Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP180024A
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00:01 The Bible tells us,
00:02 "In the beginning was the Word, 00:04 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 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 Hi, I am CA Murray, 00:32 and welcome to 3ABN's Sabbath School Panel. 00:36 This is our weekly walk through the Word of God 00:39 studying the Sabbath School Lesson, 00:41 the Adult Bible Study Guide 00:42 for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:44 And this quarter, we have been dealing 00:47 with Preparation for the End Times. 00:49 If these times ever say anything to us, 00:53 we know that we are in the time of the end. 00:56 And that there is not much time left 00:59 for this world history. 01:01 Christ is coming very, very soon, 01:04 and as the people, we need to be prepared. 01:05 We need to know what to do, 01:07 we need to know what is coming, 01:09 we need to know how to serve God faithfully 01:11 until we see Jesus face-to-blessed face. 01:14 And that's what this lesson is all about. 01:16 The study this particular week is the seal or the mark, 01:21 the seal of God or the mark of the beast. 01:24 And this is a very intense study. 01:27 And you will find that the messages 01:30 of the three angels get more earnest, 01:33 but they also get a little more, 01:35 can I say, eclectical, 01:37 a little more difficult to understand. 01:38 We talk about Babylon, 01:40 we talk about the seal, the mark. 01:41 So we are going to sort of wade through this material 01:44 and try to make it as clear as we possibly can. 01:47 My fellow travelers, fellow students 01:49 of the Word, 01:51 Shelley Quinn, Mollie Steenson, Jill Morikone, 01:55 and Mr. Danny Shelton, good to have you all here. 01:58 Thank you. Good to be here. 01:59 Hopefully, you can join us. 02:01 And you will stay with us for the entire hour 02:02 because there is a lot to say. 02:04 Now let me say this also before I give you the web address 02:08 for the Adult Bible Study Guide. 02:12 We found in our studying and looking together 02:14 that there is a lot of repetition. 02:16 I think that is for a number of reasons. 02:18 Number one, the three angels' messages are contiguous. 02:21 One angel does not land when the other one takes off. 02:24 All three are flying at the same time. 02:27 And so the messages are not separate from each other. 02:30 They actually build one upon the other. 02:33 So you will find a lot of overlap 02:35 in the discussion of those messages 02:36 and in the un-packaging of the Word. 02:39 Some people call it the three angels' message, 02:41 as one continuous message with three segments. 02:45 Others look at it as three messages. 02:47 But they are not separate, they are not distinct 02:49 from one another, 02:50 they certainly do build upon each other. 02:52 So If I say something 02:53 and the lady, Shelley Quinn, repeats it, 02:55 it's because that's how it's supposed to be. 02:58 So do not fear that. 03:00 In fact, that's really how we un-package these messages. 03:03 Now should you want to join along with us, 03:06 may I encourage you to go to ABSG.Adventist.org. 03:12 That is the Adult Bible Study Guide, 03:15 if you're a guy, 03:16 think of anti-lock braking system on your car, 03:18 ABSG.Adventist.org. 03:22 And you can download the Sabbath School Lesson, 03:26 the study guide, and have it for yourself. 03:28 Or should you wish, 03:29 and we encourage you to do this, 03:31 find the local Seventh-day Adventist Church 03:34 and ask them for a copy of the Adult Bible Study Guide. 03:37 First of all, they'd be happy to do it, 03:39 they'd be happy to welcome you to their fellowship. 03:42 And then stick around a little bit, 03:44 don't just get the guide and go home. 03:45 Stay for worship, you'll enjoy it. 03:48 You'll find new friends, 03:50 and you'll find a new experience in the Lord. 03:52 So let me encourage you to do that. 03:55 Brother Danny, would you pray for us please 03:56 before we launch out in our lesson? 03:57 I will. I will. 03:59 Heavenly Father, thank You for this opportunity 04:01 to come together and to study Your Word. 04:05 And what a blessing it is, 04:06 and, Lord, we're praying for each of our viewers today, 04:08 mentally, physically, spiritually, 04:10 and as we come before You on this holy Sabbath, 04:13 we're grateful that You have taken the time 04:16 to be with us on the special, blessed, 04:19 and sanctified day that You have given us 04:21 to dwell among Your people. 04:23 Now we pray for anointing the Holy Spirit, 04:26 not only on what we say, 04:28 but to things that we maybe didn't say 04:31 that You would work upon the hearts 04:33 and the minds of the viewers and the listeners 04:35 that they would hear Your Word directly from You. 04:38 We ask in Jesus' name, amen. 04:40 Amen and amen. 04:42 The memory text for today 04:45 comes to us from Revelation 15:3. 04:48 It is not that long. 04:49 "Great and marvelous are thy works. 04:51 Lord God Almighty Just and True are Thy ways. 04:54 Thou king of Saints." 04:55 I recall singing in the choir many years ago, 04:58 there was a song called Great and Marvelous, 05:00 a wonderful song that we used to sing. 05:04 The lesson says, and I want to just repair 05:06 to the lesson for just a moment. 05:10 One of the most telling signs of God's true last-day people 05:14 is their proclamation of the third angel's message, 05:18 which warns against receiving the mark of the beast. 05:21 Now the second angel gave us information 05:25 to the effect that Babylon is fallen. 05:28 And there was a call to come out of that system. 05:32 Now we see the ramifications of staying in that system, 05:38 of not following the warning 05:41 as given by the second angel. 05:44 I'm going to read just this little bit 05:46 at the bottom of the page. 05:47 "We should not be surprised 05:49 at the proliferation of confusing ideas in Babylon. 05:53 After all, its name means "confusion" 05:57 the lesson says. 05:58 "But God's remnant people need a clear understanding 06:01 of this topic in order to proclaim 06:04 the third angel's message with power." 06:06 So this week, we'll try to understand better, 06:09 and my fellow travelers, students, learners, 06:13 we'll un-package a lot of this, 06:15 what the mark of the beast is and how to avoid it 06:17 by receiving the seal of God. 06:18 Let me say this quickly, 06:20 one of the ways 06:21 to avoid receiving the mark of the beast, 06:23 one of the ways to avoid being in error 06:27 is to follow very closely what the Word of God says. 06:31 Amen. That's right. 06:32 If the Bible says turn left, guess what you ought to do? 06:35 Turn left. You ought to turn left. 06:36 And you ought to turn left immediately. 06:39 If the Bible says turn right, then turn right. 06:42 If your church does not teach 06:46 the keeping of the Ten Commandments, 06:48 if it in any way or on anywise 06:53 highlights some and pushes down others, 06:56 if it promotes some to the neglect of others, 07:00 then you're probably in a situation 07:03 that is not going to help you towards salvation, 07:07 because the Ten Commandments are not like, 07:09 what we used to call, a Chinese menu. 07:10 You don't get to choose something from column A, 07:12 something from column B. 07:14 You take all 10. It's like a chain. 07:16 If my car breaks down, 07:18 and, Brother Danny, you come to tow me, 07:20 if that chain breaks 07:21 at number four, link number four, 07:23 you still can't help me. 07:25 If it breaks at link number 10, you cannot help me. 07:27 That chain needs to be intact. 07:29 And so the Ten Commandments need to be kept intact, 07:32 and if, you know, a quick way, 07:33 if you read something in the Word of God, 07:36 that is a clear command from God, and the church says 07:38 that it's unimportant or unnecessary 07:40 or we don't need to study that or we don't need to do that. 07:43 Then I believe you begin to need to look around 07:47 and try to find a church 07:50 that teaches the truth, the whole truth, 07:54 and nothing but the truth. 07:55 Then you can assure yourself that you are not in Babylon. 07:59 Because Babylon is a confused system, 08:01 it takes some from here, some from there, 08:03 some from here, some from there. 08:04 That's what the Lord is calling us out of, 08:08 so that our worship is pure and clean 08:11 and whole and Bible-based, and then that will help you 08:14 on the road to glory. 08:17 As we said before, 08:19 the three angels' messages are a unit. 08:22 They are all three working together. 08:24 And we need to keep angel number one's message, 08:27 angel number two's message, 08:29 the message of angel number three, 08:31 which we will concentrate on today 08:34 and in this week's study. 08:37 On Sunday, 08:38 we look at God's sign identifying His people. 08:42 And let me say this, God has always had a sign 08:45 to identify His people. 08:46 There's always been something that God has used as insignia, 08:51 as an ensign to let the world know 08:53 that these are people of God. 08:57 In the Old Testament, there were two. 09:00 And the lesson bespeaks those two. 09:02 "When the Lord called Abraham, 09:05 the ordinance of circumcision was instituted 09:09 as a sign of a relationship 09:13 between God and His people." 09:16 And that relationship continued, 09:18 it was suspended in the wilderness. 09:20 Circumcision was stopped for a while, 09:22 and then it was reinstituted 09:24 when they came into the Promised Land. 09:25 But when we come to the New Testament, 09:29 we are given an understanding 09:31 that circumcision as a sign per se 09:35 is not as important as a circumcised heart. 09:38 As a heart that has been dedicated 09:41 and yielded to the Lord. 09:44 Paul writes this, 09:46 "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, 09:49 nor a circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 09:52 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, 09:56 and circumcision is that of the heart. 10:00 In the spirit, not in the letter, 10:02 whose praise is not for men but from God." 10:06 So the important thing in the New Testament 10:08 is that your heart be circumcised, 10:10 that your heart be yielded 10:11 to the power of the Holy Spirit, 10:16 and the power of God in your life. 10:21 It's like, you know, you have a wedding ring. 10:26 Now some people say that's a sign 10:27 that you're married. 10:29 But I used to work at a company 10:31 in the summer times for a while, 10:33 and there were a lot of women 10:34 who were wearing wedding rings there who were not married. 10:38 I asked one such lady, 10:39 "I just wear this to keep the guys off of me." 10:42 She said, "I just want to keep that. 10:44 I don't want to date anybody, 10:45 and I want to concentrate on my career. 10:47 I'm in college, I'm doing a bunch of things." 10:50 The sign of marriage really is your marriage license. 10:52 That proves that you're married. 10:55 So circumcision, like church membership 10:59 doesn't really necessarily mean that you're in the Lord. 11:02 The Holy Spirit in your heart and following Jesus, 11:05 that proves that you're into the Lord. 11:07 Your love for God 11:08 and that love for God that shows itself 11:10 and reveals itself in your treatment of your fellows 11:13 for whom Christ has died. 11:14 So the circumcision of the heart, 11:16 the surrendered heart to the Holy Spirit 11:18 is the really the New Testament's sign 11:20 of a fulfilled relationship with the Lord. 11:25 Amen. 11:26 The second sign of our relationship with the Lord, 11:32 interestingly enough, is the Sabbath. 11:34 Amen. 11:35 It's the Sabbath. 11:37 Exodus 31:13 tells us that it is a sign 11:41 that the Lord sanctifies. 11:43 And I am sure we're going to hear that again. 11:45 I'm looking at Danny smiling down there 11:46 because he is going to hit it, 11:48 I think Jill is going to hit it too. 11:50 But it is, among other things, a sign 11:53 that the Lord sanctifies His people. 11:56 It's a visible sign. 11:58 I was looking at something 12:00 the other day, they were talking about 12:01 the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 12:02 and they were saying, "The most visible sign 12:04 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church 12:05 is that they keep Saturday for Sunday." 12:09 I read that, and I remember my neighbor said, 12:11 "Explain to me why you keep Saturday for Sunday." 12:14 And it gave me a chance to give him 12:15 a good long Bible study. 12:17 And I let him know that Saturday came first, 12:19 Saturday is the moral of creation. 12:21 Saturday is the one that is identified in the Bible. 12:23 But it is a sign that God sanctifies. 12:27 Can you imagine, ladies and gentlemen, 12:30 what the world would be like 12:32 if all of us kept the Ten Commandments? 12:35 Amen. 12:36 If everybody on planet earth kept the Ten Commandments, 12:40 what a wonderful world it would be. 12:42 If everybody on planet earth kept the Sabbath, 12:44 what would it be like if the world's activity 12:48 stopped every seventh day and everybody went to church, 12:53 and everybody worshipped the Lord, 12:55 and everybody praise God. 12:56 What a world it would be. Amen. 12:58 Yeah, there would be no atheists 13:00 I believe, there would be no rampant secularism. 13:03 There certainly wouldn't be the kind of sins. 13:06 Think of the things that would not happen. 13:07 We wouldn't have to lock our doors, 13:10 we wouldn't have to be afraid to go out at night. 13:15 There would be no diseases that are sexually transmitted 13:19 because everybody would be sleeping 13:21 in their own bed with their own spouse, 13:22 and, you know, we don't talk about that kind of stuff. 13:24 What a world it would be if we just all kept 13:28 the Ten Commandments of God, 13:30 what a wonderful world it would be. 13:32 And so the Sabbath is a sign. 13:35 Old Testament and New Testament, 13:36 of course, we have now the ordinance of baptism 13:42 as a New Testament sign of a preexisting relationship. 13:49 I was thinking about that 13:51 because in many insurance policies, 13:53 if you have a preexisting condition, 13:56 they don't want you, but Christ does want you. 14:00 When you get baptized, 14:01 it is a sign of a preexisting condition. 14:03 It means you already have a loving relationship with God, 14:05 and baptism is just showing the world 14:08 that that relationship already exists. 14:10 So what is negative in the earthly 14:12 is positive in the spiritual 14:15 because the Lord wants a preexisting relationship. 14:17 He wants a preexisting condition, 14:18 and that is a surrendered heart 14:20 to the will and way of the Lord. 14:23 So the Sabbath is a sign, 14:24 it goes all the way back to creation. 14:27 And Mark 2:27-28, 14:33 "The Lord is the Lord of the Sabbath, 14:35 and the Sabbath was not just for the Jews, 14:38 it was for all mankind." 14:40 And by the grace of God, as we keep the Sabbath, 14:43 you know, when you go to the Sabbath, 14:45 through the Sabbath, 14:46 don't you just feel better on the Sabbath day? 14:49 Even your life is just better, you take that one day 14:51 to spend a little time with the Lord, 14:52 the Lord promises to meet you. 14:54 And at the end of the day, you just feel better about it. 14:57 It is a sign, it helps in the sanctifying process 15:00 because I get one day in seven 15:03 to turn down the volume of the world 15:06 and focus on the things of God. 15:08 And it gives me a spiritual high, 15:11 and it gives me strength to take another step 15:13 along that road that leads to glory. 15:15 And so we praise the Lord for these two signs, 15:18 baptism and the Sabbath 15:21 which will be with us until we see Jesus face-to-face. 15:24 Amen. Yeah. 15:25 And it fortifies us to walk with Him. 15:28 Amen and amen. Shelley Quinn... 15:30 Well, I have... 15:31 Thank you very much for that. 15:33 And my lesson is on Monday, the Beast in False Worship. 15:38 So if you would open your Bible to Revelation 13, 15:43 what we're going to look at is, 15:45 first is how important is it to avoid 15:48 the mark of the beast. 15:50 There's going to be two classes of people 15:52 who are alive at the time of Christ's return. 15:56 The first class will be the people 15:59 who have received the seal of God 16:02 and the other class will be those 16:04 who have received the mark of the beast. 16:07 So Revelation 13:17, 16:09 speaking of that mark of the beast, 16:11 it says, "That no one may buy or sell 16:14 except the one who has the mark 16:18 or the name of the beast or the number of his name." 16:23 This mark is trying to force compliance 16:27 to the demands of the beast. 16:29 So without this mark, 16:32 then you are not going to be able to buy or sell. 16:35 So look at Revelation 14:9-10, 16:39 what happens to those who've received the mark? 16:43 "A third angel followed them saying with a loud voice, 16:47 'If anyone worships the beast and his image 16:50 and receives his mark on his forehead or his hand, 16:53 he himself shall also drink the wine of the wrath of God, 16:58 which is poured out full strength 17:00 into the cup of his indignation. 17:02 He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone 17:06 in the presence of the holy angels 17:08 and in the presence of the Lamb.'" 17:12 Now, we don't want the wine of the wrath, 17:15 do we of God's wrath? 17:17 Let's look at Revelation 16 too, 17:19 because this is the first installment 17:22 of the wrath of God, 17:23 and this is what's going to happen to people 17:25 who have the mark of the beast. 17:28 Revelation 16:2, "So the first angel went out 17:33 and poured out his bowl upon the earth, 17:36 and a foul and loathsome soar came upon the men 17:40 who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped his image." 17:44 Those who received the mark of the beast 17:46 did not heed the third angel's message. 17:48 They did not heed the angel who comes a little later 17:52 in Revelation 18 who says, Come out of her, my people." 17:55 And so what happens is 17:57 they received God's undiluted wrath 18:01 as he pours out the seven last plagues, 18:03 and eventually, we know that they are cast 18:05 into the lake of the fire. 18:07 So turning now to 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10, 18:13 this to me is... 18:15 You know I like to get to the bottom line, 18:17 and when you think about why would people receive 18:21 the mark in their forehead and in their mind 18:23 or in their hand, in their actions, 18:25 this is the bottom line to me is 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10, 18:31 "The coming of the lawless one 18:32 is according to the work of Satan 18:34 with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 18:37 and with all unrighteous deception 18:39 among those who perish." 18:41 Why? Why did they perish? 18:43 Why did they receive this mark? 18:45 "Because they did not receive the love of the truth, 18:49 they might be saved." 18:51 So let's contrast now, 18:54 those who refuse the mark of the beast. 18:56 And we'll go to Revelation 14:12, 18:59 and this is many 19:03 if you're in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 19:04 I think most of you can repeat this with me. 19:07 But I want you to look at this, 19:09 if you're in another denomination 19:10 or you don't know the Lord, 19:11 look at Revelation 14:12, it says, 19:14 "Here is the patience of the saints," 19:17 these are God's people, 19:19 and now it describes the saints. 19:21 "Here are those who keep 19:24 the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." 19:30 Now that word patience in the Greek is ypomoni, 19:34 which means the steadfast endurance to God's Word, 19:39 under threat of boycott, under threat of death, 19:42 they're having this terrible struggle with the beast, 19:46 and plus you've got all these lying wonders 19:50 that make it look like God is in it. 19:52 But God's faithful people 19:54 will steadfastly endure it to the end, 19:57 as they endure and obey in the faith of Jesus. 20:01 And they're standing on the solid foundation 20:03 of God's unchangeable nature and His character. 20:07 So they're comforted, and I find this, I know you do, 20:11 we are comforted just by God's constant presence with us. 20:16 Now flip over a chapter to Revelation 15:2-3, 20:23 and here, John says in Revelation 15:2-3, 20:27 "I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, 20:32 and those who have the victory over the beast, 20:37 over his image and over his mark 20:40 and over the number of his name..." 20:43 So they've not received it, 20:45 they've had a victory over that, 20:47 "they're standing on the sea of glass, 20:50 having harps of God." 20:52 What are they doing? 20:53 They are triumphantly singing, 20:56 "Praise to God and to the Lamb." 20:59 So he says, "They sing the song of Moses, 21:02 a servant of God, and the song of the Lamb saying, 21:05 'Great and marvelous are Your works, 21:08 Lord God Almighty. 21:10 Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints.'" 21:14 So they're standing on this solid foundation. 21:19 Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:19 and said, 21:23 "Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands 21:26 having this seal, 'The Lord knows who are His, 21:31 and let everyone who knows 21:33 the name of Christ depart from inequity." 21:36 So those who did not receive the mark, 21:39 God knows they are His. 21:40 They departed from inequity. 21:42 They are not transgressing His law. 21:45 So what is this mark that no one wants to receive? 21:48 I know Jill's going to speak to this a little further, 21:50 but just to understand this false worship. 21:54 Revelation 14:9-10, "A third angel followed them, 21:59 saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast 22:03 and his image and receives his mark 22:05 on his forehead or on his hand, 22:07 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God 22:10 which is poured out full strength 22:12 in the cup of his indignation. 22:14 He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone 22:17 in the presence of the holy angels 22:19 and in the presence of the Lamb.'" 22:21 So we see that this mark has to do with false worship. 22:25 Worshipping the beast, 22:27 it's clearly connected to worship. 22:30 And Satan has always wanted 22:32 the worship that only belonged to God. 22:34 We see that in Isaiah 14 when he says, 22:37 "I will be lifted up. 22:38 I will be exalted above God." 22:40 In Ezekiel 28, when it says, 22:43 "Oh, Satan, your heart was lifted up," 22:47 and in Matthew 4, 22:49 when he is tempting Jesus in the wilderness, 22:53 and he says to him, "All these things 22:55 I will give you if you'll fall down 22:57 and worship me." 22:59 So Satan's always been after this worship. 23:02 And he sets up this false system of worship 23:05 that's an alternative to keeping God's commandments, 23:09 particularly the worshipping of the Creator. 23:13 By keeping the Sabbath commandment, 23:16 the Revelation 13, the beast from the sea 23:19 is the same as the beast in Daniel 7. 23:22 So let's look at that real quickly. 23:24 Daniel 7:25, the same beast, 23:28 "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, 23:32 he shall persecute the saints of the Most High, 23:34 and shall intend to change times and laws, 23:39 then the saint shall be given into his hand for a time 23:42 and times and half a time." 23:44 There's only one law that God wrote 23:50 with His own finger on stone that deals with time, 23:53 and that is the Fourth Commandment 23:56 about the seventh day Sabbath. 23:59 Only the Sabbath points to God as Creator 24:02 because right in the commandment 24:04 is this language that He made heaven and earth, 24:07 the sea and all that is in them, 24:10 and He rested on the seventh day. 24:13 In Revelation 13 and 14, there are seven verses 24:18 that refer to worship. 24:20 Six of them refer to false worship. 24:23 Only one refers to the true worship, 24:27 and that is the first angel's message of Revelation 14:7, 24:31 "Saying with a loud voice, 24:32 'Fear God and give glory to Him, 24:34 for the hour of His judgment has come and worship Him 24:37 who made the heaven and the earth 24:39 and the springs of water." 24:42 Same Sabbath language, 24:44 and immediately after the third angel's description, 24:50 the fate of those who engage in this false worship is told, 24:56 what's going to happen to them? 24:57 They're going to experience the wrath of God, 25:00 but true worshippers are described 25:02 in Revelation 14:12, 25:04 "Here's the patience of the saints, 25:06 here are those who keep God's commandments 25:09 and the faith of Jesus." 25:11 Amen. Amen. Thank you, Sister Shelley. 25:14 I've got Tuesday, the seal of God, 25:17 and in looking at what a seal is, 25:21 it's like a signature. 25:23 It's used to validate a document. 25:26 In ancient times, it was a stamp, 25:29 pressed on the soft wax or clay 25:33 to show authenticity of ownership. 25:35 Now remember, I am going to be looking 25:38 at the seal of God, 25:39 so thinking of a seal, let this sink into your mind. 25:43 A seal carries the full weightiness 25:47 of the authority of the person who seals it. 25:51 Now when we at 3ABN sign a very important document, 25:56 often it requires our signature to be sealed 26:00 with the corporate seal. 26:01 That's right. 26:03 When a document has been sealed, 26:05 it holds up in a court of law as official. 26:10 Although it may be my name that's on the document, 26:14 my name that is being sealed, once my name has been sealed, 26:20 it now carries the full weightiness 26:23 of Three Angels Broadcasting Network. 26:25 That's what a seal does. 26:28 When something is sealed, the matter is settled 26:32 and the one doing the sealing 26:35 places his full power and protection behind the seal. 26:40 Now I want you to look 26:42 at Ephesians 1:13-14, 26:47 that's Ephesians 1:13 and 14. 26:51 Because this seal of God, Danny, it's very important, 26:55 we must have the seal of God. 26:57 The Scripture says, "In Him, you also trusted..." 27:01 Now who is it that we have trust in? 27:04 The Lord Jesus Christ. 27:06 "After you heard the word of truth, 27:08 the gospel of your salvation, 27:10 in whom also, having believed, 27:14 you were sealed 27:16 with the Holy Spirit of promise, 27:19 who is the guarantee of our inheritance 27:22 until the redemption of the purchased possession 27:26 to the praise of His glory." 27:27 You know what this is telling us? 27:29 It's telling us that we have been sealed. 27:33 What are we sealed with? 27:35 What does this say we are sealed with? 27:37 It's the Holy Spirit of promise. 27:40 When is the Holy Spirit of promise given? 27:44 The Holy Spirit, that sealing, is given 27:48 when we make Jesus Christ the Lord of our life. 27:51 Now I want to read this scripture, 27:53 Ephesians 1:13-14 to you out of the Amplified Bible. 27:58 And the scripture says, 27:59 "In Him, you also have heard the word of truth, 28:03 the glad tidings, the gospel of your salvation 28:07 and have believed in 28:08 and adhered to and relied on Him, 28:11 that's on the Lord Jesus Christ were stamped 28:15 with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit." 28:18 Hey, we've been stamped with a seal. 28:21 Just like in the olden days, 28:22 they stamped and sealed something. 28:25 We've been stamped, and we've been sealed 28:27 with the Holy Spirit of promise. 28:29 That spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance, 28:33 the first fruits, the pledge, the foretaste, 28:36 the down payment of our heritage. 28:39 In anticipation of its full redemption 28:43 and our acquiring 28:45 complete possession of it to the praise of His glory. 28:49 So we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise 28:54 unto the day of redemption. 28:57 Ephesians 4:30 says, 28:59 "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God 29:02 by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." 29:06 The seal of God 29:08 is a sign of God's ownership and protection of His people. 29:13 That's what that said. 29:15 Now I want to say this, 29:17 the seal of God is an inward protection. 29:23 But for everything that we have that is inward 29:28 by the spirit. 29:29 The Holy Spirit of promise has sealed us. 29:31 Remember when the children of Israel 29:35 were in the land of Egypt, and the night before 29:39 they were to come out of the land of Egypt, 29:42 what did they have to do? 29:44 Remember that? 29:45 The Lord, every house had a lamb 29:48 and what were they to do with that lamb? 29:50 They were to sacrifice that lamb, 29:53 and they were to take its blood and apply that blood 29:56 to the doorposts and the lintels of their home. 29:59 And what would happen? 30:01 When the death angel passed over, 30:03 if the blood was applied to that house, 30:07 then what would happen? 30:08 The death angel would pass over. 30:10 The death angel was looking for blood. 30:12 Well, in this day... 30:14 And if the blood wasn't applied, 30:16 then death would come to the eldest child. 30:19 Well, in this day and time, when we make Jesus Christ 30:23 the Lord of our life, 30:25 the blood of the lamb is applied to the doorposts 30:27 and the lintels of our hearts. 30:30 So when the death angel passes over, 30:32 he is still looking for the same thing. 30:34 He is looking for blood, and the blood covers us. 30:36 The sealing of God 30:38 by the Holy Spirit of promise is inward. 30:41 But for everything that is done inward, 30:44 our obedience is the outward expression 30:49 of what has happened to us inwardly. 30:51 And just as there is the inward sealing of God, 30:55 there is an outward expression 30:58 showing that we are the sealed of God. 31:03 Okay, we're sealed unto the day of redemption. 31:07 The seal of God shows God's ownership 31:12 and protection of us. 31:14 Now, there was a period in history when God's people, 31:19 His true church were cruelly persecuted. 31:23 That period is called? 31:25 The Dark Ages. The Dark Ages. 31:27 Untold millions of Christians were destroyed for their faith. 31:32 The destroyer worked through a false religious system 31:38 to initiate the crime of the ages, 31:41 a crime against what? 31:43 The law of God. The Ten Commandments. 31:46 And most particularly, the Fourth Commandment, 31:50 the Sabbath day. 31:51 Now, according to the Book of Revelation, 31:55 is history about to repeat itself? 31:57 Yes. 31:58 We mentioned this quite often. 32:00 History is about to repeat itself. 32:03 God's people, the true church 32:06 will again suffer great persecution. 32:09 That's why it's so vitally important 32:12 that this seal of God is securely in place. 32:15 The sealing that is placed on us by the Holy Spirit, 32:20 when we accept, the Lord Jesus Christ 32:23 gives us some divine protection. 32:26 First, it's assurance 32:28 and security of our eternity. 32:32 Remember, the scripture says, 32:34 "The Holy Spirit seals us until," what? 32:38 "Until redemption." Until is a time-space word. 32:42 So if we are sealed until, there is no breaking of it, 32:47 it is until. 32:48 Until redemption. What is redemption? 32:51 That's the return of the Lord Jesus Christ when He takes us, 32:56 and we are forever in the presence of God 32:59 in the very portals of heaven. 33:00 We are sealed. 33:02 There is safety, there is security in that. 33:05 It places the sealing of God, 33:08 places on us His name, 33:12 His authority and His power. 33:14 Though we may face uncertain persecution, 33:19 we are able to say with the Apostle Paul. 33:22 Now this is 2 Timothy 1:12. 33:25 Here is what the Apostle Paul says, 33:28 "For I know, in whom I have believed, 33:32 and I am persuaded that he is able to keep 33:38 what I have committed to him until that day." 33:41 We commit our lives to Him, 33:43 and we have this total assurance. 33:46 Why do we have this total assurance? 33:48 Because we have the sealing of God 33:51 placed upon our lives. 33:52 I like Romans 8:35, 33:58 this scripture is just a scripture 34:01 that always gives me great courage 34:03 is Romans 8:35-39, 34:08 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 34:11 Shall tribulation, or distress, 34:13 or we going through great tribulation, distress, 34:16 or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, 34:19 or peril, or sword? 34:20 No, in all these things 34:22 we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. 34:25 For I am persuaded, Paul says, that neither death nor life, 34:29 nor angels nor principalities nor powers, 34:32 nor things present nor things to come, 34:34 nor height nor depth, nor any other creature 34:37 shall be able to separate us 34:39 from the love of God 34:40 which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 34:42 That is because we have that sealing of God, 34:45 the seal that is our protection that says, 34:49 this one belongs to God, 34:50 and nobody can snatch him out of our hands. 34:55 Now here's the truth. 34:57 There is the seal of God, 34:59 but there is a counterfeit seal, 35:01 and, Sister Jill, you're going to tell us 35:03 about that counterfeit seal. 35:04 Absolutely. Oh, Mollie, thank you so much. 35:07 What an incredible blessing, the privilege that we have 35:10 of being able to be sealed by the Lord Jesus Christ, 35:14 sealed until the day of redemption. 35:15 So just a privilege to be sons and daughters of the King. 35:19 And we do not have to receive the mark of the beast. 35:22 That's why in Revelation 14 35:24 with the three angels' messages, 35:26 the message is to be given so strongly 35:28 because God does not want anybody to be lost. 35:31 But He wants everyone to come to salvation, 35:34 everyone to come to repentance, 35:36 everyone to receive that seal. 35:38 I have Wednesday, the mark of the beast 35:41 and I know, Shelley, you did a great job 35:42 talking about the mark, 35:44 so what I share will cover some of the same, 35:46 and then hopefully build on that a bit as well. 35:48 We know all the way throughout history 35:51 from the very beginning, 35:52 there have been two classes of people. 35:54 Now sometimes it's a little hard to determine 35:57 who those people are, 35:58 and what class different people are in, 36:01 because sometimes we might be a little deceptive on, 36:04 you know, who we are standing under, 36:06 Christ or Satan. 36:07 But the truth of the matter is, there is only two classes. 36:09 There is no middle ground. 36:12 I think of the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares. 36:15 Matthew 13, we find that parable. 36:17 And remember, the man had planted wheat, 36:21 and then the enemy came at night and he sowed tares, 36:24 and the servants said, "Let us root up those tares." 36:27 And the master said, "No, let them grow together 36:30 until the harvest." 36:31 Shelley, you referenced this in Revelation 14. 36:35 Let's turn there, Revelation 14, 36:37 this is just after the three angels' messages is presented. 36:41 We see the great reaping taking place right at the end of time. 36:47 This is Revelation 14, and the wheat as it where, 36:50 the righteous are harvested in verses 14-16, 36:54 where the son of man thrust in his sickle, 36:57 and the righteous are harvested. 37:00 The righteous are reaped, 37:02 and then we see the ultimate destruction, 37:05 the end of the wicked. 37:06 In my Bible it talks about it as the grapes of wrath. 37:09 But it talks about the angel reaping that group of people, 37:13 and their end is not the same as the end of the righteous. 37:17 So we see from the very beginning, Cain and Abel, 37:20 two classes of people, 37:22 and at the end of time 37:23 there would be two classes of people again, 37:26 and it will be apparent at the very end of time. 37:30 Who worships the Creator God? 37:32 Who observes all Ten Commandments? 37:35 As we have each read Revelation 14:12, 37:38 "The patience of the saints, those who keep 37:40 the commandments of God, and have the faith, 37:42 the testimony of Jesus Christ." 37:44 It would be apparent, those who keep 37:46 all ten of the commandments, 37:48 and those who have the mark of the beast, 37:50 and do not keep all ten of God's commandments. 37:55 So let's take a look at this. 37:57 We're going to go to Revelation 13:15, 38:01 and we know Revelation 13:11 talks about another beast. 38:06 This is the lamblike beast coming up out of the earth 38:09 symbolizing a sparsely populated area. 38:13 And we have talked about this on our previous lesson, 38:16 that this represents the United States of America. 38:19 And United States of America 38:22 causes people to worship the first beast, 38:24 the sea beast, and we have already established 38:26 this on previous lessons that, 38:28 that is the papacy, 38:29 not the people who are 38:31 in the Roman Catholic Church system, 38:33 I want to be very clear on that. 38:35 God has people everywhere, and in every church 38:38 and He is calling people out of those churches 38:40 to worship Him and keep His Ten Commandments. 38:43 But we are talking about this system as a whole. 38:46 And so in Revelation 13:15, "He was granted power," 38:50 this is America, 38:51 "to give breath to the image of the beast, 38:54 that the image of the beast should both speak and cause 38:56 as many as would not worship 38:58 the image of the beast to be killed." 39:00 Now, this reminds me of Daniel 3 39:02 and we have talked about that on the previous lesson. 39:05 Remember, Nebuchadnezzar established 39:07 a counterfeit image, as it were, 39:10 a entire image of gold and commanded the people, 39:15 you need to fall down, everyone, 39:17 and you need to worship this counterfeit image. 39:21 The central issue for God's faithful followers 39:24 in that time of trouble, at the time of Daniel, 39:26 what's true and false worship. 39:28 And at the end of time, the central issue is, 39:32 will we worship the Creator God and honor His Sabbath, 39:36 or will we worship the mark of the beast? 39:39 Will we worship the beast and his image? 39:42 Will we keep Sunday as the holy day instead? 39:47 Revelation 13:16, let's read the next verse. 39:49 "He causes all, both small and great..." 39:52 This is America. 39:53 "He calls us all small and great, rich and poor, 39:55 free and slave, to receive a mark in their right hand, 39:59 or on their foreheads. 40:00 No one may buy or sell, except one who has the mark, 40:03 or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." 40:06 Now it's interesting to me 40:07 the mark is in the hand or the forehead. 40:10 Now in the forehead would indicate 40:12 that you believe, you subscribe to that, 40:14 and you have a mental ascent to that. 40:17 Now in the hand, to me that just means 40:19 you may not even believe in it 40:21 but you're doing it out of peer pressure. 40:24 You're doing it because you're afraid. 40:26 You're doing it because you just think, 40:28 oh, this is what I need to do. 40:30 So the seal of God is only in the forehead, 40:33 meaning God only wants people who serve Him out of love. 40:38 People who make a choice to follow Him 40:41 and keep His Ten Commandments, including the fourth one, 40:44 the seventh day Sabbath. 40:46 But the mark of the beast, 40:47 it doesn't have to just be in the forehead. 40:48 It can be in the hand symbolizing 40:51 we can worship on Sunday 40:52 just because everyone else does it, 40:55 because we feel pressured to do that. 40:58 Now, Shelley, you talked about the little horn 41:00 in Daniel 7:25, so we won't cover that. 41:03 But the little horn being the same power as the papacy. 41:06 The same power as the sea beast. 41:08 And the little horn speaks blasphemy. 41:12 We know that, in Revelation 13:5, 41:15 the sea beast, it talks about, 41:17 he was given a mouth speaking 41:18 great things and blasphemies. 41:21 Luke 5:21, "Any man who claims 41:24 he has power to forgive sins commits blasphemy." 41:28 We also see in John 10:33, the Bible defines blasphemy 41:32 as the man making himself equal to God. 41:36 The pope has claimed to be God on earth. 41:40 The law that the papacy has openly claimed to change, 41:44 is the fourth commandment, 41:45 from Sabbath to Sunday worship. 41:48 They have not changed the law. 41:50 They have pretended to change the law. 41:54 So what is the mark? 41:55 This is from Evangelism, page 234, 41:57 "The mark of the beast 41:59 is the keeping of the papal Sabbath." 42:01 Simple, the mark of the beast is Sunday worship. 42:04 This is from H. F. Thomas, 42:06 he is a Chancellor for Cardinal Gibbons, 42:09 it's the letter dated November 11, 1895. 42:13 Of course, the change from Sabbath to Sunday was her act, 42:16 meaning the Roman Catholic Church. 42:18 And the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical power 42:23 and authority in religious matters. 42:25 And this is from the Catholic Record 42:27 of London, Ontario. 42:28 September 1, 1923, 42:30 "Sunday is our mark of authority." 42:34 The church is above the Bible, and this transference 42:39 of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact. 42:41 So I want to look in the closing time I have 42:44 at five lessons that we can learn 42:47 from the mark of the beast. 42:48 Number one, choose today to serve Jesus. 42:51 Never put off to tomorrow 42:54 a decision that you can make today. 42:57 Make a decision for Christ. 42:58 Make a decision for His Word. 43:00 Make a decision for the truths 43:02 revealed in His Word. 43:03 Hebrews 3:15, 43:05 "Today if you will hear his voice, 43:07 do not harden your heart." 43:10 Number two, walk in obedience, 43:13 regardless of the consequences. 43:16 We might be spared the fiery furnace 43:18 or we might have to walk into the hottest part of the fire. 43:22 Regardless of the future, 43:23 regardless of the consequences, 43:26 regardless of the immediate result, 43:28 walk in obedience. 43:30 Of course, we know the end result 43:31 would be eternal life, 43:32 so we don't have to worry about that. 43:34 But regardless of the immediate result, 43:35 walk in obedience. 43:39 We're only required to walk in obedience 43:41 to the truths we have learnt. 43:42 You know in times of ignorance, 43:44 God can wink at that. 43:46 But if, right now you are listening 43:48 to this lesson, and you have knowledge 43:50 now of the Sabbath truth. 43:52 Knowledge now that the seventh day is the Sabbath, 43:56 then God holds you accountable 43:59 for the truth you have been given. 44:02 Number three, learn to value eternity. 44:05 Life is only temporary, eternity is what matters. 44:08 Live, walk and work with eternity in view. 44:12 All of our choices, all of what occupies our time, 44:17 everything we care about should be filtered 44:19 through knowledge of the hereafter. 44:22 Number four, decide who your master is. 44:24 Mount Caramel. 44:25 How long ought you be between two opinions? 44:27 If the Lord be God, then follow Him. 44:30 It is about worship, who we give our allegiance to. 44:33 So choose to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, 44:35 and worship on His seventh day Sabbath. 44:37 And finally, number five. 44:39 Never say you were forced. 44:43 We were all given the opportunity to make a decision. 44:47 We are never forced 44:49 to accept the mark of the beast. 44:50 We can be harassed, we can be tormented, 44:52 we can be persecuted, 44:54 we can be threatened or even killed, 44:56 but we are never forced 44:57 to accept the false worship on Sunday. 45:01 Many factors lead to that acceptance in the hand. 45:03 Maybe fear, a desire to fit in, deception, 45:06 but what God is calling each one of us 45:08 to right now is to make a decision to worship 45:12 and honor the Lord alone. 45:15 Amen, that's beautiful. 45:16 So what we've been, 45:18 the thread that's going through, 45:19 through this whole study 45:21 and for the last number of weeks, 45:22 is about worship. 45:24 Amen. It's not about a day. 45:25 So for people who have been for many years 45:28 will say, as CA said, 45:30 you know why do you keep Saturday for Sunday? 45:33 All of this, and people say 45:34 what difference does a day make? 45:37 It's not about a day, it's about something. 45:39 And the lessons are so beautiful. 45:40 And thank you each one for bringing out these points. 45:44 And so mine is the Sabbath as a seal. 45:47 We talked about the seal of God, 45:48 so we're kind of overlapping some. 45:51 But the Sabbath as the seal of God. 45:54 And since the Ten Commandments 45:56 are a transcript of God's own character, 45:58 it makes sense, 46:00 He would put His seal within those Ten Commandments. 46:03 Right? Yes. Absolutely. 46:05 Now, God has a number of characteristics, 46:07 Jill, what are some of those? 46:08 God is omniscient, He is all-knowing. 46:11 God is omnipotent, He is all-powerful. 46:13 God is omnipresent, He is everywhere at once, 46:16 He is eternal. 46:19 And He's all of those, 46:20 but one of His greatest attributes 46:22 that I am thankful for is that God is love. 46:24 Amen. Right? 46:26 From the human standpoint, 46:27 we are thankful that God is love, 46:28 because that He is love, we have now, 46:32 He has made for us a plan of salvation. 46:35 And we're able to come from this humanness 46:37 in this world of sin, and to be able to live, and rule, 46:40 and reign with Him by simply 46:42 realizing we're sinners, we come short 46:44 of the glory of God, confessing our sins. 46:46 He's faithful and just to forgive us from our sins, 46:49 and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 46:51 But the road that we're traveling right now, 46:53 Satan is out to deceive everyone. 46:55 Now we are talking about those who don't keep 46:58 the commandments of God, 46:59 but I am on a sinner in just a few minutes 47:01 about those who think we are keeping the Sabbath 47:04 and see if we really are. 47:06 So God's seal is contained in the Fourth Commandment, 47:09 some of the commandments contain God's name. 47:12 But only the Fourth Commandment 47:14 contains God's seal. 47:15 So since we've gone over this seal a number of times, 47:18 I won't go over the Fourth Commandment. 47:20 You can read that yourself but the name, 47:22 the Lord your God, the title, the Authority, this Creator, 47:25 in six days He made the heaven and the earth, 47:27 jurisdiction or dominion. 47:29 The heaven, and earth, 47:30 the sea and all that in them is. 47:32 Just like Donald Trump 47:34 is named President, that's his title, 47:36 United States of America, his domain. 47:38 So I think we've established that well, 47:40 but I put why is the seal of the living God 47:43 placed in the Fourth Commandment? 47:45 The commandment starts with, 47:47 "Remember the Sabbath day to do" what? 47:49 Keep it holy. "Keep it holy." 47:51 There is only one way 47:53 we can keep God's Sabbath holy, 47:55 and that is to keep it in holiness. 47:58 Think about it for a minute. 48:00 People are saying what? 48:01 There's only one way to keep God's Sabbath holy, 48:04 say we keep the Sabbath, 48:05 many of us Seventh-day Adventists, 48:06 we keep the Sabbath but do we keep it holy? 48:09 No wonder the Jews called Friday, 48:12 the preparation day, 48:13 because really that's preparing for the Sabbath. 48:17 And we should be doing that, because we can't come 48:20 with dirty hands to the Sabbath, 48:22 and say we are going to keep the Sabbath holy. 48:24 The devil hates it 48:25 when we worship in spirit and truth. 48:27 And the Jewish nation fell victim, I wrote, 48:29 to Satan and began to replace the true Sabbath 48:33 worship with legalistic man-made laws and rules 48:37 that centered on the flesh 48:39 instead of salvation, accepting the blood of the lamb 48:42 unto Jesus Christ as a free gift of salvation. 48:45 The Sabbath is the key to obedience of God's law, 48:48 for it is only as we obey each one 48:52 of the other nine commandments can we keep the Sabbath. 48:55 We can't keep the Sabbath unless we obey 48:58 all of the other nine commandments. 49:00 So the Sabbath commandment with its distinct call 49:04 to live a holy life is the only commandment 49:06 that centers in on the total character. 49:09 I hadn't really thought about it, 49:10 I was studying about it, praying, I said, Lord, 49:12 and it's like, it's the only one 49:13 that really centers in on our entire character. 49:17 Some of them say don't kill, don't steal. 49:18 This is a call to holiness on all of our character. 49:24 So if we are guilty of adultery during the week, 49:27 we can't keep the Sabbath holy, 49:29 come Sabbath, right? 49:30 If we are guilty of lying on our neighbors or slander, 49:33 if we're guilty of having other gods before our God, 49:37 all week long we forget about God, 49:39 we're watching television and all these other things. 49:42 Then Sabbath, oh, I'm gonna keep the Sabbath holy. 49:45 It doesn't work. It doesn't work. 49:47 It is most appropriate that God placed His seal 49:50 within the Fourth Commandment, 49:51 for the seal of the living God is God's perfect character 49:54 replicated within our hearts and our minds, right? 49:58 That's what it's all about. 50:00 Now for those of us, I want to talk to those of us 50:02 who are Sabbath keepers. 50:04 And just because we take off work on Sabbath, 50:07 we say, I don't work on Sabbath. 50:10 I don't care if I lose my job. 50:11 So I'm going to take off, 50:13 I'm going to go to church on Sabbath. 50:15 That doesn't mean we're keeping the Sabbath holy. 50:18 Just because I resist watching secular television 50:20 on Sabbath, Shelley, 50:22 or I refrain from going to Walmart, 50:23 or mowing my yard. 50:25 That doesn't mean I'm keeping the Sabbath holy. 50:27 Now, I can keep the Sabbath, 50:29 but it doesn't mean that I'm keeping it holy. 50:31 For years of my life growing up, 50:34 I kept the Sabbath faithfully but I never kept it holy. 50:38 There is no difference... 50:39 See the devil doesn't care which side of the boat 50:41 you fall out of as long as you fall out. 50:43 So while those of us in church teaching, 50:46 and telling ourselves, and pumping ourselves up, 50:48 saying, you know what, the rest of the world, 50:51 they are out here following the beast power. 50:53 They're following a day that God didn't even set aside, 50:56 but we're here today on church, 50:58 we're keeping the Sabbath. 51:00 Well, you're keeping the Sabbath 51:02 but so did the Jews, 51:03 who rejected Christ, the Jewish nation. 51:06 So what does that really do? 51:07 The devil is out to steal, kill, and destroy. 51:11 He is out, in fact, 51:12 Revelation says that he came to deceive, 51:15 and the whole world wandered after the beast. 51:17 So we cannot be so secure in the fact that, 51:20 well, we know the truth, 51:22 we understand the three angels' messages, 51:24 we've got it all down path, 51:26 and every Sabbath I come to church, 51:29 I am an elder, I am a deacon, I even go visiting. 51:32 I sing in the nursing home in the afternoon, 51:34 I do all these things, you can keep the Sabbath. 51:37 But the question would be today, 51:39 are we keeping it holy? 51:41 You can't keep it holy. 51:43 See James 2:10 says, 51:45 "For whosoever keep the whole law, 51:47 yet offend in one point is guilty of all." 51:52 So today, in kind of wrapping this part up, 51:55 while we have been talking about keeping the Sabbath, 51:59 it's important that we also don't fall in. 52:02 The devil doesn't care, if we worship another day 52:05 and keep that holy, or if we just keep the Sabbath 52:08 but don't keep it holy. 52:10 So when we come to God, 52:11 and that's what the Sabbath is all about. 52:13 the Lord says, "I'm going to be with you." 52:15 He is not going to be with us if we're not on our knees, 52:18 and coming to the foot of the cross 52:20 because sin we say, twin don't mix. 52:22 Now don't ask me that where it came from, 52:24 but the twin don't mix. 52:25 Sin and God doesn't mix. 52:27 So when we come before God, we want to come, 52:30 it says, we should lift holy hands, right? 52:32 What kind of hands? Holy hands. 52:34 Holy hands towards heaven, so when the Sabbath comes, 52:37 we want to prepare, and say 52:38 Lord, "I want to make sure that 52:40 I'm right that You will visit me. 52:42 You will spend this time with me. 52:44 And please forgive me for my sins." 52:48 "Forgive me from what I have done, 52:50 and let me meet you 52:52 when the Sabbath sundown comes 52:54 that we spend this great time together." 52:57 So it's reflecting, I do it for my own salvation. 52:59 I don't do it for God, He doesn't need my praise, 53:02 my worship. 53:04 What I need is to realize I'm a sinner. 53:07 And every Sabbath when I take off from work, 53:10 and I come to church, it's not about going to church, 53:12 it's about spending time with God, 53:14 as well as going to church and fellowshipping 53:16 with fellow believers, but it's for my own salvation 53:20 that I stop everything from the world 53:22 and say, you know what? 53:25 God is my Creator God. 53:27 It gives me great assurance. 53:30 I go on, sometimes I've seen these chat-sites 53:33 that are run by Adventist, and they argue, 53:35 they talk about everything. 53:37 I've seen people go on Facebook, 53:38 some of you all have done it, 53:40 and you want to argue and defend, 53:41 all week long, politicians who believe 53:44 in same-sex marriages and abortion, 53:45 then on Sabbath you go to church 53:46 and say, I'm keeping the Sabbath. 53:50 You know what I'm saying. 53:51 We shouldn't be defending any of the politicians, right? 53:53 For, because there's no side that's really right. 53:56 What we need to be concentrating on, 53:57 when we have social media, let's concentrate on 54:00 taking the gospel into all the world. 54:02 It's good. 54:03 I know my time is running out here, 54:05 but the Bible's central theme is the loving gift 54:08 of the seal of the living God. 54:10 That's good. The whole theme. 54:12 Let's look at for a second, it starts in Genesis 1:1, 54:15 God shows the seal. What's Genesis 1:1? 54:17 "In the beginning, God..." 54:19 Right? 54:20 "Created the heavens and the earth." 54:23 So from Genesis to Revelation, God's seal, 54:26 we are talking about the seal of God or the Sabbath seal, 54:29 but God's seal is from Genesis to Revelation. 54:31 It's in Genesis 1:1, it's in the Ten Commandments 54:34 in the middle, and it's in Revelation, 54:37 when the seal of God and the three angels' messages. 54:39 I mean isn't that amazing? God's love. 54:41 So the theme throughout the Bible is, 54:43 we don't have to be satisfied with eternal death, 54:46 but we can know for a certainty 54:48 that we have eternal life through Jesus Christ, our lord. 54:52 And why? 54:54 Because He's our Lord. 54:55 He's our Savior, He's our Creator, 54:57 He has a dominion over the entire universe. 55:00 So we're not just serving anybody, 55:01 we are serving the great Creator God of the universe. 55:04 He says, "Behold, I come quickly, 55:06 and my reward is with me, to give every man 55:09 according as his work shall be." 55:10 I'm the alpha, and the omega, the beginning and the end. 55:14 The first and the last. 55:15 "Blessed are they that keep and do His commandments, 55:19 that they may have right to the tree of life, 55:21 and enter in into the gates of this city" 55:24 Amen. Amen. 55:26 So well said, does anyone have a little bow 55:28 to put on their thought. 55:30 Just a quick thought. 55:31 I have something that the Lord 55:33 just keeps impressing me to say. 55:34 We have clearly identified the mark of the beast, 55:36 and the mark of the authority of the beast 55:38 is changing the Sabbath to Sunday, 55:41 and we've talked about the seal of God. 55:43 But I just want to make sure, 55:44 that we, that you understand 55:46 no one has the mark of the beast right now. 55:49 It is not until such time as that is enforced on people. 55:54 There will be Sunday laws that are passed, 55:56 that people will have to do this 55:58 or they can't buy or sell. 56:01 So learn God's truth now, and come out of it, my people. 56:05 Amen. Amen. 56:07 Anyone else? 56:09 Let me go back then to... 56:11 Jill, did you have something? No, you're good. 56:13 Okay. 56:14 To Revelation 14:12, "Here is the patience, 56:19 or the endurance of the saints. 56:21 Here are those who keep the commandments." 56:24 So commandment keeping is essential. 56:26 "And the Lord signs his name in the Fourth Commandment, 56:29 and have the faith of Jesus." 56:31 This text was so important to our early founders, 56:34 that almost, on every important piece of literature 56:37 that we produced, that text was always there 56:40 for the first 50 years or so, that text was always there, 56:43 because it identified God's people 56:46 as commandment keepers, as people who kept 56:49 the commandments in the context 56:51 of their faith relationship with Jesus Christ, 56:53 because you have to have both. 56:55 Commandment keeping without love and faith in Jesus 56:57 does you no good because then it's legalism, 57:00 and if you say, you love Him 57:02 and you don't keep His commandments, 57:04 you're a liar. 57:05 So both have to go together, 57:07 it is the molding of living for Jesus, 57:10 allowing His life to be lived in you, 57:13 and lived out through you, in the faith of Jesus, 57:16 that makes you an enduring saint. 57:19 And this ability to endure will be tested more 57:21 and more as we come down 57:23 to the end of this earth's history. 57:25 We pray and hope that this lesson 57:26 has been a blessing to you, it has been to us. 57:29 We'll see you again next week 57:30 for another study in God's Word. |
Revised 2022-08-23