3ABN On the Road

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Series Code: OTR

Program Code: OTR000957


01:00 Let's bow our heads.
01:03 Almost gracious and heavenly Lord,
01:06 we thank You for this, Your heavenly Sabbath.
01:09 Father. We pray that your spirit
01:12 would be here among us.
01:14 Father today there are someone
01:15 as looking for a special blessing.
01:18 I pray Lord that you will hear their prayer
01:23 and their cry Father.
01:25 Lord we asks that You will speak
01:27 through our speaker today.
01:30 Give him words from own high.
01:32 Bless his service Lord, and come be here with us.
01:37 This is our prayer Father, not because we are worthy,
01:40 but because we've been filled by Your Son Jesus Christ.
01:44 Thank you Father, it is in His name that we pray
01:47 and we give Him all the glory. amen.
01:51 You maybe seated.
02:03 Happy Sabbath Church.
02:05 One more time Happy Sabbath Church.
02:09 it's a blessing to be here together with everybody.
02:12 My church soared song with you
02:14 that encompasses the message of the weakened.
02:42 He was standing in heaven With tears in His eyes
02:48 Saying, tell me this isn't so
02:54 For there was one in heaven And no one on earth
03:02 Worthy to open the scroll
03:08 And one of the elders Said, John don't you cry
03:14 It was all a part of the plan
03:20 And then in the center Of Gods glorious throne
03:26 Hallelujah, there stood a lamb
03:35 And they sang worthy Worthy of honor and praise
03:49 They were casting down crowns
03:54 And they were praising His name
04:02 When he said, are you worthy? I can hear Jesus saying, I am
04:16 Oh, praise God, forever There stood a Lamb
04:29 Now open your Bible's And open your hearts
04:35 It is clear we are in the last days
04:41 And he said, I'll come quickly So don't be surprised
04:48 When He comes back to take us away
04:55 And feeble excuses won't get very far
05:01 When you find yourself There at His throne
05:07 But if you know Jesus And He is your Lord
05:13 Hallelujah, you won't be alone
05:23 And well sing worthy Worthy of honor and praise
05:36 Well be casting our crowns And we'll be praising His name
05:49 And when he says, are you worthy?
05:53 I can hear Jesus saying, I am Oh, praise God, forever
06:08 For there stood a Lamb And well cry worthy
06:20 Worthy of honor and praise As we cast down our crowns
06:34 Well be praising his name
06:42 And when he says, are you worthy?
06:46 I can hear Jesus saying, I am
06:57 Oh, praise God, forever Yes, praise God, forever
07:04 Praise God, forever There stood a Lamb
07:26 All right good morning everyone.
07:29 Good morning everyone. Good morning.
07:32 Can you hear me? Yes. All right.
07:35 Happy Sabbath.
07:37 Are you having a good convention?
07:39 Yeah, amen.
07:40 I love the morning because my voice is so deep.
07:45 I like to sing in the morning. Sing the base.
07:49 While we've been studying in our Sabbath school lesson
07:53 "The Epistles of John."
07:55 And it has been an excellent quarterly.
07:58 How many have you have been studying faithfully
08:00 your lesson quarterly?
08:01 Let me see you raise your hands. Great!
08:04 I remember when I first became
08:06 a Seventh-day Adventist, one of the things
08:07 that drew me to the church,
08:09 one of the things that initially really appealed me
08:12 was the fact that this was not an isolated parochial church,
08:16 but it is the worldwide church.
08:18 Can you say amen to that?
08:19 Amen. And one of the things
08:21 that gives a worldwide church,
08:23 the kind of coherence and cohesiveness
08:25 that we have, is the fact that all over the world,
08:29 all of our members whether they are in Australia
08:32 or they are in America or they are in Africa,
08:34 all over the world,
08:36 we study the same thing from week-to-week,
08:38 month-to-month, Sabbath-to-Sabbath
08:40 and quarter-to-quarter, amen. Amen.
08:43 And I think that's great.
08:44 I think it's very important for us
08:46 as Seventh-day Adventist,
08:47 who can be very busy to take seriously
08:50 not just the study of God's word in general,
08:52 but to take very seriously
08:54 the Sabbath school commentary.
08:55 I believe that God guides the general conference
08:58 and the other men and women that are in-charge of planning
09:02 and strategizing these quarterlies
09:04 so that we receive these quarterlies right on time
09:06 to study things that are critical for us
09:09 at this point in earth's history.
09:11 And so we're going to be talking today
09:13 not in a sermonic fashion, but we're going to be going
09:15 through the lesson, and our lesson this week
09:19 was on Antichrist. What was it on everyone?
09:21 Antichrist. Antichrist
09:23 and the title of the lesson is
09:25 "Walking in the Light Rejecting Antichrists."
09:29 And as we've been going to the lesson,
09:30 we are not quite half way through.
09:32 We've had this sort of mini-series,
09:34 "Walking in the Light Keeping His Commandments,"
09:36 "Walking in the Light Being Ready
09:38 for the coming of Christ,"
09:39 and now "Walking in the Light Rejecting Antichrist."
09:43 And so the essence, the guts of what we are going
09:47 to be talking about today is this topic of the Antichrist.
09:51 But especially from the perspective of 1st John
09:55 and also we look a little bit of 2nd John.
09:56 So before we get into scripture proper,
09:58 let's begin with the word of prayer
10:00 as we commands with our lesson study.
10:02 Father in Heaven, we anticipate
10:04 Your presence among us.
10:07 We are not inviting You to come and be with us
10:10 because we believe You were here
10:12 before any of us got here.
10:14 And so Father we are glorying in the fact that
10:16 you have invited us to come and meet with you.
10:19 Father we are living in paralysis
10:20 and pretentious times.
10:23 We are living in strange times.
10:24 We are living in hostile times.
10:28 And Father many of us have not made scripture,
10:30 the priority that it should be.
10:33 And we need to be recalibrated.
10:35 We need to be refocused, and we pray today Father
10:39 that as we study this very serious
10:41 and biblical topic of the Antichrist
10:44 that you would give us a urgency,
10:47 a sense of immediacy,
10:50 that today is the day of salvation
10:52 and that now is the accepted time.
10:55 Father today we hear Your voice
10:56 and so we want to the heed the admonition
10:58 of the solemnest not to harden our hearts.
11:02 So please Father as we open Your word
11:04 in this marvelous supernatural transaction,
11:08 may the inspiring spirit now become the instructing spirit
11:12 And Father, may You open us, that You read us,
11:15 and may our sense of urgency and our sense of immediacy
11:19 be increased as a result of this study,
11:23 is our prayer in Jesus name,
11:24 let everyone say, amen. Amen.
11:28 So let's all open together to the Epistle of 1st John,
11:33 1st John and we're going to Chapter 2.
11:35 What Chapter we're going to everyone?
11:37 Chapter 2, "Walking in the Light Rejecting Antichrist."
11:43 Now 1st John Chapter 2,
11:45 our passage that we're going to be concentrating on
11:47 and that our lessons study brings out for this week,
11:50 begins in verse 18.
11:52 We're going to begin reading in verse 18
11:54 and extend down to verse 27.
11:55 So we're in 1st John Chapter 2,
11:57 beginning in verse 18.
11:59 John says, "Little children, it is the last hour.
12:03 And as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming,"
12:07 there is our word,
12:08 "and even now many Antichrists have come by
12:11 which we know that it is the last hour.
12:14 They went out from us, but they were not of us,
12:16 for if they had been of us,
12:17 they would have continued with us,
12:19 but they went out, that they might be made manifest
12:21 that they were not all of us.
12:23 But you have an anointing from the Holy One,
12:25 and you know all things.
12:27 I have not written to you because
12:28 you do not know the truth,
12:30 but because you do know it,
12:31 and that no lie is of the truth.
12:34 Who is the liar but he who denies
12:36 that Jesus is the Christ? He is,"
12:39 what does your bible say there?
12:40 What is the next word? Here it is again,
12:42 the third time, "He is Antichrist,
12:44 who denies the Father and the Son.
12:46 Whoever denies the son does not have the Father either,
12:48 whoever acknowledges the son has the Father also."
12:51 Verse 24, "Therefore let that abide in you,
12:54 which you heard from the beginning.
12:56 If what you heard from the beginning abide in you,
12:58 you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
13:01 And this is the promise
13:02 that He is promised us, eternal life.
13:04 These things I have written to you concerning those
13:06 who are trying to," what does your Bible say there?
13:09 "Trying to seduce you, trying to deceive you,
13:12 trying to trick you.
13:13 But the anointing which you have received from Him
13:16 abides in you, and you do not need that
13:18 anyone teach you,
13:19 but as the same anointing teaches you
13:20 concerning all things, and is true,
13:22 and is not a lie,
13:23 and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him."
13:27 This is the passage that we're going to be looking
13:28 at today and we'll be branching out
13:30 into other passages.
13:31 But the central idea here is that John was concerned
13:35 about these infiltrators.
13:37 He was concerned about a group of separatists
13:40 and probably as the lesson quarterly brings out,
13:42 the separatists had Gnostic leanings, Gnostic influences.
13:47 And we find John's pastoral heart,
13:49 John's pastoral concern on full display.
13:52 And he says I'm writing this to you concerning those
13:55 who are trying to deceive you.
13:57 Then he goes on to use the term Antichrist not once,
14:01 not twice, but three times.
14:02 He says they are Antichrist.
14:04 They are Antichrist. They are Antichrist.
14:07 Now the word Antichrist occurs
14:09 only five times in scripture, five times,
14:11 all of them in "Epistles of John."
14:13 In fact, what we're going to now
14:14 is just jump over to chapter 4
14:16 and notice the second usage here, of Antichrist,
14:19 the second passage in which John uses this term.
14:23 Go with me to chapter 4, we begin in verse 1,
14:27 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit."
14:29 But what should be do with the spirits?
14:31 "Test the spirits whether they are of God,
14:33 because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
14:37 By this you know the Spirit of God,
14:38 Every spirit that confesses that
14:40 Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God."
14:42 Notice verse 3, "and every spirit
14:45 that does not confess that Jesus has come
14:47 in the flesh is not of God.
14:48 And this is the spirit of, " what everyone?
14:51 "Antichrist, which you have heard was coming,
14:53 and is even now in the world."
14:57 The Antichrist apparently, already was in the world
15:01 or at least the spirit of Antichrist
15:03 and John identifies these Gnostic leaning separatists
15:06 that were infiltrating his churches,
15:08 probably the churches in and around Ephesus
15:10 as Antichrist vigorous.
15:12 He uses this word Antichrist in three ways here.
15:15 He says Antichrist in the singular,
15:17 Antichrist in the plural,
15:19 and the spirit of Antichrist as well.
15:21 Let's look at our third passage.
15:23 We go from 1st John to 2nd John.
15:26 Second John, there's only one chapter
15:28 there so that's an easy one to figure out,
15:30 2nd John chapter 1.
15:33 We'll begin in verse 7, it says,
15:36 "For many deceivers," there is that word again,
15:38 "have gone out into the world
15:40 who do not confess Jesus Christ
15:42 as coming in the flesh."
15:43 This is a deceiver and a what? "Antichrist."
15:48 There is the 5th and final usage
15:49 of Antichrist in the Bible.
15:50 So we've just done an exhaustive study
15:53 on the word Antichrist in scripture.
15:56 They are all here in 1st John and 2nd John.
15:59 Notice what he goes on to say there.
16:00 "Look to yourselves that we do not lose
16:02 the things we worked for,
16:04 but that we may receive a full reward.
16:07 Whoever transgresses and does not abide
16:09 in the doctrine of Christ does not have God.
16:11 He who abides in doctrine of Christ
16:13 has both the Father and the Son."
16:15 Verses 10 and 11 are really striking
16:17 and frankly strike us as almost unchristian,
16:22 as almost too strong. Notice what he says,
16:25 "if anyone comes to you," John writing to his Church,
16:28 his pastoral heart on full display.
16:30 "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine,
16:34 do not receive him into your house nor greet him,
16:37 for he who greets him shares,"in his what?
16:42 "In is evil deeds."
16:44 You can really get the sense here that John
16:47 is very concerned, deeply concerned,
16:49 in fact, this sense of urgency
16:51 and immediacy saturates the "Epistles of John"
16:54 and here we find John with his pastoral heart
16:56 on full display and he says,
16:58 if these people come to you and they want to come
17:01 into your house don't even let them into your house.
17:03 In fact don't even greet them in the streets,
17:05 don't greet them in the marketplace
17:07 because he who receives them and greets them
17:09 is actually a participant,
17:11 is acquiescing to their evil deeds.
17:15 Question, is John concerned, yes or no? Yes.
17:20 Is he very concerned? Yeah the sense of immediacy,
17:23 the sense of urgency is absolutely on display here.
17:26 And John says, when these Antichrists,
17:28 when these deceivers come to you,
17:30 do not receive them.
17:31 What was taking place probably
17:33 as we begin to put the pictures together
17:35 is that there were a group of infiltrators,
17:36 as we already suggested
17:37 there is the lesson quarterly brings out,
17:40 they were Agnostically influence likely.
17:43 Now the word Gnostic comes from the Greek word Gnosis,
17:47 it means to know, it means what everyone?
17:50 To know! To know.
17:51 For example many of us have heard
17:53 someone say they are an Agnostic.
17:55 You might have met someone
17:57 and you try to witness to them and they said,
17:59 you know I'm not sure, I don't know,
18:01 I don't consider myself believer.
18:02 I consider myself to be an Agnostic.
18:06 Well, an Agnostic is simply the opposite of a Gnostic.
18:09 If something is symmetrical, if you have a piece of paper
18:12 that is symmetrical, if you fold it in half,
18:15 the two halves are the same.
18:16 If you have something that is asymmetrical
18:18 when you fold it in half, the halves are not the same.
18:21 And so Agnostic is someone who knows
18:24 and Agnostic is someone who claims not to know.
18:27 In the first second and third centuries
18:29 this Gnostic influence terrace
18:31 was one of the great hurdles that the early church faced.
18:34 And basically many scholars believe that Agnosticism
18:37 can not be defined as a Homogeneous Entity.
18:40 There is discussion about what exactly Agnosticism is.
18:43 And while we may not be able to put
18:44 all of the pieces together,
18:45 we can be sure of a few things.
18:47 What these Agnostics were basically doing
18:49 and especially in John's case here,
18:51 is they were subtly infiltrating the church,
18:54 they were subtly what everyone?
18:57 Infiltrating! Infiltrating the church,
18:58 and they were saying things probably like this,
19:00 what John is teaching you is great,
19:02 what others are teaching you is fine,
19:03 but we know but we, what everyone?
19:08 We know! We know what's really going on.
19:11 It's nice what they've taught you
19:12 and they have got you started.
19:13 But now let's time to advance into more alight,
19:16 into more knowledge about God.
19:18 We know what is taking place and many of the things
19:21 that they propertied to know,
19:23 stood indirect opposition to scripture.
19:26 Now some of you are really into conspiracy theories.
19:34 Is that true yes or no? Yes.
19:37 I won't make you raise your hands
19:38 and embarrass yourselves.
19:41 Now there is grand conspiracy.
19:43 I too believe not in conspiracy theory,
19:45 but in an actual conspiracy.
19:47 And the conspiracy is to keep you away from Jesus.
19:51 Can you say amen? Amen.
19:53 But there are in addition to this grand conspiracy,
19:55 other conspiracies that sort of grab our attention
19:59 and for some people they become absolutely consuming.
20:02 The conspiracy theory de jure is
20:04 what exactly happened on 9/11.
20:06 And you meet people who are totally consumed
20:09 with what actually took place.
20:11 And these people will come to us
20:12 and they will say things like,
20:14 sure the media tells us that they were 19 hijackers
20:18 and sure the media tells us that
20:19 it's Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic radicalism.
20:22 But we know, but we what's the word everyone?
20:26 But we know what's really going on
20:28 and just about that time, they hand you the DVD, right.
20:32 Watch this DVD and you too will know.
20:35 You will also know what is going on behind the scenes,
20:38 you will have inside knowledge, inside data,
20:41 inside information, in many ways
20:43 the Agnostics in John's day and in the early church
20:46 were like these conspiracy theories who were saying,
20:48 sure that's would others are telling you,
20:50 but we know what's really happening.
20:53 This is what is really taking place behind the scenes.
20:57 Now very significantly the word 'know'
21:01 is a critical word in the epistle of,
21:03 in all of the, in all of, not just chapter 2 here,
21:07 but in all 1st John.
21:08 In fact, stay right there in 1st John and go to chapter 5
21:12 stay right there in 1st John and go to chapter 5,
21:15 we're talking about Antichrists.
21:17 John identifies these Agnostic influenced
21:21 infiltrators as Antichrist.
21:23 We're going to get down
21:24 to our modern application of this.
21:27 But first we want to understand textually
21:29 and contextually what was John addressing,
21:31 what was actually taking place.
21:33 When we go to 1st John chapter 5,
21:35 we read in verse 13 and I want you to notice
21:37 the recurrent theme here the recurrent idea here.
21:40 He says in verse 13,
21:42 "these things I have written to you
21:44 who believe in the name of the Son of God,
21:46 that you may," what is the word?
21:49 "That you may know that you have eternal life.
21:52 And that you may continue to believe
21:53 in the name of the Son of God."
21:54 Notice verse 15, John is closing his Epistle here.
21:57 He's bringing this Epistle to a close.
21:59 He says in verse 15, "And if we what is the word?"
22:02 If we know. "If we know
22:03 that he hears us whenever we ask we,"
22:05 what's the word? "Know that we have the petitions
22:08 that we asked of him." Notice verse 18,
22:10 "We know that whoever is born of God does not sin,
22:13 but he who has born of God keeps them safe,
22:15 and the wicked one does not touch him."
22:17 Verse 19, "We know that we are of God."
22:19 Verse 20, "And we know the Son of God has come."
22:22 Notice the recurrent theme here,
22:23 as John is bringing his Epistle to a close.
22:25 We know that we have eternal life,
22:26 we know that Jesus is the Son of God,
22:28 we know that when we pray we have the things
22:30 that we asked of him, we know, we know, we know,
22:33 we know, we know.
22:35 In fact marvelously even though
22:37 there are only five chapters,
22:40 five short chapters in the Epistle of 1st John,
22:42 John actually uses the word no, if I not mistaken,
22:45 I think I'm on this, more than any other books
22:48 in the New Testament.
22:51 This word 'know.' I mean,
22:52 you think about the book of Matthew 28 chapters.
22:54 You think about the book of Mark 16 chapters,
22:55 Luke 24 chapters, John 21 chapters,
22:58 Acts 28 chapters, and here in five chapters,
23:00 John says we know, we know, we know, we know,
23:04 we know, we know.
23:07 Why the emphasis on "knowing."
23:09 Well contextually because they were others
23:11 who are coming in and saying
23:12 what John has taught you is good.
23:14 What you've learned is good,
23:15 but we know what is really taking place
23:19 behind the scenes.
23:21 Are you with me yes or no? In fact,
23:22 on one occasion John says,
23:23 something absolutely fascinating,
23:26 he says I'm not writing to you because
23:28 you don't know the truth.
23:31 We've read this. We've just read this
23:33 in 1st John chapter 2.
23:34 He says, I am not writing to you because
23:35 you don't know the truth.
23:37 He says I am writing to you, do you remember it?
23:40 Because you do know the truth.
23:43 John in a marvelous stroke of pastoral wisdom
23:46 and brilliance here,
23:47 basically rather than getting into yelling match.
23:49 For some reason John couldn't travel to the church.
23:52 Probably he was aging.
23:53 He was unable to travel.
23:54 And so he sends this Epistle
23:55 and in a stroke of pastoral brilliance rather than
23:58 getting into yelling match with Agnostics,
24:00 who are trying to infiltrate and to deceive the church
24:03 who were saying, we know what's really going on,
24:05 and according to the Epistle some are being let astray.
24:08 John says they went out from us,
24:09 but they were not of us. If they had been of us,
24:12 they would have remained with us
24:13 and so people were going out.
24:14 They were leaving. They were leaving.
24:15 And so rather than getting into a yelling
24:17 in which the Agnostics are saying no we know,
24:19 and John says no we know,
24:21 and they say no we know this is the truth.
24:23 No, no this is the truth. No, no this is the truth.
24:26 John says I'm not writing to you because
24:28 you don't know the truth.
24:31 I'm writing to you because you already know the truth.
24:35 And in the context he says because the spirit himself
24:38 has given you the truth, can you say amen to that? Amen.
24:41 It reminds me of that marvelous story
24:43 there when Jesus says, Who do men say
24:45 that I the Son of Man am?
24:46 And they, well some say you're Elijah,
24:47 some say you're John the Baptist,
24:49 some say you're one of the prophets
24:50 and Jesus says okay well,
24:51 who do you think I am? And Peter's speaks up on
24:53 behalf of the rest of the apostles and he says,
24:55 you are the Christ, you're Son of God,
24:59 you are the Christ
25:00 and what Jesus says is marvelous here.
25:02 He says, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona,
25:04 because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you,
25:06 but" who, who did He say reveal to it him?
25:08 "My Father which is in heaven."
25:09 In other words, men didn't teach you that.
25:13 God taught you that.
25:14 And when John writes here with his pastoral heart
25:17 on full display and his concern on full display,
25:20 he says, you don't need another human teacher.
25:22 In fact, he says that,
25:23 you don't need any one to teach you because
25:25 you know all things.
25:29 John did not want to get into a yelling match
25:31 where it was the Agnostic versus him
25:33 and the congregation would have been confused
25:35 and invariably divided.
25:40 John fingers these separatists,
25:42 John fingers these Agnostic
25:44 influence separatists as Antichrists.
25:48 Antichrists. Antichrists.
25:53 Many scholars believe that the word Antichrist
25:55 was itself coined by John.
25:57 He may have been the one that formulated the word.
26:00 Now our lesson here is rejecting Antichrists.
26:06 So I think it follows a logical pattern here,
26:09 a logical linear line of reasoning to suggest this.
26:12 If we're going to reject Antichrists in modern times
26:15 and even in John's time,
26:16 if they were going to reject Antichrists,
26:18 they had first know what an Antichrist was.
26:22 Are you with me yes or no?
26:23 Yes. Of course.
26:25 How can you reject something
26:26 that you don't even have an identity of?
26:28 And so we are rejecting Antichrists.
26:30 In John's day there was no question,
26:31 no equivocation about what the Antichrist was.
26:34 It was the separatists who had left,
26:36 who had actually gone out under the influence
26:40 of these Gnostic influence teachers
26:43 and were beginning to woo people away
26:46 from John's church, likely in Ephesus,
26:48 wooing them away. And John says,
26:49 if these people come to you, don't greet them.
26:53 Certainly don't have them into your house,
26:56 not because John didn't want them to act
26:58 in kindly Christian and courteous manner.
27:00 But John knows that these deceptions
27:02 are of such of character, of such a subtlety
27:05 that many of us burgeoning young sheep
27:07 will be led away and deceive by this individuals
27:10 and he says don't even greet these people.
27:14 Now what is an Antichrist?
27:18 Well when you take that prefix
27:19 "anti" and you stick it on the front
27:22 of a name or of a person,
27:24 it can mean several things.
27:26 It can mean being that person,
27:28 or purporting to be that person,
27:30 what we call impersonation,
27:32 or even more precisely personation,
27:35 claiming to be. It can also mean substitution,
27:39 taking the place of.
27:42 So when Antichrist is someone
27:43 who seeks to substitute for the real Christ.
27:47 In the context of 1st John, the concern,
27:50 the nucleus of the heresy revolved around
27:54 the atonement and incarnation.
27:57 The Gnostics were beginning to say no Jesus
27:59 was more like a projection.
28:01 He wasn't into really flesh and blood
28:03 because they had these very elaborate ideas
28:05 of about what spirit was and flesh was
28:06 and it wasn't possible in their world view for Jesus
28:09 who've actually been God and who've actually been flesh,
28:12 and so you find John over an over again in the epistle
28:14 saying this is he who came by water and blood.
28:17 He is Christ. He came in the flesh
28:18 because they were beginning to take issue
28:20 with the actual incarnation,
28:21 which simply means the in-fleshing of God.
28:25 But just because that was the first,
28:27 the original usage of Antichrist,
28:30 John and scripture does not limit Antichrist
28:33 only to those who have this Gnostic influence.
28:36 Scripture says, for example in Acts chapter 4
28:38 and verse 12, that Jesus Christ is the only name
28:41 whereby people can be saved.
28:43 Can you say amen to that? Amen.
28:44 And so it is Christ and it is a correct
28:46 understanding of Christ
28:48 that enables us to come to know God.
28:50 Jesus himself said "no man cometh
28:51 under the Father but by me.
28:52 " And so what ends up happening is that Satan,
28:56 Satan begins to setup these counterfeit
28:59 competing Christ and these counterfeit
29:01 competing Christ interpose themselves
29:04 between genuine believers and the real Christ
29:07 and he woos them away from the real Christ.
29:11 This can take many different forms.
29:13 When we come to the Middle Ages for example,
29:16 the reformers unanimously and uniformly
29:19 fingered the church itself, as Antichrist.
29:23 They said the Roman Church and the office
29:25 of the Pope is none other than
29:27 the office of Antichrist.
29:28 And this wasn't Mark and Luther in isolation.
29:31 This was the uniform, virtually unanimous.
29:34 In fact some would argue the actually unanimous
29:37 perspective of all of the reformers because
29:39 what they saw was that scripture had been supplanted
29:42 and a system, an enormous unbiblical
29:47 monolithic obstruction had placed itself
29:51 between the believer and the Christ.
29:53 And so the reformers looked at that and said
29:55 that's an Antichrist system that is a system
29:57 that is seeking to take the place,
29:59 to take the position of Christ.
30:01 And so they said the office of the Pope
30:03 is the office of the Antichrist and they said
30:04 it over and over again, the office of Antichrist,
30:07 the office of Antichrist.
30:08 And they were exactly right.
30:12 And they were right because of this simple reason.
30:14 Anything that seeks to interpose itself between
30:19 the sincere believer and the genuine historical
30:23 scriptural Christ is in a very real sense an Antichrist
30:26 That's why John can use the term Antichrists
30:29 in the plural, Antichrist in the singular
30:32 that is consummate Antichrist that is to come,
30:34 and the sprit of Antichrist which is any
30:36 spirit that seeks to interpose itself between
30:39 the genuine believer and the scriptural Christ.
30:42 Are we together everyone yes or no?
30:44 Now what does this mean for us today?
30:47 Well according to Revelation chapter 13,
30:51 the very entity that the reformers unanimously
30:55 fingered as the Antichrist will actually
30:57 become resurgent, reborn and revitalized
31:01 and we'll become again not just an Antichrist,
31:05 but the consummate Antichrist.
31:07 The consummate entity, the consummate system
31:10 who has setup a rival Christ and a rival
31:13 system of salvation.
31:17 Revelation chapter 13 presents this in
31:19 marvelous counterfeit language.
31:20 In fact many scholars have noted this.
31:22 They have noted that in Revelation 13 you have,
31:25 you have Christ, in Revelation for example
31:28 depicted with horns and crowns.
31:30 And so to the Antichrist Revelation 13
31:33 depicted with horns and crowns.
31:35 Christ is ministering for three and half years
31:37 on earth, the Antichrist comes 1260 days,
31:40 or three and half prophetic years.
31:42 Christ received the deadly wound
31:44 and was raised. He was resurrected.
31:46 The Antichrist so too receives
31:48 a deadly wound and his healed.
31:50 And many of noted this counterfeit motive
31:52 between the genuine Christ and this
31:54 Revelation 13 Antichrist,
31:55 and that's why it is absolutely biblical
31:58 even though the nomenclature is not there
32:00 in Revelation 13 to refer to the first piece
32:02 Revelation 13 as the Antichrist beast.
32:06 Because this beast is seeking to setup to you
32:08 serve the very position, place,
32:10 preeminence and prominence of Christ
32:12 by interposing its own system.
32:16 Its own what everyone?
32:18 Its own system.
32:20 And maybe we should quickly disabuse
32:22 our minds of this idea that in order to
32:23 be a counterfeit Christ,
32:25 we have to dress up like Jesus.
32:27 You have to put on the robe and pretend to be Jesus
32:30 and have the beard and carry the cross
32:31 around, not at all.
32:33 A counterfeit Christ can be any Christ,
32:35 that claims to deliver, that claims to save
32:37 by some means other than what scripture
32:39 identifies the only way of salvation.
32:42 Are you with me everyone yes or no?
32:44 And so when Antichrist in John's day were those
32:46 that interpose themselves between true Christs,
32:50 the incarnate Christ
32:51 who died on Calvary street to save us,
32:53 and this false system between that
32:56 and the believer.
32:57 For us in modern times there was going to be
33:00 a consummate Antichrist and in fact there is
33:03 a consummate Antichrist.
33:04 And as we've already said and it is
33:05 none other than the reborn, revitalized,
33:09 resurgent church that the reformers
33:11 unanimously fingered in the Middle Ages.
33:14 Now this Antichrist is not slow to move.
33:19 And we are seeing like before our very eyes
33:22 these last movements which are rapid ones.
33:25 In fact, I have an article right here
33:26 with me dated July 26, 2009 from USATODAY that says
33:31 Pope calls for 'God-centered' global economy.
33:35 Let me just read you the first two paragraphs.
33:37 Pope Benedict the XVI today called
33:39 for reforming the United Nations and establishing
33:42 "a true world political authority" with
33:46 fascinating language here "real teeth".
33:51 With what everyone? Real teeth!
33:53 Just a quick question for clarification.
33:55 What are teeth for? for Biting, for chewing.
34:01 for devouring.
34:03 A true world political authority with
34:04 real teeth to manage the global economy
34:10 Sounds very nice, sounds very good,
34:11 sounds very magnanimous, sounds very wonderful.
34:14 In fact, it goes on, in his third encyclical,
34:15 a major teaching released as the
34:17 G-8 summit begins in Italy.
34:18 By the way this was well-time.
34:20 This was not, this wasn't a happen stand.
34:22 This was absolutely calculated,
34:24 the release of the epistles, the encyclical.
34:26 The pope says that such an authority is urgently needed.
34:30 Now we have an urgent need for a God-centered
34:33 global economy with real teeth.
34:37 This is sounding surprisingly
34:39 but not to us start, not to us startlingly,
34:43 like exactly what has been predicated
34:45 in Revelation many hundreds of years ago,
34:47 two millennia ago and even more precisely
34:52 and even more with more detail
34:54 in great controversy about a 150 years ago.
34:58 Urgently needed to end the current world
35:00 financial crisis, it should "revive"
35:03 damaged economies, reach toward disarmament,
35:05 listen how good this sounds "disarmament,
35:08 food, security, and peace.
35:11 " We love it at Revelation chapter 13
35:13 in the plainest of language suggest that this
35:16 end time Antichrist which is very similar to
35:19 the Antichrist that existed in John's day seeking to
35:22 interpose itself between the true believer
35:24 and the historical Christ.
35:26 Revelation 13 says, that this power will use economics.
35:30 Will use what word did I say everyone? Economics!
35:33 In fact it goes to as far to say if you don't
35:35 receive this mark of the beast,
35:36 this mark of allegiance to this end time
35:39 Antichrist, that you will not be able to,
35:41 does anyone remember?
35:42 To buy or beloved, that is economics,
35:46 there is going to be a significant economic pressure
35:50 a significant economics pressure
35:52 that is brought to bear on God's people at the
35:54 end of time that's going to go something like this.
35:57 Either you get along with our program,
36:00 either you act with us to our desire for global
36:03 disarmament, oh that sound so nice.
36:05 Our desire for global peace,
36:06 our desired to end, either you get on board
36:08 with our program or you yourself
36:11 will not be able to sell.
36:13 You yourself will not be able to buy.
36:15 Does that sound like economic peer pressure,
36:17 yes or no? Absolutely!
36:20 Now if it was only economic those of us
36:21 that have gardens and other things maybe able
36:24 for a time to endure, but you actually see
36:26 in Revelation 13 an auscultation
36:27 from economic pressure to or else, or else.
36:34 I'm so thrill that in Revelation chapter 14
36:36 verse 12, scripture says in the plainest
36:38 of language, here is the patience of the saints,
36:42 here are those that do you know what?
36:44 Keep the commandments of God and cling to their
36:46 faith in Jesus.
36:48 Beloved there is going to be an end time
36:49 people, who will reject the overtures of Antichrist.
36:53 Who will reject the overtures of an end time
36:55 system that is sought to you serve the power of
36:58 Christ to interpose itself between us and the Christ.
37:02 My word of exhortation for you today is the same
37:05 that John gave to his Church many hundreds
37:07 of years ago and that is I'm not telling you
37:10 these things because you don't know the truth,
37:12 but because you do know the truth.
37:15 Beloved this is the time when we need to know
37:18 God, we need to know Him,
37:19 we need to know Him, we need to know Him,
37:22 we need to know Him, w need to know Him. Why?
37:25 Because this is life eternal that they might
37:27 know thee, the only true God,
37:30 and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent.
37:34 Amen. Amen.
37:36 Let us pray Father in Heaven,
37:38 we are thrilled with the message today.
37:41 A message that by your grace we can reject
37:44 Antichrists, and Father we pray to you that
37:46 would give us the desire to reject spirit
37:48 of Antichrist, anything any fall system that would
37:51 seek to interpose and interrupt
37:54 the relationship that you have with your people.
37:56 Father may be we riveted to you,
37:58 maybe we riveted to Christ and maybe we
38:00 riveted to scripture, so that when these
38:02 overtures economic, miraculous
38:04 and eventually on pain of death come to us,
38:07 may we stand with Christ,
38:09 may we stand by Christ and may we stand in
38:12 Christ, is our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ,
38:15 let everyone say, amen.
38:21 [Music]
43:27 I like to challenge you to turn to Matthew
43:30 Chapter 5, first verses, "When Jesus saw
43:34 his ministry drawing huge crowds,
43:37 he climbed a hillside.
43:39 Those who were apprenticed to him,
43:41 the committed, climbed with him.
43:45 Arriving at a quiet place,
43:47 he sat down and taught his climbing companions.
43:51 This is what he said: "You're blessed
43:55 when you're at the end of your rope.
43:58 With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
44:05 Denzil, you and I have watched this process
44:09 in several places around the world.
44:10 Yes we have. But a few months ago,
44:12 we were in Livingstone,
44:14 Zambia and I want to show you about seven
44:17 photographs and see what they remind you of
44:20 when you look at the pictures,
44:22 here is the first one.
44:24 This was just the most exciting thing I've seen.
44:27 I've been able to have the privilege of doing
44:30 DVD training around the world,
44:32 and I have never seen people more intent
44:36 and more excited about telling the good news
44:39 of Jesus Christ.
44:40 And take a look, see all the prayers. Yes.
44:42 And no matter where you looked
44:44 in that church, people were praying.
44:45 You'll be in the middle of a talk and all of
44:47 a sudden two or three of the people over here
44:49 would just kneel down and start focusing on
44:51 God. Yes.
44:52 It was just so exciting because you saw people
44:55 knowing that they wanted to be involved
44:57 Evangelism, they wanted to play their part,
45:00 but they knew that the only way they could do it
45:02 with the help of the Holy Spirit.
45:03 And I want to stop on that picture for a just a minute.
45:06 What are in all those boxes? The picture just went away,
45:08 what's in all the boxes the DVDs?
45:10 Don't let that picture go away. Okay.
45:12 Well, DVDs, what you mean DVD players?
45:14 They were DVD players.
45:15 And you are giving them way.
45:17 We are giving them away to the lay people.
45:19 So you take those DVD players along with the
45:23 DVD lessons that are on the top of them
45:25 and you give them away all over the world,
45:27 so Adventist-laymen can give Bible studies.
45:31 Absolutely, and the exciting part of that is,
45:34 is that they are able to take that DVD player
45:37 and the tools that they have with the pictures
45:39 and be able to tell the complete Gospel message.
45:43 Now I saw something that I've never seen
45:45 before in my life.
45:47 In Livingstone that day there were three
45:49 Adventist Pastors, who tried to sneak into the line
45:52 where the laymen were getting the Bible studies.
45:55 And they were turned away they didn't get
45:56 DVD player why is that.
45:58 Yes, well because we only had so many
46:00 and the other part is the main thing is that we wanted
46:04 our lay people to be the ones to have the
46:06 privilege of telling others
46:08 about the soon coming savior.
46:10 And if the laymen think the pastors got the
46:11 DVD player and he's going to do the work...
46:13 They are not going to work. They are not going to work.
46:15 That's right. But look at the last photograph.
46:17 Can we get back to that one by any chance
46:19 the thing I love about this picture is all
46:22 the darkest ladies walking away from the building.
46:25 This is after we did our DVD training.
46:27 Now keep in mind it's about 100 degrees here
46:30 and the ladies have on those warm hats.
46:32 And they were just excited singing.
46:35 They were just really happy to be able to tell
46:39 others about Jesus soon coming.
46:41 Denzil we get to back to that in a few minutes.
46:43 Right now I want to talk Chuck Cleveland and
46:46 Pastor Richard Elofer from Israel.
46:49 And there is story in Israel about the
46:51 DVD training about ministry and it goes right back
46:56 to where Jesus walked.
46:59 Chuck, let's start with you.
47:00 Tell us what you been doing the last few weeks in Haifa.
47:04 Well, we had the privilege of going over there
47:05 and working with our Israeli Field programe
47:09 and to teach a medical missionary course,
47:11 we call it Light Course and it will be
47:13 discussed a little bit more, later today. Okay.
47:15 But in that medical missionary training
47:17 our objective was to train 30 of our church
47:21 members, you know, nearly one month program
47:24 go to Haifa, run a large auditorium,
47:27 and have a health explore there for six days.
47:30 Wow! And was it effective?
47:32 Well, God really did bless.
47:34 We had over 600 people come out for our expo
47:38 and when we offered to signed them up for
47:41 follow-up classes, which is the purpose of
47:43 expo, we had nearly 50 percent of them
47:45 we said we want more.
47:47 That's the time to declare a victory.
47:49 So now we have a weekly health club going on
47:52 in Haifa as well.
47:54 May I tell you one quick story?
47:56 If it's really fast.
47:57 The man that we read it from was a former
48:00 Israeli General of Russian background.
48:05 He was all of that Russian,
48:06 General, the whole works.
48:09 And we had to deal with this man and telling so
48:11 to where we could put our things
48:12 or where couldn't put our things.
48:14 And he seemed very gruff.
48:16 But as he saw us work night after night
48:18 his heart just melted and instead of being gruff,
48:22 he is hugging us and loving us,
48:24 and in a week or two he is going to our health
48:27 center at Herghelia in Romania because they were
48:31 very much involved in working with the mission
48:33 and it's all timed together as we get to know
48:37 these people work with them,
48:38 medical missionary work opens doors.
48:40 Speak to me about medical missionary work pastor.
48:43 You are in-charged with Adventist work in Israel.
48:45 Yes, yes in Israel we have in fact two territories.
48:50 We have that Israel territory
48:53 and the Palestinian territory too.
48:55 And what are you doing for the Palestinians?
48:57 That is a very big important question,
49:01 because we have very few members
49:04 among the Palestinian.
49:06 And we wouldn't really reach to Palestinian
49:09 people and that's why in East Jerusalem
49:12 we have community service center.
49:15 On this community service center we want
49:18 also to have health ministry because we have
49:22 noticed that's the Palestinian people
49:24 have a very poor health system.
49:28 When we have already organized a health seminar,
49:32 there was the five day plan
49:34 with new start program.
49:36 A lot of Palestinian came and they were very happy
49:40 to have free examination
49:42 from one of our doctors.
49:44 It sounds like health ministry opens doors
49:47 on both sides of the world.
49:48 Yes that is exactly.
49:50 On at the end of this healthy ministry
49:53 there the leader of the health club where we had
49:58 this health ministry, say to us that is
50:01 wonderful for our people.
50:03 Can you come back and do the same program
50:06 in the Ramallah, in Jericho, in Bethlehem.
50:09 I say, oh, just a moment please because
50:12 we are a very small team.
50:14 Now which this product we have,
50:16 we have OCI and Chuck, we would like to open
50:19 a health center to has more volunteer,
50:22 more people come into work for us and then we
50:25 will able to reach this two population,
50:28 and we would be able to preach peace
50:31 between Israelis and Palestinian people.
50:34 What do you think? Amen.
50:36 Thank you so much, thank you.
50:39 We are going on from Israel where the Gospel
50:42 really started to the story of creation.
50:45 Thanks for joining us gentlemen.
50:46 Thank you, thank you very much.
50:47 I want to introduce you to a lady
50:49 whose experienced with ASI is deepening as we speak,
50:55 and that's Conna Bond.
50:57 And when Conna gets here,
50:58 she is the new director of communication for ASI.
51:03 Now what do you think about that?
51:06 Conna is one of the most brilliant pleasant,
51:11 wife's, mother's, horsewoman,
51:15 take care of whatever animals happened to be
51:16 in the back of your ranch--I hope you enjoy
51:20 Conna as much as I do.
51:22 Conna take a minute I want to ask you one
51:25 leading question?
51:27 When you were young you were in an environment
51:30 where asking questions about creation or about
51:33 Bible or about God what's just really not, okay
51:37 How have you transitioned in the last few years.
51:41 Well, I want to share with you my experience
51:44 with the Creation-Evolution debate
51:46 that goes to be way back to when I was young.
51:48 I was very blessed to grow up in a loving Christian home.
51:51 I had wonderful loving Christian Seventh-day
51:53 Adventist parents, both of my parents had a deep
51:55 abiding faith of their own,
51:57 and so I got a really wonderful picture of who
52:00 God is, how loving God is.
52:02 But I never really questioned my faith.
52:04 I didn't really need to
52:05 I was in a very protected environment.
52:08 And so it wasn't until I was about 21
52:10 when a respected scientist, a friend of mine
52:14 brought into question the biblical account of creation.
52:17 And it didn't take me probably a week to make
52:20 the connection between, well if I can't trust
52:22 the Bible on this issue,
52:24 why should I trust it on anything else.
52:27 And it was what my poof, my faith was just
52:30 evaporated before my eyes and I started to question
52:33 everything including is there really a God.
52:35 And it was very hard,
52:37 very painful time for me in my life.
52:40 But looking back I can see the God
52:41 was guiding through that process.
52:42 It was necessary thing for me to go through
52:45 because I didn't have a faith of my own at that point.
52:47 I had memorized a lot of information,
52:50 but I didn't know God at that point.
52:52 So the Lord really guided me through
52:54 the process but I didn't really have a lot of
52:56 places to go for answers.
52:58 There were not a lot of resources.
52:59 People weren't really talking about
53:01 the Creation-Evolution debate
53:02 at least not around me.
53:03 And so I had to meddle through that whole process
53:07 and it over period of 25 years
53:09 I continued to study everyday and personally
53:11 I can say the I truly, firmly believe there is
53:14 a God and that the biblical account of creation
53:17 is trustworthy and that is my testimony
53:19 my personal testimony.
53:21 I really believe in my heart
53:23 that is not a peripheral issue.
53:25 As you can see in my own life when the biblical account
53:28 was dissipated before me then the rest
53:31 of my faith fell apart as well.
53:33 And we need to recognize that for our children
53:35 and for our young people growing up
53:37 when they ask questions.
53:39 It helped me shape and form the way
53:41 I raised my own children.
53:43 I wanted to be there for them to help them ask
53:47 questions at a young age,
53:48 to tell them this not, this is what you should
53:51 believe, but this is what I believe and why.
53:54 Let's look at the evidence together,
53:56 and one of the things that really helped me
53:58 was to recognize that, you know,
54:01 some people will say there is more evidence
54:03 for Creation, or there is more evidence for evolution.
54:06 The reality is we all look at the same body of evidence.
54:10 It is how we look in way and test the evidence
54:13 that brings us to our conclusions.
54:16 And so I have worked through with my
54:17 own children to way and test that evidence
54:19 for themselves, and I'm really thankful now
54:22 for the resources that are out there to help me
54:25 work through that for myself and with my children
54:28 and a lot of wonderful Christian
54:30 scientists out there who studied into this issue.
54:33 I really was thankful for what Michael Hasel said
54:37 this week when he gave his presentation on archeology.
54:40 He gave some strong evidence that supports
54:43 the biblical account of the Israelites.
54:46 But he held up his Bible and this is the Bible
54:48 that my parents gave me when I was 16 years old,
54:50 I still have it.
54:52 He held up his Bible and he says I'm not here
54:53 to proof to you that God exist,
54:55 or to proof to you, and I'm not here today
54:56 proof to you that the creation account is true
54:59 or that the account of Israel is true.
55:01 The Bible stands on its own.
55:03 You can read this and there is enough eternal evidence.
55:05 You can way up and test it for yourself
55:08 and as David Asscherick told our children,
55:10 our youth yesterday or day before,
55:12 he said you can know that God is real
55:16 because of the relationship that you with Him.
55:18 When you what He has done in your own life
55:20 nobody can shake your belief
55:22 in the existence of a loving God.
55:24 But one of the things that he instruct me,
55:25 and I want leave you with this thought is that,
55:27 I have seen ranker on both sides of the issue
55:30 on the Creation and Evolution debate.
55:32 There has been disrespect
55:34 and unkindness and ridicule on both sides.
55:38 We need to not divorce the issue of Creation
55:41 from the message of the Cross,
55:44 from the message that we serve a loving God.
55:47 When I looked into this issue,
55:49 I saw the order of the universe.
55:51 I saw the order of creation.
55:52 It fits into my picture and my understanding
55:55 that God is good and that God is loving
55:58 and that is the most important message
56:00 that we have to share with the world
56:02 and the creation account is part of that message.
56:07 Conna thank you. What do you think?
56:13 I pray that each of us will be able to share
56:16 the kind of conversation Conna has had with her kids,
56:19 with our children and with our friends.
56:21 The Bible is the source and it is the safe source.


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