Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP180020A
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00:01 The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word,
00:03 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:07 It says TO,, "To Receive 00:09 with meekness the implanted Word, 00:11 which is able to save your souls 00:13 and to be diligent to present yourself approved to God, 00:17 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:20 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is Preparation for the End Time. 00:31 Hello and welcome to our 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:34 My name is John Lomacang. 00:35 Thank you for taking the time to tune in 00:38 for an exciting study in this lesson about prophecy. 00:42 We have been so excited about it, 00:44 and today is Matthew 24 and 25. 00:47 And to join me is an illustrious panel of, 00:50 I should say, my family. 00:51 What better way to say it 00:53 than to have Mollie sitting next to me. 00:54 Good to see you, Mollie. Thank you. 00:56 Pastor CA, always to good to have you onboard. 00:58 Ms. Shelley Quinn, our program director, 01:01 and Jill Morikone who has many hats. 01:04 Thank you all for joining today on this exciting study. 01:08 You know, whenever we get together on Bible prophecy, 01:10 we know it's going to be good. 01:11 Isn't that right? Yes, amen. 01:12 And today is no exception. 01:15 We're going to tell you 01:16 how to get a copy of the lesson to follow along, 01:18 but before we do anything else, 01:20 we'd like to have prayer. 01:21 Mollie, since you're to my left, 01:22 would you begin with prayer for us? 01:24 I would be delighted. 01:25 Holy Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus, 01:28 and, Lord, we praise You 01:29 and worship You that this morning, 01:31 Your grace and mercy was renewed once again. 01:34 Thank you, Father. 01:35 Now, Lord, we just stand our hearts before You, 01:38 those of all of our listeners and all of our viewers 01:40 asking You, Lord, to open our hearts 01:42 that we would be ready to receive Your Word. 01:45 Let that Word be implanted 01:47 into our heart today as our prayer, 01:49 in Jesus' name, amen. 01:53 To get a copy of the lesson, 01:54 go to the following website ABSG.Adventist.org 02:00 and download the lesson. 02:02 You could also go to your local Adventist church 02:04 if you don't have a copy, 02:05 and I'm sure they'll be glad to give you a copy 02:08 to join in on a group study, 02:10 and I know you'll be blessed. 02:12 Well, we're talking about prophecy today, 02:14 but let's begin with our Bible verse in Matthew 24:24, 02:18 and it's the NIV. 02:20 I learned in preparing for the lesson 02:22 that it's not just the NIV 02:24 but it has to be the NIV not the pre-1984 version 02:29 because they changed the wording in 1984. 02:32 But let's read the text together 02:34 and that's Matthew 24:24. 02:36 Together, "For false messiahs and false prophets will appear 02:41 and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, 02:45 if possible, even the elect." 02:49 I like that word "if possible." 02:51 It simply means it's not possible 02:53 because the elect are studying the Word of God, 02:56 and the elect will not be deceived. 02:58 Thank you. 02:59 But Matthew 24 and 25, 03:01 and we're going to be covering in various aspects, 03:03 I believe, also not only the prophecies of Matthew 24 03:07 but also the parable that the Lord 03:09 gives in Matthew 25 of the ten virgins. 03:12 But let me begin by just saying something about prophecy. 03:17 Prophecy, to me, is one of the best ways 03:22 to prove to someone 03:24 who does not believe in God that God does exist. 03:27 Amen. 03:28 Because prophecy itself 03:30 is a divine prognostication of events 03:35 that will take place in the distant future. 03:37 Matter of fact, Isaiah 46, turn there with me. 03:41 This is not in my notes, 03:43 but that shows what divine inspiration is all about. 03:45 Amen. 03:46 Isaiah 46, and we're going to look together. 03:51 Here I am 03:53 at verse 9 and 10, Isaiah 46. 04:03 Okay, here we are. 04:05 The Bible tells us, "Remember the former things of old 04:10 for I am God, and there is no other. 04:13 I am God, and there is none like Me. 04:17 Declaring the end from the..." 04:19 What, panel? Beginning. 04:20 "From the beginning and from ancient times, 04:23 things that are not yet done, 04:25 saying, "My counsel shall stand, 04:27 and I will do all my pleasure.'" 04:29 That verse shows that no one could do that but God. 04:33 Amen. 04:34 No one can tell you long before... 04:36 Somebody pointed out the probability 04:37 of the messianic prophecies of them coming to pass 04:40 in such startling accuracy. 04:42 Matter of fact, not too long ago, 04:44 I saw a Christian movie, 04:45 and I'd like to lead in by saying that, 04:48 it was called The Case for Christ, 04:50 where journalists had undertaken the task 04:53 because his wife had a converting experience 04:56 reminding her of her roots, of her Christian roots, 04:59 but after marrying him, she became an atheist. 05:01 But upon her daughter's life being saved in a restaurant, 05:05 the lady said, "The Lord guided me to be here today." 05:08 And that began in her a searching for God, 05:11 but her husband determined to prove 05:12 that God did not exist. 05:13 He traveled far and wide to various doctors, 05:16 and psychologists, and historians, 05:19 and theologians, and pastors to prove that God is not true 05:23 and that the resurrection never happened. 05:26 Well, the long and short of it is the movie you should see, 05:28 it's called the Case for Christ. 05:29 He gave his life to Christ 05:31 because the evidence as a journalist, 05:34 they said the evidence is what we are interested in, 05:36 the evidence was overwhelming. 05:38 Praise God. 05:40 But there are different types of prophecies. 05:43 There are messianic prophecies, 05:45 prophecies dealing with just Christ. 05:48 There are Judaic prophecies 05:49 dealing with the children of Israel. 05:52 You know, when Daniel says, 05:55 "How long is it going to be until the temple is rebuilt?" 05:59 That was Judaic prophecy. 06:01 Those prophecies particularly deal with the nation of Israel. 06:05 And what many people have fallen into the cavern of doing 06:08 is taking Judaic prophecies and applying them to the end, 06:13 such as thinking that literal Israel 06:16 is talked about in Revelation. 06:19 Literal Israel is not spoken of in Revelation, 06:22 it's spiritual Israel. 06:24 It's not Old Jerusalem 06:25 but New Jerusalem talked about in Revelation. 06:29 Then there are eschatological prophecies, 06:32 prophecies simply dealing with events 06:34 pointing to the last days, 06:36 which is what we're going to be dealing in quite a bit. 06:38 Then there are apocalyptic prophecies 06:40 dealing particularly with the Book of Revelation. 06:44 Then there are, in all those, 06:47 there are conditional prophecies. 06:49 A prophecy that the Lord says 06:51 "Will happen if you are obedient, 06:53 this will be your blessing, 06:55 but if you're not, this will be your curse." 06:57 Conditional prophecies, 06:59 then there are, on the other side of that, 07:00 obviously, non-conditional prophecies 07:03 which you have particular prophets in the Bible, 07:05 like Jeremiah or some of the minor prophets 07:08 will give a prophecy. 07:10 For example, Ezekiel, 07:11 when it talks about the destruction, 07:13 the eventual destruction of Lucifer, 07:15 "A fire shall devour you in the presence of those 07:18 who knew you." 07:20 That's a prophecy, but it hasn't been fulfilled yet. 07:22 That's a prophecy that is non-conditional. 07:24 In other words, Satan will be destroyed. 07:26 Can I get an amen? Amen. 07:28 That's a non-conditional. 07:30 But you have... 07:31 Also, then you have prophecies that are single fulfillment, 07:35 like the seven last plagues. 07:37 Thank you, Jesus. 07:38 Just one time, no repeats, once is enough. 07:42 But then you have... 07:43 Today, we're going to be talking about some 07:44 that are dual application. 07:46 There is no such thing as dual fulfillment, 07:49 keep that in mind, dual application, 07:51 like Matthew 24, referring to the days of Christ, 07:55 to the days of the nation of Israel. 07:57 That is before the destruction of Jerusalem, 08:00 and then the end time. 08:02 So that's why when we look at Matthew 24, 08:04 let's go there very quickly. 08:07 Matthew 24, we begin with what Jesus refers to as... 08:15 As Jesus gave these prophecies to the disciples, 08:19 they recognized that these prophecies had application 08:23 to their day as well as to the time of the end. 08:28 Okay, Matthew 24, 08:32 and, Mollie, could you read verse 3 for us? 08:36 Okay, verse 3, and this is out of the King James Version. 08:38 Sure. 08:39 "And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, 08:41 the disciples came unto Him privately saying, 08:44 'Tell us when shall these things be 08:47 and what shall be the sign of Thy coming 08:49 and of the end of the world?'" 08:51 Okay, notice, "When will these things be?" 08:53 That is when will the things 08:55 that You just referred to happen? 08:57 And also what will be the signs of Your coming 09:00 and of the end of the world? 09:01 Now the disciples 09:02 knew they were not going to be around for those events. 09:05 But Jesus made reference 09:07 to particular events in His day, 09:09 and He talked about one of those particularly, 09:12 which was a prophecy, He said, "Destroy this temple, 09:15 and in three days, I'm going to rebuild it." 09:18 They said, "Do you know 09:20 how long it took to build this building? 09:21 It took 40 years. 09:24 Really, you're going to do it in three days?" 09:26 But they did not understand, 09:27 He was referring to the body temple. 09:29 The resurrection of the temple, which, in fact, the Bible says, 09:31 "Know ye not that ye are the temple of the Holy Spirit." 09:34 So that was... 09:36 And so Jesus began 09:37 and what I want to begin with, in Sunday, 09:39 let's go there quickly. 09:41 Sunday is a powerful confirmation of prophecy. 09:46 Now I'm not going to go through all of those, 09:48 but some of the points 09:49 that I brought out as Jesus outlined. 09:52 We're living in a day and age where political... 09:56 We live in a very political age, 09:58 a very political climate, 10:00 and it's becoming more and more political by the moment. 10:03 Now the polarizations are conservative, liberal, 10:06 in the middle, the Green Party, the... 10:08 What's the other one? 10:09 Libertarians, I mean, all these particular isms 10:12 and arians and whatever you want to call it. 10:16 But so little is referred to as prophecy, 10:21 many churches today don't teach prophecy. 10:24 Many popular television speakers 10:26 don't talk about prophecy. 10:29 They talk about, "This is your hour, 10:31 your ship is coming in, it's about time, 10:33 you know, your wings are going to unfold, 10:35 you're going to rise to meet your destiny." 10:38 But they're not talking about the destiny of all of humanity, 10:42 which, in fact, is what we're talking about today, 10:44 prophecy and the validity of prophecy, 10:46 knowing that we're coming to the end of the world. 10:49 Now Matthew 24, 10:50 some of the confirmations of prophecy 10:52 in the words of Jesus. 10:54 For example, let's look at verse... 10:57 I'll start with verse 4, 10:58 one of the very first things Jesus said in verse 4... 11:01 Jill, do you have that, Matthew 24:4? 11:03 Sure. 11:04 "And Jesus answered and said to them, 11:05 'Take heed that no one deceives you.'" 11:08 In other words, one of the first signs Jesus pointed out 11:11 as evidence of the last days is the sign of deception. 11:14 In other words, they all say this, 11:16 but this is what it really is. 11:18 In other words, right now, 11:20 there's this overwhelming excitement. 11:23 I was just in the Middle East, not too long ago actually, 11:25 and there's this overwhelming excitement about the embassy 11:29 being moved to Jerusalem. 11:32 Well, when you look at the viewpoint 11:35 that some people have about 11:36 what's going to happen in Jerusalem 11:37 or what they suppose is going to happen in Jerusalem 11:40 is they had taken a Judaic prophecy 11:43 that has already been fulfilled 11:45 and applying it to an eschatological stage, 11:48 thinking that when the embassy is moved to Jerusalem, 11:52 and Jerusalem is seen as the capital of Israel, 11:56 then it's setting the stage 11:57 for the ushering in of the Messiah 11:59 whom the Jews still believe hasn't come yet. 12:02 And the conversion of the Jews 12:04 and the ushering in of the tribulation 12:06 and the stage of the antichrist, 12:08 all these things are being proposed and many authors, 12:12 like Tim LaHaye and the writer Jerry Jenkins, 12:16 are supposing that the stage 12:18 is being set for the rapture to happen. 12:20 And so many evangelicals are looking to Jerusalem 12:24 as a place of last-day prophecies, 12:28 the ushering in and the coming of the Messiah. 12:30 Well, we know as Christians, 12:32 Jesus already came the first time. 12:33 Amen? Amen. 12:35 But He's not coming to set up His kingdom in Jerusalem, 12:38 He's coming to set up a New Jerusalem not on earth 12:42 but at the end of the 1,000 years, 12:44 and in our lesson study, we will eventually get to that. 12:46 But one of the things that He said, 12:48 "Take heed that no one deceive you." 12:49 So while people are looking for Jesus 12:51 to come in the Middle East, 12:53 He's not coming back into the Middle East. 12:55 His return is not going to find Him touching the ground. 12:58 Amen. That's right. 13:00 He's going to call us up to meet Him in the air. 13:02 And the Jerusalem referred to 13:04 in the Bible is the New Jerusalem, 13:06 the real Holy City, 13:08 not the city that rejected Jesus 13:09 but the real Holy City 13:11 that's going to come down at the end of the 1,000 years. 13:13 So deception is one of those. 13:14 The other one, Matthew 24:6-8, "A war, national instability, 13:20 and cataclysmic certainty, 13:22 and you will hear of wars and rumors of wars, 13:24 see that you are not trouble 13:26 for all these things must come to pass, 13:27 but the end is not yet." 13:29 Have we had wars? Yes. 13:31 Have we had international instability? 13:32 Oh, yeah. 13:34 Have we had cataclysmic certainty? 13:36 But if you notice, 13:37 the frequency is becoming more and more. 13:40 That's what's referred to here. 13:41 So we're living in the day and age 13:43 where cataclysmic certainty 13:44 because we're taking all the minerals of the earth, 13:46 robbing the earth, sucking out all this foundation under us, 13:50 oil and gas, and all the minerals, 13:52 that the world is becoming more and more unstable. 13:55 The planet is becoming more and more unstable. 13:57 And the Lord is saying, "These are indicators." 13:59 And He also says, "For nation will rise against nation, 14:02 kingdom against kingdom..." 14:03 That's what's happening today. 14:05 "And there will be famines, pestilences, 14:07 and earthquakes in various places. 14:09 All these are the beginning of sorrows." 14:12 But then the stage is going to change, 14:14 and we'll talk about this in greater detail 14:16 in the further lesson. 14:17 Verse 8, sorry, verse 9, 14:19 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, 14:23 and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 14:26 And then many will be offended, 14:28 will betray one another, will hate one another." 14:31 We're going to talk about that, how when the stage is set, 14:34 when those keeping the commandments of God 14:36 are ostracized 14:38 and the world turns against them for obedience, 14:41 then this prophecy will become a fulfillment, 14:44 but not until then. 14:45 Mollie, the stage is yours. Okay. 14:47 Well, I have Monday, 14:49 and Monday's title is enduring to the end. 14:52 And I just love that concept. 14:54 But, Pastor, I pick up with Matthew 24:9. 14:58 Now verses 1-28, pardon me, 15:01 1-8 addressed the people, that was, "You will hear..." 15:08 and then it morphs to rumors of war and so forth. 15:14 But it's not directly giving us instruction. 15:18 But look at verse 9, 15:19 now verse 9, it changes completely. 15:22 And it says, now remember, 15:25 this is the disciples that had come to Jesus, 15:29 and they had asked Him, "Tell us about the end times." 15:31 And so this is what Jesus tells them in verse 9, 15:35 "Then they will deliver you up," 15:37 as Pastor Lomacang read, "to tribulation and kill you, 15:41 and you will be hated by all nations," why? 15:44 "For My name's sake." Now think about this, Jill. 15:47 Let's think about 15:48 when we decided to come to work here at 3ABN. 15:53 And Danny sat us down and said, 15:55 "Now if you want to come to work, 15:58 if you want to be a part of this ministry, 16:00 just know this one thing, 16:01 you will be delivered up to tribulation." 16:03 This is what Jesus is telling His disciples. 16:07 Very true. 16:08 "And you will be killed," 16:10 "And if you come to work here at 3ABN, 16:11 you'll be hated by all nations 16:14 because you work here at 3ABN." 16:16 So we want to say, you know what, 16:18 I wonder if Pastor Carter's hiring. 16:22 Or is there a place in Doug Batchelor's ministry. 16:25 You know, that's what we might be inclined to say, 16:28 but this is talking about the King of kings 16:32 and Lord of lords, our only hope. 16:34 And Jesus is being very honest, 16:37 He is laying out what it's going to be 16:40 in the end times for us to serve Him. 16:43 He loves us so much. He's honest with us. 16:46 He tells us the truth. 16:48 Now what I want to do, 16:49 I want you to go to Revelation 13 16:53 as I want for you to see, 16:55 I want for us to look at what this last day battle is over, 17:01 because why should all of these things 17:03 happen to Christians? 17:04 Do we not love people with all of our hearts? 17:07 Did Jesus not die to give us life, hope, and our future? 17:12 But we are going to be hated 17:15 because we have a message of peace and love. 17:18 But let's look at what this last day battle is over. 17:22 That's Revelation 13, 17:23 we're going to look at verses 11-17. 17:27 "Then I saw another beast..." 17:29 Now remember John while up on the Isle of Patmos 17:32 is shown end day events. 17:33 So this is something that he was shown, 17:36 "Coming out of the earth 17:38 and he had two horns like a lamb 17:40 and spoke like a dragon. 17:42 And he exercises all the authority 17:45 of the first beast in his presence 17:47 and causes the earth 17:49 and those who dwell in the earth to do something," 17:51 What is that? 17:53 "To worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed." 17:57 Now I'm going to say this, 17:59 and I know we're going to say it many times 18:01 from now to the end of this quarter, 18:04 the battle is over worship. 18:05 Amen. 18:07 The battle is over your worship, my worship. 18:09 Amen. That's right. 18:11 Now let me give you... 18:12 Now what is that beast asking for or trying to cause, 18:15 "All of those who dwell 18:16 in this earth to worship the beast." 18:19 Okay, definition of worship, 18:22 expression of reverence and adoration for a deity. 18:28 Now I want you to go to Exodus, 18:31 keeping in mind as we're going to Exodus 20 18:34 that the beast that comes up out of the earth 18:39 is after our worship demanding that we worship a beast. 18:44 Okay, let's look at Exodus 20. 18:47 We're going to start in verse 1. 18:48 You know what this is. This is the first commandment. 18:53 So let's read, "I am the Lord, your God, 18:56 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 18:58 out of the house of bondage, 19:00 you shall have no other gods before Me. 19:02 You shall not make for yourself a graven image 19:05 and likeness of anything that is in heaven above, 19:08 or that is in the earth beneath, 19:09 or that is in the water under the earth. 19:12 You shall not bow down to them nor serve them for I, 19:15 the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, 19:17 visiting the iniquities of the father's upon the children 19:20 to the third and fourth generations 19:23 and of those who hate Me. 19:26 But shall showing mercy to thousands to those 19:29 who love Me and keeping My commandments." 19:31 So let me ask you this. 19:33 What is the first commandment about? 19:36 Worshipping God. It's about worship. 19:39 So we have God in the first commandment 19:42 telling us that we are to have no other gods before Him. 19:44 Remember what worship is, 19:47 "Expressing reverence and adoration for a God, 19:50 for a deity." 19:51 So this that we're seeing that the beast 19:55 is demanding flies in the face of what? 19:58 Of the first commandment. 20:01 What is this end time battle over? 20:04 It's over worship. 20:06 Now, I want to ask you this, John 14:15, 20:10 how many of you know what John 14:15 says? 20:13 Jesus is the one that says it, 20:15 He says, "If you love Me," do what? 20:18 "Keep My commandments." 20:20 First commandment, worship God and worship God only. 20:25 Okay, let's pick back up. 20:27 We had you in Revelation 13, 20:29 we only read the first 2 verses. 20:31 Now let's look at Revelation 13:13, 20:36 "He performs..." 20:37 Talking about the beast, 20:39 "He performs great signs 20:41 so that he even makes fire come down 20:44 from heaven on the earth in the sight of men." 20:47 So is this beast doing miracles? 20:50 Does that make him the true and the living God, 20:53 someone we should worship? 20:54 Verse 14, "And he deceives those who dwell on the earth 20:59 by those signs which he was granted to do 21:02 in the sight of the beast. 21:03 He's the deceiver telling those who dwell on the earth 21:07 to make an image to the beast 21:09 who was wounded by the sword and lived. 21:12 He was granted power to give breath 21:15 to the image of the beast 21:16 that the image of the beast should both speak 21:20 and cause as many as would not worship 21:23 the image of the beast to be killed." 21:26 So what is this saying? 21:28 If you don't worship the image of the beast, 21:31 you will be killed. 21:32 Well, what did Jesus warned us about? 21:35 The scripture we opened with, which was Matthew 24:9, 21:39 He wants us to be fully informed 21:42 of what these end times will hold 21:45 so that when we see these things happening, 21:48 we will say, "Oh, Jesus told us about that." 21:51 Let's go on, verse 16, "He causes all, 21:56 both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave..." 22:01 This makes it global, it makes it universal. 22:04 It's not just one small group of people, 22:07 what is this going to affect, Pastor Lomacang? 22:10 The whole world. The whole world. 22:12 "To receive a mark in their right hand 22:17 or in their foreheads that no one may buy or sell 22:21 except one who has the mark 22:24 or the name of the beast or the number of his name." 22:28 So there is a mark, and we are going to be forced. 22:34 Can you be forced to do anything 22:36 you don't really want to do. 22:38 See that's why God, why Jesus is so concerned about 22:43 the end times and it's global. 22:46 He wants us to be so informed that we will be prepared 22:51 when they're trying to force us to do something 22:56 that we won't be able to buy and sell, 22:59 that is significant. 23:01 That is, I mean, that is something 23:03 that will get your attention. 23:05 But if you know what the end results are... 23:07 Now, let's go back to Matthew 24, 23:12 we're going to look at verses 11-13. 23:15 Back to Matthew 24:11-13, 23:19 "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 23:25 And because lawlessness 23:27 will abound the love of many will grow cold." 23:30 Now verse 13, this was the title of the day that... 23:36 Monday, this was the title of my lesson. 23:39 "But he who endures to the end, shall be saved." 23:44 You know, we can start out strong. 23:47 Remember the day that you made Jesus Christ 23:49 the Lord if your life, 23:50 was that not a high and a holy day? 23:52 When you were baptized, 23:54 when you came up out of that water with newness of mind, 23:59 you were a new creature. 24:00 "Old things that had passed away, 24:02 behold all things have become new." 24:04 We can start out strong, but we've got to end strong. 24:08 "He that endures to the end, shall be saved." 24:12 I want to read you a quote from the Great Controversy, 24:15 "None but those who have fortified the mind 24:19 with the truths of the Bible 24:22 will stand through the last great conflict." 24:25 You know what that is telling us? 24:27 That we must be in preparation today, 24:32 not when the great conflict is upon us, 24:35 but prepare yourself today 24:37 because if we're not prepared to go through it, 24:41 then chances are we won't endure to the end. 24:45 Amen. Well said. 24:47 I'm going to do something that I don't usually do. 24:49 I have some prepared remarks 24:51 but I think I'm going to diverge from those. 24:55 And listening to what Pastor Lomacang has said 24:57 and what you said, Mollie, 24:58 I want to change up 25:00 and I'm going to introduce a couple of things on the fly. 25:01 On Tuesday, we're dealing 25:03 with the abomination of desolation. 25:07 And there are many ways to approach this, 25:10 but I want to sort of track in the same trajectory 25:13 that you led us in, Mollie and Pastor. 25:16 In that, the conflict in the last days 25:21 is all about worship. 25:22 Yes. It is. 25:24 The three angels' messages ends with worship. 25:27 You know, you may start in many places, 25:30 but you're going to end with worship. 25:31 When Satan took Christ 25:33 into the wilderness for temptation, 25:35 he danced with the Lord a little while, 25:37 but he ended with, "If You will worship me," 25:41 you know, he got to what his real point was, worship. 25:48 In the last days, who God is 25:52 and how we approach Him is very, very crucial. 25:56 It will be the fulcrum, 25:58 the pivotal point of our staying in God, 26:03 and how we worship God, and what we think about God, 26:06 and how we approach God is very, very crucial, 26:09 not only to the image of God but to our relationship to Him. 26:13 Manasseh made his children walk through the fire 26:19 as an act of worship. 26:21 You know, son of Hezekiah, 26:22 he is forcing his children to go that far 26:25 as a son of worship, as an act of worship, 26:27 which shows how twisted your mind can become 26:31 if you don't have a right view of who God is 26:33 and what He expects of you. 26:35 In 1960, an Adventist missionary pastor 26:38 by the name of Peter Konaffer 26:40 was cannibalized in Papua New Guinea. 26:44 And they consumed a part of his body 26:49 as an act of worship. 26:51 He went to the highlands, way up in the mountains and... 26:55 But this was not an act of worship to the true God? 26:57 No, but they did it as an act of worship. 26:59 To the true God or to a different god? 27:01 To who they felt God was, I'm heading to that point. 27:06 You're kind of jumping my ace here. 27:09 But they had an incorrect concept 27:16 of who God was and what He desire. 27:20 So your view of God is very, very important. 27:24 Absolutely. 27:26 And what you expect of God and what you think God expects 27:30 of you is very, very crucial. 27:32 And in these last days, a correct view of God 27:36 is very, very important because as you scan the globe, 27:39 there are a lot of people 27:40 thinking a lot of things about God 27:42 or who they think is God that are incorrect. 27:45 And they are part of an incorrect picture of God 27:48 that Satan has articulated over the centuries. 27:52 So you can go to many places on the earth 27:55 and get some very, really kind of sad views 27:58 of who God is and what God wants. 28:01 And so the desire of God is to show us who He is 28:07 and how correct worship puts us in line 28:10 with His desires in these last days. 28:12 So the abomination of desolation 28:16 is an orchestrated attempt by Satan 28:21 to destroy worship, 28:22 and, Pastor, you talked about dual fulfillments of prophecy. 28:29 And this is one, Christ talks about 28:32 Daniel's mentioning of the abomination of desolation, 28:36 Daniel 9:27, Daniel 11-31, Daniel 12:11. 28:42 And when we look at the words of Christ in Matthew 24, 28:46 it is evident that one of the things 28:49 He is speaking of is the destruction 28:52 of the city of Jerusalem. 28:55 The destruction of the temple, 28:57 the destruction of the daily sacrifices 28:59 carried on in that temple. 29:01 Again, Satan tearing down worship, 29:06 tearing down the means and mechanisms of worship. 29:08 So Christ is giving signs, warnings concerning the end, 29:14 the end of the Jewish fraternity 29:16 as a visible, unified, identified nation group 29:19 at the hands of the desolator, that is pagan Rome in AD 70. 29:25 Luke 21:20 explains and says pretty much the same thing, 29:29 that when you see these armies surrounding Jerusalem, 29:33 then know that desolation is near. 29:37 So there is a primary interpretation. 29:40 Now it's primary in the sense that it comes first, 29:42 not that it's more important. 29:43 But this was what was immediately 29:45 upon them that in several years, 29:47 this temple that you value so much 29:49 and prize so much, will no longer be here. 29:52 This city that you take such pride in, 29:54 will no longer be here. 29:56 But there is a secondary application 29:57 and actually, arguably, 29:59 that secondary application is more far-reaching 30:03 in its effects and prophetically, Pastor, 30:07 it has more universal application. 30:09 That's right. 30:10 The pivot comes when the word spoken by Daniel, 30:13 Daniel uses a term in conjunction 30:15 with the king of the north, 30:17 the papal ascendancy 30:19 and the other spiritual ramifications 30:21 that come to that. 30:22 So again, this is Satan, 30:24 who not only tears down genuine worship, 30:28 he sets up false worship. 30:32 So his attack is against worship, 30:35 is against the worship of the true God. 30:37 One of the things that is Satan's masterwork 30:39 is to really deface and efface the image of God in the world. 30:45 There are some people who still to this day 30:46 think God is a hard, cruel, cold, 30:49 mean tyrant who is trying to keep you out. 30:53 And we said this before, and we'll say this again, 30:54 Mollie, like you said, 30:56 God's not trying to get you out, 30:58 He's trying to get you in. 30:59 Yes. Amen. 31:01 He's trying to do all He can to get you in, 31:02 but there are those who think, "He doesn't want me there. 31:04 I've got to work my way in, I've got to appease Him." 31:08 And the appeasing has already been done 31:09 by Christ on the cross. 31:11 That work has already been done. 31:12 So in Daniel 8, we have this goat 31:15 which seems to have a personal vendetta against the ram. 31:20 And there are some philosophical and theological 31:25 and prophetic reasons for that, 31:27 Marathon, Thermopylae, 31:29 we don't have time to go into that. 31:30 But we know that that goat 31:31 is Alexander versus the Medo-Persian Empire, 31:34 the goat loses its notable horn, 31:36 is replaced by four horns, 31:37 Lysimachus, Seleucus, Cassandra, Ptolemy, 31:40 and we're throwing out a lot of stuff 31:42 that we don't have time to really back up, 31:44 but history will prove these things out. 31:47 And then out of the midst of these, 31:49 there comes this little horn that begins to exalt himself. 31:54 He speaks pompous words against the most high. 31:59 So we see now the Roman power 32:02 in its pagan manifestation 32:08 which destroys the temple and the city. 32:11 And then we see the Roman power in its papal manifestation, 32:16 which sets up a parallel system of worship 32:19 which is not genuine. 32:21 And we see in the beast and... 32:27 the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, 32:28 this parallel system of working of worship 32:32 working against the original. 32:34 So the abomination 32:35 is a two-phased assault on heaven and on God. 32:41 First, he tries to destroy the people of God, 32:44 the children of God, 32:45 and then he sets up a false system of worship 32:49 to try to get the rest of the world 32:54 to enter into false worship. 32:59 And so the symbol is the same, it's the same horn 33:03 speaking great things against the most high. 33:05 And, of course, it is that same horn 33:08 that we find in Daniel 7:25 33:10 that seeks to change times and laws 33:13 and speaks pompous words against the most high. 33:20 Let's look in Matthew 24:29, and, boy, time goes so fast. 33:25 Matthew 24:29, 33:28 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days, 33:30 the sun will be darkened, 33:32 the moon will not give its light, 33:34 and the stars will fall from heaven, 33:37 and the powers of heaven will be shaken." 33:39 So we are seeing that 33:41 in the midst of this tribulation, 33:44 God is going to orchestrate, 33:47 can I say, Pastor, some atmospheric pyrotechnics? 33:50 Yes. 33:52 To let the world know 33:53 we're getting to the end of this thing, 33:55 we're coming to the end. 33:56 We're coming to the end of the ascendancy 33:58 of this false system of worship, 34:00 but we're also coming to the end 34:02 of this world's epic. 34:07 In other words, Christ is going to come in 34:09 and set up a kingdom that shall never fall. 34:11 The next big event after this shaking, 34:14 after this atmospheric upheaval 34:17 is really the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 34:20 There are no more time 34:22 prophecies that have to be fulfilled. 34:23 We don't have to wait for anything. 34:25 The next thing that's going to happen, 34:26 ladies and gentlemen, is the coming of the Lord, 34:28 which is why, every day, 34:30 we need to live in respect of the fact 34:34 that Christ is coming soon. 34:36 And there is just time enough 34:39 to get ready for that grand and glorious event. 34:43 Well said. 34:44 Boy, it's too bad we don't have more time. 34:46 I've got 10 minutes to talk about 10 virgins. 34:51 So my lesson on Wednesday, the 10 virgins, 34:55 let's just go ahead and read that very quickly. 34:57 Matthew 25:1-13, Matthew 25:1-13. 35:03 You know, Jesus frequently talked in parables, 35:06 and a parable is just a story 35:09 that has symbolic meaning to something 35:13 that was common in the culture, 35:16 and this is, this parable... 35:19 Actually, I'll explain it in a moment. 35:21 It was common practices 35:24 for a wedding in the Jewish culture at the time. 35:27 Matthew 25, "Then the kingdom of heaven 35:28 shall be likened to 10 virgins 35:31 who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 35:33 Now five of them were wise, 35:36 five of these virgins were wise, 35:37 five were foolish. 35:39 Those who were foolish, 35:40 took their lamps and took no oil with them, 35:42 but the wise took oil 35:43 in the vessels with their lamps. 35:45 And when the bridegroom was delayed, 35:47 they all slumbered and slept. 35:50 And at midnight, a cry was heard, 35:52 'Behold the bridegroom is coming, 35:54 go out to meet him.' 35:56 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps, 35:59 and the foolish women said to the wise, 36:01 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 36:03 But the wise answered saying, 36:05 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you, 36:08 but go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves.' 36:12 And while they went to buy, 36:13 the bridegroom came and those who were ready, 36:16 went in with him to the wedding and the door was shut. 36:19 Afterward, the other virgins 36:21 came also knocking on the door saying, 36:24 'Lord, Lord, open to us.' 36:26 But He answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, 36:31 I do not know you.'" 36:33 He refused them entry. 36:35 And then Jesus finishes with this, 36:38 "Watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour 36:42 in which the Son of Man is coming." 36:47 Jesus was drawing this from a familiar tradition 36:50 among the Jews, 36:51 where the bridegroom would go to his father's house, 36:55 he would build on the house a room to his father's house. 36:59 It was going to be where he and his bride would live. 37:03 And then the father would send him late at night, 37:06 it was always late at night, to retrieve his bride. 37:10 And the bride had made herself ready. 37:13 She had prepared herself during this time 37:15 because they were legally married already. 37:17 They had a marriage contract. 37:19 They just hadn't had the... 37:22 Well, yes. 37:24 They just hadn't spent their time together yet. 37:27 So what would happen is the bridegroom, 37:32 as he was coming, somebody, 37:34 one of the groomsmen would say, "He's on his way." 37:37 And then the bridesmaids would be out there with their lamps, 37:41 they trimmed their lamps, 37:42 and then they would usher the bridegroom to the bride. 37:46 They'd light the path. 37:48 So there's symbolic meaning... 37:52 There's so many of this, 37:53 I'm going to have to go really fast 37:54 because the symbolism in this is incredible. 37:58 We know that the church is the bride of Christ, 38:00 we're told this in Ephesians and in Revelations. 38:04 They were betrothed to Christ, our bridegroom. 38:08 And in scripture, a church, the true church, a good church, 38:13 was representative of a virtuous woman, 38:18 a woman who had not defiled herself 38:21 with any other relationships. 38:23 So Christ is coming back 38:26 to receive His bride unto Himself, 38:30 a bride that has made herself ready 38:33 and completed her task of ministering this gospel 38:37 to every tongue and tribes on the earth, right? 38:40 So this is the interesting part, 38:42 the virgin bridesmaids were church members. 38:46 But did you notice, He didn't say, 38:49 "Oh, there were five virgins and five maids." 38:54 He referred to all of them as virgin bridesmaids, 38:59 but there were two classes of church members, 39:03 two classes of people who had participated 39:08 or believed in the gospel of grace, 39:11 but it had something different, we'll look at. 39:13 The lamps, the lamp was a symbol of the Word of God, 39:17 "Thy word is a light to My path and a lamp to My feet." 39:21 The oil symbolize the Holy Spirit, 39:23 which we see that in Zechariah 4:1-14, 39:28 but also the character that these bridesmaids 39:32 had received through the Holy Spirit's influence. 39:36 The vessel that held the oil, that was their hearts. 39:39 So what is the meaning when Christ is cautioning us 39:44 and saying, "Be ready, be prepared"? 39:47 He did not distinguish between wise virgins, foolish maidens. 39:53 He called them all virgins, 39:55 which leads us to believe all of these church members... 40:00 The virgins weren't hypocrites, 40:02 they were just people 40:05 whose spiritual progress had been stifled. 40:08 They had really just received Christ as Lord thinking, 40:14 "Justification, that's all I need to do, 40:17 is confess my sins, 40:19 He's faithful and just to forgive me of my sins. 40:21 I don't need to go any more." 40:23 And so their service to the Lord, 40:25 their participation in church was very superficial. 40:30 They didn't open up their heart to receive the Holy Spirit. 40:35 So what we're looking at 40:39 when Christ says to them, 40:45 "Go away from Me, I never knew you." 40:48 See, they accepted Christ as Savior, 40:53 but they never let Him be Lord of their lives. 40:56 They never followed in obedience 40:59 empowered by the Holy Spirit. 41:02 So the wise virgins... 41:04 And the interesting thing 41:05 is about these people in the church, 41:07 the five foolish virgins, 41:09 is they've got their lamp of profession in their hand, 41:13 "I'm a Christian. 41:14 I believe in Jesus." 41:16 And they think that's enough. 41:18 But now, the wise virgins 41:22 following their experience of justification, 41:25 they went all the way with Jesus. 41:27 They said, "Oh, I need Your Holy Spirit, 41:29 work in me to will and to do Your good pleasure. 41:32 Complete the good work You've begun in me." 41:35 And they developed Christ-like character 41:39 by the power of the Holy Spirit. 41:41 They were walking in obedience. 41:43 But we know that none of them were perfect 41:45 because they all slept, did they not? 41:48 So this sleep that settled over them, 41:51 this represents the darkness of the midnight hour. 41:55 It's a certain spiritual condition of apathy. 42:00 And please hear me when I say this, 42:03 Apathy is a very dangerous heart condition, 42:08 very dangerous heart condition. 42:10 But they all are sleeping, 42:15 when they hear his voice, they all wake up. 42:18 But the wise virgins are depicted 42:21 as ones who overflow with the love, and the light, 42:26 and the life of Christ 42:27 because they've got that oil, they've got that extra oil. 42:30 And, you know, at first, it kind of seems selfish 42:32 when the foolish virgins said, "Oh, share your oil with us." 42:36 I remember thinking the first time I read this one, 42:38 I was a very young Christian, 42:40 "Well, that was pretty selfish of them 42:42 not to share their oil." 42:44 But how can you share your character with another. 42:47 You know, this is the time when Christ has returned, 42:50 they can't share their character. 42:53 So the wise rise up with the character of Christ, 42:56 they follow the bridegroom. 42:59 And, you know, we'll be following Jesus, 43:02 rising to meet Him in the air, 43:04 and we proceed to that marriage supper of the lamb. 43:09 Hallelujah! 43:10 But now those who lacked the true Christian character, 43:14 the foolish virgins, Jesus said 43:17 they were unfit to attend the marriage feast. 43:21 Their rejection of sanctification, 43:24 of being set apart from sin, of walking in obedience, 43:29 shut them out, shut the door of eternal salvation to them. 43:33 I want to read this scripture, Matthew 7:21, 43:36 Christ warned generations 43:39 of His followers to come saying, 43:41 "Not everyone who says to Me 'Lord, Lord,' 43:46 shall enter the kingdom of heaven, 43:49 but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.'" 43:55 It is not enough just to say, "I accept Christ as my Savior." 44:03 We have to accept Him as our Lord, and we need... 44:07 You know, when Christ said, "Watch therefore, 44:09 you know neither the day nor the hour 44:11 when the Son of Man is coming." 44:15 Here's the thing that I would say, 44:17 Christ could come during my lifetime, I don't know. 44:21 But I also know that today could be my last day on earth. 44:26 I don't know that on the way home, 44:28 some cars not going to hit me head on. 44:30 We always must be watching, 44:34 for we know neither the day nor the hour 44:37 when our time is up. 44:39 Amen. Amen. 44:40 Thank you so much, Shelley. 44:41 What a blessing the study of the Word of God is, 44:44 especially as we're looking at Matthew 24 and 25. 44:47 I have the parable that follows yours, Shelley. 44:50 That's the Parable of the Talents. 44:53 We find this in Matthew 25:14-30. 44:56 But I actually want to read verse 13. 44:58 I know that was in your passage, 45:00 but, to me, it applies just as equally to my passage here 45:03 with the Parable of the Talents. 45:06 Jesus speaking, "Watch therefore for you know 45:10 neither the day nor the hour 45:12 in which the Son of Man is coming." 45:15 This parable, the Parable of the Talents 45:17 focuses on what Christians are to do 45:20 between now and the Second Coming. 45:24 During the waiting time, 45:26 what we are to do during that time. 45:27 So let's look at that parable, verse 14, 45:30 "For the kingdom of heaven 45:31 is like a man traveling to a far country 45:35 who called his own servants 45:36 and delivered his goods to them." 45:39 Another word for servants in Greek is doulos, 45:41 meaning a slave or a bondservant. 45:44 But in the New Testament, 45:46 this word is used with the highest dignity, 45:49 because it's those believers who willingly live 45:53 under Christ's authority, 45:55 those believers who are His devoted followers. 45:57 You think of 1 Corinthians 6:20, 46:00 "We are bought with a price," and we wear that badge proudly 46:05 because we belong to the Lord Jesus. 46:07 I think of 1 Peter 1:18 and 19, 46:10 "We are redeemed not with corruptible things 46:13 as silver and gold, 46:15 but with the precious blood of Christ." 46:17 Christ Himself has bought us. 46:20 So what a privilege to be a slave, 46:23 to be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. 46:26 Verse 15, it says, "And to one, he gave five talents, 46:30 to another, two, and to another, one, 46:33 to each according to his own ability. 46:36 And immediately, he went on a journey." 46:39 Now it's interesting, the word for talents used here, 46:42 talentos, is not a coin. 46:44 And when I was growing up, 46:46 I always thought it referred to a coin, 46:48 "Okay, he gave five coins to one 46:50 and two coins to another." 46:52 But what it's really referring to is a heavyweight, 46:56 a gold or silver weight. 46:59 And if you do some research on that, 47:01 a talent weighed about 75 pounds. 47:05 Now this is a heavyweight, 75 pounds, 47:08 it could be gold or a silver weight. 47:11 It was worth, you imagine, 47:13 75 pounds of that in their time, 47:15 it was worth 6,000 days wages. 47:17 Wow! 47:19 Now that would be 16.4 years of working 47:21 if you work seven days a week, 47:23 but if you consider you work five or six days a week, 47:26 that would last for 20 years. 47:28 So when the master gave one person, one talent, 47:31 we're thinking, "Oh, that's a meager gift." 47:33 This is 20 years of wages. 47:36 So this is a substantial gift, 47:38 and the one who had five talents was quite a bit. 47:41 The talents... 47:43 This is from Christ's Object Lessons, page 327, 47:46 "The talents that Christ entrusts to His church 47:49 represent especially the gifts and blessings 47:52 imparted by the Holy Spirit." 47:54 Amen. We all have been given talents. 47:58 The Parable of Talents is about stewardship, 48:00 stewardship of our time, stewardship of our talents, 48:04 stewardship of our treasure, stewardship of our testimony, 48:09 and stewardship of our temple. 48:11 What I want to do is look 48:12 at the difference between the first and second servants, 48:15 the one who received the five 48:17 and the two, and the third servant, 48:20 the one who went and hid it in the earth. 48:22 So we see the servant's response to the master 48:25 when he comes back, 48:26 this is the first and second servant. 48:28 This is in verse 20, 48:30 "He who had received five talents came 48:31 and brought five other talents saying, 48:34 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents. 48:36 Look, I have gained five more talents beside them.'" 48:40 So what is this servant's response? 48:43 To me, it's threefold. 48:44 Immediately, he went to work. 48:46 Number two, he kept busy the entire time 48:50 the master was away. 48:52 He occupied until the master returned. 48:55 Number three, he eagerly waited for the master's return. 48:58 And you can see that, he's eager to tell the master, 49:01 "Look, you gave me five talents, 49:03 here are five more. 49:05 Now there are ten." 49:06 And what is the master's response to the servant. 49:09 In verse 21, "His Lord said to him, 49:12 'Well done, good and faithful servant. 49:15 You have been faithful over a few things. 49:17 I will make you ruler over many. 49:19 Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.'" 49:22 So the master's response to the servant 49:25 is threefold as well. 49:26 First, there was a verbal commendation. 49:29 What does he say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." 49:32 Second, he's entrusted 49:34 with even greater responsibility. 49:37 He has given a reward, the other five. 49:40 The third, he is given the privilege 49:44 of entering the joy of the Lord." 49:47 What does it say? "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." 49:49 Now this can mean eternal life, 49:52 as in, he has eternal life with the Father. 49:55 But I also think, in Hebrews 12, 49:57 Hebrews 12:3, what does it say? 49:59 "Looking unto Jesus, 50:01 the author and finisher of our faith. 50:03 Who for the joy that was set before Him, 50:06 endured the cross despising the shame 50:09 and is set down at the right hand 50:12 of the throne of God." 50:13 So why did Jesus endure the cross or how did He endure? 50:17 The joy of seeing you and I 50:19 being saved eternally in His kingdom. 50:23 It says, "There is joy in the presence 50:25 of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." 50:29 So I believe that, in a special way, 50:32 the work and the talents, 50:34 the stewardship that we are entrusted with, 50:37 has to do with the work 50:38 for the salvation of other people. 50:40 We are not entrusted with these talents 50:43 just for our own betterment, 50:45 our own selfish gratification, 50:48 it's for salvation of other people. 50:51 Let's look at the response of the third servant, 50:53 the one who went and hid it in the earth. 50:55 In verse 24, "He who had received the one talent came 50:59 and said, 'Lord, I knew You were a hard man, 51:02 reaping where you have not sown, 51:05 gathering where you have not scattered seed, I was afraid, 51:08 and I went and hid your talent in the ground. 51:11 Look, there you have what is yours."' 51:14 So what is his response, 51:15 number one, he's lazy and he did nothing. 51:18 Remember, the other one was active and industrious, 51:21 this man is lazy. 51:22 Number two, instead of eagerly anticipating 51:25 the return of the master, he's afraid. 51:27 He's afraid of meeting the master. 51:29 And let's look at the master's response, 51:32 "The Lord answered and said, 'You wicked and lazy servant, 51:35 you knew that I reap where I have not sown 51:37 and gather where I have not scattered seed. 51:39 You ought to have deposited my money with the bankers 51:42 and at my coming, I would have received back 51:44 my own with interest. 51:46 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has 10.' 51:50 Every one who has, more will be given, 51:52 and he will have abundance. 51:53 But from him who does not have, 51:55 even what he has will be taken away. 51:58 And cast the unprofitable servant 52:00 into the outer darkness, 52:02 there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 52:04 So what is the master's response, 52:05 instead of verbal commendation, there's a verbal reproof. 52:09 "You wicked and lazy servant." 52:12 Instead of more responsibility given to him, 52:15 he had responsibility taken from him. 52:17 The talent was taken to him and given to someone else. 52:20 And instead of entering into the joy of the Lord, 52:23 he was cast into outer darkness. 52:25 So these are my six takeaways 52:27 from the Parable of the Talents. 52:29 Six lessons that we can learn. 52:30 Number one, be productive and active 52:33 in the master's service. 52:35 We are called to labor in the master's vineyard, 52:38 not to sit back in idleness. 52:40 We're called to keep busy. 52:41 We're called to be productive, 52:43 to occupy until the master returns. 52:46 Number two, work with what you have been given, 52:50 large or small, simply use what you're given. 52:54 The question to be asked is not how much do I have, 52:57 but what am I doing with what I have. 53:00 Number three, accept that 53:02 we all receive different talents. 53:05 Talents are given to each according to their ability. 53:07 I can say all day, 53:09 "I wish I could preach like Pastor John or Pastor CA." 53:12 But the Lord has given me my own gifts. 53:14 So I can say, "I wish I could 53:15 play the piano like Tim Parton," 53:17 but the Lord has given me my own gifts. 53:19 I am to serve God 53:21 with whatever He has given to me. 53:24 Number four, watch your motives. 53:27 We work for the master, 53:28 not for our own selfish purpose. 53:31 The money didn't belong to the servants, 53:33 it belonged to the master. 53:35 We use our time, our talents, our treasure, our testimony, 53:38 our temple for the service of God, 53:41 for the service of helping to bring other souls 53:44 to the kingdom of heaven. 53:46 Number five, recognize your accountability. 53:49 We are all held accountable 53:51 for what God has entrusted to us 53:53 during this waiting time. 53:55 This parable is about stewardship 53:57 and what God has given to us, 53:59 how we are to occupy the time while we are waiting. 54:02 And finally number six, never despise heaven's gift. 54:08 Never despise the gift that God has given to you. 54:11 So we are in the end times, 54:14 we are, as we've studied before, 54:15 in the very toes of the image of Daniel 2, 54:18 and God is calling us during this waiting time 54:22 to be busy in the master's service, 54:25 winning souls for other people with the gifts 54:27 and abilities that He's given to us. 54:31 Thank you, Jill. Amen. 54:32 That was fabulous. 54:33 Pastor CA and Mollie, 54:35 I'm going to give you all a few seconds also to summarize 54:37 since we've gone over a number of topics here 54:40 in discussing what is happening in Matthew 24 and 25. 54:44 Thank You, Jill, that was beautifully outlined 54:46 which you always do so very well. 54:48 But each one of you has that gift, 54:50 that talent that God has anointed by His Holy Spirit. 54:54 If I were to summarize what we've talked about so far, 54:56 it would be in light of the evidence 54:58 of Christ's soon return, 54:59 allow the Holy Spirit to fill your life 55:02 so the talents you have can be used to get others ready 55:06 for the coming of the Lord. 55:07 The evidence is overwhelming. 55:09 Mollie, summarize your day for us. 55:10 Well, my day was he that endures to the end, 55:14 shall be saved. 55:15 And we find in the Great Controversy that, 55:17 "Only as your mind is fortified with the truth of God's Word, 55:22 will you be able to endure." 55:24 And I wanted to just quote Joshua 1:8, 55:26 "This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, 55:29 but you shall meditate on it, day and night, 55:31 that you may observe to do all that's written therein, 55:35 then you will make your way prosperous, 55:37 and you will have good success contingent upon this Word." 55:42 Amen. Pastor CA? 55:43 When the Bible talks about the patience of the saints, 55:47 it is talking about the endurance of the saints. 55:50 Endurance comes when you have your mind focused on a goal. 55:53 You can take the winds, the arrows, the strife of life 55:58 when you're focused on your goal, 56:00 and as we stay focused on Christ 56:01 and His soon coming, 56:03 we will be able to endure whatever Satan sends our way. 56:06 Amen. Shelley? 56:07 The parable of the Ten Virgins, 56:09 all 10 were members of the church, 56:11 all 10 believed that Jesus Christ was Messiah, 56:15 but only five have lived for Jesus 56:18 by having the Holy Spirit in their heart. 56:21 So my takeaway for the day would be, 56:24 as Jesus said in Luke 11, when He said, 56:29 "Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, 56:31 knock and the door will be opened." 56:33 How much more will the Heavenly Father give you, 56:35 the Holy Spirit, when you ask and seek and knock? 56:38 And Jill? 56:40 God has given each one of us gifts 56:42 that we can use in the service of the master, 56:44 spiritual gifts, abilities. 56:46 So whether you feel like you have one talent or five, 56:49 use it in the service of the master. 56:50 Amen. 56:52 Mollie, the battle is over worship, 56:53 I took away from that. 56:55 The last days, Pastor CA has hinged on your view of God. 56:58 Very important. 57:00 Shelley, the Holy Spirit is the only one 57:01 that can prepare us individually, not collectively. 57:04 And, Jill, time... 57:06 The talents are about time, talents, testimony, 57:09 and treasure. 57:10 And the Lord has given every one of us 57:12 time, talents, testimony, and treasure. 57:14 The evidence of the coming of the Lord is overwhelming, 57:17 the Holy Spirit wants to do a work in you, 57:19 but your view of God will impact where you worship. 57:22 And so, until we see you again, 57:24 may your adherence and your dedication to God 57:27 impact your worship of God. |
Revised 2018-05-23