The Bible tells us,
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"In the beginning was the Word,
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and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God."
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It says to,
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"Receive with
meekness the implanted Word,
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which is able to save your souls
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and to be diligent
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to present
yourself approved to God,
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rightly dividing
the Word of truth."
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Join us now for the
3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
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Our study today is
Preparation for the End Time.
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Happy Sabbath.
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Welcome to 3ABN
Sabbath School Panel.
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It sure is a treat and a delight
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to have you to join us today.
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We have an awesome
lesson, another awesome lesson.
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And it's so good that
we have our panel here,
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we'll introduce
in just a moment.
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But we're glad you're spending
your time with us today.
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I'm Kenny Shelton and
glad to have you with us.
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Our lesson is
Babylon and Armageddon.
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Just two words but, boy,
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are they powerful and
they take a long time to go
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into a lot of detail.
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So we encourage you
get your pencil and paper
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and get your Bible out,
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start writing some things down
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because it's
very, very interesting.
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These are subjects
that we need to know
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about here in these last days.
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Get your lesson study guides.
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If you do not have
them, it's very simple,
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what you can do,
you can download these.
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You can go to ABSG.Adventist.org
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and you can make
sure you get these lessons
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because it's very imperative.
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They not just
study at this time,
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but you'll be
studying it over and over
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'cause people's going
to be asking questions.
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Now you can do this too also,
and we've done it ourselves.
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Sometimes we just
couldn't join in live
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with the program
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but we just set our
DVR and we recorded it
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and we can look at
it anytime we want to,
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and over, and over.
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I've had people who
said, "I've stopped it
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and then I've
written down a word,
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and then I play it,
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and then I write down
some more, and I play and..."
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So that's a good
way in which to do it,
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that's just an
awesome way to do it.
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You can watch, you
can go on the Internet,
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you can watch it on YouTube
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and just kind of do that
at the device of your choice.
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But there's many ways
in which to get this lesson
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and get it over,
and over, and over.
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So, anyway,
we're glad you're here.
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Praise the Lord.
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I want to introduce our panel
with us today, and on my left,
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praise the Lord,
Sister Mollie Steenson,
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always a pleasure
and a joy to study
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the Word of God together.
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Isn't it nice? It certainly is.
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You know, I mean we can
smile and we can be happy
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and I think I heard
someone before this saying,
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"Ooh, this is going
to be a good lesson."
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Yes, it is. Who do
you have to your left?
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I have Pastor CA Murray.
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Good to be here,
Mollie and Pastor Kenny.
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It is.
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And to my left,
Miss Jill Morikone.
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Thank you, pastor.
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It's a blessing to open
up and study the Word of God,
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and to my left is Shelley Quinn.
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And just can't
wait to get started.
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Amen. Praise the Lord.
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Well, we always start as
we always do in Bible study,
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we must have prayer.
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It's very, very important.
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And, Sister Mollie,
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since you're sitting very close,
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would you just have
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our opening
prayer for us, please?
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I would be
delighted, let's pray.
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Holy Father, we
do come before You
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and we are so grateful,
Father, for this opportunity
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that You've given
us to share Your Word.
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Thank You, Father.
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Now, Lord, what we want to do
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before You is
just surrender to You,
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yield ourselves to You,
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O God, that the words
that we speak will be the words
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that You choose
for us to speak today.
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We pray, Lord,
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that You will anoint
the ears of those that hear,
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open up hearts, Father.
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Let us be vessels of
honor in Your kingdom,
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instruments for You to flow
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through to touch
the needs of others
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is our prayer
today in Jesus' name.
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Amen. Amen.
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Praise the Lord. Well,
we're prayed up, right?
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And we're ready to study
the Word of God together.
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And again, we'll be looking
at Babylon and Armageddon.
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So you have that already down,
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and let's just do our
memory text, shall we?
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We'll go to the
Saturday's part here
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and quickly go over it.
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I have Revelation 17:5,
those of you at home, remember,
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Revelation 17:5
is our memory text,
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and we'll be
bouncing back and forth
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on this in our lesson study.
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Are we ready?
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Can we just read
it out loud together,
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Revelation 17:5?
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And those at home
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just read right out with us too.
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"On her forehead
a name was written,
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mystery, Babylon the Great,
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the mother of harlots,
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and of the
abominations of the earth."
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That sounds interesting.
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If I just look at it quickly,
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it talks about mystery, Babylon.
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You know mystery back
then was a little different...
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nowadays is
different than was back then.
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Mystery, when we think about it,
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as soon as people read
this, they say real quick,
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"Oh, well, we can't
understand this mystery,
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we will never understand."
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No, no, the Book of
Revelation is an open book,
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we can understand
it by the grace of God.
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But here, mystery is simply...
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Excuse me, it means
something that's secret.
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But it's also something
that will be open to those
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who are willing to study.
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God's going to
reveal it to us...
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If you want to
know what truth is,
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be revealed to us.
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And Saturday's lesson,
we go over it, we can see
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the Bible
mentions here this passage,
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it's talking about...
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it reveals a
power that hides sins
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under a religious garb even.
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So as we look at this,
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they have gold,
and pearls, and silver,
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have all kinds of things
here, a gorgeous display.
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So we need to
make sure we understand
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what we're talking
about here in this power.
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We know that Babylon
is mentioned six times
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in the Book of
Revelation, we understand that.
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Now we can go back to Nimrod
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who was we call the
founder of the ancient Babylon.
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But what did he want to do?
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He wanted to set up a government
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that was independent of who?
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God. Independent of God.
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That's right.
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And that sounds just
like Lucifer in heaven,
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he wanted his own...
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who's behind this
but certainly is Lucifer.
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John's exposing then quickly
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a massive
religious political power
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and it's going to
end up persecuting
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and oppressing God's people here
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in these last days.
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So it's imperative
that we understand,
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it's imperative
that we study it.
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Armageddon, just quickly mention
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one little thing
on that Armageddon.
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A lot of people have...
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you know, they've
got misinformation
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on the Battle of Armageddon,
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and they're thinking
about this big battle
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and all kind of things
that's going together in this.
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Is it possible, as
we study this lesson,
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I think it'll
brought out clearly
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that this is really a
battle between good and evil,
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between God,
right, and the enemy,
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and it's going to
close up this way.
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So is it possible?
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Let's just see as we
study our lesson together.
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Let's go quickly,
shall we? Sunday's lesson.
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In Sunday's lesson,
the wine of her wrath.
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Oh, we wish we just had
a lot more time on this.
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I'd want to study this
again, it just began to ring
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all kind of
bells for me, the wine.
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Verse is found
in Revelation 14:8.
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Notice what the Bible said,
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and that's the second
angel's message, isn't it?
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It simply says,
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"And there followed
another angel saying," what?
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Babylon.
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"Babylon is
fallen, that great city
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because she made all
nations drink," what,
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"of the wine of the
wrath of her fornication."
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We studied, and
it's going over and over.
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We realized that
wine is false doctrine,
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false teachings and so on.
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And it's really translated,
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you can translate that
as passionate in morality.
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So we have this power here
that we need to look out for.
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We realize the fall of
Babylon is progressive,
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that's found in
Revelation 18:1-5.
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So what the
second angel's message,
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Revelation 14,
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we have to say come
out of her, my people.
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But the folly, again,
we looked at is, what,
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is progressive and
will continue on down.
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It really gets
bad, we know that.
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Do we say today...
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Could we say,
panel, today that the world
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is really
staggering around today
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like a drunk person
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when it comes to
religious things even?
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Even in our political
field, we can't walk straight,
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we can't talk straight,
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we can't act
right, we can't do...
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Because the wine
has us unbalanced,
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we're just not balanced anymore.
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And we need to be
balanced in the Word of God.
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God condemns
over and over Babylon
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because she's evil,
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because she ends up
making all nations drink
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of this evilness,
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of this false
doctrine and teaching.
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That's why I think so important,
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the 3ABN, to be on
here and give what we call
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the truth of
God's last-day message,
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the warning of the
Three Angels' message
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because we have this
power that's against the enemy,
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the host of darkness,
and out there the world
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has become
darkened by this wine.
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She's going to push it.
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I'm going to read
something from letter 98, 1,900,
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Spirit of Prophecy says this,
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"The people in the
world," notice this,
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"giving their
sanctions to a false Sabbath
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and in
trampling under their feet
00:08:02.54\00:08:04.28
the Sabbath of the
Lord," notice this,
00:08:04.31\00:08:06.75
"have drunk of the wine
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of the wrath of
her fornication."
00:08:08.82\00:08:11.12
So the previous lessons
is dealing with Sabbath issue
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for sure the
commandments of God.
00:08:13.76\00:08:16.22
Review and Herald,
12, 13, 1892 says this,
00:08:16.26\00:08:20.03
"As God called," this
is what it's all about,
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"as God called the
children of Israel out of Egypt
00:08:21.90\00:08:25.80
so that they might do," what,
00:08:25.83\00:08:27.60
"so that they might keep
the Sabbath," notice this,
00:08:27.64\00:08:30.84
"so He calls His
people out of Babylon
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so that they may not worship
the beast and the image."
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Same thing going on here,
00:08:37.98\00:08:39.31
the same great
battle that going on,
00:08:39.35\00:08:41.15
Babylon great...
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You know, prophetic symbol
here of organized, of universal,
00:08:43.08\00:08:47.99
of an apostate
religious organization.
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And this is very
important for us to realize this
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which the world just
doesn't see it this way
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but praise God we have the Word
00:08:55.80\00:08:57.33
and we need to stay in it.
00:08:57.37\00:08:59.23
Babylon then is what?
00:08:59.27\00:09:00.60
It's a force of evil,
00:09:00.64\00:09:01.97
we realize it
had false doctrines,
00:09:02.00\00:09:03.57
false teachings,
dozens and dozens,
00:09:03.61\00:09:06.64
maybe even hundreds,
00:09:06.68\00:09:08.01
I did remember years
ago doing a study on this
00:09:08.04\00:09:10.45
and, you know,
you could quickly look
00:09:10.48\00:09:11.88
at this organization,
you can look at this power,
00:09:11.91\00:09:14.25
you can see 35 to 40 different,
00:09:14.28\00:09:16.72
you know, just
teachings and doctrines
00:09:16.75\00:09:18.49
that are not true
according to Scripture.
00:09:18.52\00:09:20.89
Wow.
00:09:20.92\00:09:22.26
But the world has
hook, line, and sinker,
00:09:22.29\00:09:24.36
grabbed these out
either part or in full
00:09:24.39\00:09:27.10
and they've embraced them
00:09:27.13\00:09:28.46
into the many
churches of the world today
00:09:28.50\00:09:30.57
and they count them as truth
when they came from paganism
00:09:30.60\00:09:33.70
and certainly from Rome.
00:09:33.74\00:09:35.14
We know that for sure.
00:09:35.17\00:09:36.50
Babylon used in
Revelation is symbolic
00:09:36.54\00:09:38.67
of all the apostate
religious organizations.
00:09:38.71\00:09:42.94
And we know we have to go
back in the Old Testament,
00:09:42.98\00:09:46.48
and we compare
the ancient Babylon
00:09:46.51\00:09:48.68
as it were back then,
00:09:48.72\00:09:50.15
and we look at
it from that point,
00:09:50.19\00:09:51.52
and we see her sins, we
see what happened there,
00:09:51.55\00:09:54.26
we can look in
the New Testament,
00:09:54.29\00:09:55.69
and we see the
same thing transpiring.
00:09:55.72\00:09:57.39
It's kind of scary almost,
00:09:57.43\00:10:00.43
but it tells us
how important it is
00:10:00.46\00:10:01.80
that we
understand Babylon prophecy,
00:10:01.83\00:10:03.73
fall of Babylon
finds its fulfillment
00:10:03.77\00:10:05.83
that we
mentioned in the departure
00:10:05.87\00:10:08.14
from Protestantism,
00:10:08.17\00:10:09.94
from the pure and simple message
00:10:09.97\00:10:12.77
that God gave to us.
00:10:12.81\00:10:14.54
So interesting,
00:10:14.58\00:10:16.08
Protestantism
plays a part in this,
00:10:16.11\00:10:18.71
the last day
00:10:18.75\00:10:20.08
because they're either
going to drink of this wine,
00:10:20.12\00:10:22.02
false doctrines,
or they're or not
00:10:22.05\00:10:23.99
and we have to
give a call to come out.
00:10:24.02\00:10:25.35
So constantly, we're saying
that God have mercy, call...
00:10:25.39\00:10:28.32
You can't come out if
you don't get the truth.
00:10:28.36\00:10:31.13
You don't have the
truth, you don't hear the truth,
00:10:31.16\00:10:32.76
you don't understand it,
00:10:32.79\00:10:34.13
where are you
going to come out from?
00:10:34.16\00:10:35.50
It's coming out
00:10:35.53\00:10:36.87
from false
doctrine and teachings
00:10:36.90\00:10:38.23
that's going on
in the world today
00:10:38.27\00:10:39.63
that God has commissioned
each one of you here
00:10:39.67\00:10:42.77
in a very specific
way, and I feel this going
00:10:42.80\00:10:45.27
through my system
time and time again.
00:10:45.31\00:10:47.34
"Kenny, if you do not do it,
you will be held accountable."
00:10:47.38\00:10:50.98
Not because we know so
much and we're so smart
00:10:51.01\00:10:53.21
but God has called us
out of darkness into what?
00:10:53.25\00:10:55.52
Marvelous light
with this message
00:10:55.55\00:10:57.02
we need to give to the world.
00:10:57.05\00:10:59.25
You know, for
this great city Babylon
00:10:59.29\00:11:01.92
the Great is fallen,
00:11:01.96\00:11:04.63
and we find these laws will come
00:11:04.66\00:11:07.20
and they'll be enforced.
00:11:07.23\00:11:08.56
We know that for sure.
00:11:08.60\00:11:09.93
The wine of the wrath...
00:11:09.96\00:11:11.30
quickly as we wind
down, the wine of the wrath,
00:11:11.33\00:11:12.87
Jeremiah used these same words
00:11:12.90\00:11:14.50
talking about a cup of the wine,
00:11:14.54\00:11:15.87
but interesting, the
wine that Babylon offers today
00:11:15.90\00:11:20.01
is different, it's deceitful.
00:11:20.04\00:11:22.34
What they say we're
offering is something good,
00:11:22.38\00:11:24.75
these are truths,
00:11:24.78\00:11:26.11
these are things that
we need in our church,
00:11:26.15\00:11:27.75
these are
doctrines and teachings
00:11:27.78\00:11:29.28
that we have
but the end results,
00:11:29.32\00:11:31.49
we drink of the
wine of the wrath of God
00:11:31.52\00:11:33.72
if we do not follow
what scripture tells us.
00:11:33.76\00:11:35.92
Her fornication,
what is fornication here?
00:11:35.96\00:11:37.83
Spiritual we're talking about.
00:11:37.86\00:11:40.10
It just simply, to me,
00:11:40.13\00:11:41.46
it's just a figure of an
illicit relationship here
00:11:41.50\00:11:44.47
between the church
00:11:44.50\00:11:46.00
and the world or
church and state.
00:11:46.03\00:11:48.30
So it's a
relationship that should not be
00:11:48.34\00:11:49.97
because our
relationship should be who?
00:11:50.01\00:11:52.17
With Christ, Jesus Christ.
00:11:52.21\00:11:53.88
That's what we
should be doing today,
00:11:53.91\00:11:55.34
certainly studying the
Word and staying in the Word
00:11:55.38\00:11:57.75
and studying
these beautiful truths
00:11:57.78\00:11:59.21
that we have.
00:11:59.25\00:12:01.35
Jesus Christ
should be our leader.
00:12:01.38\00:12:04.12
Now, you know,
what has she done?
00:12:04.15\00:12:05.85
Babylon has left Jesus
Christ. They've left the truth.
00:12:05.89\00:12:11.23
And so now we
need to give a call
00:12:11.26\00:12:12.66
to come back, and
James 4:4 says this,
00:12:12.69\00:12:15.96
notice with me, it
says here, it says,
00:12:16.00\00:12:17.73
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses,
00:12:17.77\00:12:20.14
know ye not that the friendship
00:12:20.17\00:12:21.70
of the world is enmity with God?
00:12:21.74\00:12:24.67
Whosoever therefore will
be a friend of the world,"
00:12:24.71\00:12:27.38
We know this is what?
00:12:27.41\00:12:28.74
The enemy of God. Is
simply, "An enemy of God."
00:12:28.78\00:12:31.91
So we can have the
world if you want to,
00:12:31.95\00:12:33.35
but it says that's
an enmity with God.
00:12:33.38\00:12:34.72
We want the world,
00:12:34.75\00:12:36.08
we need to come
out of the world,
00:12:36.12\00:12:37.62
we have to present these truths,
00:12:37.65\00:12:39.29
and then we give
a call to come out.
00:12:39.32\00:12:41.92
That's why we hold meetings,
that's why you do Bible studies
00:12:41.96\00:12:44.56
and you give
these beautiful truths.
00:12:44.59\00:12:46.36
And what do you do?
00:12:46.39\00:12:47.73
You don't just turn
around and walk off, you say,
00:12:47.76\00:12:49.43
"Don't you want to follow Jesus?
00:12:49.46\00:12:50.80
Don't you want to
follow the truth in His Word?"
00:12:50.83\00:12:53.23
And so we need to bring that,
00:12:53.27\00:12:54.74
Ezekiel 16:15,
notice this, it says,
00:12:54.77\00:12:58.34
"But they didn't
trust in their own beauty
00:12:58.37\00:13:00.88
and placed the harlot
00:13:00.91\00:13:02.31
because of thy
renown and pourest out
00:13:02.34\00:13:05.01
by fornication
everyone that passed by
00:13:05.05\00:13:08.38
and noticed it
was his, his it was."
00:13:08.42\00:13:12.49
Interesting here,
the enemy is pouring out
00:13:12.52\00:13:14.59
these false
doctrines and false teaching
00:13:14.62\00:13:16.76
and everybody that
comes by is reaching out
00:13:16.79\00:13:18.59
and just grabbing them and
saying, "Oh, this is good."
00:13:18.63\00:13:20.96
The pastor said,
the evangelist said,
00:13:21.00\00:13:22.83
somebody told me,
00:13:22.86\00:13:24.20
"Why don't you get in the
Word and study for yourself,
00:13:24.23\00:13:25.57
study to show
yourself approved unto God."
00:13:25.60\00:13:27.77
These are life
and death subjects
00:13:27.80\00:13:29.34
and issues that
we're talking about here,
00:13:29.37\00:13:31.37
we talk about
these last day messages.
00:13:31.41\00:13:33.21
Now what's our job?
00:13:33.24\00:13:35.41
I think we have a
job to do, don't you?
00:13:35.44\00:13:36.78
Absolutely.
00:13:36.81\00:13:38.15
And so I think our
job, we've recognized,
00:13:38.18\00:13:39.51
I think, that the world is drunk
00:13:39.55\00:13:41.08
with false
doctrine and teaching,
00:13:41.12\00:13:43.12
and we're not trying to
just hold ourselves up there
00:13:43.15\00:13:45.22
that we know everything.
00:13:45.25\00:13:46.79
Truth is
progressive and honored,
00:13:46.82\00:13:48.36
but as we learn it,
00:13:48.39\00:13:49.72
it just fills your
heart and your mind up
00:13:49.76\00:13:51.53
and you just can't
wait to give it to somebody.
00:13:51.56\00:13:54.13
We all feel that.
00:13:54.16\00:13:55.50
You just can't wait
because it's made you happy.
00:13:55.53\00:13:57.63
So we find that
the world is drunk,
00:13:57.67\00:13:59.47
our job is to sober up
the world that's drunk.
00:13:59.50\00:14:02.67
And how do we sober them up?
00:14:02.70\00:14:04.37
We sober them up by
giving them the truth
00:14:04.41\00:14:07.01
as it is in Jesus Christ.
00:14:07.04\00:14:09.01
Our goal, our objective
is to live for Jesus, right,
00:14:09.04\00:14:12.45
it's to read the Word,
00:14:12.48\00:14:13.82
let the Word come
deep in our heart,
00:14:13.85\00:14:15.18
and our mind, and our soul,
transform us into His image
00:14:15.22\00:14:18.92
that we might be
ready when He comes
00:14:18.95\00:14:20.52
because I'm a truthful believer.
00:14:20.56\00:14:22.19
I'm a believer
that He's coming soon.
00:14:22.22\00:14:23.96
And these truths
are very important.
00:14:23.99\00:14:25.63
I'm thankful to be just
a little small part of it.
00:14:25.66\00:14:27.86
And God bless each one
of you, and we love you.
00:14:27.90\00:14:30.17
And, Sister
Mollie, take it from here.
00:14:30.20\00:14:31.97
Oh, Kenny, that was beautiful.
00:14:32.00\00:14:34.00
You painted the
picture of Babylon
00:14:34.04\00:14:38.37
just as clear as
it could be painted.
00:14:38.41\00:14:40.68
Thank you so much.
00:14:40.71\00:14:42.04
What I'm looking at,
00:14:42.08\00:14:43.41
you looked at the
wine of her wrath,
00:14:43.45\00:14:45.85
I'm looking at the fact...
00:14:45.88\00:14:47.22
Now, to me, this is good news,
00:14:47.25\00:14:49.08
we've got the second angel
00:14:49.12\00:14:51.75
that's flying in
the midst of heaven
00:14:51.79\00:14:53.36
and he's telling us something.
00:14:53.39\00:14:54.72
You know what he's telling us?
00:14:54.76\00:14:56.52
Babylon is fallen.
00:14:56.56\00:14:58.19
Hey, that gives
us encouragement.
00:14:58.23\00:15:00.36
However corrupt and far-reaching
00:15:00.40\00:15:02.86
the influence of the
Babylon has been in the world,
00:15:02.90\00:15:06.23
the Book of
Revelation teaches us
00:15:06.27\00:15:08.50
that one day it
will all come to an end.
00:15:08.54\00:15:12.64
Now the same
scriptures that Kenny covered,
00:15:12.67\00:15:15.78
I'm going to cover as well.
00:15:15.81\00:15:17.15
I want you in Revelation,
first of all, chapter 14.
00:15:17.18\00:15:19.85
Then we're going to
jump down to chapter 18.
00:15:19.88\00:15:24.35
So starting
with Revelation 14:8.
00:15:24.39\00:15:28.89
Now the foundation
that Kenny laid so well,
00:15:28.92\00:15:33.60
Babylon is
00:15:33.63\00:15:37.00
an apostate system.
00:15:37.03\00:15:41.14
It is a system that promotes,
00:15:41.17\00:15:46.34
proclaims false worship,
00:15:46.37\00:15:50.35
is a force of
evil, false doctrine,
00:15:50.38\00:15:53.72
false teaching, it's a
false religious system.
00:15:53.75\00:15:58.35
That's what it is.
00:15:58.39\00:16:01.29
And in Revelation 14:8,
00:16:01.32\00:16:05.79
it's the second angel's message,
00:16:05.83\00:16:07.66
and I'm thinking...
00:16:07.70\00:16:09.03
Kenny, you alluded to this,
00:16:09.06\00:16:10.87
what's the name of this network
that you're watching right now?
00:16:10.90\00:16:14.67
It's Three Angels'
broadcasting network.
00:16:14.70\00:16:17.44
It's the Three Angels'
messages of Revelation 14
00:16:17.47\00:16:21.48
and something you made clear,
00:16:21.51\00:16:23.14
I believe, in last week's lesson
00:16:23.18\00:16:25.98
was that the it's
three separate messages
00:16:26.01\00:16:30.55
but they're really one,
they build on each other.
00:16:30.59\00:16:33.42
So it's the
Three Angels' messages
00:16:33.46\00:16:35.59
of Revelation chapter 14.
00:16:35.62\00:16:38.23
And what 3ABN
has been called to do
00:16:38.26\00:16:41.96
is to
counteract the counterfeit.
00:16:42.00\00:16:45.37
Now this counterfeit
is the message of Babylon.
00:16:45.40\00:16:50.74
What does Babylon
mean, just that word?
00:16:50.77\00:16:53.04
Well, it's confusion,
00:16:53.07\00:16:56.08
it's false apostasy.
00:16:56.11\00:16:59.05
So 3ABN, this television network
00:16:59.08\00:17:02.18
was called initially to start
00:17:02.22\00:17:04.09
with to counteract
this counterfeit system,
00:17:04.12\00:17:07.46
to proclaim an end-time
message for an end time people,
00:17:07.49\00:17:12.69
and we are in these end times,
00:17:12.73\00:17:14.83
and that's the purpose
of this television network,
00:17:14.86\00:17:18.07
and that's the purpose
of these teachings here
00:17:18.10\00:17:21.54
in Revelation.
00:17:21.57\00:17:22.90
So I want us to read
Revelation 14:8 again,
00:17:22.94\00:17:26.27
"And another angel
followed saying Babylon
00:17:26.31\00:17:30.81
is fallen, is
fallen, that great city
00:17:30.85\00:17:33.48
because she has made all
nations drink of the wine
00:17:33.52\00:17:37.62
of the wrath of
her fornication."
00:17:37.65\00:17:39.12
Kenny, you
handled that beautifully.
00:17:39.15\00:17:42.32
Now the message is
repeated in Revelation 18.
00:17:42.36\00:17:46.56
But, you know, there
was a natural Babylon,
00:17:46.59\00:17:51.10
that's not what
we're looking at.
00:17:51.13\00:17:52.73
The Babylon that we're
looking at that is fallen
00:17:52.77\00:17:55.64
is a false religious system.
00:17:55.67\00:17:58.27
It is an apostate system,
00:17:58.31\00:18:00.58
but there was a natural Babylon,
00:18:00.61\00:18:03.88
and it was once a great Kingdom
00:18:03.91\00:18:07.62
where the Tower of
Babel wasn't remembered,
00:18:07.65\00:18:10.55
what is that?
00:18:10.59\00:18:11.92
That is confused or confusion,
00:18:11.95\00:18:14.66
and let me give
you a little account
00:18:14.69\00:18:16.09
of King Nebuchadnezzar.
00:18:16.12\00:18:17.46
Remember him?
00:18:17.49\00:18:18.83
What did he do to
the nation of Israel?
00:18:18.86\00:18:21.23
Did he not lead them captive
00:18:21.26\00:18:23.77
and take them away to Babylon?
00:18:23.80\00:18:27.34
And Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego were part of those
00:18:27.37\00:18:30.84
that were taken into Babylon
00:18:30.87\00:18:32.71
and something that
we had said so often.
00:18:32.74\00:18:35.18
And, Kenny, you
mentioned it too,
00:18:35.21\00:18:37.21
it's a fault system of worship.
00:18:37.25\00:18:39.58
Though the
contention has always been over,
00:18:39.61\00:18:44.05
the issue has always been
who are you going to worship.
00:18:44.09\00:18:47.32
Remember what King
Nebuchadnezzar did?
00:18:47.36\00:18:49.72
He built an idol of gold
and he told those children,
00:18:49.76\00:18:53.96
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
00:18:54.00\00:18:55.66
that everybody in that nation
00:18:55.70\00:18:57.80
that they were going to
have to bow down and worship
00:18:57.83\00:19:00.77
that false
system, that false idol.
00:19:00.80\00:19:03.04
Well, that was not something
that Shadrach, Meshach,
00:19:03.07\00:19:07.28
and Abednego were willing to do,
00:19:07.31\00:19:08.88
but going back
00:19:08.91\00:19:10.71
to the very roots
of Babylon, initially,
00:19:10.75\00:19:14.22
it was ungodly,
the persecution...
00:19:14.25\00:19:18.25
they persecuted and they
killed God's chosen people.
00:19:18.29\00:19:22.09
Today, Babylon
depicts a spiritual Kingdom
00:19:22.12\00:19:25.76
whose purpose
hasn't changed one bit.
00:19:25.79\00:19:29.16
The purpose is
still to persecute
00:19:29.20\00:19:31.90
and to kill God's chosen people.
00:19:31.93\00:19:34.90
So now I have
you in Revelation 18,
00:19:34.94\00:19:38.11
we're going to start in verse 1.
00:19:38.14\00:19:41.21
And the scripture says,
"All these things I saw,
00:19:41.24\00:19:45.68
after these things I saw
another angel coming down
00:19:45.71\00:19:48.85
from heaven
having great authority."
00:19:48.88\00:19:52.15
Now where is this
angel coming from?
00:19:52.19\00:19:54.86
He's coming from
heaven. So this is a good angel.
00:19:54.89\00:19:58.09
This is the second angel
and he has great authority.
00:19:58.13\00:20:02.43
Do you know what that means?
00:20:02.46\00:20:04.00
God has given him power,
00:20:04.03\00:20:06.47
and He's giving him
power to do something,
00:20:06.50\00:20:09.50
and the earth was illuminated,
00:20:09.54\00:20:13.11
made light with his glory.
00:20:13.14\00:20:15.81
Now what did...
00:20:15.84\00:20:17.18
Jill, this is something
you taught us the other day.
00:20:17.21\00:20:20.22
You taught us that the
glory is the character of God.
00:20:20.25\00:20:24.29
Kenny, you asked
what is our mission,
00:20:24.32\00:20:26.99
what is it that we
are required to do.
00:20:27.02\00:20:30.33
We are required to...
00:20:30.36\00:20:32.69
What is the only
thing you can take
00:20:32.73\00:20:34.20
into the presence of God?
00:20:34.23\00:20:36.03
It's His character.
00:20:36.06\00:20:37.40
You can't take
any of your wealth.
00:20:37.43\00:20:39.27
The only thing you can
take into the portals of heaven
00:20:39.30\00:20:42.47
is your character.
00:20:42.50\00:20:43.84
And your time for
character building
00:20:43.87\00:20:47.34
is here on this side.
00:20:47.38\00:20:49.34
Once the Lord
returns, whatever condition
00:20:49.38\00:20:53.01
He finds you in is
the condition you're in.
00:20:53.05\00:20:56.08
Today is the day,
00:20:56.12\00:20:57.45
and it's when
the character of God
00:20:57.49\00:20:59.49
is revealed in the earth
that the Lord can return.
00:20:59.52\00:21:02.59
Am I right on
that, Pastor Kenny?
00:21:02.62\00:21:04.19
Absolutely.
00:21:04.23\00:21:05.56
Okay, and here's
what this angel does,
00:21:05.59\00:21:07.56
and he cries with them...
00:21:07.60\00:21:10.03
He cried mighty
with a loud voice.
00:21:10.07\00:21:13.54
And I think, Jill, you said
00:21:13.57\00:21:15.10
that meant that
he did something,
00:21:15.14\00:21:16.81
that he screamed,
00:21:16.84\00:21:18.17
he wants everyone
to hear this message.
00:21:18.21\00:21:21.18
"He cried mightily
with a loud voice saying,
00:21:21.21\00:21:24.75
'Babylon the Great
is fallen, is fallen
00:21:24.78\00:21:27.22
and has become a
dwelling place of demons,
00:21:27.25\00:21:30.32
a prison for every foul spirit,
00:21:30.35\00:21:33.09
and a cage for every
unclean and hated bird.'"
00:21:33.12\00:21:36.76
That just sounds disgusting.
00:21:36.79\00:21:39.73
Look at this, verse
3, "For all the nations."
00:21:39.76\00:21:42.96
How many of the nations? All.
00:21:43.00\00:21:44.77
Is this global?
00:21:44.80\00:21:46.20
It's not just one place,
00:21:46.23\00:21:48.30
it's not just one
area of this world
00:21:48.34\00:21:51.04
that is in bad shape.
00:21:51.07\00:21:52.41
This is global,
00:21:52.44\00:21:54.08
"for all nations
have drunk of the wine
00:21:54.11\00:21:56.61
of the wrath of her fornication,
00:21:56.64\00:21:58.58
the kings of this earth."
00:21:58.61\00:22:00.28
Who are the kings of this earth?
00:22:00.32\00:22:01.85
That would be the
governmental powers.
00:22:01.88\00:22:04.35
"Have committed
fornication with her."
00:22:04.39\00:22:06.19
And I want to look at
that word "fornication"
00:22:06.22\00:22:08.06
for just a minute.
00:22:08.09\00:22:09.42
Do you know to
commit fornication
00:22:09.46\00:22:10.93
with someone you have to
have an intimate relationship?
00:22:10.96\00:22:14.16
The kings, the
governmental powers
00:22:14.20\00:22:16.50
of this earth
00:22:16.53\00:22:18.30
have an intimate
relationship with who?
00:22:18.33\00:22:23.04
With these foul
spirits of Babylon.
00:22:23.07\00:22:29.98
"And the merchants of
the earth have become rich
00:22:30.01\00:22:34.78
through the
abundance of her luxury
00:22:34.82\00:22:38.05
and I heard another
voice from heaven saying..."
00:22:38.09\00:22:41.29
Boy, here is the
grace and mercy of God,
00:22:41.32\00:22:43.76
in these apostate systems,
00:22:43.79\00:22:47.43
in these false
systems of worship,
00:22:47.46\00:22:52.03
in these churches, in
these religious systems
00:22:52.07\00:22:57.74
where they're
teaching false doctrine.
00:22:57.77\00:23:01.04
Listen at what the angel says,
"Come out of her, my people,
00:23:01.08\00:23:05.45
lest you share in her sins
00:23:05.48\00:23:07.52
and lest you
receive of her plagues."
00:23:07.55\00:23:09.48
Do you know what
that is telling us?
00:23:09.52\00:23:11.02
That even in
these false systems,
00:23:11.05\00:23:12.95
Pastor Kenny,
there are people of God,
00:23:12.99\00:23:15.29
"Come out of her, my people."
00:23:15.32\00:23:16.93
He refers to them as his people.
00:23:16.96\00:23:19.26
So we're not saying
00:23:19.29\00:23:20.96
that if you're in a false system
00:23:21.00\00:23:24.00
that there is no hope for you.
00:23:24.03\00:23:26.97
What we are saying is,
boy, when you know the truth,
00:23:27.00\00:23:30.41
the truth shall set you free,
00:23:30.44\00:23:31.77
and you are required to
walk in the light as God
00:23:31.81\00:23:34.38
is shining it on you.
00:23:34.41\00:23:35.94
"For her sins
have reached the heaven
00:23:35.98\00:23:37.95
and God has
remembered her iniquities."
00:23:37.98\00:23:40.25
Now this is saying that
00:23:40.28\00:23:45.25
there is a point
00:23:45.29\00:23:46.62
where God is going
to say enough is enough.
00:23:46.65\00:23:49.72
There is that point.
00:23:49.76\00:23:51.09
And when He does,
Babylon will fall.
00:23:51.13\00:23:55.00
When God says enough is enough,
00:23:55.03\00:23:56.80
that's because
her sins have reached
00:23:56.83\00:24:00.30
all the way into heaven.
00:24:00.34\00:24:01.77
Now I want to
jump over to Jeremiah
00:24:01.80\00:24:04.01
because history is
only repeating itself.
00:24:04.04\00:24:06.88
Jeremiah 51:8-9,
00:24:06.91\00:24:10.91
this is in the natural,
"Babylon has suddenly fallen
00:24:10.95\00:24:15.28
and been destroyed well for her,
00:24:15.32\00:24:17.79
take balm for her pain,
perhaps she may be healed.
00:24:17.82\00:24:21.42
We would have healed Babylon
00:24:21.46\00:24:23.06
but," listen to this,
"but she is not healed,
00:24:23.09\00:24:26.09
forsake her and
let us go everyone
00:24:26.13\00:24:28.93
to our own country
for her judgment reaches
00:24:28.96\00:24:33.17
to heaven and is
lifted up to the skies."
00:24:33.20\00:24:36.30
So, for us, how do
we protect ourselves
00:24:36.34\00:24:39.47
from these false
systems of religion?
00:24:39.51\00:24:42.31
We protect ourselves
by knowing the truth,
00:24:42.34\00:24:45.41
getting to God's Word,
allowing this Word to teach us,
00:24:45.45\00:24:49.52
and when you know the truth,
the truth shall set you free.
00:24:49.55\00:24:53.22
Amen. Pastor CA.
00:24:53.25\00:24:54.59
That's good. Well done, Mollie.
00:24:54.62\00:24:56.32
I feel your passion.
00:24:56.36\00:24:59.06
We now begin three days of study
00:24:59.09\00:25:02.83
of what Armageddon is.
00:25:02.86\00:25:05.10
And Armageddon
is an integral part
00:25:05.13\00:25:08.04
of this message.
00:25:08.07\00:25:12.57
There's so many
ways to look at this,
00:25:12.61\00:25:14.84
and I'm going to try
to stay as narrow focused
00:25:14.88\00:25:17.68
as I can so I don't step on Jill
00:25:17.71\00:25:19.95
and Shelley coming up after me.
00:25:19.98\00:25:21.62
You can step all you
want. I appreciate that.
00:25:21.65\00:25:25.82
But I wanted to say this,
when we deal with Babylon,
00:25:25.85\00:25:31.09
the idea that is
being promoted here
00:25:31.13\00:25:33.70
is the fact that
Babylon is fallen.
00:25:33.73\00:25:37.13
Now you may say, "How
can you sit there and say
00:25:37.17\00:25:41.64
that there are
religious practices,
00:25:41.67\00:25:45.71
religious churches,
00:25:45.74\00:25:47.31
religious
groups that are fallen,
00:25:47.34\00:25:49.68
that are unacceptable to God?"
00:25:49.71\00:25:52.45
And I would say
we're not saying that,
00:25:52.48\00:25:56.35
the Bible is.
00:25:56.38\00:25:57.72
Amen.
00:25:57.75\00:25:59.39
The second angel
is saying it's fallen,
00:25:59.42\00:26:03.93
it's not acceptable.
00:26:03.96\00:26:06.19
Then the fourth angel
comes with one message.
00:26:06.23\00:26:11.80
It is a
repetition of that message,
00:26:11.83\00:26:14.34
it's fallen.
00:26:14.37\00:26:15.87
And not only does
it say it is fallen
00:26:15.90\00:26:18.81
but that it's filled
with demons, it's foul,
00:26:18.84\00:26:24.85
and it's unacceptable.
00:26:24.88\00:26:26.21
Yes, that's right.
00:26:26.25\00:26:27.58
Now pluralism says,
"Everybody's truth is truth."
00:26:27.62\00:26:32.85
You got your
truth, I got my truth,
00:26:32.89\00:26:35.99
and everybody's truth is truth.
00:26:36.02\00:26:39.33
The problem is that ain't true.
00:26:39.36\00:26:43.73
It's not true.
Everybody can't be right.
00:26:43.77\00:26:47.57
Now in our modern day society,
00:26:47.60\00:26:50.51
that kind of doesn't
resonate with some folks
00:26:50.54\00:26:53.04
because everybody's right,
00:26:53.07\00:26:54.41
what's right for
you is right for you,
00:26:54.44\00:26:55.78
what's right for
you is right for you,
00:26:55.81\00:26:57.15
what's right for you...
00:26:57.18\00:26:58.51
You know, I've got my
truth, you got your truth.
00:26:58.55\00:27:00.42
Well, try telling
that to the officer
00:27:00.45\00:27:03.15
who catches you doing a
75 in a 50 and tell them,
00:27:03.18\00:27:06.49
"Well, you got
your truth, I got mine,"
00:27:06.52\00:27:08.32
and see if that flies.
00:27:08.36\00:27:09.69
You know,
everything can't be true.
00:27:09.72\00:27:12.09
There's got to
be ultimate truth.
00:27:12.13\00:27:15.00
And God is saying that,
00:27:15.03\00:27:16.60
"There is a way to
worship Me that is acceptable
00:27:16.63\00:27:21.57
and there are ways to worship Me
00:27:21.60\00:27:24.11
that are unacceptable."
00:27:24.14\00:27:25.47
Yes.
00:27:25.51\00:27:26.84
Everything out there
doesn't come from the Lord.
00:27:26.88\00:27:30.81
Some is manmade and
some, frankly, is demonic.
00:27:30.85\00:27:36.48
I'm not saying that,
Bible is, the Bible is.
00:27:36.52\00:27:39.89
And that's what the messages
00:27:39.92\00:27:41.92
or the message
of the Three Angels
00:27:41.96\00:27:44.69
but tressed by this fourth angel
00:27:44.73\00:27:46.66
is trying to say.
00:27:46.70\00:27:48.03
So now we look at Armageddon.
00:27:48.06\00:27:52.07
There are few doctrines
00:27:52.10\00:27:54.84
or things in the Bible
00:27:54.87\00:27:58.07
that have been
more Hollywood-ized,
00:27:58.11\00:28:02.78
mythologized than Armageddon.
00:28:02.81\00:28:08.38
Movie-ized, you know.
00:28:08.42\00:28:10.72
So there are
people even in churches
00:28:10.75\00:28:13.09
who don't really know
00:28:13.12\00:28:14.79
and understand
what Armageddon is.
00:28:14.82\00:28:18.13
Now I have stopped,
00:28:18.16\00:28:19.49
and I know that Jill and Shelley
00:28:19.53\00:28:20.86
are going to touch on this also,
00:28:20.90\00:28:22.23
and I've overlooked
the valley of Jezreel
00:28:22.26\00:28:23.60
also called the
plains of as Esdraelon,
00:28:23.63\00:28:25.27
the valley of Megiddo.
00:28:25.30\00:28:27.34
There are people
who say every army
00:28:27.37\00:28:28.87
in the world is going to
meet in that little area.
00:28:28.90\00:28:30.54
Well, that cannot
happen physically,
00:28:30.57\00:28:32.91
it cannot happen.
00:28:32.94\00:28:34.28
So we are dealing in a
book that is full of symbols.
00:28:34.31\00:28:39.81
So it would be a
mistake to try to literalize
00:28:39.85\00:28:44.65
that which is
intended to be symbolic.
00:28:44.69\00:28:48.76
The term "Armageddon" meaning
Mount of the congregation
00:28:48.79\00:28:52.69
or the Mount of Megiddo,
00:28:52.73\00:28:56.73
I believe, is a symbolic one.
00:28:56.77\00:29:00.40
The battle is not between Russia
00:29:00.44\00:29:03.24
and the United States or
communism and republicanism,
00:29:03.27\00:29:08.98
the battle is good versus evil.
00:29:09.01\00:29:12.48
Yes.
00:29:12.51\00:29:13.85
The battle is
Christ versus Satan.
00:29:13.88\00:29:16.85
The battle is a prelude
00:29:16.89\00:29:19.49
to an ultimate adjudication
for one of a better word
00:29:19.52\00:29:24.83
as to who's getting in
00:29:24.86\00:29:27.26
and who is not and
what is God going to do
00:29:27.30\00:29:30.30
about the sin problem.
00:29:30.33\00:29:31.83
Yes.
00:29:31.87\00:29:33.20
So I'm going to leave
00:29:33.23\00:29:35.84
the Mount Carmel
experience to Jill
00:29:35.87\00:29:39.61
and will try to
stay in my lane here
00:29:39.64\00:29:42.34
and resist the
temptation to do out.
00:29:42.38\00:29:45.55
Revelation is,
for many Christians,
00:29:45.58\00:29:48.58
a mysterious book and
God does not want it to be.
00:29:48.62\00:29:51.49
He just says to get the gold,
00:29:51.52\00:29:53.32
you got to dig
and you got to work,
00:29:53.36\00:29:54.69
it's not lying on the surface.
00:29:54.72\00:29:56.19
And the truth about Armageddon
00:29:56.22\00:29:59.36
is that also
there is a battle motif.
00:29:59.39\00:30:02.10
We see that in Revelation 14.
00:30:02.13\00:30:07.24
In verse 16, they
are gathered together,
00:30:07.27\00:30:10.87
the antecedent of the frogs
00:30:10.91\00:30:14.78
is where there's a
little bit of a problem.
00:30:14.81\00:30:16.64
Let's go to Revelation 14,
00:30:16.68\00:30:19.21
and I've got to
keep my eye on my time.
00:30:19.25\00:30:20.58
Are we in Revelation 16?
00:30:20.62\00:30:22.72
I'm in Revelation chapter...
00:30:22.75\00:30:26.32
Yes, I am. Sixteen.
00:30:26.35\00:30:27.69
Yes. I got my 14s and my 16s.
00:30:27.72\00:30:31.29
I got my 14s and my 16s.
00:30:31.33\00:30:35.10
No, I want...
00:30:35.13\00:30:36.46
Let me just go...
00:30:36.50\00:30:39.30
Unclean spirits?
00:30:39.33\00:30:41.10
Yes. Yeah. 16:13.
00:30:41.14\00:30:42.90
I'm in 16:13. I surely am.
00:30:42.94\00:30:45.07
Okay. Let's see.
00:30:45.11\00:30:48.94
Here we go,
00:30:48.98\00:30:50.31
"And I saw three unclean spirits
00:30:50.35\00:30:51.68
like frogs
coming out of the mouth
00:30:51.71\00:30:53.15
of the dragon, the
mouth of the beast,
00:30:53.18\00:30:55.52
the mouth of the false prophet
00:30:55.55\00:30:57.69
for they are spirits
of demons performing signs
00:30:57.72\00:31:00.06
which go out to
the kings of the earth
00:31:00.09\00:31:02.36
and the whole
world to gather them
00:31:02.39\00:31:04.19
to the battle of the great God
a great day of God Almighty."
00:31:04.23\00:31:08.06
So there is a battle motif.
00:31:08.10\00:31:12.77
And the antecedent
of them is the problem.
00:31:12.80\00:31:16.17
So you've got
three unclean spirits
00:31:16.20\00:31:18.34
like frogs gathering
the kings of the earth
00:31:18.37\00:31:23.24
to a final apocalyptic battle
00:31:23.28\00:31:26.18
which deals
with the sin question
00:31:26.21\00:31:28.78
not army against army.
00:31:28.82\00:31:30.85
The question in that
scenario that is never answered
00:31:30.89\00:31:35.89
if you believe that
this is a physical battle
00:31:35.92\00:31:38.49
is why the battle, what for,
and what will it accomplish.
00:31:38.53\00:31:42.40
Well, the only way to
answer that is the realization
00:31:42.43\00:31:47.20
that we're dealing
with a spiritual battle.
00:31:47.24\00:31:49.87
Yes.
00:31:49.90\00:31:53.31
So we've got to get
fact and not fiction.
00:31:53.34\00:31:55.68
I'm looking at my time,
00:31:55.71\00:31:57.05
so I've got to
do a little jumping.
00:31:57.08\00:31:59.38
"Armageddon has become
a pop-culture euphemism
00:31:59.41\00:32:03.32
for the
destruction of the world,
00:32:03.35\00:32:06.22
but it is dealing
with the destruction of sin
00:32:06.25\00:32:10.83
and the destruction
of the sin problem."
00:32:10.86\00:32:13.60
I like that.
00:32:13.63\00:32:16.67
I've got this thing about
the key player being a dragon
00:32:16.70\00:32:18.73
in my time...
00:32:18.77\00:32:20.27
It's funny, you
write all this stuff down
00:32:20.30\00:32:21.64
and you don't have
time to go through it.
00:32:21.67\00:32:24.57
If you have any doubt,
00:32:24.61\00:32:26.94
let's look at what
Christ inserts here
00:32:26.98\00:32:29.64
in verse 15.
00:32:29.68\00:32:31.18
And I love this
idea, I really do.
00:32:31.21\00:32:34.38
Christ says, "Behold,
I'm coming as a thief.
00:32:34.42\00:32:37.22
Blessed is he who
watches and keeps his garments,
00:32:37.25\00:32:39.82
lest he walk naked,
and they see his shame."
00:32:39.85\00:32:42.46
So in the middle of
this battle scenario,
00:32:42.49\00:32:45.69
Christ gives us an almost
peace be still insertion there.
00:32:45.73\00:32:50.00
It's like He's
calming the waters.
00:32:50.03\00:32:51.97
He's saying,
"Don't you get worried,
00:32:52.00\00:32:54.94
don't you be upset,
just hold on to your faith,
00:32:54.97\00:32:58.71
hold on to your garments,
and you will be all right."
00:32:58.74\00:33:03.71
So He's giving us
a little assurance
00:33:03.75\00:33:06.72
that even
though there is mayhem,
00:33:06.75\00:33:11.35
dare I say, even
though there is carnage
00:33:11.39\00:33:16.16
and all of this all around
you, God's people can be calm,
00:33:16.19\00:33:23.16
they can be at peace
because you are clothed
00:33:23.20\00:33:27.64
in the garments
of righteousness,
00:33:27.67\00:33:29.67
you will walk with Jesus,
00:33:29.70\00:33:31.47
and you can stand
during these times.
00:33:31.51\00:33:35.48
Now the next event after this
00:33:35.51\00:33:37.58
of course is the
coming of the Lord.
00:33:37.61\00:33:42.02
But this upheaval must
precede the coming of the Lord.
00:33:42.05\00:33:46.76
But God's people need not
fear, they need not worry,
00:33:46.79\00:33:50.96
they need not have...
00:33:50.99\00:33:52.33
What's the word I want,
they need not be afraid simply
00:33:55.90\00:33:58.83
because they will make it
00:33:58.87\00:34:01.24
through as they
keep their hand held
00:34:01.27\00:34:03.51
in the hand of Jesus
00:34:03.54\00:34:05.11
and as they hold on to
Christ and stand with Him,
00:34:05.14\00:34:08.94
you will make it
through to that seventh vial
00:34:08.98\00:34:12.48
and to the time
when the Lord comes
00:34:12.51\00:34:15.28
and takes His children home.
00:34:15.32\00:34:18.12
That's right. I think
I'll pass it on to you.
00:34:18.15\00:34:20.56
Amen. Thank you
so much, Pastor CA.
00:34:20.59\00:34:23.66
Armageddon being
the symbolic battle,
00:34:23.69\00:34:26.09
what a great description,
what a great analogy.
00:34:26.13\00:34:29.80
And the end of the sin problem,
00:34:29.83\00:34:31.93
I wrote that down
here as you were talking.
00:34:31.97\00:34:33.77
I loved that, the
end of the sin problem.
00:34:33.80\00:34:36.71
Praise the Lord,
that's what we all want.
00:34:36.74\00:34:38.44
We live in this world of sin
00:34:38.47\00:34:39.81
and know it will be
the end of that problem.
00:34:39.84\00:34:42.81
You referenced verse
13, the dragon, the beast,
00:34:42.84\00:34:46.38
and the false prophet back
in I think it was lesson 9.
00:34:46.41\00:34:49.28
We talked about that
with the counterfeit trinity
00:34:49.32\00:34:52.55
and these three
powers gathering together,
00:34:52.59\00:34:55.56
gathering symbolic,
00:34:55.59\00:34:57.43
this symbolic
battle taking place.
00:34:57.46\00:34:59.16
But Shelley and I
both have Armageddon
00:34:59.19\00:35:02.56
and Mount Carmel, and
we know that Mount Carmel
00:35:02.60\00:35:05.57
isn't too far
from the actual valley
00:35:05.60\00:35:07.80
that you had talked about.
00:35:07.84\00:35:09.74
And I want to go
back to 1 Kings 18.
00:35:09.77\00:35:13.44
So if you want to turn in
your Bibles to 1 Kings 18.
00:35:13.48\00:35:18.18
We will see this confrontation
00:35:18.21\00:35:20.32
that took place at Mount Carmel,
00:35:20.35\00:35:23.49
this
confrontation, the great battle,
00:35:23.52\00:35:25.69
as it were, between Elijah
and the worship of God versus
00:35:25.72\00:35:30.73
Ahab and Jezebel,
and the worship of Baal,
00:35:30.76\00:35:34.63
and the prophets
who worshipped Baal.
00:35:34.66\00:35:36.97
So my passage is 1
Kings 18, the first 18 verses
00:35:37.00\00:35:40.40
and then Shelley will
pick up the actual showdown.
00:35:40.44\00:35:42.54
This is just leading into that.
00:35:42.57\00:35:45.04
So verse 1 says,
00:35:45.07\00:35:46.44
"It came to pass after many days
00:35:46.47\00:35:48.04
that the word of
the Lord came to Elijah
00:35:48.08\00:35:49.84
in the third year saying,
'Go present yourself to Ahab
00:35:49.88\00:35:54.12
and I will send
rain on the earth."'
00:35:54.15\00:35:56.15
So we have to think
what is taking place here.
00:35:56.18\00:35:58.55
We're picking up the
story, kind of, in the middle
00:35:58.59\00:36:00.42
because it says the third year.
00:36:00.46\00:36:02.59
This is the third
year of the famine,
00:36:02.62\00:36:04.86
the third year
00:36:04.89\00:36:06.23
since Elijah
made the proclamation.
00:36:06.26\00:36:07.90
Remember he went and appeared
before King Ahab, and said,
00:36:07.93\00:36:11.23
"There will be
no more dew nor rain
00:36:11.27\00:36:14.94
until you acknowledge
that God is God alone,
00:36:14.97\00:36:18.07
God is supreme."
00:36:18.11\00:36:20.11
Let's look back one chapter.
00:36:20.14\00:36:24.48
Let's look at 1
Kings, two chapters actually,
00:36:24.51\00:36:27.05
1 Kings 16
00:36:27.08\00:36:29.05
because why would
God withhold rain?
00:36:29.08\00:36:31.62
Why would there not even be rain
00:36:31.65\00:36:33.92
upon the land of Israel?
00:36:33.96\00:36:35.29
So let's look at 1 Kings 16:33.
00:36:35.32\00:36:38.79
It says, "And Ahab
made a wooden image,
00:36:38.83\00:36:41.46
Ahab did more to provoke
the Lord God of Israel to anger
00:36:41.50\00:36:46.53
than all the kings of
Israel who were before him."
00:36:46.57\00:36:50.44
Mercy.
00:36:50.47\00:36:51.81
So other kings of Israel
had done some false worship,
00:36:51.84\00:36:54.98
other kings of
Israel had worshiped
00:36:55.01\00:36:56.85
other gods but
Ahab specifically did
00:36:56.88\00:37:00.32
more than any of
the kings before him.
00:37:00.35\00:37:02.58
He was more
wicked, he was more evil,
00:37:02.62\00:37:04.89
and we know he was spurred
on by his wicked wife Jezebel.
00:37:04.92\00:37:09.19
And that is a
whole another story
00:37:09.22\00:37:10.93
for a whole another time
00:37:10.96\00:37:12.39
about the
influence she had over him,
00:37:12.43\00:37:15.06
and in the kingdom,
and the evil influence.
00:37:15.10\00:37:17.37
But let's look at who
causes and brings rain.
00:37:17.40\00:37:21.20
Deuteronomy 11.
00:37:21.24\00:37:23.77
If you want to turn back with me
00:37:23.81\00:37:25.37
to Deuteronomy 11,
00:37:25.41\00:37:27.51
we'll look at verse 13, it says,
00:37:27.54\00:37:29.61
"It shall be that
if you earnestly obey
00:37:29.64\00:37:32.05
my Commandments
which I command you today
00:37:32.08\00:37:34.62
to love the Lord
your God and serve him
00:37:34.65\00:37:36.92
with all your heart,
00:37:36.95\00:37:38.29
with all your soul,
then I will give you rain
00:37:38.32\00:37:42.49
for your land in its season,
00:37:42.52\00:37:45.19
the early rain
and the latter rain."
00:37:45.23\00:37:47.70
But then you jump
down to verse 18...
00:37:47.73\00:37:50.87
I'm sorry not 18, 16 and 17.
00:37:50.90\00:37:53.34
It says, "Take
heed to yourselves
00:37:53.37\00:37:54.94
lest your heart be
deceived and you turn aside
00:37:54.97\00:37:57.34
and serve other
gods and worship them,
00:37:57.37\00:38:00.14
lest the Lord's anger
be aroused against you
00:38:00.18\00:38:02.31
and He shut up the
heavens so that there be no rain
00:38:02.34\00:38:07.05
and the land yield no produce."
00:38:07.08\00:38:08.82
So there was a
biblical precedent
00:38:08.85\00:38:10.99
for what was taking place here
00:38:11.02\00:38:12.92
at the time of Ahab and Jezebel.
00:38:12.95\00:38:17.03
The people who worship Baal,
00:38:17.06\00:38:18.43
the people who
followed Baal believed
00:38:18.46\00:38:20.03
that Baal was the
god of fresh water
00:38:20.06\00:38:22.43
who sent the dew and the rain,
00:38:22.46\00:38:24.10
and God was coming
into the story and saying,
00:38:24.13\00:38:26.74
"Uh-huh, I am the God,
the God of heaven and earth.
00:38:26.77\00:38:30.34
I am Creator God,
00:38:30.37\00:38:31.94
and I am the one
who gives the rain
00:38:31.97\00:38:34.11
and the dew or
who with holds that."
00:38:34.14\00:38:36.81
So now that we have that story,
00:38:36.85\00:38:39.68
it has been three
years now into the famine
00:38:39.71\00:38:42.12
and there's been no
rain, there's been no dew,
00:38:42.15\00:38:44.85
and the stage is being
set for this great showdown
00:38:44.89\00:38:48.22
that Shelley's
going to talk about.
00:38:48.26\00:38:50.13
In verse 2, now
before we mention that,
00:38:50.16\00:38:53.36
you know, the Word of the
Lord came to Elijah and said,
00:38:53.40\00:38:55.33
"Present yourself to Ahab."
00:38:55.36\00:38:56.70
Now we'll discover
later in this passage
00:38:56.73\00:38:59.27
that Ahab had
been looking for Elijah
00:38:59.30\00:39:03.00
and Elijah had gone away a bit.
00:39:03.04\00:39:06.01
So if the Word of the
Lord came to you and said,
00:39:06.04\00:39:08.14
"Okay, go to someone
who's looking for you,
00:39:08.18\00:39:10.18
someone who's mad at you."
00:39:10.21\00:39:11.88
What would you say?
00:39:11.91\00:39:13.25
You know, Shelley, I'd be
like, "Oh, are you sure, God?
00:39:13.28\00:39:16.18
Are you sure You
want me to be doing this?"
00:39:16.22\00:39:19.35
But I might be
killed, that's right.
00:39:19.39\00:39:21.09
But Elijah walks in obedience.
00:39:21.12\00:39:23.83
Amen. It says in verse 2.
00:39:23.86\00:39:25.59
So Elijah went to
present himself to Ahab.
00:39:25.63\00:39:29.06
So immediately he goes,
00:39:29.10\00:39:31.00
"And there was a
severe famine in Samaria.
00:39:31.03\00:39:34.07
And Ahab had called Obadiah
00:39:34.10\00:39:35.84
who was in charge of his house."
00:39:35.87\00:39:37.21
Now Obadiah
feared the Lord greatly,
00:39:37.24\00:39:39.17
we don't have time
to read all of this.
00:39:39.21\00:39:41.51
But Obadiah's name
means the Lord's servant.
00:39:41.54\00:39:44.81
And he was Ahab's chief
of household as it were.
00:39:44.85\00:39:47.78
And he had
protected the prophets of God.
00:39:47.82\00:39:52.22
Jezebel blamed God
and the Lord's prophets
00:39:52.25\00:39:55.92
for the drought and
she had had many killed.
00:39:55.96\00:39:58.29
And so Obadiah protected,
what does the Bible say,
00:39:58.33\00:40:01.10
100 of these prophets in a cave,
00:40:01.13\00:40:03.80
he had protected them.
00:40:03.83\00:40:05.73
So Ahab and Obadiah
go out looking for water
00:40:05.77\00:40:10.17
and for grass for their
animals trying to find this,
00:40:10.21\00:40:15.04
Obadiah meets Elijah.
00:40:15.08\00:40:18.08
And he's afraid, Elijah
says, "Go to your master.
00:40:18.11\00:40:21.28
Go tell Ahab that I'm
coming to talk to him."
00:40:21.32\00:40:24.29
And Obadiah's afraid.
00:40:24.32\00:40:25.65
He's afraid to tell
Ahab that Elijah is here
00:40:25.69\00:40:29.12
because he says,
"We've been searching for you,
00:40:29.16\00:40:31.46
Elijah, through
many different countries
00:40:31.49\00:40:33.90
and what if I go to
Ahab and I tell Ahab,
00:40:33.93\00:40:37.07
Elijah is here and then Elijah
just all of a sudden vanishes?
00:40:37.10\00:40:41.10
What's going to happen to me?"
00:40:41.14\00:40:42.54
Because Obadiah had protected
these 100 prophets of the Lord.
00:40:42.57\00:40:46.88
So the lesson I see from Obadiah
00:40:46.91\00:40:49.74
is that it's not
enough to live for Christ,
00:40:49.78\00:40:52.45
we must also speak for Him.
00:40:52.48\00:40:54.98
Now Obadiah had
hid the prophets.
00:40:55.02\00:40:59.25
So he had done some
action for the Lord,
00:40:59.29\00:41:01.52
he had hid the
prophets of the Lord
00:41:01.56\00:41:03.53
but he's a little
afraid to speak to King Ahab.
00:41:03.56\00:41:06.73
So it wasn't just
enough to do the action,
00:41:06.76\00:41:09.06
he also had to speak.
00:41:09.10\00:41:10.87
So he did.
00:41:10.90\00:41:12.23
He went to Ahab and we
pick it up in verse 16.
00:41:12.27\00:41:16.10
Obadiah went to
meet Ahab, and told him,
00:41:16.14\00:41:19.47
and then Ahab
went to meet Elijah.
00:41:19.51\00:41:22.31
"Then it happened
when Ahab saw Elijah
00:41:22.34\00:41:24.95
that Ahab said to him,
00:41:24.98\00:41:27.02
'Is that you, O
troubler of Israel?"'
00:41:27.05\00:41:30.82
That word
troubler means to stir up,
00:41:30.85\00:41:33.29
disturb, to cause trouble.
00:41:33.32\00:41:36.12
The famine,
interestingly enough,
00:41:36.16\00:41:38.09
had not led Ahab to repentance,
00:41:38.13\00:41:40.76
instead he blames
Elijah for the famine
00:41:40.80\00:41:44.07
and he accuses Elijah
of being the troubler,
00:41:44.10\00:41:47.64
the instigator of all this.
00:41:47.67\00:41:49.20
You know, I believe God uses
the gentlest means possible,
00:41:49.24\00:41:53.58
the gentlest means
necessary to get our attention.
00:41:53.61\00:41:57.45
Now in Ahab's case,
a famine of three years
00:41:57.48\00:42:00.02
is a pretty serious measure
00:42:00.05\00:42:01.68
and He still
didn't have his attention.
00:42:01.72\00:42:03.12
So we'll see in a moment,
00:42:03.15\00:42:04.49
God had to use
even stronger measures.
00:42:04.52\00:42:07.06
So verse 18, "And
he answered and said,
00:42:07.09\00:42:10.13
'This is Elijah.
00:42:10.16\00:42:11.53
I have not troubled Ezra
00:42:11.56\00:42:12.89
but you and your
father's house have,
00:42:12.93\00:42:15.60
and that you have forsaken
00:42:15.63\00:42:16.97
the commandments of the
Lord, and have followed Baal."'
00:42:17.00\00:42:19.80
Elijah clearly
placed the blame on Ahab
00:42:19.83\00:42:23.10
because he forsook
the commandments of God
00:42:23.14\00:42:25.34
because he followed after Baal.
00:42:25.37\00:42:28.51
There is no middle ground
as we've been talking lesson
00:42:28.54\00:42:32.08
after lesson after lesson.
00:42:32.11\00:42:34.02
Always the issue is that we need
00:42:34.05\00:42:35.45
to make a choice either to
serve God, or in this case,
00:42:35.48\00:42:39.25
they were serving
Baal but us in the end time
00:42:39.29\00:42:41.69
we need to make a
choice for Christ or for Satan.
00:42:41.72\00:42:45.39
So the four takeaways
that I take from this,
00:42:45.43\00:42:47.43
number one, God
always has a remnant,
00:42:47.46\00:42:49.90
those who honor and serve Him.
00:42:49.93\00:42:53.07
We might not see them,
00:42:53.10\00:42:54.44
we might not know
them, but they are there.
00:42:54.47\00:42:58.71
Number two, severe
trials don't always bring us
00:42:58.74\00:43:02.68
to repentance.
00:43:02.71\00:43:04.41
Ahab had had the severe trial
of the famine for three years
00:43:04.45\00:43:08.12
and he still was not
brought to repentance.
00:43:08.15\00:43:11.05
He cared for his
animals enough to go out
00:43:11.09\00:43:13.09
and search for
food and water for them,
00:43:13.12\00:43:15.42
but yet he
didn't care for his soul
00:43:15.46\00:43:17.86
and he didn't care for
the soul of his people.
00:43:17.89\00:43:21.23
He still shifted the blame.
He tried to shift it to Elijah.
00:43:21.26\00:43:25.20
He attempted to justify himself.
00:43:25.23\00:43:26.67
And, Miss Mollie,
00:43:26.70\00:43:28.04
you always call that
blame shift unjustified.
00:43:28.07\00:43:31.07
Number three, God
never forces our decision.
00:43:31.11\00:43:35.38
He leads, He pleads,
He works on our heart,
00:43:35.41\00:43:39.95
but He never forces,
00:43:39.98\00:43:41.52
He gives each one of
us freedom of choice.
00:43:41.55\00:43:43.95
Romans 2:4, "It's
the goodness of God,
00:43:43.99\00:43:46.15
the love of God that
draws us to repentance."
00:43:46.19\00:43:50.43
And finally, and Shelley will do
00:43:50.46\00:43:52.23
more with this,
00:43:52.26\00:43:53.60
I see that Elijah stood
for the right regardless
00:43:53.63\00:43:56.60
of the consequences.
00:43:56.63\00:43:58.83
He didn't give in,
he didn't give way,
00:43:58.87\00:44:01.27
he didn't back
down, he stood for truth.
00:44:01.30\00:44:04.94
He spoke the truth,
and he lived the truth.
00:44:04.97\00:44:09.64
And, Shelley, you
have the great showdown
00:44:09.68\00:44:11.78
taking place there.
00:44:11.81\00:44:13.95
Well, before we
actually get in, we do...
00:44:13.98\00:44:17.22
This lesson is Armageddon
in Mount Carmel part two.
00:44:17.25\00:44:21.52
And it will
cover 1 Kings 18:18-40.
00:44:21.56\00:44:26.06
But before we go there,
00:44:26.09\00:44:27.46
I would like to
start in Revelation 16
00:44:27.50\00:44:30.47
because what
we're going to look at,
00:44:30.50\00:44:33.94
since we're comparing Armageddon
00:44:33.97\00:44:36.10
and Mount Carmel,
00:44:36.14\00:44:37.67
let's define Armageddon
just a little more clearly.
00:44:37.71\00:44:40.28
The word "Armageddon"
00:44:40.31\00:44:41.64
is only used once
in all of scripture.
00:44:41.68\00:44:46.01
It's only found
in Revelation 16:16,
00:44:46.05\00:44:48.88
and it's not used in
any Hebrew literature.
00:44:48.92\00:44:53.09
So it's interesting
00:44:53.12\00:44:54.46
that this word, as you said, CA,
00:44:54.49\00:44:57.06
the world has
grabbed hold of this word
00:44:57.09\00:45:00.40
and made
something big out of it.
00:45:00.43\00:45:02.43
So let's look at Armageddon,
00:45:02.46\00:45:08.00
Revelation 16:14-16.
00:45:08.04\00:45:11.11
I'm going to read
00:45:11.14\00:45:12.47
from the
American Standard Version
00:45:12.51\00:45:14.28
because this is a
more direct translation
00:45:14.31\00:45:17.01
of the original Greek.
00:45:17.05\00:45:19.28
Verse 14, "They are
spirits of demons working signs
00:45:19.31\00:45:23.39
which go forth under the kings
00:45:23.42\00:45:25.52
of the whole world
to gather them together
00:45:25.55\00:45:27.89
unto the war
00:45:27.92\00:45:29.26
of the great day
of God the Almighty."
00:45:29.29\00:45:33.06
Now he adds a
parenthetical comment here,
00:45:33.09\00:45:37.10
Jesus does, in verse 15 saying,
00:45:37.13\00:45:39.80
"Behold, I come as
a thief blessed is he
00:45:39.83\00:45:43.74
that watches and
keepeth his garments,
00:45:43.77\00:45:46.24
lest he walk naked
and they see his shame."
00:45:46.27\00:45:51.48
That's close of
the parenthesis there.
00:45:51.51\00:45:53.95
And then it says,
00:45:53.98\00:45:55.32
"And they gathered them together
00:45:55.35\00:45:57.02
into the place
00:45:57.05\00:45:58.39
which in Hebrew is
called Harmagedon."
00:45:58.42\00:46:04.79
Yeah. So that's the ASV.
00:46:04.83\00:46:09.26
Armageddon is a
metaphorical name.
00:46:09.30\00:46:13.30
It comes from the
Hebrew language "har"
00:46:13.34\00:46:17.04
means mountain and "magedon"
00:46:17.07\00:46:19.44
most likely comes from
the Hebrew for Megiddo.
00:46:19.47\00:46:23.01
Megiddo was a
very strategic city
00:46:23.04\00:46:26.45
in Canaan.
00:46:26.48\00:46:27.82
It guarded the main pass
00:46:27.85\00:46:30.15
through the
Carmel mountain range.
00:46:30.19\00:46:34.62
So Harmagedon
is a symbolic name,
00:46:34.66\00:46:40.36
and I want to read to you.
00:46:40.40\00:46:42.56
There is a very
well-known Bible scholar,
00:46:42.60\00:46:45.83
he has a Greek-English
Lexicon of the New Testament.
00:46:45.87\00:46:49.84
Listen to what Thayer
has to say on page 73 and 74
00:46:49.87\00:46:55.08
of his lexicon.
00:46:55.11\00:46:56.58
"Armageddon is
an imaginary place,
00:46:56.61\00:47:00.62
the mountain of Megiddo
00:47:00.65\00:47:02.62
which could be
none other than Carmel."
00:47:02.65\00:47:07.82
So Armageddon and Mount Carmel
00:47:07.86\00:47:11.73
are perfectly tied together.
00:47:11.76\00:47:14.20
And what happened on
Mount Carmel is going
00:47:14.23\00:47:16.97
to happen in a grander scale,
00:47:17.00\00:47:19.33
if you will, at the
Battle of Armageddon.
00:47:19.37\00:47:23.81
So there's this imaginary place
00:47:23.84\00:47:26.07
which tells us the
whole thing is symbolic,
00:47:26.11\00:47:28.51
it can't be a real war.
00:47:28.54\00:47:30.61
Mount Carmel is a
powerful symbolism
00:47:30.65\00:47:34.48
that's related to this prophecy.
00:47:34.52\00:47:35.95
So let's look...
00:47:35.98\00:47:37.32
I want to read this again
00:47:37.35\00:47:38.69
without the
parenthetical statement.
00:47:38.72\00:47:40.22
I'm just going to
read verses 14 and 16.
00:47:40.26\00:47:43.12
"They are spirits
of demons working signs
00:47:43.16\00:47:45.56
which go forth into the
kings of the whole world
00:47:45.59\00:47:48.20
to gather them together
00:47:48.23\00:47:49.56
into the war of the
great day of God the Almighty.
00:47:49.60\00:47:52.93
And they gathered them
together into the place
00:47:52.97\00:47:55.77
which is called in
Hebrew Harmagedon."
00:47:55.80\00:47:58.87
Into the place in Greek
00:47:58.91\00:48:00.94
literally means
into the situation.
00:48:00.98\00:48:04.11
So they gathered
them toward this situation
00:48:04.15\00:48:08.88
which is called
in the Hebrew tongue,
00:48:08.92\00:48:10.65
the mountain of Megiddo,
symbolic for Mount Carmel.
00:48:10.69\00:48:14.79
So what
happened on Mount Carmel,
00:48:14.82\00:48:20.50
all the people came
together and Elijah says,
00:48:20.53\00:48:24.37
"How long will you
halt between two opinions?
00:48:24.40\00:48:27.00
If God be god, worship Him,
00:48:27.04\00:48:29.30
but if Baal be god,
let's see if you can prove it."
00:48:29.34\00:48:33.78
And they had this big showdown
over who is the real God.
00:48:33.81\00:48:38.95
Is it the God of
heaven or is it Baal,
00:48:38.98\00:48:41.42
the god of water, of
dew, and god of rain?
00:48:41.45\00:48:46.59
And we'll get into
that just a little bit more
00:48:46.62\00:48:49.49
but what
happened on Mount Carmel
00:48:49.52\00:48:52.83
is going to happen
00:48:52.86\00:48:55.56
in a great
significant expanded way
00:48:55.60\00:48:58.70
because there's going
to be this great battle
00:48:58.73\00:49:02.37
and it's a battle for the hearts
00:49:02.40\00:49:04.31
and minds of people
00:49:04.34\00:49:06.37
to be committed
to the God of heaven,
00:49:06.41\00:49:09.78
to the lamb of heaven.
00:49:09.81\00:49:12.38
And this Great War at the end,
00:49:12.41\00:49:15.18
the war of good and
evil will engage God's army,
00:49:15.22\00:49:19.42
our primary
purpose isn't going to be
00:49:19.45\00:49:21.72
to destroy each
other with weapons,
00:49:21.76\00:49:25.43
but we are going to...
00:49:25.46\00:49:28.16
The purpose of the battle
is are we going to be true
00:49:28.20\00:49:30.70
to our calling and election.
00:49:30.73\00:49:33.44
So the false religion of Baal
00:49:33.47\00:49:36.67
was a violent and
corrupting influence
00:49:36.71\00:49:41.31
that it promoted
outright rebellion against God
00:49:41.34\00:49:46.31
and the people had
forsaken God's commandments.
00:49:46.35\00:49:49.28
So on this
battle of Mount Carmel,
00:49:49.32\00:49:52.52
this was between Elijah
00:49:52.55\00:49:54.12
the prophet of God
and 450 prophets of Baal.
00:49:54.16\00:50:00.40
So you could see
00:50:00.43\00:50:01.76
that the evil outweighed
the good 450 to 1, right?
00:50:01.80\00:50:06.43
And as I said,
it was a test to see
00:50:06.47\00:50:08.67
who is the true god,
the Creator God or Baal
00:50:08.70\00:50:12.07
who's really just
another manifestation
00:50:12.11\00:50:14.04
of the dragon.
00:50:14.08\00:50:15.41
Would you agree? Agree.
00:50:15.44\00:50:16.78
I mean, he's just trying
to deceive the whole world.
00:50:16.81\00:50:20.48
So on Mount Carmel, the
priests, these 450 priests,
00:50:20.52\00:50:27.02
they're praying to
Baal that he would send fire
00:50:27.06\00:50:30.66
to burn up their
bull's sacrifice.
00:50:30.69\00:50:32.79
They're shouting to him
00:50:32.83\00:50:34.60
from night to
noon or noon to night.
00:50:34.63\00:50:37.87
And Elijah said...
00:50:37.90\00:50:39.23
I mean, he actually
kind of taunts them and says,
00:50:39.27\00:50:41.50
"Oh, cry aloud,
perhaps Baal is sleeping."
00:50:41.54\00:50:45.31
And it gets to the point
00:50:45.34\00:50:46.78
that they are getting so frantic
00:50:46.81\00:50:49.51
that they begin
cutting themselves,
00:50:49.54\00:50:51.45
these 450 prophets of Baal,
00:50:51.48\00:50:54.22
they're just
worked up into frenzy,
00:50:54.25\00:50:55.98
and they're cutting themselves,
00:50:56.02\00:50:57.72
and the blood is flowing freely,
00:50:57.75\00:51:01.16
and finally, towards the
time of the evening sacrifice,
00:51:01.19\00:51:04.33
they are worn
out and they give up.
00:51:04.36\00:51:07.60
They just give up.
Baal never answered them.
00:51:07.63\00:51:10.60
So Elijah takes his sacrifice,
00:51:10.63\00:51:13.87
he has them soak it
three different times in water
00:51:13.90\00:51:17.64
and the water is
overflowing in the trenches.
00:51:17.67\00:51:21.01
All Elijah does is make
00:51:21.04\00:51:22.61
a simple prayer
to the God of heaven
00:51:22.64\00:51:25.48
and God instantly set down fire,
00:51:25.51\00:51:29.18
He burned up all that
water, not only the sacrifice
00:51:29.22\00:51:32.55
but it included the stone
altar and the soil elements.
00:51:32.59\00:51:37.29
So the power of God,
00:51:37.33\00:51:40.03
the true God in
contrast to Baal was seen
00:51:40.06\00:51:43.47
and it was unmistakable.
00:51:43.50\00:51:45.03
So let me give
you some comparisons
00:51:45.07\00:51:48.14
between Carmel and Armageddon.
00:51:48.17\00:51:50.47
Oh, good.
00:51:50.51\00:51:51.84
Carmel, at the time,
00:51:51.87\00:51:53.21
there was almost
universal apostasy,
00:51:53.24\00:51:56.14
but God vindicated His holy name
00:51:56.18\00:51:59.21
and His faithful people.
00:51:59.25\00:52:01.18
There were 7,000
who still had not bowed
00:52:01.22\00:52:04.59
their knee to Baal.
00:52:04.62\00:52:06.59
On the other hand, Armageddon,
00:52:06.62\00:52:08.22
he's going to
again vindicate His name
00:52:08.26\00:52:11.73
and His faithful commandment
00:52:11.76\00:52:13.76
keeping people
at the end of time.
00:52:13.80\00:52:16.50
Carmel proved that God proved
00:52:16.53\00:52:20.44
that His religion
was the true religion.
00:52:20.47\00:52:23.71
Armageddon, God
is going to vindicate
00:52:23.74\00:52:26.88
His Ten Commandments
00:52:26.91\00:52:28.78
including His
sacred Sabbath commandment.
00:52:28.81\00:52:32.51
Carmel in 1 Kings 18:39,
00:52:32.55\00:52:35.75
when all the people
saw the fire come down
00:52:35.78\00:52:38.52
and God answered
this simple prayer,
00:52:38.55\00:52:40.56
they all bowed
down and they said,
00:52:40.59\00:52:42.69
"Oh, the Lord,
He is God the Lord,
00:52:42.72\00:52:45.86
He is God."
00:52:45.89\00:52:47.30
Armageddon,
every knee shall bow,
00:52:47.33\00:52:50.47
every tongue shall confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord.
00:52:50.50\00:52:54.87
Carmel destroyed the
leaders of the false worship
00:52:54.90\00:52:58.57
and all of their followers.
00:52:58.61\00:53:00.38
Armageddon, the
unrepentant are going
00:53:00.41\00:53:03.85
to experience God's wrath.
00:53:03.88\00:53:05.65
That's good.
00:53:05.68\00:53:07.02
So when you think of
Carmel and Armageddon,
00:53:07.05\00:53:09.65
remember that Armageddon
00:53:09.68\00:53:11.45
is a symbolic battle
00:53:11.49\00:53:17.79
between good and evil
for loyalty to the true God.
00:53:17.83\00:53:21.56
Let me read Revelation
00:53:21.60\00:53:23.67
19:20-21.
00:53:23.70\00:53:28.14
It says, Revelation 19:20-21,
00:53:28.17\00:53:32.07
"Then the beast was captured,
with him the false prophet
00:53:32.11\00:53:34.64
who worked signs in his presence
00:53:34.68\00:53:36.85
by which he deceived those
00:53:36.88\00:53:38.21
who deceived the
mark of the beast
00:53:38.25\00:53:39.68
and those who
worshiped his image.
00:53:39.71\00:53:42.08
These two were cast alive
00:53:42.12\00:53:43.95
into a fire
burning with brimstone
00:53:43.99\00:53:47.92
and the rest were
killed with a sword
00:53:47.96\00:53:50.66
which proceeded
from the mouth of him
00:53:50.69\00:53:52.59
who sat on the
horse," this is Jesus Christ,
00:53:52.63\00:53:55.60
"and all the birds were
filled with their flesh."
00:53:55.63\00:53:58.47
Mercy.
00:53:58.50\00:53:59.83
Whatever remains
unknown about Armageddon,
00:53:59.87\00:54:03.71
this we know at least for now,
00:54:03.74\00:54:06.64
the outcome is the destruction
of the enemies of God
00:54:06.68\00:54:11.45
and the vindication
of God and His saints.
00:54:11.48\00:54:14.52
Amen. Praise the Lord.
00:54:14.55\00:54:15.88
Oh, well covered.
00:54:15.92\00:54:17.25
You know, we've been studying
the Book of Revelation here
00:54:17.29\00:54:19.32
and we see, you
know, the symbolism.
00:54:19.35\00:54:22.86
We see that
there's literal things
00:54:22.89\00:54:24.23
that take place.
00:54:24.26\00:54:25.59
We see there's
figurative, there's,
00:54:25.63\00:54:27.13
you know, we talked
imagery, there's the mystical.
00:54:27.16\00:54:29.80
So all these
demand that we study deep
00:54:29.83\00:54:32.03
into the Word of God
so that we can understand
00:54:32.07\00:54:34.04
what is literal
and what is symbolic.
00:54:34.07\00:54:36.84
But I noticed when we talk
about the Battle of Armageddon,
00:54:36.87\00:54:40.68
verse 14, 16:14 just
tells us real quickly,
00:54:40.71\00:54:43.98
it's the Battle of God Almighty.
00:54:44.01\00:54:46.55
That just kind of
settled whose battle it is.
00:54:46.58\00:54:48.28
It's the battle of God Almighty,
00:54:48.32\00:54:49.92
and I think we have to
remember the preparation,
00:54:49.95\00:54:52.25
talk about this,
00:54:52.29\00:54:53.62
the preparation for
the battle takes place
00:54:53.66\00:54:55.92
under the sixth plague,
00:54:55.96\00:54:57.93
and it's fought
under the seventh plague.
00:54:57.96\00:55:00.96
So that's simply when
the plagues poured out,
00:55:01.00\00:55:02.56
it means that
probation is already closed.
00:55:02.60\00:55:05.43
It's an interesting thought.
00:55:05.47\00:55:06.97
I want you to, if
you haven't studied that,
00:55:07.00\00:55:08.34
look into that.
00:55:08.37\00:55:09.70
It's very, very interesting.
00:55:09.74\00:55:11.07
And that all the world will be,
00:55:11.11\00:55:12.44
as it's been brought
out here by the panel,
00:55:12.47\00:55:14.54
it's going to be
involved in this.
00:55:14.58\00:55:16.71
So I think what we need to
do is just maybe wrap it up,
00:55:16.75\00:55:19.15
we have two minutes left.
00:55:19.18\00:55:20.52
Quick thought any of you have,
00:55:20.55\00:55:21.88
we'll just start
with Sister Mollie
00:55:21.92\00:55:23.25
and go right down.
00:55:23.28\00:55:24.62
We're reading
the end of the book.
00:55:24.65\00:55:25.99
Now I'm going to
quote your brother.
00:55:26.02\00:55:28.06
What do we find
00:55:28.09\00:55:29.42
when we look at
the end of the book?
00:55:29.46\00:55:31.53
We win.
00:55:31.56\00:55:32.89
So the end of the
book is clearly showing us
00:55:32.93\00:55:35.50
that this
apostate system will fall
00:55:35.53\00:55:39.57
and everything
that is Antichrist
00:55:39.60\00:55:41.54
will be purged from this earth
00:55:41.57\00:55:43.51
and everything that worships
the true and the living God,
00:55:43.54\00:55:47.08
they are the overcomers.
00:55:47.11\00:55:48.51
They're the ones
that are victorious.
00:55:48.54\00:55:50.41
Amen. Amen. I
agree so very much.
00:55:50.45\00:55:53.75
Here is the patience,
the endurance of the saints.
00:55:53.78\00:55:56.08
The saints will
endure and overcome.
00:55:56.12\00:55:59.22
Amen.
00:55:59.25\00:56:00.89
Revelation 22,
00:56:00.92\00:56:02.26
I love the
picture in Revelation 22
00:56:02.29\00:56:04.33
about win this battle,
00:56:04.36\00:56:06.09
win everything
that has taken place,
00:56:06.13\00:56:08.36
when sin, and
suffering, and sickness,
00:56:08.40\00:56:10.03
and destruction will be over
00:56:10.07\00:56:12.03
and we'll be forever with Jesus.
00:56:12.07\00:56:14.30
And praise the Lord for that.
00:56:14.34\00:56:15.70
I'll just
repeat what Elijah said
00:56:15.74\00:56:18.61
in 1 Kings 18:21,
00:56:18.64\00:56:21.94
"How long will you
falter between two opinions?
00:56:21.98\00:56:26.15
If the Lord be God, follow Him.
00:56:26.18\00:56:29.38
You're learning truths
00:56:29.42\00:56:31.09
and God wants you
to follow His truth."
00:56:31.12\00:56:34.06
Amen. Amen.
00:56:34.09\00:56:35.42
Well, that's just as
clear as it can be, isn't it?
00:56:35.46\00:56:37.06
Revelation 17:14,
00:56:37.09\00:56:38.43
we'll be closing with
this passage of scripture.
00:56:38.46\00:56:41.10
It says, "These shall
make war with the Lamb."
00:56:41.13\00:56:43.40
So we know we're careful
we make war with the Lamb.
00:56:43.43\00:56:46.03
"But the Lamb
will overcome them,
00:56:46.07\00:56:48.67
for He is Lord of
lords and King of kings.
00:56:48.70\00:56:51.74
And they that are with Him
00:56:51.77\00:56:53.48
are called chosen and faithful."
00:56:53.51\00:56:56.78
I think that's wonderful.
00:56:56.81\00:56:58.15
That's what it
all boils down to,
00:56:58.18\00:56:59.51
are we faithful to God,
00:56:59.55\00:57:01.38
are we going to be
faithful to the enemy,
00:57:01.42\00:57:03.32
who are we going to choose.
00:57:03.35\00:57:05.49
We know, as we've
studied this lesson,
00:57:05.52\00:57:07.72
it is a battle for
the heart and the battle
00:57:07.76\00:57:11.69
for the mind is
what I keep hearing
00:57:11.73\00:57:13.26
going over and
over in this lesson.
00:57:13.29\00:57:15.26
So who has your
heart? Who has your mind?
00:57:15.30\00:57:18.27
You know, make sure,
00:57:18.30\00:57:19.63
if you've not given
your life to Christ,
00:57:19.67\00:57:21.00
how about doing it today?
00:57:21.04\00:57:23.10
This is a Sabbath day
and we're thankful for that.
00:57:23.14\00:57:25.17
Give your heart
and your life to Him
00:57:25.21\00:57:26.54
and you know what?
00:57:26.57\00:57:27.91
We're going to look forward
to seeing you again next time.
00:57:27.94\00:57:30.38