Hello, friends,
welcome to 3ABN Worship Hour.
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I am Pastor John Lomacang,
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and I thank you for
taking the time to tune in
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and join us today
for a challenging look
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at the Book of Revelation.
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The message is entitled
"Apostate Protestantism."
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And you might say
what on earth is that?
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We're going to go
to the Lord in prayer.
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And then we're going to
allow Revelation to unfold to us
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and develop a
picture of what it is,
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how we can avoid it,
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and how we can make
decisions to follow the Lord
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from where He
opens our understanding
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to the kingdom
that is before us.
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Let us bow our heads.
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Loving Father,
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we pray that as
we open Your Word
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that You will open our hearts,
give us wisdom and guidance,
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that Your name may be
honored and glorified.
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In Jesus' name I pray.
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Amen. Amen.
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Once again,
Apostate Protestantism.
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Some of you may have heard
of the Protestant Reformation.
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And a man by the
name of Martin Luther
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may be familiar to
your historical pocket.
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Or you may have heard
his name mentioned before.
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During the Dark Ages,
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when Rome dominated
the religious landscape,
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Martin Luther, a
German theologian,
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in his pilgrimage to Rome,
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sat before a Bible.
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And he discovered
in the Word of God,
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that we are not
saved by our works,
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but we are saved by
grace through faith.
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And in the Book of
Habakkuk, he read these words,
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"The just shall live by faith."
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It so influenced his
life and sparked in him
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a yearning to move
away from the dogmas of Rome
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from senseless works
and senseless doctrines
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and things that had no
foundation in Scripture
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that he decided
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to have the Bible translated
from Latin into German.
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And it sparked what
the world has now known as
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the Protestant Reformation.
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Now what is Protestant mean?
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Protestant is a term that means
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those who are protesting
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against the
teachings and the dogmas
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of the Church of Rome,
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and the Church of
Rome has influenced
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millions of
millions of Christians
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through beliefs and
teachings and practices
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that are traditionally based
and not scripturally based.
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The Protestant Reformation
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began with a move back to
a plain thus saith the Lord.
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In other words, if
God's Word says it,
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that's what I'm
going to practice.
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But something has happened
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over the course
of the 500 plus year
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of the Protestant
Reformation movement.
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And Protestantism
that was once a movement
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that opposed
everything that Rome stood for,
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is now a movement
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that has embraced much
of what Rome has advanced,
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meaning they've
abandoned to a large degree,
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the Word of God,
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and have gone
backward to the traditions
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and the teachings
and the dogmas of Rome.
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And so we're
praying today, friends,
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that you can see in God's
Word what needs to be done.
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And we pray that as we
unfold this message today,
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that you will
hear in God's Word,
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something that
will spark your heart
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and lead you back to
allegiance to Christ.
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Let's begin with the
scripture in 1 John 4:1,
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a very powerful scripture
as we lay the foundation.
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The Bible says,
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"Beloved, do not
believe every spirit,
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but test the spirits
whether they are of God,
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because many false prophets
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have gone out into the world."
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The Book of Revelation
reveals the last day scenario.
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It contains all the
components necessary
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to enhance our
understanding of the development
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of a apostate Protestantism.
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And today,
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Protestantism has a
new component added to it
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called dominionism,
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which is
dismantling the very foundation
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of the Protestant movement.
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Now the question
is, what is dominionism?
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It is a theoretic
or theocratic ideology,
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that regardless
of theological view,
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your means, your timetable
regardless of your beliefs.
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Dominionism believes that
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Christians are called
to commandeer politics,
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to take the
nation's political system
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under their control,
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to unite
politics with the church,
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and then control
the destiny of a nation
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under their influence.
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And so what's happening today is
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dominionism is
hijacking Christianity
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and shifting the
gospel through wedge issues.
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Now, what do I
mean by wedge issues?
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When you hear the word
wedge, think about it this way,
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the way that we think
about it in the Midwest,
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not a wedge that
you put under your door,
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but a wedge that
is able to split wood,
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meaning without a wedge,
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you cannot tell what's on
the inside of a piece of wood.
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But when you enter,
when you put a wedge,
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and then tap it
with a larger hammer,
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it opens up to you
what you did not see before.
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It exposes what
was really hidden
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on the inside of that log,
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while dominionism
is using wedge issues
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to attract
allegiance away from the Bible
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to issues that they
are passionate about,
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taking people away
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from a plain
thus saith the Lord.
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And then the
Bible talks about that
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threefold attack of dominionism,
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which is revealed in
the Book of Revelation.
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Let's look together
at Revelation 16:13-14.
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Here's what the Bible says.
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It says,
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"I saw three
unclean spirits like frogs
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coming out of the
mouth of the dragon,
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out of the mouth of the beast,
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and out of the mouth
of the false prophet.
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For they are the
spirits of demons,
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performing signs,
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which go out to
the kings of the earth,
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and of the whole world,
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to gather them
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to the battle of that
great day of God Almighty."
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Satan is using dominionism
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and creating a
diversion for Christians
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to turn away from a
plain thus saith the Lord.
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Another way to say it is,
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apostate Protestantism
could never be apostate,
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unless it was
first Protestantism.
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Meaning, you
cannot depart from a cause
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that you were never loyal to.
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Let me give you a
definition of what apostasy is.
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And I'm going to
read it as it appears
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in Webster's dictionary.
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It says,
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"Apostasy is the
rejection of Christianity
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by someone who
formerly was a Christian."
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The term apostasy comes
from the Greek word apostasia,
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meaning defection,
departure, revolt, or rebellion.
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It has been
described as, listen to this,
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a willful falling away from
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or rebellion
against Christianity
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and Christian values.
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And the Apostle
Paul pegged it right
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when he gave us a glimpse
of how the church would depart
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from the Word of
God in the last days.
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Listen to the words
of the Apostle Paul,
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in 2 Thessalonians 2:3,
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notice what he says.
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He says,
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"Let no one
deceive you by any means,
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for that Day will not
come unless the falling away,
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or apostasia comes first,
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and the man of sin is revealed,
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the son of perdition."
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You see, the final
phase of Satan's attack
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will be through
apostate Protestantism.
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And let me make an announcement,
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we have entered
apostasy's final stage.
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But if you look at the
history of how Satan works,
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his attack against
God has been twofold.
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The first phase
was a failed attack
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to overthrow God's dominion.
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And we know what the Bible says,
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Satan lost and
was cast to the earth.
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But its final phase is an attack
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against the character of God.
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Now somebody might say,
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"Well, how is he
going to do that?"
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Well, since you asked,
let me answer the question.
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Many don't believe or understand
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that every false doctrine,
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everything that the
Bible does not support
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injures the character of
God and distorts His love.
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In other words,
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if you don't think
that that is specific
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or that it matters to God,
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consider the
offering of Cain and Abel.
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Look at Genesis 4:4,
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the Bible says,
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"Abel also brought of
the firstborn of his flock
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and of their fat.
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And the Lord respected
Abel and his offering."
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Now think about that.
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The Lord respected Abel,
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but the Lord did
not respect Cain.
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And when you read the Bible,
you find in Genesis Chapter 4,
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that God put a mark on
Cain, want you to grab that.
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In the very beginning
there was a mark on those
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who rebelled against God.
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And in the very end,
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there's going to
be a mark on those
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who in the end time
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continue their
rebellion against God.
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So let's look at the attack.
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The first phase was
Satan attacked the authenticity
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of the character of God.
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And so when we use the symbols
in Revelation Chapter 16,
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from the fall of
Lucifer, to the time of Christ,
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it was the purpose
of Satan, the dragon
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to war against
the character of God
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by attacking the people of God.
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And we find the
example in the Old Testament,
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as we look together
at 1 Kings 16:30-31.
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The Bible says,
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speaking about one
of the kings of Israel,
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and the kings of Judah.
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When you study you find that
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as the course of human
history continued to unfold,
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some of the kings of Israel
and some of the kings of Judah
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turned away from what
God had revealed to them,
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leading their people
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that should have
been the people of God
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into an avenue of apostasy.
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And the example
I'm going to use is
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one you know very well,
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a king named Ahab,
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who married a false
worshiper named Jezebel.
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Look at 1 Kings 16:30,
00:11:20.54\00:11:23.81
the Bible says,
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"Now, Ahab, the son of Omri
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did evil in the
sight of the Lord,
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more than all
who were before him.
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And it came to pass,
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as though it had been
a trivial thing for him
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to walk in the sins of
Jeroboam the son of Nebat,
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that he took as a wife Jezebel,
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the daughter of
Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians,
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and he went and served
Baal and worshiped him.
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Now, this is a powerful analogy,
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a man that was
supposed to be leading Israel
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into true
worship married a woman
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whose heart was turned
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in the direction
of false worship.
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She had a
different God altogether.
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She worshipped
the God of Ethbaal.
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She was an ardent worshiper.
00:12:13.93\00:12:16.46
She did not changed
her views, but her husband,
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a man called of
God changed his views,
00:12:19.77\00:12:22.17
and led Israel
into deep apostasy.
00:12:22.20\00:12:25.07
What did Ahab do?
00:12:25.11\00:12:27.71
Ahab was an agent of light
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that formed an alliance
with the agents of darkness.
00:12:31.55\00:12:35.82
Ahab created a
coalition by binding himself
00:12:35.85\00:12:41.32
in a false sense of worship,
00:12:41.36\00:12:43.43
literally through a marriage.
00:12:43.46\00:12:45.46
And today that also happens,
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when we unite
ourselves in a coalition
00:12:47.20\00:12:50.03
that appears to be
similar to a marriage,
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we are taking the first step
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and moving away from God
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when the person we are marrying,
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or being united to does
not worship the true God.
00:12:57.27\00:13:01.34
Ahab also
abandoned God based theology
00:13:01.38\00:13:04.98
for human based ideology.
00:13:05.01\00:13:08.08
And when you follow the history
00:13:08.12\00:13:09.45
of what happened to Israel,
00:13:09.48\00:13:10.82
it talked about Jeroboam.
00:13:10.85\00:13:12.19
Jeroboam started the cadence.
00:13:12.22\00:13:14.16
Jeroboam established
false altars of worship
00:13:14.19\00:13:17.59
all throughout the region
where Israel and Judah were,
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and then he encouraged them,
00:13:20.73\00:13:22.33
don't go to
Jerusalem to worship,
00:13:22.36\00:13:24.03
worship in the groves,
worship in the mountains,
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worship in the high places.
00:13:26.84\00:13:28.87
That's why the Apostle Paul says
00:13:28.90\00:13:30.81
spiritual
wickedness in high places,
00:13:30.84\00:13:34.41
why high places?
00:13:34.44\00:13:35.88
Because the high
places should belong to God.
00:13:35.91\00:13:39.21
But when the high
places are built to oppose God,
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it becomes a place
of spiritual wickedness,
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and it then
influences the people of God
00:13:46.55\00:13:48.32
to go in the wrong direction.
00:13:48.36\00:13:50.43
And when you look at the joining
00:13:50.46\00:13:51.79
of Ahab to Jezebel,
00:13:51.83\00:13:53.16
God warns against
any such amalgamation
00:13:53.19\00:13:57.53
merging light with darkness.
00:13:57.57\00:13:59.27
Look at Deuteronomy 12:30.
00:13:59.30\00:14:01.94
Here's what the Bible
says about false merges.
00:14:01.97\00:14:04.77
Don't do it.
00:14:04.81\00:14:06.14
The Lord says,
00:14:06.17\00:14:07.94
"Take heed to yourself,
00:14:07.98\00:14:09.88
that you are not
ensnared to follow them,
00:14:09.91\00:14:13.95
after they are
destroyed from before you,
00:14:13.98\00:14:16.92
and that you do not,
00:14:16.95\00:14:18.59
listen, inquire
after their gods,
00:14:18.62\00:14:22.16
saying,
00:14:22.19\00:14:23.53
'How did these
nations serve their gods?'
00:14:23.56\00:14:26.96
"And listen to how it ends?
00:14:27.00\00:14:28.93
"I also will do likewise."
00:14:28.96\00:14:33.10
Wow!
00:14:33.13\00:14:34.47
Now, that's a tragic thing.
00:14:34.50\00:14:35.97
They said, let's not only
look at these other nations,
00:14:36.00\00:14:38.84
but let's find
out how they worshiped
00:14:38.87\00:14:41.44
and let's emulate them.
00:14:41.48\00:14:43.28
One of the apostate principles
00:14:43.31\00:14:45.55
is emulate the worship
00:14:45.58\00:14:47.78
of those that do
not embrace the truth.
00:14:47.82\00:14:50.72
I'm going to repeat
that because it's profound.
00:14:50.75\00:14:52.92
It happened to Israel,
and it's happening today.
00:14:52.95\00:14:55.52
Emulate the worship of those
who do not embrace the truth.
00:14:55.56\00:15:01.46
And so you see the patterns
of apostate Protestantism
00:15:01.50\00:15:05.77
is a mirror of apostate Israel.
00:15:05.80\00:15:09.50
But it is not possible, friends,
00:15:09.54\00:15:11.01
to serve a false god
00:15:11.04\00:15:12.74
and the true God
at the same time.
00:15:12.77\00:15:14.81
It is not possible
to serve the true God
00:15:14.84\00:15:17.85
with false beliefs.
00:15:17.88\00:15:19.81
But today, Christianity
is not the Christianity
00:15:19.85\00:15:23.42
of the days of Christ.
00:15:23.45\00:15:25.15
I would even go so far as saying
00:15:25.19\00:15:26.52
today Christianity
is not the Christianity
00:15:26.55\00:15:29.29
that broke away from
Rome during the Dark Ages.
00:15:29.32\00:15:31.69
And Protestantism,
00:15:31.73\00:15:33.40
how many times have
you heard people say,
00:15:33.43\00:15:34.93
I'm a Protestant?
00:15:34.96\00:15:36.40
They say I am
00:15:36.43\00:15:37.77
and they mentioned
their denomination.
00:15:37.80\00:15:39.20
But the way that you'll know
00:15:39.23\00:15:40.57
that they are a true Protestant
00:15:40.60\00:15:42.17
is everything they
believe can be traced
00:15:42.20\00:15:44.77
scripture by scripture,
00:15:44.81\00:15:46.27
not just one
verse, not just one text,
00:15:46.31\00:15:48.64
but scripture by scripture,
00:15:48.68\00:15:50.11
they can link all their
verses together in the Bible
00:15:50.15\00:15:53.08
to formulate the
belief that they embrace.
00:15:53.11\00:15:55.88
And then they can find
that it is not tradition,
00:15:55.92\00:15:58.69
it's not ideology,
00:15:58.72\00:16:00.19
but it is theology
and a true revelation
00:16:00.22\00:16:03.32
of what God's Word says.
00:16:03.36\00:16:05.59
Today, we can see the effects
of apostate Protestantism.
00:16:05.63\00:16:11.07
When you hear statements
like we serve the same God,
00:16:11.10\00:16:15.04
what difference
does the Sabbath make,
00:16:15.07\00:16:17.21
and what difference
does the commandments make?
00:16:17.24\00:16:19.14
Well, friends,
that's a dangerous thing,
00:16:19.17\00:16:20.51
because Jesus says,
00:16:20.54\00:16:21.88
"If you love Me,
keep My commandments."
00:16:21.91\00:16:23.58
But here's the problem.
00:16:23.61\00:16:25.45
When you
minimize the commandments
00:16:25.48\00:16:27.42
and maximize the works,
00:16:27.45\00:16:29.38
you are now stepping
into the second principle
00:16:29.42\00:16:31.89
of apostate Protestantism.
00:16:31.92\00:16:34.52
In other words, it doesn't
really matter what I believe,
00:16:34.56\00:16:37.16
as long as I believe and think
00:16:37.19\00:16:39.76
that I serve the same God.
00:16:39.79\00:16:43.16
Whatever truth is
preached those in apostasy,
00:16:43.20\00:16:47.84
if it's not based on God's Word,
00:16:47.87\00:16:50.04
whatever truth is preached,
00:16:50.07\00:16:51.71
those who are in apostasy
00:16:51.74\00:16:53.54
when it's not
based on God's Word,
00:16:53.58\00:16:55.38
it's comfortable to them.
00:16:55.41\00:16:57.05
That's what you find
in the Book of 1 Kings 18.
00:16:57.08\00:17:00.52
Whenever the truth was preached,
00:17:00.55\00:17:02.18
whenever the truth was preached,
00:17:02.22\00:17:03.55
Ahab and Jezebel was angry.
00:17:03.59\00:17:05.59
Elijah the representative of God
00:17:05.62\00:17:08.32
was a man who stood firm
on what God told him to do.
00:17:08.36\00:17:12.49
And when he called
Israel back to loyalty,
00:17:12.53\00:17:15.43
Ahab, had pegged him,
00:17:15.46\00:17:18.17
Ahab had marked him.
00:17:18.20\00:17:20.00
Notice what he
said about Elijah.
00:17:20.04\00:17:22.60
1 Kings 18:17.
00:17:22.64\00:17:25.01
Here's what the Bible says.
00:17:25.04\00:17:27.51
"Then it happened
when Ahab saw Elijah,
00:17:27.54\00:17:32.25
that Ahab said to him,
00:17:32.28\00:17:35.22
'Is that you O
troubler of Israel?'
00:17:35.25\00:17:39.62
"Now let's think
about that for a moment.
00:17:39.65\00:17:41.32
Are you the one
00:17:41.36\00:17:42.69
that's causing
trouble in Israel?
00:17:42.72\00:17:44.39
Elijah causing
trouble in Israel?
00:17:44.43\00:17:47.40
The only way that
Elijah can cause trouble
00:17:47.43\00:17:49.83
among those who
claim to be God's people,
00:17:49.86\00:17:52.60
is Elijah is saying
what God revealed to him.
00:17:52.63\00:17:56.27
And those who claim
to be connected to God
00:17:56.30\00:17:58.67
no longer adhere
to those beliefs.
00:17:58.71\00:18:00.81
That's the only way
that anybody who serves God
00:18:00.84\00:18:03.98
can be pegged as a troublemaker.
00:18:04.01\00:18:06.45
It happened then
00:18:06.48\00:18:08.02
and it's happening again today.
00:18:08.05\00:18:09.98
You don't believe it.
00:18:10.02\00:18:11.35
Talk about the
Sabbath, or the commandments,
00:18:11.39\00:18:13.22
or what really
happens when a person dies,
00:18:13.25\00:18:15.29
that they rest in the grave.
00:18:15.32\00:18:16.83
And nowadays, in
the movies and churches,
00:18:16.86\00:18:19.86
when a person dies on
the news, in the newspapers,
00:18:19.89\00:18:23.10
oh, he's in heaven now.
00:18:23.13\00:18:24.47
The Bible doesn't teach that.
00:18:24.50\00:18:25.97
We will be in heaven,
00:18:26.00\00:18:27.37
but not before the resurrection.
00:18:27.40\00:18:30.24
And Christianity
today has turned its back
00:18:30.27\00:18:32.71
on very essential
teachings in God's Word.
00:18:32.74\00:18:36.75
But if the truth causes trouble,
00:18:36.78\00:18:38.91
I am glad to be called a
troublemaker for the Lord.
00:18:38.95\00:18:43.52
Every apostasy
00:18:46.29\00:18:48.19
has the same
issues at its center.
00:18:48.22\00:18:50.79
Look at 1 Kings 18:18,
00:18:50.83\00:18:53.40
it always begins here,
and then goes downhill.
00:18:53.43\00:18:56.73
The Bible says,
00:18:56.77\00:18:58.10
continuing the saga
between Ahab and Elijah.
00:18:58.13\00:19:00.80
And he said, this is
Elijah now responding.
00:19:00.84\00:19:03.51
"I have not troubled Israel,
00:19:03.54\00:19:05.37
but you and your
father's house have,"
00:19:05.41\00:19:09.31
and look what
he said about Ahab,
00:19:09.34\00:19:11.18
"in that you have forsaken
the commandments of the Lord
00:19:11.21\00:19:17.19
and follow the Baals."
00:19:17.22\00:19:19.39
Elijah said to Ahab,
00:19:19.42\00:19:21.36
"I'm not the one
that's in apostasy, you are.
00:19:21.39\00:19:24.19
God gave you His commandments,
00:19:24.23\00:19:26.03
but you no longer
see them as necessary."
00:19:26.06\00:19:28.73
And, friends, let
me tell you something.
00:19:28.76\00:19:31.17
As a pastor of more
than 30 something years,
00:19:31.20\00:19:33.84
that's the tenure
of Christianity today.
00:19:33.87\00:19:36.74
Entertainment,
lights, camera, action,
00:19:36.77\00:19:41.24
nothing wrong with
good Christian music
00:19:41.28\00:19:43.55
and a wonderful
atmosphere of worship.
00:19:43.58\00:19:45.91
Praise God for that.
00:19:45.95\00:19:47.28
But when it is preferred
00:19:47.32\00:19:48.68
above obedience to
the commandments of God,
00:19:48.72\00:19:51.42
and you emphasize
the commandments of God.
00:19:51.45\00:19:53.36
Somebody will say, you
see, every time that God speaks,
00:19:53.39\00:19:55.89
He causes trouble.
00:19:55.92\00:19:57.26
A Christian preacher
cannot be a troublemaker
00:19:57.29\00:20:01.26
unless he tells the truth,
00:20:01.30\00:20:03.03
and somebody
doesn't want to hear it.
00:20:03.06\00:20:06.07
That's why in every apostasy,
00:20:06.10\00:20:08.90
every apostasy is
followed by a showdown,
00:20:08.94\00:20:12.17
because God is not content,
00:20:12.21\00:20:15.18
to allow His children
to be permanently held
00:20:15.21\00:20:19.28
in a bondage to darkness.
00:20:19.31\00:20:21.78
Praise the Lord for that.
00:20:21.82\00:20:23.42
When situations
like Ahab and Jezebel
00:20:23.45\00:20:26.19
and Elijah take
place, God is saying,
00:20:26.22\00:20:27.96
"Wait a minute,
00:20:27.99\00:20:29.32
I know the people
are in the wrong place,
00:20:29.36\00:20:30.69
but they cannot do
anything to rescue themselves.
00:20:30.73\00:20:33.50
So I need to do
something to rescue My people."
00:20:33.53\00:20:37.60
Praise the Lord.
00:20:37.63\00:20:38.97
He loves us enough
to meet us where we are,
00:20:39.00\00:20:42.40
but not be content to
leave us where He finds us.
00:20:42.44\00:20:45.74
Notice what the
Lord told Elijah to do.
00:20:45.77\00:20:48.34
1 Kings 18:19.
00:20:48.38\00:20:50.08
And the Bible says,
00:20:50.11\00:20:51.45
"Now therefore, Elijah,
00:20:51.48\00:20:53.28
now therefore,
00:20:53.31\00:20:54.85
send and gather all Israel to me
00:20:54.88\00:20:58.72
on Mount Carmel,
00:20:58.75\00:21:00.96
the four hundred and
fifty prophets of Baal,
00:21:00.99\00:21:04.09
and the 400 prophets of Asherah,
00:21:04.13\00:21:08.30
who eat at Jezebel's table."
00:21:08.33\00:21:11.93
Did you hear that, friends?
00:21:11.97\00:21:13.67
God is saying,
00:21:13.70\00:21:15.04
"When you are
believing false doctrines,
00:21:15.07\00:21:17.41
you are eating
at Jezebel's table."
00:21:17.44\00:21:20.08
Well, who was Jezebel?
00:21:20.11\00:21:21.44
She is the Old
Testament equivalent
00:21:21.48\00:21:23.71
of the harlot of
Revelation Chapter 17.
00:21:23.75\00:21:26.35
Why is the word harlot used?
00:21:26.38\00:21:28.55
because whenever
you cause a person
00:21:28.58\00:21:31.52
to depart from the true God,
00:21:31.55\00:21:33.66
you are no longer a bride,
00:21:33.69\00:21:35.79
in a good and
upholding relationship?
00:21:35.82\00:21:38.53
You are now a bride
00:21:38.56\00:21:40.56
who used to be
married to the true God,
00:21:40.60\00:21:42.60
but now you are in apostasy.
00:21:42.63\00:21:44.60
And the Bible calls that
the practice of harlotry.
00:21:44.63\00:21:48.14
God said to Elijah,
00:21:48.17\00:21:50.27
get those prophets together,
00:21:50.31\00:21:52.44
get Baal's prophets,
00:21:52.47\00:21:54.21
and get Azherah's
prophets together.
00:21:54.24\00:21:56.14
You see God commanded Elijah
00:21:56.18\00:21:58.85
to gather the
anti-truth coalition
00:21:58.88\00:22:01.92
on Mount Carmel.
00:22:01.95\00:22:03.79
And, friends, let
me tell you something,
00:22:03.82\00:22:05.25
God is commanding
the same thing today.
00:22:05.29\00:22:08.52
We find before Jesus comes,
00:22:08.56\00:22:10.69
there is going to
be another gathering
00:22:10.73\00:22:12.83
of the anti-truth coalition
00:22:12.86\00:22:15.06
on the stage of the last days.
00:22:15.10\00:22:17.80
verifies this.
00:22:17.83\00:22:20.97
Look at the Bible.
00:22:21.00\00:22:22.57
The Bible says,
00:22:22.60\00:22:24.11
"And they gathered them together
00:22:24.14\00:22:27.88
to the place called in Hebrew,
00:22:27.91\00:22:30.38
Armageddon or Armageddon,
00:22:30.41\00:22:32.88
however you'd like
to enunciate that word.
00:22:32.91\00:22:35.42
What happened on Carmel
is going to happen again
00:22:35.45\00:22:38.15
just before Jesus
comes on a world stage,
00:22:38.19\00:22:41.49
and apostate Protestantism
00:22:41.52\00:22:44.66
is building a
bridge to Catholicism,
00:22:44.69\00:22:47.60
and people that prefer
works rather than truth
00:22:47.63\00:22:51.93
or worship that
makes me feel good
00:22:51.97\00:22:54.80
rather than truth
00:22:54.84\00:22:56.50
that makes my
character to be good
00:22:56.54\00:22:59.64
are going to be a
part of that apostate stand
00:22:59.67\00:23:02.44
on the stage of Armageddon,
00:23:02.48\00:23:04.48
the final anti-truth coalition.
00:23:04.51\00:23:08.25
And I want to tell
you, the issues of the past
00:23:08.28\00:23:10.55
are the issues of the future.
00:23:10.59\00:23:13.19
Polarization will lead you
00:23:13.22\00:23:15.16
to stand on one
side or the other.
00:23:15.19\00:23:18.29
Everybody in the final showdown
is going to be on God's side,
00:23:18.33\00:23:23.63
or on the devil's side.
00:23:23.67\00:23:26.84
What happened?
00:23:26.87\00:23:28.24
What was the
issue on Mount Carmel
00:23:28.27\00:23:30.94
that is going to
be the same issue
00:23:30.97\00:23:33.07
in the last days?
00:23:33.11\00:23:34.44
Look at 1 Kings 18:21.
00:23:34.48\00:23:38.81
1 Kings 18:21
and the Bible says,
00:23:38.85\00:23:43.15
"And Elijah came to
all the people and said,
00:23:43.18\00:23:45.99
"here's the issue, "
00:23:46.02\00:23:47.46
'How long will you
falter between two opinions?'
00:23:47.49\00:23:52.66
"And here's the
crux of the issue.
00:23:52.69\00:23:55.13
"If the Lord is God, follow Him,
00:23:55.16\00:23:59.33
but if Baal, follow him."
00:23:59.37\00:24:02.24
And what was the response?
00:24:02.27\00:24:05.11
"But the people
answered him not a word."
00:24:05.14\00:24:09.64
They couldn't say anything. Why?
00:24:09.68\00:24:12.01
Because you have
Ahab and Jezebel saying,
00:24:12.05\00:24:13.95
hold your ground.
00:24:13.98\00:24:15.78
And you have Elijah,
00:24:15.82\00:24:17.15
seemingly to be
helpless standing by himself.
00:24:17.19\00:24:20.16
But, friends, you
know what happened?
00:24:20.19\00:24:21.76
God was about to
show up on Mount Carmel.
00:24:21.79\00:24:24.86
You know the story,
00:24:24.89\00:24:26.23
but let me go ahead
and walk you through it.
00:24:26.26\00:24:27.60
What was happening?
00:24:27.63\00:24:28.96
There's something that
God wanted Elijah to do.
00:24:29.00\00:24:32.53
There was something that
God wanted Elijah to restore,
00:24:32.57\00:24:36.37
because Ahab and
Jezebel in their false alliance,
00:24:36.40\00:24:40.24
and their apostate relationship
00:24:40.28\00:24:43.14
began to disintegrate everything
00:24:43.18\00:24:45.51
that represent a true worship.
00:24:45.55\00:24:47.58
So what did God
demand Elijah to do?
00:24:47.62\00:24:51.29
1 Kings 18:30, look
what God's word says,
00:24:51.32\00:24:56.69
"Then Elijah said
to all the people,
00:24:56.73\00:24:59.36
'Come near to me.'"
00:24:59.39\00:25:00.90
God is saying come near to those
00:25:00.93\00:25:02.43
who teach the truth.
00:25:02.46\00:25:03.93
And then the Bible says,
00:25:03.97\00:25:05.30
"So all the
people came near to him."
00:25:05.33\00:25:08.64
And what did Elijah do?
00:25:08.67\00:25:10.94
"And he repaired
the altar of the Lord
00:25:10.97\00:25:15.18
that was broken down."
00:25:15.21\00:25:18.98
What?
00:25:19.01\00:25:20.48
Elijah repaired
the altar of the Lord
00:25:20.52\00:25:26.05
that was broken down.
00:25:26.09\00:25:28.76
Let me just pause for a moment
00:25:28.79\00:25:30.16
and take that to the
place that it needs to go.
00:25:30.19\00:25:33.29
In these last days,
00:25:33.33\00:25:34.66
there are many things
that exist in Christianity
00:25:34.70\00:25:38.00
that are broken down.
00:25:38.03\00:25:39.83
But people for
numbers of reasons,
00:25:39.87\00:25:42.60
some just don't know.
00:25:42.64\00:25:44.44
Some have never heard.
00:25:44.47\00:25:46.04
Others have followed traditions
of ancestor to ancestor,
00:25:46.07\00:25:49.61
a family line of worship.
00:25:49.64\00:25:51.51
And some people have
truly found an honest,
00:25:51.55\00:25:54.55
God loving, Christ
growing relationship.
00:25:54.58\00:25:58.55
And they have
not yet been exposed
00:25:58.59\00:26:00.42
to the certain
truths of God's Word,
00:26:00.46\00:26:02.46
that if they were,
00:26:02.49\00:26:03.83
they would
definitely embrace it.
00:26:03.86\00:26:05.96
But what happens when
the altar is broken down,
00:26:05.99\00:26:08.40
that no one can worship there.
00:26:08.43\00:26:10.20
So before true
worship is restored,
00:26:10.23\00:26:13.60
the altar that
has been broken down
00:26:13.64\00:26:16.34
has to be rebuilt.
00:26:16.37\00:26:18.44
In times of apostasy,
truth must be rebuilt,
00:26:18.47\00:26:22.54
raised up,
repaired, and restored.
00:26:22.58\00:26:26.41
And friends,
00:26:26.45\00:26:27.78
one of those things
that need to be restored
00:26:27.82\00:26:30.02
are brought out in the
Book of Isaiah 58:12-14.
00:26:30.05\00:26:35.32
Notice what the Bible says,
00:26:35.36\00:26:37.16
Isaiah 58:12-14,
00:26:37.19\00:26:41.46
"Those from among you
00:26:41.50\00:26:44.23
shall build the
old waste places,
00:26:44.27\00:26:47.67
you shall raise up
00:26:47.70\00:26:49.50
the foundations
of many generations,
00:26:49.54\00:26:52.57
and you shall be called
the Repairer of the Breach,
00:26:52.61\00:26:57.51
The Restorer of
Streets to Dwell In."
00:26:57.55\00:27:01.05
Notice, rebuild,
raise up, repair, restore,
00:27:01.08\00:27:04.79
What is he talking about?
00:27:04.82\00:27:06.15
Look at verse 13.
00:27:06.19\00:27:08.22
"If you turn away
your foot from the Sabbath,
00:27:08.26\00:27:11.53
from doing your
pleasure on My holy day,
00:27:11.56\00:27:14.90
and call the Sabbath a delight,
00:27:14.93\00:27:17.37
the holy day of the Lord,
00:27:17.40\00:27:19.03
honorable and shall honor Him,
00:27:19.07\00:27:22.60
not doing your own ways,
nor finding your own pleasures,
00:27:22.64\00:27:26.81
nor speaking your own words,
00:27:26.84\00:27:29.48
then you shall
delight yourself in the Lord."
00:27:29.51\00:27:34.02
And look at the promise.
00:27:34.05\00:27:35.65
"And I will cause you to ride
00:27:35.68\00:27:37.65
on the high heels of the earth,
00:27:37.69\00:27:40.32
and feed you with the
heritage of Jacob your father."
00:27:40.36\00:27:43.66
Why?
00:27:43.69\00:27:45.03
"The mouth of
the Lord has spoken."
00:27:45.06\00:27:49.00
Let me pause for a brief moment
00:27:49.03\00:27:50.83
and insert a story here.
00:27:50.87\00:27:53.37
When I was young man
at the disc jockey world
00:27:53.40\00:27:55.14
partying,
gambling, pool hustling.
00:27:55.17\00:27:57.21
I lost my spiritual center,
00:27:57.24\00:27:59.07
the lady who
raised me in the church
00:27:59.11\00:28:00.44
when I was about 12 years old.
00:28:00.48\00:28:02.18
At 13 years old,
00:28:02.21\00:28:03.55
I went out into the
streets of New York City,
00:28:03.58\00:28:05.75
gambling,
partying, pool hustling,
00:28:05.78\00:28:08.25
living the night life.
00:28:08.28\00:28:10.22
But a young lady
came into my life
00:28:10.25\00:28:11.65
at about 16 years old.
00:28:11.69\00:28:13.36
She's my wife today
of more than 37 years.
00:28:13.39\00:28:19.36
And she reintroduced
me to the God I forgot.
00:28:19.39\00:28:23.63
She began to rebuild,
00:28:23.67\00:28:25.13
raise up, repair and restore
00:28:25.17\00:28:27.10
the broken down
places of my life.
00:28:27.14\00:28:30.24
But I was not yet convinced that
00:28:30.27\00:28:31.64
that was the
direction I wanted to go.
00:28:31.67\00:28:33.24
So I began to go
from church to church.
00:28:33.27\00:28:35.34
And the big issue that
00:28:35.38\00:28:36.71
I was struggling
over was the Sabbath.
00:28:36.75\00:28:38.65
So I went to three
different denominations.
00:28:38.68\00:28:40.22
I won't mention them.
00:28:40.25\00:28:41.78
And I asked
three different pastors
00:28:41.82\00:28:43.42
from three different
key churches in my community
00:28:43.45\00:28:46.15
about the Sabbath.
00:28:46.19\00:28:47.66
I was a young man,
00:28:47.69\00:28:49.02
one pastor walked me up
the steps down the hallway
00:28:49.06\00:28:52.29
to the outdoor
steps of the church
00:28:52.33\00:28:53.83
and told me never to return.
00:28:53.86\00:28:55.56
I was attending a youth group.
00:28:55.60\00:28:57.57
I was asking him,
00:28:57.60\00:28:58.93
"Pastor, can you tell me
about the Bible Sabbath?"
00:28:58.97\00:29:00.87
He told me never come back.
00:29:00.90\00:29:02.84
I went to another church,
00:29:02.87\00:29:04.27
across the street from my house,
00:29:04.31\00:29:05.64
a large charismatic church,
00:29:05.67\00:29:07.84
the pastor was very well-known.
00:29:07.88\00:29:09.21
I said,
00:29:09.24\00:29:10.58
"Would you tell me
about what the Bible says
00:29:10.61\00:29:11.95
about the Sabbath?"
00:29:11.98\00:29:13.31
And to my surprise,
00:29:13.35\00:29:14.68
he was able to
unfold the historical outlay
00:29:14.72\00:29:17.85
of how the Sabbath got changed.
00:29:17.89\00:29:20.22
He mentioned the dates,
he mentioned who changed it.
00:29:20.26\00:29:23.73
And then he says,
00:29:23.76\00:29:25.09
wait right here,
I'll be right back.
00:29:25.13\00:29:27.30
And he left me in
that office for 45 minutes
00:29:27.33\00:29:29.96
and never came back.
00:29:30.00\00:29:31.53
And I walked out of
his office disappointed
00:29:31.57\00:29:33.30
because I thought,
since he knows so much,
00:29:33.34\00:29:36.47
maybe he's going to come
back and give me some clue
00:29:36.50\00:29:38.84
on how I could restore
my relationship with Christ,
00:29:38.87\00:29:41.38
by honoring what he confirmed
was, in fact, scriptural.
00:29:41.41\00:29:46.68
And then I went
to a third church.
00:29:46.72\00:29:49.08
And the pastor there said to me,
00:29:49.12\00:29:51.89
of course, our
church changed the Sabbath.
00:29:51.92\00:29:55.26
And he mentioned
when they did it,
00:29:55.29\00:29:56.89
and then he said to me,
00:29:56.93\00:29:58.26
but we are too far
gone today to turn back.
00:29:58.29\00:30:01.96
And I want to tell you, friends,
00:30:02.00\00:30:03.33
that ignited in me
00:30:03.37\00:30:04.97
a restoration, a
rebuilding, a raising up,
00:30:05.00\00:30:08.47
a repairing of something
00:30:08.50\00:30:10.07
that had been
broken down in my life.
00:30:10.11\00:30:12.41
And the second attack...
00:30:12.44\00:30:13.94
The first attack
was Satan in heaven.
00:30:13.98\00:30:15.91
But the second attack
that eventually resulted
00:30:15.94\00:30:19.48
in attacking Protestantism
00:30:19.51\00:30:21.22
started through Rome.
00:30:21.25\00:30:23.42
Rome distorted
the character of God
00:30:23.45\00:30:27.02
through its false
doctrines in the Dark Ages.
00:30:27.06\00:30:29.49
Look at Daniel 7:25.
00:30:29.52\00:30:31.43
And the Bible
said what happened?
00:30:31.46\00:30:33.56
The Bible says,
00:30:33.60\00:30:34.93
"He shall speak pompous words
00:30:34.96\00:30:36.93
against the Most High,"
00:30:36.97\00:30:38.30
and that is the
fourth beast of Daniel,
00:30:38.33\00:30:40.87
that dreadful,
terrible beast with iron teeth
00:30:40.90\00:30:43.24
representing the 10
horned kingdom of Rome.
00:30:43.27\00:30:46.37
It says,
00:30:46.41\00:30:47.74
"He shall speak pompous
words against the Most High,
00:30:47.78\00:30:50.21
shall persecute the
saints of the Most High,
00:30:50.25\00:30:52.88
and shall intend to
change times and law.
00:30:52.91\00:30:57.45
Then the saints shall
be given into his hand
00:30:57.49\00:31:01.49
for a time and
times, and half a time."
00:31:01.52\00:31:04.83
And we know that
to be the 1260 years
00:31:04.86\00:31:08.00
of the most severe persecution
00:31:08.03\00:31:10.07
ever faced by
the Christian Church,
00:31:10.10\00:31:12.13
the Dark Ages.
00:31:12.17\00:31:13.57
During that
time, God's character,
00:31:13.60\00:31:16.47
and God's law were attacked
with a vicious attitude.
00:31:16.50\00:31:20.78
But you'll
discover in God's Word
00:31:20.81\00:31:22.71
that His character and His law
are inseparable and immutable,
00:31:22.74\00:31:27.88
meaning you can't change it,
00:31:27.92\00:31:29.25
you can't
change God's character,
00:31:29.28\00:31:31.12
and you can't do a
thing about the perpetuity,
00:31:31.15\00:31:34.06
and the longevity
00:31:34.09\00:31:35.42
and the permanent
nature of His law,
00:31:35.46\00:31:37.53
which in fact,
00:31:37.56\00:31:39.09
is a reflection
of His character.
00:31:39.13\00:31:41.50
But the Dark Ages was an era
00:31:41.53\00:31:43.63
when God was
associated with brutality.
00:31:43.67\00:31:47.57
When those who
worship then thought of God
00:31:47.60\00:31:51.31
as one who doesn't
really care about truth,
00:31:51.34\00:31:54.08
God was associated
with lies and persecution,
00:31:54.11\00:31:58.31
and some of those
things are too hideous
00:31:58.35\00:31:59.78
to even talk about.
00:31:59.81\00:32:01.75
If you read the book,
Foxe's Book of Martyrs,
00:32:01.78\00:32:03.59
you'll see what
I'm talking about.
00:32:03.62\00:32:05.35
God was painted
during the Dark Ages
00:32:05.39\00:32:07.52
as a vicious tyrant
00:32:07.56\00:32:09.59
that eternally torments
those that disagree with him.
00:32:09.62\00:32:12.39
And today,
there are still people
00:32:12.43\00:32:13.76
that believe the lie
that Rome constructed
00:32:13.80\00:32:16.67
that people burn endlessly,
00:32:16.70\00:32:19.20
when they forget
that even Satan himself
00:32:19.23\00:32:21.20
is going to be destroyed.
00:32:21.24\00:32:22.67
Try to measure that up.
00:32:22.70\00:32:24.31
God was seen as
an exacting autocrat
00:32:24.34\00:32:27.28
that demanded allegiance
00:32:27.31\00:32:30.11
but God really, in fact,
00:32:30.15\00:32:31.48
doesn't demand allegiance
00:32:31.51\00:32:32.85
He says, "Serve
Me if you love Me."
00:32:32.88\00:32:34.92
During the Dark Ages,
00:32:34.95\00:32:36.28
God was shown as an
oppressor of conscience,
00:32:36.32\00:32:39.79
and a thief of liberty,
00:32:39.82\00:32:42.16
meaning you don't have the right
00:32:42.19\00:32:43.53
to do anything other
than what I tell you.
00:32:43.56\00:32:45.69
And that's not God.
00:32:45.73\00:32:47.06
During the Dark Ages,
00:32:47.10\00:32:48.76
because men bowed to statues,
00:32:48.80\00:32:50.87
God was seen as
cold and rigorous,
00:32:50.90\00:32:53.50
because men were
burned at the stake,
00:32:53.54\00:32:55.57
God was seen as
angry and vengeful,
00:32:55.60\00:32:58.14
because men were
torn apart in dungeons,
00:32:58.17\00:33:00.51
God was seen as an unsatisfied,
00:33:00.54\00:33:04.35
salacious butcher of human life.
00:33:04.38\00:33:08.78
And God was
worshipped out of fear,
00:33:08.82\00:33:11.39
and not out of love.
00:33:11.42\00:33:13.46
You see,
whenever you don't follow
00:33:13.49\00:33:14.82
the principles of God's Word,
00:33:14.86\00:33:16.39
God's character gets distorted.
00:33:16.42\00:33:18.16
So when people think
00:33:18.19\00:33:19.53
it doesn't
matter what you believe,
00:33:19.56\00:33:20.90
everything you believe
00:33:20.93\00:33:22.26
reflects on the
true character of Christ.
00:33:22.30\00:33:24.40
He's not a butcher,
He's not angry and vengeful.
00:33:24.43\00:33:26.67
He's not cold and rigorous.
00:33:26.70\00:33:28.30
God doesn't force
you to worship Him.
00:33:28.34\00:33:29.90
He says, "If you love
Me, keep My commandments."
00:33:29.94\00:33:34.41
But for 1260 years,
00:33:34.44\00:33:36.54
Rome reigned and
in its ruthless power,
00:33:36.58\00:33:39.85
no one could stop them.
00:33:39.88\00:33:42.05
And Daniel 8:12 talks about
00:33:42.08\00:33:43.95
how Rome distorted
the truth of God's Word
00:33:43.99\00:33:47.19
during the Dark Ages.
00:33:47.22\00:33:48.56
And the Bible
says in Romans 8:12,
00:33:48.59\00:33:51.16
I mean, Daniel 8:12,
00:33:51.19\00:33:54.20
"Because of transgression,
00:33:54.23\00:33:56.20
an army was given
over to the little horn,
00:33:56.23\00:33:59.43
that is the papacy,
00:33:59.47\00:34:00.87
to oppose the daily sacrifice,
00:34:00.90\00:34:03.47
and he cast truth
down to the ground.
00:34:03.51\00:34:06.57
He did all this and prospered."
00:34:06.61\00:34:11.18
He prospered, he
very well did prospered.
00:34:11.21\00:34:13.82
He prospered for a
certain period of time
00:34:13.85\00:34:17.12
and then God said,
"Enough is enough."
00:34:17.15\00:34:19.19
God gave Rome 1260 years
00:34:19.22\00:34:23.86
to do all their exploits.
00:34:23.89\00:34:25.93
And then God stepped in.
00:34:25.96\00:34:28.43
And God began the
Protestant Reformation.
00:34:28.46\00:34:31.07
And you see,
Protestantism was intended
00:34:31.10\00:34:33.34
to restore the character of God,
00:34:33.37\00:34:35.60
by guiding people back to what?
00:34:35.64\00:34:38.21
To the undiluted
truth of God's Word,
00:34:38.24\00:34:41.64
but something went wrong,
00:34:41.68\00:34:43.85
which brings me
to the third attack,
00:34:43.88\00:34:46.21
apostate Protestantism.
00:34:46.25\00:34:49.58
Now let me just say that again,
00:34:49.62\00:34:51.02
and give some
qualifying to that.
00:34:51.05\00:34:53.15
Why apostate?
00:34:53.19\00:34:54.82
The truth of God's Word
develops the truth of God.
00:34:54.86\00:34:58.59
The truth of
every doctrine you teach
00:34:58.63\00:35:00.96
reflects the truth
about who Jesus is.
00:35:01.00\00:35:03.67
Anytime you see that
00:35:03.70\00:35:05.20
He is not satisfied
and burn sinners forever,
00:35:05.23\00:35:09.54
He is seen as worse than Hitler,
00:35:09.57\00:35:12.04
or any kind of tyrant
that has ever walked the earth.
00:35:12.07\00:35:15.51
But that is not who God is.
00:35:15.54\00:35:17.15
That is not who Jesus Christ is.
00:35:17.18\00:35:19.55
But when apostate,
00:35:19.58\00:35:20.92
when Protestantism
turned away from the truth,
00:35:20.95\00:35:23.12
they were now in apostasy,
00:35:23.15\00:35:25.05
just like Ahab in
the Old Testament,
00:35:25.09\00:35:27.39
and they began
through their teachings
00:35:27.42\00:35:29.32
to misrepresent
the character of God.
00:35:29.36\00:35:34.43
Because you know,
when you say you know God,
00:35:34.46\00:35:36.80
from that point on
00:35:36.83\00:35:38.83
society is going to
form their opinion about God
00:35:38.87\00:35:43.51
based on what they hear,
00:35:43.54\00:35:46.24
and what they see
revealed through your preaching,
00:35:46.27\00:35:49.84
and through the
way that you live.
00:35:49.88\00:35:51.85
And that is why when a teacher
or preacher says they know God,
00:35:51.88\00:35:55.55
the Bible says, if
they say they know me,
00:35:55.58\00:35:58.19
here's the measurement
00:35:58.22\00:36:00.02
as to whether or not they
are telling you the truth.
00:36:00.06\00:36:02.99
1 John 2:4,
00:36:03.02\00:36:05.73
let us allow the
Bible to speak for itself.
00:36:05.76\00:36:09.53
The Bible says,
00:36:09.56\00:36:10.90
"He who says, 'I know him, '
00:36:10.93\00:36:13.23
and does not keep His
commandments, is a liar,
00:36:13.27\00:36:16.77
and the truth is not in him.'"
00:36:16.81\00:36:18.91
Now, it's amazing that
00:36:18.94\00:36:20.68
that goes right back to
what Elijah said to Ahab,
00:36:20.71\00:36:24.25
"You are the one
00:36:24.28\00:36:25.61
that has forsaken
the commandments of God.
00:36:25.65\00:36:27.88
You are the one
that's causing trouble."
00:36:27.92\00:36:29.82
You notice what
Ahab is guilty of,
00:36:29.85\00:36:32.12
is what the
Apostle John is saying,
00:36:32.15\00:36:33.82
many will be guilty
of in the end times.
00:36:33.86\00:36:36.69
They'll say they
know God, like Ahab said,
00:36:36.73\00:36:39.96
but they will refuse to
keep the commandments of God.
00:36:40.00\00:36:43.00
And the Word of God says,
00:36:43.03\00:36:44.50
"He who says he knows Me,
00:36:44.53\00:36:46.33
but doesn't keep
My commandments,"
00:36:46.37\00:36:48.00
watch out,
00:36:48.04\00:36:49.37
"because the
truth is not in him."
00:36:49.40\00:36:54.21
You can't trust what he says.
00:36:54.24\00:36:55.88
Because he doesn't
stand by the very indicator
00:36:55.91\00:37:00.58
of his love for me,
00:37:00.62\00:37:01.95
if you love Me,
keep My commandments.
00:37:01.98\00:37:04.15
Oh, I love you,
Lord, but not that much.
00:37:04.19\00:37:06.15
The Lord says,
00:37:06.19\00:37:07.52
"Don't trust him,
00:37:07.56\00:37:08.89
because he will not
tell you the truth."
00:37:08.92\00:37:10.36
Because the
measurement of truth,
00:37:10.39\00:37:12.36
he refuses to stand by.
00:37:12.39\00:37:15.06
You see, friends,
00:37:15.10\00:37:16.46
the Ten
Commandments of God's Word
00:37:16.50\00:37:18.47
was permanently
and indelibly connected
00:37:18.50\00:37:22.64
to rightly representing
the character of God.
00:37:22.67\00:37:28.58
Notice what Jesus said,
00:37:28.61\00:37:30.81
John 17:3, he says this,
00:37:30.85\00:37:35.12
"And this is eternal life,
00:37:35.15\00:37:38.95
that they may know You,
00:37:38.99\00:37:40.66
the only true
God and Jesus Christ,
00:37:40.69\00:37:44.06
whom You sent."
00:37:44.09\00:37:45.79
In other words,
00:37:45.83\00:37:47.16
when I know Jesus Christ,
00:37:47.20\00:37:49.10
then I have eternal life,
00:37:49.13\00:37:50.97
but how do I know,
00:37:51.00\00:37:52.33
how do you know
that I know Jesus Christ.
00:37:52.37\00:37:54.70
He says,
00:37:54.74\00:37:56.07
"If you say, I know
Him, if he says he knows Me,
00:37:56.10\00:37:59.94
and does not
keep His commandments,
00:37:59.97\00:38:01.64
he really doesn't know Me."
00:38:01.68\00:38:03.08
And eternal life
00:38:03.11\00:38:04.45
is not something
that abides on him.
00:38:04.48\00:38:06.75
That's why today,
we've got to be very careful
00:38:06.78\00:38:08.72
because we live in
an environment today
00:38:08.75\00:38:10.15
where religion is popular.
00:38:10.19\00:38:12.49
Politicians talk about religion.
00:38:12.52\00:38:14.76
Presidents talk about religion.
00:38:14.79\00:38:17.26
World leaders use religion
to manipulate the society.
00:38:17.29\00:38:20.73
What do you believe?
00:38:20.76\00:38:22.10
Are you a Christian leader,
00:38:22.13\00:38:23.47
and Christianity has
never been the foundation
00:38:23.50\00:38:26.53
by which a
political agenda is decided.
00:38:26.57\00:38:31.31
Christian values are intended
00:38:31.34\00:38:32.81
to shape the life
of the individual.
00:38:32.84\00:38:35.41
But Christ never enforced.
00:38:35.44\00:38:37.91
Christ never imposed His beliefs
00:38:37.95\00:38:40.35
on someone who did not love Him.
00:38:40.38\00:38:42.52
So when politicians
use Christianity, to say,
00:38:42.55\00:38:45.62
well, if he's not a Christian,
00:38:45.65\00:38:46.99
he's not a
valuable or reliable leader.
00:38:47.02\00:38:49.16
That's not what
the Bible teaches.
00:38:49.19\00:38:50.53
Because Jesus says,
00:38:50.56\00:38:51.89
"Render to Caesar what's
his, and to God, what is his."
00:38:51.93\00:38:55.33
Christianity is
intent to transform the life
00:38:55.36\00:38:58.33
not to be used as a
tool of manipulation
00:38:58.37\00:39:01.04
for any kind of
political expediency.
00:39:01.07\00:39:04.01
That's why the Lord
says, this is eternal life
00:39:04.04\00:39:06.61
that they may know
you the only true God
00:39:06.64\00:39:10.05
and Jesus Christ, whom You sent.
00:39:10.08\00:39:12.85
And so you see, friends,
the parameter of the gospel
00:39:12.88\00:39:15.92
is laid out in Scripture.
00:39:15.95\00:39:17.75
And when you follow that,
00:39:17.79\00:39:19.39
today, you find that
Protestantism of today
00:39:19.42\00:39:22.46
is really apostate
00:39:22.49\00:39:24.39
when it is no longer following
the dictates of God's Word.
00:39:24.43\00:39:28.73
Now, let me
tell you what I mean.
00:39:28.76\00:39:30.93
Ask yourself the question,
00:39:30.97\00:39:32.43
when you watch
shows on television,
00:39:32.47\00:39:34.17
when you listen to
religious preachers,
00:39:34.20\00:39:36.47
how often do you
hear sin talked about?
00:39:36.50\00:39:39.84
Why is that something
00:39:39.87\00:39:41.21
that's missing so
much in the world today,
00:39:41.24\00:39:43.45
in the Christian
world, you know why?
00:39:43.48\00:39:45.31
Because you
can't talk about sin,
00:39:45.35\00:39:47.32
unless you have
something to measure sin by.
00:39:47.35\00:39:50.49
You can't call the
person a sinner, a liar,
00:39:50.52\00:39:52.69
an adulterer, a fornicator.
00:39:52.72\00:39:54.92
You can't say that a person
00:39:54.96\00:39:56.29
misrepresents
God lies and steals
00:39:56.32\00:39:58.03
and bears false
witness and covets
00:39:58.06\00:40:01.03
or take God's name in
vain or violates the Sabbath,
00:40:01.06\00:40:03.67
or bows down to images
and being guilty of that,
00:40:03.70\00:40:06.60
you can't even ideate a
person of any of those things,
00:40:06.63\00:40:10.21
unless there's a law
00:40:10.24\00:40:11.77
by which to measure
that person's behavior,
00:40:11.81\00:40:15.11
to measure that
person's character.
00:40:15.14\00:40:17.91
And so when those claiming
to be connected with God,
00:40:17.95\00:40:20.52
no longer preach a
message of salvation against sin
00:40:20.55\00:40:25.29
or salvation from sin,
00:40:25.32\00:40:27.82
you can say wait a minute,
00:40:27.86\00:40:29.32
why are they not talking
about salvation from sin?
00:40:29.36\00:40:32.56
A lot of modern
preaching is about well,
00:40:32.59\00:40:34.40
your ship is coming in,
00:40:34.43\00:40:36.13
well, God is going
to make you prosperous.
00:40:36.16\00:40:38.03
Well, here are the
seven effective principles
00:40:38.07\00:40:40.34
of highly effective Christians,
00:40:40.37\00:40:42.04
but not about
deliverance, not about heaven,
00:40:42.07\00:40:44.84
not about turning
your life over to Christ,
00:40:44.87\00:40:47.18
not about becoming
victorious over sin,
00:40:47.21\00:40:49.98
not about salvation,
00:40:50.01\00:40:51.45
not about winning the struggle
00:40:51.48\00:40:54.58
against the
thing that binds you.
00:40:54.62\00:40:57.32
Because Protestantism is
more based now on success,
00:40:57.35\00:41:02.89
and financial chasing,
and big houses and big cars
00:41:02.92\00:41:07.20
and getting all
the gusto in life,
00:41:07.23\00:41:08.86
rather than saying to someone,
00:41:08.90\00:41:11.20
you're struggling with sin,
00:41:11.23\00:41:12.80
Christ can give you
the victory over sin.
00:41:12.83\00:41:16.47
That's why Matthew 1:21
talking about the remedial,
00:41:16.50\00:41:21.28
and an essential foundation
of the mission of Christ.
00:41:21.31\00:41:25.55
Listen to what the
Bible says in Matthew 1:21,
00:41:25.58\00:41:28.78
the Bible says,
00:41:28.82\00:41:30.15
"And she will bring forth a Son,
00:41:30.19\00:41:33.66
and you shall
call His name Jesus,
00:41:33.69\00:41:37.49
for he will save His
people from their sin."
00:41:37.53\00:41:44.03
Praise the Lord for that.
00:41:44.07\00:41:45.70
Their salvation
from the penalty of sin,
00:41:45.73\00:41:49.40
their salvation from
the power of sin every day,
00:41:49.44\00:41:53.51
and there will be salvation,
00:41:53.54\00:41:55.24
eventually, from
the presence of sin,
00:41:55.28\00:41:58.68
when Jesus delivers us
from this sinful world,
00:41:58.71\00:42:03.05
and remedies the
sin problem forever.
00:42:03.08\00:42:06.29
But today,
00:42:06.32\00:42:07.66
the dismissive gospel
includes phrases like,
00:42:07.69\00:42:10.43
well, we're all sinners anyway.
00:42:10.46\00:42:12.49
I was talking to somebody
just recently, they said,
00:42:12.53\00:42:14.30
"Well, you know,
we're all sinners,
00:42:14.33\00:42:15.93
we pray, and we
stumble over our lives."
00:42:15.96\00:42:17.60
And I said,
00:42:17.63\00:42:18.97
"Wait a minute, wait a minute.
00:42:19.00\00:42:20.34
You mean, you pray
and you keep stumbling?"
00:42:20.37\00:42:22.24
Well, they said,
well, that's the way it is.
00:42:22.27\00:42:24.01
I said, friends, no,
there is salvation in Christ.
00:42:24.04\00:42:26.98
There is victory in Christ,
there's deliverance in Christ.
00:42:27.01\00:42:30.81
If your Christianity
has done nothing for you,
00:42:30.85\00:42:34.62
don't prescribe or recommend
00:42:34.65\00:42:37.25
what doesn't work to
you to somebody else.
00:42:37.29\00:42:40.56
And the only way they
want to be what you are is
00:42:40.59\00:42:42.29
if it works for you.
00:42:42.32\00:42:43.66
If it doesn't work for
you, if you find no deliverance,
00:42:43.69\00:42:46.16
don't try to sell me
what doesn't work for you.
00:42:46.19\00:42:48.93
The evidence of a powerful life
is that Christ Jesus has seen
00:42:48.96\00:42:53.17
and there is deliverance
from the power of sin.
00:42:53.20\00:42:56.94
That's why the Apostle Paul says
00:42:56.97\00:42:58.31
in Romans 5:19,
00:42:58.34\00:42:59.91
listen to what he says,
00:42:59.94\00:43:01.71
"For as by one
man's disobedience
00:43:01.74\00:43:05.41
many were made sinners,
00:43:05.45\00:43:08.05
so also by one man's obedience,
00:43:08.08\00:43:10.59
that is Jesus Christ,
00:43:10.62\00:43:12.22
many will be made righteous."
00:43:12.25\00:43:15.99
Hallelujah to that.
00:43:16.02\00:43:17.79
Adam messed up,
but Jesus didn't.
00:43:17.83\00:43:20.00
Adam led me down a faulty road
00:43:20.03\00:43:22.36
and gave me a body
00:43:22.40\00:43:23.73
that was always
against the principles
00:43:23.77\00:43:26.10
and the character of Christ,
00:43:26.13\00:43:27.57
but Jesus didn't.
00:43:27.60\00:43:29.10
Through Jesus' obedience,
we can be made righteous,
00:43:29.14\00:43:33.44
and we can be by His strength,
00:43:33.48\00:43:35.64
live in obedience
to His commandments.
00:43:35.68\00:43:38.21
So as I begin to
wind up the message,
00:43:38.25\00:43:40.48
let me give you 10 principles
00:43:40.52\00:43:44.39
that will help you
be able to differentiate
00:43:44.42\00:43:47.19
between the truth of God's Word
00:43:47.22\00:43:49.92
and the
influence of Protestantism
00:43:49.96\00:43:53.09
that has turned itself away
from the truth of God's Word.
00:43:53.13\00:43:57.07
First principle of
apostate Protestantism is this.
00:43:57.10\00:44:01.90
Protestantism is apostate
00:44:01.94\00:44:04.01
when it separates
Jesus from the truth.
00:44:04.04\00:44:08.01
Look at John 4:23.
00:44:08.04\00:44:10.21
John 4:23, the Bible says,
00:44:10.25\00:44:13.15
"But the hour is coming,
00:44:13.18\00:44:14.82
and now is when
the true worshipers
00:44:14.85\00:44:17.69
will worship the Father
in spirit and in truth,"
00:44:17.72\00:44:21.16
why?
00:44:21.19\00:44:22.52
"For the Father is
seeking such to worship Him.
00:44:22.56\00:44:27.16
Now, why is the
scripture important?
00:44:27.20\00:44:29.06
Because you hear
a phrase nowadays,
00:44:29.10\00:44:30.63
don't you feel the spirit?
00:44:30.67\00:44:32.43
Don't you feel the worship?
00:44:32.47\00:44:34.44
Feeling is, there's
nothing wrong with feeling,
00:44:34.47\00:44:36.87
but feeling should
never lead you away
00:44:36.91\00:44:39.17
from worshiping God
in spirit and in truth.
00:44:39.21\00:44:42.61
The Bible says that is
what the Father is seeking for.
00:44:42.64\00:44:47.25
Also, Protestantism is apostate
00:44:47.28\00:44:49.78
when it teaches you
that doctrines don't matter,
00:44:49.82\00:44:53.96
what you believe don't matter.
00:44:53.99\00:44:55.72
But that's not
what the Bible says.
00:44:55.76\00:44:58.19
Look at 1 Timothy 4:16.
00:44:58.23\00:45:01.46
Here's what the
Word of God says.
00:45:01.50\00:45:03.47
The Apostle
Paul says to Timothy,
00:45:03.50\00:45:06.03
"Take heed to
yourself and to the doctrine."
00:45:06.07\00:45:10.57
And then he says,
00:45:10.61\00:45:11.94
"Continue in them,
for in doing this,"
00:45:11.97\00:45:15.58
listen,
00:45:15.61\00:45:16.95
"you will both save yourself
00:45:16.98\00:45:20.85
and those who hear you."
00:45:20.88\00:45:23.32
You will save both yourself
00:45:23.35\00:45:25.89
and those who hear you.
00:45:25.92\00:45:29.26
What does anybody
want other than salvation?
00:45:29.29\00:45:31.46
That's what we all want.
00:45:31.49\00:45:33.50
But it says, "Don't
villainize doctrines."
00:45:33.53\00:45:35.96
We have churches
nowadays that say,
00:45:36.00\00:45:37.50
oh, we don't focus on doctrines.
00:45:37.53\00:45:39.17
You better run
as fast as you can,
00:45:39.20\00:45:41.24
and find a hole
somewhere and protect yourself.
00:45:41.27\00:45:43.47
When they say they
don't teach doctrines,
00:45:43.51\00:45:45.17
they are going against a
plain thus saith the Lord,
00:45:45.21\00:45:48.04
when the Bible says
take heed to yourself
00:45:48.08\00:45:50.01
and to the doctrine,
00:45:50.05\00:45:52.25
and simply what
is doctrine mean?
00:45:52.28\00:45:54.45
A teaching that reveals
the character of Jesus Christ.
00:45:54.48\00:45:59.55
The third thing that
makes Protestantism apostate is
00:45:59.59\00:46:03.73
when people say keeping
God's law is called bondage.
00:46:03.76\00:46:07.13
I've heard that so
many times, I tell you,
00:46:07.16\00:46:09.16
I could build a house
based on just nickels,
00:46:09.20\00:46:11.60
on all the times that
ministers have told me,
00:46:11.63\00:46:14.04
"Oh, you're under
that law of bondage."
00:46:14.07\00:46:16.20
But that's not
what the Bible says,
00:46:16.24\00:46:18.17
God's law is not
a law of bondage.
00:46:18.21\00:46:21.38
Psalm 19:7,
00:46:21.41\00:46:23.38
listen to the Word of God
00:46:23.41\00:46:24.98
and let it establish
the truth about God's Word.
00:46:25.01\00:46:29.35
The Bible says,
00:46:29.38\00:46:30.72
"The law of the Lord is perfect,
00:46:30.75\00:46:33.62
converting the soul,
00:46:33.66\00:46:35.62
the testimony of
the Lord is sure,
00:46:35.66\00:46:38.69
making wise the simple.
00:46:38.73\00:46:41.90
I don't see any
bondage there. It's perfect.
00:46:41.93\00:46:44.67
And when you follow it,
you will be converted slowly.
00:46:44.70\00:46:48.34
Because how can
a man stay crooked
00:46:48.37\00:46:51.57
when he stands by
something that's perfect?
00:46:51.61\00:46:54.64
Don't let anybody ever tell you
00:46:54.68\00:46:56.75
that God's law
is a law of bondage.
00:46:56.78\00:46:59.78
And then we find
the fourth reason
00:46:59.81\00:47:01.85
why we know that
00:47:01.88\00:47:03.22
apostate
Protestantism is existing
00:47:03.25\00:47:05.39
is when it chooses
politics over Christ.
00:47:05.42\00:47:08.59
When politics
become the driving factor
00:47:08.62\00:47:11.66
in the Christian church,
00:47:11.69\00:47:13.40
rather than the
words of Jesus Christ,
00:47:13.43\00:47:16.23
listen once again
to the word of Jesus,
00:47:16.26\00:47:18.97
as it relates to
keeping the two separate.
00:47:19.00\00:47:21.94
John 19:15, "
00:47:21.97\00:47:26.54
But they cried out,
00:47:26.57\00:47:27.91
"that is the
crowd that was yelling
00:47:27.94\00:47:29.44
for His crucifixion,
00:47:29.48\00:47:30.81
"'Away with him, away with Him!
00:47:30.85\00:47:33.31
crucify him!'
00:47:33.35\00:47:35.05
Pilate said to them,
00:47:35.08\00:47:37.39
'Shall I crucify your King?'
00:47:37.42\00:47:40.26
The chief priests answered,
00:47:40.29\00:47:42.16
"We have no king, but Caesar!' "
00:47:42.19\00:47:46.66
Now what is that?
00:47:46.70\00:47:48.30
Jesus was a representative
of His heavenly Father.
00:47:48.33\00:47:52.83
They said,
00:47:52.87\00:47:54.20
"We don't want
our Heavenly Father,
00:47:54.24\00:47:55.57
we would rather
a political leader.
00:47:55.60\00:47:57.51
That's who Caesar
was, a political leader.
00:47:57.54\00:48:02.28
And today,
00:48:02.31\00:48:03.65
there are many
churches that are suffering
00:48:03.68\00:48:06.41
from ministers that
have led their members down
00:48:06.45\00:48:08.92
a political path.
00:48:08.95\00:48:10.52
I've read many
articles in the magazines
00:48:10.55\00:48:12.19
like Christianity Today,
00:48:12.22\00:48:14.36
where pastors are saying,
00:48:14.39\00:48:15.79
they are receiving
00:48:15.82\00:48:17.16
some of the most
severe hate mail from members
00:48:17.19\00:48:19.73
that they have tried to convince
00:48:19.76\00:48:21.10
to vote this way and that way.
00:48:21.13\00:48:22.96
And some of them
said, we have abandoned
00:48:23.00\00:48:24.93
and they are now confessing
00:48:24.97\00:48:26.30
and repenting to
their congregations,
00:48:26.33\00:48:28.14
for leading them
down a political path,
00:48:28.17\00:48:31.31
rather than the
path of righteousness.
00:48:31.34\00:48:34.08
Friends, who is your king today?
00:48:34.11\00:48:36.31
Are you the kind of Christian
that talks more about politics
00:48:36.34\00:48:39.68
than about the person of Jesus?
00:48:39.71\00:48:41.05
If that's the case,
00:48:41.08\00:48:42.42
this is a good
time to turn around
00:48:42.45\00:48:43.95
and leave
apostate Protestantism,
00:48:43.99\00:48:46.99
and follow Jesus Christ,
00:48:47.02\00:48:48.62
who is only Lord and Savior,
00:48:48.66\00:48:50.79
who alone is Lord and Savior.
00:48:50.83\00:48:54.06
Another way you
can find out that
00:48:54.10\00:48:55.76
Protestantism is an apostasy
00:48:55.80\00:48:57.73
is when unity is issue
based and not Bible based.
00:48:57.77\00:49:02.50
When unity is issue
based and not Bible based.
00:49:02.54\00:49:06.88
Now, Pastor
John, what do you mean?
00:49:06.91\00:49:08.28
Some people say,
00:49:08.31\00:49:09.64
"Let's get together
and feed the neighborhood."
00:49:09.68\00:49:11.31
Nothing wrong with that.
00:49:11.35\00:49:12.68
"Let's get together and build
a building for the community."
00:49:12.71\00:49:15.42
Nothing wrong with
that, but here's the danger.
00:49:15.45\00:49:17.75
If you read Matthew
7:21-23, Jesus said,
00:49:17.79\00:49:21.02
"Many will say
to me in that day,
00:49:21.06\00:49:22.39
Lord, Lord,
00:49:22.42\00:49:24.06
have we not
prophesied in your name,
00:49:24.09\00:49:26.43
cast out demons in your name,
00:49:26.46\00:49:28.53
and done many
wonderful works in your name?"
00:49:28.56\00:49:30.60
And then he says,
"I never knew you."
00:49:30.63\00:49:33.44
Now, what am I saying?
00:49:33.47\00:49:35.10
When your
Christianity is more concerned
00:49:35.14\00:49:37.21
about doing things
00:49:37.24\00:49:39.01
than letting
Christ do things in you,
00:49:39.04\00:49:41.41
when your life
is more focused on
00:49:41.44\00:49:42.88
what I can do for the community,
00:49:42.91\00:49:44.61
rather than what
Christ can do for me,
00:49:44.65\00:49:46.78
and it becomes issue based,
and no longer Bible based,
00:49:46.82\00:49:50.62
you on a dangerous platform,
00:49:50.65\00:49:52.82
because that's
exactly how the beast
00:49:52.85\00:49:55.76
and the false prophets
and the kings of the earth
00:49:55.79\00:49:58.09
and the financial leaders
00:49:58.13\00:49:59.46
and political
leaders are going to unify
00:49:59.49\00:50:01.33
because they are
going to talk about
00:50:01.36\00:50:03.26
what issue can we support?
00:50:03.30\00:50:05.07
Listen to Revelation 17:13.
00:50:05.10\00:50:08.87
The Bible talks about issues
uniting them and not Christ.
00:50:08.90\00:50:13.17
It says,
00:50:13.21\00:50:14.91
"These are of one mind,
00:50:14.94\00:50:17.05
and they will give their power
and authority to the beast."
00:50:17.08\00:50:21.15
In other words,
politics and religion,
00:50:21.18\00:50:24.32
they get together and decide
00:50:24.35\00:50:25.92
we can support each
other on these issues.
00:50:25.95\00:50:28.06
And once again, I say
nothing wrong with that.
00:50:28.09\00:50:30.99
But don't allow that
to lead you to abandon
00:50:31.03\00:50:34.86
the veracity and
authenticity of God's Word.
00:50:34.90\00:50:38.37
The sixth way you can know that
Protestantism is apostate is
00:50:38.40\00:50:41.57
when following
Christ's example is optional.
00:50:41.60\00:50:44.57
When following
Christ example is optional.
00:50:44.61\00:50:46.74
Many people say,
00:50:46.78\00:50:48.11
"Well, I know
that was back then."
00:50:48.14\00:50:49.74
And I've said, as a pastor,
"Jesus kept the Sabbath."
00:50:49.78\00:50:52.08
And they say,
00:50:52.11\00:50:53.45
"Well, I know He
did. But I don't have to."
00:50:53.48\00:50:56.08
You know what, friends,
00:50:56.12\00:50:57.45
you'll never be lost
00:50:57.49\00:50:58.82
by following the
examples of Jesus.
00:50:58.85\00:51:00.52
The kingdom will
never be close to you
00:51:00.56\00:51:03.06
if you say,
00:51:03.09\00:51:06.36
why should I be saved?
00:51:06.39\00:51:08.63
If somebody asks you,
why should you be saved?
00:51:08.66\00:51:10.77
And your answer is,
00:51:10.80\00:51:12.13
I simply follow
the examples of Jesus,
00:51:12.17\00:51:14.84
that is the safest
platform on which to stand.
00:51:14.87\00:51:18.27
You will never be lost by
making Jesus your example.
00:51:18.31\00:51:21.78
And that's why the
Apostle John says these words.
00:51:21.81\00:51:24.88
1 John 2:6,
00:51:24.91\00:51:26.85
"He who says he abides
in Him, that is in Christ,
00:51:26.88\00:51:31.52
ought himself also to
walk just as He walked."
00:51:31.55\00:51:37.86
If I'm not walking like Jesus,
00:51:37.89\00:51:39.69
and I'm just using His name
for my own personal benefit,
00:51:39.73\00:51:43.20
then my religion is in vain.
00:51:43.23\00:51:45.23
If I'm just using
Jesus to pack a building,
00:51:45.27\00:51:48.24
or to bring people to
some kind of emotional frenzy,
00:51:48.27\00:51:50.87
my religion is in vain.
00:51:50.91\00:51:53.17
If I'm using Jesus
00:51:53.21\00:51:54.54
to just go ahead
and plan my retirement
00:51:54.58\00:51:57.45
and get a large bank
account, my religion is in vain.
00:51:57.48\00:52:01.12
If I'm a minister
that God brings light to,
00:52:01.15\00:52:03.89
and I say, I
don't want that light,
00:52:03.92\00:52:05.25
I'm comfortable where I am.
00:52:05.29\00:52:06.62
And I'm not going
to walk like Jesus
00:52:06.65\00:52:07.99
and follow His example,
00:52:08.02\00:52:09.36
my religion is in vain.
00:52:09.39\00:52:12.33
Which brings me
to the seventh reason
00:52:12.36\00:52:14.03
that you can know that
Protestantism is apostate,
00:52:14.06\00:52:17.40
when its worship reflects
00:52:17.43\00:52:20.47
worldly standards,
00:52:20.50\00:52:22.44
when its worship
reflects worldly standards.
00:52:22.47\00:52:26.24
When what is being said
sounds just like the world.
00:52:26.27\00:52:30.85
Look at Luke 6:45.
00:52:30.88\00:52:33.65
What is inside of a man
00:52:33.68\00:52:35.02
is going to eventually come out.
00:52:35.05\00:52:36.65
Here's what the Bible says,
00:52:36.69\00:52:38.52
"A good man
00:52:38.55\00:52:39.89
out of the good
treasure of his heart
00:52:39.92\00:52:41.32
brings forth good,
00:52:41.36\00:52:42.92
and an evil man
00:52:42.96\00:52:44.79
out of the evil
treasures of his heart
00:52:44.83\00:52:46.90
brings forth evil.
00:52:46.93\00:52:48.33
For out of the
abundance of the heart,"
00:52:48.36\00:52:51.30
what happens?
00:52:51.33\00:52:52.67
"His mouth speaks."
00:52:52.70\00:52:55.24
Friends, make sure that
00:52:55.27\00:52:57.44
what you say and how
you live are in harmony,
00:52:57.47\00:53:01.08
which brings me
to my eighth reason,
00:53:01.11\00:53:02.91
I know that,
00:53:02.94\00:53:05.85
you can detect when
Protestantism is now apostate
00:53:05.88\00:53:09.48
when wealth
supersedes loyalty to Jesus.
00:53:09.52\00:53:13.56
Matthew 6:24, look
at the words of Christ.
00:53:13.59\00:53:17.79
Look at the words of Christ.
00:53:17.83\00:53:19.79
He says,
00:53:19.83\00:53:21.16
"No one can serve two masters,
00:53:21.20\00:53:23.16
for either he will hate
the one and love the other,
00:53:23.20\00:53:26.63
or else he will
be loyal to the one
00:53:26.67\00:53:29.24
and despise the other.
00:53:29.27\00:53:32.34
No one can
serve God and mammon."
00:53:32.37\00:53:34.88
That is money.
00:53:34.91\00:53:36.24
No one can serve God
and mammon at the same time.
00:53:36.28\00:53:40.32
Reason number nine,
00:53:40.35\00:53:41.68
you'll know that
00:53:41.72\00:53:43.05
Protestantism is in
a condition of apostasy
00:53:43.08\00:53:47.06
when it does not
embrace equality for all.
00:53:47.09\00:53:51.39
Look at Galatians 3:26-28.
00:53:51.43\00:53:55.03
The Bible says,
00:53:55.06\00:53:56.40
"For you are all sons of God
through faith in Christ Jesus.
00:53:56.43\00:54:00.57
For as many of you as
were baptized into Christ
00:54:00.60\00:54:03.10
have put on Christ.
00:54:03.14\00:54:05.41
There is neither Jew nor Greek,
00:54:05.44\00:54:07.81
there is neither slave nor free,
00:54:07.84\00:54:10.41
there is
neither male nor female,
00:54:10.45\00:54:13.05
for you are all one in Christ."
00:54:13.08\00:54:16.22
And finally,
00:54:16.25\00:54:17.65
the way that you'll know that
00:54:17.69\00:54:19.02
Protestantism is no
longer following God's Word,
00:54:19.05\00:54:21.89
and in an apostate condition
00:54:21.92\00:54:24.89
is when it exalts the
temporal above the eternal.
00:54:24.93\00:54:29.63
You know, friends,
this is not my home.
00:54:29.66\00:54:32.03
As a songwriter said,
I'm just passing through.
00:54:32.07\00:54:35.70
I want to be
alive for Jesus to come,
00:54:35.74\00:54:37.61
but if not,
00:54:37.64\00:54:38.97
I'm going to make sure
that I make the decisions
00:54:39.01\00:54:40.34
by God's grace every day.
00:54:40.38\00:54:43.14
So when I put my head
on my pillow at night,
00:54:43.18\00:54:44.95
I can say, Father,
between you and me,
00:54:44.98\00:54:46.51
everything is fine.
00:54:46.55\00:54:48.48
Friends, do not
exalt the temporal world
00:54:48.52\00:54:53.36
above the eternal world.
00:54:53.39\00:54:55.82
The Apostle Paul says
00:54:55.86\00:54:57.19
in Philippians 3:20 these words,
00:54:57.23\00:55:00.53
look to the
eternal, not the temporal,
00:55:00.56\00:55:02.70
"For our
citizenship is in heaven,
00:55:02.73\00:55:05.33
from which we also
eagerly wait for the Savior,
00:55:05.37\00:55:10.84
the Lord Jesus Christ."
00:55:10.87\00:55:14.14
That's where we're headed.
00:55:14.18\00:55:16.31
Enough of this old cruel world,
00:55:16.34\00:55:18.71
enough of this divided world
00:55:18.75\00:55:20.42
that's overflowing
with too many problems
00:55:20.45\00:55:22.25
to solve politically,
00:55:22.28\00:55:24.59
but here's my point,
00:55:24.62\00:55:26.39
the greatest evidence that
00:55:26.42\00:55:27.86
you are not living in
apostate relationship.
00:55:27.89\00:55:30.89
You see if the world
wants to know the difference
00:55:30.93\00:55:33.13
between truth and error,
00:55:33.16\00:55:35.53
it should be able
to look at your life,
00:55:35.56\00:55:39.43
to look at the
life of the one claiming
00:55:39.47\00:55:42.00
to be connected to Jesus.
00:55:42.04\00:55:43.51
Your life ought
to be an example.
00:55:43.54\00:55:45.77
I find this quotation
00:55:45.81\00:55:47.14
in the book
Christ Object Lessons,
00:55:47.18\00:55:48.51
page 415 and 416.
00:55:48.54\00:55:50.31
Listen to it.
00:55:50.35\00:55:51.68
It says,
00:55:51.71\00:55:53.05
"The last message of
mercy to be given to the world
00:55:53.08\00:55:55.75
is a revelation of
His character of love.
00:55:55.78\00:55:59.15
The children of God
are to manifest His glory.
00:55:59.19\00:56:02.52
In their own life and character,
00:56:02.56\00:56:05.26
they are to reveal
00:56:05.29\00:56:08.00
what the grace of
God has done for them."
00:56:08.03\00:56:12.20
That's why Matthew
says it so beautifully
00:56:12.23\00:56:14.60
in these words,
00:56:14.64\00:56:15.97
he says to you and to me,
00:56:16.00\00:56:17.81
what kind of life it's
not just what you believe,
00:56:17.84\00:56:20.18
but what kind of
life do you have?
00:56:20.21\00:56:22.14
Matthew to Jesus says,
00:56:22.18\00:56:25.58
let your light so shine...
00:56:25.61\00:56:27.35
Matthew 5:16,
00:56:27.38\00:56:28.82
"Let your light
so shine before men,
00:56:28.85\00:56:32.89
that they may
see your good works
00:56:32.92\00:56:35.69
and glorify your
Father in heaven."
00:56:35.72\00:56:41.73
Dear, friends, the world
is in an apostate condition.
00:56:41.76\00:56:44.60
And the church
has fallen far short
00:56:44.63\00:56:48.24
of what God has
intended it to be.
00:56:48.27\00:56:51.07
But here's the good news,
His people are still there.
00:56:51.11\00:56:53.81
And He wants to call them,
00:56:53.84\00:56:55.18
He wants to
rebuild those altars,
00:56:55.21\00:56:57.01
rebuild those relationships.
00:56:57.05\00:56:58.88
He wants to restore those truths
00:56:58.91\00:57:00.32
that have been
ignored and maybe pushed aside
00:57:00.35\00:57:03.25
or maybe seem irrelevant.
00:57:03.28\00:57:04.62
He wants to change that life.
00:57:04.65\00:57:06.69
And I say to you today,
00:57:06.72\00:57:08.52
the only way to
escape apostate Protestantism
00:57:08.56\00:57:12.59
is follow God's Word,
00:57:12.63\00:57:14.50
embrace its truth
00:57:14.53\00:57:16.53
and reflect the
character of Jesus
00:57:16.56\00:57:20.24
through your life.
00:57:20.27\00:57:21.90
Leave you with that, friends,
00:57:21.94\00:57:23.51
Jesus is
waiting to transform you
00:57:23.54\00:57:26.78
and get you ready for eternity.
00:57:26.81\00:57:29.31
God bless you.
00:57:29.34\00:57:30.68