Participants: Brian Hamilton (Host), Pr. Wes Peppers
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000173A
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00:12 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth,
00:15 live from the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:25 Good evening, I want to welcome each of you 00:27 who have come out this evening for Anchors Of Truth. 00:31 We're live at the Three Angels Broadcasting Worship Center. 00:37 And if you're joining us out there by television, 00:41 internet, or radio, we want you to know that 00:45 we're happy that you have joined us. 00:47 It's amazing the different venues today that 00:50 you can reach 3ABN. 00:52 You can actually go to Wal-Mart and buy a little box called a 00:55 Roku and turn it on. 00:58 And guess what. We are there. 01:01 Anchors Of Truth is a five part series. 01:04 And tonight we are in part three of this five part series. 01:10 And Elder Peppers has entitled it, 01:14 Before Men and Angels, the series, 01:18 Before Men and Angles: Theater of the Universe. 01:21 Interesting title. 01:23 If you've missed part one, Sacrificial Surrender 01:28 and Sleeping Saints, or part two, 01:31 Comfortable Culture Versus Fireproof Faith, 01:35 you can contact 3ABN and we can provide those 01:38 programs for you. 01:40 This is part three tonight; 01:42 Popes, Prophecies, and the Sons of God. 01:46 Now that sounds interesting, doesn't it? 01:48 Popes, Prophecies, and the Sons of God. 01:51 They tried to have me repeat that as fast as I could 01:54 to see if my tongue would stay together. 01:57 It didn't very well, I'll tell you that. 02:02 Tonight is Friday for us. 02:05 And about an hour ago the Sabbath arrived. 02:09 And we are blessed to be a part of a group of people 02:14 who celebrate and worship God on the seventh day Sabbath. 02:19 And the Sabbath begins on sundown Friday 02:23 and concludes sundown Saturday, sundown Sabbath. 02:27 And we are pleased to be a part of this and worship God, 02:34 and we pray that you will be blessed this evening. 02:38 The Peppers, let me introduce you to them. 02:41 Wes and Marion Peppers. 02:44 They come to us from Lansing, Michigan 02:46 where Wes is the senior pastor of the Lansing Adventist church. 02:50 And we're fortunate, we have two individuals ministering 02:54 to us this evening. 02:55 Marion is going to minister to us through a song, 03:00 and Wes through what Paul calls the foolishness of preaching. 03:05 And so we're blessed to have both of them here. 03:09 They are the proud parents of two children; 03:12 a son at the ripe old age of three, 03:15 and a brand new daughter four months old. 03:21 I'm going to read a text and then have prayer. 03:25 And after I have prayer, Marion will come 03:29 and she'll share with us the song entitled, 03:32 What Love Is this. 03:35 The scripture that I will read is from 2 Peter 1:20-21. 03:43 This is how it reads. 03:45 "Know this first, that no prophecy of Scripture 03:51 is of any private interpretation..." 03:56 Now I don't know about your version, but I have a little 03:59 mark that says look at the footnote. 04:02 And my footnote says, "origin." 04:08 "Know this first, that no prophecy of Scripture 04:11 is of any private origin, for prophecy never came 04:17 by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke 04:22 as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." 04:25 Join us in prayer. 04:26 Father in heaven, on this the beginning of Your Sabbath, 04:31 we ask a special blessing on this service 04:35 as Pastor Peppers open the Word, and particularly prophecy. 04:42 We ask that the word will go out and find root 04:46 in welcome soil. 04:49 And then it will bear fruit for eternity is our prayer. 04:53 Bless Marion as she ministers to us in song. 04:57 We ask Your Holy Spirit to be here and join us, 05:01 Your angels to be about us in this very special time 05:05 in this very hour. 05:06 We pray in Jesus' name, amen. 05:31 You never change, You are the God You say You are; 05:39 when I'm afraid You calm and still my beating heart. 05:47 You stay the same, when hope is just a distant thought; 05:55 You take my pain and You lead me to the cross. 06:04 What love is this, that You gave Your life for me 06:15 and made a way for me to know You? 06:20 And I confess You're always enough for me; 06:30 You're all I need. 06:34 I look to You, I see the scars upon Your hands; 06:43 and hold the truth that when I can't, You always can. 06:50 And standing here beneath the shadow of the cross, 06:58 I'm overwhelmed that I keep finding open arms. 07:07 What love is this, that You gave Your life for me 07:18 and made a way for me to know You? 07:22 And I confess You're always enough for me; 07:33 You're all I need. 07:38 Jesus, in Your suffering You were reaching; 07:49 You thought of me. 07:54 Jesus, in Your suffering You were reaching; 08:05 You thought of me. 08:14 What love is this, that You gave Your life for me 08:25 and made a way for me to know You? 08:30 And I confess You're always enough for me; 08:40 You're all I need. 08:45 What love is this, that You gave Your life for me 08:56 and made a way for me to know You? 09:01 And I confess You're always enough for me. 09:13 Always enough for me. 09:21 Always enough for me. 09:46 Thank you, my dear. 09:48 Good evening, friends. 09:50 How are you tonight? 09:52 Well you look very good. 09:54 I'm glad to see you here this evening. 09:56 And I love that song. 09:58 How many of you appreciated that song? 10:00 And I'm so thankful for that song, my wife; 10:03 What Love Is This. 10:05 And what love it is that Jesus has given to us, amen? 10:09 He has given us the power to become the sons 10:12 and daughters of God. 10:13 And in this we rejoice. Amen? 10:16 And so we are thankful tonight to be gathered here. 10:18 Those of you who are watching online and on 3ABN, 10:22 we welcome you as well. 10:23 We're so excited that you're here to join us 10:25 for night number three of Anchors Of Truth, 10:29 Popes, Prophecies, and the Sons of God. 10:32 We have an exciting subject this evening. 10:34 A very challenging subject, so we're going to need 10:37 extra prayer tonight. 10:38 We're going to ask the Lord to be with us. 10:40 I just want to give a greeting before we have prayer 10:44 to my church back in Lansing. 10:46 I know that many of them are watching tonight. 10:48 Also the church in Piedmont and Guntersville, Alabama. 10:52 Some churches that are close to my heart. 10:55 I just want to greet them tonight. 10:57 Thank you for joining us as well. 10:59 Let's have prayer, because we are going to need 11:01 extra special prayer this evening for this subject. 11:04 A very delicate subject. 11:05 A very timely subject. 11:07 And we believe as Seventh-day Adventists 11:09 that Jesus is coming soon. Amen? 11:11 We believe that the signs are all around us. 11:13 And tonight we're going to look at some of the more 11:15 advance signs that we see that tell us that 11:19 Jesus' coming is very near. 11:21 So let's just bow our heads together this evening 11:23 and offer a word of prayer to the Lord. 11:27 Father in heaven, we thank You so much this evening 11:29 for the truth that You contain in Your Word. 11:31 We're thankful for Jesus, who gave His life for us 11:35 and has given us a love that exceeds 11:38 everything in the universe. 11:40 And so we thank You, Father, tonight that You would 11:42 join us here. 11:44 And we pray that Your precious truth would go forth, 11:46 that You would draw close, that You would guide our thoughts, 11:49 guide our minds, guide our hearts, and guide us, Lord, 11:52 as we study the Word this evening. 11:54 May Your truth and may the signs of the times 11:58 that we live in today awaken us to our need of You 12:01 and our need of the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts 12:05 to be more like Jesus. 12:07 And it's in His name that we pray, amen. 12:11 My brother read a Scripture reading tonight, 12:15 and I want to continue that. 12:16 I appreciate that. 12:18 And there is a verse that I wanted to read to you tonight 12:21 in 2 Peter 1:21. 12:24 And it continues right where he left off. 12:27 And the Bible says, "...for no prophecy ever came 12:31 by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as 12:35 they were moved by the Holy Spirit." 12:37 He read that verse, I'm going to back up to verse 19. 12:39 And notice what it says here. 12:41 And it says, "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, 12:46 which you do well to heed as a light that shines 12:50 in a dark place, until the day dawns and the 12:53 morning star rises in your hearts..." 12:55 As Seventh-day Adventists we have believed in prophecy, 12:58 yes or no? 12:59 And we believe that prophecy is a great evidence 13:02 of God moving in the world. 13:03 We believe, in fact, that the Seventh-day Adventist Church 13:06 is a movement of Bible prophecy, yes? 13:08 And we believe that at the very center of Bible prophecy, 13:12 at the very core of every prophecy in Daniel 13:16 and Revelation, we find Jesus. Amen? 13:19 Jesus is the center of all prophecy, 13:21 He's the climax of all prophecy, 13:23 He is the epitome of all prophecy, 13:26 He is the focus of all prophecy. 13:27 Is it not true? 13:29 We believe that tonight. 13:30 Now the Bible tells us, there are many prophecies 13:32 in the Bible, and there is one very specific prophecy 13:36 that we're going to look at tonight very, very detailedly 13:40 in Daniel 7:8. 13:42 Many of you are familiar with this. 13:43 And in much of the presentation tonight, I'm going to take 13:46 the liberty to assume that most of our viewers this evening 13:51 are at least familiar with these prophecies. 13:53 You've probably seen them on 3ABN or you've 13:55 studied them somewhere. 13:57 But in Daniel 7:8, it describes the antichrist power 14:01 of Bible prophecy. 14:02 And the verse reads, "I was considering the horns, 14:05 and there was another horn, 14:06 a little one, coming up among them... 14:09 And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, 14:12 and a mouth speaking pompous words." 14:15 This little horn power, Bible scholars have agreed, 14:18 describes the antichrist power of the end times. 14:21 Now if you look at the Bible, if you look at the whole chapter, 14:24 which is what I'm taking the liberty that you've 14:26 already done, you find ten identifying points 14:30 that describe this power. 14:32 And as you go through them one by one, you find 14:34 that these ten identifying points can point to none other 14:38 than the Roman Catholic Church, or the Vatican. 14:42 And this is a prominent teaching of the Protestant faith. 14:47 Now I want to make sure that everyone understands 14:50 and knows here that we are not talking about 14:52 good godly Roman Catholic people. Amen? 14:56 There are many of our Roman Catholic friends 14:58 that are watching 3ABN, and we love them 15:01 and appreciate them. 15:02 But we are talking about a system that Bible prophecy, 15:05 God Himself, reveals and points out in the prophecy. 15:09 You know, many of the ancient reformers 15:12 also held this viewpoint. 15:16 Martin Luther, there were many, the Waldenses, John Huss, 15:20 John Wycliffe, John Calvin, John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon. 15:25 and many more. 15:26 In fact, I have a statement here tonight from Martin Luther. 15:29 And he makes the point, he says, "We are convinced that the 15:33 papacy is the seat of the real and true antichrist..." 15:43 Now John Calvin, who is another reformer, 15:47 had some strong words to say. 15:49 Because many of the reformers drew criticism for attacking, 15:52 not attacking, but pointing out from the Bible 15:54 that the papacy was the antichrist. 15:56 And notice what he says. 16:23 And indeed, the verses in Thessalonians 16:27 that John Calvin is referring to say this, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 16:33 it says, "Let no man deceive you by any means; 16:36 for that Day shall not come except there come a 16:40 falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, 16:43 the son of perdition..." 16:45 It continues and says, "...who opposes and exalts himself 16:48 above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; 16:50 so that he sits as God in the temple of God, 16:53 showing himself that he is God." 16:56 And that word, "temple," there in the Greek actually means 16:59 that he would sit in the midst of the church, 17:02 or the people of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 17:05 Well those are some pretty strong accusations, 17:08 are they not, some pretty strong words to say that 17:12 those apply to the Roman papacy. 17:13 So what we're going to do tonight is we're going to ask 17:16 the Roman papacy what they themselves proclaim 17:19 about themselves, about the pope himself. 17:22 Do they proclaim him or perceive him to be God? 17:24 Let's ask that question. 17:26 From the Catholic National Publication, 17:28 notice this statement. 17:40 Now do they make the claim that the pope is just 17:43 more than a man, yes or no? 17:45 They claim that he is the literal Christ in the flesh. 17:49 That's what the church proclaims. 17:50 Now this is why many of the Protestant reformers 17:54 made such a claim. 17:55 And this is why Seventh-day Adventists 17:57 have continued in that tradition of pointing this out. 18:02 Now if you would have walked into any Christian denomination 18:06 a hundred or so years ago, whether it had been Baptist, 18:09 or Methodist, or Presbyterian, or any of the others, 18:12 you would have heard this message being preached. 18:15 And yet today much of the world is silent, are they not? 18:19 Now once again, I want to remind us that we're not talking about 18:23 good Roman Catholic people. 18:24 But we're talking about a system, yes? 18:27 A system of error that the Bible says in the last days 18:30 would be promoting error. 18:32 Now in Revelation chapter 13, you also find this very element. 18:40 You find it both in Daniel chapter 7 18:43 and again in Revelation chapter 13. 18:46 Now I'm not going to take the time 18:48 to go through the whole thing. 18:49 I assume that you have had this before. 18:51 But I do want to jump to verse 3. 18:53 And the Bible says, "I saw one of his heads as if it 18:57 had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. 19:01 And all the world marveled and followed the beast." 19:04 Very interesting, yes or no? 19:06 Now this is describing the rule of the papacy, 19:09 the prophetic rule of the papacy, and they would 19:12 rule for 1260 years. 19:14 I'm taking, I'm jumping very deep and very quick into this. 19:19 But if you look at the timeline, a very interesting timeline, 19:22 I have it here for you on the screen, 19:24 we find that the Roman Catholic Church... 19:35 And their power was broken. 19:37 They were dealt a deadly wound, as the Bible says. 19:42 But then their deadly wound would be healed. 19:44 And that wound was issued in 1798 when their power was 19:48 broken by Napoleon. 19:50 You can find that in 19:52 and Revelation 13 all the way through. 19:54 It's very, very powerful. 19:56 So the Bible tells us that their deadly wound 19:59 would then be healed. 20:01 Now it's a very interesting fact of history 20:04 that from 1798 all the way into the early 1900's 20:07 the papacy basically laid dormant. 20:10 But in 1929 a very significant, and I believe prophetic, 20:14 event took place in the history of our world 20:17 when Benito Mussolini, who was the president of Italy, 20:21 signed a peace treaty with the Roman Catholic Church 20:25 re-instating the Vatican and re-instating the pope 20:29 as the supreme political and religious ruler. 20:32 I believe, friends, that was not by chance. 20:36 How many of you believe that? 20:37 Now there's a beautiful article that was written in 1929 20:42 in the San Francisco Chronicle. 20:44 And I want you to notice the language of the newspaper. 20:48 It says this... 20:53 And notice the words that it uses. 20:55 Healing the what? 21:02 Speaking about that event, it actually uses the same 21:05 words that the Bible used. 21:07 It says that the deadly wound would be healed, 21:09 in Scripture, Revelation 13:3. 21:11 And then it says in the newspaper, 21:13 the secular newspaper, that the wound was healed. 21:18 And after that, the Bible tells us that all the world 21:22 would wonder after the beast. 21:24 And indeed, decade after decade following that date of 1929, 21:28 the Roman Catholic Church has gained power, 21:31 gained prestige, gained influence, 21:34 all the way around the world. 21:36 And I believe, friends, that is a direct fulfillment 21:40 of Bible prophecy. 21:41 The Bible speaks to our times today. 21:43 Here is a picture of President Obama and Pope Francis 21:50 meeting together, they've had a couple of meetings now. 21:53 And Pope Francis has had meetings with most of the 21:57 major political leaders of the world. 22:01 And very interesting that we see this fulfillment 22:06 of prophecy taking place. 22:09 New York Times columnist James Reston made the 22:12 point, he said, "He, the pope, has been received here 22:15 with more applause than any religious leader in the world." 22:20 Religious or secular, he said. 22:22 It's very interesting, friends, what we're seeing 22:24 take place upon the earth. 22:26 Now in Revelation 13:11, the Bible talks about a 22:30 second beast power. 22:31 We're going to read about that. 22:33 He says in verse 11, "Then I saw another beast," 22:36 a second beast, "coming up from the earth, and he had two horns 22:40 like a lamb and spoke like a dragon." 22:44 And the Bible tells us, if you study that through... 22:47 Now you can find that study probably somewhere on 22:50 3ABN archives, or something. 22:52 But if you study that through, that second beast, 22:54 and you look at the identifying characteristics, 22:57 let's let my friends here tonight tell me who it is. 22:59 Who is that second beast power? 23:01 That's right, it's the United States of America. 23:04 And the Bible is very clear about this. 23:07 And it's very powerful to see it come alive in Scripture. 23:10 We don't have time to go through that study tonight. 23:12 But what the Bible does tell us in Revelation 13 and 17 23:18 is that these two powers, that first beast and that 23:22 second beast, would unite together to promote 23:26 false religious practices in the world in the 23:30 last days of earth's history. 23:31 And we are seeing more and more a uniting of these two powers 23:36 just like prophecy said. 23:37 Friends, this is one of the reasons that I'm 23:39 no longer an atheist. 23:41 Because of the power of prophecy. 23:43 It speaks to our day. 23:45 And it's like the Bible is coming alive 23:48 right before our very eyes. 23:49 How many of you are thankful tonight for the Bible? 23:51 I'm so excited about the Bible. 23:53 I'm so excited at the power it has to transform our lives 23:58 and give us an understanding of what's happening 24:01 in our world today. Amen? 24:03 It's a beautiful thing. 24:04 And it all centers around Jesus. 24:06 Now Thomas P. Melady, which was a former U.S. ambassador 24:11 to the Vatican, he makes this statement. 24:13 I want you to notice this. 24:33 Isn't that very interesting? 24:35 Now on April 8th, 2005 there was a funeral 24:40 for Pope John Paul II. 24:43 How many of you remember that? 24:44 And basically, all of the world's leaders 24:47 came together and they were at that funeral. 24:50 And here is a picture of Pope John Paul's body 24:54 laid out in view. 24:56 And there you see our president present at that time, and past. 25:02 There is George Bush Jr., Sr., and Bill Clinton. 25:05 That empty spot was actually for Jimmy Carter, 25:08 but he was sick. 25:09 And virtually every world leader came to see that funeral. 25:13 And if you notice in the picture that they are actually 25:17 not sitting in seats, but they are actually kneeling 25:22 before his dead body. 25:24 Very interesting, friends, that they are kneeling 25:27 before the body of the pope, the dead pope laid out in view. 25:31 And the Bible tells us that all the world would do what? 25:35 They would wonder after this beast power. 25:38 And indeed, we are seeing that take place, are we not? 25:42 Now in 2012, another very significant event took place. 25:46 And that is that U.S. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, 25:49 he's the top cardinal for the United States, 25:51 in 2012 when America had the presidential election... 26:02 Isn't that interesting? 26:04 Now what this tells us is that the influence that the 26:07 papacy has goes beyond political parties, yes or no? 26:11 It stretches way beyond that, and it has a bigger purpose, 26:14 it has a bigger destiny. 26:17 2011, Pope Benedict made a very interesting statement. 26:38 Isn't that interesting, friends? 26:40 We find in the Bible, we find in Scripture, 26:43 that these powers would unite. 26:45 And here is a call for global unification, global unity, 26:50 drawing together to enforce new practices upon the world. 26:56 In March 2013, previous to that, but in March 2013, 27:02 TIME Magazine produced an article, a front page cover, 27:09 where it talks about the, "New World Pope." 27:13 Now it's interesting that they would call him 27:14 the, "New World Pope," right, when he was elected. 27:17 Because even secular people today are making the statement 27:21 that this is a pope for all people, not just Catholics. 27:25 And I find many interesting articles where atheists 27:28 even are making the point, making the case, 27:31 that they admire this pope, and they say, 27:34 I've even heard many atheists say, 27:36 "I'm not religious, but this pope makes me want 27:39 to become Catholic." 27:41 Very interesting. 27:43 The unity, the power, the influence, that's taking place. 27:47 The Bible warned us in 27:49 that all the world would wonder after the beast. 27:53 And is it becoming true, yes or no? 27:55 It's becoming true, you can see it right for your very own eyes. 27:58 The headlines of the newspapers are almost exactly what we read 28:02 in the Bible in the prophecies. 28:04 Now on September 23rd of this year 2015 28:09 Pope Francis made his first trip to America. 28:13 And he was greeted by the president, Barak Obama, 28:17 and also the vice president, and their families, 28:20 and many other officials. 28:22 And it was actually recorded as the most grandiose 28:30 greeting that any official has ever received 28:33 in the history of the United States. 28:36 Very interesting, friends. Very interesting. 28:39 That same day he gave a speech in front of President Obama, 28:45 a welcome speech accepting his welcome from the president. 28:48 Then on September 24th a very interesting thing 28:53 takes place that has never happened before 28:57 in the history of the United States. 29:02 He walks down the aisle of the chamber of the 29:05 United States Congress and assumes his spot 29:09 up on the pulpit, and he delivers a speech. 29:12 Friends, 50 years ago, even less than that, 29:16 this would have never been allowed to happen. 29:20 This was a very Protestant nation. 29:23 But now we have seen a gigantic shift. 29:27 Now we're going to talk about that in just a minute. 29:29 But he comes and he delivers a speech 29:34 to the United States Congress, the first time a pope has ever 29:39 been in the chamber room of the congress of America. 29:43 Now he makes a statement within his speech. 29:45 It's very interesting. I want you to notice this. 29:47 He says this... 29:49 I have some of the highlighted points of his speech. 30:11 Now here's the point that I want to make. 30:15 Christian fundamentalism, is it good or bad? 30:18 Some people, it would depend on who you ask, I guess, right? 30:21 Some people would say bad, some people would say good. 30:23 But let me give you the definition 30:25 of Christian fundamentalism. 30:26 It's very simple. 30:27 People who believe that the Bible ought to be the 30:31 sole authority for the Christian. 30:34 People who believe that the Bible is the word of God. 30:37 I believe tonight that the Bible is the word of God. 30:40 And it's Jesus, because Jesus is the Word. Amen? 30:43 And anything that Jesus would say to us, 30:45 the Word already said. Amen? 30:46 And I believe that to try to change the Word 30:49 or to elevate ourselves above the Word 30:52 is a very big challenge. 30:54 What do you think? 30:55 The old Protestant reformation motto, 30:57 "Scripture, and Scripture alone." 31:00 "Sola Scriptura." Amen? 31:02 The Bible, and the Bible only, is what we believe. 31:04 But this power does not hold to that viewpoint. 31:08 I want you to notice this statement that I'm going to 31:11 show you just now. 31:13 It comes from the Catholic Church Extension Society. 31:16 And here is what it says. 31:38 Now dear friends, here is a church who holds the position 31:44 that the living church is above the sacred Scriptures 31:49 and that they have the power to change God's very law. 31:54 Is that a problem, yes or no? 31:56 It was a problem with the reformers of old. 31:59 It was a problem with Martin Luther. 32:01 It was a problem with John Calvin, and Wesley, 32:03 and Spurgeon, and all these great men of old. 32:06 And it is a problem for true Christians today 32:09 who believe that the Bible ought to be the authority 32:13 that we base our faith upon, in Jesus Christ. Amen? 32:16 Surely we look to Jesus in everything, but Jesus 32:19 has given us His Word as a truth. 32:23 I want you to notice another statement that he made 32:26 during his speech to the Congress. 32:50 Brothers and sisters, let me tell you, the Bible is 32:52 very clear that there is a very clear distinct line drawn 32:57 between what is good and what is evil, 33:00 what is right and what is wrong, what is black and what is white. 33:04 And let me tell you, friends, there is a movement today 33:07 to make that line very blurry. 33:11 And only those who hold fast to the truths of God's Word 33:17 will avoid being deceived. 33:20 There is a way, and great detail which many of you are 33:23 familiar with, in which this power has attempted 33:26 to change the Word of God, to release its self-proclaimed 33:31 power to change the laws of God. 33:34 Now we read in the Bible, the book of Exodus chapter 20, 33:39 and you know probably where I'm going with this, 33:41 Exodus 20:8-11. 33:46 Our audience got it here. 33:47 Those of you watching online probably got it as well. 33:50 I invite you to turn there with me to Exodus 20:8-11. 33:55 The Bible reads, the Ten Commandments 33:57 that God wrote with His own finger, say this, 34:00 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 34:02 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 34:03 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. 34:07 In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, 34:10 nor your male servant, nor your female servant, 34:12 nor your cattle, nor your stranger within your gates. 34:15 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, 34:18 the sea, and all that is in them, 34:19 and rested the seventh day. 34:21 Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." 34:25 Isn't that a crystal clear commandment? 34:27 The Bible says the seventh day is the Sabbath. 34:31 But yet we find that as time continues to march on, 34:34 the Roman church continues to erode the authority of Scripture 34:39 while placing itself as the highest agency of moral 34:43 truth on earth, all the while the world cheers it on. 34:50 I want you to notice a few statements here tonight 34:53 from, The Catholic Press Publication, regarding this 34:55 shift, this change, of Sabbath to Sunday. 34:57 Please notice. 35:10 A very powerful statement, wouldn't you say? 35:13 Now another from, Our Sunday Visitor. 35:33 Now I'm not here to cause an offense. 35:36 This is not my statement, 35:38 this is the Roman Catholic Church's statement. 35:40 They're saying, if you're a Protestant Christian 35:42 and you continue to worship on Sunday rather than the Sabbath 35:45 which the Bible explicitly commands, 35:48 then you are giving homage, not to Jesus, but to the pope. 35:52 That's what they said. 35:56 Now here's another. 35:57 The Catholic Universe Bulletin. 36:20 You see, if Martin Luther were alive today, 36:22 he'd be keeping the Sabbath. 36:24 If John Calvin and John Wesley, many of those today, 36:27 if they understood what we understand now, what the 36:30 Bible says, they would be Sabbath keepers. 36:32 Now here's another one, one more, it's very, very bold. 36:37 Written just in 1995, it says... 36:58 Not the Bible, but the church. 37:00 Now notice as it continues. 37:01 Very powerful, friends. 37:03 This is not my statement or the Adventist church's statement, 37:07 but this is from Roman Catholicism. 37:08 Notice what they say. 37:21 Isn't that interesting? 37:23 So there was this shift, this change, from Sabbath to Sunday. 37:26 Now the church, even though the Bible does not permit it, 37:30 is pressing this issue upon the world. 37:32 And I want to show you some of the more recent things 37:35 that have taken place. 37:36 In 2009, Croatia... 37:45 And then Germany did it again in 2015. 38:05 These movements are taking place all around the world. 38:07 I just had time to post a few. 38:09 But there are dozens more. 38:11 Very interesting. 38:12 Now let me jump to the next slide. 38:18 And it says this, this is from a European Alliance, 38:21 Day of Sunday. 38:42 Now there was a book written 150 years ago, approximately, 38:46 called, The Great Controversy. 38:47 How many of you have heard of that book? 38:49 Now notice what this book says in the context 38:51 of these news articles. 38:53 Can we do this? Watch this. 38:54 Great Controversy, page 586, this is what it says. 39:14 Friends, that news article I just read you is a 39:17 direct fulfillment of that statement. 39:22 We're on the verge of eternity. 39:24 Notice a statement from Pope Benedict in 2005. 39:28 He makes this statement. 39:49 Very strong words, wouldn't you say? 39:51 If you thought those were strong, look at these words. 39:54 In 2006, he said... 40:19 Those are some strong words, dear friends. 40:21 Very contrary to what the Bible clearly states. 40:27 Jesus gave us the Sabbath. 40:29 And it does matter, because God is always specific. 40:34 And He doesn't speak to hear the pleasure of His own voice. 40:37 He speaks to give us truth. Amen? 40:39 And that's what we're going to follow. 40:40 It's Christ-centered truth. 40:42 Now a very interesting thing took place in 2014 as well. 40:47 Bishop Tony Palmer, who was an Anglican, 40:52 seeking to bring unity between Catholics and Protestants 40:56 and Evangelicals, he gave a talk in Kenneth Copeland's church 41:01 in Texas before about 10,000 Protestant 41:05 and Evangelical ministers. 41:07 And these are some of the statements that he made. 41:19 When he said that, he was speaking about Protestantism. 41:22 And then he said... 41:29 And the strongest statement he made was this. 41:38 Now you would think, in a room of 10,000 ministers 41:42 who are Evangelical and Protestant, 41:44 there would have been a little bit of roughness 41:46 and a little bit of upsetness. 41:47 But he said those words to the clapping and cheer 41:52 of those ministers. 41:53 My dear friends, times have greatly changed. 41:57 What do you think? 41:59 They have greatly changed. 42:01 Not long after, there was a moment where they had 42:07 a prayer session for their group to unite these couples, 42:11 and they prayed for the pope in tongues. 42:17 In tongues. 42:19 You see the picture there. 42:23 And it's very interesting that you have the papacy, 42:26 you have those groups, and then you have the praying in tongues. 42:31 I want you to notice this statement, friends, 42:33 from, The Great Controversy, please, page 587-588. 42:48 Spiritualism, which is speaking in tongues. 43:23 Let me tell you, friends, prophecy, 43:26 that little book, The Great Controversy, 43:28 that book that many people criticize, 43:30 is now unfolding in the world events of today. 43:34 As Seventh-day Adventists, we have been preaching 43:38 this message for decades, over 100 years. 43:42 And we can safely say now that we are no longer 43:46 in a time when those events would happen in the future, 43:51 but they are happening in the present. 43:54 With great humility and responsibility 43:57 to tell this message to the world, we can say 44:01 with humility, "We were right." 44:06 Because these things are happening now. 44:10 On July 28, 2014, Pope Francis came to a group of 44:20 evangelical Pentecostals with apologies for what had happened 44:25 in the past. 44:26 He made this statement... 44:37 And later in the article, it records that after he 44:39 made this apology, it says... 44:47 Just this year in 2015, he also made the same apology 44:52 to a large group of Waldensian Christians 44:55 who are still active. 44:56 Because during the dark ages, the Roman Catholic Church 44:59 persecuted them and killed many of them. 45:02 Now also in the speech to Congress just a few weeks ago, 45:06 notice what he says here. 45:21 Talking about the persecution of the Dark Ages. 45:32 Friends, the bridges are being built 45:35 that we were told would happen. 45:37 In Revelation 17, we were told these things. 45:41 And now they are coming to pass. 45:44 Look at this, The Great Controversy, very powerful. 45:52 Look at this, watch this. 45:53 Think about these news articles. 46:26 Here's the thing, how do we know that the papacy is not changed? 46:29 How do we know that her doctrines are the same? 46:31 Very simple. 46:33 That they will not acknowledge the Bible as the 46:36 true word of God, as the supreme first authority. 46:40 And let me tell you, friends, I am not against the 46:42 Roman Catholic Church. 46:44 I am not against the pope, except where they deviate 46:49 from the truths of God's Word. 46:51 I'll be ready to unite with the pope any day to feed the hungry, 46:54 to feed the homeless. 46:55 But I cannot unite with him in a process where I must 46:59 compromise the truth of the Bible. 47:02 As Bible believing Christians, we cannot do this. 47:06 An evangelical pastor from Christianity Today, 47:09 he makes this statement in 2015, he said that, 47:14 "Among Protestants and Catholics, disagreement over 47:17 religious authority and salvation fades, 47:20 as piety trumps doctrine." 47:25 In other words, what they're saying is that because of the 47:27 character of Pope Francis... 47:29 He's a good man, he says a lot of good things. 47:31 I don't disagree with that. 47:33 But what he says is that where his character is, 47:37 because he's a good man, it doesn't really matter 47:40 what the doctrine is, 47:42 it doesn't really matter what the truth is. 47:43 We just leave all that stuff behind. 47:45 Let's unite even at the sake of truth. 47:49 Also Christianity Today, "Within a few centuries, 47:52 the pope has gone from antichrist to brother in Christ 47:57 for a lot of Protestants." 47:59 That was just last month, September of 2015. 48:04 And I have one or two more articles here to share with you. 48:07 The United Nations of Religions, Pope Francis just spoke there. 48:12 And there was an article put out just a few months ago, 48:16 actually it was over a year ago, and the Prime Minister of 48:22 Israel made the statement... 48:32 He's made that suggestion. 48:34 And just recently, Pope Francis, when he finished speaking 48:38 to Congress, he also spoke at the United Nations 48:41 just last month. 48:43 It was very interesting. 48:45 Now Pope Francis, what is his thoughts in all this? 48:48 What is his thoughts about the unity of Christians? 48:50 Notice what he says. 49:08 He believes that we should all come together as well. 49:13 TIME Magazine, we're going to jump ahead a slide there. 49:16 TIME Magazine, just produced a cover that talks about 49:22 the new Roman empire with Pope Francis as the head. 49:28 That Pope Francis is reuniting the Roman empire 49:32 under his banner. 49:35 Dear friends, the Bible tells us in Revelation 13:8 49:40 that all the world would worship him, 49:45 that beast power. 49:48 We're living in an hour of earth's history 49:51 unlike any other. 49:52 Do you understand? 49:54 But the Bible tells us that until Jesus comes, 49:57 Revelation 17:5 tells us that this power would also be, 50:02 "Babylon the great, the mother of harlots." 50:07 I'm not criticizing good godly people, 50:10 but a system of error certainly. 50:13 And in Revelation 18:4, the Bible tells us, 50:16 "I heard another voice from heaven saying, 50:18 'Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers 50:22 her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.'" 50:25 Jesus calls us on the last days to come out of a system of 50:28 falseness and into a system of truth. 50:31 Now listen, friends, I'm going to make a very 50:33 pointed statement. 50:34 I hope you're ready to hear this. 50:36 You're going to seem dumbfounded after all I said. 50:38 But in these last days, the pope is not the problem. 50:45 The papacy is not the problem. 50:48 How do I know this? It's very simple. 50:51 Because the papacy and the Roman church, the system, 50:56 is actually fulfilling the prophetic role, the destiny, 51:00 that God said it would fulfill. 51:03 It's actually doing what the Bible said it would do 51:07 in the last days. 51:09 It's fulfilling its destiny as God laid out 51:13 thousands of years ago. 51:14 These things are taking place, these things are happening, 51:16 these things are coming together. 51:19 So if that's really not a problem, 51:21 what is the problem? 51:24 Oh, you got it. 51:25 Those of you watching probably got it. 51:28 Notice this statement from, The Great Controversy. 51:30 Here's the real problem. 51:54 That's the problem, dear friends. 51:56 Is that God's church in the last days... 51:58 The Roman church is fulfilling its prophetic destiny, 52:02 but God's church languishes and flounders in Laodiceanism. 52:12 It's time, dear friends, for God's church to awake. 52:17 It's time for God's church to arise and shine. 52:22 It's time for God's people to make a complete surrender 52:27 to His will, to recognize the time's that we live now, 52:31 to see that these things are coming to pass 52:33 like never before, and to stand their ground with Jesus Christ, 52:38 to put their faith wholly in Him, 52:40 to have a firm relationship with Him, 52:43 a daily walk with Him. 52:44 Look with me in the Bible, Romans chapter 8, please. 52:48 We are coming down to our last few moments. 52:52 Romans 8:22 52:57 We're going to work backwards here, 52:58 we're going to work backwards, up to verse 19. 53:02 But notice what it says in verse 22, it says, 53:04 "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors 53:09 with birth pangs until now." 53:10 Verse 21, "Because the creation itself also will be 53:13 delivered from the bondage of corruption into the 53:16 glorious liberty of the children of God." 53:18 Verse 20, "For the creation was subjected to futility..." 53:23 That's after sin. 53:24 "...not willingly, but because of Him who 53:27 subjected it in hope." 53:28 And verse 19 is the key, friends. 53:31 Verse 19 is the key, look at this. 53:33 "For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits 53:38 for the revealing of the sons of God." 53:43 What's the title of our message? 53:44 Popes, Prophecies, and the Sons of God. 53:48 The universe, as the title of our series, 53:52 is eagerly watching for the revelation of God's grace 53:58 to completely transform God's people on earth 54:04 and re-create them into the glorious image of Jesus. 54:09 That is what the universe is waiting for. 54:13 That is why things continue to go on. 54:15 God is not up in heaven twiddling His thumbs 54:18 wondering and saying, "Well I wonder when 54:20 the papacy is going to pass the Sunday law," or whatever. 54:23 He's not waiting for that. 54:25 He's waiting for His people to surrender their lives to Him 54:30 that He might transform us and empower us 54:33 with the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel into all the world. 54:37 What do you say tonight, friends? 54:39 Those of you watching tonight, notice this statement 54:41 from, Last Day Events. 54:58 The proclamation of the three angels' messages, 55:02 the everlasting gospel, Christ in us 55:05 the hope of glory, faith in my Lord and Savior, 55:09 as He lives within my heart, as He lives within my life 55:14 and through my life; 55:15 that is what the world needs to see, friends. 55:18 Not just a proclamation, or a documentation, 55:22 but a demonstration of the gospel 55:26 through you and I. 55:28 The final prophecies are being fulfilled 55:31 very rapidly right now. 55:34 If you notice, friends, that in the center of the news today 55:38 you find Adventism and you find Roman Catholicism 55:42 at the center of much of the news today. 55:47 And let me assure you, it is not by coincidence. 55:52 It is fulfillment of Bible prophecy in these last days. 55:57 And friends, let me appeal to those who are watching, 56:01 who have not made their decision tonight, 56:03 to follow Jesus. 56:05 These events are unfolding now. 56:07 And God is calling you to be a part of His church. 56:10 God is calling you to be a part of the church that would 56:12 proclaim the truth of the Bible in the last days. 56:15 He's calling you into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 56:17 Friend, would you heed the counsel of Jesus to come out of 56:20 her and come into His truth? 56:23 That's the appeal from Jesus tonight. 56:25 He loves you, but He wants you to follow the truth of His word. 56:29 And those of us who are in the church today, 56:32 God's appeal is that our first love must be revived. 56:38 Amen? 56:39 And for many of us, it must be discovered for the first time. 56:42 Jesus is calling His people all across the world 56:45 in and out of the Adventist church to come into unity 56:49 with Him in these final moments of earth's history. 56:52 Friends, tonight have you made your decision 56:55 to surrender all to Jesus? 56:57 He's calling you, He's reaching out to you. 57:00 He's got His hand outstretched to you tonight. 57:02 Will we make our decision as we see the final events 57:05 of earth's history? 57:07 Friends, those of you that are watching, 57:08 will you follow Jesus tonight? 57:11 Is that your desire this evening? 57:15 Let's pray together. 57:17 Father, we thank You so much that Your word is sure, 57:21 the prophetic word is sure, it's true. 57:23 And in these last days, Lord, we want to follow You 57:26 with all of our hearts. 57:27 Give us the strength, Lord, give us the courage 57:30 to follow You, and to make the decision 57:33 that You are calling us to make; 57:34 to unite with Your people and Your truth. 57:36 We pray this in Jesus' precious name, amen. |
Revised 2016-04-11