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Program Code: SF000052A


00:00 male announcer: "The Voice of Prophecy" presents
00:02 "Midnight Approaches" by Shawn Boonstra
00:04 at the yearly Palm Springs sponsorship weekend,
00:07 where supporters and friends learn about our mission,
00:10 ministry, and God's leading.
00:13 Shawn Boonstra: This morning, I want to start
00:14 in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, which goes without saying
00:17 is Paul's second letter to the church at Thessalonica.
00:21 And the verses we're going to read will be on the screen,
00:23 but I would still encourage you this morning
00:24 that if you have an actual copy of the Bible,
00:26 open it up on the tables and follow along anyway
00:29 because you'll probably notice
00:31 context that we don't have time to cover,
00:33 or you'll notice details in a verse
00:35 that we don't have time to talk about this morning.
00:37 And all of those details are important.
00:40 We will provide it on the screen,
00:41 but it's still a good idea to follow along.
00:43 We're going to start in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2
00:46 and verse 1.
00:47 This is Paul writing, and he says,
00:49 "Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
00:53 and our gathering together to Him,
00:55 we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind," or what?
01:01 Well, it's up there on the screen and it's underlined.
01:03 It's a really easy test, or what?
01:05 "Troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter,
01:09 as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come."
01:12 Now, I want to pause.
01:13 This is not the major theme that we're going to be studying,
01:15 but I want you to notice the attitude Paul uses
01:18 when he discusses last day events, Bible prophecy,
01:21 the Second Coming of Christ,
01:23 he uses the same attitude that Jesus has
01:25 when Jesus looks down to the future.
01:27 You'll notice that many times throughout the gospel,
01:29 Jesus says, "Fear not.
01:32 Why do you allow fears to rise in your heart?
01:34 You believe in God; believe also in me.
01:36 Let not your heart be troubled."
01:37 It's always in the New Testament
01:39 with this attitude of calm reassurance.
01:42 It's always with this attitude of hope,
01:45 and that tells me something important.
01:47 It tells me that if preachers are always and forever
01:50 using last day events to just scare the stuffing
01:53 out of the congregation,
01:55 there might be something wrong with that approach.
01:56 It might not be the New Testament approach.
02:00 Now, that's not to say that once in a while
02:01 it doesn't have its place.
02:03 Once in a while, a preacher just needs to lay out
02:04 a little bit of straight talk and say,
02:06 "Look, if you do this,
02:08 the consequence is going to be this."
02:10 Every preacher knows that once in a while,
02:12 you have to do it.
02:14 Every parent knows that once in a while,
02:15 you have to do that.
02:16 You have to say, "Johnny, if you put that knife
02:18 in the electric outlet,
02:19 you're going to get a nasty burn,
02:21 or a shock, or even worse."
02:22 Sometimes, you just have to lay out the scary consequences
02:25 of what somebody might do, right?
02:26 "Young lady, if you drink and drive,
02:28 you're not only going to get hurt,
02:29 you might kill somebody or kill yourself."
02:31 Sometimes, a little straight talk is good.
02:33 "Young lady, if you date before the age of 30,
02:36 it's going to turn out to be no good.
02:38 Don't trust a man before they're 35 with a career."
02:40 You have to lay out the bald truth sometimes.
02:43 Once in a while, it's a perfectly valid method
02:46 to make a biblical point.
02:47 But that having been said,
02:49 if somebody is always and forever
02:52 selling the gospel to an audience
02:54 by trying to scare people into the kingdom,
02:56 if everything they preach is always about the beast,
02:58 and it's always about persecution,
03:00 it's always about the little horn power,
03:01 it's always about the last crisis,
03:03 then I'd like to suggest that,
03:05 based on what we find in the New Testament,
03:06 that might not be a biblical approach.
03:10 So, Paul writes to Thessalonians, and he says,
03:12 "Look, I don't want you to be troubled by anything
03:15 that I might write to you in a letter."
03:17 Now, we don't know exactly why he had to say that,
03:20 but we suspect that Paul had to say,
03:22 "Look, I don't want you to be troubled by my letters,"
03:24 because he's afraid that he might have given
03:27 these people the wrong idea with his first letter.
03:30 And that's the letter where he describes
03:32 the Second Coming of Christ in amazing, vivid detail.
03:36 It's a passage you know well because you've heard it
03:37 at every funeral you've ever gone to.
03:40 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul writes and says, "When Jesus comes,
03:43 he descends from heaven with a mighty shout,
03:45 and the trumpet of God, and the graves start popping open,
03:48 and the dead come out of the ground,
03:49 and we're all caught up in the air
03:50 to be with Jesus forever."
03:53 Back in the first century, before they had YouTube,
03:55 before they had Netflix,
03:56 before they had a special effects department,
03:58 that was the most vivid description
04:00 of the Second Coming possible.
04:02 And it was so powerful that we suspect
04:05 it actually caused a panic
04:07 in the early first century church.
04:09 "Did you hear what Paul wrote?
04:12 The pastor read it from the pulpit on Sabbath.
04:14 Jesus is coming back any minute."
04:16 "Oh, that's good news.
04:18 You know, the Roman tax collector
04:19 is coming through town this afternoon,
04:21 and I'm not going to pay him the taxes
04:23 because if Jesus is coming back that soon,
04:25 they won't even have time for a trial.
04:26 They'll never have time to crucify me,
04:28 and it will feel really good to just say no to that guy.
04:31 And I'm not putting in my crops this week either
04:33 because if there's not going to be a harvest,
04:35 forget it, Jesus is coming back any minute.
04:38 We've only got a few days left."
04:39 Somehow, they got the wrong idea.
04:41 So, Paul sits down and he writes this second letter.
04:44 "Not so fast," he says.
04:47 "There is something that has to happen first
04:50 before Jesus comes."
04:52 Now, we're going to get to our key thought for the morning,
04:55 verse 3, follow carefully.
04:57 "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day,"
05:01 the Second Coming of Christ,
05:03 "will not come unless the falling away comes first."
05:06 Now, he's looking down through the corridors of time
05:08 and predicting that the Christian church itself
05:11 would move into an age of apostasy.
05:13 He's looking at the dark horse of Revelation chapter 6
05:17 and the pale horse of Revelation chapter 6,
05:19 "That Day will not come unless the falling away comes first,"
05:23 apostasy within Christianity, "and the man of sin is revealed,
05:27 the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself
05:30 above all that is called God or that is worshiped,
05:33 so that he sits as God in the temple of God,
05:37 showing himself that he is God."
05:41 Now, I'm convinced that that passage,
05:43 especially the underlined bit,
05:45 that passage describes the greatest challenge,
05:49 the greatest threat you and I face
05:52 between this moment this morning and the Second Coming of Christ,
05:56 but maybe not the way that you think.
05:57 Usually when we read this, we read it with external eyes.
06:00 We read a passage like that, we run to the bedroom window,
06:02 we open the drapes, we look outside,
06:04 "Where is that man of sin, that son of perdition?"
06:07 And he's not hard to find
06:08 if you gather the biblical evidence.
06:10 It's pretty obvious who or what this is talking about.
06:13 But I want you to look at this verse
06:15 with a new set of eyes this morning,
06:16 and maybe read it just a little more personally.
06:20 And in order to help us do that this morning,
06:22 I want to take you to the pages of the Old Testament.
06:25 And I want to look at the story of Saul, the son of Kish,
06:28 this very ordinary young man
06:30 who's doing something very ordinary, very average
06:33 the first time that you meet him in the story.
06:35 He's just out combing the countryside,
06:37 looking for his dad's missing donkeys
06:39 that escaped last night and disappeared.
06:42 He's like every other farm kid you've ever met
06:44 who had to go chase a missing cow
06:46 that got out of the pen last night, and is somewhere
06:48 down the freeway or in somebody else's field.
06:50 He's like every other little boy you've ever met
06:52 who had to go down the neighborhood hanging
06:54 "Have you seen my puppy?" signs on every lamppost.
06:57 It's a very average, very ordinary story
07:00 because every story in the Bible is average
07:03 and ordinary when it starts.
07:05 It deals with real, ordinary, average people,
07:07 and then God intervenes and does something extraordinary.
07:11 And when you start to read
07:12 the story of Saul very carefully,
07:14 you quickly notice that Saul
07:15 is not like every other boy you've ever met.
07:18 In fact, in some regards, and you may want
07:21 to contemplate this for the next few weeks or months
07:23 because it may apply very closely
07:26 to the day and age we live in,
07:28 in some regards Saul looks a lot like Lucifer
07:32 just before Lucifer falls from grace.
07:34 He looks like the description of Lucifer
07:36 in Ezekiel chapter 28.
07:38 The Bible says that Saul the son of Kish is very gifted.
07:42 It uses the word "choice."
07:44 And the Bible says that he's very attractive,
07:47 he's very easy on the eyes.
07:48 This is the kind of young man
07:50 that, when he walks into the room,
07:51 the head of every young lady turns.
07:53 They all notice him making his entrance.
07:55 This is the kind of guy I hated
07:57 when I was out shopping for a wife
07:59 because when he showed up in the room,
08:01 you didn't stand a chance anymore.
08:02 He's good looking, a walking work of art.
08:05 The Bible says, 1 Samuel 9, verse 2,
08:08 "And he," that's Kish, "had a choice
08:10 and handsome son whose name was Saul."
08:13 How handsome was he?
08:14 "There was not a more handsome person than he
08:17 among the children of Israel."
08:18 And suddenly, one day, according to the story,
08:21 the best looking man in the whole country
08:22 goes out to find some missing donkeys.
08:26 But what stud muffin Saul doesn't realize,
08:28 at least at the very beginning of the story,
08:30 is that those donkeys aren't missing by accident,
08:32 mm-mm.
08:33 In fact, it's entirely possible that an angel
08:35 has broken a few boards off of Kish's fence
08:38 and led those donkeys out into the wilderness
08:40 because this is the story of a divine intervention.
08:43 God needs Saul to come to a certain spot at a certain time.
08:48 Where does he need him?
08:49 He needs him in a little village called Ramah of Benjamin,
08:52 where the elders of Israel have just called
08:54 an emergency meeting with Samuel,
08:56 the aging prophet of God.
08:58 This is a story that takes place late in Samuel's career,
09:01 years, decades after Samuel first hears the voice of Christ
09:05 calling him in the night, "Samuel, Samuel."
09:08 It was our favorite story when the girls were little.
09:11 I'd just say, "Samuel, Samuel," and little voices would pipe up,
09:14 "Speak, Lord, for your servant--"
09:16 It was one of our favorite stories.
09:18 And it's one of my favorite stories
09:20 because the personality of Jesus shines through the story.
09:23 I don't know if you've ever noticed,
09:24 but Jesus seems to have this personality trait
09:27 where he uses people's first names twice.
09:30 "Mary, Mary.
09:32 Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?
09:34 Samuel, Samuel," you know it's Jesus
09:36 before you finish the story.
09:38 Now, it's years, decades after that night.
09:41 And in obedience to the call of Jesus,
09:43 Samuel has spent his entire life helping the children of Israel
09:47 understand what it means to live as ex-slaves,
09:50 what it means to live as a free people
09:52 in a covenant relationship with God,
09:54 what it means to build a God-fearing nation
09:56 in the land of promise,
09:57 surrounded by all these heathen, idol worshiping countries.
10:02 And now, in 1 Samuel chapter 8,
10:04 Samuel's getting up there, he's getting old.
10:06 And the children of Israel are watching him deteriorate,
10:09 and they're wondering what's going to happen
10:11 when this guy is gone.
10:12 What are we going to do about leadership
10:14 in the nation of Israel?
10:15 So, they call a meeting in Ramah,
10:18 and about the same time that the donkeys go missing.
10:20 "We kind of notice that lately, you're not what you used to be.
10:24 We noticed you're getting tired, you're tired all the time.
10:27 You forget stuff.
10:28 The other day after council meeting,
10:29 you went looking for the keys to your ox cart,
10:31 and it took you an hour to find them,
10:32 and they were in your hand
10:34 the whole time you were looking, Samuel.
10:35 And the reason you couldn't see them
10:37 is because you couldn't find your glasses either.
10:38 They were on your head the whole time.
10:41 And we've noticed that even when you're not forgetting stuff,
10:43 you fall asleep in the council meeting.
10:45 We have seen it.
10:47 No, Samuel, we have heard you fall asleep
10:49 in the council meeting.
10:50 And even when you are awake, we have to repeat ourselves
10:52 all the time because you can't hear what we're saying.
10:55 So, we've been talking, and we kind of think
10:57 that maybe now before it's too late,
10:59 while you're still around to help with the decision,
11:01 it might be time to draft a succession plan.
11:05 You know, just in case."
11:06 "Well, guys, if it's a succession plan
11:08 you're thinking of, don't worry, I've got that covered.
11:10 You don't think I know I'm getting older?
11:11 I have a succession plan.
11:13 Have you not noticed my two boys, Abijah and Joel?
11:15 They're already working as judges
11:16 here in the nation of Israel,
11:18 and I'm prepping them to take my place."
11:21 "Well, that's the problem, Samuel.
11:24 We don't like them."
11:26 "Why don't you like them?" "You can't trust those guys."
11:28 And according to the Bible, they kind of had a point.
11:30 1 Samuel 8, verse 3 says that the sons of Samuel
11:32 did not walk in the ways of their father.
11:34 In fact, it says that they turned aside
11:37 after dishonest gain, they took bribes,
11:40 and they perverted justice.
11:43 Now, that might be perfectly acceptable
11:44 if you're running for office in 21st century America,
11:47 at least it's starting to seem that way.
11:49 But in the camp of Israel, that is totally unacceptable
11:52 because the only role for human leadership
11:54 in God's system
11:56 was to stand between the people of God and God,
11:58 and point them back to the only true king in the universe.
12:02 It was a mediatorial role.
12:04 If you read your Bible carefully,
12:05 you'll notice that before this story,
12:07 before Saul the son of Kish,
12:08 the leaders of Israel didn't pass any laws.
12:10 They didn't. They didn't legislate.
12:12 They didn't get rich on the proceeds of public office.
12:15 They didn't really make any decisions
12:17 because only God made decisions in the camp of Israel.
12:20 Human leadership was a coaching role.
12:22 Human leadership was mediatorial.
12:25 And if Samuel's boys were morally compromised in any way,
12:28 there's no way they could stand before the people
12:31 and relay the will of God to them
12:32 because they don't understand the will of God themselves.
12:36 So, I imagine Samuel has to fall quiet for a moment,
12:40 same way you would be if somebody told you
12:41 you've just outlived your usefulness,
12:43 and your one legacy, your children,
12:45 are an unmitigated disaster.
12:48 "Well, what do you guys think we should do then?
12:50 If you don't want my boys, what's your suggestion?"
12:52 "Well, here's what we think, Samuel.
12:54 And I'm glad you asked because we've spent a lot of time
12:56 talking about this this week.
12:57 Now that we've been here for a few generations
12:59 and we're all settled into the land of Canaan,
13:01 and we're free and respectable people,
13:03 and we have culture, and industry,
13:05 and college degrees,
13:07 we're even getting a stoplight in Jerusalem
13:09 and maybe a symphony orchestra.
13:11 We have really grown up as a people,
13:13 and we're thinking that at long last,
13:15 it might be time to become a real country."
13:17 "Well, you guys are a real country.
13:19 You're the children of Abraham. God gave you this land.
13:22 You're a real nation."
13:23 "No, listen Samuel, that's just the past talking from you.
13:26 This is not a real country.
13:28 You need to start paying attention.
13:29 Every other nation without exception has a king.
13:33 how do you not notice that?
13:34 Every other respectable religion,
13:36 every other church has a responsible human being,
13:38 a highly trained professional
13:40 sitting at the top of the organization
13:42 telling people what to do.
13:44 And we have noticed it,
13:45 and we're getting a little bit embarrassed.
13:47 We're starting to look like a country of peasants,
13:49 and we think maybe at long last,
13:51 it's time to graduate from prophets and judges,
13:54 and get ourselves a king."
13:56 "A king?
13:57 That's not a good idea at all, guys.
13:59 That's not what God wants."
14:00 "Okay, listen Samuel,
14:02 we know you have the gift of prophecy,
14:03 but that doesn't mean everything you say is right every time.
14:06 You're just from another generation.
14:07 You don't understand this. You're the past.
14:09 We wish you would get cable in your hut
14:12 so you could watch CNN
14:13 and see what's going on in the world.
14:15 We wish you would open a Twitter account
14:16 and follow what people are doing
14:18 because they're all making fun of us all over the planet.
14:21 On Twitter, it's #Israelbabynation.
14:24 All the time, they just mock us.
14:26 We wish you would get out there and read some Barna studies,
14:28 and talk to a few millennials.
14:30 And if you did, you would see that we're right.
14:32 Everybody knows that in the 12th century BC,
14:35 good professional leadership requires a king.
14:38 It's how everybody does it."
14:41 And they were right,
14:43 it is exactly how everybody else was doing it.
14:47 But follow me carefully because this is important.
14:50 Everybody else was not the kingdom of God.
14:53 Everybody else was not the chosen people.
14:56 Everybody else was not God's remnant church
14:58 because God's people have never been called
15:00 to be like everybody else.
15:02 God's people have never been called
15:04 to get their marching orders from the popular culture.
15:06 God's people have always been told
15:07 to stand in the stream facing upstream,
15:09 resisting the tide of worldliness in this world.
15:13 God's people have never been cultural.
15:15 God's people have always been countercultural.
15:18 And that's why it ought to bother us
15:20 when people start looking outside of our own church,
15:23 and they begin to covet what everybody else has.
15:26 "Pastor, did you see that new church in town?
15:29 They call that a megachurch.
15:30 That's a big place, and it's very successful,
15:32 and they have 25 trained pastors on staff.
15:34 They have a full-time marriage counselor.
15:36 They have a full-time psychologist.
15:38 They turn out a bestselling book every 6 months without fail.
15:42 They put a Starbucks in the lobby of the church,
15:44 isn't that brilliant?
15:46 Because everybody loves Starbucks,
15:47 and if they come in for Starbucks,
15:49 they might stay for church.
15:50 they have so many people coming every week
15:52 that they don't even have a church building anymore,
15:54 they use a stadium.
15:55 It's 20,000 people, have you seen what they have?"
16:00 And my answer is yes, I have. So what?
16:05 Is that what God asked
16:06 the Seventh Day Adventist movement to be?
16:09 Is that what he asked us to do?
16:11 When we always talk about what other churches have,
16:14 and what other churches do, and what other churches teach,
16:16 and we wish longingly that we could be more like them.
16:19 And we start to talk and we start to behave
16:21 like God somehow forgot and shortchanged
16:23 his Seventh Day Adventist church.
16:25 Then it's time to crack open a Bible again
16:27 and remember that this is not another church.
16:30 This is not just some other denomination.
16:32 This is the prophetic movement of God,
16:35 the remnant church of Bible prophecy,
16:37 and we were never called to be like everybody else.
16:39 We were called to be unique.
16:42 "Samuel, everybody else has a king.
16:45 That's what we want, we want a king."
16:48 Verse 6, "But the thing displeased Samuel
16:51 when they said, 'Give us a king to judge us.'
16:52 So Samuel prayed to the Lord."
16:56 Verse 7, "The Lord said to Samuel,
16:58 'Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you.'"
17:01 Go ahead, Samuel, give them what they want.
17:03 We would never come to that conclusion.
17:05 "They have not rejected you, they've rejected Me,
17:08 that I should not reign over them."
17:10 Now, there it is again, our key thought this morning.
17:12 It's the same thought that is in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2.
17:15 It's said a little differently.
17:17 It's said to a different generation,
17:18 but it's still the same issue.
17:20 It's still the man of sin issue.
17:22 It's all about the throne of God,
17:23 and whether or not we believe God belongs on that throne.
17:27 "Give them what they want, Samuel."
17:28 "Lord, how could you tell me to give them what they want?
17:30 I don't like it, it's wrong."
17:32 "Samuel, trust me.
17:34 I don't like it either, and I know this hurts.
17:37 Believe me, I know it hurts.
17:38 It's like discovering my wife is cheating on me,
17:40 the bride of Christ is unfaithful.
17:42 But listen to me, if they want a king,
17:43 I'm going to let them do it
17:45 because I'm not going to force people into my kingdom.
17:46 That's not who I am.
17:48 I don't force anybody into anything.
17:50 If they want slavery,
17:52 and that's what they're asking for,
17:53 if they want slavery,
17:54 they'll have to go somewhere else to get that
17:56 because that's not what I offer."
17:58 That is what they were asking for.
18:01 Begging to go back to Pharaoh, become slaves again.
18:03 They want a king.
18:05 And it's mind boggling, it's amazing to me
18:07 that when we're a little bit fearful,
18:09 what we're willing to do, what we're willing to give up,
18:11 what we're willing to sacrifice
18:12 because we just can't bring ourselves to believe
18:14 that God might actually know what he's doing,
18:17 that he might actually be in control of this universe,
18:19 that he might actually be all the leadership we need,
18:22 and that he might actually
18:24 keep the promises that he made in this book.
18:26 And he'll keep them on his schedule,
18:27 and he'll keep them perfectly.
18:30 Look at the people in the story.
18:32 They have a direct connection with the God
18:33 who made the heavens and the earth.
18:34 They have the spirit of prophecy,
18:36 a living, breathing prophet in their midst,
18:38 giving them counsel directly from God himself.
18:41 But in spite of all that,
18:43 they're begging for more slavery under a new Pharaoh.
18:48 And before we cluck our tongues, wag our fingers, say,
18:50 "What a bunch of dummies those Israelites were,"
18:52 we should probably remember
18:54 that this is the story of the whole human race.
18:55 We all do this.
18:57 We've been doing it since the moment we fell into sin.
18:59 It's what we did in the garden of Eden.
19:01 We were perfectly happy.
19:03 There was no election cycle, there was no tax time,
19:06 no April 15.
19:07 There's food falling off of the trees.
19:09 All of our needs are being met, and what do we do?
19:12 We hand the keys to a fallen angel,
19:13 who enslaves us for thousands of years.
19:16 It's what we do all the time.
19:17 It's the story of the whole human race.
19:19 "Abraham."
19:20 "What is it, Sarah, what is it? You don't look happy."
19:22 "No, I'm not happy, I'm a little concerned.
19:24 Listen, Abraham, God said you're going to be the father
19:25 of this massive nation, right?"
19:27 "Yeah, that's exactly what he said,
19:28 like the sand of the sea and the stars in the--"
19:30 "And God said that Messiah would come from your line,
19:33 right Abraham?"
19:34 "Yeah, that's what he said.
19:35 What's your point, Sarah?"
19:37 "Well, I've been thinking about this,
19:39 and I don't want to hurt your feelings
19:40 because in my mind's eye,
19:41 you're always going to be the handsome young Abraham
19:43 who got down on one knee and proposed to me.
19:44 I'll always love you like that.
19:48 I don't want to hurt your feelings,
19:49 but have you looked in a mirror lately, Abraham?
19:51 Have you looked?
19:53 You're so old, you're as good as dead."
19:55 That's the language from Hebrews chapter 11.
19:56 He's as good as--
19:58 "You're so old, you're as good as dead,
19:59 and I'm old too.
20:00 And I don't know how we're supposed to have a baby.
20:02 It doesn't make sense to me.
20:03 And so, I've been thinking about this.
20:04 God is probably waiting for us to contribute to the equation.
20:06 After all, God helps those who help themselves."
20:09 That's not in the Bible, by the way.
20:10 That's Benjamin Franklin, it's not Scripture.
20:12 "God helps those who help themselves."
20:13 "Well, what do you suggest, Sarah?"
20:15 And this is the part that boggles my mind,
20:18 that Abraham went for this.
20:19 "Well, I've been thinking about this,
20:21 and I think maybe you should sleep with the help."
20:23 Now, let me ask you ladies,
20:25 in what universe does that sound like a good idea?
20:28 In what universe, gentlemen, does that sound like--
20:30 "I want you to sleep with the help."
20:32 And Abraham said, "Well, okay, that seems like a good idea.
20:33 I'll just climb up here on the throne of God
20:35 just for a couple of seconds.
20:36 We'll make this one decision and get right back off."
20:39 And it always leads to disaster.
20:40 Our whole world is still paying for that mistake.
20:43 I don't know if you've noticed, but the descendants of Ishmael
20:45 and the descendants of Israel--
20:46 of Isaac still hate each other's guts.
20:49 You can see it every night when you turn on the TV,
20:51 and they're lobbing rockets at each other.
20:53 And it's a disaster because it never works
20:55 when you try to take over for God.
20:57 It doesn't work when you sit on God's throne
20:59 even for one minute.
21:01 And yes, the man of sin,
21:02 the son of perdition might be the ringleader in the end.
21:05 He might be the one who leads the way,
21:07 but he is not the only one who does it,
21:09 not by a long shot.
21:11 The biggest problem you face between now
21:12 and the Second Coming of Christ,
21:14 listen to me carefully, the biggest problem you face
21:16 is not the little horn power of Daniel chapter 7,
21:19 even though that's a very real problem.
21:21 "Pastor, you don't believe in little horn--"
21:22 Yes, I do.
21:23 I think you should pay attention to the little horn power,
21:25 especially right now.
21:27 But it's not your biggest personal problem,
21:28 not by a long shot.
21:30 Your biggest problem isn't the rapid decline
21:32 of western civilization,
21:33 even though that should concern anybody
21:35 trying to raise godly kids in these days.
21:37 There are so many temptations, so many influences fighting you.
21:41 But it's not your biggest personal problem,
21:43 the decline of western civilization.
21:45 Your biggest problem is not what happens
21:47 or doesn't happen in an election.
21:49 Your biggest problem is not a decision
21:51 out of the Supreme Court.
21:52 Your biggest problem is not an executive order
21:54 coming out of the White House.
21:55 Your biggest problem is not another stupid decision
21:57 coming out of Congress.
21:59 Your biggest problem is not the people
22:01 who sit beside you in church.
22:02 Your biggest problem is not your wife,
22:04 it's not your husband, it's not your kids,
22:06 it's not your boss, it's not your parole officer.
22:08 It's not even your mother-in-law.
22:11 You're the biggest problem you face.
22:13 It's this tendency you have to try and take control,
22:15 behave exactly like the man of sin,
22:16 climb up on the throne of God,
22:18 and sit there even for a minute
22:19 and pretend that you're in charge of even a little bit.
22:23 If you can't get that impulse under control,
22:24 if you can't let God be the king of your heart,
22:27 if you can't learn to trust him with everything that he said,
22:30 then you're headed for a world of hurt.
22:33 I mean, pay attention to what's going on in our world.
22:36 Pay attention to what's going on all over this globe right now.
22:39 What do you think you're going to do
22:40 when it finally comes to a head and the last crisis breaks?
22:43 How are you going to react? Look at what's going on.
22:46 The world is falling apart all around us.
22:49 Right now, there are people driving trucks
22:51 through pedestrian crowds in France
22:52 and on college campuses in Ohio.
22:55 There are bombs in the airport,
22:56 there are planes hitting buildings,
22:58 there are shootings at office parties
22:59 here in San Bernardino, in nightclubs in Orlando.
23:02 There are shootings in the classrooms
23:03 of our public schools.
23:05 There are shootings in the shopping malls.
23:06 There are gun battles in the streets of America.
23:08 The economy is rising to an all-time high,
23:11 and everybody's a little bit nervous
23:13 because the fundamentals don't match what's happening,
23:15 and we may be facing another collapse again any day now.
23:18 The Bible guarantees it'll happen.
23:20 NATO is piling up forces against the Polish border with Russia
23:23 ever since July because they don't know
23:25 what to expect from Putin.
23:26 Putin, in the last 2 months,
23:28 has started calling his diplomats home,
23:29 saying, "Get your kids out of foreign schools,"
23:31 and nobody's sure why.
23:32 There are people getting beheaded, and drowned,
23:35 and burned alive in cages right on YouTube,
23:38 and it's making everybody nervous.
23:39 The city of Aleppo is on fire.
23:41 Millions are fleeing their homes.
23:43 We are finally figuring out that our highest public officials
23:46 have been lying to us our entire lives,
23:48 and the system might be rotten to the core.
23:50 What do you think is going to happen
23:51 when it all blows up,
23:52 when it seems like the Spirit of God
23:54 has finally been lifted from the earth,
23:56 and Moses might never come back down from the mountain?
23:59 At that moment, when the earth
24:02 is finally plunged into midnight,
24:04 the last crisis, how are you going to respond?
24:08 Because if you have not yet
24:10 given up your claim to God's throne,
24:13 if you think you have something to contribute to the solution,
24:15 you will latch onto the first person
24:16 who comes along and offers this world
24:18 a little bit of peace and security.
24:19 You'll think you can help.
24:21 And he's going to be convincing.
24:23 The Bible says he'll even make fire
24:24 come down from heaven in the sight of men.
24:27 And if you're still trying to run the show at that point,
24:29 then you will stumble.
24:31 You'll stumble, how do I know?
24:33 Because we've done it again and again and again.
24:36 Now, I want you to pay attention
24:38 to what happens next in the story.
24:39 We're about to read verse 11.
24:41 And in 1 Samuel 8 and verse 11,
24:43 there's a story there that has completely shaped
24:45 the history of the world since it's happened.
24:47 It's changed the entire course of history.
24:49 This is one of the most important stories in the Bible
24:51 if you want to understand the major themes of Bible prophecy.
24:54 And just before we read it,
24:56 I want to have a little history lesson
24:57 if that's okay with you.
24:58 I know you thought you were done with history class
25:00 after you left college, but the professor called and said,
25:02 "One more class."
25:04 So, here we go.
25:05 Back in the 1500s, right after Martin Luther
25:08 nails the 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg,
25:10 just under/over 499 years ago now,
25:13 the Reformers began to think about everything
25:15 that has happened since that awful moment
25:17 in the fourth century when we actually as Christians
25:19 begged the Roman emperor, Constantine,
25:21 to come in and take over the church.
25:23 We did in the fourth century exactly what Israel did
25:26 when they begged for a king from Samuel.
25:28 We brought a king into the church.
25:30 Constantine marches into the city of Rome 312 AD.
25:33 He ends persecution against the Christian church
25:35 just as Revelation chapter 2 predicted he would
25:38 after a 10-year persecution.
25:40 And he looks at these Christians and says,
25:42 "These people are so united, they're so principled.
25:44 These people would be the glue
25:47 that holds my new empire together,"
25:49 so he favors the Christians.
25:50 He thinks they're united.
25:52 He probably should have gone to a church board meeting
25:54 before he came to that conclusion,
25:55 but he thinks that they're united.
25:58 And suddenly, after that moment, suddenly in North Africa,
26:00 there's this crisis.
26:02 All the clergy who left the church during the persecution,
26:04 they gave up their Bibles,
26:06 turned them over to the authorities,
26:07 renounced the name of Christ.
26:08 They want their jobs back.
26:10 And they show up at church, and the church says,
26:11 "We don't want you.
26:12 You're cowards, you ran away."
26:14 And it's this massive argument.
26:15 And they can't settle the argument,
26:17 so the Christians make a direct appeal to Constantine.
26:19 They say, "You know, he likes Christians.
26:20 Let's ask the emperor to make a decision."
26:23 And Constantine gets irritated.
26:24 He says, "I've got a whole empire to run.
26:26 I can't solve this issue for you."
26:27 He actually writes them a letter in North Africa
26:29 that basically says something your mom used to say a lot,
26:32 "If I have to come down there, you're going to be sorry."
26:36 He wrote the-- I've got the letter.
26:38 And they couldn't solve it themselves,
26:40 so he appoints the bishop of Rome
26:42 to settle the issue.
26:44 And for the first time in history,
26:46 the bishop of Rome begins to rise in prominence.
26:48 He becomes a first among equals.
26:49 It's an important precedent.
26:51 Soon after that, there's another controversy.
26:53 Another controversy takes place in the church
26:55 when a renegade priest down in North Africa
26:58 by the name of Arias starts to teach
27:00 an unbiblical view of the nature of Christ.
27:02 And again when the church can't settle the dispute themselves,
27:04 they make an appeal to Constantine.
27:06 So, he calls the big council in Nicaea in 325 AD,
27:09 and yet again the bishop of Rome begins to rise in prominence.
27:13 Do you know what we did in the fourth century?
27:14 We actually asked the emperor to come in
27:16 and take over the church.
27:17 He didn't push his way in.
27:18 We asked him to come in because every crisis happens
27:20 when God's people start it from the bottom.
27:23 It's like we have a big debate on the floor
27:25 of the general conference session in San Antonio,
27:26 and we can't come to a--
27:28 I mean, I know that's hard to imagine,
27:29 but we have a big debate on the floor
27:30 of the general conference session in San Antonio,
27:32 and we can't come to any resolution,
27:33 so we put in a call to the Oval Office,
27:36 "Maybe you could come solve it."
27:37 It's about what we did in the fourth century.
27:39 And listen to me carefully,
27:41 once the government sets foot in your church,
27:44 you will never get rid of it.
27:46 And the new model we established in the fourth century
27:48 is not what Jesus wanted.
27:50 He wanted a church where people were directly accountable to God
27:52 the way it was supposed to be in the nation of Israel.
27:54 He even says in Luke chapter 22 to his disciples,
27:57 "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them,
28:00 but I don't want that for you."
28:02 There was never supposed to be a king in Christianity,
28:05 but we begged for one, and we married church and state.
28:08 And that marriage of Roman politics and Christian faith
28:10 led to more than 1,000 years of darkness,
28:12 that much you know.
28:14 Came complete with waterboarding,
28:16 favorite punishment of the inquisition.
28:18 Waterboarding, torture chambers, burning people at the stake.
28:21 Everybody following, are you still with me?
28:23 We go down about 1,000 years after this big mistake
28:25 to the 1300s, the 1400s, and the 1500s.
28:28 Now, we're into the period of the fifth seal in Revelation 6.
28:31 Souls under the altar are crying out,
28:32 "How much longer, O Lord?"
28:34 And God answers their prayers, and he starts turning on lights
28:37 all over the former western Roman Empire,
28:39 and we suddenly get Tyndale, and Wycliffe, and Huss,
28:42 and Luther, and all these reformers.
28:45 And what those reformers did was open the Bible
28:47 for the first time in centuries,
28:49 and they realized what it was we had done back in the 300s.
28:54 We invited the Roman emperor into the church,
28:56 so the reformers tried to free the church
28:58 from the biggest mistake we had ever made.
29:00 Now, the Reformation was about all kinds of things.
29:02 Sola scriptura, sola fide, it was about all those things.
29:05 But underneath it all, the essence of the Reformation
29:09 was an attempt to evict Caesar from the church again.
29:12 Now, over the waters in England, Henry VIII is watching this,
29:15 and he gets a little jealous.
29:17 "All those German princes are free from the oversight of Rome.
29:18 I wish I could be free from the oversight of Rome."
29:21 Not because he's religious, no, it's because he doesn't have
29:24 a male heir, and he wants to change wives.
29:26 And he can't get an annulment from the bishop of Rome,
29:28 so what he does is he says,
29:30 "Well, if they can pull out, I'm pulling out."
29:31 And he starts the church of England.
29:33 And all across England,
29:34 Bible believing British Christians
29:36 suddenly get their hopes up,
29:37 "We're going to have religious liberty.
29:39 At long last, we're going to be free."
29:41 But it doesn't happen because Henry's church
29:44 was built for all the wrong reasons.
29:45 And 100 years later in the 1600s,
29:47 it's every bit as bad as Rome is.
29:49 There's no real freedom in England.
29:51 And so, to avoid going to jail, some of the dissenters
29:53 packed their bags and they start to leave the country,
29:55 people like the early Baptists.
29:56 People like the Barrowists, who had read the Bible
29:58 and realized this never says
30:00 we need permission from the state for what we believe.
30:02 People like the Fifth Monarchists,
30:04 who had read Daniel chapter 2 and realized the fifth monarch
30:06 wasn't the Holy Roman Emperor,
30:08 the fifth empire was going to be the kingdom of Christ.
30:11 People like the Puritans, and the Quakers,
30:13 and the Sabbatarians, all these people,
30:15 mark my words carefully, all these people
30:17 who would eventually pass down their beliefs
30:19 to God's last day remnant church,
30:21 we're talking about our spiritual grandparents.
30:25 They went to the Dutch Republic,
30:26 which was the freest country of the day.
30:28 They ran into the Jews, who were running from Spain
30:31 to get away from the Inquisition.
30:33 Now, this is important.
30:34 The Jews and these English dissenters, these Reformers,
30:37 are both hiding in the Netherlands.
30:39 And they meet each other, and they start to talk,
30:40 and they start to compare notes.
30:42 And for the first time in hundreds of years,
30:44 Christians begin to read the Scriptures
30:45 in the original Hebrew, and they suddenly have access
30:47 to some very old Hebrew commentaries.
30:51 And as they're studying together,
30:52 they suddenly come across our story for today.
30:55 And they find 1 Samuel chapter 8 and verse 11.
30:59 Here's what they read.
31:01 "This will be the behavior," God told the Israelites.
31:04 "This will be the behavior of the king
31:05 who will reign over you.
31:06 He will take your sons and appoint them
31:08 for his own chariots."
31:09 King's going to make you work for him,
31:10 God warned them.
31:12 Verse 12, "He will appoint captains
31:13 over his thousands and captains over his fifties."
31:15 There's going to be military conscription
31:16 and wars you don't want to fight.
31:18 "He will take the best of your fields,
31:20 your vineyards, your olive groves,
31:21 give them to his servants."
31:22 There's going to be redistribution of wealth,
31:24 there's going to be confiscation,
31:25 there's going to be taxes to pay.
31:26 "And you," God says, "will no longer be my servants.
31:29 You will be his servants."
31:32 The Reformers are reading this and their jaws are on the floor.
31:34 "Do you think," they said, "this might be the reason
31:37 we're still having trouble with human kings
31:39 2,900 years later?"
31:42 So, based on this passage, they begin to dream of a world
31:45 that doesn't have a king,
31:46 a place where you could live directly beneath God
31:48 the way Israel was supposed to.
31:50 And this becomes one of the hottest topics
31:52 of the 17th and the 18th centuries.
31:54 Everybody's talking about it.
31:55 They all are talking about this in the 1600s, in the 1700s.
31:59 And they begin to pray for a place
32:01 where God could be the only king.
32:03 And that's when they suddenly discover
32:05 another passage of the Bible, Deuteronomy 17.
32:07 You should go back and see what these people were writing.
32:10 And they realize as they look at Deuteronomy 17,
32:12 and this is the language they used,
32:14 that Israel in its first form had been a republic,
32:18 a constitutional republic in fact,
32:20 because it had no human king
32:23 and it had a supreme written law,
32:25 the first five books of Moses.
32:28 And they saw in Deuteronomy 17 that God knew
32:30 that his republic would one day ask for a king,
32:33 so he puts up a guardrail centuries in advance,
32:35 warning them, "Okay, you're going to ask for a king,
32:37 but here are the rules when you do that."
32:40 Deuteronomy 17, verse 15, watch this.
32:43 "You shall surely set a king over you
32:45 whom the Lord your God chooses, one from among you brethren."
32:47 He has to be a commoner.
32:49 "You shall set as king over you.
32:51 You may not set a foreigner over you."
32:53 He can't be born outside this country
32:55 because he'll never understand the culture of this place,
32:57 and he'll bring foreign influence in.
32:58 He has to be born here.
33:00 "Neither shall he multiply wives for himself,
33:02 lest his heart turn away.
33:04 Nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself."
33:06 There were legal checks and balances put in place
33:08 in an attempt to prevent corruption.
33:11 Now, here comes the big part.
33:12 "Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom,
33:15 that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book,
33:19 and he shall read it all the days of his life,
33:21 that he may learn to fear the Lord his God
33:23 and be careful to observe all the words of this law."
33:26 A supreme written law, all equal before it.
33:29 Let me ask you a question.
33:30 As we go down through the 1600s and the 1700s,
33:32 have you ever heard of a republic
33:34 where the chief executive has to be a commoner,
33:36 he's not even allowed to be a foreigner?
33:38 You ever heard of a place
33:40 where there were legal checks and balances
33:41 trying to prevent corruption?
33:42 You ever heard of a republic
33:44 where the ruler must always be subject
33:45 to the supreme written law of the land?
33:47 Is there anything on this planet that looks like that?
33:51 Listen to me carefully, it is not a coincidence
33:54 that the American constitution
33:55 describes a republic without a king.
33:57 It is not a coincidence that it guarantees religious liberty
34:00 under a supreme written law.
34:01 Where do you think the founding fathers got those ideas?
34:04 Yes, they'd been reading Thomas Paine.
34:06 Yes, they'd been reading revolutionaries.
34:08 Yes, they'd been reading Voltaire.
34:09 But do you know what else they were reading?
34:11 They were reading the work of those English dissenters.
34:13 Every single one of them had been reading those works,
34:15 and they used those writings quite literally to craft
34:17 the United States of America.
34:19 And that's why, in "Testimonies Volume 5,"
34:22 Ellen White says that this constitution of ours gave us
34:25 a Protestant and republican form of government.
34:28 She said that because there is an unbroken chain of thought
34:30 leading directly from the Protestant Reformation
34:33 to the very birth of America.
34:35 This is the reason the book of Revelation
34:37 describes the birth of America the way that it does.
34:39 It says the earth would open up to give the persecuted
34:41 a place to go in Revelation chapter 12.
34:44 And then it says that this brand new power,
34:46 this brand new nation would be Christlike, lamb-like.
34:48 It doesn't even have crowns on its two horns
34:51 the way the first beast has a crown on every single horn
34:53 because this new power doesn't have a king.
34:59 Follow this carefully.
35:00 The founders of America knew exactly what they were building,
35:04 I can demonstrate.
35:06 Back in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention,
35:09 the delegates started to fight about state representation,
35:11 how states would be represented at the federal level.
35:14 And the debate got very heated, and it almost broke up,
35:17 and we came this close to never becoming a nation.
35:20 Then something unusual happens.
35:22 Benjamin Franklin stands up in the assembly and he says,
35:24 "Gentlemen, I think we should take a few days off.
35:26 Everybody find somebody you disagree with
35:28 and talk to them for a few days, then we'll reconvene."
35:31 Then he does something very unusual.
35:34 He quotes the Bible by memory for the next 2 minutes
35:37 about a dozen times, one verse after the other,
35:39 even though he's a deist.
35:41 He quotes the Bible, and then he makes a radical suggestion.
35:43 He says this, "Before I sit down,"
35:46 he says, "I will suggest, Mr. President,"
35:47 the chair of the convention, "I will suggest, Mr. President,
35:50 that propriety of nominating and appointing before we separate,
35:53 a chaplain to this Convention."
35:56 You ever wonder why we have a chaplain on Capitol Hill?
35:58 There it is.
36:00 "Whose duty it shall be uniformly
36:01 to introduce the business of each day
36:03 by an address to the Creator of the universe."
36:06 There's the first inkling of the three angel's messages
36:08 as this nation is being born.
36:10 "And the Governor of all nations,"
36:12 that's how Jesus is described in Daniel 2, Daniel 4, Daniel 7,
36:15 as the one who replaces every human kingdom.
36:17 You tell me if you go back and look at the evidence,
36:20 who did these people believe
36:22 was the only true king of all nations?
36:25 America was born without a king,
36:26 and that's because the founders knew
36:28 the universe already had one,
36:30 and they wanted nobody between you and the heavenly king.
36:33 Newport, Rhode Island, there's a synagogue, 1790.
36:36 They're getting nervous.
36:37 "Well, they've just established a Christian nation.
36:39 And back in the Old World,
36:40 Christian nations meant we got persecuted."
36:42 George Washington hears about it,
36:44 so he writes them a letter, put their minds at ease, 1790.
36:46 He says, "Look, in this new world,
36:48 this new Christian nation, it's different.
36:49 This is where you're going to be free.
36:51 You can live, it's just between you and God.
36:53 You live however you think you need to live with God.
36:55 You're going to be perfectly free."
36:57 And then he says this.
36:58 "Every one shall sit in safety under his one vine and fig tree.
37:01 There shall be none to make him afraid."
37:03 Do you know what that is?
37:04 That's a quote from Micah chapter 4.
37:06 And that passage is God describing his ideal kingdom,
37:09 where everybody is free and safe,
37:11 and there will be no human domination of other people.
37:14 The founding fathers of America knew they were crafting
37:17 a new kind of Christian nation.
37:19 But what they were really trying to do was reset the clock
37:22 to one day before Saul becomes the first king of Israel.
37:25 And what's really interesting about it all
37:27 is how Saul the son of Kish
37:29 kind of foreshadows the fate of America itself.
37:32 Because in the very beginning, Saul is lamb-like.
37:34 The Bible says that Samuel anoints him privately,
37:37 but he doesn't get his crown
37:38 till he proves himself on the battlefield.
37:39 The way Jesus is anointed,
37:41 the minute he gets back to heaven,
37:42 Acts chapter 2 and verse 33,
37:44 but he doesn't actually get his kingdom
37:45 till the controversy is finished and the battle is won.
37:48 There is a parallel.
37:50 Saul, it says in 1 Samuel 10, was filled with the Holy Spirit,
37:53 gets the gift of prophecy, and he becomes another man.
37:55 And Jesus, of course, also becomes someone else.
37:57 He becomes one of us, and the Holy Spirit descends on him
38:01 publicly at the beginning of his ministry.
38:03 Saul in the beginning is lamb-like.
38:06 But then as the story continues,
38:08 you realize he doesn't actually look like Jesus,
38:11 he looks like the United States of America.
38:14 He even has to be replaced by one who comes
38:15 and sits on David's messianic throne.
38:18 Two years into his reign, Saul was getting ready
38:20 to fight the Philistines,
38:21 and he wants to have a sacrifice.
38:23 But Samuel is delayed. He takes a week coming.
38:25 It's 7 days, the perfect delay.
38:27 It's the language of the Second Coming.
38:29 So, Saul says, "Well, if Samuel's not going to come,
38:31 I'll just take control for a minute.
38:32 I'll bring fire on this altar myself."
38:34 And that's exactly what the second beast does,
38:37 "Makes fire come down from heaven on the earth
38:39 in the sight of men."
38:40 This nation was born lamb-like, exactly on time,
38:43 exactly the way God intended for the appearance
38:46 of his last day remnant church.
38:48 But then, over the course of the 20th century,
38:50 as this nation rejected the light
38:52 of the third angel's message,
38:53 the whole character of America began to change
38:55 throughout the 1900s and now into the 21st century.
38:59 And why has it changed so much?
39:01 It's because this republic
39:02 has been the special interest of the devil's career
39:03 ever since it gave birth to the remnant church,
39:06 and so here we are, just a heartbeat from midnight.
39:09 And Ellen White describes it like this,
39:11 "When our country shall repudiate
39:12 every principle of its Constitution."
39:14 Heard that lately?
39:17 "As a Protestant and republican government.
39:18 Then we may know that the time has come
39:20 for the marvelous working of Satan."
39:23 Let it sink in.
39:25 Government is listening to your phone calls, you know that.
39:28 I even greet the NSA sometimes when I'm making a phone call,
39:30 "Hey, I hope you're having a nice day over there at the NSA."
39:34 They're reading your emails, you know that much.
39:36 They're forcing people
39:38 to participate in religious ceremonies
39:39 even if it violates their conscience.
39:40 And if you don't participate, you'll be run out of business.
39:43 They're forcing people to buy things they don't want to buy.
39:45 They're silencing people who say the wrong things on YouTube
39:47 or a college campus.
39:49 The newspapers, you know it,
39:50 aren't telling you the whole story
39:51 not even half of the time anymore.
39:53 And that's just the last 15 years or so.
39:55 And the last 15 years, mark my words,
39:57 is a run-up for the last big play.
39:59 Because we've been counseled that by the time
40:01 you actually see what's going on,
40:02 it is so far gone, it's too late.
40:05 It's a--how much time do you think we have left, folks?
40:08 How much time do you think we have left?
40:10 How much time do you think we have left
40:13 when we have already seen Caesar
40:15 standing at the podium of God's republic?
40:19 Because we ran out of answers a long time ago
40:21 and we're hoping somebody can tell us what to do next.
40:24 How much time is left?
40:26 After Saul, the kings of Israel become so wicked
40:28 that 2 Chronicles 36 says that their abominations
40:31 caused the desolation of the temple.
40:33 They literally lead to the abomination of desolation.
40:35 And then it says--God says, "You want to try your own kings?
40:37 Okay, how did that work out? Not so good?
40:39 Let's try on a few other things.
40:41 Let's try Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome,
40:43 try the little horn power."
40:45 Finally, we get a Christ-like republic,
40:46 something that almost gets it right.
40:49 But even that eventually fails because the only solution
40:52 for what we have done to this planet
40:53 is for Jesus Christ to be back on the throne.
40:57 That's it.
40:58 It didn't matter who won on November 8.
41:00 It didn't matter.
41:02 It won't matter who wins the next midterms,
41:03 it won't matter who wins in 2020.
41:05 Whoever it is will never be the solution this world needs,
41:07 they won't be.
41:09 Saul is not your king.
41:11 At the end of his life,
41:12 he actually throws himself on his own sword
41:14 because if you insist on running the show,
41:16 then you have to mop up your own problems.
41:18 He kills himself.
41:20 Then it says the Philistines find his body
41:22 in the rubble of war and they cut off his head,
41:24 which means he's no longer
41:25 head and shoulders above everybody else.
41:28 Saul and everybody like him, that's not your king.
41:32 But you move forward 1,200 years and you see a man in the dark
41:37 at Gethsemane begging,
41:39 "If it's possible, Father, please no, let it pass."
41:45 But because there's no escaping the cost of your salvation,
41:48 he lets us take him, we torture him.
41:53 He has human saliva running off his face.
41:56 We push a crown of thorns on his head,
41:58 mocking his dignity and his eternal kingdom.
42:01 And still, as he's writhing on agony
42:03 on a pagan Roman cross,
42:05 with his dying breath he begs for you,
42:07 "Father, don't punish them, they don't what they're doing."
42:13 That's your king.
42:17 Head and shoulders above all else, every day,
42:19 every knee--one day, every knee will bow,
42:20 every tongue confess.
42:23 When I was a younger guy, 17, I used to cut class a lot.
42:27 It's hard to believe, but I did.
42:29 My kids aren't here, so we can tell these stories.
42:32 I used to cut class from the University of Victoria,
42:34 go down to the legislative buildings.
42:36 I was a political junkie.
42:38 And it was a parliamentary system.
42:39 At 2 o'clock in the afternoon,
42:41 they had something called question period,
42:42 and the politicians would assault each other
42:44 verbally for half an hour.
42:46 It was sheer entertainment, I loved it.
42:47 They were very creative in their insults.
42:49 Now, technically in parliament,
42:50 you're not allowed to insult each other.
42:52 So, they would do it through the speaker of the house.
42:53 "Mr. Speaker, would it be all right
42:55 if I called the honorable member from so and so an idiot?"
42:58 "No, you can't do that."
42:59 "All right, Mr. Speaker, that's what I thought."
43:01 I loved it.
43:03 And one day, I came down out of the speakers gallery
43:04 up above the seat, and I went down
43:06 out into the rotunda of the parliament buildings,
43:08 the legislative assembly.
43:10 And as I got there, there's the premier of British Columbia.
43:13 It's kind of like the governor of the state.
43:14 It's not an exact analogue because we have a fused
43:17 executive and legislative function up there.
43:18 But there he is, I can't believe it,
43:20 he's in this scrum of hostile reporters,
43:22 reporters hated this guy.
43:24 And I'm about 20 feet away, and he looks up, and he sees me,
43:28 and he sees me as his opportunity to escape,
43:30 he yells out, "Hey, it's good to see you."
43:32 He doesn't know me from Adam, "It's so good to see you."
43:35 And he comes over, puts his arm around me,
43:37 even though I'm wearing a ratty, old, grey sweater,
43:39 and I have holes in the knees of my jeans.
43:41 The reporters are wondering,
43:42 "Who is this kid that he knows so well?"
43:44 He doesn't know me.
43:45 He's walking me down the hallway,
43:47 out the door, across a breezeway into his executive offices.
43:50 And when we get in there,
43:52 there were three men waiting for him.
43:53 They stand up, the most powerful men I knew of.
43:55 I'd only ever seen them on TV.
43:57 "Mr. Premier, we're so glad to see you today."
44:00 He said, "Gentlemen, you sit down,
44:02 I'll be right with you.
44:03 I've got something very important to do."
44:04 And he walks me right into his office,
44:06 sits me in a chair, closes the door, and says,
44:07 "I don't want to talk to those guys anyway,
44:08 let's hang out."
44:11 And I'm sitting there and we talk
44:13 for, I don't know, 10 minutes,
44:14 "What are you taking in college?"
44:16 "I'm taking political science."
44:17 He said, "That's a really good program."
44:18 Only a politician thinks that political science
44:20 is a good degree to get.
44:21 He says-- I'm taking political--he says,
44:23 "That's wonderful, how long do you have to go?"
44:24 And I worked for that guy for free
44:26 to the day he left office because he walked me
44:29 right past all those powerful people
44:31 into the most powerful office in the entire province.
44:34 Just like God says, in the kingdom of heaven,
44:38 it's the tax collectors and the prostitutes who go first
44:42 because they know they don't have anything to offer.
44:45 I worked for him for free because he took a nobody
44:48 and sat me right next to him.
44:51 So, here we are this morning, I'm not 17 anymore,
44:54 and neither are you.
44:56 I mean, look around.
45:02 And in the last, final gasp of history,
45:04 the rightful king of the universe,
45:06 in spite of your ratty, old, grey sweater and ripped jeans,
45:08 has just slipped his arm around your shoulder.
45:12 He says, "If you'd just open the door,
45:14 we'd have dinner together."
45:16 And then he says the most remarkable thing,
45:18 "To him who overcomes
45:19 I will grant to sit with Me on My throne."
45:24 All this time, you've been trying
45:25 to take even a little piece of God's throne for yourself,
45:27 you've been trying to take some kind of control.
45:29 And all this time, as you're trying to claim it as your own,
45:31 Jesus has been intending to share that throne
45:34 with you anyway, he wants to give it to you.
45:38 Why are you fighting him?
45:42 The only thing that stands in the way
45:43 between this moment and that moment
45:45 when he shares his throne with you,
45:46 the only thing that stands in the way is you
45:50 and those things you know you're hanging onto.
45:53 It is time to let go.
45:57 Quit trying to run the show.
46:00 Quit letting yourself get distracted
46:02 from the one thing God told this church to do.
46:04 I'm concerned about our distractions.
46:06 We run from one movement to the next,
46:10 one controversy to the next,
46:13 but that's not what God asked us to do,
46:15 not settle every little question,
46:16 every little dispute.
46:17 He didn't ask us to play politics,
46:19 he didn't ask us to set up power structures,
46:20 he didn't ask us to sit in judgment, make up rules.
46:23 We've been asked to do just one thing, one thing.
46:29 Get out there, get off the throne.
46:32 Get out there and find God's children.
46:37 They don't understand what you understand.
46:38 Jesus is about to share his throne with them,
46:40 and they need to know.
46:42 It's the one thing we were asked to do,
46:44 and it's time to get back to business
46:47 before midnight falls.
46:50 Shawn: Hey, I'm Shawn Boonstra,
46:51 speaker/director for "The Voice of Prophecy,"
46:53 the oldest faith-based radio broadcast in the world.
46:57 Now, whether you're a longtime friend of "Voice of Prophecy,"
47:00 or someone learning about this ministry
47:01 for the very first time,
47:02 you really don't want to miss these next few minutes
47:05 because I think you'll be encouraged and inspired
47:08 to hear what God is doing through this frontline ministry.
47:11 Now, this ministry is old, very old, in fact.
47:15 We've been around since 1929.
47:17 But in spite of that age, we've always lived
47:21 on the cutting edge of technology,
47:22 finding new ways to share the good news of Christ
47:25 with people of all ages, and that includes your kids.
47:30 If there are children in your life
47:31 between the ages of 5 and 12, I've got something I think
47:34 you're going to find pretty exciting.
47:37 "Discovery Mountain" is a brand new adventure series
47:40 for the radio that's spreading like wildfire
47:42 all over the world.
47:44 In fact, I know the program is good,
47:47 but I've been shocked at how fast
47:49 this is spreading among young people.
47:51 Kids are loving this weekly drama
47:52 set at a camp in the mountains.
47:54 And parents are loving the show too
47:56 because, well, their kids are eagerly doing all their chores
47:59 just so that they can listen to this week's episode.
48:02 It's well produced, it's exciting to listen to,
48:05 and best of all, kids from any background
48:08 can listen to this program and get to know Jesus.
48:11 So, where do you get a copy of "Discovery Mountain"?
48:13 It's really pretty easy.
48:15 You'll find it at DiscoveryMountain.com.
48:18 ♪♪♪
48:22 Shawn: Now, I know what you're thinking,
48:24 "Well, that's great for my kids, but what about me?
48:26 What do I get to listen to?"
48:28 Well, I've got you covered there too.
48:30 See, I might not be quite as dramatic
48:32 as "Discovery Mountain," even though my wife says
48:34 I can be plenty dramatic at home,
48:37 but I do have a weekly radio show
48:39 called "Disclosure" that my wife and I do together.
48:42 Now, I'm there on the show to get things going,
48:44 and my wife is there to, well, reign me in from time to time.
48:49 It's a great show.
48:50 It's Christian talk radio the way that faith-based radio
48:52 should be done in the 21st century,
48:55 with an emphasis on current events,
48:57 Bible study, and of course, Bible prophecy.
49:01 Because after all, it is sponsored
49:03 by "The Voice of Prophecy,"
49:05 and prophecy happens to be one of my favorite subjects
49:08 because prophecy is mostly the reason
49:10 that I'm a Christian believer today.
49:13 So, what do we talk about on "Disclosure"?
49:15 Well, just about everything: what's in the news,
49:18 the Bible's perspective on real issues
49:21 that people are dealing with,
49:22 things like anxiety or forgiveness.
49:24 We talk about how to make sense of the prophetic portions
49:27 of the Bible, like Daniel or Revelation.
49:29 And we even answer questions like,
49:31 "Does the Bible ever mention marijuana?"
49:35 Sometimes, you even get to be part of the show
49:37 because nobody knows what you're dealing with
49:39 better than you.
49:41 So, once in a while, I take your questions
49:43 and answer them on the air.
49:45 And sometimes, it turns out I actually know an answer.
49:47 So, look for "Disclosure" on the radio,
49:50 or find the latest episode at vop.com,
49:52 and look under the Media tab.
49:55 Now, this is going to come as a surprise to a lot of people,
49:58 but radio broadcasts, and we're on our way
50:00 to actually having five different broadcasts,
50:03 but radio broadcasts are really only the tip of the iceberg
50:06 here at "The Voice of Prophecy."
50:08 In fact, I'm not even sure it's most of what we do.
50:12 You see, the VOP exists to bring people
50:14 into a relationship with Jesus,
50:16 to help them understand that Jesus is quite real.
50:19 So, we'd like to get out there
50:21 and meet people face to face, in person.
50:24 So, every year, we conduct a month-long series
50:27 on Bible prophecy somewhere in the world for the public.
50:31 That series is called "Revelation Speaks Peace,"
50:34 and it's a full-blown, free-to-the-public seminar
50:37 on the subject of Bible prophecy.
50:39 And every single year just about,
50:41 we bring it to some major urban center.
50:44 In recent years, for example, I think we've done it
50:45 in Seattle, Minneapolis, Indianapolis,
50:49 and I think the next place we're going
50:50 is the mile-high city of Denver, Colorado.
50:53 Now, the great thing about these public seminars is that,
50:56 thanks to generous donor support,
50:58 we're actually able to offer them free to the public,
51:01 the way it should be.
51:02 I mean, you and I have been charged with sharing the gospel
51:05 and leading people to Christ.
51:07 So, this is a great way for us to bring the good news
51:10 of Christ's soon return to the world
51:11 in a way that captivates the imagination
51:14 and leads thousands of people
51:16 to become part of God's remnant church.
51:18 Of course, holding a seminar once a year
51:22 isn't going to fulfill the gospel commission
51:24 the way Jesus envisioned.
51:26 For that to happen, for every nation,
51:28 kindred tongue, and people to hear
51:30 what God has planned for us, we need all hands on deck.
51:34 So, probably our biggest passion is to equip your church
51:38 here in North America
51:40 not to partner with "The Voice of Prophecy,"
51:42 but to actually become a local branch
51:45 of "The Voice of Prophecy"
51:46 in the community where God has placed you.
51:48 What I really want to do
51:50 is give you all the resources and tools you need
51:53 to become a far more effective outreach mechanism
51:56 in your town, your city, your neighborhood.
52:00 So, we're already producing first-rate, cohesive,
52:02 soul-winning resources that make good sense,
52:05 resources that actually let you and me
52:07 partner together in really effective ways.
52:10 So, for example, I've been holding
52:13 the "Revelation Speaks Peace" seminar now for, oh,
52:15 about a quarter century, and I've discovered
52:18 that it works really well.
52:19 I've tried it on six continents.
52:21 It works across every imaginable age demographic,
52:24 every cultural demographic, every religious demographic.
52:27 You name it, it just seems to work.
52:30 But I can only put that seminar on once or maybe twice a year.
52:34 So, what if we all did it?
52:38 Right now, I'm actually working hard
52:39 to create a full-blown version of "Revelation Speaks Peace"
52:42 that your church can use.
52:44 Not a scaled down, minimized version,
52:46 but the very same thing I use.
52:49 Because what if we had 1,000 locations every single year,
52:53 and you and I started doing this together?
52:56 Now, I'm getting really close to producing that.
52:58 I just have to raise the money we need
53:00 to actually produce the product,
53:02 and then you and I need to work together
53:04 to understand how it's used most effectively,
53:06 and then it's going to be ready.
53:09 And in the meantime, we've already got
53:10 online training sessions
53:12 and monthly webinars in place.
53:14 And we've also produced
53:15 some award-winning community media events
53:17 that you can use
53:19 to invite people to visit your church.
53:22 Recently, we put on a short, four-part series
53:25 about the life of Constantine called "Shadow Empire,"
53:29 which tapped into this general sense of discomfort
53:31 the public has with organized religion.
53:35 And without making people feel uncomfortable,
53:37 without pointing fingers at anybody,
53:40 we vindicated people's sense of discomfort
53:42 and gave them real reasons
53:44 to believe in the Jesus of the Bible.
53:47 The results were astounding.
53:49 In fact, it went far better than we ever dreamed possible.
53:52 So, we're already producing our next series,
53:55 "A Pale Horse Rides,"
53:57 which will focus on a remarkable untold story,
54:00 something that very few of your neighbors
54:03 have ever heard, I promise.
54:05 A story that set the stage for the appearance of Martin Luther.
54:09 We're going to look at stories from beyond the fringes
54:11 of the Roman empire that reveal the amazing tale
54:14 of a biblical Christianity that somehow survived
54:18 the darkest hours of the dark ages.
54:21 Now, you can find out more about this amazing project
54:23 at PaleHorseRides.com,
54:26 and sign up so that your church can take part,
54:28 and invite your neighbors over.
54:31 Of course, once your neighbors
54:32 have come to one of these short events,
54:34 a lot of them are going to be hungry to learn more.
54:37 Believe me, they will be, I've seen it every single time.
54:40 So, we wouldn't be "The Voice of Prophecy"
54:43 if we didn't also run the world's oldest
54:45 and biggest Bible correspondence school.
54:49 Right now, more than 2,000 churches here in North America
54:52 actually host their own "Discover" school.
54:55 And on top of that, there are now schools open
54:58 in 140 countries.
55:01 As of right now, there are more than 12 million people
55:05 who have enrolled in the Bible course,
55:07 and that's a number that just defies the imagination.
55:10 It's like eight cities the size of Manhattan
55:13 all studying the Bible.
55:15 And I know, some of you think
55:17 you've seen the "Discover" Bible lessons,
55:19 but you haven't seen the new ones.
55:22 We've just finished a complete rewrite and redesign
55:24 to bring them up to the 21st century.
55:27 And we've made them even more effective
55:29 and accessible than before.
55:31 The Discover Bible School is not just for correspondence,
55:34 it's perfect for relational outreach
55:36 because they're actually designed to use
55:38 for one-on-one Bible studies, small groups,
55:41 and larger Bible schools.
55:43 This is something you've got to check out.
55:45 So again, go to vop.com.
55:47 Now, I know that's a lot,
55:49 it sounds like we're up to an awful lot of things.
55:51 But there's even more that your new "Voice of Prophecy"
55:54 is doing right now.
55:55 I don't know if you've noticed, but in addition to the command
55:58 to carry the gospel to the whole world
56:00 in Matthew 28 and Matthew 24,
56:02 Jesus also mentions the need of Christians
56:05 to just care about people.
56:07 You'll find that in Matthew 25.
56:09 So, in addition to meeting the spiritual needs
56:11 of people all over the world,
56:13 "The Voice of Prophecy" is also meeting their physical needs,
56:17 their immediate needs.
56:18 And we're involved in all sorts of things,
56:20 from groundbreaking work in Myanmar
56:23 to the remotest regions of the arctic,
56:25 stuff that you can read about on our website.
56:28 But for just one moment, I want to tell you
56:30 about one very special outreach project
56:32 we're partnering with in the country of India.
56:35 This is a project that is literally
56:38 changing lives on a daily basis.
56:41 We're teaming up with Asian Aid's
56:42 Operation Child Rescue to save young girls
56:45 who are the victims of human trafficking,
56:48 kids who have been forced to work in brothels.
56:52 Honestly, I don't know if there's a more desperate need
56:55 for Christians to do something
56:57 anywhere on the planet right now.
56:59 So, we've opened a special rehabilitation home
57:02 where these kids receive medical attention,
57:04 get vocational training, and learn about a God
57:08 who loves and values them.
57:11 The results have been so incredible
57:13 that the government is actually asking
57:15 if we can open more homes because nobody has ever done
57:19 something like this before.
57:21 If you've ever had the urge
57:23 to really make a difference in this world,
57:25 to save people, to turn back the tide of evil on this planet,
57:29 this is something you can become involved in right now.
57:33 Just take a look at our website, vop.com/india,
57:37 and I think you'll be blown away by what's possible.
57:42 Well, that's honestly about all the time I've got for today,
57:44 but I'm hoping it's really obvious
57:46 that we're really excited about this new "Voice of Prophecy."
57:49 If you're looking to make a difference,
57:52 if you want to leave a mark on this world, I've got to say
57:55 that this is probably your best bet to get started.
57:59 Just take a look at vop.com, check our free programming,
58:02 our resources, and some of our incredible projects.
58:06 And don't forget to click on the donate button,
58:09 you'll find it up at the top right-hand side of the webpage.
58:11 Or just go to vop.com/give
58:15 because this really isn't just an opportunity to give,
58:18 it's an opportunity to change everything.
58:22 Once you've seen the possibilities,
58:24 I'm guessing you might be really interested
58:26 in partnering more closely with us,
58:28 which is something our sponsors do every single year
58:31 when they meet with Jean and me in person
58:34 to dream about where God would have us go next.
58:36 You'll find a link to sponsors on the webpage as well.
58:40 Well, that is enough, and I'll see you at the website,
58:43 and I'll be praying that you decide
58:45 to become part of something phenomenal
58:48 here at "The Voice of Prophecy."
58:51 ♪♪♪


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Revised 2017-10-06