Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP180026A
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00:01 The Bible tells us
00:07 It says to 00:13 And to 00:20 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School panel. 00:25 Our study today is 00:31 Hello, I want to welcome you to 3ABN Sabbath School panel! 00:35 I'm Jill Morikone and we're just delighted that you've 00:38 taken time from your schedule to open up the Word of God 00:41 with us and study together. It's hard to believe we've been 00:44 together for these 13 lessons. We are on the last lesson 00:47 of the second quarter, which is Preparation for the End 00:51 Time. This lesson, I think, is maybe one of my favorites; 00:54 although, I've enjoyed all of them so much - and it's on 00:57 the return of our Lord Jesus. Praise the Lord He's coming 01:01 again. [Amen.] I want to introduce our panel to you at 01:05 this time. On my left, Pastor CA Murray. - Good to be here. 01:08 - Pastor Kenny Shelton. Ms. Mollie Steenson, and Shelly 01:11 Quinn. And thank you each so much for sharing from your own 01:15 personal walk with God, there from your knowledge of His 01:18 Word, so it's a blessing. Before we go any farther, and 01:22 even before we have prayer, I just want to remind you, you 01:25 can get your own copy of this quarterly; and we're on the 01:29 last lesson, but by now, you can always download the next 01:32 lesson for next quarter so you can make sure you stay abreast 01:35 as we study together. That website is 01:37 ABSG.Adventist.org That stands for Adult Bible 01:44 Study Guide .Adventist.org 01:47 You can follow along with us, or we always encourage you, 01:50 here at 3ABN, to visit your local Seventh-Day Adventist 01:54 church; and they would have a copy of the quarterly, and you 01:57 could join a study group there. Before we go any further, we 02:01 want to go to the Lord in prayer. Pastor CA, would you 02:03 pray for us? - I'd be glad to. Shall we pray? Father God, we 02:06 praise You and thank You for the study of Your Word, for 02:11 truly, Your Word is the lamp unto our feet and a light unto 02:14 our path. And we praise You, Father, that we can walk in 02:17 that light, and that light leads us along a pass-.. path 02:21 that will one day lead us safely home. Would You be pleased, 02:26 dear Lord, to be the center of our study today? Talk to us, 02:31 and then speak through us so that those who need a Word from 02:35 the Lord will indeed hear that Word and be given strength and 02:38 encouragement to keep on walking with Jesus. We thank 02:43 You, Father, for the power of Your Spirit and the presence 02:45 of Your Spirit. In Jesus' name, amen. - Amen. Thank you so 02:50 much. We began this quarter talking about the cosmic 02:53 controversy, or the great controversy that exists between 02:57 Christ and Satan - the battle between good and evil; between 03:00 Christ and Satan. The- that battle is really about 03:03 character, God's character that is on trial, and it's also 03:07 about worship as we have brought through this entire 03:11 quarterly - this entire sitting together. In the beginning, 03:14 Satan said, "God is unjust. His law can't be kept," and he 03:20 deceived a third of the angels and brought them into 03:22 his camp, and then he brought that deception down to this 03:26 earth. And we've talked about that battle as it has been 03:30 raging. To be honest with you, if you look at some Christians, 03:36 you could say, "Satan might be right..." It might LOOK 03:40 like God's law can't be kept, because maybe they're 03:43 Christians in name only and haven't really experienced 03:47 Jesus inside of them. But Jesus came as our Redeemer; as our 03:52 Deliverer; as the sacrificial Lamb; as our perfect Substitute. 03:58 He lived a perfect life. He died in our place. He vindicated 04:04 the character of God, proved that the commandments of God 04:07 can be kept. He fulfilled the claims of the law, because the 04:11 wages of sin is death, and He fulfilled those claims and He 04:15 extended His life, His mercy, His grace to us, who are sinful, 04:21 fallen human beings. And not only that - He said, "I can 04:25 empower you to be My witness. I can empower you to reflect 04:29 My character to the world at the end of time." And, at the 04:35 ending, that the ending of the Great Controversy, we see 04:38 that Jesus wins; He is victorious, and He's coming 04:42 back for a purified bride and a purified church. The Second 04:46 Coming is not the epilogue; it is not the appendix, the 04:49 afterword of a sad story about human sin and suffering. It 04:54 is the grand climax. It is the great hope of the Christian 04:58 faith. Are you tired? Tired of sin? Tired of deception? Of 05:03 wars and rumors of wars? Of earthquakes, fire, and flood? 05:07 Of famines and natural disasters? Of children being 05:10 abused, and people starving to death? Of hatred and strife 05:14 of sin and suffering and sickness and disease and 05:17 death? Of unanswered questions, and injustices committed, and 05:22 issues unresolved? Of pain, and problems, and gossip, and 05:26 backbiting, and slander? Jesus is coming soon. This world that 05:32 we live in will be no more, and we have the opportunity 05:35 of spending eternity with our Savior, our great High Priest 05:40 and our soon-coming King. So let's read our memory text. 05:44 We are in Matthew 24:27. Matthew 24 verse 27. 05:52 We'll read that together. "For as the lightning cometh out of 05:56 the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the 06:02 coming of the Son of Man be. Now, the New Testament reveals 06:07 much richness, much depth, about Christ's second coming; 06:11 but Sunday, we look at the Old Testament and what it has to 06:15 say about Christ's Second Coming. We look at the Day of 06:18 the Lord. We will find that the Old Testament reveals 06:21 much about not only Christ's First Coming, but His Second 06:25 Coming, as well. The Day of the Lord- what is the Day of the 06:30 Lord in the Old Testament? It is a time of God's judgment, 06:35 and we'll look at several scriptures that show that this 06:38 is judgment for the wicked- judgment for those who have 06:41 been in sin. It's also a time of blessing and joy to the 06:47 righteous and those whose names are written in the Lamb's 06:50 Book of life. So, let's look; we're going to have- look at 06:55 a few scriptures. Isaiah, I'll give you- Isaiah. Shelly. 06:58 I'm thinking Isaiah. Shelly! I'll give you Isaiah 13:6-9. 07:03 Mollie, Zephaniah 1:14-16. Pastor Kenny, Joel 2:1, 2. 07:09 And Pastor CA, Zephaniah 2:1-3. So let's start with Shelly. 07:13 We're looking at the Day of the Lord, and you're going to 07:16 see here, as she reads the Scripture, that it is a day of 07:19 justice - a day of judgment for the wicked. So Shelly, 07:23 Isaiah 13:6-9. - Isaiah 13:6-9. "Wail, for the day of the Lord 07:28 is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. 07:32 Therefore all hands will be limp; every man's heart will 07:36 melt, and they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold 07:40 of them; they will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; they 07:44 will be amazed at one another; their faces will be like flames. 07:47 Behold, the day of the Lord comes; cruel, with both wrath 07:52 and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will 07:57 destroy its sinners from it." - That's kind of heavy. You 08:02 know when you read that Scripture - initially, you're 08:05 thinking, "Wow. That's a lot of justice. That's a lot of 08:09 vengeance." BUT, we have to look at that in context, that 08:14 the Lord has, in mercy, extended the call to 08:18 repentance; extended the forgiveness freely offered 08:22 if men and women would only accept it. Mollie, let's look 08:27 at yours. You have Zephaniah 1:14-16. - Zephaniah 1:14. 08:32 "The great day of the Lord is near. It is near and 08:35 hasteneth greatly. Even the voice of the day of the Lord, 08:38 the mighty men shall cry there bitterly. That day is the day 08:44 of rest; a day of trouble and distress; a day of wasteness 08:48 and desolation; a day of darkness and gloominess; a day 08:52 of clouds and thick darkness; a day of the trumpet and alarm 08:56 against the fenced cities and against the high towers." 09:00 Okay, Pastor Kenny, let's go to yours right away. Joel 2:1,2. 09:06 - It says, "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion. Sound an alarm in My 09:10 holy mountain, that all the inhabitants of the earth 09:14 tremble, for the day of the Lord is cometh; for it is nigh 09:18 at hand. A day of darkness and gloominess; a day of clouds 09:22 and of thick darkness as a morning spread upon the 09:25 mountains, a great people and a strong; there hath not been 09:28 ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the 09:32 years of many generations." Okay, so I want to 09:35 counterbalance this with another Scripture found in 09:37 Psalm chapter 13. The day of the Lord is a time of justice, 09:43 and it is a time of judgment for the wicked. Now, the wicked 09:47 have had multiple, ample, many opportunities to make a choice 09:53 for the Lord Jesus- to choose Him, and they have persistently 09:57 refused. They have said, "We don't want anything to do with 10:00 You, God. We don't want to follow Your way. We don't 10:03 want to keep Your law; we don't want Your character." 10:06 At the same time, you know, my heart- I read that, and I 10:11 think, "Oh... I still feel a little sorry," you know? But 10:15 listen to Psalm chapter 13. Psalm 13:1-4. 10:26 "How long, O Lord, will You forget me 10:28 forever? How long will You 10:31 hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in 10:35 my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my 10:39 enemy be exalted over me? Consider and hear me, O Lord 10:44 my God. Enlighten my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death; 10:47 lest my enemies say, 'I have prevailed against him;' lest 10:51 those who oppose me rejoice when I am moved." I think what 10:55 David is saying here is the cry of righteous people for 10:58 many, many generations. "God, where are You? Where is 11:02 justice? Where is judgment?" I see him in the midst of a 11:07 world of sin. "Why are the wicked prospering?! Why are 11:10 the righteous being oppressed? Why is there tribulation? Why 11:14 are they being persecuted? Why are they being put to death? 11:18 God, where are You?" We see that in the day of the Lord 11:22 with the justice and the judgment of God against the 11:27 wicked. At that time, this Psalm right here is answered. 11:30 "How long, O Lord?" He says, "Now is the time. Now their 11:35 cup of iniquity is full," and this is when that judgment 11:39 takes place. The day of the Lord is not only justice and 11:42 judgment for the wicked; it's a day of blessing and joy to 11:46 the righteous. So let's look- Pastor CA. We have Zephaniah 11:51 2:1-3. You want to read that for us? "Gather yourselves 11:54 together; yes, gather together, O undesirable nation. Before 12:00 the decree is issued, or the day passes like chaff, before 12:04 the Lord's fierce anger come upon you; before the day of 12:10 the Lord's anger comes upon you, seek the Lord all you 12:15 meek of the earth who have upheld His justice, seek 12:19 righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be 12:24 hidden in the day of the Lord's anger." So this is an appeal 12:29 to people to seek the Lord; to come to Him; to repent 12:33 because the righteous will not face the same judgment or the 12:39 same justice. The righteous will have a different fate, 12:43 you could say, altogether - a different reward. In 12:46 Zephaniah - turn over another chapter - Zephaniah 3:11-16. 12:54 It says, "In that day, you shall not be shamed for any 12:56 of your deeds in which you transgress against Me; for 12:59 then, I will take away from your midst those who rejoice 13:02 in your pride, and you shall no longer be haughty in my 13:05 holy mountain. I will leave in your midst." So the wicked 13:08 are taken away. "And then I will leave in your midst." "A 13:11 meek and humble people," - this is the righteous. "And 13:14 they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of 13:19 Israel shall do no unrighteousness. The righteous 13:21 at the end will be righteous and holy still. They will be 13:25 without fault before the throne of God. They speak no 13:29 lies; there was no deceitful tongue found in their mouth." 13:33 Verse 14. "Sing, O daughter of Zion." That is the attitude 13:38 of the righteous at the day of the Lord. "We can sing, O 13:42 daughter of Zion. Shout, O Israel, be glad and rejoice 13:45 with your heart; the Lord has taken away your judgments. He 13:48 has forgiven your sins," we could say. "He has cast out 13:51 your enemy." That's the wicked- God has arisen and executed 13:54 judgment, "And the righteous can rejoice. The king of Israel, 13:59 the Lord is in your midst; you shall see disaster no more. 14:02 And that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem, 'Do not fear. 14:05 Zion, let not your hands be weak. The Lord your God in 14:10 your midst, the Mighty One, will save.'" I love this 14:14 passage. It's one of my favorite in the entire Bible. 14:18 "He will rejoice over you with singing. He will quiet you 14:24 with His love." He will rejoice over you with singing. I 14:30 should've said, "with gladness," before; I messed 14:32 that up there. So, at the end of time, there'll be two groups 14:37 of people: the righteous and the wicked. For the wicked, 14:41 the day of the Lord will be a time of judgment. But for the 14:44 righteous, it's a time of deliverance. So, my final 14:50 Scripture: Matthew 25 verse 13. Matthew 25:13. The Bible says, 15:00 "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour 15:03 in which the Son of Man is coming." So, Christ is coming 15:08 soon and we are to be ready daily for His soon return. 15:11 Pastor. - Well done; well done, Jill, so very much. Thank you 15:15 so much. On Monday, we deal with Daniel and the Second 15:19 Coming- or perhaps more accurately said, the Second 15:23 Coming as viewed from the book of Daniel. When I was 15:26 in college, I managed to hang around long enough to get a 15:30 bachelor's degree in behavioral sciences, and I ran across a 15:33 concept, which I also studied when I was working on my degree 15:38 in mass communication. One of the terms for sociological 15:46 significance in the 20 and 21st centuries particularly in 15:50 western cultures, and that term we studied was called 15:53 popular culture - or pop culture. Popular culture is 15:58 defined as the entirety of attitudes, ideas, images, 16:05 perspectives, and other phenomena within the mainstream 16:09 of a given culture or society. So it's what most people think 16:14 about certain things in a particular society. To go on, 16:18 it's the accumulation of cultural products such as 16:21 music, art, literature, fashion, dance, film- 16:26 we had to add cyberculture, television, radio, and other 16:32 media that are consumed, expected, and accepted in a 16:38 particular culture. For example, state of the dead. How many 16:45 times have we heard an award-winner or an athlete 16:50 or a musician or a politician stand by the microphone and 16:55 say, "You know, I felt my departed mother looking down 16:59 on me." How many times you heard that kind of thing? Or, 17:01 "I felt strength from my brother who is departed." 17:05 "I knew my mother and brother were looking down on me from 17:09 heaven." That's part of popular culture now. It's 17:14 expected and accepted, and for the most part, when someone 17:17 makes a statement like that, they are applauded or lauded 17:21 because it's part of popular culture. In other words, this 17:24 idea that there are people that are cheering us from 17:27 beyond goes beyond religion. It's popular culture. Everybody 17:32 thinks that. You know? That's what everybody believes- that 17:35 it's part of what we call, 'popular culture.' So, 17:40 religionists believe it, but also the secular world believes 17:45 it. And if they don't believe it or follow it, they certainly 17:50 accept it when others say it. You know? Nobody's going to 17:53 push back against it. As a rule, we'll applaud that kind 17:56 of thing. I recall a sport star saying not too long ago - 18:00 he said, "I'm not a believer, but I could feel my dad looking 18:05 down and giving me strength, looking down from above." 18:09 This particular sport star was cheered; everybody 18:13 applauded because his father was also a famous sport star 18:17 in that same sport. Because that unbiblical view of the 18:24 state of the dead has gone beyond religion, it's part of 18:27 popular culture. The closest thing we can think of for 18:33 popular culture in ancient Israel was the idea that the 18:38 Messiah was coming to free Rome from- to free Israel, 18:43 rather, from Roman tyranny. That was really popular culture 18:47 back then. The people believed it, the ruling class believed 18:51 it, the priests believe it, the disciples believed it, 18:56 and we find from the Spirit of Prophecy that even John the 19:00 Baptist was not immune to that belief. He had that belief, so 19:05 it was part of popular culture. Anybody you talk to - anybody 19:08 you spoke to - would tell you, "Oh, yes; the Messiah's coming 19:11 to free us from Rome and make us number 1." The truth was, 19:17 that was never the goal or the object for the first or second 19:21 coming of the Lord. That was not what He had in mind. Daniel 19:25 shows us the rise and fall of the four great world empires; 19:31 we know that - Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. 19:37 Then he shows us papal Rome, then he shows us the divided 19:44 kingdoms of Europe, and nowhere in Daniel or the Word of God 19:52 is this idea that Christ is coming to make Israel numero 19:56 uno- anywhere in the Word of God. It's just not there by 20:01 intonation nor is it stated. Daniel, of course, was 20:05 homeschooled by the Lord Himself and the angel Gabriel, 20:09 and nowhere was he ever given any indication to write down 20:13 that Israel is going to be the top dog. In fact, when he 20:17 looked at the future of his people, he kind of went to bed 20:20 and kind of cried. Because he knew that 500 years, 20:24 400 years after he wrote these prophecies down, nothing much 20:28 will have changed in all of Israel. So, Daniel held no 20:33 illusions as to the advent of Christ, and Israel should have 20:37 had none, either. I'm returning to Daniel 2:34. And Daniel 20:45 says there, "You watch!" This is after this parade of 20:49 nations. "You watch until a stone was cut out without 20:53 hands." So we're talking about a divine occurrence, now. 20:56 A divine phenomenon. In Luke chapter 20:17, 18, Jesus aligns 21:03 Himself with that stone. This stone ground the gold- 21:10 Babylon, the silver - Medo-Persia, the bronze - 21:13 Greece, the iron - Rome, and the clay - the divided kingdoms 21:18 of Europe of that image in Daniel 2, into powder which 21:23 was subsequently blown away by the wind so that no trace 21:29 of them could be found. We see that in verse 35. So, what's 21:33 that imagery saying? It is saying that when Christ comes, 21:37 no vestige of this world, as we now see it, will be left. The 21:43 second coming of Christ is not cosmetology. It is not putting 21:48 paint on the barn, as I've heard you say, Shelly. It is 21:52 not a fixing-up of the old. It is a total new heaven and 22:01 a total new earth. So when Christ comes, no vestige of 22:07 anything that we know, see, hear, or understand of this 22:12 life will be left. When that image was ground, the powder 22:17 blew away and there was nothing left of the old life and the 22:21 old kingdom. The coming of Christ then is not, ladies and 22:25 gentlemen, a facelift on planet earth of this age and this 22:31 world. It is a total recreation of this corner of the universe. 22:36 It is not repair; it is replace. Revelation chapter 21. "Then 22:43 I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven 22:48 and the first earth had been passed away...had passed away, 22:54 rather. I say again- it is not- I wrote something down here; 22:57 it is not cosmetology - it's not just making over the old 23:02 or putting whitewash on the old - it is a total recreation 23:08 of society as we know it. So it is not cosmetology; 23:13 it is cosmos-ology. I coined that. That's my word. But you 23:20 can borrow it if you need. It's cosmosology. Let me read 23:23 this last two paragraphs for the lesson, and then we'll pass 23:26 it onto Pastor Kenny. "Meanwhile, the stone that 23:29 destroyed all tra-..." "The stone that destroyed all trace 23:35 of this old world became a great mountain and filled the 23:39 whole earth. And this kingdom, which arises as a result of 23:44 the second coming, is one that shall never be destroyed." 23:49 Hallelujah. Amen. "And it shall stand forever. Only one 23:55 of two endings awaits every human being who has ever lived 23:59 on this planet." Now, this is important. "Either we will be 24:04 with Jesus for eternity, or we will disappear into nothingness 24:10 with the chaff of this old world. One way or another, 24:17 eternity awaits us all." And so the call is, choose thee, 24:23 this day whom you will serve; because everyone will make 24:27 his calling or election sure one way or the another. 24:32 Whatever decision you make will be an eternal decision, 24:37 either eternity with Jesus, or eternity without Him. 24:44 - Ok, on Tuesday's lesson; thank you very much for all- that's 24:47 good- yeah, I like all the information, you know? Kinda 24:49 jot little things down, and praise God for that. But on 24:52 Tuesday's lesson, just the title - I think I could just 24:55 probably say long-term prospects and then I can get 24:58 up and leave. As a Christian. As a Bible believer, when I 25:04 say long-term prospects: talking about the second coming 25:07 of Jesus; living eternally with Him. That is a long-term 25:11 prospects. Now, it can be a short-term when it comes to 25:16 this world. It's a short-term. We're here for a season then 25:19 we're gone. But- you know 'cause these things are 25:22 passin' away; you brought that clearly. But the things of God 25:24 was before eternity, so, you know, I like this long-term 25:27 prospects here. We have it as a Christian. I have this 25:31 long-term - I'm thinking about eternity. I'm not thinkin' 25:34 about just today - I'm not thinking about tomorrow. 25:37 The Bible's very clear that we need not think into the future, 25:39 you know? Talk about today... is enough for us to face and 25:43 gain the victory, say- we need to gain. But we have 25:46 hope. You know, today, I have hope that heaven's going to 25:51 come down. I have hope we're going to make it to the 25:54 kingdom. I have hope for eternity, and that really 25:56 brings encouragement. I think Jill mentioned in the beginning 25:59 of when we're going through stress and strain and problems 26:02 of this world. I need a word in due season sometime. I need 26:06 someone to give me encouragement and hope, and 26:09 even when we go through through that, as a Christian, when 26:11 you're going through these stresses and strain, the Lord 26:13 will give- the Holy Spirit will give you these thoughts 26:15 of times that this won't last forever. Things change. This 26:20 doesn't go on forever. This gives hope, but there's 26:22 something beyond this old live that we life - something for 26:25 eternity ...hope for tomorrow; and certainly, 26:29 that's in Jesus Christ - that's certainly in the second coming. 26:32 I think in Romans 13:11, it talks about now, our salvation 26:36 is what? You remember? - Nearer. - Yeah, than we 26:39 believed. So today, every day that I get up, I think in terms 26:43 of we're closer to the coming of Jesus. We're closer. It's 26:48 nearer than what we believe. It's nearer than it was 26:49 yesterday. We're closer to that; it gives me hope. So 26:52 our prospect as a Christian - I want to encourage that - 26:55 is good. As a Bible believer and obeying the Word of God, 26:58 it is good; it is REAL good. That's a prospect. And simply, 27:02 the word 'prospect' is looking forward with anticipation to 27:06 something that's going to take pace- something that's expected; 27:09 something that's spectacular; looking for success. In this 27:14 world, we all think about success, you know? Think about 27:16 success. Success is making it to heaven. What is success in 27:20 this world? So, you gain the whole world, brother, and you 27:23 lose your own soul. What is that? It's nothing! Titus 2:13, 27:27 our lesson brings out... Very familiar passage of Scripture. 27:31 And I certainly just want to share it. But, you know, I 27:33 always think in terms where there are people who've never 27:34 heard this before. You may have been over it a hundred times. 27:38 Thousand times. But there are people who've never heard it. 27:40 This may be the word in due season for them today. Says, 27:43 "We're looking forward," Titus 2:13, "for that blessed hope - 27:47 that glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus 27:51 Christ." See? And we have, 2 Peter tells us that in 3- 27:56 chapter 3 verse 12- we can hasten the coming of Jesus. 28:00 You know, how can we hasten the coming of Jesus? We can 28:03 hasten it. You know? There's a lot of different ways in 28:06 which to do it; it's simply what - you know, a writ- 28:09 give a revelation of Jesus Christ. Get out and give Bible 28:11 studies, witness, go to a door-to-door- pass out 28:13 literature; do SOMETHING for Jesus, because when it's 28:16 gospel, it's preached into the whole world, what's going to 28:19 happen? Jesus is going to come! This is the main focus of 3ABN; 28:23 getting the gospel to the world so that Jesus can come! If you 28:27 look forward to it - Jesus coming - and we believe in it, 28:30 we're not going to sit idly by on the couch. We're not 28:33 going to get in that recliner and just get back and say, 28:35 "Well, the pastor needs to do it; the elder needs to do it; 28:37 Joe down the road needs to do it," no; every one of us will 28:40 be busy, because we'll have a love for God and the love for 28:43 our fellow man on these two ha- all the law. This is it. 28:47 We have to have a love for Jesus Christ in our hearts and 28:50 our minds. I like verse 14- I jotted it down; it goes 28:53 along with the Titus 2:13 and 14. Because how can you 28:57 pass this? I asked my brothers and sisters today, "How could 29:00 you pass this verse up? It's-" I want to use the word 29:03 'delicious;' is it OK if I do that? It's yummy. It's good 29:06 when I read this, there's- who gave? Talking about Jesus, 29:08 "Who gave Himself for us. That He might redeem us from all 29:13 iniquity and purify unto Himself," what kind of people? 29:17 Peculiar people, zealous of- uh-oh, here it goes- "good 29:20 works." Isn't that- ain't that beautiful? Paul then, to me, 29:24 says, "Kenny, you need to wait on the Lord. You need to expect 29:27 that He's coming in the clouds of glory. You need to work 29:32 until He comes. You need to stay busy. This is going to 29:35 give you joy; this'll give you comfort - this will- 29:38 expectation of His second coming. And of course 29:43 Revelation 22, someone might've read that little- in another 29:46 lesson; but he just simply says, I think in 3 places, 29:49 then in Revelation 22:7, 12, 20, he says, starts out, "Behold! 29:54 I come quickly." Every time, I get goosebumps. "Behold! I come 29:58 quickly." You know, I like that. Somebody says, "Well, 30:00 I'm comin' to your house," and 2-3 hours later, they're not 30:02 there. I'd like to behold, they come quickly. You know, we want 30:05 to be there. Jesus says, "I'm going to come quickly." And 30:08 He said, "I'm going to bring My reward with me," and I'm 30:10 thankful for that. Blessed hope has kept millions, billions of 30:14 people going in the history of this world, and I'll, to- 30:18 certainly, to be honest with you, has kept me going. It's 30:21 kept you going, because all is not just, "Oh, easy come, easy 30:25 go." There's trials, there's tribulations, there's stress, 30:28 there's things that go on. As a believer in Christ, they're 30:30 still going to be there, and these are little character 30:33 builders that I know I need. You know, Christ appearing is 30:37 that blessed hope, and it constitutes the climax we 30:40 talked about of history. Christian church, we realize, 30:44 is a successor of Israel, isn't it? And what was the Christian 30:47 church to do? You know? To give that message to the whole 30:50 world. But also there in 1 Peter, was it 2:9- it says, 30:53 "You are a," what? "chosen generation - a royal 30:56 priesthood." I like that. Royal! Woo, royalty! That's 31:00 sure not here in this life for me. But you know in the 31:03 kingdom...royalty. Jesus is going to treat us like royalty. 31:07 The King of the universe is going to treat you like you're 31:10 somebody. That's an awesome thing to think about. Who am I 31:15 that a King would bleed and die for me? Who am I? Nothing! 31:19 The dust of the earth! But yet, the King, Jesus, is going to 31:22 serve us. He's going to be there. I look forward to that 31:25 day. He says, "While we wait for His coming," we are to 31:29 fulfill our mission. Where it talks here, this royal 31:32 priesthood- and what is our mission? Giving the gospel 31:35 we talked about to the world. It's living for Him in word, 31:39 in deed, in action. 'Cause sometimes, we fail; we know 31:42 the Word, but we're not- sometimes, we don't live it out 31:45 in our life. We don't represent Him, the way that we say 31:47 things, the way that we do things, and we say, "Well, 31:50 that's just ol' me; well, that's just the way it comes 31:52 out." "God, help me when it comes out the wrong way. 31:54 To let it come out the right way." I need help from God to 31:57 do that. I've always been called an impatient person 32:00 sometimes. I like to get things done; I don't like to fool 32:03 around. I always say, "Let's cut this watermelon." You know? 32:05 Let's do it, and let's get it- then why? Not just to get it 32:08 over with so that there's nothing else - so that we may 32:11 go on and do more for Jesus Christ. Leave that yesterday 32:14 in the past, and reach out by faith today; grasp hold of that 32:18 promise of His soon coming. Where at, the- 1 Thessalonians 32:21 4:18 talks about, "Wherefore," woo! Glory. "Comfort one 32:25 another with these words." That's gotta come out sometime. 32:28 "Therefore," do what? "comfort one another with these words 32:31 of-" what are the words? "I'm coming quickly. I'm coming back 32:35 to take you home with- this is where I've always wanted you. 32:38 Will you be ready?" Opportunity is given. Will you make that 32:41 choice? Will you make that decision today? Why not? BEST 32:44 decision you could ever make is make a decision for Jesus 32:47 Christ, because He said, "I want you with me. You sit with 32:51 Me on the throne." I think, "Oh, how wonderful that will be." 32:54 Usually, we're given the, open the door and out we go, you 32:57 know? But He said, "I'm going to invite you in. I'm going to 32:59 be at the gate. I'm going to be there. I'm going to put that 33:01 crown on your head." Revelation 22:20, "Surely I come," and we 33:05 mentioned, "I come quickly," and then the other line on 33:09 there said, "Even so, come Lord Jesus." We can all say that! 33:13 Stand up just on- praise the Lord! "Even so, come-" Luther 33:16 said this- it's interesting, he- Martin Luther made, he 33:18 said, "God will not and cannot suffer this world much longer." 33:23 You remember that statement? He said, "God just cannot 33:26 suffer this world much longer." Why? He sees things that we 33:28 don't see goin' on. He sees all the abuse and all the mess 33:32 that some things is coming to light now. In the world that we 33:34 live in, we say, "How can these things be going on?" We haven't 33:37 seen anything. We literally don't know, but it sickens us 33:41 the way the world has turned and things that are going on 33:43 in the world, and all I can look as I say, "Even so, come 33:46 Lord Jesus. Come quickly." But also at the same time, I want 33:49 to be ready. And also, at the same time, I think I understand 33:53 this from the Word, is that when a people are ready, He 33:57 will come. When His character is fully reproduced in us, He 34:00 will come. Well, we've talked about this whole lesson; we 34:03 talked about the- you know, the Sunday laws and we've been 34:06 talking about different things that's going to happen, and the 34:08 mark of the beast and the seal- all these thi- and they will. 34:11 But the main thing He's waiting on is not all these other 34:13 things. He's waiting on me and He's waiting on you. He's 34:16 waiting on us to rightly represent Him. How do I give 34:19 Him glory? Think about- that's one of the thing- "Give Him 34:22 glory, O Lord, give Him glor-" how do I give glory? By letting 34:25 Him come in and living in me, that I may show others Jesus. 34:29 I may show- that's how we give Him glory. Let Him live in us so 34:32 our characters changed for e- and not just for today. Before 34:36 eternity. And that is the battle. That's a battle for me. 34:38 I struggle with it every day, but I have to do it on my 34:40 knees to fight that battle. You know, but praying that God 34:43 will help me to be what I need to be so that I can be ready 34:46 to meet Him. And I'm going to encourage you today- be what 34:48 you- you can be anything you want to be in Jesus Christ. 34:51 You're more than conquerors through Him, and I'm so 34:53 thankful and grateful for that, and I long for Him to come, 34:56 and I want to- "All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall 34:59 suffer persecution, but greater is He than in me than He that 35:02 is in the world." Greater is He. Take Him today at His 35:05 Word- He says, "I'm coming soon." Gr- prospects are simply 35:09 wonderful because it's for eternity. Sister Mollie. 35:14 How encouraging to know that the God of this universe wants 35:19 us to be in heaven with Him. Oh, doesn't that give us hope- 35:25 He gives us long-term prospects. We are going to spend an 35:30 eternity in the very presence of- that's like a future and 35:34 a hope, isn't it? You know, I'm looking at Wednesday, which is 35:40 "In the Clouds of Heaven," and despite the overwhelming 35:47 evidence found in the Bible, can y'all believe that not all 35:52 Christians believe in the personal return of Jesus 35:56 Himself? There are many who argue, our quarterly tells us, 36:01 logically. Can we argue logically? Our- when God is 36:08 revealing something to us through His Spirit, see, that 36:14 Christ's return won't be physical, but spiritual when 36:19 His church on earth exhibits His principle- that is saying 36:24 when we all get good enough. Now Kenny, I believe there is 36:29 an overcoming group of believers that will worship Him 36:35 in both spirit and in truth. I believe in that overcoming 36:38 company. But what this is saying is that we put our 36:46 confidence not in the veracity of the Word of God- and we are 36:52 going to go over more scriptures- hey Kenny, I'm 36:54 going to repeat some of the scriptures you just went over. 36:58 Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word. We would 37:02 be putting our confidence in people rather than the veracity 37:07 of the Word of God- the truthfulness of the Word of God. 37:11 Our confidence would have to be in people on a worldwide basis 37:18 who are at present batting 0, so I believe I would rather 37:25 put my confidence in what God's Word is saying. And I want us 37:30 to look at some of those scriptures. Again, we are going 37:33 to repeat some of the scriptures that others have shared, but 37:36 we're building a concept here, and that concept is the return 37:42 of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, so Matthew 24:30... 37:47 Are you in Matthew? Chapter 24 verse 30. It says, "Then the 37:53 sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then 37:57 all the tribes of the earth-" pause. How many tribes of the 38:01 earth? All. It's not gonna just be local. I love to make the 38:08 argument - this is global. This is everybody. It's not just 38:13 a certain group. "ALL the tribes of the earth will mourn, and 38:17 they will see." They will do what? "See! The Son of Man 38:22 coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." His 38:27 coming is not local to any one area of the world, but "all 38:31 the tribes of the earth will see Him coming on the clouds 38:35 of heaven and with great glory." 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Think 38:42 you quoted this Scripture. "For the Lord Himself will descend 38:47 from heaven with a shout-" you know people that talk about 38:50 the secret rapture? The secret return of the Lord? I find 38:55 1 Thessalonians to be mighty noisy. "For the Lord Himself 39:01 will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of an 39:04 archangel and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ 39:09 will," do what? "rise first." This is not a spiritual event; 39:15 it is a very physical event. While upon the Isle of Patmos. 39:21 Now, I want you to go to Revelation chapter 1. We're 39:24 going to start with B part of verse 5. Go to Revelation 39:27 chapter 1. "While up on the Isle of Patmos-" this is words 39:31 from a song we used to sing, "the apostle John beheld" what? 39:36 "a glorious sight." So, here is one o- part of the glorious 39:42 sight that the apostle John saw while he was on the Isle 39:47 of Patmos. Revelation 1 verse- starting with verse 5. "To Him 39:53 who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood;" 39:56 now, who would that be? That would be the Lord Jesus Christ. 40:00 "And has made us kings and priests to His God and Father; 40:04 to Him the glory and dominion and glory forever and ever. 40:07 Amen. Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will 40:14 see Him, even they who pierced Him." Ooh, that is saying that 40:18 those who put Him to death- those who pierced Him. They're 40:22 going to see Him. "And all the tribes of the earth will mourn 40:25 because of Him even so. Amen." Every eye is going to see Him. 40:31 Now, the apostle John quotes Jesus in Revelation 22:20. 40:36 Hey Kenny, you shared this one, too. Revelation 22:20, "He who 40:43 testifies to these things say, 'Surely, I am coming quickly.'" 40:49 Now, who is saying that? That is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus 40:53 Himself says, "I am coming quickly." Amen. What does it 40:58 go on to say? "Even so, come Lord Jesus." The return of 41:04 Jesus is such a massive event that it literally brings the 41:10 world as we know it, and I think others have made this 41:14 point so clearly to an end. When it happens, everyone 41:18 will know it. What Jesus accomplished for us at His 41:23 FIRST coming will be made fully manifest at His second coming. 41:29 So tell me what Christ accomplished for us at His 41:35 first coming. What did he conquer? Can we say He 41:38 conquered death? Hell in the grave. And I'm thinking of- 41:47 as He conquered death, hell in the grave, did He conquer it 41:50 for Himself? Who did He conquer that for? He conquered it for 41:55 us. See, before- but before what He accomplished for us at His 42:01 first coming, death had a hold on us. Hell had a hold on us. 42:06 The grave had a hold on us, but Go- but Christ at Calvary 42:11 conquered that. Now, I want to just quote for you John 1:12. 42:16 "But as many as received Him to them gave He the power to become 42:25 the sons of God," even to them that believe on His name. "Hey, 42:29 do you believe on name of the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you know 42:32 what you are? You are a son of God. You are NOT what you once 42:37 were. You are now a child of the living God. Death, hell in 42:42 the grave, no longer have hold over you." Hey, and that is 42:46 called the blessed hope without the assurance of the second 42:51 coming, the first coming loses its significance. Without the 42:54 second coming...what? Humanity just goes on and on? Until 43:01 everything ends? There's no hope in that. But we've got 43:05 what Kenny was talking about. We've got a blessed hope! 43:09 And I'm going to read that to you one more time. It's Titus 43:12 2:11-13. Titus chapter 2 verses 11 through 13. "For the grace 43:19 of God that brings salvation has appeared to just a few 43:23 men." "...ALL men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and 43:28 worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly 43:33 in this present age." Looking for the blessed hope - we've got 43:37 a future and a hope. "That blessed hope and glorious 43:41 appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." The 43:45 second coming IS the grand climax, the great hope of our 43:49 Christian faith. Jesus paid the ultimate price when He came 43:55 the first time. That would be His blood. You know, He shed 43:59 His blood at Calvary. That's the price - His blood became 44:04 the currency that He used to redeem us, to pay for us. He 44:12 paid a great price for us. Now, I want to tell you somethin'. 44:16 He's coming back to get what He paid for. He didn't pay for us 44:20 and say, "Well, I'm just going to leave you there." He's not 44:23 putting something on layaway. You don't put it on layaway 44:27 and pay for it and then just leave it there. No! He paid a 44:30 great price for us. The trumpet of God is really going to sound. 44:36 The dead in Christ - we really are going to rise. We really 44:41 are going to be changed and we really are going to be taken 44:46 up with Christ and we really are going to spend an eternity 44:53 where? In the very presence. He is coming on those clouds. 44:58 - Hallelujah. Thank you Mollie. Thursday's lesson is the 45:02 "Living in the Dead;" if you'll open your Bible to Revelation 45:05 22, the lesson focused on the righteous living in the- 45:09 the righteous dead, but I kind of want to expand that just 45:12 a little. Revelation 22 verses 11 and 12. And these are Jesus' 45:18 words. "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still. He who is 45:23 filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let 45:27 him be righteous still. He who is holy, let him be holy still. 45:32 And behold, I am coming quickly and my reward is with me to 45:35 give to everyone according to his work." The grand and 45:39 glorious climax for God's people in the gospel of grace 45:44 is the second coming of Jesus Christ. This is the end of the 45:48 world, but clearly as I we see in this scripture, every case 45:54 is closed before Jesus returns. There's no more chance for 45:58 salvation. When He starts on His way, he who is filthy' s 46:03 going to be filthy; he who's righteous is going to be 46:05 righteous. There's no more changing, so when he returns, 46:09 there's going to be 4 classes of people. There'll be the 46:13 dead and the living, but they've got subcategories. 46:17 The dead: there's righteous dead, and there's wicked dead. 46:20 The living: there's going to be God's people that are saved- 46:24 the righteous - and there's going to be the unsaved. So 46:28 what happens to the dead? John chapter 5 verse 28 and 29. 46:33 Jesus speaking in John 5:28, 29 said this, "All who are in 46:39 their graves will hear His voice and come forth." Where 46:41 are they? In their graves. "Those who have done good to 46:46 the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the 46:51 resurrection of condemnation. Flip back to Revelation 20, 46:55 'cause that's actually two different resurrections. The 46:59 resurrection to life and the resurrection to condemnation. 47:05 Now, how do I know that it doesn't happen simultaneously? 47:08 Because the Bible describes in Revelation 20 that there's 47:12 two resurrections and they're a thousand years apart. So, the 47:16 first resurrection actually begins the thousand-year period 47:22 which is referred to the millennial period in heaven. 47:24 Revelation 20:4-6. "They lived," which means they came 47:30 back alive, "and reigned with Christ for a thousand years." 47:36 This is the first resurrection. "Blessed and holy is He who has 47:44 part in the first resurrection." So this is the f- the 47:50 resurrection to life is the first general resurrection, 47:55 where all the righteous who have died over all the eras 47:59 will come to life and reign with Christ how long? For a 48:03 thousand years! That starts the millennial, then the second 48:09 resurrection ends that millennial period. Let's look 48:13 at verse 5. It says- Revelation 20 and verse 5- the rest of 48:17 the dead - those who are not saved. Did not live again until 48:21 the thousand years were finished. They're gonna come 48:25 up in the second resurrection a thousand years later, the one 48:30 to condemnation. So, what happens to the righteous dead, 48:34 those who are dead in Christ when Jesus returns? Let's- 48:37 Mollie be- already said this, but I'll repeat it. 48:40 1 Thessalonians 4:16, "For the Lord Himself will descend with 48:43 a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trumpet of 48:48 God; and the dead in Christ rise first." You know, Paul 48:53 told the Romans in chapter 6 and verse 5, "If we've been 48:56 united in the likeness of His death, certainly, we shall also 49:02 be in the likeness of His resurrection." Christ, when 49:06 He was resurrected, had a real glorified body. I- before He 49:13 ascended to heaven, He was telling His disciples, "Behold! 49:18 My hands and My feet." He says, "Handle me and see for a spirit 49:23 doesn't have flesh and bone as I do." So, the redeemed are 49:28 going to have real flesh and blood bodies, but we are going 49:34 to be glorified bodies. Have a glorified body like His. In 49:39 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, and I'm kind of buzzing along here so I 49:45 can get this all in... 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 says, 49:50 "So also is the resurrection of the dead; the body's sown in 49:55 corruption - raised in incorruption. Sown in dishonor, 49:58 raised in glory. Sown in weakness, raised in power. Sown 50:02 a natural body, raised a spiritual body!" It's a real 50:06 body! But it's- it is a glorified body. What a hope we 50:11 have! You talk about the blessed hope. Now, what happens to 50:14 those who are alive when Jesus returns? Well, very quickly, if 50:22 they're not saved, just jot these scripture references down. 50:26 Isaiah 11:4 says, "With the breath of His lips, He shall 50:29 slay the wicked." 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8 says, 50:34 "When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His 50:36 mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who 50:40 do not know God." Psalm 68:2 says, "Let the wicked perish at 50:47 the presence of the Lord." Jeremiah 25:3 says, "The slain 50:52 of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the 50:56 other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented or 51:00 gathered or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground." 51:05 So, we see that the wicked are going to come to naught at when 51:10 Jesus Christ returns, just His very appearance- there's- I 51:15 just have to say this again- there's no change for repentance 51:20 after the second coming of Jesus Christ. Don't believe in 51:24 the false theory that there's going to be a thousand years 51:28 that you get a chance to get it together; the Bible does not 51:30 teach that. So, what happens to the living righteous? 51:34 1 Corinthians 15; we were there. Let's read on in verses 51:38 51 through 55. "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all 51:43 sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment; in a 51:47 twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet." This is when Christ 51:51 returns. "The trumpet will sound. The dead are raised 51:54 incorruptible. We shall be changed that this corruptible 51:59 must put on incorruption. This mortal must put on immortality 52:05 so when this corruption is put on- incorruption this mortal 52:08 has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the 52:13 saying that is written: death is swallowed up in victory. O 52:17 death, where is your sting? O, Hades, where is your 52:22 victory?" So we put on immortality. If we're alive, 52:26 the dead in Christ are risen first. Then we put on 52:30 immortality at the second coming of Jesus- this is the 52:34 most marvelous event that any of us can think of. Philippians 52:38 3:20 and verses 21...says this. Philippians 3:20 and 21. This 52:46 is Paul writing, and he says, "Our citizenship is in heaven 52:50 for which we all so eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord 52:54 Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be 53:02 conformed to His glorious body according to the working by 53:08 which He is able, even to subdue all things to Himself." 53:13 So He transforms our body to the one like Him. The lame will 53:19 walk; the blind will see; the deaf will hear. There will be 53:24 no more mental illness; there will be no more hatred, no 53:28 more fear- hallelujah! Why? Because He's descended with a 53:34 SHOUT with the voice of the archangel, and the dead rise 53:38 first, and then we who are alive and remain are caught up 53:41 into the air with them. So those who die in the Lord, 53:47 resting in Jesus, are gonna have a great waking up morning; 53:51 we're going to have a day of reunion with our friends and 53:54 our family who've also died in Jesus. You know, He said, 53:58 "I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me, 54:04 though He may die, He shall yet live." What happened 54:09 when He said that? He resurre- when He told me that, He went 54:13 out and resurrected Lazarus who'd been in the grave long 54:15 enough to be stinking, but He wanted to prove it. So when He 54:19 returns, He calls forth first the righteous dead, the 54:23 faithful ones who have kept His Word in that first general 54:26 resurrection, and together with the righteous living, 54:30 they're changed, putting on immortality, glorified bodies 54:35 like His own. Then together, we rise in the air; we're 54:38 gonna spend a thousand years in heaven, and then the 54:43 condemned unrepentant sinners are killed by the brightness of 54:48 His coming...and here's the last thing I have to say. No 54:52 one knows the day or the hour. No one knows the day or the 54:55 hour, so we should be prepared every day for the second coming 55:00 of Christ. - Amen. Thank you so much - each one of you! 55:04 I just want to shout. I'm just sitting here thinking, 55:06 "Hallelujah! Jesus is coming again; praise the Lord!" It 55:12 reminds me of Luke 22... 21:28. "Now, when these things 55:16 begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads because 55:18 your redemption draws nigh." Praise the Lord this world 55:23 will soon be over and Jesus is coming and we can spend 55:27 eternity with Him. Wanna take just a moment - give each of 55:29 you a moment to share something about your day...or something 55:34 else, if that comes to mind. Pastor. - I'm just so happy 55:38 that it's not gonna be long. It's coming soon and very soon. 55:43 We don't know the day nor the hour as Shelly well said; but 55:45 we know it's soon. So, hold on a little while; He shall 55:49 come and shall not tarry. - Amen. - I remember reading 55:54 an article one time, Review & Herald- says, "Those who- the 55:56 privileges of those who overcome by the blood of the 56:00 Lamb are incomprehensible. It wasn't privy what God's gonna 56:04 do for us, and we- my eye has not seen or ear heard." 56:08 - The great culmination of the whole purpose of the coming 56:13 of the Lord Jesus Christ as Sh- it's at hand. That's exciting. 56:16 - I would just ask, what is so important on earth that you 56:22 would hold onto it and forsake the opportunity to have eternal 56:28 life? If this is all that we have, we are miserable. But 56:32 we've got the blessed hope. - Amen. Thank you so much, 56:36 Shelly, and Mollie, and Pastor Kenny, and Pastor CA, for 56:39 sharing from the Word of God; and we are so excited to tell 56:44 you at home that Jesus is coming again soon! I wrote down 56:48 something that Pastor Kenny wrote, 'cause it touched my 56:50 heart deeply; and that's something I'm going to be 56:52 thinking about and praying over. That's the- God would 56:56 say, "THIS is," meaning heaven, "This is where I've always 57:01 wanted you." From the beginning of time, God had you 57:05 in mind. From the mother's womb, He had a plan and a 57:09 purpose for your life, and that plan is that you would spend 57:13 eternity with Him. He loves you with an everlasting love; 57:18 He's drawing you - even right now with His courts of love, 57:22 and He says, "Come home. I want to spend eternity with 57:26 you. For this time we've been separated, I can't wait till 57:29 you come home." Bye-bye. |
Revised 2018-07-03