Participants: Pr. Taj Pacleb
Series Code: ROHB
Program Code: ROHB000001
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00:40 Our message tonight is entitled
00:42 Unlocking the Mysteries of the 00:43 Apocalypse. 00:45 Tonight in this foundational 00:46 message, we want to put the 00:49 importance of the study of 00:51 the bible prophecy in its 00:53 proper context. Ladies 00:54 and gentlemen, whether 00:55 we recognize it or not, 00:57 each and every one of us 00:59 are in the midst of a war; 01:01 a great controversy, a 01:04 cosmic conflict, a 01:05 supernatural battle 01:07 between good and evil. 01:09 I want us to notice how this war 01:11 is described in the Book of 01:13 Revelation, Chapter 12, which 01:15 is the first verse we are going 01:16 to be looking at tonight. I 01:17 would like you to take your 01:18 bible and open with me to the 01:19 last book, the Book of 01:20 Revelation. We're going to go 01:22 to the 12th chapter, Revelation, 01:26 the last book of the bible, the 01:28 12th chapter. Notice how the 01:29 bible describes this great 01:31 controversy between good and 01:32 evil. Revelation, Chapter 12, 01:34 beginning with Verse 7. We will 01:36 study this chapter in detail on 01:38 a future night. We are going to 01:39 understand all of the 01:40 complexities of this controversy 01:42 later on. But, I want us to 01:44 notice just one main point in 01:45 this chapter, Revelation 12. 01:47 Notice with me, in Verse 7, and 01:49 if you are there and if you are 01:50 ready to study the bible, would 01:52 you let me know by saying amen. 01:53 Amen. 01:54 The bible says in Revelation12:7 01:56 and there was war in 01:58 heaven. Michael and his angels 01:59 fought against the dragon; the 02:01 dragon fought against angels and 02:02 prevailed not. Neither was 02:04 their place found anymore in 02:05 heaven. The great dragon was 02:08 cast out. That old serpent 02:09 called the devil and Satan, 02:11 which deceives the whole world, 02:13 he was cast out into the earth 02:15 and his angels were cast out 02:17 with him. Here we find that war 02:19 broke loose in the very 02:21 atmosphere of God; in heaven 02:23 itself. As I mentioned, we're 02:25 going to cover all the 02:26 complexities of this controversy 02:28 in detail on a later night, but 02:30 I want you to notice as we ask 02:31 the question, what kind of war 02:33 was this that broke loose in 02:35 heaven? Friends, what we must 02:37 understand tonight is that there 02:39 was much more than a physical 02:40 battle, a clash of arms. No 02:41 friends, when the bible 02:43 describes the war in heaven, 02:45 that word war in the original 02:46 Greek language, is the word 02:48 polemos, which literally means 02:50 a strife, a quarrel, a dispute, 02:54 or an what? An argument. 02:57 So it was much more than a 02:59 physical battle that took place 03:01 between the holy angels and the 03:03 demonic angels. Lucifer, who 03:05 became Satan. It was much more 03:06 than physical friends. It was 03:09 a war of ideas, or, a war of 03:12 wills. You see friends, God 03:14 wants control over our minds. 03:16 But so does the enemy want 03:19 control over our minds. 03:20 The war is about the will, 03:22 friends. A battle of ideas 03:24 or a belief system. The reason 03:26 why this is important is because 03:27 friends, when you think about it 03:28 whoever has your mind, will 03:30 shape your beliefs. Isn't that 03:33 right? And whoever shapes your 03:36 beliefs will control, or dictate 03:38 your words and your actions. 03:40 And words and actions, when we 03:42 repeat them over and over, 03:44 produce habits. Habits form a 03:46 person's character. We have 03:48 been told that character is what 03:50 determines destiny. So the 03:52 great controversy between good 03:54 and evil that is fought in the 03:55 battlefield of our minds is 03:58 because God wants a destiny and 04:01 desires a destiny for us of 04:03 eternal bliss and happiness. But 04:05 Satan's destiny for us is a 04:07 destiny of eternal destruction. 04:09 But it all starts with the mind. 04:11 Whoever has your mind will shape 04:13 your beliefs, will control your 04:14 will and will determine your 04:17 destiny. So friends, we can say 04:19 it like this, our destiny is 04:20 going to be determined by 04:22 whomever we yield our mind to. 04:25 Notice that the bible says in 04:27 Verse 6 of the same chapter, 04:29 please write it down. 04:31 10 Corinthians 4:6 the 04:32 bible says for God who commanded 04:35 the light to shine out of 04:37 darkness has shined where? In 04:40 our hearts? To give the light. 04:42 What is the light? The...? 04:44 The knowledge of the...? 04:46 Glory of God in the face of 04:49 Jesus Christ. The bible defines 04:51 for us what the light 04:52 specifically is; the light of 04:54 the knowledge. What knowledge 04:56 Is it? Notice. 2 Peter 1:19, 04:58 the bible says, we have also a 05:00 more sure word of prophecy, 05:02 where unto you do to another 05:04 you take heed, as unto a what 05:06 everyone? A light that shines 05:08 in at our place, until the dawn 05:10 and the day star arise in your 05:12 hearts. So according to this 05:14 passage, we find that the light 05:16 is none other than the sure word 05:18 of prophecy. You see brothers 05:20 and sisters, God's word, the 05:23 bible, is a prophetic word and 05:25 it is a sure word. In a world 05:27 full of uncertainties and 05:28 unsurities, friends there is 05:30 something we can be certain and 05:32 sure about. And that is the 05:33 prophetic word that the bible 05:35 says it's like a light that 05:36 shines in a dark place and 05:38 friends, this is the light 05:39 God is wanting to shine in our 05:40 hearts as the same light that 05:42 Satan is wanting to blind us 05:44 from. He does not want us to 05:46 know the contents of the sure 05:48 word of prophecy. Because he 05:50 knows that if we know this sure 05:52 word of prophecy, his hold upon 05:54 our lives is going to be broken. 05:55 He knows he is going to be 05:57 defeated if we know the sure 05:59 word of prophecy. You see 06:01 brothers and sisters, the word 06:03 of God is like a light that 06:05 helps us to see our way through 06:06 the darkness of the devil's 06:08 deceptions and delusions in 06:10 these last days. The bible says 06:12 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet 06:14 and a light unto my path. 06:16 Friends, when it's all dark 06:17 around you're not going to know 06:19 where to go and what to do 06:20 unless you have the light. 06:22 Isn't that right? So the sure 06:24 word of prophecy is the light. 06:26 The knowledge that will save us 06:28 in these last days. But it's 06:31 called a sure word. Maybe some 06:33 of you are wondering how can I 06:34 be so sure that it's a sure 06:36 word? What evidence is there 06:39 that the bible is objectively, 06:41 universally and consistently 06:44 true for all time, in all ages, 06:47 for all people in all the world? 06:50 How can we be so sure that the 06:53 bible is the truth? Seven 06:55 reasons. Hope you write them 06:56 down. Here's the first one. 06:57 The first reason is the 06:59 testimony of internal 07:01 consistency. The testimony of 07:03 what, everyone? 07:04 Internal consistency. 07:05 In other words, when you study 07:06 the bible, you will find 07:08 internal consistency. Now it 07:10 seems like the bible we hold in 07:11 our hands is one book, or one 07:13 volume. But in reality, this 07:15 bible is a codex of 66 little 07:18 books put together in one volume. 07:20 Broken into two testaments; the 07:23 Old and the New Testament. So, 07:25 66 little books. These 07:27 different books were written 07:28 over a period of one thousand, 07:30 five hundred years, by over 07:32 thirty-six different authors 07:35 that lived on three different 07:37 continents. Individuals in 07:40 various different backgrounds 07:42 and different upbringings. 07:44 They all wrote about what is 07:46 undoubtedly the most 07:47 controversial topic in our world 07:48 today. That is the topic of 07:50 spirituality, the topic of God, 07:52 the topic of truth. Yet with 07:54 all these different factors, we 07:56 find that within the writings, 07:58 there is internal harmony and 08:00 consistency. You see, the 08:02 sacred writings of the bible 08:03 demonstrate consistency and 08:05 harmony that is not found in any 08:08 other book in the past or in 08:10 the present, in the history of 08:12 the world. Now this is 08:13 remarkable. You know why? 08:14 Because this was done in a day 08:16 before fax machines, a day 08:17 before conference call, e-mail, 08:20 voicemail. It wasn't as if they 08:22 all got together in one room and 08:25 carefully plotted what they were 08:26 going to write about to avoid 08:28 any contradictions. They did 08:30 not do this friends. Thirty-six 08:32 different authors, 08:33 A period of 1500 years, living 08:34 on three different continents, 08:36 various different backgrounds 08:38 and writing about the most 08:40 controversial issue; and that is 08:41 God. Yet there is harmony and 08:43 consistency, which testifies to 08:46 us that behind every penman was 08:50 the same divine author. God 08:53 himself inspired by the Holy 08:55 Spirit. That is one of the 08:58 first reasons. You are going to 08:59 see it more in detail as you 09:00 continue to come night after 09:02 night. Let's move on. The next 09:04 two reasons why you can trust 09:05 the message of the bible, is 09:06 because the testimony of history 09:09 and the testimony of archeology. 09:11 You see brothers and sisters, 09:13 modern archeological discoveries 09:15 continue to give us evidence of 09:18 the bible's historical accuracy 09:20 and of its divine preservation. 09:22 Many people are asking, how do we 09:25 know that the bible we study 09:26 today is still the same bible 09:28 that God inspired over 2000 09:31 years ago? How do we know that 09:33 the message hasn't been 09:35 corrupted? How do we know that 09:37 it is still the truth and it 09:39 still can be trusted? Well 09:40 friends listen, archeology 09:42 has answered this very important 09:43 question. In fact, it was in 09:45 1947 that a shepherd threw a rock 09:48 in a cave near the Dead Sea at 09:51 the West Bank. The shattered 09:53 sound of pottery led to one of 09:55 the greatest archeological 09:56 discoveries in modern time. It 09:58 was the discovery of the Dead 10:00 Sea scrolls. These ancient 10:02 manuscripts, dating back to the 10:04 first and second Century, 10:05 confirming the bible's accuracy 10:07 and preservation. In fact, did 10:09 you know there are over 20,000 10:11 ancient manuscripts of the New 10:13 Testament, dating within about a 10:15 hundred years of itself. There 10:17 are more manuscripts of the New 10:19 Testament, than any other piece 10:21 literature of antiquity. God 10:22 has given us plenty of evidence 10:24 through archaeology and history 10:26 to know that His word has been 10:28 preserved for us down throughout 10:31 the ages. A divine hand, 10:32 brothers and sisters, has 10:34 preserved his ancient words for 10:35 us today. Archaeology and 10:37 history bears this out. 10:39 Another reason, as we continue 10:40 tonight that we can trust the bible 10:42 Is the testimony of science. 10:44 All true science confirms the 10:46 bible's claims. We'll talk more 10:48 about that on a future night. 10:49 We don't have time to go into 10:50 some of that, but we'll get to 10:52 that on a future night. as we 10:53 continue, notice the fifth 10:55 reason why we can trust the 10:57 bible. It is the testimony of 10:58 relevancy. The testimony of 11:00 what? 11:01 Relevancy. 11:02 Friends, this is an ancient 11:03 book, but it is still relevant 11:05 for us today. An ancient book 11:07 that still speaks to the needs 11:09 of our contemporary society. 11:11 Giving us answers to the 11:12 problems we are facing right 11:14 now today, in our day and age. 11:16 It is the only book in the 11:18 world, the bible, that is read 11:19 by all classes of people, all 11:21 around the world and all 11:22 different statuses in life. It 11:24 is an ancient book and yet it is 11:26 the bestselling book and the 11:28 most translated piece of 11:30 literature in all the world, in 11:31 all of history. The bible, 11:34 friends, is a relevant book. 11:35 The one, the God who inspired 11:38 the word, never falls behind the 11:40 times. His declarations never 11:42 get outdated or out of touch. 11:44 His utterances are always fresh 11:46 and brand new. The teachings 11:47 of the bible friends, can solve 11:49 the problems we're facing in the 11:50 world today. We are going to 11:52 see that more in detail on 11:53 future nights. Next reason why 11:56 we can trust in the message in 11:57 the bible is because the 11:59 testimony of a changed and 12:01 transformed life. This book, 12:03 brothers and sisters, has the 12:04 power to change you from inside 12:06 out. I can stand before you 12:08 here tonight and testify to this 12:10 because I've experienced it. I 12:12 was never brought up in a 12:13 Christian home or a religious 12:14 household. Growing up, I had 12:16 no idea what was God or who was 12:17 God. As a result of not having 12:19 a spiritual foundation, growing 12:20 up in Waianae on the island of 12:22 of Oahu, I got involved in 12:24 drugs. I got involved in all 12:26 types of things that were just 12:27 wasting my life. In fact, this 12:29 was me just 13 years ago. If 12:31 you notice, look into those 12:33 eyes. There is no life in those 12:35 eyes. That was me friends. I 12:36 was a druggie. Burning out my 12:38 brain cells, getting high every 12:40 single day. Thinking that the 12:41 world could satisfy. But 12:43 friends, I was empty. In this 12:46 lost condition, someone came and 12:48 knocked on my door and they 12:50 invited me to a revelation 12:51 seminar. Have you ever heard 12:53 of something like that before? 12:54 A seminar just like this. I 12:56 came to those meetings just as 12:57 I was. Sometimes I came to the 12:59 meetings high. But as the word 13:01 of God was being proclaimed, as 13:03 I listened to God's word 13:04 friends, I experienced a change. 13:06 God restored my burnt brain 13:08 cells, he changed my life and 13:10 he made me a preacher and 13:11 presenter of the good news of 13:13 Jesus all around the world, 13:14 friends, who would have thought 13:16 that God could use someone like 13:17 me? Let me tell you, I know 13:19 that God's word is true because 13:20 it's made a change in my life. 13:21 Not just influencing my thinking 13:23 and my behavior, but from the 13:24 inside out, I am no longer that 13:26 person that you saw just a 13:27 moment ago on the screen. I 13:28 want you to know that you can 13:30 experience a change for the 13:32 better as you study God's word. 13:33 Can you say amen? 13:34 Amen. 13:35 Now, the seventh reason why we 13:36 can trust in the message of the 13:37 bible is because the testimony 13:39 of prophecy. The testimony of 13:41 what? 13:42 Prophecy. 13:43 Now friends, this is probably 13:44 one of the most compelling 13:45 reasons why the bible, we know 13:46 that it's true. Because 13:48 fulfilled bible prophecy 13:50 verifies. What word did I use? 13:52 Verifies. It verifies the 13:55 truthfulness of the bible. It 13:57 gives us confidence and 13:58 hope to know that the future is 14:00 in the hands of an almighty God. 14:02 By the way friends, this is what 14:04 makes the bible different than 14:06 any other book in the world. 14:08 What makes the God of the bible 14:10 unique from all other writings 14:12 and books? I want you to 14:15 notice what it says in the Book 14:17 of Isaiah 46:9 and 10. Isaiah, 14:19 Chapter 46, Verses 9 and 10. 14:21 It says, remember the former 14:23 things of old, for I am God and 14:26 there is how much? 14:27 None else. 14:28 None else. I am God and there 14:29 is none like me. Friends, I 14:31 want you to know this. This is 14:34 a very bold statement. Here, 14:35 the God of the bible is saying 14:38 I am the one true God. There's 14:40 none else. There's none like 14:42 me. By implication, this verse 14:44 is saying that every other God 14:46 that people are worshipping has 14:48 to be a false God. Now here's 14:49 the question. How do we know 14:51 that's true? Are we just to 14:53 accept it by blind faith? In 14:54 other words, is this an empty 14:56 statement? What gives weight 14:58 to the statement where God says 15:00 I'm the one true God and there's 15:01 none else? Notice the rest of 15:03 the verse. Declaring the end 15:06 from when? The beginning. And 15:08 from ancient times, things that 15:10 are not yet done. In other 15:12 words, God says I'm the one true 15:13 God. The evidence of this, he 15:15 says, I declare the end from 15:16 the beginning. I tell you what 15:18 is going to happen before it 15:19 does. When it happens, that's 15:21 evidence. That's verifiable, 15:23 testable evidence that what he 15:26 says is the truth. That he is 15:28 the one true God. This is not 15:30 an empty statement. The bible 15:33 actually invites us to test its 15:35 claims. Friends, what book in 15:38 the world does the same thing? 15:40 A book that actually invites us 15:42 to test to see whether these 15:45 things are really true. 15:46 Friends, this is remarkable 15:47 because if you notice, many 15:49 other quote, unquote, holy books 15:51 that people are writing and 15:54 reading, they claim they have 15:56 fragments of truth. There is 15:58 good in all religions. I 16:00 believe you can learn from 16:02 anyone. Amen? Every other book 16:04 has fragments of truth. But I 16:05 believe friends, that the bible 16:07 in its essence, is the truth. 16:09 Prophecy is how we can verify 16:10 things. If you're to study the 16:12 different quote, unquote, holy 16:13 books in the world, the writings 16:15 that people are saying are of 16:16 divine origin, you will find 16:17 something interesting. None of 16:18 them contain predictive 16:20 prophecy. A question ought to 16:22 raise up in your mind. Why not? 16:24 If these books are of divine 16:26 origin, why is there an absence 16:29 of predict prophecy? Here is the 16:31 simple reason. The future must 16:34 be known before it can be 16:36 revealed. The future must be 16:39 what everyone? 16:40 Known. 16:41 Before it can be? 16:42 Revealed. 16:43 The fact is, these quote, 16:44 unquote, holy books, do not 16:45 reveal the future because the 16:47 gods of these books don't know 16:49 the future. Why? Because they 16:51 are not divine, friends. I want 16:52 you to think about it. I want 16:54 to appeal to your reason 16:55 tonight. Anyone can write a 16:57 book with good principles to 16:59 live by. Be peaceful, be nice 17:00 to people. Anyone can do that, 17:02 right? But it takes a God, a 17:04 divine being, to tell the future 17:07 with specific accuracy and it 17:09 happens just as he said it. 17:11 Friends, if you notice an 17:13 absence in all these other 17:14 quote, unquote, holy books, but 17:17 the bible in contrast, over 30 17:20 percent of it is prophetic in 17:22 nature. In other words, God has 17:24 given to us plenty of verifiable 17:26 evidence. God does not expect 17:28 us to go blindly in faith. He's 17:30 given us some evidence that we 17:32 can rest our faith upon. 17:34 Prophecy is the proof that we 17:36 can believe that the bible is 17:37 the truth. Now if that makes 17:39 sense to you, would you please 17:40 say amen. 17:41 Amen. 17:42 Now friends, in the bible you'll 17:43 find that there are only two 17:44 books of the 66 that are 17:47 apocalyptic in its entirety. 17:49 One is in the Old Testament, the 17:50 other is in the New Testament. 17:52 The Old Testament apocalyptic 17:54 book is the Book of - do you 17:55 know? 17:56 Daniel. 17:57 Daniel. And the New Testament 17:58 apocalyptic book is the Book of? 17:59 Revelation. 18:00 Revelation. These two books 18:02 contain prophecies that have to 18:03 do with our day and age. In 18:05 fact, I want you to know some of 18:06 the opening words of this end 18:07 time book. Write it down. 18:08 Revelation Chapter 1:3. 18:10 Blessed is he that reads and 18:12 they that hear the words of this 18:15 prophecy and what? 18:16 Keep those things which are 18:18 written therein. For the time 18:20 is at hand. Notice in some of 18:22 the opening words of the Book 18:24 of Revelation. God pronounces a 18:26 threefold blessing. Blessed are 18:28 those who read it, those who 18:29 hear it, and those who keep or 18:31 apply the things contained 18:33 within it. We find that there 18:35 is a blessing in the study of 18:37 Revelation. Many sincere, 18:39 wonderful Christians are 18:40 allowing Satan to rob them of 18:42 the blessing when they buy into 18:44 the lie that Revelation is too 18:46 hard to understand. That it's 18:48 too mysterious. That it's scary 18:50 and we shouldn't study and that 18:51 it's not very important. 18:53 Friends, nothing could be 18:54 further from the truth. God has 18:55 a blessing in store for us in 18:56 this book. I don't know about 18:58 you, but if God wants to bless 18:59 me, I want all the blessings. 19:01 Amen? 19:02 Amen. 19:03 So, you have already been 19:04 blessed by making the decision 19:05 to come to this place. Friends, 19:06 the blessings are going to 19:07 continue to pour out as we take 19:09 a look at some of these 19:10 prophecies of these last days. 19:11 In fact, I want you to notice, 19:13 in the last chapter of this end 19:15 time book, Chapter 22 and Verse 19:17 10, please write it down. The 19:19 bible tells us He said to me, 19:22 do not what? Seal the words of 19:24 the prophecy of this book, for 19:25 the time is at hand. God tells 19:27 us clearly that this is not a 19:29 sealed, or a closed, book. 19:31 Don't ever believe it friends. 19:32 Revelation is an open book. 19:34 It's a book where God wants to 19:36 reveal some things to us. God 19:38 said clearly, do not seal it. 19:39 It's not sealed, it's not 19:40 closed; it's open. Remember 19:42 friends, whose goal is it to 19:44 hide things from us? 19:45 Satan. 19:46 Satan. Whose goal is it to 19:48 reveal and enlighten us? It's 19:50 God. So who do you suppose is 19:52 behind those who say that we 19:54 don't have to study Revelation? 19:56 Who do you suppose is behind 19:57 that? Friends, none other than 19:59 the enemy. I am so grateful 20:01 that you have chosen not to 20:02 listen to the enemy tonight. 20:04 Can we say amen? 20:05 Amen. 20:06 Let me tell you that there are 20:07 two main reasons why Satan hates 20:08 this book. He hates the whole 20:10 bible, but especially 20:11 Revelation, for two main 20:12 reasons. Number 1, is because 20:14 Revelation exposes his 20:17 deceptions in the last days. 20:19 The Book of Revelation describes 20:20 the anti-Christ's beast power. 20:22 They will perform signs and 20:24 wonders and miracles and all the 20:25 world is going to wonder after 20:27 the beast. Friends, when we 20:28 study Revelation, it exposes 20:30 those deceptions so that we will 20:32 not be deceived by that. Satan 20:34 wants us to be deceived. He 20:35 doesn't want to be exposed and 20:37 that's why he hates this book. 20:38 Friends, deception in these last 20:40 days is going to be so strong, 20:42 so potent. Do you know why? 20:44 Let's think for a moment. What 20:46 is the nature of deception? You 20:48 see, Satan many times does not 20:50 come as he appears because he 20:51 knows no one is going to fall 20:53 for it. So he comes as a subtle 20:56 serpent. He comes like a wolf 20:58 in sheep's clothing. Isn't that 21:00 right? Not only that, but 21:02 deception is a counterfeit of 21:04 the genuine. Tell me, how many 21:06 of you have ever seen a 21:08 counterfeit thirteen dollar 21:09 bill? Have you ever seen a 21:11 counterfeit thirteen dollar bill 21:12 anyone? 21:13 No. 21:14 Is there such a thing as a 21:15 counterfeit thirteen dollar bill? 21:16 No. 21:18 No. Why not? Because there is 21:19 no genuine thirteen dollar bill, 21:21 right? 21:22 Yes. 21:23 You see, deception is a 21:25 counterfeit of the truth of the 21:27 genuine. Now tell me, are there 21:28 counterfeit twenty dollar bills? 21:30 Yes or no? 21:31 Yes. 21:32 How about hundred dollar 21:33 bills? 21:34 Yes. 21:35 Why are there counterfeit twenty 21:36 and hundred dollar bills? 21:37 Because there is a genuine! 21:38 Satan is not going to 21:39 counterfeit something that is 21:40 not real, he's going to take 21:41 something that is real and he's 21:42 going to make a counterfeit of 21:44 it. What is a counterfeit? It 21:45 is something that looks real, 21:47 seems real, sounds real, may 21:49 even feel real, but in reality, 21:52 it is fake. The one that is a 21:54 surface observer may not catch 21:57 it. But when we study 21:58 Revelation, go deeper into the 22:00 word of God, we can tell the 22:01 difference between the 22:02 counterfeits of the anti-Christ 22:04 and the truth of Jesus Christ. 22:06 Can you say amen? 22:07 Amen. 22:08 That's the reason why friends, I 22:09 repeat, make sure that you write 22:10 down every scripture you hear 22:12 from this place. Make sure you 22:13 go home and check in your own 22:15 bible. If it's not there, you 22:16 don't have to believe it 22:17 friends. Never take a man's 22:19 word for it. I'm talking about 22:20 myself. You don't know me. 22:21 Make sure that everything that 22:23 you hear from this place and any 22:24 other spiritual meeting, you 22:25 test it with the word of God, 22:27 because friends, many sincere 22:29 people are being led astray by 22:32 wolves in sheep's clothing. So 22:33 we need to study for ourselves. 22:35 Can we say amen? 22:36 Amen. 22:37 God expects us to use our mind 22:39 and to test it out for ourselves. 22:41 We encourage you to do that. We 22:42 have nothing to hide friends. 22:44 The bible, and the bible alone, 22:46 is the only thing that matters 22:47 here in this seminar. We don't 22:48 want to teach anything unless 22:50 it's from a does sayeth the Lord 22:52 and it is written. But 22:54 friends listen, choosing to 22:55 ignore Revelation is choosing to 22:56 allow ourselves to be deceived 22:58 in these last days. That's one 23:00 of the first reasons Satan hates 23:01 the Book. The second reason is 23:03 actually found in the opening 23:04 words of this Book. So I invite 23:05 you to now turn with me to 23:07 Revelation Chapter 1. 23:08 Revelation Chapter 1. Notice 23:10 with me the second reason why 23:12 Satan hates the Book of 23:14 Revelation. Revelation Chapter 23:17 1 and Verse 1. the bible says, 23:20 The Revelation of beasts and 23:23 dragons plagues-is that what it 23:25 says? No friends, is the Book of 23:26 Revelation all about beasts and 23:28 dragons plagues? 23:29 No. 23:30 Well that's what most people 23:31 think, right? Most people, when 23:32 they think about Revelation, oh, 23:34 it's scary. These beasts and 23:35 dragons and scary plagues. I 23:37 don't want to read it, I don't 23:38 want to know. It's too scary. 23:39 But friends, what is Revelation 23:41 about? The Revelation of Jesus 23:43 Christ. Notice friends, it does 23:45 not say the Revelation from 23:46 Jesus - even though it is from 23:48 him. It says the Revelation of 23:51 Jesus. It's not just from him, 23:53 but it's of him. In other 23:54 words, the Book of Revelation 23:56 is all about Jesus. Jesus wants 23:58 to reveal himself and his power 24:00 and his grace and his peace and 24:02 his love to us, through the 24:03 prophecies of this end time book. 24:05 Friends, that's the reason why 24:07 Satan hates Revelation. because 24:09 Satan hates Jesus. He wants to 24:11 separate us and take us away 24:13 from Jesus. The devil knows if 24:15 we study Revelation, Jesus will 24:17 be revealed to us and he doesn't 24:20 want us to know Jesus. That's 24:21 the reason why he hates it, 24:23 friends. It's not just a 24:24 revelation from him, it is a 24:26 revelation of him. Tell me 24:27 friends, what is Jesus like? Is 24:30 Jesus scary? Absolutely not. 24:33 What is he like? He's 24:35 beautiful, isn't he? He's 24:37 wonderful. He is magnificent. 24:39 Jesus is powerful, Jesus is 24:43 love! Jesus is filled with 24:44 grace. Friends, if Revelation 24:45 is all about Jesus, that means 24:46 Revelation is beautiful. That 24:48 is the correct way to see this 24:49 end time book. It's basically a 24:52 love story between Jesus and his 24:54 people. We're going to see that 24:55 more in detail on a later night. 24:57 But, I want you to notice, the 24:58 primary purpose of Revelation, 25:01 Number 1, is to reveal Jesus. 25:03 If that is clear, would you 25:05 please say amen? 25:06 Amen. 25:07 Now notice the secondary 25:08 purpose of prophecy. It 25:09 continues the same. The 25:10 Revelation of Jesus Christ, 25:12 which God gave unto him to show 25:14 unto his servants, things which 25:15 must what? Shortly come to 25:17 pass. He sent and signified it by his 25:20 angel to his servant, John. I 25:21 want you to notice friends, the 25:23 secondary purpose of the Book of 25:24 Revelation is to reveal things 25:25 which must shortly come to pass. 25:27 That's prophecy, but that's the 25:28 secondary purpose. 25:29 The primary purpose, reveal 25:32 Jesus. Then after that, things 25:34 which must shortly come to pass 25:36 And, by the way, why does God 25:38 want to reveal things which must 25:40 shortly come to pass to us? Why 25:42 is he interested in removing the 25:44 veil, giving us a glimpse into 25:46 the future? Is God simply 25:48 seeking to satisfy our curiosity 25:50 ? Is he just trying to inform 25:52 our minds? No friends. Notice 25:54 the motive of God in revealing 25:57 the future to us. Jesus said in 25:59 John 14, Verse 29, please write 26:02 it down, John 14:29 Jesus said 26:04 and now I have told you before 26:06 it come to pass, that when it is 26:08 come to pass, you might what? 26:10 So why does God tell us what is 26:12 going to come to pass before it 26:14 does? So that we might just 26:15 be satisfied in our curiosity, 26:17 so that we might believe. 26:19 In other words, 26:20 the motive of God in 26:21 revealing the future to us is to 26:23 give us evidence, friends. 26:24 Verifiable evidence that we can 26:26 believe that what he says is the 26:28 truth. That his word is the 26:30 truth. It's the guide to life. 26:32 It's the map to heaven. So God 26:34 is seeking a relationship with 26:36 us. Amen. That's what it's all 26:38 about friends. It's not just 26:40 about head knowledge, it's about 26:41 a heart experience with a person 26:43 that can be believed in. A 26:46 person that can be trusted. A 26:48 person that has your best 26:50 interests in mind. A person 26:51 that only desires to bless you 26:53 and prosper you and give you 26:55 victory over evil. This is the 26:57 purpose of prophecy, friends. 26:59 It's to solidify our faith that 27:01 God is a God that can be 27:03 believed in. Can you say amen? 27:04 Amen. 27:05 Not simply to satisfy our 27:06 curiosity or to inform the mind, 27:07 but to enable us to enter into 27:10 a safe, trusting relationship 27:12 with Jesus Christ. And that's 27:14 good news. Now I want you to 27:16 notice how did Jesus give the 27:19 Revelation? The rest of Verse 1 27:21 said, and he sent and signified 27:24 by his angel to a servant John. 27:29 So when the Lord revealed things 27:30 which must shortly come to pass 27:31 to us, when he revealed the 27:32 future, the bible said he first 27:33 signified it. Now, friends 27:34 tell me, what is the root word 27:36 of the word signify? The word 27:38 sign, right? In other words, 27:39 God revealed the future to us, 27:41 but how did he do it? In signs 27:43 and symbols. In other words, 27:45 Revelation is a symbolic book. 27:47 This is how God reveals prophecy 27:49 to us. In fact, notice another 27:51 supporting verse in the Book of 27:53 Hosea, Chapter 12 and Verse 10, 27:55 please write it down. Hosea 12:10 27:57 says, I have also spoken by the 27:59 prophets and I have multiplied 28:01 visions and I have given what? 28:03 Symbols through the witness of 28:05 the prophets. So, God revealed 28:07 the future to us through signs 28:09 and through symbols. Now why 28:11 did God do this? Was God just 28:13 trying to make it hard for us to 28:15 understand? No friends, the 28:16 reason why he did it is very 28:18 simple. He gave the future to 28:20 us in signs and symbols because 28:22 this was God's way of preserving 28:24 the message from the enemies who 28:26 would try to destroy the message. 28:29 So to conceal it, was a way of 28:31 preserving it. That's the 28:33 reason why. And for those who 28:35 really wanted to know what truth 28:36 is, they would have to search 28:38 with all their hearts. God 28:39 would bless them with lifesaving 28:41 knowledge and understanding of 28:43 what this book is all about. 28:45 Friends, it's a symbolic book 28:47 filled with signs and symbols. 28:49 If that's the case, then here's 28:51 the next question. How do we 28:53 unlock the meaning in the signs 28:55 and the symbols of prophecy? 28:57 Well tonight, I want to give 28:59 you seven keys to unlock the 29:01 mysteries of the apocalypse. 29:03 How many keys? 29:04 Seven. 29:05 Now only seven reasons why you 29:07 can believe it. But now seven 29:09 keys of how you can understand 29:11 it. You see, God in his word, 29:14 has given us some hermeneutical 29:16 principles. Principles of how 29:18 to study the bible to really 29:20 understand what truth is and 29:22 what God is trying to 29:23 communicate in absolute sense. 29:25 But, the first thing you need to 29:27 know is that there is a right 29:29 way to study the bible, but 29:30 there is also a wrong way, to 29:31 study the bible. Did you know 29:32 that? Many people think there's 29:34 no wrong way. But friends, 29:35 let me tell you, there's a wrong 29:36 way to study it, and there's a 29:37 right way to study it. Let me 29:39 show it to you. In the Book of 29:41 Second Timothy, Chapter 2, Verse 29:43 15, the bible says, study to show 29:46 who? So friends, we're not to 29:48 let preachers and teachers spoon 29:51 feed us. We're to study for 29:52 ourselves. Amen. It says, study to show 29:54 yourself approved unto God. A 29:56 workman that needs not be 29:59 ashamed, rightly dividing the 30:01 word of truth. So the bible 30:02 there is a right way to divide. 30:04 To study, to interpret, to 30:06 understand the word of truth. 30:07 Friends, think about it, if 30:08 is a right way, then that means 30:09 there is also a... 30:10 Wrong way. 30:12 Wrong way. So what is the right 30:14 way to study the bible? You see 30:16 many people say you can make the 30:18 bible say whatever you want it 30:21 to say. That is not true if you 30:24 study it the way it tells you to 30:27 study it. You see, if we all 30:29 use these seven keys, these 30:31 hermeneutical principles of how 30:33 to study the bible, we would all 30:35 be on the same page in our 30:36 understanding of the meaning. 30:38 God has not left us to guess, 30:40 speculate and surmise. Think 30:42 about it. Things of eternal 30:44 importance, God is not going to 30:45 leave us to guess about that. 30:47 He is going to make it clear 30:48 because he is a just and fair 30:50 God. Can we say amen? 30:51 Now I want to share with you 30:53 seven keys to unlock the 30:54 mysteries in the meanings of the 30:57 mysteries of the Book of 30:58 Revelation. I want you to write 30:59 them down. Key number 1, we're 31:00 going to go through this kind of 31:01 fast. Number 1, we must 31:03 understand that the Book of 31:05 Revelation is built upon the 31:08 solid foundation of the Old 31:10 Testament scriptures. 31:11 Revelation is like a mosaic of 31:14 scripture. Do you know what a 31:16 mosaic is? It's a lot of 31:18 pictures. Small pictures put 31:20 together to make one big 31:22 picture. Isn't that right? 31:23 That's what revelation is. It's 31:25 like a mosaic of other 31:26 scriptures in the Old Testament. 31:27 There are four hundred and four 31:29 verses in the Book of 31:30 Revelation. How many? 31:31 Four hundred and four. 31:33 And of the four hundred and four 31:34 verses, two hundred and seventy- 31:36 four of those verses are direct 31:38 quotes, paraphrases and echoes 31:41 from the Old Testament 31:43 scriptures. In other words, 31:44 it's built upon the foundation 31:46 of the Old Testament. Friends, 31:47 to ignore the Old Testament 31:49 context in our study of 31:51 Revelation is to be prepared to 31:53 have a faulty and a wrong 31:55 conclusion of its meaning. Let 31:57 me give you one example for the 31:58 sake of time. I can give you a 32:00 lot of examples, but here's one. 32:01 In the thirteenth chapter of 32:03 Revelation it describes a beast 32:05 that comes up out of the sea. 32:08 This beast has seven heads and 32:10 ten horns. It has the body of a 32:13 leopard, it has the feet of a 32:15 bear and it has the mouth of a 32:17 lion. It has seven heads and 32:19 ten horns. Friends listen, if 32:21 you ever see an animal like this 32:23 don't even run, just pray. 32:25 Amen. Obviously, this is 32:27 symbolic, right? So what does it 32:30 mean? How can we understand 32:31 these things? Friends, we 32:33 have to guess and make up our 32:35 own interpretation. All we have 32:36 to do is go back to the Old 32:38 Testament context. Because this 32:39 beast in Revelation thirteen, 32:41 according to Daniel chapter 7, a 32:44 beast in prophecy represents a 32:47 king and their kingdom. So it's 32:49 not talking about animals, these 32:50 are talking about kingdoms we're 32:52 referring to. Friends, this 32:54 beast, or this kingdom, is like 32:57 a lion, bear and a leopard. We 32:59 have seen these symbols in the 33:01 Old Testament book of Daniel. 33:03 In Daniel Chapter 7, we're going 33:05 to study this on this coming 33:06 Sunday. Daniel 7 describes a 33:09 lion, a bear, a leopard, and a 33:11 terrible looking beast that has 33:12 ten horns. The beast in 33:15 Revelation 13 is simply a 33:17 composite kingdom of all these 33:20 other kingdoms in prophecy. And 33:22 many people are trying to find 33:23 out who this beast in Revelation 33:25 13 is, when they don't even have 33:27 a clue who the four beasts of 33:30 Daniel Chapter 7 are. You see 33:31 friends, in order to correctly 33:33 understand, we first have to 33:35 get the Old Testament context 33:36 and foundation. Are you with 33:38 me, yes or no? 33:39 Yes. 33:40 And friends, on a later night, 33:41 we're going to understand all 33:42 these symbols. Don't worry, 33:43 we're going to get to that. 33:44 Tonight we're just laying the 33:45 foundation. Amen. 33:46 Amen. 33:48 A good solid foundation of how 33:49 we're going to approach the 33:50 study of the word of God. We're 33:51 going to know exactly why this 33:52 beast has seven heads and ten 33:54 horns. Why it has the feet of a 33:55 bear. We're going to understand 33:56 what the water represents. 33:57 We're going to know exactly why 33:59 the lion has two wings and the 34:00 leopard has four wings and four 34:01 heads. We know all those 34:03 details in this seminar. Not 34:04 only that, but friends, we're 34:05 going to know exactly who the 34:06 anti-Christ is in this seminar. 34:08 We're going to know friends. 34:09 It's clear. God made it clear 34:10 for us to understand. We're 34:12 going to know exactly what the 34:13 mark of the beast is in this 34:14 seminar. We are going to 34:15 discover everything we need 34:16 to know about Israel and the 34:17 rebuilding of the temple in the 34:18 last days. We're going to study 34:19 the sequence of end time events. 34:21 The rapture, the seven last 34:22 plagues, Armageddon, we're going 34:23 to understand all of those 34:24 things. We're also going to see 34:26 a study on the United States in 34:27 bible prophecy. A topic on the 34:29 abomination and desolation. 34:30 What happens when a person dies? 34:32 Why does God allow sin and 34:33 suffering? Why are there so 34:34 many different denominations? 34:35 All of these things will be 34:36 covered. We're also going to 34:38 discover in this seminar about 34:40 the Holy Spirit and the gifts of 34:41 the Spirit and how to be filled 34:43 and how to know that we can have 34:44 the Holy Spirit. We're going to 34:46 study from God's word what it 34:47 says about how we can be blessed 34:49 physically, mentally, emotionally, 34:51 financially, socially, and 34:53 spiritually. In every single 34:55 aspect. In this seminar, we're 34:56 going to discover through the 34:57 topics, how to find personal 34:59 peace and how to be ready for 35:01 the end of time and to live with 35:03 Jesus for eternity. So 35:05 friends, we're going to cover a 35:06 lot. But tonight, once again, 35:07 is just the foundation. So we see 35:09 clearly that Revelation is built 35:11 upon the solid foundation of the 35:13 what? 35:15 Old Testament. 35:16 Old Testament scriptures. Now 35:17 we go to the second key. Write 35:18 it down. That is simply that 35:19 the bible is its own interpreter. 35:23 The bible interprets itself. 35:25 Friends, as you come to this 35:26 place, I am not going to give 35:28 you my interpretation. Friends, 35:29 you can throw my interpretation 35:30 in the garbage. It does not 35:32 matter what I think. We're 35:34 going to see that the bible is 35:35 its own interpreter. I want you 35:37 to notice an example of this in 35:39 the Book of II Peter, Chapter 1. 35:41 Please turn with me now, 2 35:43 Peter, Chapter 1, beginning with 35:45 verse 19. If you're there, 35:46 would you let me know by saying 35:48 amen? 35:49 Amen. 35:50 All right. The bible says in 2 35:51 Peter 1:9, we have also a 35:52 more sure word of prophecy. 35:54 Where unto you do other, you 35:56 take heed. As unto a light that 35:57 shines in a dark place, unto the 36:00 dawn and the day-star arise in 36:02 your hearts. Knowing this first. 36:05 In other words, if we're going 36:07 to be sure, about the sure word 36:09 of prophecy, we have to know 36:10 something first. Well, what do 36:12 we need to know? Knowing this 36:14 first, that no prophecy of the 36:16 scripture is of any what? 36:18 Private interpretation. In 36:20 other words, we can't just give 36:22 our own interpretation. It's 36:23 not a private interpretation. 36:26 Verse 21. For prophecy came not 36:28 in old time by the will of man. 36:30 First I want you to notice, that 36:32 word man, is it in the singular 36:35 or the plural? Singular, right? 36:37 It did not come by the will of 36:39 man. That's not one man. In 36:40 other words, God didn't give all 36:43 the truth to any one man. One 36:45 man did not give all the truth. 36:46 It did not come by the will of 36:48 man. But notice, but holy-what 36:51 is the next word? Men of God 36:53 spoke as they were moved by the 36:55 Holy Ghost. So it did not come 36:58 by the will of man, but holy men. 36:59 That word men, is that singular 37:01 or plural? That's plural, 37:03 that's more than one. Here's 37:05 the point friends, one man did 37:07 not give it, therefore, one man 37:10 cannot explain it. But as we 37:12 compare the testimonies and the 37:13 visions of all the different 37:15 holy men of God, we can 37:18 understand what truth is and 37:19 we'll see that the bible 37:20 explains itself. Does that make 37:23 sense? In fact, notice with me 37:26 in 2 Timothy Chapter 3, Verse 16 37:29 it says that all scripture is 37:32 given by inspiration of God and 37:34 is what? The bible says how 37:36 much scripture is given by 37:38 inspiration? All. In other 37:40 words, when we study the bible, 37:42 we can't treat the bible like a 37:44 buffet. What do you do at a 37:45 buffet? You pick and choose, 37:47 isn't that right? First, the 37:49 bible is not a buffet to pick 37:51 and choose. It's a full course 37:53 meal. It says that all 37:54 scripture is given by 37:55 inspiration. All of it is 37:56 prophetible, all of it is 37:57 relevant. Why? Because we find 37:59 the truth of any given topic as 38:02 we compare all the writings with 38:04 itself, because God does not 38:05 contradict himself and it's all 38:07 in complete harmony with itself. 38:09 In fact, I want you to notice in 38:11 Isaiah Chapter 28, Verse 9 and 38:13 and 10. It gives the same 38:15 principle. Isaiah verse 9 and 38:16 10, it says, whom shall he teach 38:18 knowledge and whom shall he make 38:20 to understand doctrine? In 38:22 other words, who is going to 38:23 understand the doctrine, the 38:24 teachings of the bible? Here is 38:26 the answer. For precept must be 38:28 upon precept. Precept upon 38:30 precept. Line upon line, line 38:33 upon line. Here a little and 38:35 there a little. In other words, 38:37 here the bible gives us a 38:39 hermeneutical principle, how to 38:41 study. It says that precept 38:43 must be upon precept. Line upon 38:45 line. Line upon line. In other 38:47 words, we call that contextual 38:49 study. What kind of study? 38:50 Contextual. 38:51 In other words, to really know 38:52 what truth is, we have to study 38:53 the context. Because you can 38:55 take anything out of context and 38:56 twist it around and make your 38:58 own belief. But if you study 38:59 contextually, that is a 39:01 safeguard from being led astray 39:04 into some crazy doctrine. So 39:06 contextual study, precept upon 39:08 precept, line upon line. but 39:11 not only contextual study. At 39:13 the last part it says, here a 39:15 little and there a little. 39:16 That's what we like to call 39:18 comparative study. What kind of 39:20 study? 39:21 Comparative. 39:22 In other words, we look here a 39:23 little in the Book of Revelation 39:24 reading the context of course, 39:26 and then we go there a little in 39:28 the Book of Daniel, still 39:29 reading the context. And then 39:30 we jump over here a little to 39:32 the Book of Isaiah. Then we 39:34 compare what Moses said there a 39:35 little. Then as we compare the 39:37 different writings of different 39:38 men of the bible, still reading 39:40 the context, it's then that we 39:41 can now what truth really is on 39:43 any topic, and we will discover 39:45 before our very eyes, that the 39:46 bible is very simple and easy to 39:48 understand, because it explains 39:50 itself. Can you say amen? 39:51 Amen. 39:53 By the way, this is how the 39:54 Holy Spirit teaches. You want 39:55 to know how the Holy Ghost 39:56 teaches? By this method. 39:57 Notice what it says in 2 39:58 Corinthians Chapter 2 and verse 40:00 13. Which things we also speak. 40:02 Not in the words which man's 40:04 wisdom teaches, but which the 40:06 Holy Ghost teaches. Comparing 40:08 spiritual things with spiritual. 40:10 So the Holy Spirit teaches by 40:12 comparison, friends. Here a 40:14 little and there a little. And 40:16 so that is the method that we 40:17 want to use in this seminar. 40:19 That leads us to our next key 40:21 by the way. The key, the third 40:23 key is that we must pray for the 40:25 guiding wisdom of the Holy 40:27 Spirit in order to understand 40:28 spiritual things. So before you 40:30 even crack open a bible, you 40:31 must first pray and ask the 40:33 spirit of God to lead you and 40:34 guide you in your thoughts and 40:36 to lead you to the right 40:38 conclusions. By the way 40:39 friends, the bible is the only 40:42 book, when it's read, the author 40:44 is always present, as long as we 40:46 invite Him to be present. Can 40:48 we say amen? 40:49 Amen. 40:50 The Holy Spirit comes and 40:51 teaches. Notice what it says in 40:52 1 Corinthians 2, verse 14. It 40:53 says, but the natural man-the 40:55 what kind of man? 40:56 Natural. 40:57 The natural man does not receive 40:58 the things of the spirit of God, 40:59 for they are foolish to him. 41:01 Nor can he know them because 41:03 they are spiritually discerned. 41:05 Spiritual things are spiritually 41:07 discerned. If we come with the 41:09 natural man, the carnal mind, 41:10 and expect to understand 41:12 spiritual things, we're not 41:13 going to know it. It's going to 41:14 be a bunch of foolishness to us. 41:15 That's why there are many 41:16 atheists and infidels and 41:17 skeptics that think it's such 41:18 foolishness. Why? Because they 41:20 are trying to understand it 41:21 with a natural, carnal mind. 41:23 But friends, when we pray to the 41:25 Holy Spirit to give us wisdom, 41:26 It's then that we can discern 41:28 the message and understand now 41:30 what truth really is. Notice 41:32 the promise of Jesus in John 16: 41:34 13. Christ said, how be it when 41:37 He, the spirit of truth is come 41:39 He will guide you into what? 41:41 All truth. 41:42 Not into ideas or speculation or 41:44 opinions, but into all truth. 41:46 This is what the Holy Spirit 41:48 will do, friends. What is 41:50 truth? John 17:17 tells us. 41:52 Sanctify them through thy truth. 41:56 Thy word is truth. Can you say 41:59 amen? 42:00 Amen. 42:01 So we will understand the truth 42:02 of the word of God as the spirit 42:03 of God leads us when we pray and 42:05 ask Him for His guidance. That 42:06 leads us to our fourth key. 42:07 What else do we need to pray 42:09 for? Not just for Holy Spirit, 42:10 But key number 4, we must also 42:12 pray for a humble and teachable 42:15 spirit. Because friends, when 42:16 you think about it, the one that 42:17 thinks he knows it all, what 42:19 else can God teach him? The one 42:20 that comes with a pharisaical 42:21 mindset and says, oh I know all 42:22 these things. You see, it was 42:24 the Pharisees who thought they 42:25 knew it all, that crucified and 42:27 rejected Christ. Many 42:28 Christians are doing the same 42:30 thing because they say I've been 42:31 brought up in the church, oh I 42:32 know so much, what can I learn 42:34 now? My friends, in reality, 42:36 the one who thinks he knows it 42:38 all, does not know, what he does 42:40 not know. Did you catch that? 42:42 The one who thinks he knows it 42:43 all, does not know what he does 42:45 not know. I want you to notice, 42:46 we must be humble and teachable 42:47 in our study. Jesus said in 42:49 Matthew 11 Verse 25, you have 42:51 hidden these things from the 42:52 wise and prudent and have 42:54 revealed them to who? 42:55 Babes. 42:56 Babes. In other words, we must 42:58 have a mindset of a child, of a 42:59 babe. What is the 43:00 characteristic of a little 43:02 child? They're so inquisitive. 43:03 They ask questions. They're 43:04 teachable. Their minds are 43:06 moldable and as we pray for a 43:08 humble and teachable spirit, get 43:10 off our pedestal and humble 43:11 ourselves at the feet of Jesus, 43:12 is then that God can reveal the 43:14 deep things of God to us. Why? 43:16 Because He knows that we're 43:18 going to receive it like a 43:19 little child. Can you say amen? 43:20 Amen. 43:21 Then our next key. Key number 43:24 five, is that we must seek for 43:27 truth, not with a mere curiosity 43:30 but with all our hearts. In 43:33 other words, we have to ask God 43:35 to give us a hunger and a thirst 43:38 for it. We can't just read 43:40 casually and surfacely and 43:41 expect to understand. No, we 43:43 have to search with all our 43:44 hearts. The bible says in 43:46 Hebrews 11 verse 6, that He is 43:48 a rewarder of them that seek him 43:50 how? 43:51 Diligently. 43:52 Diligently. We must be 43:53 diligent, we must not stay at 43:55 the surface. Just like a gold 43:57 miner has to dig beneath the 43:59 surface to find the treasure. 44:01 Just like a scuba diver has to 44:02 go beneath the surface of the 44:04 water to see the wonders of God, 44:05 so too the bible student is not 44:07 going to be a surface reader of 44:08 scripture. They're going to dig 44:10 deep and they're going to find 44:12 the treasures and the wonder of 44:14 God. Can you say amen? 44:15 Amen. 44:16 The bible says you will seek me 44:17 and you will find me when you 44:19 search for me with all your 44:21 heart. Then when God reveals 44:23 truth to us, what are we to do? 44:25 Key number 6. How do we respond 44:27 when God reveals truth? Number 44:29 6, we simply need to do what God 44:32 has told us to do. In other 44:34 words, we need to apply it to 44:36 our lives. Jesus said in John 44:39 7:17, if any man will to do his 44:42 will, he shall know the doctrine 44:44 whether it be of God or whether 44:46 I speak of myself. So according 44:48 to this passage, the one that is 44:49 going to know the doctrine is 44:51 the one that is willing to do 44:52 the will of God. In other 44:53 words, when God reveals truth, 44:55 He sends it to us, not just to 44:57 inform our minds, but God wants 44:58 us to apply it to our lives. 45:00 The blessing is in life 45:02 application that we walk in the 45:04 light of truth so that it is not 45:06 just head knowledge, but it's a 45:08 heart experience with a person 45:10 of truth that is Jesus Christ. 45:12 Can we say amen? 45:13 Amen. 45:15 Finally, our seventh and last 45:16 key. After we apply it to our 45:17 lives, then what do we need to 45:19 do? Key number 7, we need to 45:20 share what we got, amen. 45:22 Amen. 45:23 We need to share it with others. 45:24 The things that God has shared 45:26 with us. The bible tells us in 45:28 Proverbs Chapter 11 verse 25, 45:30 that the liberal soul, that's 45:32 the generous soul, shall be made 45:34 fat. He that waters, shall be 45:37 watered also himself. Others, 45:39 when we share the water of life, 45:41 the water of truth, with others, 45:42 God gives us even more for 45:45 ourselves. Amen. 45:46 Amen. 45:47 When we empty our cup in 45:48 blessing to others, is then that 45:49 God can fill our cup. So we 45:51 need to give it out. Share it 45:53 with our family and our friends 45:54 because God has revealed it to 45:56 you, not just for you, but for 45:58 all those that are in your 46:00 influence. Friends, when we do 46:01 that, God sees, I can trust this 46:03 person with the deep things of 46:04 God, because he's just giving it 46:06 out and I want all my children 46:08 to experience this. So let me 46:09 give him some more so that he 46:11 can share some more with others. 46:14 So we found seven keys of how 46:16 to unlock the mysteries of the 46:18 apocalypse. Let's see if you 46:19 can remember them without 46:21 looking at your notes. Key 46:23 number 1. I'll help you, don't 46:25 worry. Revelation is built upon 46:28 the solid foundation of the Old 46:31 Testament scriptures. Very 46:33 good. Key number 2. Remember 46:37 the bible interprets itself. We 46:39 don't have to guess and surmise 46:40 and speculate. Just let the 46:42 bible speak for itself. Then 46:45 key number 3. Before we even 46:47 crack it open, what are we going 46:48 to do? Pray for what? The 46:51 guiding wisdom of the Holy 46:53 Spirit. Who better to help us 46:54 understand than the author 46:56 Himself? But don't just pray 46:57 for the Holy Spirit. Key number 46:59 4. We need to pray for a humble 47:01 and teachable spirit, because 47:03 the one who thinks he knows it 47:04 all, does not know, what he does 47:06 not know. Key number 5. We 47:08 need to seek with all our hearts 47:11 to be diligent studiers. Then 47:13 when God reveals truth, key 47:15 number 6. What are we going to 47:16 do? 47:17 Share with others. 47:18 Not share with others yet. 47:19 Apply it to your life first, 47:21 amen. Apply it to your life. 47:23 Do what God has told you to do. 47:25 Then once you have applied it to 47:26 your life, then key number 7. 47:28 We need to share with others, 47:30 the things that we have learned. 47:32 Friends, when we use these seven 47:34 keys, I want you to notice what 47:36 we can expect as a result. 47:38 Jesus said in John 8:32, you 47:41 shall know the truth. For 47:43 yourself, friends. You shall 47:45 know the truth in an absolute 47:47 sense, folks. What is the truth 47:49 going to do? 47:50 The truth shall make you free. 47:53 Free from what? Free from 47:55 confusion. Free from deception. 47:57 Free from uncertainty. Free 47:59 from fear of the end times. 48:01 Free from worry, free from 48:03 guilt, free from sin when we 48:05 know the truth. Not just 48:07 intellectually, but 48:08 experientially. When we know 48:10 Jesus, we can be free from all 48:11 of Satan's delusions in the last 48:13 days. Can you say amen. 48:14 Amen. 48:15 Not only will we know the truth 48:16 and be free by it, but notice in 48:17 Revelation chapter 1 verse 4, 48:19 we're almost finished. Grace be 48:21 unto you! And peace from him 48:24 which is, which was, and which 48:26 is to come. You see, God not 48:28 only will change our mind, he 48:31 will transform our lives by His 48:33 grace and peace. Oh, brothers 48:35 and sisters, is your life filled 48:37 with anxiety? Grief? How about 48:40 stress and worry? 48:41 Revelation speaks about a God of 48:44 grace, a Prince of Peace. How 48:46 many of you could use a little 48:48 more peace in your life? 48:49 Amen! 48:50 A little more rest in the 48:51 busyness? Freedom from stress? 48:53 Oh, brothers and sisters, it's 48:54 found in this end time book. 48:56 Especially, it speaks grace, it 48:58 speaks peace, it speaks hope to 49:01 us. It's offered by Him who 49:04 was, who is and who is to come. 49:07 Friends, who is that? 49:08 Jesus. 49:09 That's Jesus. The same 49:11 yesterday, today and forever. 49:13 Jesus was, brothers and sisters, 49:16 he was the one who faced every 49:18 trial that you will ever face in 49:20 your life. He was the one that 49:22 suffered every disappointment 49:23 that you will ever experience. 49:24 He was the one that was tempted 49:26 in all points like as we are, 49:27 yet without sin, he was the one 49:29 that carried your burdens, took 49:31 your sorrows upon himself. He 49:33 was the one who took our sins 49:35 and he was the one that hung 49:37 there on the cruel cross to save 49:40 the human race. He was, 49:42 friends, he was the one. But 49:44 friends, I'm so grateful that 49:47 Jesus not only was, Jesus is. 49:49 Amen. 49:51 He's alive today. He did not 49:53 staid, for early Sunday morning 49:55 he rose from the grave as a 49:57 conqueror over death. Friends, 49:59 if you were to go to the graves 50:00 of Confucius and Buddha and 50:02 Muhammad, their bones are still 50:03 there. Only go to the grave of 50:05 Jesus. His bones are not there. 50:07 He is risen, he is alive. We 50:09 serve a risen savior and because 50:11 he lives, we can live as well. 50:13 Amen. 50:14 The bible says he ever lives 50:16 to make intercession for us. 50:17 Oh friends, he's alive and well 50:19 and he's still in the business 50:22 of transforming lives, restoring 50:25 marriages, and homes and lives. 50:27 He's alive for you today, 50:29 friends. He listens to your 50:32 prayers. He counts all your 50:34 tears. He knows every burden you 50:37 ever face. Jesus was, Jesus is. 50:40 But friends, not only that. I 50:43 want you to notice before Jesus 50:45 left the grave that early Sunday 50:47 morning, he did something very 50:49 special just before he left and 50:52 rose. The bible tells us that 50:54 he folded the grave clothes. 50:56 The napkin, the handkerchief 50:58 that was covering his face, he 51:00 folded very neatly and he put it 51:02 to the side. Friends, it's 51:04 interesting, why did Jesus do 51:05 this? Ever wonder this before? 51:07 Why did Jesus take the time to 51:10 fold the grave clothes? Well 51:11 friends, back in the day, 51:15 whenever a king or man of 51:16 royalty, would sit down at a 51:18 meal, the king had a special 51:21 sign to tell his servants 51:23 whether or not he was finished, 51:25 or not finished, with a meal. 51:27 You see, whenever the king was 51:28 finished with a meal, he would 51:30 take that handkerchief, that 51:31 napkin. He would crumple it and 51:33 he would throw it down. Then 51:35 he would leave. That indicated 51:36 to the servants that he's 51:38 finished. He's not coming back 51:40 for that meal. But whenever that 51:42 king folded the napkin and put 51:44 it down very neatly and got up, 51:47 that was an indication to the 51:49 servants that he was not 51:50 finished with that meal. 51:52 That he went to go do something, 51:54 but he's going to come back. 51:56 Friends, you realize that when 51:58 Jesus resurrected, he folded the 52:00 grave clothes, indicating to you 52:02 and I, that he's not done in 52:04 this world. Why? Because Jesus 52:06 was, he is and he is to come. 52:09 Friends, he is coming back. He's 52:11 coming back to this world, 52:12 friends. This is a reoccurring 52:14 theme in Revelation. It beats 52:16 with a sense of urgency. It 52:17 lifts our eyes from the 52:19 depressing chaotic things, the 52:21 world, to a king that is going 52:22 to return. We don't have to be 52:24 afraid, friends, because he's 52:26 coming to take us home. He's 52:27 coming to rescue us from the 52:29 pain and the problems and the 52:30 sin and the suffering of this 52:32 world. Notice what happens when 52:34 he returns. Revelation 21:4. 52:36 It says, and God shall wipe away 52:38 all tears from their eyes. 52:39 Let's read it together, shall 52:41 we? And there shall be no more 52:44 death, nor sorrow, nor crying. 52:47 Neither shall there be any more 52:50 pain, for the former things have 52:53 passed away. Friends, he's 52:55 going to wipe away all the 52:57 tears. He will dispel all the 52:59 fears. Sickness will no longer 53:02 prevail when Jesus comes. 53:03 Natural disasters will no longer 53:05 destroy our dreams. Death will 53:08 not claim any victims any 53:11 longer. When Jesus comes, he's 53:13 going to make all things new, 53:15 folks. A brand new world. All 53:17 things are going to be restored 53:20 soon, and very soon. Friends, 53:21 if Jesus can make a new world, 53:23 surely he can create a new heart 53:26 can't he? Surely he can give us 53:27 a new mindset. A new sense of 53:29 hope, a new sense of peace. 53:31 This is what Revelation is all 53:32 about. It's not fear, it's not 53:34 scared, it's not doom and gloom. 53:36 It's about hope friends. It is 53:38 a revelation of hope, because 53:41 it's a revelation of Jesus. It 53:44 gives us confidence to face the 53:46 uncertainties of all our 53:49 tomorrows. How many are 53:50 thankful for that today? 53:51 Amen. 53:53 Friends, we're about to close, 53:54 but before we do, I want to 53:56 share a story with you. A story 53:58 that illustrates what God has 54:01 given to us in the Book of 54:03 Revelation. There's a story 54:04 about a little boy that loved to 54:06 read. Now be it, this was the 54:08 time before video games. And 54:10 his favorite series of books 54:12 were these country western 54:14 books. He collected each one as 54:16 they came in the mail. He read 54:17 it from cover to cover. He 54:19 devoured these books. He loved 54:21 these books because these books 54:23 gave him a role model, someone 54:26 that he could look up to. The 54:28 role model in these books was 54:30 the sheriff. Sheriff Brown was 54:32 name. And he was a tough 54:34 sheriff that always threw the 54:35 bad guys in jail. But he was 54:37 also a very loving and kind 54:38 sheriff that saved the people 54:40 that were in trouble. 54:41 This boy collected every 54:42 book, read it from cover 54:43 to cover. He loved Sheriff 54:45 Brown, he loved to see how he 54:47 he was so strong and so wise 54:50 and he was a role model for this 54:52 little boy. One day, the next 54:54 book came in the mail. The 54:56 little boy tore it open and 54:57 began to read. As he read this 54:58 book, he couldn't wait to see 55:00 what Sheriff Brown was going to 55:01 do next. But as he read, he got 55:03 to read about this new criminal. 55:06 This outlaw. He was confident 55:08 that his hero, Sheriff Brown, 55:09 could take him out. But as he 55:11 continued to read, it seemed 55:13 like in the storyline that the 55:14 criminal always seemed to 55:16 outsmart and outdo the sheriff. 55:19 He started to be worried. It 55:21 seems like this bad guy is 55:23 going to win. As he continued 55:25 to read, he saw that this 55:27 criminal was plotting to kill 55:29 the sheriff. This little boy 55:32 began to be afraid of what was 55:33 going to happen in this book. 55:35 He thought perhaps this was the 55:37 last book in the series of 55:40 books. That perhaps in this 55:42 book, Sheriff Brown would lose 55:44 and that evil would triumph. So 55:46 this little boy could not read 55:48 anymore because he was afraid 55:51 of the future. He was afraid of 55:54 what? 55:55 Future. 55:56 He was afraid of what was going 55:57 to happen so he stopped reading. 55:59 A few weeks go by. His mother 56:01 is walking down the hallway when 56:02 suddenly she hears from his room 56:05 her son say, if you only knew 56:08 what I knew. If you only knew 56:10 what I knew. He said it with 56:12 such confidence and enthusiasm. 56:14 If you only knew what I knew! 56:15 The mother was wondering what 56:16 was going on and she went to 56:17 investigate. Son, what do you 56:19 mean? Who are you talking to? 56:20 What do you mean, if you only 56:22 knew what I knew? The son began 56:24 to explain. Mom, do you 56:25 remember that book I got a few 56:26 weeks ago? I was reading about 56:27 this criminal that was going to 56:29 destroy and kill the sheriff. I 56:30 couldn't read mom, I was afraid 56:32 of what was going to happen. 56:33 But today mom, I got a bright 56:36 idea! Today, I decided that I 56:38 would read the last chapter. 56:41 That I would skip to the end! 56:43 I would read the back of the 56:45 book to see the end of the story 56:47 Mom, when I read the ending, 56:50 I understood that Sheriff Brown 56:52 won and the criminal was thrown 56:54 in jail and mom, when I realized 56:57 the ending. 56:58 I went back to where I had left 57:00 off reading. As I continued to 57:01 read the evil schemes of this 57:03 criminal, I could only help but 57:05 smile and say to myself, if you 57:07 only knew what I knew! If you 57:10 only knew what I knew. Friends, 57:12 what did that little boy know? 57:14 He knew something that we need 57:17 to know. He knew the outcome. 57:19 He knew the end of the story. 57:22 He knew the last chapters. He 57:24 read the back of the book! The 57:26 back of the book told him that 57:28 his hero won. Friends, as you 57:30 look in this world and you see 57:33 evil abounding all around, you 57:35 see wickedness prevailing on 57:36 every side. It seems like evil 57:38 is triumphing over good in this 57:40 great controversy over good and 57:41 evil. But friends, when you 57:43 open to the back of the book, 57:45 when you go to the Book of 57:46 Revelation, Revelation tells us 57:50 clearly, that God wins this 57:53 battle. |
Revised 2014-12-17