Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP180023A
|
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, "Receive with meekness 00:10 the implanted Word, 00:11 which is able to save your souls 00:13 and to be diligent to present yourself 00:16 approved to God, 00:17 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:20 Join us now 00:22 for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is Preparation for the End Time. 00:30 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn, and on behalf of the panel, 00:33 we want to welcome you to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:37 We're very excited, 00:38 we're studying in the second quarterly 00:41 of this 2018. 00:42 And our study guide is titled, 00:46 Preparation for the End Time. 00:50 If you do not have this study guide, 00:52 I want to encourage, you can go buy 00:54 at Seventh-day Adventist Church, 00:56 they'll be happy to give you one, 00:58 and even happier to invite you 01:00 to join their Sabbath School classes, 01:03 or you can download by going to the internet, 01:06 it's ABSG.Adventist.org, 01:10 and you can study along. 01:12 Let me introduce our panel to you. 01:15 To my immediate left is my Pastor John Lomacang. 01:18 Good to be here. 01:19 Then my dear friend, 01:21 Mollie Sue Steenson and then the other dear friend, 01:24 Pastor CA Murray and, finally, 01:27 someone who's just blossoming so quickly 01:31 and that is Jill Morikone, another dear friend. 01:33 We just thank each one of you for the time 01:37 you've put in to study today's lesson, 01:39 and I know you're going to bring good things 01:42 to the table. 01:43 We're studying lesson 10, America and Babylon. 01:49 And by the way, 01:50 you can see this not only on 3ABN 01:54 but on the internet. 01:55 You can go to our YouTube, I can't say that, 01:59 YouTube station and watch this 02:02 and the good thing people have told me 02:04 is that there they can pause it and repeat it, 02:07 and pause it and repeat it 02:08 because these are lessons that have some meat to them. 02:13 I'm going to ask John, 02:14 would you open with prayer, please? 02:16 Sure. 02:18 Loving Father in heaven, 02:19 what a blessing it is to be able to open our Bibles, 02:22 open our study guides, our Sabbath School lesson, 02:25 and then Lord present before those watching 02:28 and listening to the program, 02:30 the important truths in the Bible 02:32 about America and Babylon, about prophecy. 02:35 And so, Lord, anoint our lips, 02:37 anoint our minds, anoint our hearts, 02:39 and may Your Word shine forth clearly. 02:42 We pray in Jesus' name. 02:44 Amen. Amen. 02:45 Amen. 02:46 I'm going to recite the memory text for you, 02:48 it's rather long. 02:49 So sometimes too many voices, it gets a little confusing. 02:53 Our memory text for this Sabbath afternoon 02:56 is Daniel 12:1 which says, 03:00 "At that time Michael shall stand up, 03:02 the great prince 03:04 who stands watch over the sons of your people. 03:07 And there shall be a time of trouble 03:09 such as never was since there was a nation, 03:13 even to that time and at that time, 03:16 your people shall be delivered, 03:19 everyone who is found written in the book." 03:23 Of course, it's speaking to the Book of Life. 03:26 Now last week, we looked at the counterfeit trinity, 03:30 Satan, the dragon, the two earthly powers 03:34 that together will bring persecution 03:36 against God's people. 03:37 One of these powers was the sea beast 03:40 and it was described as the composite of a leopard, 03:43 a bear, and a lion 03:45 that these images were directly from Daniel 7. 03:49 We saw in week 6 that in Daniel 7, 03:52 after the rise of Babylon 03:54 which was represented by the lion, 03:56 there was Medo-Persia, 03:57 the bear and Greece, the leopard. 04:00 After those three, 04:01 came the final earthly power of Rome, 04:04 it started out as pagan Rome 04:06 and then it turned into papal Rome, 04:08 the little horn power of Daniel 7 04:11 which rose directly out of the fourth beast. 04:14 We saw too that many of the characteristics 04:17 of papal Rome as depicted in Daniel 7 04:20 reappear in the sea beast of Revelation 13. 04:25 So most Bible scholars have seen Rome 04:28 as one of the key antagonist 04:30 in the end time scenario of Revelation 13, 04:34 and Rome there is not alone, there's another power depicted. 04:38 So this week, we're focusing on Revelation 13. 04:43 Let's look at Sunday's lesson, the deadly wounded was healed. 04:47 And if you will open your Bibles to Revelation 13, 04:50 we're going to get 04:52 through as many of the first 10 verses 04:54 as we can in my allotted time. 04:57 In the Book of Revelation, there's 404 verses, 05:01 and seemingly about 278 of those make 05:06 some kind of allusion to the Old Testament, 05:08 many are direct quotes. 05:10 So that's nearly 70% of Revelation 05:14 is tied back to the Old Testament. 05:16 So let's look, 05:18 you know, the beast of Revelation 13, 05:20 wouldn't you agree 05:21 that he captures readers attention like 05:23 no other figure in Revelation. 05:26 And people are always trying to calculate 05:28 the number of his name which is 666. 05:32 Let's look at Revelation 13:1, 05:35 "Then I stood on the sand of the sea 05:37 and I saw a beast rising up out of the sea 05:40 having seven heads and ten horns, 05:42 and on his horns, ten crowns, 05:45 and on his heads a blasphemous name." 05:49 Now, if you compare this to Revelation 12:3 05:53 where we see the dragon, 05:54 he also had seven heads and ten horns. 05:57 And those were identified 05:59 as the seven heads as seven kings, 06:02 and out of this 10 horns comes the little horn power. 06:06 But the important thing is that this sea beast 06:09 has a family resemblance to the dragon, 06:13 I mean, they are out of the same thing. 06:14 The beast arises out of the sea which is multitudes of people, 06:19 it's a very highly populated area, 06:22 that the people are like the sands of the sea, 06:24 and he has blasphemous titles that he assumes. 06:27 So verse 2, "Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, 06:31 his feet were like the feet of a bear, 06:33 his mouth like the mouth of a lion. 06:36 The dragon gave him his power, 06:38 his throne, and great authority." 06:42 This is a conspicuous biblical reference 06:45 to Daniel's dream of the Four Great Beasts 06:49 coming from the sea. 06:51 In Daniel 7, 06:53 Daniel was looking forward in history. 06:55 So he saw the lion with eagle's wings 06:58 which was Babylon, he saw the bear 07:00 which was Medo-Persia, 07:02 and the leopard which was Greece, 07:04 but in John's vision, 07:05 he's looking backward over history. 07:09 And he sees them in the reverse order, 07:12 he sees these four beasts rolled 07:16 into one terrible fourth beast, 07:20 one that swallowed up its three predecessors, 07:23 and it took on 07:25 the distinguishing characters of each beast. 07:27 So this is the religiopolitical power 07:31 that succeeded 07:33 the Roman Empire, it's papal Rome. 07:37 Now, let me please say this, 07:39 when we speak of papal Rome being the sea beast, 07:42 we are talking of a corrupt system, 07:45 not individual Catholics, we believe that 07:48 there will be many Catholics in church, 07:50 there're very many sincere Christians 07:53 in the Catholic Church. 07:55 But we're speaking here of a corrupt organization. 07:58 Verse 3 said, "I saw one of his heads 08:01 as if it had been mortally wounded, 08:03 and his deadly wound was healed. 08:06 And all the world marveled at and followed the beast. 08:12 So they worship the dragon 08:14 who gave authority to the beast, 08:16 and they worship the beast saying, 08:18 'Who is like the beast? 08:20 Who is able to make war with him?'" 08:22 When you think about it, 08:23 the papacy has received a number of wounds 08:27 over a period of 300 years. 08:30 Let's look at what happened with Martin Luther, 08:32 when Martin Luther discovered justification by faith, 08:37 and he wrote his 97 thesis back 08:40 in 1595, back in 1517. 08:45 He began the Protestant Reformation 08:48 and the Bible became available to the people, 08:53 the common people, 08:54 and they had confidence in the Word of God, 08:56 and this wounded beast. 08:59 Then there was the alienation 09:01 from their previous political friends, 09:04 like the Germanic States in Austria, and France, 09:07 and England, the passing of Penal Laws 09:09 against the members of its... 09:12 And secret agents 09:14 that belong to the Catholic Church, 09:16 the overthrow 09:17 by the armies of France, in 1798, 09:21 the French General Berthier under the commands of Napoleon, 09:27 took Pope Pius VI prisoner, 09:30 and the pope died in captivity a year later. 09:35 And they attempted to completely eliminate 09:38 the papacy as an institution. 09:40 So it certainly seemed to the world 09:43 that the papacy was wounded to death. 09:46 In 1870, the Papal States were taken from the papacy. 09:51 So through the influence of the reformation, 09:53 the enlightment, and the French Revolution, 09:57 the papacy, its religious 10:00 and political domination was shattered 10:04 and so by the end of the 18th century, 10:08 the late 18th century, 10:10 it seemed like the papacy would be no more, 10:13 but the wound was healed in reverse order. 10:18 First, there was a gradual revival, 10:21 the 1929 Lateran Treaty restored 10:25 the papal's civil power, 10:28 with the creation of the Vatican, 10:30 it gave power to the pope over the Vatican. 10:33 Then they renewed their political friendships, 10:37 and they began to exchange diplomatic representatives. 10:41 The loss of the Protestant movement, 10:46 the Protestant movement 10:48 began to wane through evolution, 10:50 and materialism, and paganism, 10:53 so when it prophesies that all the world will marvel 10:59 and follow after the beast, this is still in the future, 11:03 but we see through prophetic lines, 11:05 we see through history, in the events of today 11:09 that the healing of the wound 11:11 is taking place very rapidly, is it not? 11:14 And they will, 11:16 the papacy will recover its former glory 11:19 and have more power 11:20 and prominence than ever before. 11:22 So let's look at verse 5, and we'll see 11:25 the characteristics of this beast, 11:29 closely parallel the ones in Daniel 7. 11:32 It says, "He was given a mouth speaking great things 11:35 and blasphemies." 11:38 This is Revelation 13:5, parallels Daniel 7:8, 11:42 "He was given authority to continue 11:44 for forty-two months." 11:45 This parallels Daniel 7:25. 11:48 And this is 1260 year period of its papal dominancy. 11:54 Then verse 6 says, 11:56 "He opened his mouth and blasphemy against God, 11:59 to blaspheme His name, 12:01 His tabernacle and those who dwell in heaven. 12:03 It was granted to him to make war with the saints." 12:07 Daniel 7:21, right? 12:09 "And to overcome them an authority was given him 12:12 over every tribe, tongue, and nation." 12:15 The beast's agenda, 12:17 the sea beast has the same agenda. 12:21 It corresponds with that of the dragon. 12:24 The dragon would deceive the whole world, 12:26 and we see throughout chapter 13 12:30 that the beast carries out this deception 12:33 and persecutes the true followers. 12:35 I wanted to read to you 12:37 'cause I know our time is short, 12:39 but this is a quote from Papa 2 12:42 is the name of this from Prompta Bibliotheca, 12:45 volume six, pages 25-29 is where I found this, 12:50 Lucius Ferraris wrote this. 12:52 This is a Catholic and here's what he says. 12:55 Now what is blasphemy? To claim that you are God. 12:59 Claim rights that only belong to God. 13:01 The rights that only belong to God. 13:02 Listen to what they say, 13:05 "The pope is of so great dignity 13:07 and so exalted that he is not a mere man 13:10 but as it were God and the vicar of God. 13:16 The pope is as it were God on earth, 13:19 crowned with a triple crown as king of heaven, earth, 13:22 and of the lower regions. 13:24 The pope is of so great authority in power 13:28 that he can modify, explain, or interpret divine laws. 13:33 Do you think that's blasphemy? 13:37 So it says in verse 8, 13:39 "All who dwell on the earth will worship him, 13:41 whose names have not been written 13:43 in the Book of Life of the lamb slain 13:46 from the foundation of the world. 13:48 If anyone has an ear, let him hear." 13:51 Rome today, certainly, doesn't have 13:53 the political power it once wielded, 13:56 but what we are seeing 13:58 is that it is becoming increasingly influential. 14:03 Pope Francis spoke to both houses 14:06 of the American Congress in 2015. 14:09 This was a historical first, and according to prophecy, 14:13 this influence will only grow. 14:16 The day is coming soon 14:19 when the majority of the humankind 14:22 will obey the authority of the papacy 14:25 above the commands of God, 14:27 and will thus worship the beast. 14:30 The papacy will receive homage 14:32 and honor paid to it 14:36 for its Sunday institution that rests solely 14:41 upon the authority of the Roman church 14:45 because they take full credit for changing 14:48 the Sabbath to Sunday. 14:50 And those whose names are not in the Book of Life, 14:56 the Book of Life records all those 14:57 who are saved through all generations, 15:00 if your name is not in the Book of the Life, 15:03 you're going to be in trouble. 15:05 John? 15:06 Wow, you've got me started. 15:10 The United States in Bible prophecy, 15:12 very quickly, the United States in Bible prophecy is brought 15:16 into view in Revelation 13:11. 15:22 Now what Shelley laid the foundation 15:24 for was the first beast of Revelation 13. 15:27 Now this first beast of Revelation 13 15:29 primarily is a composite. 15:31 If you look at Revelation 13, 15:32 the verses, let me go back to the earlier verses. 15:37 It talks about, 15:41 Revelation 13:2, 15:44 "Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard..." 15:48 That leopard represented the Grecian Empire. 15:53 "His feet were like the feet of a bear..." 15:54 That represented the Medo-Persian Empire. 15:57 "His mouth like the mouth of a lion..." 15:59 That represent the Babylonian Empire. 16:02 And it says, 16:04 "And the dragon gave him his power, 16:06 his throne, seat or great authority..." 16:09 Now the reason why John looks at it as it happened, 16:14 Daniel looks at it as it was going to unfold. 16:17 So when you look at Daniel 7, 16:18 Daniel talks about these four beasts again, lion, 16:22 the bear, the leopard, Babylon, 16:24 Medo-Persia, Greece, 16:26 and then he talks about the fourth beast. 16:28 Now the fourth beast when he gets to that, 16:31 he gives it a non-descriptive picture. 16:35 In other words, you can picture a lion, 16:37 a bear, or a leopard, 16:39 but when he talks about the fourth beast of Daniel, 16:42 Daniel 7:3, it says, 16:45 "And four beasts came up from the sea, 16:47 each different from the other." 16:49 But when you get to the fourth beast, it says, 16:51 "It shall be different from all the beasts 16:53 that were before it, and it had ten horns." 16:57 That represented 16:58 the kingdom of Rome or pagan Rome. 17:00 It had ten horns or ten nations that it ruled. 17:03 Modern Europe. 17:04 But the seven of them went on to become Modern Europe 17:09 because three of them were subdued, 17:11 the Vandals, the Heruli, and the Ostrogoths, 17:13 these three nations were brought down, 17:15 the last one being brought down in the year 538. 17:18 For the next 1,260 years 17:20 Rome reigned almost completely unchecked, 17:23 from 538 to 1798 AD. 17:26 During that time is when Revelation 13, 17:29 the second portion comes into play 17:32 because remember the first part 17:34 was the beast coming up out of the sea, 17:35 Revelation 17:15, 17:37 a populated area, multitudes, nations, peoples, and tongues. 17:40 When Rome rose to its prominence 17:42 from pagan Rome to papal Rome, 17:44 it came up among a populated Europe. 17:48 All roads led to Rome. 17:50 Just recently my wife and I looked at the map, 17:52 Google Earth. 17:53 If you zoom in on Google Earth and you zoom in 17:55 to where the Vatican City 17:56 is you can still see the roads, physically, 17:59 leading to Rome from all different directions. 18:01 So that was not just a spiritual or political term, 18:04 but that was, literally, 18:06 all the roads that led right to the Vatican, 18:09 right through the central Rome. 18:11 But we know that it's not in the exact location 18:12 that it used to be 18:14 because we have now the Vatican City given 18:15 by Mussolini as Shelley pointed out. 18:18 But this fourth beast has a relationship 18:22 that extends beyond its power 18:25 because it now meets another beast 18:28 that comes up out of the earth, a sparsely populated area. 18:32 This beast that comes up out of the earth 18:34 has two horns like a lamb. 18:36 Now why a lamb? 18:38 It represents the lamblike power 18:40 that came up during the time 18:42 that something was about to happen to the Vatican 18:44 because the Bible says, 18:46 the first beast of Revelation 13 18:47 received a deadly wound. 18:49 During that time, a lamblike nation came up, 18:52 and if you know history at all, 18:54 you remember the pilgrims left Europe 18:56 looking for a place to exercise their freedom. 18:59 They were called pilgrims for a particular reason. 19:01 Hebrews 11, Abraham is a pilgrim, 19:04 he's looking for a religious place. 19:06 The term "Pilgrim" did not mean 19:08 they were just looking for a place to live, 19:10 but they were looking 19:11 for a place to exercise religion 19:13 without the tyranny of Rome. 19:15 And they came to America and they established colonies, 19:17 but they were not completely religiously free, 19:19 they had not yet broken in their philosophy from Rome 19:23 because they also established parameters 19:26 under which they decided 19:28 these are the parameters of your religious exercise. 19:31 Roger William's rebuttal the early pioneers, 19:36 and he said that was not really religious freedom. 19:38 When you establish a system and you say 19:40 these are the parameters 19:41 under which you exercise your freedom, 19:43 that's not freedom, that's tyranny all over again. 19:46 Roger Williams was ostracized from the colonies, 19:49 and he went to live among the Indians 19:50 where he taught them religious freedom, 19:53 and there by Rhode Island, 19:55 the really first religiously free colony 19:57 was established in America. 20:00 Something happened though. 20:02 America was being formed, 20:03 this lamblike nation formed with two particular principles, 20:06 lamblike 20:08 which was as Protestant religious form, Protestantism. 20:12 While Protestant, they were protesting 20:14 what Rome had done in Europe, 20:16 and Rome had no seat in America. 20:18 Protestantism. 20:20 These protested what Rome had done. 20:22 Now to be a protestor for what's right 20:23 is not a bad thing, can I get an amen? 20:25 That's right. Amen. 20:26 So if people today, there are those today that say, 20:28 there are those 20:30 religious leaders today that say, 20:31 "We are known as protesters." 20:33 I won't mention the name, 20:34 but one of religious leaders today, 20:36 he's a very vocal voice in the Protestant world, 20:38 he says, "We have been known as protesters 20:40 for the last 500 years. 20:42 Let me make a point, when you protest darkness, 20:45 it's a good thing to protest. 20:46 Amen. 20:48 You don't just have a title to be known as protesters 20:51 because there are a lot of protestors 20:52 but what are they protesting? 20:54 When you stand up against the darkness, 20:56 you are the right kind of protestor. 20:58 Amen. 20:59 So that whole idea is to desire, 21:01 to break down your resistance 21:03 to what America is trying to establish. 21:05 Because Protestant America, 21:08 when it begins to go 21:09 from lamblike to a speaking like a dragon, 21:12 that's a paradoxical paradigm shift. 21:17 A lamb speaking like a dragon, 21:19 it gives up the very things 21:21 that identify the two horns Protestantism 21:24 and a republican form of government. 21:26 Now Republican and Democrat, 21:27 but a republican form of government. 21:29 In other words, everyone has a voice. 21:31 In Europe, the only one 21:33 that had a voice was the papacy. 21:35 It was the top-down and in America, 21:36 it's the bottom-up. 21:38 Let's hope it stay that way. 21:40 However, when the Bible talks about the freedom that we have, 21:44 look at one of the freedoms that we bless the most 21:46 and we appreciate the most, 21:48 the First Amendment of the Constitution. 21:51 Congress shall make no law respecting 21:53 an establishment of religion 21:55 or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. 21:59 As of now, 22:00 Congress is not making a law in anyone's favor, 22:02 but there's a reason why the pope came to America 22:04 and I was there to hear him speak. 22:06 I was invited to go to Washington DC 22:08 and I heard him speak. 22:09 He's reaching out 22:10 to the only country that right now 22:12 is resistant to breaking down the walls of religious freedom. 22:16 But the Vatican is gaining ascendancy 22:18 all throughout America by building 22:19 a coalition between the evangelical world 22:24 which I'm going to say very clearly 22:26 are no longer Protestant. 22:28 Because they're not protesting darkness, 22:30 they have accepted darkness, what do I mean? 22:34 Pagan Rome gave papal Rome their observance of Sunday. 22:38 Papal Rome baptized Sunday to make it somewhat 22:41 of a religious institution. 22:44 Protestant America embraced it, when it's not in the Bible, 22:48 they are now apostate Protestants, 22:51 they are exercising 22:53 what's not supported by Scripture. 22:55 So now get this. 22:56 Now we have and we'll be very clear about it, 22:58 now we have a coalition in 1994, 23:01 the Protestants and the Catholics merged 23:04 in philosophies, 23:05 but even more recently, a couple of years ago, 23:08 a young man by the name of Tony Palmer reached out 23:10 to the evangelicals 23:12 through Kenneth Copeland and said, 23:13 "The protest is over." 23:15 What protest? 23:16 The protest of Martin Luther, 23:18 and last year was the 500th year 23:20 of the Martin Luther Protestant Reformation, 23:23 that is what began a movement back to the Bible. 23:26 Here's my problem. 23:28 How can a movement back to the Bible be seen 23:30 as adverse to those who are protesting darkness? 23:34 Here's how. 23:35 When they embrace darkness themselves, 23:37 they embrace the teachings of Rome 23:39 which in fact the most prominent sign between 23:42 the two of them 23:43 is the observance of the first day of the week 23:45 which Rome says has no scriptural authority, 23:47 but the Protestant world or evangelicals are determined 23:51 to make it somehow 23:52 have Bible support, but it does not. 23:54 The Sabbath is the only sign between God and His people. 23:57 Amen, church. Amen. 23:58 We got four church members right here. 24:00 The Sabbath is the only sign, but Protestant America 24:05 through the legislation of political America 24:09 is going to establish an image to the beast. 24:12 And I'll let Jill talk about that. 24:13 They're going to establish a coalition 24:15 between political America and religious America, 24:20 and it's going to be in favor of the first beast 24:22 who was wounded by the sword and did live. 24:25 Now why would they want to kill you, 24:27 John 16:1-3, 24:29 "These things I have spoken to you, 24:31 Jesus said, that you should not be made to stumble 24:34 or you should not be offended. 24:36 They will put you out of the synagogues." 24:38 This was happening to the early Christians. 24:41 "Yes, the time is coming 24:43 that whoever kills you will think 24:45 that he offers God service. 24:47 And these things they will do to you 24:49 because they have not known the Father nor Me." 24:52 Matthew 7:21-26, 24:54 "You can do many wonderful works, 24:56 but knowing the Lord..." 24:57 Here is the key. 24:58 "He who says I know him 25:00 and does not keep his commandments is a liar 25:03 and the truth is not in him." 25:05 1 John 2:3-4. 25:07 When the commandments of God are abrogated 25:10 and pushed out by Christians, 25:11 when the Constitution is repudiated 25:14 as a religious and political society, 25:16 then we will have made an image 25:18 to the beast and Sunday enforcement 25:20 will take over our nation and then the world. 25:23 Mollie? 25:24 It's awesome, powerful, deep, 25:26 and something that we all need to study and study and study. 25:31 You did an incredible job there, Pastor. 25:33 Well, I have Tuesday, 25:35 and Tuesday is an issue of worship. 25:39 Throughout the Bible we repeatedly read 25:42 about God's constant dealings with those 25:45 who fell into idolatry 25:47 and other forms of false worship. 25:49 False worship and false ideas 25:53 are the currency of Satan's kingdom. 25:56 When the first... 25:58 The first thing I want to do 26:01 is take you to the first command 26:02 and I want to take you to Exodus. 26:05 Now here's the reason why quite often 26:07 you're going to find me going to the commandments of God 26:12 and having us reread them, why? 26:15 Because the commandments of God, 26:17 the Ten Commandments are the bedrock 26:21 that we build on any time you are given instruction 26:26 or encouraged to do something contrary 26:29 to the commandments of God, 26:31 that should raise an alarm, it should set off the alarm. 26:36 Amen. 26:38 So let's read the first commandment. 26:40 What is the first commandment? 26:42 The Scripture says, "I am the Lord your God 26:45 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 26:47 out of the house of bondage. 26:49 You shall have no other gods before Me." 26:53 It continues in verse 6 and God is very specific. 26:58 We are to worship Him and Him only. 27:01 Now again, today, 27:02 we're looking at an issue of worship. 27:06 Let me take you to the wilderness, 27:09 that is Matthew 4. 27:13 What was the issue in the wilderness? 27:17 Let's look at that. 27:18 Matthew 4:8-10, 27:23 "Again the devil took Him, and who was Him? 27:26 Jesus. Took the Lord Jesus Christ. 27:28 "Took him up on an exceeding high mountain 27:31 and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world 27:34 and their glory, and he said to Him, 27:37 'All these things I will give you 27:38 if you will fall down and worship.'" 27:41 So what was the issue? Worship. 27:43 What was Satan after? 27:44 If you will fall down and worship me. 27:47 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you Satan, 27:50 for it is written. 27:51 You shall worship the Lord your God 27:53 and Him only you shall serve." 27:55 Now, what did Jesus used to repel Satan? 28:00 The Word of God. But you know what? 28:02 He knew the Word of God, 28:03 He had known the Word of God, He wouldn't have... 28:06 So the important point I want to make here 28:08 is we need to know this Word, 28:10 we need to know the Ten Commandments, 28:12 we need to know this bedrock that we build our relationship 28:17 with the Lord Jesus Christ on, that we build on. 28:20 And anytime, anything is contrary, 28:24 well, let's say contrary to the Fourth Commandment, 28:27 that's what? 28:29 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 28:32 If anything is contrary to that commandment, 28:35 let it set off alarms in you and say, 28:38 "No, it is written. 28:40 We shall remember 28:41 the Sabbath day to keep it holy." 28:43 It's always been an issue of worship. 28:46 Who will we give our worship and our allegiance to, 28:51 and I think, I've given this definition every time 28:53 I've talked now for a while. 28:55 Worship is an expression of reverence 28:58 and adoration for a deity. 29:01 Who do you give your reverence, 29:04 your allegiance, your adoration to? 29:07 Okay, in previous lessons, 29:09 we studied the account of the three Hebrew children, 29:13 those three Hebrew boys. 29:15 Their names were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 29:18 and I can't say the other names. 29:20 I better pass to Lomacang. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 29:23 See, you are so good. 29:24 Okay, these three young men were ordered to do something. 29:29 What were they ordered to do? Worship. 29:31 To worship. 29:33 You see, it had to do with their worship, 29:34 to worship a golden image, that's in Daniel 3. 29:37 Now we can look at this 29:39 as a precursor to what will happen 29:42 in the end times. 29:44 I am always real big on saying, history does seem to repeat it, 29:48 does it not? 29:49 History repeats itself. 29:51 Now this is what the Hebrew children 29:53 were commanded to do, 29:55 to worship the golden image 29:58 or they would be put to death in a fiery furnace, 30:00 and I want to read that to you, 30:01 I think, I've got this marked here. 30:03 Let's go to Daniel 3 30:06 and let me just read verses 4 through 6 to you. 30:10 The Scripture says, 30:11 "Then a herald cried aloud, 'To you it is commanded, 30:16 O people, nations, 30:18 and languages that at that time, 30:21 you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, 30:25 sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, 30:28 you shall fall down and worship 30:31 the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar 30:34 the king hath set up. 30:35 And whoso falleth down and worship or whoso falleth, 30:40 knock down and worships shall the same hour be cast 30:44 into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.'" 30:47 So what were their options? 30:48 Worship the golden image 30:51 or be thrown into a fiery furnace? 30:54 All right. 30:56 Now let's speed forward, 30:57 I want you to go to Revelation 13. 30:59 Let's fast forward to the end time, 31:02 and let's see history repeating itself. 31:05 That's Revelation 13:15, 31:07 listen to this, all you people who are people of the God, 31:11 whose Ten Commandments, 31:13 the law of God is our bedrock that we build on. 31:16 Listen to this, 31:17 "He was granted power to give breath to the image." 31:21 This is the beast. 31:22 "Of the beast that the image of the beast 31:25 should both speak and cause as many as would not..." 31:29 What's that word? 31:30 Worship. 31:31 "Worship the image of the beast to be killed." 31:33 What is the First Commandment? Worship God and Him only. 31:35 That's right. 31:37 Okay, here is something 31:38 that should set off alarms to us. 31:40 When someone tells us we're to worship something 31:43 other than the true and the living God, 31:45 let it set off alarm inside of you 31:47 and you rise up and say, "No, it is written. 31:51 We shall only do what the Lord tells us to do." 31:54 Okay, when this... 31:56 Now let me ask you this, 31:58 what did the three Hebrew boys do? 32:02 They refused to worship the golden image, did they not? 32:05 That's right. 32:07 They stood in obedience to God's commandments, 32:10 they chose to give their worship 32:12 and their allegiance to God, and what happened to them? 32:16 What happened to them? 32:18 Fiery furnace. Thrown in the fire. 32:19 Not only did they get thrown into a fiery furnace, 32:22 King Nebuchadnezzar commanded that what? 32:25 It be turned up seven times hotter. 32:29 So now they took their stand 32:32 and they got thrown into the fiery furnace. 32:34 Remember, history is going to repeat it. 32:37 Let me read this to you 32:38 and again 32:40 we're in Daniel 3, 32:44 I want to read for you verses 23-27, 32:48 remember now, history repeats itself. 32:50 "And these three men Shadrach, Meshach, 32:52 and Abednego fell down bound 32:54 in the midst of the burning fiery furnace." 32:56 They're in the fiery furnace. 32:57 "Then Nebuchadnezzar, 32:58 the king was astonished and rose up in haste and spake, 33:02 and said unto the counselors, 33:03 'Did not we cast three men bound 33:07 into the midst of the fire?' 33:08 They answered and said, "O unto the king. 33:10 True, O king." 33:11 Verse 25, "He answered and said, Lo, 33:14 I see, how many men? 33:16 Four men loose, 33:18 walking in the midst of the fire, 33:19 and they have no hurt, 33:21 and the form of the fourth is liken 33:24 to the Son of God. 33:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near 33:27 to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace 33:29 and spake and said, 33:30 'Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of, 33:34 made a believer out of King Nebuchadnezzar, 33:36 the most high God, come forth, and come hither. 33:39 Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 33:41 came forth out of the midst of the fire. 33:44 And the princes, governors, and captains, 33:46 and the king's counselors, 33:47 being gathered together saw these men 33:50 upon whose bodies the fire had no power, 33:54 nor was the hair of their head singed, 33:57 neither were their coats changed, 33:58 nor the smell of fire was passed on them." 34:01 So here is the point, 34:04 they got thrown into the fiery furnace, 34:07 but somebody was with them. 34:08 Now remember history will repeat itself. 34:11 In these last times, 34:13 we have to make our choice to stand 34:16 and be obedient to God, 34:18 and know that the Lord Jesus Christ 34:22 will be right there with you. 34:23 It's no different today, God will be with us. 34:26 Now am I saying 34:27 that we won't suffer persecution? 34:30 No, that would be contrary to the Word of God, 34:33 that would be contrary to the Scripture. 34:35 As a matter of fact, many of us will be persecuted 34:38 and many of us will most likely die. 34:41 But we have an assurance, we have a promise, 34:45 and that is that we will spend in eternity 34:49 in the very presence of Almighty God. 34:52 We have to make a choice. 34:54 And now the choice I want to make, 34:57 I think of Joshua, 35:00 and I think Joshua expressed himself very well 35:04 because Joshua says, 35:06 and how many of you want to say with Joshua? 35:09 That's Joshua 24:15, 35:12 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, 35:16 choose for yourselves..." 35:17 And this is what I wanted to say 35:19 to every one of us and to everyone listening. 35:22 "Choose for yourself this day, whom you will serve. 35:26 But as for me and my house, we will serve almighty Lord." 35:32 Amen. Amen. Well said. Well said. 35:34 Beautifully portrayed. 35:36 I want to go back and reaffirm something 35:39 that Shelley said just a bit ago. 35:43 You'll find that 35:46 what we are studying now particularly 35:48 as it comes in the Book of Revelation, 35:51 there is much repetition. 35:54 So we will be saying the same kinds of things, 35:57 maybe not exact same thing but the same kinds of things. 36:02 Shelley established a premise 36:04 which I think we do well to repeat. 36:07 History is what it is. 36:09 History cannot be changed, we can try to rewrite history, 36:13 but history cannot be changed. 36:15 So when we talk about 36:17 the deeds of certain ecclesiastical institutions, 36:22 we're not talking about people, we're talking about systems 36:26 that have been set up for specific purposes. 36:30 There are good people even now in all religious fraternities. 36:33 So what we're talking about 36:36 what history reveals as systems, 36:39 religious systems that have been used 36:43 for various purposes 36:44 throughout the course of history. 36:46 The idea of the Roman church 36:51 being the beast did not start on this panel, 36:56 that idea is 500 plus years old. 36:58 The reformers who studied the Word of God realized 37:03 what they were looking at. 37:06 And, of course, the protests came 37:10 because of the abuses 37:13 and the religious mistakes of that system. 37:18 So we're not inventing any truths, 37:20 we are simply walking in the footsteps 37:22 that have been trodden many years by many people 37:27 and watered with much human blood 37:30 in trying to keep God's people focused 37:34 because the idea is not just worship, 37:37 it's who are you worshipping, how are you worshipping, 37:42 and even when you're worshipping 37:44 and all of those are countenance 37:47 in incorrect worship. 37:49 So we're not trying to bash any particular group, 37:52 we're simply saying what history has to say. 37:57 Wednesday deals with the subject, 37:58 Babylon the Great. 38:01 There are a series of texts that appertain to Babylon 38:05 at the very outset of the lesson, 38:07 Jeremiah 51:6-7, 53, 57, 38:11 Zechariah 2:7, 38:13 and then the last two 38:15 in Revelation 17:5-6 38:18 and 18:2. 38:21 Babylon is called the mother of harlots, 38:24 and 18:2 tells us that it is fallen. 38:30 So it says that as a religious system, 38:33 the worship espoused by that system 38:35 is no longer acceptable. 38:37 That's right. 38:38 It is fallen, it is unacceptable to God. 38:41 You can get to the point 38:43 where your worship is unacceptable. 38:47 Proverbs 28:9, 38:48 "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, 38:51 even his prayer is an abomination." 38:54 So this idea that God will take anything, 38:58 or any kind of worship, 39:00 or anything we give Him is acceptable 39:01 is not a biblical idea. 39:03 God has parameters for His worship. 39:06 God has ways 39:07 that He wants to be worshiped and ways 39:09 that He does not want to be worshiped. 39:10 There are things that we can do in the name of worship 39:13 that do not glorify God, 39:15 and as such are not acceptable to God. 39:18 So as such Revelation 18:2, "Babylon is fallen." 39:21 So Babylon is emblematic 39:23 of false worship. 39:27 So it is apropos 39:28 that it's used as a system of latter day false worship. 39:31 Now when we compare Revelation 12:3, 39:35 we see the dragon, that Satan. 39:37 Revelation 13, the first 10 verses 39:41 we see a beast from the sea, buttressed by that dragon. 39:46 And Revelation 17:3, 39:48 we see a woman riding a beast. 39:52 We see these three entities, the devil, 39:55 and then in Revelation 12:9, 39:57 we know that the serpent is the devil. 40:00 These two beasts, seven heads, 40:02 ten horns, hearken back, of course, to Daniel 7. 40:06 I wish I had time to go back 40:08 and sort of walk us through there, 40:09 but 10 minutes goes awfully fast 40:11 when we're trying to explain. 40:13 So in Revelation 13, we see the sea beast 40:16 which has been mentioned by some of us 40:17 which is Rome in its pagan and papal stages. 40:22 The area that it comes from, 40:23 of course, is a populous area and that is Europe. 40:26 It is evident optically 40:28 that these two entities are aligned ideologically. 40:33 One supports the other. 40:35 So in Revelation 17, 40:37 we see a beast now being ridden by a woman 40:41 which means that this new entity 40:42 as has been said, 40:44 I think by pastor and Mollie is a religiopolitical entity. 40:48 So each picture 40:50 of this entity brings it clearer in relief, 40:52 we get a little more detail every time 40:55 we look at this beast. 40:58 But in all we see 41:01 that the underlying animus for all of these is the dragon. 41:06 This is Satan working out his will and way 41:09 by setting up a false system to the true worship of God 41:14 which we are remanded to in Revelation 14, 41:20 the three angels' messages. 41:21 I like the chart that you will find 41:24 if you have the Sabbath School study guide 41:28 which compares Revelation 12 and Revelation 17. 41:33 We see one takes place in heaven, 41:35 the other is on the waters, so on groups of people. 41:38 One in chapter 12 is closed with the sun, 41:41 the other is closed with purple and scarlet, 41:43 and those two colors 41:44 are very indicative of negative things. 41:48 One crown of 12 stars, the other adorned 41:51 with red, gold, gems, and pearls. 41:54 And in the Bible, if you look through the history, 41:56 any time you see someone 41:57 that is overly decked out with a lot of jewelry 42:00 and a lot of stuff, can I say that ain't good? 42:04 And that ain't of God. 42:07 The pure woman in Revelation 12 is attacked by the dragon. 42:12 The harlot is supported by the dragon. 42:16 The pure woman in Revelation 12 is the mother of the remnant. 42:21 The harlot in Revelation 17 is the mother of harlots. 42:28 So when we compare, 42:30 we see that this apostate system 42:35 has babies, 42:36 you know, it has children, 42:38 she is a mother, she has children. 42:40 So there are other entities 42:42 which have aligned themselves 42:46 with apostate Babylon and the Roman Church. 42:52 I give to you Archbishop Giuseppe de Fusco 42:59 also known, Pastor, 43:00 you know this name, the Archbishop of Reggio. 43:03 Right. 43:07 In 1530, the princes presented to Charles V of Germany 43:13 what has been called the Augsburg Confession. 43:16 Twenty-eight articles of belief 43:19 that were pretty much 43:20 they were for the Lutheran church, 43:22 but they are pretty much accepted 43:23 by all of Christendom. 43:27 One of the chief cornerstones of the Augsburg Confession 43:31 was Scripture and Scripture only, 43:36 the Bible and the Bible only. 43:40 Fifteen years later, the Catholic Church, 43:42 the Roman Church convened 43:44 what they call the Council of Trent. 43:46 The Council of Trent lasted for 18 years. 43:50 Took a long time, lot of votes, lot of fighting, 43:52 lot of infighting, 43:54 and they were really trying to squash 43:59 for one of the better terms, the Protestant Reformation. 44:01 Towards the end of it, Giuseppe de Fusco, 44:06 Archbishop of Reggio came up with really 44:09 a very almost irresistible idea. 44:15 He said this, "The Protestants have said 44:19 that their one of the pillars of their faith is the Bible 44:23 and the Bible only. 44:27 We worship on Sunday. 44:29 There is no biblical record 44:33 of a change to Sunday, 44:35 there's no biblical justification 44:37 for a change to Sunday." 44:39 So he used the term that has been used down 44:42 through the centuries called the Protestant Inconsistency. 44:46 You say, you are the Bible and the Bible only, 44:51 yet, you worship on a day that has no Bible base. 44:55 So we determined 44:57 that regardless of what you say, 44:59 you're not really Protestant, you're a Roman 45:02 because you're worshipping on a day 45:04 for which you have no justification 45:06 other than the fact that we say, 45:08 we've changed that day. 45:09 And every argument by the Roman Church from, 45:14 I think 1562 that came out 45:17 to this very day has in some way 45:19 had that as its basis. 45:21 So the Roman Church 45:22 does not even recognize Protestantism 45:27 because they're saying, 45:28 "It doesn't matter what you believe, 45:30 you're worshipping on our day, so you're Catholic, 45:34 you're part of us." 45:37 And it has been this moving 45:40 of the rights of Sabbath to Sunday 45:44 or this attempted move has been a masterstroke of the enemy. 45:49 It is at the basis of what Babylon is all about 45:53 because you're venerating a day that has no basis in the Bible. 45:59 I had a chance to talk with, 46:01 let's look at my time, oh, I'm over. 46:05 Well, let me say this. 46:09 The Bible says, "Babylon is fallen." 46:12 Regardless of what you believe, it is fallen. 46:14 Its worship is no longer acceptable. 46:17 In these last days, the test will be worship 46:24 and it's always been, it will always be worship. 46:29 Who you'll worship, 46:30 how you'll worship, and when you'll worship. 46:33 Amen. 46:35 Thank you so much, Pastor CA, and each one of you. 46:37 You know, as each one of you were talking, 46:39 I just sat here thinking, "What a wonderful God we have, 46:43 what a wonderful God we serve." 46:45 Not only did He put the plan of redemption in place, 46:48 He knew that at the end of time, 46:51 we would need to know what was taking place, 46:53 we would need to know what was coming, 46:55 we would need to know how to be prepared, 46:58 and in His mercy, He gave us the Word of God. 47:01 What an incredible treasure to be able to study, 47:04 and learn, and see, 47:06 so then when these events take place, 47:09 you can recognize them, you can say, "I studied this. 47:12 I knew this was coming, 47:14 and this is how I can be prepared." 47:16 I have Thursday 47:17 which is Come Out Of Her My People. 47:19 We're going to spend 47:21 the balance of our time in Revelation 18, The Loud Cry. 47:25 But before we do that, 47:26 I just want to read the three angels' messages 47:29 because Revelation 14 47:31 where we see the three angels' messages. 47:33 Now the second and third angel's message 47:35 will be combined with Revelation 18 47:38 as it swells to the loud cry. 47:40 So Revelation 14:6-7 is the first angel's message, 47:43 we have covered this on our previous lesson. 47:46 But we know, it says, 47:47 "Fear God, give glory to Him for" what? 47:50 'The hour of His judgment has come. 47:53 And worship Him who made heaven and earth, 47:55 the sea and springs of waters." 47:57 The first angel's message in a special way 48:00 was given between AD 40 and AD 44. 48:03 That is not to say 48:05 that it's not to be given right now 48:06 'cause we know the hour of God's judgment 48:08 is continuing right now. 48:10 Christ high priestly ministry in the heavenly sanctuary 48:14 is taking place right now, 48:16 but just prior to His entrance into the heavenly sanctuary 48:20 that message was to be given with power. 48:22 Now we see the second angel's message 48:24 in Revelation 14:8, 48:26 "Another angel followed saying, 48:27 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen.'" 48:29 And some of you have referenced that here today. 48:31 "That great city 48:33 because she made all nations drink of the wine 48:34 of the wrath of her fornication." 48:36 And then the third angel talking about, 48:38 "If anyone worships the beast and his image, 48:40 receives his mark in the forehead, or hand." 48:43 And we will cover this in a future lesson, 48:46 but I wanted to mention those three 48:48 because in a special way 48:50 the second and third angel's message 48:52 are connected with the loud cry which we're going to see. 48:55 So let's look in Revelation 18. Revelation 18:1. 49:01 It says, "After these things, 49:02 I saw another angel coming down from heaven, 49:06 having great authority." 49:08 Authority being exousia, meaning, power to act, 49:12 "Having that authority and the earth 49:15 was illuminated with His glory." 49:19 Illuminated, when I hear the word illuminated, 49:23 what does that mean? 49:24 To shine, to give light, to reveal, 49:28 "The earth was illuminated 49:30 with the glory of this angel that came down." 49:32 It reminds me, I want to jump back 49:34 to the Old Testament real quick of Isaiah 60. 49:38 Isaiah 60 49:41 and it begins with verse 1, it says, 49:43 "Arise, shine, for your light has come." 49:46 But I want to actually begin with the verse before. 49:50 And that talks about the Holy Spirit's work 49:53 in this rising and shining, 49:54 so we're actually going to begin in Isaiah 59, 49:58 the last verse of Isaiah 59:21, 50:01 "As for me says the Lord, this is My covenant with them. 50:05 My spirit who is upon you, 50:07 and My words which I have put in your mouth 50:11 shall not depart from your mouth, 50:12 nor from the mouth of your descendents, 50:14 nor from the mouth 50:15 of your descendant's descendent, 50:16 says the Lord, from this time and forever." 50:18 So His Spirit and the words 50:21 which He has put in their mouth. 50:22 So the Spirit and the Word are connected, 50:25 and then we see the next verse says, 50:27 "Arise, shine, for your light 50:29 has come and the glory of the Lord 50:31 is risen upon you." 50:33 We know in the Bible, glory represents character, 50:36 and so Isaiah, the prophet is saying, 50:39 "When you arise and shine, the glory of the Lord, 50:41 the character of God is revealed." 50:45 And I believe, and this angel in Revelation 18, 50:49 the earth being illuminated 50:50 with his glory in a special way, 50:52 it's saying that the character of God 50:54 is going to be proclaimed, 50:56 the character of God is going to be lived 50:59 by those who are giving this end time message. 51:03 And when the character of God is proclaimed, 51:05 when the character of God is lived, 51:07 we see what will happen in verse 3, 51:09 we're in Isaiah 60:3, 51:11 "Then the Gentiles shall come to your light, 51:14 and kings to the brightness of your rising." 51:17 So it has an effect, 51:18 the character of God revealed in His people has an effect. 51:23 So let's go back to Revelation 18, 51:26 this angel came down and the earth is illuminated 51:30 with his glory, 51:31 or the character of God is revealed. 51:35 Now verse 2, it says, 51:36 "He cried mightily with a loud voice." 51:39 Now if you remember, 51:40 when we read back to Revelation 14 51:42 the first angel's message, 51:43 it just says what the angel saying 51:46 with a loud voice. 51:48 Verse 8, for the second angel's message, 51:50 it says, "Another angel followed saying." 51:53 The third angel's message says, 51:55 the third angel followed saying with a loud voice. 51:58 So they either say or they say with a loud voice. 52:00 Now we get to Revelation 18:2, and it says, 52:04 "He cried mightily with a loud voice." 52:09 In the Greek, for cried, it literally means to scream. 52:12 To cry out, shriek. 52:14 It's the word actually used to express a raven, 52:17 you know, how they would kind of shriek with, 52:19 you know, caw, caw, he cried with a mighty voice. 52:26 And what does he cry? 52:28 He says, "Babylon the Great is fallen, 52:31 is fallen and has become a dwelling place of demons, 52:34 and a prison for every foul spirit, 52:37 and a cage for every unclean and hated bird. 52:42 For all the nations have drunk of the wine 52:44 of the wrath of her fornication, 52:46 the kings of the earth 52:47 have committed fornication with her, 52:49 and the merchants of the earth have become rich 52:51 through the abundance of her luxury." 52:53 So what is John saying here? 52:57 He talks about the kings of the earth 52:59 committing fornication with Babylon. 53:01 We know the kings of the earth represent political power, 53:05 Babylon representing that spiritual power. 53:08 At this point, 53:09 when they're committing fornication, 53:10 that represents the union, 53:12 the unity of the church and the state, 53:16 the two uniting together. 53:19 We see this final cry is to be given, 53:23 but at this point probation has not closed. 53:27 At this point, there is hope because we see that in verse 4, 53:30 there is a call for the people 53:32 who are in this false system of worship. 53:34 These people who are in the church 53:37 who worships on Sunday, 53:39 there's a call to come out of that. 53:40 Verse 4, it says, 53:42 "I heard another voice from heaven saying, 53:43 'Come out of her, My people.'" 53:45 Don't you love that? 53:47 That means that God has people right now 53:50 in many different churches. 53:52 God has people that He has called by His name, 53:55 and at the right time, 53:57 this loud cry will be given around the world with power, 54:02 and people will be called out of the fault system 54:06 of worship into God's truth. 54:08 "Come out of her My people, lest you share in her sins, 54:11 lest you receive of her plagues, 54:13 for her sins have reached to heaven 54:15 and God has remembered her iniquities." 54:17 Babylon's cup of iniquity is full, 54:20 and God is making a strong appeal 54:22 for the people to come out of these other churches. 54:26 What's the lessons for God's people? 54:28 To me there's three, speak, shout, and shine. 54:32 First we're supposed to speak, speak while we can. 54:35 Give the message, make the call to come out of Babylon 54:39 while there is still time. 54:40 Don't be too tired, don't be too indolent, 54:43 don't be too busy, don't be too apathetic, 54:46 and this would be me, don't be too afraid to speak 54:50 and call people out of the church of Babylon. 54:53 Number two, shout, 54:54 that means don't be afraid to cry out loud, 54:56 don't be afraid to say the message loudly, 54:59 and passionately, and urgently. 55:01 And number three, shine, allow the love, 55:05 allow the character of the Lord Jesus Christ 55:08 to shine out of your life 55:10 'cause when God's character is revealed in His people, 55:14 the whole earth will be illuminated 55:16 with His glory. 55:17 I want to close with a quote, this is from Great Controversy, 55:19 page 612. 55:21 This is specifically talking about this angel's message, 55:25 Revelation 18, The Loud Cry. 55:27 It says, "Servants of God, with their faces lighted up 55:30 and shining with holy consecration, 55:33 will hasten from place to place 55:35 to proclaim the message from heaven. 55:38 By thousands of voices all over the earth, 55:41 the warning will be given. 55:44 Miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, 55:46 and signs and wonders will follow the believers. 55:49 The message will be carried not so much by argument 55:52 as by that deep conviction of the Spirit of God." 55:56 Have we seen this take place? No. 55:58 But we are going to see this take place with power 56:03 right at the very end of time, and I just want you to know, 56:07 I want to be part of that movement. 56:08 And I know that God wants you to be part of that as well. 56:12 Thank you so much, Jill. 56:13 You know, I'm just sinking here, 56:15 I guess, if we've only got a minute left 56:17 so I'll try to summarize this. 56:19 If we look back 56:20 to King Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, 56:24 he established in Babylon a false system of worship. 56:29 And this is why in Revelation 56:31 which was used with all of these symbols 56:33 to keep it where it could be hidden 56:36 and only understood by the Christians 56:38 so that it could be published 56:39 and not be done away with Babylon. 56:43 History has repeated itself, it's a system of false worship. 56:48 And we need to know 56:50 that the issue is always about worship with Satan, 56:55 and we need to know true worship and false worship 56:59 so that we can avoid being part of Babylon, 57:04 to know how to come out of Babylon, right? 57:07 Well, our time just went like that, 57:09 and it is all gone. 57:10 We want to thank you so much for joining us, 57:13 and we pray that you will tune in again next week. 57:16 And I hope you are enjoying this 57:19 as much as we are. 57:21 May the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 57:23 the love of the Father 57:24 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit 57:26 be with you always. |
Revised 2022-08-23