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Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH022152S
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00:13 ♪♪♪ 00:15 ♪♪♪ 00:25 ♪♪♪ 00:35 Shawn Brummund: Hello and welcome to another edition 00:37 of the Sabbath School Study Hour. 00:38 We are just so grateful that you have decided to come 00:42 and join us here, as we come together in our local church, 00:45 which is the Granite Bay Hilltop Seventh Day Adventist Church 00:48 here in the greater Sacramento area 00:50 of Southern California, USA. 00:53 For those of you who are joining us locally, 00:55 it's nice to be able to have you, 00:56 as you're plugging in livestream across the country, 01:00 across different countries of the world. 01:01 For those of you who are watching through our various 01:03 television networks, it is good to be able to have you join us 01:07 here over the next hour, as we worship, 01:10 as we study, and as we grow in the faith and the knowledge 01:13 of Jesus Christ, looking at His Word. 01:17 Today is a bit of a milestone Sabbath in the fact that it is 01:20 our last study, our last weekly study on this particular topic 01:25 and quarterly which we've been looking at for three months now, 01:28 which is that of the book of Deuteronomy. 01:31 And so, one of the most powerful, 01:32 fundamental books that we could find in all of Scripture, 01:35 and we are looking at lesson number 13. 01:38 And so, please, if you have a quarterly lesson, 01:41 go ahead and grab that. 01:42 Of course, most importantly grab your Bible. 01:45 The Bible is our main textbook for today's study, 01:48 and we're looking at the resurrection of Moses. 01:51 What are the implications of that? 01:52 What does the Scripture say both in Deuteronomy and outside? 01:55 And so, we look forward to you to study with us here today. 01:59 Now, before we go ahead and invite our singers out to lead 02:02 us in worship, I want to invite you to take advantage of a free 02:05 gift offer that we have for you here this morning, 02:08 and that is entitled, "The Day of the Lord," 02:11 amazing facts about the return of Jesus Christ. 02:15 And so, this is one of the most comprehensive studies 02:18 and resources that you can find in concern 02:20 to the Second coming of Jesus. 02:22 What does the Bible teach on that? 02:23 Go ahead and take advantage of that. 02:24 All you have to do is dial 1-866-788-3966, 02:30 and we will be happy to send that out to you. 02:32 Ask for Offer #825. 02:36 That's #825 when they go ahead and answer that call. 02:39 And we'll send it out to you. 02:41 If you're in North America-- 02:42 that's Canada, U.S., and different U.S. Territories-- 02:45 glad to be able to get that to you. 02:46 Now, if you'd like to get a digital copy of that, 02:48 and you are in the North American continent, 02:52 we're happy to be able to have that available to you as well. 02:55 And so, just go ahead and text that. 02:58 You want to text that to the information that 03:01 is on the screen, and we'll be able to-- 03:03 you'll be able to get a free digital download for that. 03:07 I want to invite you to join me, as we ask the Lord 03:09 to be with us in prayer. 03:11 Father in heaven, we thank you for the opportunity 03:13 to be able to be here this morning. 03:15 For those of us who are in the church and for those of us 03:17 who are watching online or on television, 03:20 we want to pray, God, that you will bless each and every one 03:23 of us as we open your Bible. 03:25 We claim that promise, that your Holy Spirit will come 03:27 upon us and lead us and guide us into all truth, 03:31 to give us spiritual discernment. 03:32 And we pray again, Lord, that you will fulfill your promise 03:37 and send that to us even now. 03:39 Please be with our teacher, Pastor Doug, 03:40 as he brings the Word to us; 03:42 and, of course, be with his heart, his mind, 03:44 his lips as he brings to life and explains the Word of God 03:47 for us again today. 03:49 In Jesus's name, we pray these things, God, amen. 03:52 Doug Batchelor: Good morning. 03:54 Good to see each of you here, and I want to welcome again 03:57 those who are watching. 03:59 We know that there's always a lot of people 04:03 from a kaleidoscope of different countries around the world that 04:06 are studying with us for our Sabbath School Study Hour. 04:09 And I'm almost going to have to learn how to do this again. 04:12 It's been so long since I've taught the lesson, 04:14 because we just came off doing this evangelistic program, 04:17 and there was a lot of other things going on. 04:20 And I'm kind of sad because Deuteronomy is my favorite book 04:24 in the Bible, and I've only been able to teach about three or 04:27 four of these lessons; but I'm glad that I get to come here 04:30 for the finale and study this with you. 04:33 Moses is probably one of the most central characters 04:38 of the Bible. 04:40 Of course, not only did he write six books-- 04:43 now you're thinking six-- you've got, you know, Genesis, 04:46 Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. 04:48 Job would be number six. 04:52 But he really is the great lawgiver in the Bible 04:55 that God spoke to. 04:57 He's the one who was the doctor that took care of the birth 05:01 of a nation. 05:02 He was there when Israel was brought out. 05:04 He's a great savior. 05:06 And Moses is such a unique character because, 05:09 of course, he's born as a slave, but he's adopted, 05:14 through miraculous means, raised up in the palace of the most 05:18 sophisticated country in the world at that time. 05:21 So, he received the best education available in his day, 05:25 and then he goes from the palaces; 05:28 and, you know, he kills that Egyptian, 05:31 has to run out into the wilderness. 05:33 And he ends up spending 40 years following around those sheep 05:39 and goats in a desert. 05:42 And he probably figured that's how he would end his days. 05:44 But at 80, God calls him again and says, 05:47 "I've got another big job for you." 05:50 Just an incredible life that Moses lived. 05:52 Now, Moses's life is divided in an interesting way, 05:56 three generations. 05:58 You have the 40 years of Moses's life where he is in Egypt. 06:05 Then you have the 40 years where he is in the wilderness. 06:08 And then you have the 40 years where he is leading people 06:11 from Egypt to the borders of the Promised Land. 06:14 So, this is at the birth of the nation. 06:17 When Israel was finally settled in the Promised Land, 06:20 they have three 40s. 06:23 You've got the 40 years of King Saul, the first king. 06:27 He starts to deliver them from the Philistines. 06:29 Then you've got 40 years of David's reign. 06:32 And then you have 40 years of Solomon's reign. 06:36 And then the kingdom is divided. 06:38 So, you've got 40 is sort of like a generation in the Bible. 06:41 And that's why I think it's interesting that Jesus said in 06:44 about 30 AD, speaking of the destruction of the temple, 06:48 He said, "There will not be left here one stone upon another 06:51 that will not be thrown away. 06:52 This generation will not pass away--" 06:55 Jesus makes that prediction in 30 AD; 06:58 and 70 AD, 40 years later, the temple is destroyed. 07:02 So, even the numbers connected 07:03 with the life of Moses are amazing. 07:06 Well, we're coming to the end of Moses's life, 07:09 but it actually is kind of ending on a happy note. 07:12 The title of the lesson is, "The Resurrection of Moses." 07:16 And we have a memory verse. 07:18 The memory verse is from the book of Jude, 07:20 and this is verse 9, because there's only one 07:22 chapter in the book of Jude. 07:24 If you have your quarterly with you, 07:26 you can find this in your Bible. 07:28 I'd encourage you, just say it out loud with me. 07:31 This is Jude verse 9. 07:32 Here in your lesson, it's from the New King James Version. 07:34 You ready? 07:36 "Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, 07:41 when he disputed about the body of Moses, 07:43 dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, 07:47 but he said, 'The Lord rebuke you.'" 07:50 It's talking about some contest between Michael the archangel, 07:55 and the devil, and the body of Moses. 07:58 And so this comes up a little later in the lesson, 08:00 so we'll take a closer look at that. 08:02 But if you go to section one, it talks about the sin of Moses. 08:10 Now, Moses, while he was a man, 08:12 in many ways it was a type of Christ. 08:15 He was a human. How many humans have sinned? 08:19 All. 08:20 Just the right side of the auditorium? 08:22 Just the left? 08:23 Some of you 50/50 down the middle? 08:25 It's everybody. 08:28 You can even look at the person on the left and the right and 08:30 say, "You know, you're a sinner," 08:31 and you'd be telling the truth. 08:33 Don't do it, but you could. 08:34 So, we're all sinners except one person. 08:38 Who is it that lived a life without sin? 08:41 Jesus. 08:42 So, even though Moses was a great man-- 08:45 and do you know there's some Bible characters, 08:48 you don't really find a record 08:50 of the sin of Daniel in the Bible. 08:54 But you know, Daniel in chapter 9, 08:56 he says, "While I was confessing my sin 08:57 and the sin of my people--" 08:59 He saw he was a sinner. 09:01 Joseph, I mean Joseph, he was so obedient, 09:06 but you don't really find a record of any sin in Joseph's 09:09 life, but even these godly people-- 09:14 Elijah, we read that he was a man subject 09:17 to like passions as we are. 09:19 He struggled. 09:21 He got discouraged and afraid he might die. 09:23 So, they were human. So, don't get discouraged. 09:26 But Christ was sinless. 09:27 Even Moses, he made some mistakes along the way. 09:31 And if you look in your lesson, the first section here talking 09:34 about the sin of Moses-- before I get to that, 09:38 we're not going to get to the big sin that kept him out 09:40 of the Promised Land. 09:41 First you read in Exodus 2, verse 11, 09:45 "It came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, 09:49 and he went to his brethren, and he looked at their burdens. 09:52 And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, 09:54 one of his brethren. 09:55 He looked this way and that--" 09:56 He knew he was going to do something to that taskmaster. 09:59 So, he looked around to see if there were any witnesses. 10:02 "And when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him 10:05 in the sand." 10:07 Maybe he thought this was going to be the first step in 10:09 launching a revolution to help all the slaves rise up and help 10:14 him overwhelm the Egyptians. 10:17 He had a sense that God wanted to use him somehow to deliver 10:20 his people from the Egyptians, but that wasn't God's plan. 10:23 He kind of acted on his own, committed murder in the process. 10:27 You go to Exodus 4. 10:29 And when God calls him-- 10:31 this is after the 40 years in the wilderness- 10:33 God calls Moses and says, 10:35 "I want to use you," and he starts to equivocate 10:38 and make all these excuses. 10:40 And this is Exodus 4:13. 10:43 "He said, 'O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever 10:45 You will send. 10:47 So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses." 10:51 Now, would God get angry with Moses unless Moses had done 10:54 something wrong? 10:56 Does that make sense? So, Moses sinned. 10:58 He had said, "No, I don't want to do it, 10:59 and you get someone else. 11:02 And look online, you'll find somebody. 11:05 I haven't spoken Egyptian in years." 11:07 And God said, "Who made man's tongue?" 11:11 And then you read in Exodus 4:24, 11:14 "And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, 11:17 that the LORD met him and sought to kill him." 11:21 Now, this is--we always get questions 11:22 about this interesting little episode. 11:24 You just, you read the word, "The LORD sought to kill him," 11:28 and it's almost like God swung, and He missed. 11:32 If God wants to kill you, can He kill you? 11:34 No, it means that He was-- He had judgment. 11:38 He had, like, the sword of Damocles hanging over him, 11:41 kind of like Balaam, an angel with a sword. 11:43 And he said, "If it wasn't for the donkey, 11:45 I would've slain you." 11:46 And so, you know, sometimes God shows you're on the verge 11:49 of disaster, because Moses was disobeying when it came 11:53 to the covenant of circumcision. 11:56 And so, we see that, you know, in the life of Moses, 11:58 that he was a person, he loved the Lord, 12:01 he wanted to serve the Lord, but he made mistakes. 12:04 But then finally, unfortunately, near the end of his life, 12:10 he's just about brought the people to the borders 12:12 of the Promised Land. 12:14 Moses became exasperated. 12:16 And you feel for him, because you think, 12:18 after all he's been through, to kind of lose it on the borders 12:22 of the Promised Land like that, how tragic. 12:25 Now, you read about this in Numbers chapter 20, verse 7. 12:30 "Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12:32 'Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron 12:36 gather the congregation--'" 12:37 Now, this is happening because they're out of water again. 12:40 "'Gather the congregation and speak to the rock 12:44 before their eyes.'" 12:45 What were they to do? To speak. 12:48 And they were not to shout, and they were not to beat the rock, 12:52 they were to "'Speak to the rock before their eyes, 12:55 and it will yield its water.'" 12:57 Now, this evidently had happened several times because, 13:01 you know, when they first came out of Egypt, 13:02 they drank water at the springs of Marah, 13:06 and then they went further in the desert, 13:08 and they had no water, and they cried unto Moses, 13:10 and Moses, he struck the rock one time. 13:14 Water came out of the rock, and that was a type of Christ. 13:16 That was only supposed to happen one time. 13:18 Jesus was only smitten once for you, 13:21 meaning, you know, there was only one judgment of Christ. 13:24 And but as they went from place to place, 13:28 it seems like this miracle was repeated, 13:32 because Paul says, "The rock that followed them was Christ." 13:35 And it talks about this rock that living water came out of. 13:39 And so, this had to happen more than one time. 13:43 "'Speak to the rock, and it will yield its water; 13:47 and you'll give the congregation to drink and their animals.'" 13:49 So, it must've been quite a bit of water. 13:52 "So Moses took the rod from before the LORD 13:54 as the LORD commanded him. 13:56 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together 13:59 before the rock; and he said to them, 14:02 'Hear now, ye rebels! 14:04 Must we bring water out of this rock?' 14:07 Then Moses lifted up his hand, and he struck the rock twice 14:10 with his rod; and water came out abundantly, 14:14 and the congregation and their animals drank. 14:17 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, 14:20 saying, 'Because you did not believe Me, 14:23 to hallow or to honor Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, 14:27 therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that 14:31 I have given them.'" 14:32 Ooh, that's a pretty heavy judgment. 14:35 I mean, your whole life mission has been to be used of God, 14:38 to bring the people into the Promised Land, 14:40 and you're not far from the borders of the Promised Land. 14:44 You lose your temper, and you sin. 14:47 And now what was the sin of Moses in this event? 14:53 Some people think the Lord is being pretty harsh on Moses. 14:57 I mean, if you had to lead this-- 15:00 the Bible says they were stubborn and stiffnecked people. 15:05 Several times, Moses said, 15:06 "Lord, why do you have me responsible 15:10 for all these people?" 15:11 He said, "Did I bring them forth? 15:12 I'm not their father. Why have I got this burden?" 15:16 And 40 years of judging the people. 15:19 Now, the Bible tells us that Moses sat as a judge. 15:22 First, he was judging every little case, 15:23 and then he got some elders to help him, 15:25 but he still was sitting as sort of the supreme court, 15:27 all their disputes. 15:28 You know what a judge has to do? 15:30 He's got to listen to problems all day long, 15:33 and he's got to find solutions. 15:35 Can you see where Moses would get tired? 15:36 And how many times did they lose faith? 15:40 God, you know, saves them from Egypt, 15:42 through all the plagues. 15:44 Then they lose faith there at the borders of the Red Sea. 15:48 And then God parts the sea for them, 15:50 which would, you know, probably stick in my mind. 15:52 Then they run out of bread, and they say, 15:54 "The Lord doesn't love us. 15:55 He brought us out here," to kill them. 15:56 God gives them bread. Then they run out of water. 15:58 God gives them water. 15:59 Then they're attacked by their enemies. 16:01 God delivers them from their enemies. 16:03 You think, time after time-- 16:06 they said, "Oh, we need some meat." 16:07 God sends them quail. 16:09 Time after time, when a miracle arose, 16:11 and God answered their prayer, 16:13 you think they'd finally start behaving. 16:16 But this goes right up to the borders of the Promised Land. 16:19 And can you understand maybe why Moses would become exasperated? 16:23 Now, are we a lot better than the children of Israel? 16:27 How many of you have had God perform miracles 16:29 of provision for you in your life? 16:33 Have you sometimes forgotten His provision? 16:38 When something goes wrong-- 16:40 you know, five minutes of listening to the devil, 16:43 you can forget all of God's miracles and blessings 16:45 in your life. 16:46 It's just amazing how that works. 16:49 And Moses, I don't know what happened. 16:51 He was tired. He was exasperated. 16:53 And he and Aaron, they got so angry, they struck the rock. 16:59 They sort of berated the people. 17:01 "You rebels." 17:03 He struck it twice. 17:05 God didn't tell them to strike it at all. 17:07 And evidently, he had just lost his temper. 17:11 Probably Moses had lost his temper with some righteous 17:14 indignation when he killed the Egyptian earlier in his life. 17:17 And yet, the Bible says he was the meekest man that ever lived. 17:21 So, what was the sin of Moses? 17:22 I've got four things here that I identify in this experience. 17:27 One, God had commanded him to take the rod in his hand, 17:30 and to speak to the rock. 17:32 Moses disobeyed, and he smote the rock. 17:35 Secondly, he struck the rock twice, 17:38 which indicated an anger of spirit and a want of attention 17:42 to the presence of God. 17:43 He forgot that he was a messenger for God, 17:45 and God was there. 17:48 Three, he permitted his spirit to be overwhelmed by his sense 17:51 of the people's hardness of heart; 17:53 and thus, being provoked, was led to speak unadvisedly 17:56 with his lips. 17:57 "Hear now, ye rebels." 18:00 That's not what God told him to say. 18:02 And four, he did not glorify God, 18:05 but he took the glory and the honor 18:06 for this miracle on himself. 18:08 He said, "Must we bring you water out of the rock?" 18:11 Moses was not a magician. 18:13 Now, the interesting thing about this is even though Moses did 18:16 all of those things wrong, did God still bring water 18:18 out of the rock? 18:21 I wonder how many times God has answered our prayers, 18:23 even though we pray wrong. 18:26 And sometimes God has blessed, 18:29 even though the messenger is flawed. 18:34 I remind myself of that frequently, 18:36 that the Word of God has inherent power. 18:39 And even though I could be a flawed vehicle, 18:41 God can still perform a miracle for you. 18:45 I remember meeting a man that said he came to the Lord at 18:50 listening to an evangelistic program by an evangelist 18:54 that was later arrested for living a double life. 18:59 But while the evangelist was up preaching, 19:03 he was saying things that were true. 19:04 This man gave his heart to Jesus. 19:07 Even though the evangelist, at the very time he was preaching, 19:11 was misbehaving badly with finances and with girlfriends, 19:17 and that struck me. 19:18 This was years ago, when I was pastoring in New Mexico. 19:22 This guy, he just said, "You know, 19:24 his sermon brought me to the Lord." 19:25 I thought, the Lord used him. 19:27 And then I remember God can speak 19:28 through a donkey, right? 19:30 So, God performed the miracle because He's God, 19:33 even though Moses did not go about it the right way. 19:36 So, Moses sinned, and there are severe consequences 19:40 for that sin. 19:41 What did God say? 19:42 "You will not bring the congregation into the land." 19:46 There probably couldn't have been any keener punishment. 19:49 He was looking forward to making the final delivery 19:53 of the package, if you know what I mean. 19:57 So, this was a great disappointment. 19:59 In Deuteronomy 1, verse 36, Moses now is rehearsing 20:03 the experience of the children of Israel, 20:07 and he said that no one's going to enter the Promised Land 20:10 from that original group that are over 20 years of age, 20:13 "'except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; 20:16 he shall see it, to him and all his children I'm giving the land 20:19 on which he walked, because he wholly followed the LORD.' 20:22 The LORD was also angry with me for your sakes, 20:26 saying, 'Even you shall not enter in here. 20:29 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, 20:31 he will go in there. 20:33 Encourage him, for he will cause the children 20:35 of Israel to inherit it.'" 20:37 There's several things I want yo to notice here. 20:38 First of all, it might have been a little bit hard when you know 20:43 somebody is replacing you because you've performed poorly. 20:46 And then the boss says, "I want you to train them and tell them 20:51 everything you know 'cause they're gonna take your place 20:53 when you're fired." 20:55 How do you like that assignment? 20:58 "We've hired your replacement. 21:00 Encourage them. 21:01 Teach them, train them 'cause you're not going 21:03 into the Promised Land. 21:05 You don't get your retirement." 21:08 But he took that well. 21:09 The other thing is don't miss the Word. 21:13 Do you have your Bibles open? 21:16 I want you to highlight a verse, if you do. 21:18 If you look here, I read through it, 21:19 but I don't know if you caught it. 21:21 Deuteronomy 3, verse 26. 21:24 "But the LORD was angry with me on your account, 21:30 and would not listen to me." 21:33 Who does that remind you of? 21:37 Who took the anger of the Lord on our account? 21:41 Jesus. 21:42 Moses is the great mediator. 21:44 He is one of the most powerful types of Christ in the Bible. 21:47 Did the devil try to kill Jesus as a baby? 21:51 Did the devil try to kill Moses as a baby? 21:54 He did. 21:55 Did--was Moses born among slaves, 21:59 but he was never a slave? 22:01 Jesus was born among sinners, but He was never a sinner. 22:05 Was Moses the great mediator that went between God and man? 22:08 A mediator, of course, is, you know, a go-between. 22:10 Moses said, "I'll speak to the Lord, 22:12 and then I'll come and I'll speak to you, 22:13 and then I'll go back and speak to the Lord." 22:15 Went up the mountain. And Christ is our intercessor. 22:19 You see a picture of Joshua leading the children of Israel 22:22 into battle with the Amalekites, and Moses was standing 22:24 on the mountain with his arms outstretched. 22:26 And as long as the people see him with his arms stretched out, 22:29 interceding for them, they're victorious. 22:32 When his arms get tired, and they go down, they lose. 22:34 So, Aaron and Hur lift his arms back up, they win. 22:38 There's lose, win; lose, lose, lose, lose; win. 22:42 But they noticed there was a connection. 22:44 What does that say to us? 22:45 When we see Jesus on that hill, on the cross, 22:48 with His arms stretched out, and we know that He's interceding 22:52 now with His hands stretched out before the Father, 22:55 that it is encouraging us in the battle against the enemy, amen? 23:01 So, he says, "The LORD was angry with me on your account." 23:05 You know, even though there's great people in the Bible, 23:08 sometimes they don't always get everything they may have wanted. 23:13 What was the big desire of David's heart? 23:18 He wanted to build a temple for the Lord. 23:22 And he had been a shepherd living in tents, 23:24 and he saw the tabernacle of the Lord was in a tent. 23:28 But finally, David became king, and he had a beautiful house, 23:30 but the tabernacle was still in the tent-- 23:32 or the ark was still in a tent, and he wanted to build it. 23:36 And first Nathan said, "Go for it. 23:37 The Lord is with you, David." 23:39 Then God spoke to Nathan the prophet and said, 23:40 "Go back, tell David, 'No, you're a bloody man. 23:43 You cannot build it for me, but your son-- 23:45 his name is Solomon, or peace-- he will build me a house. 23:50 Your son will build me a house that will last forever.'" 23:53 Jesus is the Son of David who built the house for the Lord. 23:57 David didn't get to fulfill his promise of doing it himself. 24:00 So, he made every provision for his son. 24:03 Moses did not get to bring the people into the Promised Land, 24:06 so he made every provision for Joshua. 24:09 And the book of Deuteronomy was sort of the final message 24:12 of encouragement, rehearsing the history. 24:16 I think I told you it's one of the most important books, 24:18 because it's the book Jesus quotes from three times when 24:22 He's tempted by the devil. 24:24 All three times, He quotes from Deuteronomy. 24:27 When the nation of Israel had lost the Word of God, 24:31 and Hilkiah the priest was cleaning out the temple, 24:33 he says, "We've found the book of the law." 24:36 They had found the book of Deuteronomy, 24:39 and that brought about a revival. 24:40 So, the message here is very powerful. 24:43 Moses writes that book after he knows he's not going to make it 24:48 into the Promised Land physically. 24:51 So, then we've got the next section, 24:53 the sin of Moses, part two. 24:55 Deuteronomy 31, verse 1 and 2, 24:58 "Then Moses went and spoke these words to all of Israel. 25:02 He said to them: 'I am one hundred and twenty years 25:04 old today. 25:06 I can no longer go out and come in. 25:08 Also the LORD has said to me, 25:10 'You shall not cross over this Jordan.'" 25:13 Moses was realizing his limitations. 25:16 And he said--now, when it says he's 120 years old, 25:19 and he said, "I can't go out and come in," 25:22 I don't think it means that Moses was feeble. 25:25 Because you read later, before he died, 25:27 he climbs a mountain, and the Bible says his natural force was 25:31 not abated, and his eyes had not dimmed. 25:34 I think he's telling them, you know, 25:36 "I can't go into the Promised Land. 25:38 I can't continue to go out and come in and lead you anymore," 25:41 as he had done. 25:43 He had been going in and coming out to the tabernacle 25:45 as their representative, and the time was going to end. 25:49 Deuteronomy 34, verse 1, "Then Moses went up from the plains 25:53 of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, 25:57 which is across from Jericho. 25:59 And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, 26:03 and all Naphtali." 26:04 Now, why does God show him this? 26:07 You know, God said, "Look, I know how much you wanted 26:10 to lead them into the land, but I'm going to give you a vision 26:13 of the land." 26:14 Now, we've been in that country before. 26:17 And from the top of Mount Pisgah, 26:19 or Nebo--and when you sing in your hymnal, 26:23 you'll be surprised there are several songs that talk about 26:25 from Pisgah's lofty heights, or something like that. 26:28 It's referring to the mountain where Moses saw the Promised 26:31 Land from this mountain. 26:33 But you can't see all the places 26:36 that are mentioned here with natural eyes. 26:39 If you've got eagle vision, you can't see all these places, 26:43 because they were hidden by other mountains. 26:45 So, when it says God showed him this, 26:47 he saw it in a supernatural vision here. 26:50 He says--let me go back here to Deuteronomy chapter 4, 26:54 and you can read here, and it says it showed him the land 26:57 across the land of Gilead as far as Dan. 27:00 That's way up in the north. 27:01 All of Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, 27:05 and all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea. 27:07 Now, for one thing, had the children of Israel had their 27:10 land divided to them yet? 27:13 No, the land had not even been divided. 27:15 So, how is it God's showing him the land of Judah, 27:18 and He's showing him the land of Manasseh. 27:20 They hadn't even cast lots to figure out whose land 27:22 was whose land. 27:23 God is showing Moses in a vision the land. 27:28 You know, it's kind of fun. 27:31 How many of you have a drone? 27:34 One, two, three, four, five, six. 27:40 I don't have a drone. Amazing Facts has a drone. 27:42 They're really neat because you can get an aerial perspective. 27:47 And they're using drones for all kinds of things. 27:50 And you know, people get lost in the woods, 27:52 they're sending up a drone to go find them now. 27:54 And if folks are hiking down a trail, 27:56 and they don't know which way to turn, 27:57 they send the drone up, and they go look around. 27:59 And movies are almost exclusively using drones, 28:01 where they used to use helicopters 28:03 to get these great shots. 28:04 It's really great 28:05 'cause it gives you an interesting perspective. 28:07 On the website of our church, you'll see the opening shot 28:12 is a video. 28:13 It's a flyover of the church with a drone. 28:15 Well, God actually gave him sort of, like, a drone shot of 28:18 the Promised Land, but He didn't show it to them the way it was. 28:22 I think He showed them the Promised Land at its zenith 28:25 of glory, the land flowing with milk and honey. 28:29 Now, whenever you say that-- 28:30 if you've ever been to Israel, and you know-- 28:33 I remember reading in the Bible about this 28:35 land flowing with milk and honey. 28:37 And then you read the stories in the Bible. 28:38 You know, Absalom's riding through the woods, 28:40 and he gets his head caught in a tree. 28:42 And Jonathan's going through the woods, 28:44 and honey is dripping from the trees. 28:46 And you hear about the woods. 28:48 And then you go to Israel, and it's a lot of desert, 28:54 and you don't see a lot of honey, 28:56 and you don't see a lot of milk, 28:57 and you don't see a lot of woods. 28:58 And you're going, what happened? 29:00 Well, this has been one of the most conquered lands in history. 29:05 I'll tell you a little secret that one of our tour guides 29:07 told us is there was one ruler. 29:09 I don't know if it was Suleman the Magnificent, 29:11 but one of the Muslim rulers that he decided to tax people 29:15 based on how many trees they had on their land. 29:19 Well, what would you do if you're being taxed on the number 29:21 of trees you have on your land? 29:24 They cut them down. 29:25 Do you know why the homes are so narrow in Holland? 29:30 Because they taxed people based on 29:32 how much street frontage they had. 29:35 So, you know what the people did? 29:36 They built their houses where they were 8 feet wide and 29:39 7 stories tall. 29:42 It's interesting what people do to avoid taxes. 29:45 So, they cut down all the trees in the Promised Land, 29:47 and then they were conquered by a couple of nations who came 29:49 through, and they sowed salt in the land, 29:53 and it destroyed the farming ability. 29:55 And so, the land you see now 29:57 is not like the land there was then. 29:59 Indeed, you read about Job. 30:02 Job talks about his flocks, and his herds, 30:04 and his camels, and his sheep, and his donkeys, 30:06 and all the livestock he had. 30:08 Job lived in an area that is desert now. 30:11 So, the climate has changed in the last 2000, 3000 years, 30:17 from the time of Moses 3500 years ago. 30:21 Things were different back then. 30:23 And God showed him this land that was beautiful, 30:30 farming land, springs of water, lots of vegetation, 30:34 forests, a beautiful land. 30:37 There was fruit. 30:38 They had grapes that were so big, 30:39 it took two men to carry one cluster of grapes back then. 30:43 That's before the Jews even started farming it. 30:46 So, it must have been a beautiful land. 30:48 So, God shows him this because He loves him. 30:52 And it says, "I cause you to see it with your eyes, 30:55 but you will not cross over there." 30:58 So, God gives him this beautiful vision of the land, 31:02 but God tells him then he's got to climb the mountain. 31:07 And you can read here in Numbers chapter 21, verse-- 31:13 Numbers 20, verse 1. 31:15 "The children of Israel, the whole congregation, 31:17 came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, 31:21 and the people stayed in Kadesh; 31:22 and Miriam died there and was buried there." 31:26 Who's Miriam? 31:28 Moses's older sister who had saved him. 31:31 Numbers 20, verse 23, "And the LORD spoke to Aaron, 31:35 Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the borders of the land of Edom, 31:38 saying: 'Aaron shall be gathered to his people, 31:41 he shall not enter the land that I've given to the children of 31:43 Israel, because you rebelled against My word 31:45 at the waters of Meribah.'" 31:47 So, not only Moses, but Aaron was there with him, 31:49 he could not enter. 31:51 And then with everyone watching, Aaron now takes off his regal 31:55 robes, and he gives them to his son. 31:57 Aaron is basically stripped, and he has to now pass the baton on 32:04 to his son, just as Moses later does with Joshua. 32:08 And it says, "Now Aaron died, and the house of Israel mourned 32:12 for him for thirty days." 32:14 Now you go to the death of Moses. 32:16 We can't have the resurrection of Moses 32:17 until we have the death of Moses. 32:19 Deuteronomy 34, verse 5, "So Moses the servant of the LORD 32:23 died there on top of Mount Nebo." 32:26 Now, that, he climbs this mountain alone. 32:29 That must've been a lonely situation. 32:32 You know, in the book, "Patriarchs and Prophets," 32:34 page 440, the author there comments on this. 32:39 "Moses knew that he was to die alone. 32:42 No earthly friend would be permitted to minister to him 32:44 in his last hours. 32:46 There was a mystery and an awfulness about the scene 32:48 before him, from which his heart shrank. 32:50 The severest trail was his separation from the people 32:53 of his care and his love, the people with whom his interests 32:57 and his life had so long been united. 32:59 But he had learned to trust God. 33:01 And with unquestioning faith, he committed himself to Him and His 33:05 people to His love and mercy." 33:10 Jesus was separated from the Father for our sin, 33:13 and Moses was separated from the people for their sin. 33:17 And he died alone. 33:19 But you know, it's beautiful when you think about it. 33:22 There's a couple of services pastors perform, 33:27 and you've got the baptisms, got marriages, you have funerals. 33:31 Having baptism today. 33:33 Who performed the first marriage? 33:39 God did for Adam and Eve. 33:42 Says he presented Eve to Adam. 33:47 Who did Moses's funeral? 33:50 It says the Lord buried him. 33:53 Wouldn't that be something, as the angels look on? 33:55 This faithful servant, after all those years, 33:57 we read that God is the one who performed the service. 34:01 It says, "According to the word of the LORD, 34:03 he died there, and He," verse 6 of Deuteronomy 24, 34:07 "He buried him." 34:09 You know, you see a picture of God taking the earth 34:11 and making Adam. 34:12 Here you've got God taking the earth 34:14 and covering it over Moses. 34:17 "He buried him in the valley, in the land of Moab, 34:19 opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows 34:22 of his grave to this day." 34:24 Why? 34:26 God did not want them to make it a shrine 34:28 that they would worship at. 34:30 That's the last thing that Moses would've wanted as well. 34:32 So, He hid it. 34:34 "Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. 34:37 His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished. 34:42 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains thirty 34:45 days," like they did for Aaron. 34:47 "So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended." 34:50 By the way, do you realize there's a 100% death rate? 34:54 If Jesus doesn't come, and you're not translated, 34:57 you'll die. 34:58 But there are good ways to die, and there are bad ways to die. 35:02 You ought to do everything you can to die like Moses, 35:06 where you don't die over the last 20 years of your life 35:10 because of bad living habits. 35:12 You know what I'm saying? 35:14 And you're debilitated, you're not functioning. 35:18 You want to be able to be busy 'til the last day. 35:21 In the little church that I used to pastor up in the hills of 35:25 Covelo, this church was really founded by a bunch of retired 35:28 people, but they were all very, very dedicated, 35:31 and they lived a long time. 35:32 We had one member 111. 35:35 And it was interesting that they kind of like fell over in their 35:40 gardens, 95 years old. 35:43 "Yeah, we found Monte." "Where was he?" 35:45 "In his garden." 35:46 You know, they were busy to the end. 35:48 I thought, "That's how you want to go," amen? 35:51 Take care of yourself. And then the Lord buried him. 35:56 Now we've got the resurrection of Moses. 35:59 Jude verse 9, "Yet Michael the archangel, 36:02 in contending with the devil, when he disputed about 36:05 the body of Moses, he dared not bring against him a railing 36:08 or reviling accusation, but he said, 'The Lord rebuke thee.'" 36:12 Now who else rebuked the devil when they were tempted? 36:17 Jesus did. 36:19 Michael the archangel. 36:21 Who is Michael the archangel? 36:23 We've got to talk about that before we talk 36:24 about the resurrection of Moses. 36:27 Now, I always address this with some trepidation; 36:29 because when you tell people what the Bible says on this, 36:31 it can kind of shock them. 36:34 And a lot of people, especially in the Catholic world or the 36:36 orthodox churches, they talk about these angels, 36:39 and they've got Michael, and they've got Rafael, 36:41 and there may be some others. 36:42 And they've named these angels, and they worship them. 36:43 They've got statues of them, and they think they're angels. 36:48 Well, nowhere in the Bible is it telling us that there are 36:51 multiple archangels. 36:53 The word archangel means the highest, or the chief. 36:57 It's like you've got--the word archangelos in Greek, 37:01 it means the highest. 37:03 An arch, a Roman arch, you've got the keystone at the top. 37:07 It was the highest. 37:08 And this is a description of Christ. 37:11 The word angel means messenger. 37:13 Now, alert, now hear this. 37:16 I am not saying that Jesus is an angel. 37:18 Jesus is not a cherub. Jesus is not a seraphim. 37:22 The Bible is telling us that one of the titles for Christ, 37:25 when He would appear in the Old Testament in the form 37:29 of an angel, Christ, it's called a Christophany. 37:32 All theologians agree with that, that when the Lord spoke 37:35 to Abraham--here's one example. 37:38 When Joshua is fighting against the people of Ai, 37:43 it says he saw this man of war. 37:48 And Joshua said, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" 37:51 He said, "Neither, but I've come as the Commander 37:53 of the Lord's host." 37:55 He said, "Take your shoes off your feet; 37:56 for where you stand is holy ground." 37:58 Same thing He said to Moses. 38:00 That was the same Lord who appeared to Moses 38:04 in the burning bush when he took his shoes off the feet. 38:06 Joshua falls down to worship Him and addresses Him as Lord, 38:10 but He appears as the angel of the Lord's army. 38:13 That's Michael the archangel. 38:15 That's Christ. 38:18 Even Moses said, "The angel that will lead you 38:21 through the wilderness." 38:22 And he said, "The Lord will raise up a servant like me. 38:25 Him you will hear." 38:26 That's Christ. 38:27 Now, let's look at some of the evidence that helps us 38:29 understand this. 38:30 First of all, the Bible tells it pretty clearly in Hebrews, 38:34 that Jesus is much higher than the angels. 38:38 Jesus is the eternal Son of God. 38:41 Are you all listening very carefully? 38:42 And especially folks who are watching. 38:44 We're not saying Jesus is an angel. 38:46 We're saying that one of the titles for Christ 38:48 in the Old Testament was Michael the archangel. 38:50 The very name Michael means, "Who is as God." 38:54 The greatest messenger who is as God, that's Jesus. 38:59 You read in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, 39:01 "The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, 39:04 with the voice of the archangel." 39:06 Who has the voice of the archangel? 39:09 The Lord himself shall descend from heaven, 39:12 the voice of the archangel. 39:15 Daniel chapter 12, "At that time Michael will stand up, 39:18 the great prince that stands for the children of thy people." 39:21 It means He stands in our behalf, 39:22 stands as our intercessor. 39:23 Who is the great prince that stands as our intercessor? 39:27 It's Jesus, right? 39:29 That is, when Christ stands up, and He ceases His intercession 39:33 as--when a judge stands up, this great time of trouble begins. 39:38 Then you also read that it says that Michael comes 39:41 to resurrect the body of Moses. 39:43 Now, there's no record in the Bible of this event. 39:47 There is a Jewish tradition that's probably based on truth, 39:51 that three days after Moses died, the Lord raised him up. 39:55 It's in a book called, "The Assumption of Moses." 40:00 Sometimes it's called, "The Testament of Moses." 40:02 This is an extrabiblical book that's probably written during 40:05 the Babylonian captivity. 40:07 They don't know, but it was based on some traditions. 40:10 And it says after three days God raised him. 40:12 That part's probably true. 40:14 And how do we know that Moses was raised? 40:19 You read about him appearing, and we'll get to that in a 40:22 moment, in the Mount of Transfiguration experience 40:26 you find in March chapter 9. 40:29 So, Revelation chapter 12, verse 7, 40:34 it says, "Michael fought and his angels, 40:38 and the dragon and his angels fought." 40:40 Now, who is the dragon? 40:44 Is the devil really a dragon, or is the word "dragon" 40:46 a symbolic name for the devil? 40:49 Dragon is a symbolic name. 40:50 Then why would we be surprised 40:52 if Michael is a symbolic name for Christ? 40:56 So, when you're reading about Michael in the Bible, 40:59 this is usually a preincarnation title for Jesus, 41:05 the great messenger to our world. 41:07 Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is divine. 41:10 He's eternal. We believe that. 41:12 But in the Old Testament, he's sometimes referred 41:14 to as Michael. 41:15 And by the way, this is not theology of our church. 41:18 Charles Spurgeon, Matthew Henry, many of the great commentators, 41:21 they say the same thing, 41:23 because they have done the detective work. 41:24 They've put the pieces together. 41:26 So, when Jesus comes for the body of Moses after three 41:30 days--another way in which Christ is similar to Moses or 41:34 Moses to Christ, the devil says, "You can't have him." 41:38 Says, "He sinned." And Michael doesn't engage him. 41:43 He says, you know, "He's repented of his sin. 41:46 The Lord rebuke thee." 41:47 And he raises him up. 41:50 You know, the devil is the accuser of the brethren. 41:52 The devil is the one who stood there and accused Joshua the 41:54 high priest and said, "Look at his filthy garments." 41:57 The Lord rebukes him and gives Joshua clean garments. 42:02 The devil is not wanting you to go to heaven, 42:04 but the Lord rebukes the devil, and by God's grace and through 42:10 faith, Moses had repented of his sin, amen? 42:14 So, the Lord can save him. 42:16 And then Moses is raised up. 42:18 Now, I want to read to you 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 42:21 And this is under "The Resurrection of Us All." 42:23 What happened to Moses is something 42:24 we're all looking forward to. 42:26 Can you say amen? 42:27 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 42:30 Now, Paul had a lot of problems with the Corinthian church. 42:33 Among them, they had struggled to believe in the resurrection, 42:36 or they thought it was already passed, 42:39 or that there was no resurrection. 42:41 Paul says, "If there's no resurrection of the dead, 42:45 then Christ is not risen. 42:46 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty 42:49 and your faith is also empty." 42:51 Go to verse 20. 42:52 "But now Christ is risen from the dead, 42:55 and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 42:59 For since by man came death--" 43:00 Now, why does it say Christ is the firstfruits, 43:03 if Moses had already been resurrected? 43:06 Firstfruits does not always mean the first in sequence. 43:09 Firstfruits also means in priority. 43:12 The Presidents' wife is called the First Lady. 43:15 It doesn't mean she was the first lady that made it 43:16 to North America. 43:18 It means that she's given a position of honor, 43:20 of high esteem. 43:22 So, Christ, the firstfruits of those who slept. 43:26 "For since by man, Adam, death came, 43:29 by Man also, Christ, came the resurrection of the dead. 43:33 For in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive. 43:37 But each one in his own order." 43:38 Some people think you die and go right to heaven. 43:41 Moses had a special resurrection. 43:43 But how does it happen for most people? 43:46 Those that are Christ's, afterward at His coming. 43:51 When are they raised? Afterwards. 43:55 And where are the dead now? Sleeping. 43:58 Do they know they're sleeping? No. 44:00 If they're saved and they're dead, 44:02 for them the next conscious thought is the presence 44:04 of the Lord. 44:05 To be absent from the body, to be present with the Lord, 44:07 but they don't feel that now because it hasn't happened. 44:11 We live in time. 44:12 And then finally, you've got it in Mark chapter 9 also. 44:16 I'm going to read to you from Luke chapter 9. 44:19 "Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, 44:23 He took Peter, James, and John and went up 44:25 on the mountain to pray. 44:27 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered. 44:30 His robe became white and glistening. 44:33 And behold, two men talked with Him, 44:35 and they were Moses and Elijah." 44:37 Jesus, no doubt, addressed them by their names. 44:40 "--who appeared in glory and spoke of his decease, 44:43 which He was about to accomplish." 44:44 Here now comes Moses to encourage Jesus, 44:49 who's going to go to the cross. 44:50 Isn't that something? 44:52 And when Moses had to die and go through his isolation, 44:56 Jesus was there to encourage him. 44:59 Now Moses is coming to encourage Jesus in His sacrifice. 45:02 Because what's going to happen to Moses and Elijah 45:04 in heaven if Jesus is not sacrificed? 45:07 Do they get to stay? 45:09 You can see why they would be very motivated 45:12 to encourage Jesus. 45:14 And it says that 45:16 "He was about to accomplish His sacrifice in Jerusalem. 45:19 But Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep; 45:21 and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two 45:23 men who stood with Him. 45:25 Then it appeared, as they were parting from Him, 45:27 that Peter said to Jesus, 45:28 'Master, it is good for us to be here; 45:30 let us make three tabernacles: 45:33 one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah,' 45:36 not knowing what he said." 45:38 Moses is in heaven now. 45:40 Matter of fact, he can be listening to this lesson 45:43 right now. 45:45 Isn't Moses in heaven? Yes. 45:48 He's where you and I want to be; and, 45:50 of course, Moses is a symbol for the Word of God, 45:53 the Old Testament. 45:54 Elijah is talking about He's a great prophet, 45:57 so you get the law and the prophets in those two who 46:00 appeared to Jesus to encourage Him. 46:02 We're out of time, but I hope you learned something. 46:04 I've really enjoyed this book of Deuteronomy. 46:07 If you missed it at the beginning, 46:08 we have a special book for you, a special free color magazine 46:12 called, "The Day of the Lord." 46:13 We will send you a free copy, if you simply ask. 46:16 You can all 866-788-3966. 46:20 That's 866-Study-More. 46:22 And if you want, we can also text this to you, 46:25 or you can get it through texting. 46:27 In the U.S., text "SH108" to 40544, 46:34 and we'd like you to be blessed by this magazine. 46:36 Read it and share it with someone else. 46:38 God bless you, friends. 46:39 We'll look forward to studying with you again next week. 46:45 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 46:47 free resource. 46:48 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 46:51 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 46:53 or mobile device. 46:54 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 46:57 simply text the keyword on your screen to 40544, 47:01 or visit the web address shown on your screen. 47:04 And be sure to select the digital download option 47:06 on the request page. 47:08 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word 47:11 with Amazing Facts wherever and whenever you want; 47:14 and most important, to share it with others. 47:20 announcer: Amazing Facts, Changed Lives. 47:28 female: I always wanted to be a daddy's girl, 47:30 from the time I was very small. 47:34 I saw other girls that had fathers around, 47:38 and I always felt different. 47:40 My natural father left when, I believe, I was four months old. 47:46 And I did not have a relationship with him; 47:49 and deep down, honestly, I always felt like, 47:55 "What did I do? 47:57 Why didn't he love me?" 48:00 And that's soul-shattering for a child. 48:05 My stepfather came into the picture when I was two years 48:08 old, and he was sexually abusing me, 48:15 physically abusing me, and psychologically abusing me 48:19 for many, many years. 48:22 The biggest thought that I can remember back then is having 48:26 my first thought of suicide when I was ten years old. 48:30 And being so afraid all the time, 48:35 but it was causing stomach pains, 48:37 that I would literally be doubled over. 48:39 I just kept thinking, "Why doesn't anyone know 48:43 what's going on in this house? 48:45 Can't they hear him screaming at me? 48:49 You know, don't they notice that something is wrong? 48:51 Don't I seem different? 48:53 I'm not right. 48:55 I'm ten, and I feel like I'm dying. 48:58 Can you not see me?" 49:01 And out of self-preservation, I finally just blocked it out of 49:05 my head for many years and just didn't remember anymore. 49:11 It was very, very lonely. 49:15 I did start drinking when I was 14 years old. 49:18 What had happened was I had a flashback of being molested, 49:24 and it shattered me, and I did not know how to cope with it, 49:29 so I started mixing all different kinds of hard alcohol 49:33 together, and smoking weed, and being sexually promiscuous. 49:41 And that was just the beginning of many years of hell. 49:50 It wasn't until several years later, 49:53 I realized that I needed to get help in order to stop using the 50:00 drugs, because I had been separated from God 50:04 at that point, and I knew that if I didn't get help, 50:09 that there was not going to be God for me anymore, 50:13 that I was going to completely take myself away from Him. 50:18 And something just clicked inside me. 50:23 All my life, I felt like God wasn't there for me, 50:28 and what I realized was that He was. 50:33 I'll never forget the time that I was sitting there in church, 50:36 and there was a silk lithograph of Jesus Christ up on the altar, 50:41 and I could not even look at it. 50:45 Because in my soul, I knew that what I was doing was wrong, 50:51 and I couldn't stop. 50:54 Not even talking about what it was doing to me physically, 50:58 but that brand-new friend that I had found in God, 51:04 I was pulling myself away from Him. 51:07 During that time, off and on, I'd turn on the TV, 51:11 and Pastor Doug would be there. 51:14 And one thing that he always said that caught my eye 51:17 is he always said, "Don't take my word for it. 51:20 Go check your Bible. 51:22 Amazing Facts helped saved my life. 51:25 It took me years, but I finally found, 51:29 I finally found God. I finally healed. 51:32 That little girl that was so shattered, 51:35 that had no self-esteem, that all her innocence 51:39 had been taken, God gave back everything and then some. 51:43 And I go through trials. 51:46 I'm a single parent. 51:47 I'm a recovering addict. 51:51 I have MS, and I have fibromyalgia. 51:55 And I am blessed. 51:57 I am blessed because I am so mighty with the Lord. 52:03 Everything that was ever stolen from me, God gave back. 52:07 And on top of that, He gave me forgiveness, 52:12 and that's what I want everyone to know. 52:15 He took a broken, broken woman and turned her into a warrior. 52:22 ♪♪♪ 52:28 announcer: Would you prayerfully consider 52:30 partnering with us today? 52:32 Thank you. 52:39 announcer: Amazing Facts, Changed Lives. 52:47 Gary: Early 1980s, all the Baby Boomers were turning 21. 52:51 The nightclub scenes were exploding, 52:53 and I started an entertainment lighting company. 52:55 female: I was the President, and there were six divisions. 52:58 Doing the raves in the '80s and '90s, 53:00 you know, in some warehouse, we were setting up lighting and fog 53:03 and, you know, who knows what's going on in there? 53:06 And nightclub, nightclub installations. 53:09 I loved it, and it was who I was. 53:12 Gary: Bought a new house out of town, 53:13 and we moved about two or three times, 53:15 but we were always going to different churches. 53:18 We were in a Lutheran church, 53:19 and then we were in a Methodist church. 53:21 I think we were in three different Baptist churches. 53:23 My wife was raised Catholic. I was raised Methodist. 53:26 Currently, I've been reading all the Hal Lindsey books, 53:29 and watching all the "Left Behind" movies, 53:31 and so I really wanted to understand what the book 53:33 of Revelation was all about, 53:34 but nothing really ever made sense to me. 53:36 female: One day, Pastor Lloyd Logan came knocking, 53:39 and he had that Net 99 flyer. 53:42 Lloyd Logan: We were preparing for an evangelistic 53:45 series, and different people were going different directions 53:49 with handbills to invite people to the meeting. 53:53 female: I saw that coming at me, you know, 53:55 all the colors, and I thought, 53:56 "Oh, no, this is some kind of cult thing." 53:59 Lloyd: And she said, "Thank you very much." 54:00 She said, "I'm not much interested myself, 54:03 but my husband likes that kind of thing." 54:05 female: And Lloyd said, 54:06 "Would you give it to him, please?" 54:08 And I said, "Okay, I will." 54:11 So, I took the pamphlet, and I put it on the counter. 54:14 Gary came home, and he walked by it. 54:16 Gary: Ran to the kitchen to quickly eat and take a shower 54:19 and go back out and work a show. 54:21 female: Two or three days went by like this, 54:22 and I had moved that brochure from the counter, 54:26 put it on the dining room table, put it back on the counter. 54:30 I actually threw it in the garbage. 54:32 As I threw it in that garbage can, 54:34 I could hear him and see his face, 54:36 saying, "Would you give it to him, please?" 54:39 And I actually took the garbage out. 54:41 And that night, lying in bed, I kept seeing his face 54:43 and hearing his voice and thinking, "Oh, boy, 54:46 I've gotta get that brochure out of the garbage. 54:50 And I took that, I put it right underneath the remote control. 54:54 Bright colors, he'll see it. 54:56 Gary: So, finally, sat down in my living room, 54:57 and I picked up the remote, 54:59 and I saw that angel holding up that scroll. 55:01 female: "Whoa, cool! What is this?" 55:04 And I was in the kitchen cooking, and I thought, 55:06 "Oh, no." 55:07 Gary: And I looked at it, and I turned it over, 55:09 and then I saw a little building, 55:11 a little church building, and it wasn't too far away. 55:14 It was about six houses down, and it said, "Friday Night." 55:17 female: And I certainly wasn't going. 55:19 I mean, it wasn't my intention to go. 55:21 Gary: I didn't have any shows going on that night, 55:23 and so I thought it was a one-night deal. 55:25 I went, and I heard about the Millennium Man. 55:29 I was just blown away. I didn't want it to end. 55:32 I knew what I was hearing was all from the Scripture, 55:34 and it wasn't based off Hollywood movies 55:36 or other books that were written. 55:38 They said, "Come again tomorrow night." 55:40 And I thought, "Wow, great! Two nights." 55:42 So, I tried to tell my wife about it, 55:44 and she still wasn't interested. 55:46 And then she decided to come. 55:47 female: I started to hear the truth, 55:49 you know, and I started to get fed. 55:51 Gary: Every night after the seminar, 55:52 they would hand us an Amazing Facts Study Guide. 55:55 I couldn't do those fast enough. 55:57 female: The business kept us going seven days a week, 56:00 and it was night and day. 56:02 Gary: Crews working all around the clock. 56:03 And so, when we finally heard the Sabbath message, 56:06 you know, so far everything's been true, 56:08 based on the Bible. 56:09 female: Church on Saturday, no work. 56:11 Anyway, it all clicked. 56:13 Gary: Both our heads turned at each other. 56:15 Our jaws dropped open. 56:17 female: I said, "We can't do that." 56:20 Gary: And the first thing that came out of my mouth was, 56:21 "We have to." 56:23 female: I knew that it would be a sacrifice, 56:25 and I was in fear about it. 56:28 Gary: We didn't know how we were going to do it, 56:30 but we talked to the pastor about it, 56:33 and the pastor said, "Well, just pray about it, 56:34 and God will open doors. 56:36 female: I didn't want to give up all the connections 56:38 I'd made, all the networking, all the money, 56:41 all the investment. 56:42 Gary: We went to the board and asked them if they 56:44 would consider closing on Saturday, and they agreed to. 56:47 So, we closed the storefront on Saturday, 56:50 but we were still doing productions, 56:51 and that kind of bothered us. 56:53 So, a couple of months later, God opened the door for my wife. 56:57 She exited the company. 56:58 I prayed about it, and God opened the door for me, too. 57:01 female: Gary, shortly after, was offered a job being paid 57:05 more money than he made as an owner of the company. 57:08 Gary: They said, "I'll give you a $1000 raise, 57:11 and you will never work another weekend." 57:14 female: And we were able to keep the Sabbath and enjoy the 57:18 wonderful blessings that God had for us on Sabbath Day. 57:21 Gary: My kids never again had to say, 57:23 "Quit talking about work." 57:25 After the seminar was over, my wife and I and my children 57:27 were all baptized into the Seventh Day Adventist Church. 57:30 Even if I gave up everything, I knew that God would have 57:33 something better. 57:34 female: I have much more understanding, 57:37 and there's much more depth in my Christian walk with the Lord. 57:41 Gary: We started an Amazing Facts Bible School 57:43 at our church. 57:44 It allows anybody to understand the Scriptures, 57:47 understand the end times. 57:48 Church changed my life dramatically, 57:51 and I'm very happy and excited to be a part of it. 57:55 ♪♪♪ 57:58 ♪♪♪ 58:08 ♪♪♪ 58:18 CC by Aberdeen Captioning 1-800-688-6621 aberdeen.io |
Revised 2021-12-16