Welcome! Thank you for joining us again. 00:00:41.70\00:00:44.31 Three Cosmic Messages is a series of presentations 00:00:44.51\00:00:48.24 on the book of Revelation. 00:00:48.44\00:00:49.78 We are actually on #12. 00:00:49.81\00:00:51.61 We have journeyed through the great messages 00:00:51.81\00:00:55.45 of the three angels outlined in Revelation 14:6-12. 00:00:55.65\00:01:00.86 If this your first time with us, be sure to go back and pick up 00:01:01.06\00:01:05.33 and watch the other 11 presentations 00:01:05.53\00:01:09.60 so that you can kind of get caught up where we are. 00:01:09.80\00:01:11.53 There are three messages pictured as being carried 00:01:12.03\00:01:16.10 by angels in mid heaven 00:01:16.30\00:01:18.27 outlined in Revelation 14 verses 6 to 12. 00:01:18.47\00:01:21.68 We are on the last of those three angels' messages 00:01:22.08\00:01:25.81 or the third angel's message. 00:01:26.01\00:01:27.95 That message says, outlined here in Revelation chapter 14 00:01:28.15\00:01:32.59 verse 9: "Then a third angel followed them 00:01:32.79\00:01:36.73 saying with a loud voice: 'If anyone worships the beast 00:01:36.93\00:01:40.00 and his image and receives his mark 00:01:40.20\00:01:42.66 on his forehead or in his hand 00:01:42.86\00:01:44.33 he himself shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God 00:01:44.53\00:01:47.97 which is poured out full strength 00:01:48.17\00:01:49.94 into the cup of His indignation. ' " 00:01:50.14\00:01:52.54 This is a solemn warning from a God 00:01:52.94\00:01:57.45 who has a heart of immense 00:01:57.65\00:02:00.68 infinite incomprehensible love. 00:02:00.88\00:02:03.32 So as we go through this second message on the mark of the beast 00:02:03.72\00:02:09.06 you'll remember that I presented one last time 00:02:09.26\00:02:11.06 and this is the second part of that message... 00:02:11.26\00:02:13.66 a two-part message. 00:02:13.86\00:02:15.20 Remember where the message is coming from. 00:02:15.23\00:02:17.27 It's coming from the heart of One that loves His people 00:02:17.47\00:02:21.20 beyond what we possibly could ever imagine. Let's pray. 00:02:21.40\00:02:24.81 Father in heaven, as we launch into this message 00:02:25.01\00:02:27.84 help it be saturated with, dripping with love. 00:02:28.04\00:02:31.41 Help it be filled with grace. 00:02:31.61\00:02:33.21 But Lord, we know that Your warnings sometimes are 00:02:33.42\00:02:36.02 straight forward... they are urgent. 00:02:36.22\00:02:38.85 You pull the curtain aside and help us see truth from error. 00:02:39.05\00:02:42.36 So help us understand that as we study. 00:02:42.56\00:02:44.83 In Christ's name, Amen. 00:02:45.03\00:02:46.59 The topic of this presentation is: 00:02:46.80\00:02:48.63 These three angels flying in mid heaven 00:02:53.80\00:02:56.60 give God's last message for humanity. 00:02:56.81\00:02:59.37 This message is a message to prepare a people 00:03:00.24\00:03:02.88 to stand when Jesus comes... 00:03:03.08\00:03:05.25 to prepare a people for earth's final crisis. 00:03:05.45\00:03:08.58 A crisis that's going to break upon this world 00:03:08.78\00:03:11.45 as an overwhelming surprise. 00:03:11.65\00:03:13.82 The central issue in this final conflict - 00:03:14.02\00:03:16.99 this age-long controversy between good and evil - 00:03:17.19\00:03:19.73 is over worship. 00:03:19.93\00:03:21.46 This battle began in heaven. 00:03:21.66\00:03:24.43 The creature - the one created by God - 00:03:32.74\00:03:36.18 this angel of dazzling bright- ness that was created perfect 00:03:36.38\00:03:39.91 in the heavenly realms - chose to rebel against God. 00:03:40.12\00:03:44.95 Now how rebellion occurs in a perfect world? 00:03:45.15\00:03:48.42 That's what the Bible calls "the mystery of iniquity. " 00:03:48.62\00:03:51.03 But the Bible tells us what went on behind the scenes, 00:03:51.23\00:03:54.63 what went on in Lucifer's mind. 00:03:54.83\00:03:57.17 That he wanted to rule... wanted to set his throne 00:03:57.37\00:04:01.04 above the throne of God. 00:04:01.24\00:04:03.04 So the issue was one of authority; 00:04:03.24\00:04:05.37 the issue was one of worship and one of obedience. 00:04:05.77\00:04:09.51 In heaven the devil said to the angels: 00:04:17.42\00:04:20.69 "It's not necessary to obey. " One-third of the angels 00:04:20.89\00:04:23.36 accepted his lie and followed his delusions. 00:04:23.56\00:04:27.36 When Lucifer came to earth he said to Eve: 00:04:27.56\00:04:31.17 "Is it necessary to obey? 00:04:31.37\00:04:33.13 Has God said you can't eat of that tree? " And again 00:04:33.34\00:04:35.70 the issue was one of obedience or disobedience. 00:04:35.90\00:04:38.64 Down through the Old Testament and into the New Testament era 00:04:38.84\00:04:42.88 the same issue: obedience, worship, loyalty, 00:04:43.08\00:04:47.35 the authority of God. 00:04:47.55\00:04:49.12 These are great issues in the controversy 00:04:49.32\00:04:51.75 between good and evil and Christ and Satan. 00:04:51.95\00:04:54.29 We do not keep the commandments of God in order to be saved 00:05:00.93\00:05:05.03 but because we ARE saved. 00:05:05.23\00:05:07.00 So our obedience springs from a heart of love. 00:05:07.20\00:05:11.41 We love Him because He first loved us. 00:05:11.61\00:05:15.88 Now who is this beast power? We introduced this last time. 00:05:16.08\00:05:20.22 What is the mark of the beast and what are the real issues 00:05:20.42\00:05:23.12 over worship in the last days of earth's history? 00:05:23.32\00:05:25.95 The beast we pointed out is not a political power 00:05:26.15\00:05:30.09 but it's rather a religious political power 00:05:30.29\00:05:34.26 or a religious counterfeit power. 00:05:34.46\00:05:36.63 We showed that last time. 00:05:36.83\00:05:38.17 It would arise out of Rome. 00:05:38.33\00:05:40.67 The dragon - Satan - working through pagan Rome 00:05:40.87\00:05:44.07 would give the seat of government or authority 00:05:44.27\00:05:46.94 to this new power. That happened with papal Rome. 00:05:47.14\00:05:50.95 It would become a worldwide system of worship. 00:05:51.35\00:05:54.05 That, as well, happened with papal Rome. 00:05:54.25\00:05:57.75 It was described as a blasphemous power. 00:05:58.15\00:06:00.76 Now that seems rather strange. 00:06:00.96\00:06:03.76 Why would a religious power be claimed a blasphemous power? 00:06:03.96\00:06:08.23 You'd think that a blasphemous power would be an atheistic 00:06:08.43\00:06:10.77 power. But that word blasphemy is used to identify 00:06:10.97\00:06:14.90 the beast power and the fallen religious power 00:06:15.10\00:06:18.11 the same as the beast power 00:06:18.31\00:06:19.77 called Babylon or the antichrist. 00:06:19.97\00:06:21.54 Let's look at some of the references in the Bible 00:06:21.74\00:06:23.95 that explain to us the use of this word blasphemy 00:06:24.15\00:06:28.18 and what's it all about. 00:06:28.38\00:06:29.72 Again you have that idea of blasphemy on the name of this 00:06:46.84\00:06:50.54 beast. 00:06:50.74\00:06:52.07 So you have blasphemy associated with the beast power. 00:06:57.81\00:07:00.88 This is true also in Revelation 17 verse 3. 00:07:01.08\00:07:04.32 Remember? We studied that a woman in Bible prophecy 00:07:08.62\00:07:11.23 represents the church. A fallen woman, a harlot woman 00:07:11.43\00:07:15.53 who has left her true lover, 00:07:15.73\00:07:17.13 represents a church in apostasy. 00:07:17.33\00:07:19.53 So this woman, sitting on the scarlet-colored beast, 00:07:19.73\00:07:22.57 the fallen church directing the beast power, the state, 00:07:22.77\00:07:26.98 has a cup full of names of blasphemy. 00:07:27.18\00:07:31.15 Again, blasphemy is associated with the beast, 00:07:31.35\00:07:34.75 with the antichrist, with this fallen power that has 00:07:34.95\00:07:37.89 MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT on her forehead. 00:07:38.09\00:07:40.42 Now how do you define blasphemy? 00:07:40.82\00:07:43.66 Let's go to the Bible. 00:07:43.86\00:07:45.19 Was Jesus a blasphemer? 00:07:49.40\00:07:51.00 Absolutely not! He was all He claimed to be. 00:07:51.20\00:07:54.70 But the Jewish leaders accused Him of blasphemy. Why? 00:07:54.90\00:07:58.41 So any human being that claims the privileges 00:08:09.82\00:08:13.25 and prerogatives of God's equal is guilty of blasphemy. 00:08:13.46\00:08:17.03 Was Jesus a blasphemer? Certainly not! 00:08:17.23\00:08:19.89 Why not? Because He was the divine Son of God 00:08:20.10\00:08:23.70 tabernacled in human flesh. 00:08:23.90\00:08:25.90 In Luke chapter 5 verse 21 00:08:37.18\00:08:39.61 we find another claim by the scribes and Pharisees 00:08:39.81\00:08:43.45 that Jesus was a blasphemer. They said: 00:08:43.65\00:08:46.55 So there are two characteristics of blasphemy, 00:08:51.76\00:08:55.63 two Biblical examples. 00:08:55.83\00:08:57.30 Why so? Why is that so? 00:09:09.08\00:09:11.21 It's because that human being exalts themself above God 00:09:11.41\00:09:16.85 or that human being takes the place of God. 00:09:17.05\00:09:20.29 Does the Roman church that we've identified as this beast power 00:09:20.69\00:09:25.96 growing out of pagan Rome 00:09:26.16\00:09:27.83 and becoming a worldwide system of worship 00:09:28.03\00:09:30.50 does its leader claim the privilege and prerogatives 00:09:30.70\00:09:34.74 of God's equal. Do its priests claim the authority 00:09:34.94\00:09:38.77 to forgive sins? 00:09:38.97\00:09:40.31 Now let's go directly to some church sources. 00:09:55.99\00:10:00.26 If you want to find out anything about an individual organization 00:10:00.46\00:10:05.67 that is true, you should definitely go directly 00:10:05.87\00:10:08.10 to their sources. So let's look at the sources. 00:10:08.30\00:10:10.71 One source written for Catholic priests says this: 00:10:10.91\00:10:15.91 Now this is a Catholic manuscript - Catholic book... 00:10:30.29\00:10:34.46 document - that is saying this. I continue: 00:10:34.66\00:10:37.43 So it's linking Pharisees of the past - 00:10:47.98\00:10:52.11 first century - with what they call Pharisees of today. 00:10:52.31\00:10:55.65 They're asking who can forgive sins? 00:10:55.85\00:10:57.29 Now this is Michael Mueller in the book The Catholic Priest 00:10:57.49\00:11:00.62 printed in Baltimore, Catholic Informata, 1876, 00:11:00.82\00:11:05.03 pages 78 and 79. Now he answers the question this way: 00:11:05.23\00:11:08.40 We go on, though. That's not one isolated statement. 00:11:13.54\00:11:16.87 In the Bible in contrast to that we find: 00:11:17.17\00:11:20.71 See, what led to this idea 00:11:32.15\00:11:35.46 that the Catholic priest was the medium between God and man 00:11:35.66\00:11:39.56 that could forgive sin? The idea was that human beings 00:11:39.76\00:11:42.66 were not righteous enough. 00:11:42.86\00:11:44.20 Human beings were not holy enough. 00:11:44.23\00:11:45.57 We could not approach God so we needed a mediator. 00:11:45.67\00:11:47.77 That idea is true... we ARE unholy. 00:11:48.17\00:11:51.37 We ARE unrighteous. We cannot approach God... 00:11:51.57\00:11:54.48 we need a mediator. But thank God 00:11:54.68\00:11:57.41 there is one Mediator between God and man 00:11:57.61\00:12:00.62 and that is Jesus Christ. 00:12:00.82\00:12:02.15 You know, I mentioned in an earlier presentation that 00:12:02.45\00:12:05.15 I was brought up in a lovely Roman Catholic home. 00:12:05.35\00:12:08.09 And this text means a great deal to me 00:12:08.29\00:12:10.86 because I will never forget the hot July day 00:12:11.26\00:12:14.86 in Norwich, CT, when my mom 00:12:15.06\00:12:17.37 was sitting in the back yard. I had accepted Jesus Christ. 00:12:17.57\00:12:21.07 I had accepted Him as my true Mediator 00:12:21.27\00:12:24.31 but my mother was still locked in many of the superstitions 00:12:24.51\00:12:27.64 and falsehoods of Catholicism. 00:12:27.84\00:12:30.15 And I remember going to her and saying: "Mom, you know 00:12:30.55\00:12:33.35 I was taught from the Catechism by the priest 00:12:33.55\00:12:36.99 that there's one mediator between God and man 00:12:37.19\00:12:39.79 and that's the priest. And I couldn't approach God 00:12:39.99\00:12:42.32 'cause I needed a mediator. But I opened my Bible 00:12:42.52\00:12:44.96 and I read I Timothy chapter 2 verse 5: 00:12:45.16\00:12:49.23 "There is one Mediator between God and man 00:12:49.43\00:12:52.30 Jesus Christ. " And I said: "Mom, 00:12:52.50\00:12:54.17 we have a Mediator and that's Jesus. " 00:12:54.37\00:12:56.91 "Mom, you can kneel by your bed 00:12:57.11\00:12:59.07 and come directly to Jesus. " 00:12:59.27\00:13:00.61 And I can remember her glossy eyes and the little tear that 00:13:00.71\00:13:03.75 came down her cheeks. 00:13:03.95\00:13:05.28 To understand for the first time in her life 00:13:05.41\00:13:08.92 that Jesus was her Redeemer. 00:13:09.32\00:13:11.72 Jesus was her Savior. 00:13:11.92\00:13:13.49 Jesus was the One that could forgive her sins. 00:13:13.69\00:13:16.69 No human being could do that. 00:13:16.89\00:13:18.23 You know, not long ago... In fact, not so many years ago 00:13:26.33\00:13:30.41 in the late 20th century, in the late 1900's... 1984 in fact, 00:13:30.61\00:13:35.41 this is not some ancient document. 00:13:35.61\00:13:38.95 The pope said that there was no forgiveness directly from God. 00:13:39.15\00:13:44.29 We find that as a headline by one of the staff writers 00:13:44.69\00:13:47.46 in the Los Angeles Times. 00:13:47.66\00:13:49.02 "No forgiveness comes directly from God the Pope says. " 00:13:49.22\00:13:51.96 Well, the Bible says something different. 00:13:52.36\00:13:54.20 What does the Bible say? 00:13:54.40\00:13:55.73 If we do the confessing, God will do the forgiving. 00:14:06.07\00:14:11.11 We need a sacrifice. Not the sacrifice of the mass 00:14:11.51\00:14:15.12 but the sacrifice of Christ. 00:14:15.32\00:14:17.09 We need a priest. We cannot come before God 00:14:17.29\00:14:20.12 and Jesus indeed is our Priest. 00:14:20.32\00:14:23.93 In Christ, by Christ, because of Christ 00:14:31.93\00:14:35.27 we are made at one with God. 00:14:35.47\00:14:38.64 He is our dying Lamb. 00:14:38.84\00:14:41.34 He is our living Priest. 00:14:41.54\00:14:43.38 He appears before the very throne of God 00:14:43.58\00:14:47.02 for you and for me. 00:14:47.22\00:14:49.78 But yet the church teaches something quite different 00:14:49.98\00:14:55.49 and amazing. It says: 00:14:55.69\00:14:57.63 Remember one of the definitions of blasphemy 00:15:08.74\00:15:11.07 is when one exalts them self above God or takes 00:15:11.27\00:15:17.11 the privileges and prerogatives of God, 00:15:17.31\00:15:20.22 claims equality with God. 00:15:20.42\00:15:22.08 Notice... I go on reading this statement: 00:15:22.28\00:15:24.75 That's Lucius Ferraris in his article on the Pope 00:15:47.11\00:15:51.25 in Prompta Bibliotheca volume 6. Comes directly from Italy - 00:15:51.45\00:15:57.29 this Catholic document - defining the Pope's role 00:15:57.49\00:16:01.76 as indeed God on earth. 00:16:01.96\00:16:04.39 Pope Leo the XIII also said 00:16:19.27\00:16:22.34 in an Encyclical Letter June 20, 1894: 00:16:22.54\00:16:25.48 So it's very very clear that the papacy 00:16:31.69\00:16:35.02 fits the description of Revelation 13. 00:16:35.22\00:16:38.69 So here Revelation 14 00:17:09.59\00:17:13.66 describes the beast power 00:17:13.86\00:17:16.23 and eventually the mark of the beast. 00:17:16.43\00:17:18.40 Revelation 13 describes the characteristics 00:17:18.60\00:17:22.30 of the beast. II Thessalonians says that 00:17:22.50\00:17:25.51 there would be a power that would rise up claiming 00:17:25.71\00:17:28.48 equality with God. We see that indeed in the Roman system. 00:17:28.68\00:17:33.85 But yet there's another proof... a mathematical proof. 00:18:00.31\00:18:03.51 What does that mean? 00:18:14.22\00:18:16.02 The authority "to continue forty-two months? " 00:18:16.22\00:18:20.13 Well in the Bible as we've studied in this series 00:18:20.33\00:18:24.50 one prophetic day equals one literal year. 00:18:24.90\00:18:28.54 We call that the day/year principle. 00:18:28.74\00:18:30.41 Each prophetic day in the Bible equals a literal year. 00:18:30.61\00:18:34.21 Now that's not every time a day is mentioned in the Bible. 00:18:34.41\00:18:36.88 In the Bible when a day is mentioned it's a day. 00:18:37.08\00:18:39.61 But when you have prophetic beasts... 00:18:40.02\00:18:42.52 when the Bible says: "I stood upon the sand of the sea; 00:18:42.72\00:18:44.75 saw a great beast rise up out of the sea 00:18:44.95\00:18:46.82 and his mouth was a mouth like a lion, 00:18:47.02\00:18:49.86 feet like the feet of a bear 00:18:50.06\00:18:51.39 and he was like a dragon and like a leopard... " 00:18:51.76\00:18:57.63 When you see all of those composite symbols 00:18:57.83\00:19:01.17 then you know that's not a literal animal. 00:19:01.37\00:19:03.10 So when you have symbolic prophecy 00:19:03.30\00:19:05.97 you also have symbolic time periods. 00:19:06.17\00:19:09.78 Now in the Bible one prophetic day as we've mentioned 00:19:10.18\00:19:14.48 equals one literal year. Numbers 14:34 says: 00:19:14.68\00:19:18.22 One prophetic day equals a year. 00:19:24.96\00:19:27.33 Now in Biblical times there were 30 days in a literal month. 00:19:27.53\00:19:32.83 So if you have 42 months where this beast power would reign, 00:19:33.23\00:19:37.31 42 times 30 would equal 1,260 prophetic days 00:19:37.51\00:19:42.84 or 1,260 literal years. 00:19:43.04\00:19:45.45 We didn't begin to develop the 365 and 1/4-day calendar 00:19:55.02\00:19:59.23 till later. So the point is 00:19:59.43\00:20:01.30 they had 30 days often in 12 equal months: 00:20:01.70\00:20:06.50 1,260 years of literal time or 1,260 days 00:20:06.70\00:20:11.47 prophetic time. Now let me give you a little history 00:20:11.67\00:20:13.38 of Christianity... what happened. 00:20:13.58\00:20:14.94 Babylon rules; Medo-Persia rules; 00:20:15.14\00:20:17.65 Greece rules; Rome rules; 00:20:17.81\00:20:19.98 the Roman Empire is broken up. 00:20:20.18\00:20:22.22 As the Roman Empire ruled from 168 BC 00:20:22.42\00:20:25.92 to about 351 AD. 00:20:26.12\00:20:28.46 In the days of Constantine 30 years before that 00:20:28.66\00:20:32.13 when the Barbarian tribes were attacking 00:20:32.33\00:20:34.50 Europe and coming down Christianity is legalized 00:20:34.70\00:20:39.03 by Constantine throughout the empire. 00:20:39.23\00:20:41.34 Now the reason he does that is he wants to unite 00:20:41.54\00:20:44.07 the empire: he wants to unite paganism and Christianity 00:20:44.27\00:20:47.54 so he doesn't lose his empire. 00:20:47.74\00:20:49.54 But as things continue to fall apart 00:20:49.94\00:20:51.95 Constantine moves his capitol 00:20:52.15\00:20:54.48 in AD 330 from Rome to Constantinople 00:20:54.68\00:20:58.92 which is now Istanbul, Turkey. 00:20:59.12\00:21:00.52 As he does that he leaves this leadership vacuum 00:21:00.72\00:21:03.63 in Rome. And the pope then fills this void 00:21:03.83\00:21:07.00 and becomes not only a powerful religious leader 00:21:07.20\00:21:09.90 but a powerful political force to be reckoned with 00:21:10.10\00:21:12.80 in Europe. So for this period of time 00:21:13.00\00:21:15.70 you have the papacy which is strong in its leadership 00:21:15.90\00:21:19.67 and you still have Roman emperors. 00:21:19.87\00:21:21.34 It is in this year that the last of the Barbarian tribes 00:21:35.22\00:21:39.09 who do not accept the papacy are driven out of Rome. 00:21:39.29\00:21:43.57 And in 538 AD the pope becomes the supreme ruler 00:21:43.77\00:21:48.67 of the Roman church and the church throughout Christendom. 00:21:48.87\00:21:52.71 And at that period church and state unite 00:21:52.91\00:21:56.88 and this period called the Dark Ages begins. 00:21:57.08\00:22:00.08 So if this 1,260-year period 00:22:00.28\00:22:03.18 of papal supremacy, of church-state union, begins 00:22:03.39\00:22:06.86 in 538 AD and you go down the timeline 1,260 years 00:22:07.06\00:22:10.76 it would take you to 1798 AD. 00:22:10.96\00:22:12.49 Who was ruling Europe in 1798 AD? 00:22:12.89\00:22:15.83 What did the Bible predict? 00:22:16.03\00:22:17.37 The Bible predicted that the papal power would have a deadly 00:22:23.04\00:22:26.07 wound and go into captivity then in 1798 AD. 00:22:26.27\00:22:29.98 Napoleon is ruling. He looks to the south. 00:22:30.38\00:22:33.31 He sees his rival power in the pope of Rome. 00:22:33.52\00:22:36.22 Sent Berthier, his general, down to Rome in 1797 AD. 00:22:36.72\00:22:42.09 Berthier comes back empty-handed. 00:22:42.69\00:22:44.39 The prophecy wasn't to be fulfilled until 1798 AD. 00:22:44.59\00:22:47.43 1798 AD Berthier returns. 00:22:47.63\00:22:49.80 He takes the pope captive and Pius VI dies in exile 00:22:50.00\00:22:53.50 in Valencia, France, in 1799 AD 00:22:53.70\00:22:56.64 exactly fulfilling the prophecy. 00:22:56.84\00:22:59.24 So as we look at this prophecy what do we see? 00:22:59.64\00:23:03.65 We see a power, the papacy, growing out of pagan Rome. 00:23:03.85\00:23:07.38 We see it becoming a worldwide system of worship. 00:23:07.78\00:23:10.92 We see its priests claiming that they can forgive sins, 00:23:11.12\00:23:14.59 its leader claiming the authority of God, 00:23:14.79\00:23:17.53 and we see it ruling for 1,260 years. 00:23:17.69\00:23:19.96 We see then the papal power going into captivity 00:23:20.16\00:23:22.70 and many people at that time felt that the papacy was dead. 00:23:22.90\00:23:25.73 But the Bible predicted a revival of papal power. 00:23:25.93\00:23:29.30 It predicted at the time of the end 00:23:29.50\00:23:31.81 that once again church and state would unite. 00:23:32.01\00:23:34.64 Do we see that taking place? 00:23:34.84\00:23:37.15 Revelation 13:12 says that the deadly wound would be healed. 00:23:37.35\00:23:42.58 That the papacy would rise again to prominence. 00:23:42.85\00:23:46.42 And today we see that prophecy fulfilled around the world 00:23:46.62\00:23:50.79 as the pope travels the world as an ambassador of peace. 00:23:51.09\00:23:55.86 As he travels the world and thousands and millions gather. 00:23:56.06\00:24:00.90 As political leaders kneel to kiss his ring. 00:24:01.10\00:24:04.97 As he addresses congresses around the world... 00:24:05.17\00:24:08.44 Parliaments around the world. 00:24:08.64\00:24:11.01 As presidents come to greet him with their families. 00:24:11.21\00:24:15.08 As he comes to address even Congress in the United States 00:24:15.28\00:24:19.29 and bless America. The pope has arisen 00:24:19.49\00:24:23.16 as an ambassador of peace. Even atheistic countries 00:24:23.36\00:24:27.86 welcome him there. He is recognized as the moral 00:24:28.06\00:24:32.63 leader of the world. 00:24:32.83\00:24:34.87 With politicians today 00:24:47.55\00:24:50.62 losing the confidence of the population 00:24:51.02\00:24:54.22 with politicians facing moral falls and dishonesty 00:24:54.42\00:25:00.03 with corruption in government 00:25:00.23\00:25:02.53 with the institutions of society failing 00:25:02.73\00:25:06.23 men and women are looking for moral leadership. 00:25:06.43\00:25:10.94 Could it be that the devil himself 00:25:18.65\00:25:21.88 is preparing an amazing deception? 00:25:22.08\00:25:25.82 The word antichrist doesn't mean against Christ 00:25:26.02\00:25:29.19 it means another Christ. 00:25:29.39\00:25:30.79 Could it actually be that the devil is preparing a deception 00:25:30.99\00:25:35.76 where church and state will unite again 00:25:35.96\00:25:39.03 in a time of chaos and calamity where the pope of Rome 00:25:39.23\00:25:43.71 will appear as the moral leader of the world? 00:25:43.91\00:25:47.51 Where human decrees and commands will be passed 00:25:47.71\00:25:50.91 compelling worship? 00:25:51.11\00:25:52.98 ... the devil is planning one of his greatest deceptions 00:25:57.15\00:26:00.29 for humanity. 00:26:00.49\00:26:01.96 ... there is the need for moral leadership. 00:26:05.76\00:26:09.26 ... and certainly in a world where pandemics run wild 00:26:14.70\00:26:18.64 and viruses seem to be out of control 00:26:18.84\00:26:21.58 threatening the lives of millions 00:26:21.78\00:26:24.18 there is the need for somebody to step forward. 00:26:24.38\00:26:27.02 There is the need for moral leadership in our world. 00:26:27.22\00:26:30.62 At a time of economic crisis where the world's economy 00:26:30.82\00:26:34.12 hangs on a slender thread 00:26:34.32\00:26:36.12 there is the need for moral leadership. 00:26:36.32\00:26:38.16 And what does the Bible predict? 00:26:38.36\00:26:40.13 The Bible predicts that the solution to the problems 00:26:40.33\00:26:44.03 of this world is not a human being in a church/state union 00:26:44.23\00:26:49.07 but it is rather the coming of the Prince of Peace! 00:26:49.27\00:26:52.27 There will never be peace on earth until the Prince of Peace 00:26:52.47\00:26:55.54 comes: the leader that we are looking for. 00:26:55.74\00:26:58.31 The true moral leader is Jesus Christ! 00:26:58.51\00:27:01.32 He is the Blessed Hope of the world! 00:27:01.52\00:27:03.65 He is the One that will come as King of kings 00:27:03.85\00:27:05.79 and Lord of lords. 00:27:05.99\00:27:07.32 He is the One who will stream down the corridors of time. 00:27:07.36\00:27:09.82 Every human leader will let us down. 00:27:10.03\00:27:12.36 Every human leader will fail us 00:27:12.56\00:27:14.36 but there is One that will never fail us! 00:27:14.56\00:27:16.30 He is the One that came... tabernacled in human flesh. 00:27:16.50\00:27:19.93 He is the One that defeated Satan. 00:27:20.14\00:27:22.04 He is the One that died on the cross. 00:27:22.24\00:27:23.81 He is the One that rose from the dead. 00:27:24.01\00:27:25.87 He is the One that intercedes in heaven. 00:27:26.07\00:27:28.08 He is our Lord and Savior that will come 00:27:28.28\00:27:30.75 in the clouds of heaven. 00:27:30.95\00:27:32.31 Now what vehicle do you think the devil might suggest 00:27:32.51\00:27:36.55 to unify society? 00:27:36.75\00:27:38.42 What vehicle might the beast power use 00:27:38.62\00:27:41.62 to unite the entire world? 00:27:41.82\00:27:45.33 Maybe history will give us a lesson. 00:27:45.73\00:27:47.93 The Roman Empire was crumbling 00:27:51.83\00:27:54.40 and as it was Constantine - the pagan Roman emperor - 00:27:54.60\00:27:58.87 tried to unite church and state. 00:27:59.07\00:28:01.84 I wonder: in a world that has a shaky foundation, 00:28:07.25\00:28:11.72 in a world that is falling apart 00:28:12.02\00:28:14.42 could it possibly be that the world, at a time of 00:28:14.62\00:28:19.63 economic political crisis, 00:28:19.83\00:28:22.66 natural disasters... At a time with the threat of thermonuclear 00:28:22.86\00:28:27.50 war and viruses and pandemics, 00:28:27.70\00:28:30.51 at a time of such uncertainty, 00:28:30.71\00:28:32.61 could it be that men and women would turn to religion 00:28:32.81\00:28:36.51 as the savior of the world? 00:28:36.91\00:28:38.68 That happened back in the days of Constantine. 00:28:38.88\00:28:41.08 But something more specific. 00:28:41.28\00:28:43.02 Constantine attempted to blend pagan ideas 00:28:43.22\00:28:48.52 and ideas from Christianity. 00:28:48.72\00:28:51.39 And one of those things that he attempted to do 00:28:51.79\00:28:54.56 was establish a common day of worship 00:28:54.76\00:28:59.40 as a day of rest and peace for the world. 00:28:59.60\00:29:04.67 And a common day of worship 00:29:51.42\00:29:53.76 could be the very strategy that Satan is using 00:29:53.96\00:29:58.19 at a time of enormous crisis in an attempt to unite the world. 00:29:58.39\00:30:03.37 How did this change of the Bible Sabbath ever take place? 00:30:31.49\00:30:34.30 It took place in the early centuries 00:30:34.50\00:30:36.53 through amalgamation... union of church and state... 00:30:36.73\00:30:39.83 where pagan practices were brought in. 00:30:40.04\00:30:42.17 That's how it took place. 00:30:42.37\00:30:43.91 And the church actually acknowledges this. 00:30:44.11\00:30:46.47 See, the church changed the Sabbath - 00:31:12.27\00:31:14.47 falsely - from the seventh day of the week 00:31:14.67\00:31:17.77 that was written with the finger of God on the tables of stone 00:31:17.97\00:31:20.98 never to be changed and God said: "Remember it. " 00:31:21.18\00:31:22.71 The church changed it in the early centuries 00:31:22.91\00:31:25.05 to accommodate paganism 00:31:25.25\00:31:27.18 in a divided empire that was falling apart. 00:31:27.38\00:31:30.29 Could that ever happen again? We shall see. 00:31:30.49\00:31:34.26 Now notice: this statement goes on: 00:31:34.46\00:31:37.49 So the beast power that rose out of Rome 00:31:53.44\00:31:57.91 is identified as the papacy... the Roman church. 00:31:58.11\00:32:01.38 Not certainly an individual pope 00:32:01.68\00:32:03.79 but the system that grew out of there. 00:32:03.99\00:32:06.52 Are there many Roman Catholics that love Christ? There are. 00:32:06.72\00:32:09.32 Are there many that have never heard these things... 00:32:09.72\00:32:11.79 some possibly watching this broadcast? 00:32:11.99\00:32:13.96 Absolutely! Certainly! 00:32:14.16\00:32:15.96 Do they have the mark of the beast today? Definitely not. 00:32:16.36\00:32:19.33 Nobody today has the mark of the beast. 00:32:19.63\00:32:22.34 What does Revelation 14 predict? 00:32:22.54\00:32:24.94 Revelation 14 is God's final call 00:32:25.34\00:32:28.24 to come out of every law-breaking church. 00:32:28.44\00:32:31.28 Revelation 14 is God's appeal 00:32:31.48\00:32:33.85 NOT TO receive the mark of the beast. 00:32:34.05\00:32:36.25 It comes from the heart of a loving God... 00:32:36.45\00:32:38.92 a heart of God that overflows with love for you and for me. 00:32:39.32\00:32:43.12 The heart of a God that wants you saved. 00:32:43.53\00:32:45.53 The heart of a God that wants you with Him in eternity 00:32:45.73\00:32:48.10 more than anything else. 00:32:48.30\00:32:49.70 The mark of the beast is the change of the Sabbath 00:32:50.10\00:32:54.77 substituting man's authority for God's authority. 00:32:54.97\00:32:59.44 So the issue is much more than the issue of a day. 00:32:59.84\00:33:04.41 Some people say to me: "What difference does a day make? " 00:33:04.81\00:33:07.32 It's the issue of authority. 00:33:07.52\00:33:09.95 Does any human power have the authority to change 00:33:10.15\00:33:13.72 the very law of God? 00:33:13.92\00:33:15.62 It's an issue of worship. 00:33:15.82\00:33:17.39 Who do we worship: the Creator or the creature? 00:33:17.59\00:33:22.43 Whose laws are supreme? 00:33:22.83\00:33:24.77 The laws of man or the laws of God? 00:33:24.97\00:33:28.20 Pope Benedict XVI on June 6, 2012 said this... 00:33:51.56\00:33:57.57 You say: "Well how could that ever happen? " 00:33:57.73\00:33:59.07 Look at this encyclical. He says: 00:33:59.13\00:34:01.40 And then he goes on to say: 00:34:06.57\00:34:08.28 So here the pope of Rome is suggesting 00:34:23.26\00:34:25.96 that Sunday should be a day off. 00:34:26.16\00:34:29.30 It should be a day for social interaction. 00:34:29.50\00:34:32.40 He even says it should be a day for nations to rest 00:34:32.60\00:34:36.91 so the earth can rest in a time of climate change. 00:34:37.11\00:34:41.31 He also says it should be a day with our families 00:34:41.51\00:34:44.61 and a day of worship. 00:34:44.81\00:34:46.51 So the pope, who is emerging as the great moral leader 00:34:46.72\00:34:50.55 of the world at a time of insecurity and international 00:34:50.75\00:34:54.52 crisis suggests that Sunday, the first day of the week, 00:34:54.72\00:34:57.79 can be one of those vehicles that unites all humanity. 00:34:57.99\00:35:02.80 He goes on to say: 00:35:03.00\00:35:04.33 The Bible says that the Sabbath is the Lord's day. 00:35:06.47\00:35:09.37 Mark chapter 22 verses 27-28 it says: 00:35:09.57\00:35:12.37 "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. " 00:35:12.57\00:35:14.08 Luke chapter 6 verse 5 says "The Son of Man 00:35:14.28\00:35:16.75 is Lord of the Sabbath. " 00:35:16.95\00:35:18.28 Matthew 12:8 says "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. " 00:35:18.31\00:35:20.68 I go on with the quote: 00:35:20.98\00:35:22.32 So the pope presents the Sabbath 00:35:32.26\00:35:34.46 that he calls Sunday... the Sunday Sabbath, 00:35:34.66\00:35:37.07 not the true Bible Sabbath... 00:35:37.27\00:35:38.60 but he presents that as a day of freedom. 00:35:38.63\00:35:42.14 So the idea is the whole world unites 00:35:42.54\00:35:45.64 and there is freedom for everybody. 00:35:45.94\00:35:48.68 Freedom from work... freedom to be with your family. 00:35:48.88\00:35:51.91 Freedom to worship God. 00:35:52.11\00:35:54.22 What about those that eventually conscientiously 00:35:54.52\00:35:58.55 could not go along? 00:35:58.75\00:36:00.09 Ellen White in the book Great Controversy pages 592 and onward 00:36:00.12\00:36:04.59 makes this observation. 00:36:04.79\00:36:06.19 She really echoes the words of Revelation 13 00:36:06.39\00:36:11.43 about the beast and no man being able to buy or sell. 00:36:11.63\00:36:14.70 She expands on that. She says: 00:36:14.90\00:36:16.87 Isn't this exactly what Revelation 13 says? 00:37:06.05\00:37:09.36 It says unless they receive the mark of the beast 00:37:09.56\00:37:11.69 they cannot buy; they cannot sell. 00:37:11.89\00:37:15.03 That eventually a death decree will hang over their head. 00:37:15.23\00:37:18.20 But God's people will be sealed for eternity. 00:37:18.40\00:37:22.30 In this time of crisis rather than accepting 00:37:22.50\00:37:26.31 the mark of human authority, 00:37:26.51\00:37:28.74 rather than accepting a false Sabbath, 00:37:28.94\00:37:32.51 God's people indeed will be sealed for eternity. 00:37:32.71\00:37:36.95 In the heart of those commandments is God's seal. 00:37:44.19\00:37:48.10 Every king would have his seal. 00:37:55.57\00:37:58.21 Every political leader would have their seal 00:37:58.41\00:38:02.14 and when they stamped that seal they stamped authenticity 00:38:02.34\00:38:06.21 upon a document. The seal indicated that the document 00:38:06.41\00:38:10.92 was genuine. 00:38:11.12\00:38:12.59 The seal in essence had to identify the one 00:38:25.97\00:38:30.97 whose authority it was. 00:38:31.17\00:38:33.44 So God's seal is found in the heart of His law. 00:38:41.42\00:38:46.32 In Exodus 20:8, 9, 11 we find that the Sabbath - 00:38:47.02\00:38:51.73 right in the center of God's law - 00:38:51.93\00:38:54.36 has the identifying characteristics of the seal. 00:38:54.56\00:38:57.93 He is our sealer. 00:39:10.85\00:39:13.01 He is the One who has authority. He's the Lord. 00:39:13.21\00:39:15.82 He is the Maker of heavens and earth. 00:39:16.02\00:39:19.15 That's His title: the Maker of heavens and earth. 00:39:19.35\00:39:21.06 The Creator. And what did He create? 00:39:21.26\00:39:23.02 Here's His territory: 00:39:23.22\00:39:24.56 Let's look at it this way. Here are the elements 00:39:30.37\00:39:32.00 of the authentic seal found in the heart of God's law: 00:39:32.20\00:39:34.47 So here in the book of Revelation 00:39:49.12\00:39:51.15 there are two worships: worship of the Creator, 00:39:51.35\00:39:55.59 coming and worshiping Him on the Sabbath, 00:39:55.79\00:39:58.39 entering into that Sabbath rest, 00:39:58.59\00:40:00.93 resting from our works trusting in His, 00:40:01.13\00:40:04.23 resting in His grace, resting in the One that made us, 00:40:04.43\00:40:07.60 having a sense that we're not some speck of cosmic dust 00:40:07.80\00:40:11.31 but He created us, He made us, He fashioned us. 00:40:11.51\00:40:14.31 We are anchored in Him. 00:40:14.51\00:40:16.85 We are sons and daughters of the King of the universe, 00:40:17.05\00:40:20.25 the Creator. We rest in the fact He created us. 00:40:20.45\00:40:23.55 We rest in the fact that He redeemed us. 00:40:23.75\00:40:26.15 We rest in the fact that He's coming again for us. 00:40:26.35\00:40:29.22 True Sabbath worship is worship of the Creator. 00:40:29.42\00:40:32.16 But there's also worship of the beast. The acceptance 00:40:32.36\00:40:34.86 of a counterfeit Sabbath that's a substitute 00:40:35.06\00:40:38.63 that came into the church in the time of compromise 00:40:38.83\00:40:42.17 that will be a vehicle of unity in the last days 00:40:42.37\00:40:45.74 with a church/state union. 00:40:45.94\00:40:48.28 Now notice: the seal is received only in the forehead. 00:40:57.42\00:41:00.16 Why? Because the forehead is a symbol of reason. 00:41:00.36\00:41:04.06 It's a symbol of conscience; it's a symbol of judgment. 00:41:04.26\00:41:07.46 It's a symbol of the freedom of choice. 00:41:07.66\00:41:09.46 God never coerces. The devil either deceives you 00:41:09.66\00:41:12.73 by putting the mark of the beast in the forehead 00:41:12.93\00:41:14.47 or he deceives you by putting it on your hand. 00:41:14.67\00:41:17.01 That is to say he pressures you... he coerces you. 00:41:17.21\00:41:19.94 But God never pressures the seal of God, 00:41:20.14\00:41:23.75 So the plagues do not fall on the earth - 00:41:23.95\00:41:26.82 the seven last plagues - until the message of God goes out 00:41:27.02\00:41:30.49 leading men and women back to Jesus, 00:41:30.69\00:41:33.62 leading them to the authority of Scripture, 00:41:33.82\00:41:36.02 leading them to worship Him as Creator. 00:41:36.22\00:41:39.06 ... to accept the mark of the beast 00:42:11.76\00:42:14.10 through an economic boycott or the threat of death. 00:42:14.30\00:42:17.93 ... undermine the authority of the Creator. 00:42:30.28\00:42:32.78 Satan hates the Creator. He hates the fact that Jesus 00:42:38.02\00:42:42.06 can create and he cannot. 00:42:42.26\00:42:44.03 And so he's attacked Christ, he's attacked the Creator. 00:42:44.23\00:42:47.66 He's attacked the authority of creation. 00:42:47.86\00:42:50.50 The great controversy between good and evil will bring 00:42:50.70\00:42:53.47 all humanity to a test, and that's what these three cosmic 00:42:53.67\00:42:57.44 messages are about. They're messages of love 00:42:57.64\00:43:00.58 to your heart and to mine 00:43:00.78\00:43:02.81 by a God that wants you with Him forever. 00:43:03.01\00:43:05.61 ... and we open our hearts to serve Him as our Lord. 00:43:14.96\00:43:19.46 Church and state will unite. 00:43:42.78\00:43:46.15 Like in the days of Constantine 00:43:46.35\00:43:49.32 like in the days of the Dark Ages 00:43:49.52\00:43:52.19 the powerful church will superimpose 00:43:52.59\00:43:57.73 its laws on humanity. 00:43:57.93\00:44:00.30 State powers, government powers, political powers 00:44:01.20\00:44:04.47 desiring to forego a crisis 00:44:05.84\00:44:08.54 with this world falling apart 00:44:08.74\00:44:10.78 thinking indeed that if they unify 00:44:10.98\00:44:15.52 God's blessing will be upon the world. 00:44:15.92\00:44:18.82 Satan fuels this false revival with counterfeit miracles. 00:44:19.02\00:44:24.36 The sick are miraculously healed. 00:44:24.76\00:44:27.40 Now God's going to work miracles at the time of the end. 00:44:27.60\00:44:29.90 Don't misunderstand me. 00:44:30.10\00:44:31.67 But the devil is going to use false miracles. 00:44:31.87\00:44:35.10 How do you tell the difference between the false and the true? 00:44:35.50\00:44:37.74 In genuine miracles we are always led back to obedience. 00:44:38.14\00:44:42.91 In false miracles men and women are led to be emboldened 00:44:43.31\00:44:47.72 in disobedience... disobedience to the laws of health 00:44:47.92\00:44:52.05 in every nerve and tissue in their body. 00:44:52.25\00:44:53.66 Disobedience to the law of God including the Sabbath. 00:44:53.86\00:44:57.03 Genuine miracles lead us to allegiance to God 00:44:57.43\00:45:00.63 and accept His authority in genuine obedience. 00:45:00.83\00:45:02.76 False miracles lead us to be emboldened 00:45:03.16\00:45:05.73 in the sensational caught up in the miraculous 00:45:05.93\00:45:11.01 rather than the clear teachings of the living Word of God. 00:45:11.21\00:45:16.58 God is looking for a group of people 00:45:16.98\00:45:19.71 who demonstrate the triumph of His grace. 00:45:19.91\00:45:23.42 In the darkest hours of earth's history 00:45:23.62\00:45:25.85 the light of Jesus' grace is going to shine thru His people. 00:45:26.05\00:45:29.42 In the most fierce times of persecution 00:45:29.62\00:45:32.23 just like Jesus on the cross trusted the Father in darkness 00:45:32.43\00:45:36.56 they - through their faith of Jesus living in their hearts - 00:45:36.77\00:45:41.17 because their faith in Christ brings the faith OF Christ 00:45:41.37\00:45:45.14 into their lives. Because the spirit of Christ 00:45:45.34\00:45:48.61 lives within them they are strengthened and empowered. 00:45:48.81\00:45:52.08 It is written of this group of people in Rev. 14 verse 12: 00:45:52.28\00:45:56.72 They are God's honor convoy. 00:46:05.13\00:46:08.96 They are God's light in a world of darkness. 00:46:09.16\00:46:12.37 They are God's people. 00:46:12.57\00:46:15.44 A number of years ago, 1741, 00:46:15.64\00:46:20.01 you remember the story of the writing of Handel's Messiah. 00:46:20.88\00:46:25.81 You may have at Christmas time or some other time 00:46:26.01\00:46:30.25 of the year listened to that fabulous, fabulous 00:46:30.45\00:46:34.79 orchestra rendition with the choruses and the choirs 00:46:34.99\00:46:40.56 singing Handel's Messiah. 00:46:40.76\00:46:43.13 And your heart thrills with that, but you may not be aware 00:46:43.33\00:46:46.67 of the story behind the writing 00:46:46.87\00:46:50.91 of Handel's Messiah. 00:46:51.11\00:46:53.11 At the time that Handel wrote the Messiah 00:46:53.71\00:46:56.41 he was quite discouraged. 00:46:56.81\00:46:59.38 In fact, he was quite depressed. 00:46:59.58\00:47:03.18 He was bankrupt or near bankrupt. 00:47:04.35\00:47:07.29 He had a few dollars left but very very little. 00:47:07.49\00:47:10.79 The creditors were coming after him. 00:47:11.29\00:47:14.56 He was right on the verge of bankruptcy. 00:47:14.76\00:47:17.97 His health had really broken; 00:47:18.37\00:47:20.77 he hadn't had much success in the last musical scores 00:47:20.97\00:47:24.37 that he wrote. He was about ready to give up. 00:47:24.57\00:47:27.58 But as he was he began to think of Jesus 00:47:28.31\00:47:32.25 and he read the book of Revelation. 00:47:33.28\00:47:35.78 And as he read the book of Revelation 00:47:35.98\00:47:38.29 he was impressed with Revelation 11 verse 15. 00:47:38.49\00:47:41.89 In the darkness that comes in the future 00:47:50.37\00:47:53.40 when we hang on by faith in the time of greatest challenges 00:47:53.60\00:47:57.87 this promise will inspire our hearts as it inspired Handel's 00:47:58.07\00:48:01.88 heart: "The kingdoms of this world have become 00:48:02.08\00:48:04.31 the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ 00:48:04.51\00:48:07.08 and He shall reign forever and ever. " 00:48:07.28\00:48:08.88 Handel continued to read 00:48:09.28\00:48:10.65 and he read Revelation 19:6. 00:48:10.85\00:48:13.32 You remember that from Handel's Messiah. 00:48:23.43\00:48:25.63 "Alleluia! The Lord our God omnipotent reigns! " 00:48:25.83\00:48:30.04 When the beast power enforces his will upon humanity 00:48:30.24\00:48:34.74 we can sense that we are on the winning side. 00:48:34.94\00:48:38.85 That the power of the living Christ will deliver us 00:48:39.05\00:48:41.98 and one day He will reign. 00:48:42.18\00:48:43.69 Handel read further: 00:48:43.89\00:48:45.59 He then began to write, and as he wrote 00:48:50.03\00:48:54.00 it was as if his pen was divinely guided... 00:48:54.20\00:48:57.83 and it was! When one of his associates 00:48:58.03\00:49:02.14 a servant came in after Handel had finished the Messiah 00:49:02.34\00:49:06.64 in a very short amount of time George Frideric Handel's 00:49:06.84\00:49:12.08 head was in his hands. 00:49:12.28\00:49:13.85 He looked up with tears coming down his face and he said: 00:49:14.35\00:49:18.35 Jesus comes. He streams down the corridors of the sky. 00:49:24.13\00:49:28.43 One day you and I WILL see the face of God. 00:49:28.63\00:49:31.77 Hang on, my brother! Hang on, my sister! 00:49:31.97\00:49:34.50 Maybe for you the time of trouble is right now. 00:49:34.70\00:49:37.44 Maybe for you the time of trouble is in your home. 00:49:37.64\00:49:40.01 Maybe for you the time of trouble is with your health. 00:49:40.21\00:49:42.61 Maybe for you the time of trouble is with your finances. 00:49:42.81\00:49:46.72 But you're going through sometime of trouble right now! 00:49:46.92\00:49:49.62 And you might say to me: "Pastor, don't talk to me about 00:49:49.82\00:49:52.02 a future time of trouble because I'm overwhelmed now. " 00:49:52.22\00:49:54.42 One day Jesus will come. 00:49:54.62\00:49:56.19 Look beyond what is to what will be. 00:49:56.39\00:49:58.56 Look beyond the darkness to the light that is dawning 00:49:58.76\00:50:01.33 in your life through Christ right now. 00:50:01.53\00:50:03.16 Cling to the promise. This life is not all there is. 00:50:03.37\00:50:06.94 Jesus Christ is coming again! 00:50:07.14\00:50:09.47 He WILL stream down the corridors of time. 00:50:09.67\00:50:11.81 He IS our Blessed Hope. 00:50:12.01\00:50:14.54 Listen as Charles comes and sings 00:50:14.74\00:50:17.71 a song about the return of Jesus. 00:50:19.48\00:50:23.08 The Savior can't be far away! 00:50:23.49\00:50:25.45 The signs of the times all indicate that. 00:50:25.85\00:50:28.19 The signs of the times are revealing 00:50:28.39\00:50:30.93 that we are headed for crisis. 00:50:31.09\00:50:32.96 But the message of the 3 angels speaks to this generation. 00:50:33.16\00:50:36.26 It calls us to prepare for the soon coming of Christ. 00:50:36.46\00:50:39.37 It calls us on our knees; it calls us to seek God. 00:50:39.57\00:50:42.94 It calls us to open our hearts to His grace. 00:50:43.14\00:50:45.77 It calls us to receive His power. 00:50:45.97\00:50:47.71 It calls us to the faith of Jesus. Listen as Charles sings: 00:50:47.91\00:50:52.21 There'll be no dark valley when Jesus comes; 00:50:57.92\00:51:02.32 there'll be no dark valley when Jesus comes; 00:51:02.52\00:51:06.96 there'll be no dark valley when Jesus comes 00:51:07.16\00:51:11.60 to gather His loved ones home. 00:51:11.80\00:51:15.90 To gather His loved ones home; 00:51:16.20\00:51:20.41 to gather His loved ones home... 00:51:20.61\00:51:25.01 there'll be no dark valley when Jesus comes 00:51:25.21\00:51:29.72 to gather His loved ones home. 00:51:29.92\00:51:34.02 There'll be no more sorrow when Jesus comes; 00:51:34.32\00:51:38.79 there'll be no more sorrow when Jesus comes 00:51:38.99\00:51:43.43 but a glorious morrow when Jesus comes 00:51:43.63\00:51:47.97 to gather His loved ones home. 00:51:48.37\00:51:52.24 To gather His loved ones home; 00:51:52.44\00:51:56.78 to gather His loved ones home... 00:51:56.98\00:52:01.28 There'll be no more sorrow when Jesus comes 00:52:01.48\00:52:05.99 to gather His loved ones home. 00:52:06.39\00:52:10.23 And there'll be songs of greeting when Jesus comes; 00:52:10.43\00:52:14.86 there'll be songs of greeting when Jesus comes 00:52:15.06\00:52:19.40 and a joyful meeting when Jesus comes 00:52:19.60\00:52:23.94 to gather His loved ones home. 00:52:24.24\00:52:28.18 To gather His loved ones home; 00:52:28.58\00:52:32.75 to gather His loved ones home... 00:52:32.95\00:52:37.22 there'll be songs of greeting 00:52:37.42\00:52:40.02 when Jesus comes to gather His loved ones home. 00:52:40.22\00:52:46.13 Now there'll be no dark valley when Jesus comes; 00:52:46.53\00:52:50.97 there'll be no dark valley when Jesus comes; 00:52:51.17\00:52:55.47 there'll be no dark valley when Jesus comes 00:52:55.67\00:53:00.11 to gather His loved ones home. 00:53:00.31\00:53:04.35 To gather His loved ones home; 00:53:04.75\00:53:08.92 to gather His loved ones home; 00:53:09.12\00:53:13.42 there'll be no dark valley when Jesus comes 00:53:13.82\00:53:17.99 to gather His loved ones home... 00:53:18.19\00:53:22.33 to gather His loved ones 00:53:22.73\00:53:27.60 home! 00:53:27.80\00:53:33.64 And that's why He's coming: 00:53:35.81\00:53:37.51 to gather His loved ones home. 00:53:38.38\00:53:41.12 Jesus is lonely without you. 00:53:41.85\00:53:45.42 Heaven would be a lonely place for Him 00:53:46.32\00:53:48.72 if you were not there. 00:53:48.92\00:53:50.39 There's a place in His heart only for you. 00:53:51.03\00:53:55.03 You say: "Mark, how can that be true? 00:53:55.93\00:53:57.73 Seven billion people on earth 00:53:58.60\00:54:01.00 clawing at one another for living space. 00:54:01.20\00:54:03.37 How can it be true 00:54:03.77\00:54:05.64 that there's a place in Jesus' heart only for me? " 00:54:05.84\00:54:09.74 Are you a mother or a father? 00:54:11.48\00:54:13.38 Do you have one child? Two children? Three children? 00:54:14.32\00:54:17.59 Let's suppose tragically so 00:54:18.55\00:54:22.69 that you lost a child. 00:54:22.89\00:54:24.59 Do the other two's love make up for the one you lost? 00:54:25.46\00:54:28.53 If you had five children and one child died, 00:54:30.23\00:54:33.50 would the love of four make up for the one that died? 00:54:33.90\00:54:36.64 That one that died is special. 00:54:37.54\00:54:39.64 That one that died has a place in your heart 00:54:40.58\00:54:44.51 that nobody else can fill. 00:54:44.71\00:54:47.98 But who is it that put in the heart of a father or a mother 00:54:48.82\00:54:54.26 the capacity to love 00:54:54.46\00:54:57.13 two children, three children, five or seven or eight? 00:54:57.33\00:54:59.89 Who did that? It is God. 00:55:00.10\00:55:01.96 And in God's heart there's a heart of infinite love. 00:55:02.36\00:55:06.60 There is an ocean of love in God's heart. 00:55:07.57\00:55:09.90 And the God that placed in a mother's heart the ability 00:55:10.74\00:55:15.81 to love two children or three or more 00:55:16.91\00:55:20.02 has in His heart the capacity 00:55:20.42\00:55:22.92 to love an infinite amount. 00:55:23.12\00:55:25.55 And if you're not there, 00:55:25.95\00:55:27.39 He's going to miss you forever. 00:55:27.59\00:55:28.96 The reason He gave these three cosmic messages, 00:55:29.79\00:55:33.26 the reason He gave them in Revelation, 00:55:33.66\00:55:36.30 is because He knew in the last generation 00:55:36.70\00:55:39.43 you would be there. 00:55:40.54\00:55:41.87 In His foreknowledge and His wisdom He saw you. 00:55:42.47\00:55:46.07 And He's appealing to you to step out and follow Him. 00:55:46.81\00:55:50.31 This may be new for you, 00:55:50.98\00:55:52.98 but He invites you today to step out from the majority 00:55:53.72\00:55:57.75 and follow Him. You may be an Adventist 00:55:57.95\00:56:00.86 and have heard these messages before 00:56:01.02\00:56:02.82 but there's some decision God wants you to make. 00:56:04.26\00:56:06.90 It's not only intellectual material for our minds... 00:56:07.60\00:56:10.10 it's for our heart. It's the message of Christ 00:56:10.87\00:56:14.37 to change our life. 00:56:14.57\00:56:16.00 Is there some cherished idol in your life? 00:56:16.30\00:56:18.77 Some sin you've been clinging to? 00:56:19.17\00:56:21.38 Some habit you've not given up? 00:56:21.58\00:56:23.51 The appeal of God is to worship the Creator 00:56:23.91\00:56:27.85 and find power in Him to overcome. Let's pray: 00:56:28.92\00:56:32.42 Father in heaven, we come to You just now. 00:56:32.92\00:56:36.89 We come from varied backgrounds, 00:56:37.09\00:56:38.59 we come from different understandings 00:56:38.79\00:56:40.63 but Lord... we come. 00:56:41.03\00:56:42.56 We come to You as our Creator 00:56:42.76\00:56:44.70 and ask you to re-create our hearts. 00:56:44.90\00:56:46.74 We come to You as our Redeemer 00:56:46.94\00:56:48.74 asking You to give us peace and grace and forgiveness. 00:56:48.94\00:56:52.14 We come to You in hope of the coming King 00:56:52.34\00:56:54.94 and we long to be caught up with You and meet You in the air 00:56:55.14\00:56:58.01 and live with You forever. 00:56:58.21\00:56:59.55 In Jesus' name, Amen. 00:56:59.58\00:57:01.48 May the grace of Christ and the power of Christ 00:57:01.88\00:57:06.15 and the love of Christ daily fill your life 00:57:06.35\00:57:11.53 until He comes again in Jesus' name is my prayer. 00:57:11.73\00:57:16.26