good.
00:47:33.72\00:47:35.72
So what we need
00:47:35.75\00:47:38.45
is Christ as our
substitute in our surety.
00:47:38.49\00:47:42.26
God is however just,
00:47:42.29\00:47:45.59
and He cannot let
willful rebellion,
00:47:45.63\00:47:50.13
people who are
breaking His commandments,
00:47:50.17\00:47:53.30
stubborn people, who
reject His law of love,
00:47:53.34\00:47:57.44
He cannot let
them go unpunished.
00:47:57.47\00:47:59.84
He can't ignore that.
00:47:59.87\00:48:01.74
So it tells us in this scripture
00:48:01.78\00:48:04.95
that those who suppress
the truth and unrighteousness,
00:48:04.98\00:48:07.88
those stubborn
people who distort the truth
00:48:07.92\00:48:11.35
and reject the truth will
experience the wrath of God.
00:48:11.39\00:48:16.02
And that's going to happen
00:48:16.06\00:48:18.03
when He destroys sin in the end.
00:48:18.06\00:48:20.63
Now I want to
jump down to Romans 3
00:48:20.66\00:48:23.57
'cause we're going to
try to take this time.
00:48:23.60\00:48:25.33
I hope I have enough
time to look at verses 20-26
00:48:25.37\00:48:30.14
'cause this is so amazing.
00:48:30.17\00:48:32.61
Romans 3:20-26, "Therefore
by the deeds of the law,
00:48:32.64\00:48:37.91
no flesh will be
justified in His sight.
00:48:37.95\00:48:41.52
For by the law is
the knowledge of sin."
00:48:41.55\00:48:45.95
When Paul says therefore,
it's a bridge to everything
00:48:45.99\00:48:48.72
he said all the way back
to chapter one and up to now,
00:48:48.76\00:48:52.59
he's talked
about the wrath of God
00:48:52.63\00:48:54.53
against ungodliness
and unrighteousness.
00:48:54.56\00:48:57.50
He's talked about
the righteousness of God
00:48:57.53\00:49:01.04
that we all need
whether you are a gentile,
00:49:01.07\00:49:03.87
or a Jew, or a moralist,
00:49:03.91\00:49:06.07
we all need God's righteousness,
00:49:06.11\00:49:08.24
the whole world does.
00:49:08.28\00:49:09.98
And when he says,
"By the deeds of the law,
00:49:10.01\00:49:11.88
no flesh will be justified."
00:49:11.91\00:49:13.98
In the Greek, there
is no definite article,
00:49:14.02\00:49:17.75
"the" is missing.
00:49:17.79\00:49:19.12
So it should really read,
00:49:19.15\00:49:20.96
"By the deeds of law no
flesh will be justified."
00:49:20.99\00:49:25.79
And basically,
that means any law,
00:49:25.83\00:49:28.93
there is absolutely
no law that can save us.
00:49:28.96\00:49:32.97
Now when we think of God's law,
00:49:33.00\00:49:35.07
it defines sin
for us, does it not?
00:49:35.10\00:49:38.27
And it promises of what God
will do to keep us out of sin.
00:49:38.31\00:49:43.45
It's kind of like,
if you've got a backyard
00:49:43.48\00:49:46.18
and you've fenced it
00:49:46.21\00:49:47.55
and then say,
"Okay, you can run in this,
00:49:47.58\00:49:49.15
you know, all of this acreage
00:49:49.18\00:49:50.52
but don't go beyond that fence."
00:49:50.55\00:49:53.52
But even though the
law is defining sin,
00:49:53.56\00:49:59.39
it cannot free us from sin.
00:49:59.43\00:50:00.96
I want to read something
00:50:01.00\00:50:02.33
from the Seventh-day
Adventist commentary.
00:50:02.36\00:50:03.87
I love this statement,
"Righteousness by works of law
00:50:03.90\00:50:08.64
has been the basis of
every false religious system..."
00:50:08.67\00:50:13.27
Very true. That's true.
00:50:13.31\00:50:14.64
"And had become the principle
even of the Jewish religion.
00:50:14.68\00:50:19.61
But works performed to any law
whether that law be made known
00:50:19.65\00:50:25.25
by reason,
conscience, or revelation,
00:50:25.29\00:50:27.89
cannot justify a
sinner before God."
00:50:27.92\00:50:31.79
That's why Christ
had to die for us.
00:50:31.83\00:50:34.13
There's nothing that we
can do to save ourselves,
00:50:34.16\00:50:37.73
we had to go before the Lord
00:50:37.77\00:50:40.37
for this divine
provision of righteousness.
00:50:40.40\00:50:43.84
Now let's look at
Romans 3:21 continuing,
00:50:43.87\00:50:47.51
"But now the
righteousness of God
00:50:47.54\00:50:49.28
apart from the law is revealed,
00:50:49.31\00:50:51.91
being witnessed by
the law and the prophets,"
00:50:51.95\00:50:55.15
because every one of God's
covenants builds on the next.
00:50:55.18\00:51:00.06
"Even the righteousness of God
00:51:00.09\00:51:02.06
through faith in
Jesus Christ to all
00:51:02.09\00:51:05.26
and on all who believe,
for there is no difference."
00:51:05.29\00:51:11.43
Now let me stop before we
go on with the next verse.
00:51:11.47\00:51:15.17
The righteousness of
God is Jesus Christ Himself.
00:51:15.20\00:51:18.44
He made Him who knew no sin,
00:51:18.47\00:51:20.14
2 Corinthians 5:21
says, "To become sin for us."
00:51:20.18\00:51:24.78
And 1
Corinthians 1:30 says that,
00:51:24.81\00:51:26.61
"He is our wisdom from God,
00:51:26.65\00:51:28.05
our
righteousness, our redemption,
00:51:28.08\00:51:30.15
He's our sanctification."
00:51:30.19\00:51:31.99
So the only kind of
righteousness there is,
00:51:32.02\00:51:35.62
is righteousness by grace
through faith in Christ Jesus.
00:51:35.66\00:51:40.30
He says, "It was witnessed
by the law and the prophets."
00:51:40.33\00:51:44.10
When you think of all
the sacrificial offerings
00:51:44.13\00:51:47.80
of the Old Testament,
00:51:47.84\00:51:49.94
they were bearing witness
00:51:49.97\00:51:51.34
that man had
faith in a righteousness
00:51:51.37\00:51:55.91
that was not inside of himself,
00:51:55.94\00:51:58.41
it was an
external righteousness.
00:51:58.45\00:52:01.05
And he had faith to believe
00:52:01.08\00:52:03.82
that God had
provided this method.
00:52:03.85\00:52:07.89
And see it all depicted Jesus,
00:52:07.92\00:52:10.46
and we're going to get into that
00:52:10.49\00:52:11.83
in one of the lessons.
00:52:11.86\00:52:13.76
Everything about the
sanctuary depicted Jesus.
00:52:13.80\00:52:17.07
But now he goes on
and he says, in verse 23,
00:52:17.10\00:52:20.94
"All have sinned
00:52:20.97\00:52:22.30
and fallen short
of the glory of God."
00:52:22.34\00:52:25.57
All of us, I don't care
who you are, we've all sinned.
00:52:25.61\00:52:29.21
I don't care how
great you think you are
00:52:29.24\00:52:30.81
or how bad you think we are.
00:52:30.85\00:52:33.31
If you think you're great
and never sinned, you're wrong.
00:52:33.35\00:52:36.89
If you think that
you're too low of the sinner,
00:52:36.92\00:52:39.22
too bad of a sinner that God
can't save you, you're wrong.
00:52:39.25\00:52:43.26
But he says this, "We are
justified freely by His grace
00:52:43.29\00:52:48.90
through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus."
00:52:48.93\00:52:54.70
When you think of fallen
short of the glory of God,
00:52:54.74\00:52:57.71
who is the glory of God?
00:52:57.74\00:52:59.44
Jesus Christ, He came...
00:52:59.47\00:53:01.51
We all fall short of
His character, do we not?
00:53:01.54\00:53:04.98
But He says
we're justified freely.
00:53:05.01\00:53:07.52
This is without having to
meet any prior conditions.
00:53:07.55\00:53:13.19
We don't
deserve to be justified.
00:53:13.22\00:53:16.86
And let me tell you something,
00:53:16.89\00:53:19.09
don't ever think that you're
going to help God save you.
00:53:19.13\00:53:22.46
You can't have merit and grace
00:53:22.50\00:53:25.87
because we were so
deep in our debt of sin
00:53:25.90\00:53:30.87
that if God hadn't sent Jesus,
00:53:30.91\00:53:34.18
we would never
have been justified.
00:53:34.21\00:53:36.58
Okay, justification means that
more than God has forgiven us.
00:53:36.61\00:53:41.88
It means that He
has pronounced us
00:53:41.92\00:53:44.75
righteous and
acceptable in His sight,
00:53:44.79\00:53:47.49
and He treats us as if
we had never been sinned.
00:53:47.52\00:53:51.89
So we were bought at the price,
ransom through Christ Jesus.
00:53:51.93\00:53:55.40
Let me see if I
can get one more in.
00:53:55.43\00:53:57.43
Romans 3:25,
00:53:57.47\00:53:58.87
"Whom God set
forth as a propitiation
00:53:58.90\00:54:01.24
by His blood through faith,
00:54:01.27\00:54:03.04
to demonstrate His righteousness
00:54:03.07\00:54:04.87
because in His forbearance
God had passed over the sins
00:54:04.91\00:54:07.61
that were previously committed
00:54:07.64\00:54:09.38
to demonstrate
at the present time,
00:54:09.41\00:54:12.18
His righteousness that
God might be both the just
00:54:12.21\00:54:16.08
and the justifier of the
one who has faith in Jesus."
00:54:16.12\00:54:20.42
God set forth a propitiation.
00:54:20.46\00:54:24.09
When you think of the
Ark of the Covenant...
00:54:24.13\00:54:26.06
Yes.
00:54:26.09\00:54:27.43
What was over the ark?
00:54:27.46\00:54:28.80
I mean, inside the ark
were the Ten Commandments,
00:54:28.83\00:54:31.40
above the ark
was the mercy seat.
00:54:31.43\00:54:33.70
In the Septuagint,
00:54:33.74\00:54:35.07
when they translated mercy seat,
00:54:35.10\00:54:39.44
the Septuagint was the Greek,
00:54:39.47\00:54:41.38
green bring of
the Old Testament.
00:54:41.41\00:54:43.08
When they
transferred that into Greek,
00:54:43.11\00:54:48.18
the word they
used for mercy seat
00:54:48.22\00:54:50.25
was the place of propitiation.
00:54:50.29\00:54:52.79
Jesus is our propitiation. Amen.
00:54:52.82\00:54:57.03
So the good news
00:54:57.06\00:55:00.16
is that mercy triumphs law.
00:55:00.20\00:55:05.10
The good news is that
although we have all sinned,
00:55:05.13\00:55:09.94
that we will be forgiven
through faith in Christ Jesus.
00:55:09.97\00:55:14.51
And even better news
00:55:14.54\00:55:16.41
is that He gives us
the power to obey the law.
00:55:16.44\00:55:19.61
So there's just one thing
00:55:19.65\00:55:21.05
I want to add and I
know our time is running out,
00:55:21.08\00:55:25.82
but obedience to
the law is not legalism.
00:55:25.85\00:55:29.92
Obedience to the law
00:55:29.96\00:55:31.69
is merely the
outgrowth of our love for God
00:55:31.73\00:55:36.00
that we are
motivated by salvation,
00:55:36.03\00:55:39.83
by our love to
serve Him and obey Him.
00:55:39.87\00:55:42.27
Amen. Thank you so
much each one of you.
00:55:42.30\00:55:44.91
What an incredible God we serve.
00:55:44.94\00:55:46.94
In the midst of
this great controversy,
00:55:46.98\00:55:48.94
in the midst of the sin,
He sent Jesus, fully human,
00:55:48.98\00:55:52.51
fully divine to
be the perfect life,
00:55:52.55\00:55:55.15
the perfect
sacrifice for you and for me.
00:55:55.18\00:55:57.92
We just have a
couple moments left.
00:55:57.95\00:55:59.39
Let's take a few seconds apiece
00:55:59.42\00:56:00.96
and share a closing
thought on your day.
00:56:00.99\00:56:03.36
Pastor CA?
00:56:03.39\00:56:04.99
Philippians 2:5,
"Let this mind be in you,
00:56:05.03\00:56:09.66
which is also in Christ Jesus."
00:56:09.70\00:56:11.03
Not just in here but in here,
00:56:11.07\00:56:13.97
so that you can live out
00:56:14.00\00:56:16.10
the will and way of
God in your own life.
00:56:16.14\00:56:20.01
The warning
message of the three angels
00:56:20.04\00:56:22.94
is a revelation of God's love
for fallen man and a way out.
00:56:22.98\00:56:28.18
Amen.
00:56:28.22\00:56:29.55
No matter what
circumstance or situation
00:56:29.58\00:56:31.45
you find yourself in,
00:56:31.49\00:56:32.82
just know this, He
will never leave you,
00:56:32.85\00:56:34.79
He'll never forsake you,
00:56:34.82\00:56:36.16
He's always with
you even until the end.
00:56:36.19\00:56:39.39
I would think Romans 6:16,
00:56:39.43\00:56:41.20
it says, "Essentially,
we are agents of free will
00:56:41.23\00:56:44.80
but we are
slaves to whom we obey.
00:56:44.83\00:56:47.04
Either we obey
sin leading to death
00:56:47.07\00:56:50.67
or we obey the obedience to God
00:56:50.71\00:56:55.04
which leads to righteousness."
00:56:55.08\00:56:56.41
Amen, thank you all so much
for sharing from your heart,
00:56:56.44\00:56:59.45
from the Word of God,
and from your experience,
00:56:59.48\00:57:01.52
it's a blessing.
00:57:01.55\00:57:03.08
And we want to thank you
for joining us as well at home.
00:57:03.12\00:57:06.62
I want to close
with the last paragraph
00:57:06.65\00:57:09.16
from the book The
Great Controversy.
00:57:09.19\00:57:11.19
This tells us how
the conflict ends.
00:57:11.23\00:57:13.29
"The Great Controversy is ended.
00:57:13.33\00:57:15.70
Sin and sinners are no more.
00:57:15.73\00:57:19.00
The entire universe is clean
00:57:19.03\00:57:22.10
from the minutest
atom to the greatest world,
00:57:22.14\00:57:25.11
all things
declare that God is love."
00:57:25.14\00:57:27.94
God loves you.
00:57:27.98\00:57:29.31
Accept Him as
your personal savior.
00:57:29.34\00:57:31.18
Bye-bye.
00:57:31.21\00:57:32.55