Participants:
Series Code: FGW
Program Code: FGW000036A
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00:27 I'd like to welcome you all here
00:29 to Focus on God's Word once again 00:32 as we take a look at this fifth part 00:35 in the six part series End-time Apocalypse. 00:38 And today's subject is 00:40 "Solving the Riddle of Religious Confusion". 00:43 So whether you are here for the very first time 00:45 or you've been here throughout this miniseries, 00:47 I want to give you a very warm welcome 00:49 especially to those who are here 00:51 in our Morisset Studio at 3ABN, here in Australia 00:55 as well as right around the world, 00:57 wherever you may be watching from either online 00:59 or on your TV sets 01:01 or you may be listening via your radio, 01:03 a warm welcome to you as we once again 01:06 go to the very heart of the Book of Revelation 01:09 and as we open up 01:11 to God's final message of love to the world. 01:14 Hasn't it been an exciting journey so far? 01:16 I have been blessed. 01:18 And I am so excited 01:19 to be able to open up the last book of the Bible, 01:22 the Revelation of Jesus Christ, discover the wonderful message 01:26 that Jesus Christ has for each and every one of us, 01:29 especially those that will be living 01:31 at the end of earth's history, preparing, and anticipating, 01:35 and anxiously waiting the second coming of Jesus. 01:39 So before we take a look at this all important subject, 01:42 "Solving the Riddle of Religious Confusion". 01:44 I want to invite you to pray with me 01:47 as we seek the Lord to guide and to bless us 01:49 as we spend time in His Word once more. 01:51 So let's pray. 01:53 Father in Heaven, we just want to thank You so much 01:55 that we can open Your Holy Word again 01:58 and as we open Your Word, 02:00 we pray that You will open our hearts and our minds 02:02 that we may be willing and able to receive the message 02:06 from this beautiful book, the Book of Revelation, 02:10 the revelation of Jesus Christ, may He reveal Himself 02:14 and His precious truth in all His glory 02:16 is our prayer in His name, amen. 02:19 Amen. Amen. 02:21 In our last presentation together, 02:24 we looked at Revelation's Last Appeal. 02:27 We looked at God's final call, God's final message of love 02:31 as He seeks to call His people, His people that are scattered 02:35 all around the world, in all different walks of life 02:39 amongst all the different religions 02:41 of the world, His sincere people, 02:44 calling them out of confusion and into His wonderful truth 02:49 awaiting His soon return. 02:51 We notice this scripture in Revelation 18:4 02:55 where God makes this call. 02:58 "And I heard another voice from heaven saying," 03:00 this is John speaking, "come out of her, my people," 03:04 that is come out of Babylon, 03:07 "lest you share in her sins, 03:08 and lest you receive of her plagues." 03:11 Together in our last presentation, 03:13 we discovered that Babylon not only represents confusion, 03:16 but it also represents rebellion 03:19 against God and His Word 03:21 and ultimately rebellion against God and His character. 03:25 And so God is calling His people out of confusion, 03:28 He is calling His people to follow Jesus Christ 03:30 who is the way, the truth, and the life. 03:34 And so that is what we want to take a look at today 03:36 and discover where does God call His people to. 03:40 God calls His people out of Babylon 03:42 but does He leave them orphans, 03:44 does He leave them in no man's land, 03:46 or does God have a plan, does God have a movement 03:52 that He has originated, 03:55 that He has brought in at the end of time 03:58 where all of His people can come 04:00 in order to find safety and security, 04:02 and in order to follow and practice His truth. 04:07 Today, there are many churches in the world, 04:09 and many religious organizations and institutions. 04:13 According to some estimates 04:15 there are roughly 4,200 religions 04:19 around the world 04:20 and that number is probably a lot larger. 04:23 Over 30,000 different Christian groups. 04:26 So as we take a look at this smorgasbord of faith 04:31 and religion that is in the world, 04:33 it becomes very confusing, wouldn't you say? 04:37 Very confusing. 04:38 Over 4,000 religions, over 30,000... 04:41 Some have even suggested 04:42 over 40,000 different Christian groups. 04:46 It's almost impossible, 04:48 well, it is impossible to understand God's truth 04:52 unless we had what? 04:54 Unless we had the Bible. 04:57 And I thank God that we have His Word. 05:01 Now, why do people choose a particular church 05:03 to belong to? 05:04 I want to share with you a number of ideas 05:07 that have been shared with me, a number of reasons 05:10 that have been given to me 05:12 of why individuals choose a particular church. 05:15 Let me pop them up on the screen for you. 05:17 There are those that say, I go to this church 05:19 because it's close to my house. 05:20 There are those that go to a particular church 05:22 because that's the church they grew up in, 05:24 their whole family goes there. 05:27 Then there are those that choose a particular church 05:29 because their friends go there. 05:31 There are those that go to a church 05:33 because the people are friendly. 05:34 Is there anything wrong with going to a church 05:36 where people are friendly? 05:37 Nothing wrong with that. 05:39 I'd want to go to a church where the people are friendly. 05:40 Everything right with that. 05:43 There are those that pick up a particular church 05:45 because they have a wonderful choir 05:47 and music program. 05:49 Then there are those that go to a particular church 05:52 because that particular church has a great children's program. 05:56 Another reason that is given 05:58 is that the minister is so nice. 06:00 Is there anything wrong with going to a church 06:02 where the minister is so nice? 06:04 No, there isn't. 06:06 But is that the reason we go to a particular church? 06:09 Not necessarily, as we'll discover. 06:12 There are those that go to a particular church 06:15 because of the atmosphere, 06:16 they feel such peace in that place. 06:19 There are those that go to a particular church 06:20 for the food, for the luncheon, they love the food there 06:25 and so they come week in and week out 06:27 or whenever there's a luncheon, they are there, 06:30 and I've come across a number of these individuals, 06:32 nothing wrong with that. 06:34 Then they are those that go because it's good for business. 06:37 You're thinking, "What do you mean, Danny, 06:38 good for business?" 06:40 Well, there was one particular individual 06:42 who was asked why do you go to this mega church 06:45 filled with thousands and thousands of people 06:48 each and every week? 06:49 And he simply said, "Well, I am a mechanic 06:52 and there's a lot of cars to service 06:53 in this particular church. 06:55 It's a lot more profitable 06:57 than me hanging out in a church 06:58 where there's 10 or 15 or 20 members 07:02 and so it's good for business." 07:04 And then there are those that go to a particular church 07:07 because the person they want to marry goes there. 07:11 And I have seen this firsthand. 07:15 I know of individuals that have gone 07:17 to a particular church 07:19 because the person they want to marry goes there. 07:21 How many of you are familiar with that kind of scenario? 07:24 Okay, a number of you 07:25 are familiar with that scenario. 07:29 Is that the reason 07:30 why we choose a particular church? 07:31 That reason or the other previous reasons 07:34 that we've looked at. 07:35 The question you and I need to ask is, 07:38 "How should a follower of Jesus determine 07:41 which church to attend and be part of?" 07:44 Should we look at 07:45 whether the minister is so nice, 07:47 whether the lunch and the food is delicious, 07:50 whether the music program, whether it's close to our home, 07:53 this is where our family goes, 07:55 or whether it's good for business, 07:56 or the person I want to marry goes there. 07:59 Is that how we determine what church to go to? 08:04 I want to share with you how we ought to determine 08:06 what church to go to 08:08 based on a story in 1 Kings 3. 08:11 King Solomon was asked by God, 08:14 "What is it that you want me to give you as a gift 08:19 as you begin your reign as king of Israel?" 08:21 And what did Solomon ask for when God said to him 08:25 choose anything and I will give it you, 08:27 what did he ask for? 08:28 Wisdom, is that right? 08:30 He asked for wisdom that he may know 08:31 how to lead and how to judge the people of God 08:35 in a righteous manner. 08:37 God gave him wisdom. 08:38 On one occasion, Solomon was faced with two mothers 08:42 that brought one live child to Solomon and both claimed 08:48 that that child was theirs, isn't that right? 08:50 You can read that story in 1 Kings 3. 08:53 Now how would Solomon in the days 08:55 before DNA supposed to find out 08:59 who the rightful mother was. 09:01 During the course of the evening, 09:03 both mothers sleeping with their babies, 09:07 one baby died and both mothers claimed 09:10 that the live baby belonged to them. 09:13 Now that was obviously impossible. 09:16 So how did Solomon determine the truth? 09:18 What did he ask for? The sword. 09:20 He said, "Give me the soul 09:23 and let's chop the live baby in half, 09:26 give you half and give you half." 09:29 And the rightful mother of the baby said what? 09:32 "No, give the baby to her." 09:36 But the mother of the dead baby, 09:39 the mother that wasn't the true mother 09:41 of the live baby said, "Good idea king." 09:45 And the king knew who that baby belonged to. 09:48 The king knew who the rightful mother was 09:50 because the king asked for the sword. 09:53 Now the Bible tells us that God's Word is a sword. 09:56 A sword. 09:58 Hebrews 4:12, 09:59 we are told that the Word of God 10:02 is a two-edged sword, 10:03 and so you and I can only determine the truth 10:07 by the Word of God, only by the Word of God. 10:12 You go to the Bible to find out what truth is, 10:16 then you seek to find a church that is teaching in harmony 10:21 with the truth of the Bible. 10:23 Let me repeat that again in case you missed it. 10:25 You go to the Bible, not to a church, 10:29 you go to the Bible and find out 10:31 what the Bible teaches about truth, 10:34 and then you find a church that teaches in harmony 10:38 with the Bible. 10:40 Is that fair enough, yes or no? 10:41 You don't test the Bible by what the minister says, 10:45 you test the minister by what the Bible says. 10:48 Amen? 10:49 Because who cares 10:51 what the minister says or doesn't say. 10:54 What matters at the end of the day 10:55 is what God says. 10:56 Amen? That is the truth. 10:58 So let's discover who established the church 11:01 at the very beginning of time. 11:03 Who established the church at the very beginning of time? 11:05 Notice, what we read in Matthew 16:18, 11:07 these are the words of Jesus. 11:09 He says, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, 11:13 and on this rock I will build..." 11:14 What? 11:15 "My church, and the gates of Hades 11:17 shall not prevail against it." 11:19 The church, the Christian church 11:22 was established by Jesus Christ. 11:26 He is the foundation of the Christian church, 11:30 not any human, not any human institution, 11:33 but Jesus Christ Himself. 11:35 That is how the Christian church 11:37 was established. 11:38 Notice what we read in Ephesians 4:4. 11:42 "There is..." How many bodies? 11:44 "One body..." Speaking of the church. 11:46 "And one Spirit, just as you were called 11:48 in one hope of your calling." 11:50 So the Apostle Paul says, there is one church, 11:53 there is one Christian faith and yet today, as we know, 11:57 we've discovered there are thousands and thousands 11:59 of different Christian faiths, 12:01 many of them teaching very different things. 12:04 How can they all be right when there is only one Bible 12:07 and there is only one truth? 12:09 Well, that's what we want to discover today 12:11 in order to solve the riddle of religion confusion. 12:14 We want to discover 12:16 how can there be so many churches 12:18 when there is only one Bible 12:19 and when there is only one truth? 12:21 Where did all these churches come from? 12:23 We're gonna look at that as we go along. 12:25 Now we discovered in Revelation 12:27 that God beautifully describes His church, 12:33 beautifully describes His church. 12:36 In fact, in Revelation 12, 12:38 we have a description of God's end-time church. 12:43 In our previous presentation 12:45 we discovered that in Revelation 17, 12:47 we have a description of the enemy's church 12:52 at the end of time, 12:53 the false church at the end of time 12:55 that is described as a harlot. 12:57 You remember that from our previous presentation? 13:00 Described as a harlot, 13:02 an unfaithful church, 13:04 but God has a true and faithful church. 13:07 And she is described as a virgin in Revelation 12, 13:11 faithful and true to God and God alone. 13:14 Notice what we read in Revelation 12:1 and onwards. 13:19 We read these words. 13:20 "Now a great sign appeared in heaven: 13:23 a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, 13:26 and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 13:29 Then being with child, she cried out in labor 13:32 and in pain to give birth..." 13:34 Now before we press on, I just want to note 13:37 the description of this woman. 13:38 Notice, it says that this woman, 13:42 she is clothed with the sun, she has the moon under her feet 13:46 and she has on her head a garland of 12 stars. 13:50 The moon, the sun, and the stars, 13:53 they are all light giving properties, 13:55 isn't that right? 13:57 This woman, 13:59 this church has been organized by Jesus Christ, 14:05 established by Jesus Christ to give light to the world. 14:10 Jesus said, I am the what? 14:12 The light of the world. 14:14 Jesus says, 14:16 the Bible says that God's Word is a lamp unto our feet 14:20 and a light unto our path, Psalm 119:105. 14:24 Yet, the church in Revelation 17 14:27 doesn't provide light for the world, 14:29 instead as we discovered, 14:31 the church in Revelation 17 does the opposite. 14:34 It makes all the nations drunk 14:36 with the wine of her fornication, 14:39 isn't that right? 14:41 So we have these two different women, 14:45 one providing light, and clarity, and truth, 14:48 and the other providing confusion, 14:50 and drunkenness, and everything that is opposite to the truth. 14:54 Let's press on. 14:56 "And another sign appeared in heaven: 14:58 behold, a great, fiery red dragon 15:01 having seven heads and ten horns, 15:03 and seven diadems on his heads." 15:06 We've discovered this symbol, haven't we? 15:08 This dragon or this beast with seven heads and ten horns 15:12 in Revelation 12, Revelation 13, 15:15 and Revelation 17. 15:16 And we've discovered 15:18 that it's almost identical in each chapter, 15:21 slight variations that tells us that this system 15:27 that the enemy is using, 15:29 that the enemy himself is behind 15:31 is working all in harmony, they are all in sync. 15:35 Now this red dragon here in Revelation 12 15:39 is none other than devil and Satan, 15:41 and we discovered that in Revelation 12:9. 15:44 Let's keep reading. 15:46 "His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven 15:49 and threw them to the earth." 15:51 This is speaking of Lucifer who became Satan 15:54 and he deceived one-third of the angels of heaven 15:59 into following him and being part of his kingdom, 16:02 that's that one-third. 16:03 "And the dragon, or Satan, stood before the woman..." 16:06 The church, this is the church of Jesus Christ. 16:09 "Who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child 16:12 as soon as it was born." 16:14 And capital C, Child, is the symbol for who? 16:18 It's the symbol for Jesus Christ. 16:19 So the devil tried through pagan Rome 16:23 to destroy baby Jesus and to take the life of Christ. 16:27 But notice, we keep reading what takes place next. 16:31 "She bore a male Child 16:32 who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. 16:35 And her Child was caught up to God and to His throne. 16:38 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, 16:40 where she has a place prepared by God, 16:42 that they should feed her there 16:44 one thousand two hundred and sixty days." 16:48 We've come across this before, haven't we? 16:50 In our very first presentation we discovered 16:53 that the church of God would go into the wilderness 16:57 because it would face persecution 16:59 from the false church, 17:01 and it would be protected by God for 1260 days, 17:05 and a day in Bible prophecy represents how long? 17:08 A year. A year, 1260 years. 17:14 What will take place after that? 17:16 Well, now we continue reading 17:18 in Revelation 12:12-17, 17:23 the rest of the story. 17:25 "Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! 17:28 Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! 17:31 For the devil has come down to you, having..." 17:33 What? 17:34 "Great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time." 17:39 Let me pause there for a moment. 17:41 What John here is describing 17:43 is what took place on the cross. 17:45 When Jesus Christ cried out, it is finished on Calvary, 17:52 on Golgotha, the place of the skull, 17:55 interestingly enough. 17:56 When Jesus Christ won the victory over the enemy, 18:01 overseeing Satan on Calvary, 18:05 Satan no longer had a place in heaven. 18:08 He was now relegated to this earth 18:10 and this earth alone. 18:11 He no longer represents us in heaven 18:15 because now Jesus Christ has bought back this planet 18:20 that Satan usurped from Adam and Eve 18:23 at the very beginning of time, 18:24 and now Jesus Christ is the rightful ruler, 18:27 and now Satan has been cast down. 18:29 And the Bible says, he is filled with great wrath 18:31 because he has only a short time. 18:33 His time is ticking. 18:36 He knows that his days are numbered 18:39 and that soon Jesus will come for the second time 18:42 and he will be destroyed forever more. 18:44 So now he goes out to destroy the people of God 18:49 in fury such as we have not seen. 18:51 And the last days actually begin 18:53 with the coming of Jesus 18:55 according to the Book of Hebrews 1. 18:57 The last days begin with the coming of Jesus 18:59 and the last days intensify 19:02 all the way up until the second coming of Jesus. 19:05 So we are now living at the very time 19:08 just before the coming of Jesus, isn't that right? 19:10 The second coming of Jesus. 19:11 The Bible makes that very clear. 19:13 So let's keep reading and find out 19:14 what takes place next 19:16 because he knows that he has a short time. 19:18 "Now when the dragon saw 19:20 that he had been cast to the earth, 19:21 he persecuted the woman 19:22 who gave birth to the male Child. 19:26 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, 19:29 that she might fly into the wilderness 19:30 to her place, 19:32 where she is nourished for a time 19:33 and times and half a time..." 19:34 That's that 1260 year period, 19:36 here it's referred to as a time, 19:38 times and half a time. 19:40 "From the presence of the serpent... 19:41 That is the devil. 19:43 "So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood 19:46 after the woman... 19:47 That is through persecution. 19:49 "That he might 19:50 cause her to be carried away by the flood. 19:53 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth 19:57 and swallowed up the flood 19:59 which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth." 20:00 Now we discovered that the earth here 20:02 is the symbol for what nation? 20:04 The United States of America. 20:06 The United States of America 20:07 is that beast in Revelation 13:11, 20:11 that comes up out of the earth 20:13 and the earth here provides a refugee for the people of God 20:17 who in Western Europe in the old world 20:19 are suffering horrendous persecution, 20:22 and so the United States opened its doors wide 20:24 for all those experiencing not only religious persecution 20:29 but also civil persecution, a political persecution. 20:33 That is what Revelation here is describing will take place. 20:37 Now let's keep reading. 20:39 The text goes on and says, 20:41 "And the dragon was enraged with the woman..." 20:44 This is verse 17. 20:45 "And he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, 20:48 who keep the commandments of God 20:50 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." 20:53 Here, at the very end of time, the Bible describes 20:57 who Satan will be especially angry with 21:00 at the very end of time. 21:02 So we have the entire history of the Christian church 21:05 in Revelation 12, from the days of Jesus Christ, 21:08 as we have discovered, 21:10 when the dragon seeks to destroy the male child 21:12 which is Jesus Christ, 21:14 all the way through to as the dragon 21:16 seeks to destroy the church of God 21:19 that fleece into the wilderness 21:20 for that 1260 year period, 21:22 and then right at the end of time, 21:25 we have the dragon, angry and wrath, 21:28 with those who will inherit 21:31 or those that will be part of a nation, 21:34 that is the United States of America, 21:36 where God's everlasting love 21:38 where the three angels' messages 21:40 will be proclaimed through all the world, 21:42 so to this group of people, the dragon seeks 21:46 to especially destroy 21:48 those who have the commandments of God 21:51 and those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 21:53 And in Revelation 13, we have how the devil 21:57 seeks to destroy the church of God 22:00 that we have identified here in Revelation 12:17, 22:04 that we will unpack together in this presentation. 22:07 He calls up two powers, 22:09 the sea beast and the earth beast 22:11 that we've already identified and through these two powers, 22:15 he seeks to destroy the people of God. 22:17 But the good news is, that's not where the story ends 22:20 because the heart of Revelation ends in what chapter? 22:23 In chapter 14. 22:25 In chapter 14, 22:26 where God describes in great detail 22:29 those that will be faithful to Jesus Christ, 22:31 the message they will preach, the three angels' messages 22:34 and that is why 3ABN has been established, 22:39 that is why God has divinely brought this ministry 22:44 at the very end of time 22:45 to preach the three angels' messages 22:48 that will prepare the world for the second coming of Jesus. 22:52 So that is where we are going together in this presentation. 22:58 Now as we continue to look, 23:00 we discover that God has always had his light bearers. 23:04 God has had always individuals 23:07 who have shone the torch on truth, 23:10 always, He has always had that right 23:11 from the very beginning of time, 23:13 those that have proclaimed the truth of God, 23:15 those that have invited those around them 23:19 to be part of God's people 23:21 to be ready for the coming of Jesus. 23:23 Notice these examples. 23:25 We have Adam. 23:27 God raised up Adam to be a light bearer. 23:29 Then we have Noah. 23:30 And God used him to prepare the world 23:33 before the flood came. 23:35 Then God raised up Abraham and Israel. 23:38 Then God raised up Jesus Christ Himself 23:42 and the early church. 23:44 And then it was time for God to raise up who? 23:48 The reformers. 23:49 And as we take a look at each and every one 23:52 of these individuals or groups, 23:54 we discover that they began well 23:58 but then things fell away, isn't that right? 24:00 Adam began well but then the flood came. 24:02 Noah began well but then things went bad, 24:05 and God had to raise up Abraham and the children of Israel. 24:08 And then God had to raise up Jesus Christ 24:10 and things began well but then things deteriorated, 24:13 and God had to raise up the reformers 24:16 in order to continue the journey. 24:19 Now, when we talk about the reformers, 24:22 why did God raised up the reformers? 24:24 Well, God raised up the reformers 24:26 to call for reformation in the church. 24:30 Now what is a reformation? 24:31 A reformation is simply God seeking to bring His people 24:36 back on the right track. 24:37 Amen? 24:39 God seeking to bring His people, 24:41 seeking to bring the world back to Bible truth, 24:44 back to the Bible. 24:46 That's what the reformation was all about. 24:48 And God raised up men and women to bring the world 24:54 back to His Word. 24:56 Notice some individuals that God raised up. 24:58 I have them up there on the screen for you. 25:00 In the 14th Century, God raised up John Wycliffe 25:04 there in England, and he was instrumental 25:06 in providing for us the English Bible. 25:09 Then God raised up in the 15th Century, 25:11 John Huss of Bohemia 25:14 today known as the Czech Republic. 25:17 In the 16th Century, God raised up Martin Luther 25:20 and he sparked through his 95 Theses 25:25 nailed to the Wittenberg Church door in 1517, 25:28 the Reformation. 25:30 He was from Germany and the Lutherans. 25:33 The Lutheran faith was born out of Martin Luther 25:36 and his ministry. 25:38 Then in the 16th Century, we've got God raising up 25:40 John Calvin from Switzerland and the Reformed Church 25:45 was established. 25:46 Then also in the 16th Century, we have John Knox from Scotland 25:51 and we have the birth of the Presbyterian Church. 25:54 In the 17th Century, we have John Smyth of Holland 25:57 and the birth of the Baptist Church. 25:59 In the 18th Century, we have John Wesley in England 26:02 and the Methodist Church is born. 26:04 In the 19th Century, we have God raising up 26:07 a Baptist farmer, 26:08 there in the United States of America 26:10 and the Millerites were formed. 26:12 The Millerites seeking to call the people of God, 26:17 the people of the world, especially there 26:19 in the United States to prepare for the second coming of Jesus. 26:22 Why do we have so many churches today? 26:25 It's because individuals were raised up by God 26:29 to share a precious truth. 26:31 With Martin Luther, 26:33 it was the Bible and the Bible alone 26:35 and righteousness by faith. 26:37 With the Baptists, it was baptism by immersion 26:41 as an adult. 26:43 Then you have the Methodists 26:44 and John Wesley and holy living, 26:46 and as I have already pointed out. 26:48 The Millerites, they especially focused 26:51 on the second coming of Jesus. 26:54 William Miller, 26:55 who based on his study of Daniel 8:14, 27:00 believed whole-heartedly and many others 27:03 also along with him that Jesus was coming. 27:06 In 1844, October 22, 1844, 27:09 at the end of the 2300 year prophecy 27:12 that is given there in Daniel 8:14. 27:15 So God raised up individuals to proclaim a message 27:19 for a time. 27:21 The question is, would God raise up a movement 27:25 to prepare the world for the second coming of Jesus. 27:27 The answer is yes. 27:29 In the end-time, according to Revelation 12:17, 27:33 we have discovered that God raises up Revelation's Remnant. 27:38 God in a very beautiful way describes Revelation's Remnant. 27:43 God describes this movement. 27:45 It's not really a church as we'll discover, 27:48 a movement that He raises up 27:50 in order to preach the three angels' messages 27:53 to all the world and to prepare the world 27:55 for the second coming of Jesus. 27:57 So that's what we want to take a look at right now 28:00 as we take a look at how Revelation 28:02 beautifully describes God's end-time church. 28:07 Let's take a look at seven identification marks 28:10 of God's end-time church as it is described so clearly, 28:16 as clear as the noon day sun in the Book of Revelation. 28:20 Are you ready for this? 28:21 Seven wonderful points that help us 28:24 understand the truth about the people of God 28:28 that God has chosen or that God has set in place, 28:32 that God has established, 28:34 as He did with Israel to prepare the world 28:37 for the second coming of Jesus. 28:38 The first point. 28:41 Revelation's Remnant, God's end-time church. 28:44 It's called the "remnant," it stands on God's word alone. 28:50 Notice what we read in Revelation 12:17. 28:53 It says, "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, 28:55 and he went to make war with the rest..." 28:57 That is New King James, 28:59 or I like the King James rendition, the what? 29:02 "The remnant of her offspring, 29:04 who keep the commandments of God 29:05 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." 29:07 So God raises up a remnant. 29:09 Now the remnant are true to God's Word. 29:14 That is most important of all. 29:17 Notice what we read in John 17:17. 29:21 Jesus says, "Sanctify them by Your truth Your... 29:23 What? 29:25 "Word is truth." 29:26 So in order for you and I to discover 29:29 who the remnant church 29:32 of Bible prophecy is at the end of time, 29:35 this first point must be established, God's church. 29:39 In order to be His church at the end of time, 29:42 must stand on Sola scriptura as Martin Luther 29:46 so powerfully put it, the Bible and the Bible alone. 29:50 Is that clear? Yes or no? Yes. 29:52 It's absolutely crystal clear. 29:55 Notice what we read in 1 Timothy 3:17. 30:00 The Apostle Paul writes to young Timothy, 30:01 and he writes, "But if I am delayed, 30:03 I write so that you may know 30:05 how you ought to conduct yourself 30:06 in the house of God..." 30:08 Speaking of the church. 30:09 "Which is the church of the living God, 30:11 the pillar and ground of..." What? 30:13 "The truth." God's church. 30:16 In order to be God's church, 30:18 must be established on the pillar 30:20 and the ground of truth. 30:23 Thy word is truth. 30:26 If the church that you belong to 30:29 does not fulfill this first and all important requirement, 30:34 it cannot be God's end-time remnant church. 30:37 It just cannot be. 30:39 Because God's end-time remnant church 30:41 must be based firmly and squarely on the Bible 30:45 and the Bible alone in all its teachings 30:48 and all its practice. 30:49 Amen? I hope that's crystal clear. 30:52 Let's move on to our second point. 30:55 Revelation identifies God's end-time church 30:59 as those who keep all of God's Commandments. 31:02 We read that in Revelation 12:17. 31:05 They are those who keep the commandments of God. 31:09 This is so significant that God's people 31:12 are described as keeping His commandments 31:14 not once, not twice, but three times in Revelation. 31:17 Notice what we read in Revelation 14:12. 31:20 "Here is the patience of the saints, 31:21 here are those who do..." What? 31:23 "Keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." 31:26 And finally, in Revelation 22:14, 31:30 we have these words. 31:32 "Blessed are those who..." What? 31:34 "Do His commandments, 31:35 that they may have right to the tree of life, 31:37 and may enter through the gates into the city." 31:40 And if you read the previous verse, 31:42 you will discover that those 31:43 who break the commandments of God, 31:45 willfully and knowingly, they are outside the city. 31:48 But God's people at the end of time 31:51 will keep all of God's Ten Commandments 31:54 including the one that begins with the word remember, 31:58 what was that word? 31:59 Remember. Remember. 32:01 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 32:03 And that eliminates more than 32:05 90% of the Christian churches in the world today. 32:09 Just that one point, isn't that right? 32:10 Yeah. 32:12 Most Christian churches today in the world 32:14 keep nine of the Ten Commandments. 32:16 But the one that God said, 32:19 remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, 32:20 that one has been eliminated 32:23 from their list of Ten Commandments. 32:27 Why is this so important? 32:29 Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love me..." What? 32:32 "Keep My commandments." 32:34 God's people at the end of time will love Jesus Christ 32:39 with their heart, soul, strength, and mind 32:41 and because of their love for Jesus Christ, 32:44 they will seek to keep His Ten Commandments. 32:47 Not to be saved as we've discovered 32:48 over and over again, but because they are saved. 32:51 And Jesus made it very clear that love towards Him 32:56 and love towards your neighbor, 32:59 on these two principles hang all the, what? 33:01 All the law and the prophets. 33:03 The entire Bible is summed up in, 33:06 love God with all your hearts, all strength and mind, 33:08 and love your neighbor as yourself. 33:11 So God's people will be true to Him 33:14 and all of His Ten Commandments be true to His Word. 33:18 Be true to His Word. 33:19 Let's take a look at point number three. 33:24 God's end-time church, 33:26 according to the Book of Revelation 33:27 will have the "Testimony of Jesus Christ." 33:30 In Revelation 12:17, 33:33 it describes God's end-time people 33:35 as those who keep the commandments of God 33:37 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 33:39 Now, what is the testimony of Jesus Christ? 33:42 How we're to find out specifically 33:45 what this phrase is describing? 33:48 Do we do a poll? Do we go to Google? 33:50 No. Where do we go? 33:51 We go to the Bible. 33:53 And in particular, 33:54 let's look in the Book of Revelation 33:56 to find out what this phrase, 33:58 the testimony of Jesus Christ is specifically describing. 34:02 And we have the answer in Revelation 19:10. 34:06 Notice what we read in Revelation 19:10. 34:10 John writes, "And I fell at his feet to worship him. 34:13 But he said to me, 'See that you do not do that! 34:16 I am your fellow servant..." 34:17 That is John is about to worship the angel. 34:21 "And of your brethren who have the..." What? 34:23 "Testimony of..." Who? 34:25 "Of Jesus. Worship God! 34:27 For the testimony of Jesus is the... What? 34:30 "The spirit of prophecy." 34:31 So here the angel makes it crystal clear 34:34 to the Apostle John that the testimony of Jesus, 34:38 the testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy, 34:42 it's the prophetic gift. 34:44 It's what gift? 34:46 The prophetic gift 34:47 that God gives His end-time people 34:50 in order to lead and to guide them. 34:53 Now, it's interesting that the angel here says, 34:57 "I am of your fellow servant, and of your brethren 35:01 who have the testimony of Jesus." 35:04 If you go and read Revelation 22:8, 9, 35:08 there you'll discover 35:09 that John is about to worship the angel again, 35:13 and the angel says, "See that you do not do that. 35:16 For I am of your brethren." 35:19 I am a servant like you that has the gift of prophecy. 35:24 I am of the prophets. 35:26 I am a spokesman on behalf of God. 35:28 In Revelation 1:1, 2, there John says 35:34 he was given the testimony of Jesus Christ. 35:36 He was a prophet. 35:38 In Revelation 1:9, John says, 35:41 "I was imprisoned 35:45 because of the testimony of Jesus Christ 35:48 and because of the Word of God." 35:49 We're gonna look at that in a lot more detail 35:51 in our next presentation, 35:53 but God's end-time people 35:54 will have the prophetic gift in their midst 35:58 as they prepare the world for the second coming of Jesus. 36:01 Let's try to look at point number four. 36:03 It has the "patience of the saints." 36:06 Notice what we read in Revelation 14:12. 36:10 It says, "Here is the... What? 36:12 "Patience of the saints." The patience of the saints. 36:16 Now, I was curious to understand a little more 36:21 so what that word patience means. 36:24 Like you and I, when we think of patience, 36:26 when we talk about patience, 36:27 we think one thing, being patient. 36:30 But I wanted to take a look at 36:31 what this word actually means in its original. 36:34 The richness of this word that describes 36:38 God's end-time people awaiting the coming of Jesus, 36:44 preaching the three angels' messages, 36:45 it describes them as patient saints. 36:48 Now are they just simply patient as in patient, 36:50 patient just waiting? 36:52 Or does this word encapsulate a whole heap more? 36:55 Notice what I discovered. 36:58 This is from the Blue Letter Bible dictionary 37:03 and it unpacks this word patience, 37:07 and I just want to read for you 37:10 this sentence that you can see there 37:12 on the screen. 37:13 Point one, the word means steadfastness, 37:16 constancy, endurance. 37:18 Notice, in The New Testament, 37:20 the characteristic of a man or a woman 37:23 who is not swerved from his or her deliberate purpose 37:27 and his loyalty to faith and piety 37:29 by even the greatest trials and sufferings. 37:34 What does it mean to be patient at the end of time? 37:36 It means that God will have a people 37:39 who will not be swerved. 37:41 They will be faithful, they will be loyal to God, 37:44 rain, hail or shine, 37:46 no matter what the dragon throws at them. 37:49 And we have just read in Revelation 12:17 37:51 that the dragon was wrath 37:54 with the remnant at the end of time, 37:57 and he goes and makes war with them. 37:59 And in Revelation 13, we have a description 38:01 of how the devil will seek to destroy the people of God. 38:05 No matter what, 38:07 they remain faithful to God in the midst of turmoil 38:12 and trouble that you and I cannot even begin to imagine. 38:16 They remain faithful to God. 38:17 Notice what the Bible says regarding this group of people. 38:21 Well, before we do that, 38:22 we'll get to that later on obviously, 38:25 it has the faith of Jesus. 38:27 It has the faith of Jesus. 38:29 Notice what we read in Revelation 14:12, it says, 38:32 "Here are those who keep the commandments of God 38:35 and they have the faith of Jesus." 38:38 Now what does it mean to have the faith of Jesus? 38:41 Notice a definition from Strong's Concordance 38:44 regarding what that word faith literally means. 38:47 It means moral conviction of religious truth, 38:50 especially reliance upon Christ for salvation, 38:54 constant in your profession, assurance, 38:57 belief and fidelity or loyalty. 38:59 So this group of people have the faith of Jesus. 39:03 They are loyal, they are true, 39:06 they are not willing to be swerved, 39:09 they are filled with conviction, 39:12 they rely whole-heartedly upon Christ for salvation. 39:18 God's end-time people will preach the message 39:23 that we are saved by God's grace alone, 39:26 through faith alone, 39:28 as an act of incredible love by Christ alone. 39:32 God's end-time people will never ever preach 39:37 the message that you are saved by something you do. 39:40 But you are saved by Jesus Christ 39:42 and His merits alone. 39:44 In order for God's church to be God's church 39:46 at the end of time, 39:47 it must preach this faith message. 39:51 And not only that, 39:52 but the Bible says it has the faith of Jesus. 39:55 What kind of faith did Jesus have? 39:57 Jesus had complete faith 39:59 and trust in His Heavenly Father, 40:01 isn't that right? 40:02 When Jesus was faced with drinking that bitter cup 40:06 in the garden of Gethsemane 40:07 filled with the sins of the entire world, 40:10 Jesus could have walked away but instead He prayed, 40:14 "Father, let this cup pass from my lip nevertheless, 40:19 not My will, but Your will be done." 40:22 This group of people at the end of time 40:24 have the same faith that Jesus had, 40:27 willing to endure to the very end, 40:29 for Jesus said in Matthew 24, 40:31 "He who endures to the very end will be..." What? 40:33 "He will be saved." 40:35 They have the same faith of Jesus. 40:37 They have faith in Jesus 40:39 which is also a correct translation of the text, 40:41 and they also have the same faith that Jesus had, 40:45 complete reliance on the Heavenly Father. 40:47 They will trust in Jesus Christ alone and always. 40:51 Amen? 40:53 These individuals, 40:55 their cry is though the heavens fall, 40:57 we'll continue to trust and be loyal to Jesus Christ. 41:03 We will not be swerved. 41:04 That is the group of people that God is describing 41:07 at the very end of time. 41:09 Notice what we read in Revelation 14:4. 41:11 It says, "These are the ones..." 41:14 Speaking of God's end-time people. 41:16 "Who were not defiled with women..." 41:19 Or in other words, 41:21 false religious teachings or doctrines. 41:23 "For they are..." What? 41:25 "They are virgins." 41:26 They are true to Jesus Christ who is the groom. 41:29 "These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes." 41:33 God will have a people who follow the Lamb 41:36 wherever He goes. 41:37 Faithful, loyal to Jesus Christ, 41:40 no matter what the cost. 41:42 Even as we discovered in Revelation 13, 41:45 even if their very lives are on the line. 41:49 Loyal and faithful 41:51 just like those three young Hebrew men 41:54 on the plain of Dura. 41:56 You remember them in Daniel 3? 41:58 Those three Hebrew men... 42:01 When it came time to worship 42:02 the image that Nebuchadnezzar had established, 42:05 they said, "No way, we will not worship the image. 42:09 We are happy to die for our Lord, for our God. 42:12 But we will not worship your image 42:14 because we worship only one God, 42:16 the true God, the God in heaven, 42:19 the creator of the heavens and the earths 42:20 and all that is in them." 42:22 And God will have such a people on planet earth. 42:25 Here they are also described in Revelation 12:11. 42:29 It says, "And they overcame him..." 42:31 That is God's end-time people. 42:33 God's people down through the ages 42:35 in the last 2000 years. 42:37 "They overcame him, that is the dragon, 42:39 by the blood of the Lamb 42:40 and by the word of their testimony, 42:42 and they did not love their lives even..." What? 42:45 "Unto the death." 42:46 That is the faith of Jesus, that is loyalty, 42:50 that is what God is calling His people to, 42:53 that is what God is calling the whole world to, 42:58 give their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ, 42:59 to be faithful, 43:01 to be loyal to Him and to Him alone. 43:04 This is God's remnant at the end of time. 43:07 Let's take a look at our sixth identification mark 43:10 of God's end-time remnant. 43:12 It will arise after 1798, 43:15 that is after the 1260 years have come to an end 43:19 in the United States of America. 43:20 And we've already looked at that 43:22 in our previous presentation 43:23 where God opened up a way, He opened up a door, 43:27 He opened up a whole continent 43:30 in order for His people to escape 43:32 and that all took place at that period around 1798. 43:37 So God's church according to Revelation 12, 43:40 the sequence of Revelation 12 makes it clear 43:42 that God's end-time remnant in Revelation 12:17 43:46 will arise after the 1260 year period has come to an end. 43:51 So that's a very important point also to remember. 43:54 Number seven and finally, 43:56 it will be a world-wide movement 43:58 that will preach the everlasting gospel, 44:00 that is God's final message of love to the world 44:03 found in Revelation 14:6-12. 44:07 The message that we have been going through 44:10 in this presentations together, 44:12 as we have been taking a look at end-time apocalypse 44:15 in this series on Focus on God's Word. 44:18 We have been taking a look at Revelation 14 44:23 and that all important three angels' messages 44:27 that is to prepare the world for the second coming of Jesus. 44:30 Notice what Jesus said in Matthew 24:14. 44:33 Jesus said, "And this gospel 44:34 of the kingdom will be preached in..." 44:36 How much of the world? 44:37 "In all the world as a... What? 44:39 "As a witness..." 44:40 Or as a testimony to how many of the nations? 44:42 "To all the nations..." 44:44 And what will happen then? 44:45 "And then the end will come." 44:48 Jesus made it clear. 44:49 These are the words of Jesus in Matthew 24. 44:52 He said, "This gospel will be preached 44:54 in all the world as a witness to all the nations 44:57 and then the end will come. 44:59 We have in the Book of Revelation, 45:02 in the three angels' messages, 45:04 we have the gospel in an end-time context. 45:08 In what context? 45:10 In an end-time context to prepare the world 45:12 for the second coming of Jesus. 45:14 Notice these words in Revelation 14:6. 45:20 The three angels' messages. 45:21 We have... 45:22 This is how they begin in Revelation 14:6. 45:24 John writes, "Then I saw another angel 45:26 flying in the midst of heaven, 45:27 having the... What? 45:29 "The everlasting gospel 45:30 to preach to those who dwell on the earth, 45:32 to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people." 45:35 This is God's final message of love to the world. 45:38 This is the gospel that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:14, 45:43 in an end-time context. 45:46 I've said it before, I'll say it again, 45:47 this is why God raised up 3ABN. 45:52 For this reason and this reason alone, 45:54 God raised up 3ABN through the ministry 45:58 of someone who was not very qualified at all 46:01 by the name of Danny Shelton. 46:03 God raised up this ministry in order to proclaim 46:06 this message around the world. 46:10 The truth about God and His love, 46:13 the truth of God's final message of love, 46:17 the three angels' messages. 46:19 This is a message that needs to go to all the world. 46:23 And what will take place then? 46:25 It will be the second coming of Jesus. 46:26 And these three messages 46:28 are summarized in these six words. 46:30 I'll share them with you again. 46:32 The first angel's message, God points out what? 46:35 His truth, God's truth. 46:36 The second angel's message is all about Satan's lies. 46:40 God exposes Satan's lies. 46:41 And in the third angel's message, God says what? 46:43 It's your choice. 46:45 This is the everlasting gospel. 46:48 God's truth, Satan's lies exposed, 46:51 and we've done that especially in our previous presentation. 46:54 And then God finally says, 46:56 it's your opportunity to choose. 46:59 You choose, you choose. 47:01 And what follows? 47:03 The second coming of Jesus follows. 47:05 You read Revelation 14, 47:07 at the conclusion 47:09 of the third angel's message in verse 12, 47:11 we have the second coming of Jesus. 47:13 And that is it. 47:15 This message prepares the world for the second coming of Jesus. 47:20 You and I are privileged to hear this message. 47:23 You and I are privileged to understand this message. 47:27 The question is, 47:29 does God have a church on the planet 47:33 that is preaching the three angels' messages, 47:35 preparing the world for the second coming of Jesus, 47:39 and the answer is yes. 47:40 And there is only one church today on earth 47:45 that fits every single one 47:47 of the seven identification marks 47:49 that God has given in His Word! 47:50 Only one. 47:52 And my friends that church today 47:54 is the Seventh-day Adventist church. 47:57 The Seventh-day Adventist church, my friends, 48:00 is the remnant church of Bible prophecy. 48:03 It's the church that God described 48:06 in Revelation 12:17. 48:10 Does that mean that Seventh-day Adventists 48:13 are the only ones going to heaven? 48:15 Absolutely not. 48:18 I don't believe that. I don't teach that. 48:19 And that is not what the Bible teaches. 48:22 But does God teach in His Word 48:25 that He has raised up this movement 48:27 from very humble beginnings 48:29 to be a worldwide movement today 48:32 to prepare the entire world 48:34 with God's final message of love 48:35 in order that all who are willing 48:38 may be ready to receive Jesus when He comes the second time, 48:42 and the answer is yes. 48:44 The answer is yes. 48:46 It's a wonderful privilege 48:48 to be a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, 48:50 to have the privilege of sharing 48:52 God's final message of love to the world. 48:54 But with privileges come responsibilities. 48:57 What comes with privileges? 48:59 Responsibilities. 49:01 It's an even greater responsibility. 49:03 God has His people all around the world, 49:05 in all denominations, in all religious faiths, 49:09 everywhere, 49:11 and God is calling all at the end of time to come 49:14 and to follow Jesus Christ 49:16 and to be part of His remnant movement. 49:18 It's not really a church. 49:19 The Seventh-day Adventist church is a movement 49:22 that God has raised. 49:24 Not men, God has raised. 49:26 So let's take a look at these 49:28 seven identification marks really, really quickly 49:30 because we are running out of time, 49:31 to discover whether the Seventh-day Adventist church 49:34 fulfills every single one of these seven. 49:36 Firstly, it is called the "remnant". 49:38 That is it stands on God's World alone. 49:40 We have been looking at God's Word 49:42 over and over again, haven't we? 49:43 So it fits that description well and truly. 49:45 Notice what the first fundamental belief 49:49 of the Seventh-day Adventist church is. 49:51 It's on the Holy Scriptures. 49:52 Let me read that to you. 49:54 "The Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, 49:56 are the written Word of God, given by divine inspiration. 49:59 The inspired authors spoke 50:01 and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 50:03 In this Word, God has committed to humanity 50:06 the knowledge necessary for salvation. 50:08 The Holy Scriptures are the supreme, authoritative, 50:12 and infallible revelation of His will. 50:14 They are the standard of character, 50:16 the test of experience, 50:17 the definitive revealer of doctrines, 50:20 and the trustworthy record of God's acts in history." 50:24 The Seventh-day Adventist church believes 50:28 wholeheartedly that the Bible and the Bible alone 50:31 ought to be that which tests everything we believe 50:34 and everything we practice. 50:36 It's the very first fundamental belief 50:38 of the Seventh-day Adventist church. 50:40 There are 28 and it is right there 50:42 at the very beginning. 50:43 Let's take a look... 50:45 Well, before we do that, God's church began. 50:48 And there is so much I could share but we don't have time. 50:50 God's church began more than 150 years ago. 50:54 The Seventh-day Adventist church began when God's people 50:58 from all different religions came together, 51:00 they studied the Bible to find out 51:02 what the Bible teaches in order that 51:04 they may live their lives in harmony with the Bible. 51:06 Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, 51:08 all sorts came together and based on God's Word, 51:11 they discovered the truth about different teachings 51:15 that you and I today have been exposed to, 51:18 and that you and I have been blessed by. 51:20 Let's take a look at the second point. 51:22 It keeps all of God's Commandments. 51:25 Well, that's a no-brainer. 51:27 The seventh day Sabbath is well and truly at the heart 51:30 of the name of Seventh-day Adventists, 51:32 Seventh-day Adventists, it's part of our name. 51:35 We certainly teach and share 51:36 that all Ten Commandments are important. 51:38 Notice this very interesting statement here 51:41 from Saint Catherine, 51:43 that is the Catholic Church Sentinel, 51:45 May 21, 1995. 51:47 Notice these words. 51:48 These are not Seventh-day Adventists 51:49 that are writing these. 51:51 This is a Roman Catholic journal. 51:53 "People who think that the scripture 51:54 should be the sole authority, 51:56 should logically become... What? 51:58 "Seventh-day Adventists, and keep Saturday holy." 52:01 So if you believe, as a Christian, 52:03 that the Bible is your sole authority, 52:06 there is no other option. 52:07 You've got nowhere else to go 52:09 but become a Seventh-day Adventist 52:11 according to our friends in the church of Rome. 52:15 Let's take a look at the third point. 52:18 It will have the "testimony of Jesus Christ." 52:19 Indeed. 52:21 We'll discover in our next presentation 52:22 that God raised up the gift of prophecy 52:24 in the Seventh-day Adventist church. 52:26 And we're gonna look at that in our next presentation. 52:28 It has the "patience of the saints." 52:30 Indeed. God is calling a people. 52:34 Seventh-day Adventists believe that we need to be loyal to God 52:38 by His grace and through His strength. 52:40 It has the faith of Jesus. 52:42 Absolutely. 52:43 We believe in salvation by faith alone. 52:47 Not by works but by grace, through faith alone, 52:51 and through the merits of Jesus Christ alone. 52:54 It will arise after 1798 52:57 in the United States of America. 52:58 Indeed. 52:59 The Seventh-day Adventist church arose, it was... 53:02 The name was given in 1860 and in 1863, 53:07 the Seventh-day Adventist church 53:09 was officially organized. 53:10 So it fits that criteria also. 53:12 And finally, it will be a world-wide movement 53:14 that will preach the everlasting gospel, 53:16 God's final message of love to the world. 53:18 And the answer is what? 53:19 Yes. 53:21 The Seventh-day Adventist church 53:22 is the only church in the world, 53:24 wide around the world that is preaching 53:26 this final message of God's love to the world. 53:31 Now, it's also interesting, 53:33 and I could spend a lot of time on each and every one of these, 53:36 but we don't have time. 53:37 But in Revelation, we have some more clear evidence 53:43 of God's end-time church. 53:44 The remnant. 53:46 In Revelation 12, we have the when 53:48 and the where of God's church. 53:51 After the 1260 years, and it would arise 53:54 in the United States of America. 53:55 In Revelation 10, we have the divine origin 53:58 of the Seventh-day Adventist church, 54:00 and how God divinely organized and orchestrated this movement 54:04 to prepare the world for the second coming of Jesus. 54:07 In Revelation 14, as we've already pointed out, 54:09 we have the mission and message 54:11 of the Seventh-day Adventist church, 54:13 the three angels' messages. 54:14 In Revelation 12, we have these two key identification markers 54:18 that they keep the commandments of God 54:20 and they have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 54:22 And in Revelation 3, 54:24 we have the condition of the end-time church of God, 54:28 there it's described as Laodicea, 54:30 but Jesus makes an appeal to His people 54:34 at the end of time to open the door 54:36 and to be the people that God has called them to be. 54:40 God has raised up 54:41 the Seventh-day Adventist church 54:44 in order to perform the greatest work 54:47 this universe will ever witness 54:49 and that is to prepare the entire world 54:51 with God's final message of love 54:54 to be ready for the second coming of Jesus. 54:57 Before the flood, 54:59 God raised up a man by the name of what? 55:01 Noah. 55:02 God raised up Noah to prepare the world for the flood 55:07 that would destroy the entire world. 55:09 Before God sends Jesus Christ, 55:15 the Bible tells us, 55:16 He has raised up a church. 55:18 A church that will have the same message as Noah had, 55:22 and that is to prepare a people who will be safe and secure, 55:26 not in the ark, but in the nail scarred hands of Jesus 55:30 who is coming back soon. 55:31 Amen? 55:32 Jesus has raised up 55:34 the Seventh-day Adventist church 55:35 according to Bible prophecy to prepare the world 55:39 for the soon return of Jesus. 55:41 I want to finish off with a couple of scriptures 55:43 from Jesus. 55:45 In John 10:16, we read these words Jesus says, 55:48 "And there will be..." How many flocks? 55:49 "One flock..." 55:51 And how many shepherds? 55:52 "One flock and one shepherd." 55:55 And in John 10:27, Jesus says, 55:57 "My sheep hear My voice, 55:59 and I know them, and they... Do what? 56:01 "They follow Me." 56:02 Jesus says, "There will be one flock, 56:06 there will be one shepherd. 56:08 My sheep that are scattered all around the world, 56:13 in confusion, many of them will hear 56:16 My voice from My Word, 56:19 they will hear My final message of love to the world 56:23 and they will follow me." 56:25 Is that your decision to follow Jesus Christ? 56:27 To follow His truth? 56:29 To follow this beautiful message 56:31 and be part of this movement 56:33 that God has raised to prepare the world 56:35 for the second coming of Jesus. 56:36 What a privilege? 56:37 What an honor to be part of this movement 56:39 that God has established. 56:40 Let's pray together. 56:42 Father in heaven, we want to thank You 56:43 for Your Word once again. 56:45 Your Word has made it abundantly clear 56:47 what Your truth is 56:49 and where we can go to find truth. 56:51 You have made it abundantly clear 56:53 that You do have a people, 56:54 You do have a church, You do have a movement 56:56 that You've raised up to prepare the world 56:59 for the second coming of Jesus. 57:01 Father, may we all choose to be part of this movement, 57:06 sharing this final message of love with our neighbors, 57:09 friends, and loved ones, 57:10 preparing them for Your soon return, 57:12 for this is our prayer in Jesus' name, 57:14 and everybody said amen and amen. |
Revised 2018-08-27