Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP230020S
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00:01 Hello Friends, you're on the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
00:03 This week, we're taking on Lesson Number 8 entitled: 00:05 The Sabbath and the End 00:07 and, of course, we're studying our Lesson entitled: 00:09 The Three Cosmic Messages 00:11 and we're studying the three angels' messages 00:13 of Revelation 14. 00:14 It's not too late to get a copy of your lesson. 00:16 If you want to do that, 00:18 go to the local Seventh-day Adventist Church, 00:19 find one... study with your brothers and sisters. 00:21 They'll provide you a copy for free. 00:23 Or you can go to 3abnsabbathschoolpanel. com 00:26 and you can download a digital copy for free 00:29 and so, my friends, again we just encourage you 00:31 to join us this week... the lessons are picking up, 00:33 the excitement is picking up and so, don't go anywhere 00:36 and study with us right now 00:37 on the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:39 Music... 01:10 Ryan: Hello Friends, 01:11 you are watching the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel... 01:14 I just like to say that... it's fun to say 01:15 because this is the greatest Program in the world... 01:17 that's right, 01:19 because we're studying the Bible, 01:20 we love truth 01:21 and even more so, this Quarter we're studying the 01:23 three angels' messages... 01:24 God's end-time message for the entire world 01:27 that's being sent to every nation, 01:29 kindred, tongue and people as we've learned 01:31 and you get to participate in it with us 01:33 and so, thank you for joining us 01:34 here on the Three ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:37 This week, we're taking on Lesson Number 8 01:39 which is entitled: The Sabbath and the End. 01:41 So, it's going to be a power-packed hour of study. 01:43 Let me introduce our Sabbath School Panel members. 01:46 To my direct left is Ms. Shelley Quinn, how are you? 01:48 Shelley: Oh, blessed and I'm going to be talking about the Sabbath 01:51 and the beginning, actually, it's going to be: 01:54 The Sabbath and Creation. 01:56 Ryan: Nice, all right, to your left is Ms. Jill Morikone. 01:59 Jill: Thank you, Ryan, I have Tuesday... 02:00 A Not-So-Subtle Deception. 02:02 Ryan: Hmmm... all right and then of course, to your left is: 02:05 Pastor James Rafferty, how are you? 02:06 Rafferty: Good to be here, Ryan, 02:08 I have Wednesday's Lesson which is entitled: 02:10 Creation, the Sabbath, and the End Time. 02:12 Ryan: All right, of course, at the end of the table 02:15 for Thursday's Lesson, Pastor John Lomacang. 02:17 Lomacang: Mine is... The Sabbath and Eternal Rest. 02:20 Ryan: All right. 02:21 Lomcang: So, I'm looking forward to it. 02:23 Ryan: Yes, yes, it's going to be... 02:24 You know, I was wondering when we were going to get 02:25 to the Sabbath because if you've noticed, 02:27 this has taken more than half of this Quarter 02:28 just to cover the first angel's message, 02:30 and rightfully so because there's just so much there 02:33 and I've said in a previous Lesson, 02:34 that... and I've stuck by this because if... 02:37 if all the world would respond positively 02:39 to the first angel's message, 02:41 there would be no need for a second 02:42 or a third angel's message 02:43 but because most of the world does reject that message, 02:46 now comes the two points which we'll get to in the future 02:49 but we're still hanging on to the last portion... 02:51 I believe, we're going to be studying the last portion 02:53 this week on the first angel's message. 02:56 Lesson Number 8: The Sabbath and the End. 02:58 I'm going to read the memory text... 03:00 then we're going to pray. 03:01 Memory Text: In Ephesians chapter 3 verse 9 03:03 is a beautiful reminder of who our Creator is. 03:06 It says, "And to all... 03:07 to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, 03:10 which from the beginning of the ages 03:11 has been hidden in God 03:13 who created all things through Jesus Christ. " 03:17 And on that point, Ms. Jill, would you have a prayer for us? 03:20 Jill: Sure, "Holy Father, we're delighted to open up Your Word 03:23 and to see the truth You have for us. 03:25 We ask that You would speak to us... 03:27 that You would open our hearts and minds... 03:30 reveal to us what You want us to hear and learn today, 03:33 in Jesus' name, Amen. " 03:35 Panel: Amen, amen, amen. " 03:36 Panel: Amen... amen. 03:38 Ryan: Our Brother, Mark Finley has done a phenomenal job 03:41 in putting this lesson together. 03:42 I've really been blessed 03:44 and he's left no stone unturned. 03:45 Everything has just been very clear 03:47 and that he writes and puts together 03:49 on Sabbath afternoon's lesson, 03:51 he says, "The essence of humanity's dignity 03:53 is a common creation. 03:55 The fact that we are uniquely created by God 03:58 places value on every human being. 04:00 The unborn in the mother's womb, 04:03 the quadriplegic teenager, 04:05 the Down syndrome young adult, 04:07 and the Alzheimer-afflicted grandmother 04:09 all have immense value to God. 04:12 God is their Father. 04:14 They are His sons and daughters. " 04:16 And then he quotes Acts chapter 17 04:18 verses 24 through 26, 04:20 which says, "God who made the world and everything in it, 04:22 since He is Lord of heaven and earth, 04:25 does not dwell in temples made with hands. 04:27 And He has made from one blood every nation of men 04:31 to dwell on all the face of the earth. " 04:34 "Ours is a shared heritage. 04:37 We belong to the family of God. 04:39 We are brothers and sisters, fashioned, shaped, and molded 04:43 by the same God. 04:45 Creation provides a true sense of self-worth. 04:47 When the genes and chromosomes came together, 04:50 to form the unique biological structure of your personality, 04:54 God threw away the pattern. 04:56 There is no one else like you in all the universe. 05:02 You are unique, a one-of-a-kind creation. " 05:05 I love that. 05:07 "You are unique one-of-a-kind creation, 05:09 a being of such immense value 05:11 that the God who created the cosmos 05:13 took upon Himself our fleshly bodies 05:16 and offered Himself as a sacrifice for you and your sins!" 05:21 I love that as a great introduction 05:23 to this lesson this week 05:25 and, of course, Sunday's Lesson is entitled: 05:27 The Judgment, Creation, and Accountability. 05:29 We're had a few of those that's been three words 05:32 that all are linked together in some way, form, or fashion... 05:35 the judgment, creation and accountability, 05:38 and the question that is brought out in the Lesson 05:40 is... in pertaining to a few... 05:42 few passages that we're going to read at this time 05:44 but it says: What does judgment imply about issues such as 05:47 accountability and responsibility? 05:48 And how are the judgment and the commandments of God 05:52 and worship linked together? 05:54 We find the answer as we first dive into the first angel's message 05:58 that we've been studying so clearly. 06:00 Revelation chapter 14 and verse 7, 06:01 let's revisit that text again, 06:03 of course, "saying with a loud voice... " 06:07 the Greek word there: megalaphonia 06:08 which means: it's a megaphone... 06:10 it's amplified... 06:12 God wants the whole world to hear this message 06:13 and, of course, the message is to fear God 06:15 and give glory to Him 06:17 for the hour... notice... 06:19 of His judgment has come. 06:21 We're living in this judgment hour... 06:22 there's an accountability factor 06:24 and, of course, we're seeing here 06:26 that it is also tied to the worshipping... 06:29 the reference... 06:30 the recognition that we serve the Creator God 06:33 which it says, "And worship Him who made heaven and the earth, 06:36 and the sea and the springs of waters. " 06:39 Now, take that and also read Romans chapter 14 06:42 and verse 10 and what does it say? 06:44 "But why do you judge your brother?" 06:46 Oh oh... 06:48 "Or why do you show contempt for your brother? 06:51 For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. " 06:56 Well, you're not our brother's judge? 06:58 God is the main judge. 06:59 But how do the commandments of God fit into that factor? 07:02 Let's look at James chapter 2 verses 8 through 13 07:05 and we'll get a clearer understanding 07:07 of how these three are formed together or linked together. 07:10 James chapter 2 beginning with verse 8 07:13 and we're going to read through to verse 13, 07:16 it says, "If you really fulfill the royal law 07:18 according to the Scripture, 07:19 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ' 07:22 you do well; 07:24 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, 07:27 and are convicted by the law as transgressors. " 07:31 It says in verse 10, 07:33 "For whoever shall keep the whole law, 07:35 and yet stumble in one point, 07:37 he is guilty of all. 07:39 For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' 07:42 also said, 'Do not murder. ' 07:44 Now if you do not commit adultery, 07:46 but you do murder, 07:47 you have become a transgressor of the law. " 07:50 Verse 12, 07:52 "So speak and so do as those who will be... " notice, 07:56 "judged by the law of liberty. 07:58 For judgment is without mercy 08:01 to one who has shown no mercy. 08:04 Mercy triumphs over judgment. " 08:07 And, of course, the lesson brings out 08:09 that of course these messages 08:10 of the three angels flying in mid air 08:12 of Revelation chapter 14 announces 08:14 that the hour of His judgment of course has come. 08:17 We saw that... 08:18 since we are created by God 08:19 with the capacity to make moral choices... 08:22 here's the link here, 08:23 we are responsible for the decisions that we make. 08:26 If we are merely a random collection of cells, 08:29 products of our hereditary and environment only, 08:33 our actions would largely be determined by 08:36 forces over which we have no control. 08:37 In other words, we are free moral agents. 08:39 We have choices to make. 08:41 God has not created us as robots 08:43 to respond a certain way 08:44 or enforced His will in us to do a certain thing, 08:47 we are free to make those choices 08:49 and there are some Scriptures that clearly bring this out 08:51 I'm not going to read them all 08:53 but I'm just going to highlight a few here. 08:54 Galatians chapter 5 verse 13... when I read this... 08:56 now, this is a perfect example that we are free... 08:59 that God has given us the freedom of choice 09:02 for it says there... 09:03 and I'm reading from the New King James Version first, 09:05 it says, Galatians chapter 5, verse 13, 09:07 it says, "For you, brethren, 09:09 have been called to liberty; 09:10 only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, 09:14 but through love serve one another. " 09:17 Now, the NIV... I had to pull this one out 09:19 because again that word "liberty" 09:20 many people don't use that word to express freedom, 09:22 but it goes on to say in Galatians 5:13, again, 09:25 NIV says, "You, my brothers and sisters, 09:27 were called to be free. " 09:28 Okay... "But do not use your freedom 09:31 in indulge in the flesh, 09:32 rather, serve one another humbly in love. " 09:34 So, we are free... we have the choice to make... 09:37 to either serve God or to not serve God 09:39 and in every single one of our choices, 09:42 we are either choosing the side of God 09:45 or not choosing the side of God. 09:47 John chapter 7 verse 17, 09:49 Jesus is speaking, He says, "If anyone wills to do His will, 09:52 he shall know concerning the doctrine, 09:54 whether it is from God 09:55 or whether I speak on My own authority. " 09:57 In other words, if you choose to do God's will, 10:00 you have that choice... 10:01 to choose to do God's will or not. 10:03 There's nothing that's keeping you from doing that 10:05 and, of course, Joshua chapter 24 verse 15 10:07 really nails it down which clearly tells us 10:09 to choose... choose for yourselves 10:12 this day whom you will serve. 10:15 It's a choice and you know it's interesting 10:17 that at the end of the day when you are choosing, 10:19 you have the responsibility. 10:20 In other words, that's... that's what the Lesson... 10:22 Lesson Sunday is entitled here: 10:24 The Judgment, Creation, and Accountability. 10:27 You are held accountable for the choice that you make 10:29 and Patriarchs and Prophets, page 35, 10:31 I had to bring this out because it gives us some insight 10:34 behind the very first person who ever sinned. 10:38 And often times, we would... you know, we would think, 10:40 "Well, Lucifer sinned... he just made the choice to sin" 10:42 absolutely 10:43 but it's interesting at how it's worded in this book 10:46 because it says here in 10:48 Patriarchs and Prophets, page 35, 10:49 "So long as all created beings 10:51 acknowledged the allegiance of love, 10:53 there was perfect harmony throughout the universe of God. 10:56 It was the... it was the joy of the heavenly host 10:59 to fulfill the purpose of their Creator. 11:02 They delighted in reflecting His glory 11:04 and showing forth His praise. 11:05 And while love to God was supreme, 11:08 love for one another was confiding and unselfish. 11:11 There was no note of discord to mar the celestial harmonies. 11:17 But a change came over this happy state. " 11:20 And notice how it's described as this change happens... 11:23 "There was one who perverted the freedom 11:26 that God had granted to His creatures. " 11:29 Interesting... 11:31 she could have said, "There was one who sinned... 11:32 there was one who brought about sin... there was one... " 11:34 How did that happen though? 11:36 "There was one who perverted the freedom 11:37 that God had granted to His creatures. " 11:40 Of course, we know this to be Lucifer... 11:41 Lucifer... in making that choice. 11:43 God creates us with free will 11:45 and Lucifer had that choice 11:47 and he perverted the freedom that God had given him 11:50 and, of course, we know that the lesson brings out here, 11:53 it says, "But judgment implies moral responsibility. " 11:56 We know that we have a moral responsibility. 11:58 We only highlight that and I only emphasize that 12:00 because we live in a day and age 12:02 where it seems like more and more Christians 12:04 have this idea that, "Well, you just come to Jesus... 12:07 you mentally accept that Christ is... is Savior, 12:10 and just simply say that... that, you know, sinner's prayer, 12:12 'Lord, save me... forgive me, 12:15 I'm sorry Lord for what I've done to You... '" 12:16 and then Jesus puts His stamp of approval... 12:18 He pardons you... 12:20 and then, again you hear people say, 12:21 "I got saved... now I'm saved... " 12:22 but yet, they continue to live a life of sin 12:25 and the idea behind that 12:26 is that, "Well, I can't help the choices that I make 12:28 because my environment... 12:30 my... you know my bad, 12:31 you know, horrible, sinful equipment that I was born with, 12:34 you know, the things that I got from Adam 12:36 of this bad substance that's... 12:37 you know, just pulling and tugging at my heart 12:39 and causing me to sin, I can't help it... " 12:40 so, therefore, the "choice" factor is thrown out the window. 12:43 But the Bible makes it very clear that no one... 12:46 not even Satan himself can force you to sin. 12:49 He can tempt you 12:50 but temptation is not a sin in and of itself, 12:52 because Jesus was tempted 12:54 but yet, you can be tempted 12:55 but you still have the choice to make 12:57 whether or not you are going to follow God 12:59 or follow the enemy. 13:00 And it goes on to say, 13:02 "In this crisis of our earth's history, 13:03 the judgment hour, 13:05 God calls us to make decisions in the light of eternity. 13:09 The first angel's earnest appeal 13:11 to 'worship Him who made heaven and earth, 13:13 the sea and the springs of waters' 13:15 acknowledges that the basis of all worship 13:18 is the fact that we were created by God. " 13:21 I love that. 13:22 "Meanwhile, our adherence to the seventh-day Sabbath... " 13:24 this is where it comes in... what's the title of this lesson? 13:27 The Sabbath and the End... 13:28 we're going to get a lot into the Sabbath this week. 13:30 It says, "Meanwhile, 13:31 our adherence to the seventh-day Sabbath 13:33 demonstrates our belief 13:34 that Jesus is worthy to be worshipped as our Creator. 13:38 It reveals our acceptance of His Ten Commandment law 13:41 as divinely inspired... " 13:43 and it goes on to say, 13:45 "as divinely inspired principles for living life to the fullest. 13:50 Because the law is the foundation of God's government 13:53 and a revelation of His character, 13:56 it becomes the standard of judgment. 13:58 Our faithfulness to the Sabbath commandment is acknowledged 14:01 by our commitment to live obedient lives. " 14:04 It was a test for Israel 14:06 during the days when Moses was taking them into the wilderness 14:09 to the Promised Land 14:10 and it will be a test for us down here at the end of time. 14:13 Shelley: Woooo, thank you so much 14:15 for that beautiful introduction. 14:17 The Sabbath and the End... 14:19 actually, mine is more about the Sabbath and the beginning 14:22 on Monday, I'm Shelley Quinn... 14:24 Monday's Lesson is: The Sabbath and Creation. 14:28 Let's read Revelation 14:6 through 7 again 14:32 because I want to compare it to the Sabbath Commandment. 14:36 In Revelation 14:6, John says, 14:39 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 14:42 having the everlasting gospel... " 14:44 that's the everlasting covenant... 14:46 the good news of the everlasting covenant 14:48 of righteousness by faith. 14:50 "To preach to those who dwell on the earth... 14:53 to every nation, tribe, tongue and people... " 14:56 but the angel is proclaiming with a loud voice, 14:59 "Fear God and give glory to Him, 15:02 for the hour of His judgment has come; 15:07 and worship Him... " 15:09 worship is a central issue in the end. 15:12 "Worship Him... " 15:14 listen... "who made the heaven and the earth, 15:18 the sea and springs of water. " 15:21 Now, let's compare that to the Sabbath commandment 15:25 because that language is directly lifted 15:28 from the Sabbath commandment... the fourth commandment 15:31 of Exodus 20:8 through 11. 15:34 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 15:36 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 15:39 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. 15:44 In it you shall do no work: 15:46 you, nor your son, nor your daughter, 15:49 nor your male servant, 15:50 nor your female servant, 15:51 nor your cattle, 15:53 nor your stranger who is within your gates. 15:57 For in six days... " here it comes... 16:00 "the LORD made the heavens and the earth... " 16:04 are you hearing that echoed in Revelation? 16:07 "the sea, and all that is in them... " 16:10 hmmm... 16:12 "and He rested the seventh day. 16:14 Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. " 16:20 He made it holy. 16:21 Only God can make something holy. 16:24 Panel: That's right. 16:26 Shelley: What you see in the Sabbath commandment 16:29 is the Seal of God. 16:30 When the President of the United States 16:33 uses the seal, 16:35 you see his name... 16:36 you see his title and his territory 16:38 any time you see his seal, 16:40 Right here, we see this is the Sabbath of the Lord your God 16:45 who is the Creator. 16:48 So, here's God's name... 16:49 here's His title... Creator 16:51 and then it explains everything that He made... 16:55 the heavens and the earth. 16:57 This is His territory. 16:58 So, it's confirming the territory over which He rules 17:03 as sovereign of everything that He created. 17:06 Genesis is the book of beginnings 17:08 and it's so interesting to me. 17:11 God had Moses... 17:14 He inspired Moses to write two accounts of creation. 17:19 Genesis 1 is the first account 17:22 and we see that what 17:26 God had Moses focus on... 17:28 He didn't explain His existence. 17:31 It was just... in the beginning God 17:33 and what Moses focused on in the first account 17:38 is different than the second account. 17:41 They are two distinct revelations 17:44 of God's omnipresence... 17:47 His ability to be everywhere at one time. 17:50 In the first account, 17:51 it is focused on the transcendence of God 17:56 that He is above everything that He created. 18:00 His existence is outside time and space 18:04 and it's showing the transcendence of God. 18:08 It ends with the first chapter... 18:12 God surveying everything that He made in the first six days 18:16 and it is good. 18:18 Now, the second account... 18:21 God has Moses reiterate creation 18:25 and this time, He is looking at the imminence. 18:30 That's the up close and personal presence of God 18:35 and so, what you see is now He's talking about 18:40 how He created man forming him with His own hand... 18:44 getting so up close and personal 18:46 that He breathed the spark of life... 18:49 the breath of life into his nostrils. 18:51 So, it shows God's presence 18:54 inside His created time and space. 18:57 He is nearby... 18:59 He is fully present to all of His creation 19:02 and He's involved with all of His creation. 19:05 In the second account, 19:08 it's God's personal touch on creation. 19:11 It... it fascinates me... Genesis 2... 19:14 Genesis 1... everything God created in six days. 19:18 Genesis 2... is the seventh day. 19:22 Why did... why did the translators... 19:25 there wasn't chapters and verses to begin with. 19:28 Why did they stick that in Genesis 2 account? 19:31 Because Genesis 2... let's read it... one through 3, 19:36 What happened on the seventh day is 19:40 God is establishing the weekly cycle. 19:44 The only reason we have a weekly cycle 19:47 is because God established it. 19:49 But He creates 24 hours of time for humanity's 19:54 physical and spiritual refreshment 19:56 and it says, Genesis 2:1, 19:59 "Thus the heavens and the earth, 20:00 and all the host of them, were finished. 20:03 And on the seventh day God ended His work 20:07 which He had done, 20:08 and He rested on the seventh day... " 20:11 we had the seventh day repeated twice... 20:15 that's Saturday... 20:16 "and 20:18 God blessed the seventh day... " 20:22 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 20:24 Shelley: Three times He's repeating... 20:25 there's no question which day this is. 20:27 "And He sanctified it. " 20:29 That means, He set it apart for holy purposes. 20:32 "Because in it He rested from all of His work 20:35 which God had created. " 20:37 In the Garden of Eden, 20:38 God created two institutions of intimacy. 20:44 Marriage and the Sabbath 20:47 and you know what? 20:48 I think, the reason translators put this at the first 20:52 the seventh day at the first... 20:54 of the second account of God's up-close and personal presence 20:59 is because this was God's crowning act 21:04 of intimacy for humanity. 21:07 God set aside a 24-hour period of time 21:11 that He didn't want them worried about the work in the garden, 21:16 He wanted His precious created beings 21:20 who were created in His image 21:22 to be able to come and focus that time on Him. 21:25 It's a temple in time... 21:27 a time that they could enjoy family relations 21:31 and all the things that we all... 21:33 that we worry about are set aside. 21:36 So, He wanted special uninterrupted time. 21:40 What a gift the Sabbath is! 21:42 So, we see that the Sabbath... 21:45 what we just read in Exodus 21:47 it's a memorial of God as our Creator. 21:50 But did you know it's also the Sabbath 21:53 is a memorial of God 21:54 that's He's the One who sanctifies us? 21:57 I remember when I first got to Exodus 31:12 and 13, 22:01 the Lord says, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 22:05 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, 22:07 for it is a sign between Me and you 22:10 throughout your generations, 22:11 that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. ' " 22:15 When God called me to full-time ministry and told me, 22:18 "Forget what you think you know, come sit at my feet 22:20 and I will teach you. " 22:22 And you know what? 22:23 He started me on a study of the sanctuary 22:26 and I realize the Ten Commandments were still in place. 22:29 When I discovered the Sabbath, 22:32 I was a Sabbath keeper for two years 22:34 before I even started watching 3ABN 22:36 or... or know anything about Adventists, really. 22:39 But... it was like... when the Sabbath rolled in... 22:43 all my life, I had worked so hard to be a good girl, 22:46 to please God 22:48 and I never felt like I can please Him 22:51 but when I realized it was God who was going to sanctify me, 22:55 I entered into His rest 22:58 and I would just... oooooh... breathe in the Sabbath, 23:02 I didn't have to worry about anything, 23:05 and I entered into His rest 23:07 praising Him for righteousness by faith... 23:09 praising Him 23:10 that He was the God who not just paid my penalty for sin 23:14 but that He was the God who was going to deliver me 23:19 from the power of sin... sanctify me from sin. 23:22 And then, when you get into Deuteronomy, 23:25 Deuteronomy is the second giving of the law for Israel... 23:29 the constitutional law that is the Old Covenant... 23:34 the civil, social, and... and ceremonial 23:37 but... requirements. 23:39 In Deuteronomy 15:12 through 15, 23:42 as Moses is giving the law a second time, 23:46 he says, Deuteronomy 15, let me give you verse 15, 23:50 "Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, 23:55 and the LORD your God brought you out from there 23:58 by a mighty hand... 24:00 by an outstretched arm. 24:01 Therefore, the LORD your God 24:03 commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. " 24:06 He's saying, "God is your Redeemer... 24:09 remember that. " 24:10 So, the Sabbath is the eternal rest in Him. 24:14 It is not a legalistic requirement... 24:18 it reveals true righteousness that is found in Him. 24:22 The Sabbath speaks of things that God has achieved for us 24:26 that we could never achieve for ourselves 24:29 it's a special sign of loyalty to Him. 24:32 It's rest... not works... 24:34 it's grace... not legalism... 24:37 it's assurance... not condemnation... 24:39 it's depending totally on Him 24:42 and that's His plan. 24:43 Panel: Amen... amen. 24:45 Ryan: Thank you Shelley so much. 24:46 My Friends, we're just getting started, 24:48 don't go anywhere, 24:49 we're going to take a short break... 24:50 we'll be right back. 24:52 Music... 24:57 Ever wish you could watch a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again 25:01 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 25:04 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel. com 25:09 A clean design makes it easy 25:12 to find the Program you are looking for. 25:13 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 25:17 so you can follow along. 25:19 Sharing is easy... 25:20 just click "Share" and choose your favorite Social Media. 25:23 Share a Link... 25:25 Save a Life... for Eternity. 25:27 Ryan: Hello Friends, 25:29 welcome back to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 25:31 We're going to pass it to Ms. Jill Morikone 25:33 for Tuesday's Lesson. 25:34 Jill: Thank you so much Pastor Ryan and Shelley, 25:36 I love your energy and enthusiasm 25:38 and the subject matter that we're studying: 25:41 The Sabbath and the End... thank you so much. 25:43 I'm Jill Morikone as Ryan just mentioned, 25:45 on Tuesday, we discuss a not-so-subtle deception 25:50 and we're actually... 25:52 the entire lesson is focused on the six days of creation 25:56 and that they're literal 24-hour period 26:01 no eons of time. 26:03 Now, as we get into it, 26:05 we might seem like we're taking a round about trip to get there 26:08 but hopefully by the end, you're going to see where we're going. 26:11 Many Seventh-day Adventists 26:14 and many Protestants and other Christian denominations 26:17 believe in creation. 26:18 They don't believe in evolution. 26:20 They don't believe that say four... 26:23 four and a half billion years ago, 26:25 the first molecules occurred as evolutionists believe. 26:29 They don't believe that later 26:32 cells began living together more efficiently 26:35 or to gain protection from something bigger 26:39 and these cells eventually morphed into sponges 26:43 as evolution teaches... 26:45 that was 800 million years ago. 26:47 Evolution teaches 370 million years ago 26:52 certain fish... shimmied landwards 26:55 as primitive lizard-like animals known as Tetrapod's 26:59 and then 220 million years ago, 27:03 we don't believe this... I'm being clear... 27:04 this is evolutionary theory, 27:06 the first dinosaurs and mammals occurred 27:09 or maybe 200,000 years ago, 27:11 homo sapiens... 27:12 humans as we know and understand them today emerged. 27:16 Instead, we hold to the Biblical account of creation... 27:20 let's look at that... 27:22 Genesis 1 verse 1, 27:23 "In the beginning God created... " 27:27 that word we talked about before... "bara" 27:29 it means God made something from nothing 27:32 and it's always used when God is the subject. 27:36 He created the heavens and the earth. 27:38 Verse 2, "The earth was without form, and void; 27:41 darkness was on the face of the deep. 27:44 And the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 27:48 Then God said, 'Let there be light'; 27:50 and there was light. 27:51 And God saw the light, that it was good; 27:54 and God divided the light from the darkness. 27:56 God called the light Day, 27:58 and the darkness He called Night. 28:01 So the evening and the morning were the first day. " 28:06 Now, if you have read Genesis chapter 1, 28:09 you know the creation account... 28:11 what happens on day one... is light. 28:13 Day two... is air. 28:15 Day three... is the dry land and the vegetation. 28:19 Day four... God begins to fill what He created before. 28:22 In other words, Day four is the sun, moon and stars 28:26 that fills Day one which was the light. 28:28 Day five is the fish and birds that fills Day two 28:33 which was the air and the seas. 28:35 Day six... is the animals and man 28:38 that fills what God made on Day three 28:41 which is the dry land and the vegetation. 28:43 Of course, Day seven which Shelley talked about... 28:46 so beautiful... 28:48 God set aside a 24-hour period that was sanctified... 28:53 made holy... 28:54 set apart for you and I to worship God. 28:58 This is where things become interesting. 29:01 Not only in the Christian world, 29:04 but within the Seventh-day Adventist church. 29:06 We believe in creation 29:09 but there are many people who believe in what is called: 29:13 Old Earth Creationism. 29:15 This is an umbrella of theological views. 29:18 Day-Age Creationism... 29:20 Gap Creationism... 29:22 Progressive Creationism... 29:25 even Theistic evolution all fall under this umbrella 29:30 of Old Earth Creationism. 29:32 An Old Earth Creationist is someone who does not see 29:36 an inherent conflict between Scripture and Evolution. 29:40 Panel: Hmmm... 29:41 Jill: Namely, they do not believe 29:44 in the literal six-day creation week. 29:46 In fact, many age... Old Earth Creationists 29:50 believe that this earth that we live on 29:52 is maybe four billion years old. 29:55 That each day of creation took a long time... 29:58 eons of time. 30:01 We lose the power of God to speak and it be done. 30:04 We lost the biblical interpretation 30:06 of the 24-hour period. 30:08 We lose the seventh-day cycle at the end of the weekly period. 30:14 Why do I bring this up? 30:16 Of course, it's in the lesson 30:17 but in addition, the last General Conference Session, 30:20 I had the privilege and opportunity 30:22 of serving as a delegate 30:23 there in the decisions made by the Seventh-day Adventist Church 30:27 and I was on the floor and present when people... 30:29 now these are people in the fringes of the church... 30:32 these are people who were elected as representatives 30:35 for their church 30:37 said... there is no literal six-day creation week. 30:40 When God created the world, 30:42 it was not in six days. 30:44 These are solid people within our own church. 30:49 It is so vitally important that we understand 30:54 the reasons why we believe in a literal six-day creation week. 30:59 So, I want to give you seven reasons 31:02 that I believe in the literal six-day creation week. 31:06 Reason Number 1 is the usage of the word "Day. " 31:09 If you look in the Hebrew at the word for "Day" which is "Yom" 31:14 it's used over 2,000 times in the Old Testament 31:17 and it's translated "day" 31:19 and other times it means a longer period of time. 31:22 So you say, "Ah ha, I got you. " 31:24 So, when it says... if you read Genesis 1 verse 5, 31:27 it says, "So the evening and the morning were the first day... " 31:30 and they say, "Well if day can mean literal 24 hours 31:32 or day can also mean an age or an eon of time, 31:35 how am I supposed to know? 31:37 Well, in the Bible, 31:39 every time the word "day" "yom" is used, 31:42 with a numeral as the adjective, 31:46 it always refers to a literal 24-hour period. 31:50 When it says, "The first day... " 31:52 there's your adjective... the numeral... 31:54 it means first day... literal 24-hour period 31:57 or second day or a third period. 31:59 Third day... it always refers to... 32:01 and Pastor Mark Finley brought that out beautifully 32:03 in the lesson, to a 24-hour period. 32:06 Reason Number 2: 32:07 To believe in the literal six-day creation week 32:10 is the usage of time. 32:11 What do I mean by that? 32:12 The same passage in Genesis 1:5 32:15 says the evening and the morning were the first day. 32:19 The evening comes from the word "sunset. " 32:21 Now, can you imagine the sunset lasting eons of time? 32:24 Of course not. 32:25 It's a literal sunset 32:27 and the morning... a literal sunrise were the first day. 32:32 Reason Number 3 is the usage of logic... 32:35 what I mean by that is 32:37 what if vegetation created on the third day 32:40 and we had a 100,000 years 32:42 until the sun, moon and stars were created? 32:44 How in the world is photosynthesis 32:46 supposed to happen? 32:47 How in the world is life supposed to happen? 32:50 How is warmth supposed to happen? 32:52 We learn about an earlier lesson 32:54 about the importance of the sun and what that does 32:57 so, it is the use of logic. 32:58 Reason Number 4 is the use of God's words. 33:01 You look at the word of God. 33:02 Psalm 33:6, how did creation happen? 33:05 "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made; 33:08 and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. 33:10 He spoke and it was done 33:11 and He commanded and it stood fast. 33:13 Creation happened with just a word of God. 33:17 No amoebas changing life forms... 33:19 no eons of time. 33:21 God spoke and it was done. 33:23 Now, that's Old Testament 33:25 but in the New Testament in Hebrews 11 verse 3, 33:28 it says, "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed 33:31 by the word of God, 33:32 so that the things that are seen 33:35 were not made of things which are visible. " 33:37 Reason Number 5 is the usage of the seventh-day Sabbath. 33:42 Shelley read Genesis 2 verses 1 through 3, 33:46 "Thus the heavens and the earth, 33:47 and the host of them, were finished. 33:48 And on the seventh day... " 33:51 there we have the word "yom" for day, 33:53 but it's seventh day... literal 24-hour period, 33:56 "God ended His work which He had done, 33:58 and He rested on the seventh day... " 34:00 We have the literal six-day week 34:03 and at the final end of that, 34:06 we have the seventh-day Sabbath. 34:08 You see, we lose the sanctity of the seventh-day Sabbath 34:12 if we lose the literal six-day creation week. 34:16 Reason Number 7: we're going to skip six for now, 34:21 you can ask me about it later. 34:22 Reason Number 7 is the usage of the Spirit of Prophecy. 34:26 There's a great quote in Patriarchs and Prophets page 111. 34:30 Sister White quotes from the... the fourth commandment... 34:33 "In six days the LORD made heaven and earth, 34:35 the sea, and all that is in them, 34:37 and rested the seventh day. 34:39 The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. " 34:40 This reason appears beautiful and forcible 34:44 and we understand the days of creation to be literal. 34:47 the first six days of each week are given to man for labor 34:50 because God employed the same period of the first week 34:53 in the world of creation. 34:55 On the seventh day, man is to refrain from labor 34:58 in commemoration of the Creator's rest. 35:00 But the assumption that the events of the first week 35:03 require thousands upon thousands of years 35:05 strikes directly 35:07 at the foundation of the fourth commandment. 35:09 It represents the Creator as commanding men 35:11 to observe the week of literal days 35:13 in commemoration of vast indefinite periods. 35:17 This is unlike His method of dealing with His creatures. 35:20 It makes indefinite and obscure 35:22 that which He made very plain. 35:25 It is infidelity in its most insidious form... 35:30 its real character is so disguised 35:34 that it is held and taught 35:36 by many who profess to believe the Bible. 35:39 It is a serious deception 35:41 when we believe that creation took eons of time. 35:44 We need to stand on the Word of God 35:47 that He created this world in six literal days. 35:50 Panel: Amen... amen. 35:51 Rafferty: Thank you, Jill... 35:53 thank you, Shelley... thank you, Ryan. 35:54 I've learned that I can choose 35:56 to enter into the justifying sanctifying rest of God 36:01 at the end of seven literal days. 36:03 Panel: Laughter of agreement. 36:05 My name is James Rafferty 36:07 and we are looking at Wednesday's Lesson 36:10 which is very close to the title for this week... 36:13 it's... it adds to the word "creation. " 36:15 Creation, the Sabbath, and the End 36:17 and I'm so thankful that I was given this particular day 36:22 because this is just a beautiful, powerful message 36:25 that God has given us in the three angels' messages. 36:28 It focuses on the very last warning that God gives us 36:32 as the Lesson Quarterly brings out Revelation chapter 14 36:35 verses 7, 9, and 12. 36:36 Those are the three verses that we're going to focus in on, 36:39 in Revelation 14:7, 9, and 12. 36:41 Read those verses and summarize each verse 36:45 in the sentences below is what the Quarterly asks us to do. 36:48 Revelation 14:7... summary: it's a call to worship God. 36:52 Revelation 14:9... 36:54 Summary: it's a strong appeal not to worship the earthly rulers 37:00 instead of God. 37:01 Panel: Hmmm... 37:02 Rafferty: And Revelation 14:12 describes a people 37:05 who have patience... who keep God's commandments 37:07 and have the faith of Jesus. 37:10 You know, many times we're asked as Seventh-day Adventists 37:13 why we harp so much on the seventh-day Sabbath. 37:17 Why are we always talking about the seventh-day Sabbath, 37:19 "You guys, are always talking about the seventh-day Sabbath. " 37:20 I don't know if anyone has ever said that to you. 37:22 It seems like from time to time 37:24 someone will just complain about that. 37:26 And my... my immediate response says, 37:28 "Well, really, it's not really us, 37:30 it's actually... it's God that does that. 37:32 You know, God's the One that actually puts a lot of emphasis 37:35 especially when you get to Revelation chapter 14 37:37 because the book of Revelation is summarizing, if you will, 37:40 the entire Bible. 37:42 Panel: That's right. 37:43 Rafferty: The everlasting gospel is not some new idea. 37:44 You know, it's synonymous with the everlasting covenant... 37:47 with everlasting salvation is found through the entire Bible 37:50 and God is kind of bringing it all together in Revelation 37:53 and there in this last message, when we say, "Last Message" 37:56 we mean, when this message is given... 37:58 Babylon falls and Jesus returns, 37:59 Revelation 14 verses 14 through 20, 38:02 so, we have, in Revelation chapter 14, 38:05 God's last appeal to the world 38:06 and He highlights... He emphasizes... 38:09 He focuses on the final issue 38:11 and that issue is worship 38:12 and worship to God... again, quoting from Shelley 38:15 going all the way back to Exodus 20, 38:17 is directly connected to the fourth commandment. 38:20 It's a direct quotation from the fourth commandment 38:23 that we read in Revelation 14 and verse 7, 38:26 to worship Him who made heaven, and earth, 38:27 and the seas, and the fountains of waters. 38:29 So, there's a connection there 38:32 that we can't avoid talking about. 38:33 In fact, the word "remember" means 38:35 among other things, 38:36 to mention... 38:38 the word "remember" the Sabbath day... 38:39 that word "remember" means to mention. 38:41 So, God is actually asking us to mention this to you 38:44 so that's what we do... we're mentioning it to you 38:47 but one of the things that I find so vital about the Sabbath 38:51 and a misunderstanding of the Sabbath... 38:53 I hope we can clear up right here 38:55 and that is the idea that keeping the Sabbath is 38:58 legalism. 39:00 That it's a legalistic thing... the Old Testament... 39:02 the Old Covenant... 39:04 we're in the New Covenant now, 39:05 we're under grace 39:06 and I really think that's a misunderstanding. 39:08 I think Satan has a lot to do with that... 39:10 you know, confusing us... 39:12 Babylon just confuses us about the gospel. 39:14 The... the... the call to worship God 39:17 comes under the title of the everlasting gospel. 39:20 Panel: Amen. 39:21 James: So, it' can't be legalism. 39:22 There's got to be something more to it than that 39:24 and that's why I love this phrase, 39:26 "Creation... the Sabbath... and the End... " 39:28 because it connects Genesis with Revelation 39:31 and puts it all together in the Sabbath. 39:34 Now, in order to understand that 39:36 we just have to go back to creation. 39:37 We have to recognize that when God created the world, 39:41 we weren't there. 39:43 Not the first day... 39:45 not the second day... 39:46 not the third day... 39:47 not the fourth day... not the... 39:49 we weren't created until after God created the animals 39:51 on the sixth day. 39:52 We were the last ones to be created... human beings 39:54 and the first thing that God asked us to do 39:59 after we were created... was rest 40:03 but were we tired? 40:05 I don't think so. 40:07 There was something significant here... 40:09 or there is something significant here that I just absolutely love 40:11 and that is the fact that God created everything for us. 40:16 He gave us dominion over the... the earth 40:20 and everything that was in it. 40:21 He created everything for us without us. 40:23 There was nothing that we could point to and say, 40:26 "Hey, you see that tree over there... 40:27 God did the trunk... I did the branches... 40:29 He did the leaves... I did the fruit. " 40:31 None of it was done by us... 40:34 we didn't participate in creation. 40:36 The only thing God asked us to do after He created 40:39 was to rest... Sabbath rest... 40:41 to rest in everything He created for us 40:44 without us. 40:46 Panel: That's right. 40:47 Now, when you look at the plan of salvation, 40:50 and I want us to look at a Bible verse here 40:53 that's really significant, 40:54 it's 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 17. 40:57 When you look at the plan of salvation, 41:00 you're going to find that the plan of salvation 41:02 is a plan of re-creation. 41:05 Re-creation. 41:07 In 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17, Paul says, 41:11 "Therefore if any man is in Christ, 41:14 he is a new creature... " 41:16 King James says, 41:17 or a new creation... 41:19 "old things are passed away; 41:20 behold, all things are become new. " 41:22 There's a time coming when this earth... 41:24 this old earth is going to pass away 41:26 and all things are going to become new... in the earth. 41:28 He said He's going to make a new heavens and a new earth. 41:30 Before God does that, 41:32 He makes a new creation within us. 41:34 We become a new creation. 41:36 Now, this is really significant 41:38 because as we go back to creation week 41:41 and we recognize that God is the only Creator 41:43 and that He creates by the power of His Word 41:46 and that we are to rest in everything that He did for us 41:49 without us, 41:51 that's how we were created... 41:52 that's when we were perfect, 41:54 we see a parallel to His new creation. 41:56 And here's the parallel. 41:58 Jesus Christ came to this earth as the second Adam. 42:02 That's what we're told in 1st Corinthians chapter 15. 42:05 The first Adam is of the earth... 42:07 second Adam was the Lord of heaven. 42:09 He came as the second Adam 42:10 and as the second Head of the human race... the second Adam, 42:14 Jesus Christ accomplished everything that was necessary 42:18 for our re-creation 42:20 just like He did in creation week, 42:22 He repeated that in re-creating the human race in Himself. 42:27 He was obedient... He was without blemish... 42:30 without spot... 42:31 He lived a perfect sinless life. 42:33 That's what we needed. 42:34 He also died our death... He took our penalty... 42:37 He stepped into our place... 42:38 He took our punishment as our substitute. 42:40 that's what we needed. 42:42 He also defeated death... He resurrected on the third day 42:44 and now sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven. 42:47 Panel: That's right. 42:49 Rafferty: Everything God accomplished in Jesus Christ 42:51 was the work of re-creation. 42:53 In fact, in the work of Creation, 42:55 God came to the sixth day... He created human kind 42:59 and He said, "It is finished. " 43:02 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 43:03 In the work of re-creation, 43:05 Jesus Christ hung on the cross on the sixth day 43:08 and just before He committed His... His... 43:11 His life into the Father's hands, 43:13 He said, "It is finished. " 43:17 What was finished? 43:18 The work of re-creation was finished. 43:20 That's why we as Seventh-day Adventists 43:22 keep the seventh-day Sabbath 43:23 because the seventh-day Sabbath reminds us 43:26 of everything Jesus Christ has done for us 43:29 without us 43:30 and it calls us to rest in His completed work 43:34 in such a way that that rest bring us 43:39 to keeping the Sabbath and all of the commandments 43:42 because really... Sabbath keeping is the core power 43:45 of obedience to all the other commandments. 43:47 Why so? 43:48 Well, we'll talk about it a little bit later 43:50 but just a little nugget here, 43:51 when we entered in the rest with... 43:53 we were just talking about this on the Set, 43:54 when we enter into rest with God on a weekly basis... 43:57 on a regular basis, 43:59 day after... week after week... 44:00 month after month... year after year, 44:01 sometimes, we kind of forget it is the Sabbath 44:03 and we start living the sanctified life 44:05 every day of the week, 44:07 it's like it just draws you close to God. 44:10 So, we... we... we remember the Sabbath 44:13 because we remember that He, Jesus Christ, 44:15 trod the winepress alone of the people... 44:17 there were none with Him. 44:19 And when He went down on Friday, 44:21 down into that darkness... He rested on the seventh day. 44:25 His disciples rested on the seventh day 44:27 and then, of course, He resurrected 44:29 on that third day... on that Sunday morning 44:32 and now sits at the right hand of the Father. 44:34 So, God is calling us in relationship to the Sabbath, 44:38 He's calling us to enter into the finished work of creation 44:43 which Jesus Christ has accomplished for us 44:45 and we do that by keeping... 44:47 or remembering the Sabbath day... 44:48 by mentioning the Sabbath day... 44:49 by marking the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 44:51 In fact, the word "remember" also means "mark... " 44:54 and we're going to find 44:55 as we look at the big picture in Revelation chapters 13 and 14, 44:58 that there are those who mark the number of earthly powers... 45:02 the "beasts" they're identified as symbolically 45:05 and those who remember or mark the day that God has set aside 45:09 to worship Him. 45:11 And the contrast is going to be made clearer and more distinct 45:13 as we get closer and closer to the end of time. 45:16 But the contract is going to be made manifest 45:19 not simply in going to church on a certain day... 45:23 it's going to be made manifest 45:25 in the character of those who keep God's commandments 45:28 versus the character of those who follow the powers of this earth. 45:32 The character of those who keep God's commandments 45:36 is going to be sanctified and holy. 45:38 They're going to be Christ-like 45:39 because they're going to be following the Lamb 45:41 whithersoever He goes. 45:43 Panel: Amen. 45:44 Lomacang: Wow! thank you, James, 45:45 thank you everyone for laying all that. 45:47 It's so beautiful... 45:48 we look at the Sabbath from so many different dimensions. 45:50 The Sabbath is dimensional... multi-dimensional. 45:53 Well, mine is: The Sabbath and Eternal Rest 45:55 but I want to begin... you know, you've covered so much 45:58 you know, the deficit of being down here 46:00 is so much of what I wanted to say has already been said. 46:02 However, I planned for that. 46:04 I want to come back to the Sabbath 46:05 from a different perspective 46:07 and I made this statement recently... 46:08 the sermon I did called: The Sabbath... 46:10 Jesus... the Sabbath and the Jews... 46:12 and I want to encourage you to look at that. 46:14 Jesus... the Sabbath and the Jews... 46:16 addressing issues that often cite it as 46:19 the reason why we shouldn't keep the Sabbath. 46:21 It's amazing to me that the Jews are often used 46:23 to delegitimize Christ rather than the other way around 46:27 and what Jesus did is often challenged by the Jews 46:30 and even still today, 46:31 many clergy use the Jews to try to make it appear 46:34 as though Jesus even violated the Sabbath. 46:36 How sad that is because if He did... we're all lost. 46:40 We cannot be saved by a Redeemer who fell into transgression. 46:44 So, let me bring out a few things. 46:46 You know... and I made this statement, 46:48 I want to say it here again today 46:49 as we talk about the Sabbath. 46:50 Deception never solidifies overnight. 46:53 It takes time for lies to turn to concrete 46:58 and Satan has taken 6,000 years 47:01 to put together a multiple list of lies 47:04 that are now concrete today 47:06 so that while we're talking about the Sabbath, 47:08 some of you... at the mention of the word... 47:10 there's something that happens in you, 47:12 there's like a clock that just skips a beat... 47:14 there's like a feeling that comes over many of you when you hear 47:17 the Sabbath for a number of reasons. 47:19 You don't keep it and secondly, 47:21 immediately all the things you've been taught in your mind 47:24 just come to the surface 47:26 and you find every possible reason 47:28 why the Sabbath should not be honored. 47:31 When in fact, if you think about creation, 47:34 there would be no reason for us to have a seven-day week today 47:38 if the Sabbath was not a part of that last day. 47:41 The Bible makes it very clear, creation took only six days. 47:44 Why give us a seven-day week? 47:46 I... I use this experiment on an Atheist up in Washington State, 47:50 I mentioned we had a Program on 3ABN 47:52 where there was an Atheist on the Set... 47:53 we didn't know about it until after the Program. 47:56 But he was there helping in a missionary project 47:58 and I met him again at ASI... 47:59 sat him down for a couple of days 48:01 and I talked about this particular thing 48:03 and I asked him a question, I said, 48:04 "How many days are there in a week?" 48:05 He said, "Seven days. " 48:07 I said, "What evidence do we have 48:08 that there's a seven-day week? 48:10 Can we find that in the stars?" 48:11 He says, "No... " 48:12 "Can we find it in the sun going up 48:14 and the sun coming down?" 48:15 And he said, "No. " 48:16 "Can we find that in the cycles of the moon 48:18 during the month of the 30 days?" 48:19 He says, "No... " 48:21 "Can we find that in the four seasons of the year... 48:22 anything astronomical?" 48:24 He says, "No. " 48:25 I said, "Where's the only place we can find the seven-day week?" 48:28 He thought about it and he thought about it... 48:29 he said... he says, "I don't know. " 48:31 I said, "The Bible. " 48:33 Panel: Hmmm... that's right. 48:34 Lomacang: "So, if you believe in the seven-day week, 48:36 why don't you believe in God?" 48:38 And that threw him for a loop. 48:39 Panel: Hmmm... 48:41 pause... 48:42 Lomacang: "You believe in the seven-day week?" 48:44 "I do... " 48:45 The only place it's mentioned is in the Bible. 48:47 And after two days discussing, 48:49 at the end of that was at ASI, he says... 48:51 "You know, for the first time in my adult life, 48:54 I think there's a possibility that God can exist. " 48:56 We never met again but that seed was planted. 48:59 You see, the only two institutions that blessed at creation, 49:02 are the very two institutions as Shelley pointed out, 49:05 and I think it was mentioned again, 49:06 that Satan has sought to cast an aspersion on... 49:09 the Sabbath and marriage 49:12 and I want to just point out something very quickly 49:14 because in both cases, 49:15 the Sabbath and marriage are distorted today in this society 49:19 but it's not happened recently, it's just become more apparent 49:22 because we are a people of the modern generation. 49:24 Let's talk about the Sabbath distortion. 49:26 Instead of keep God's seventh day holy as He asked us to, 49:30 countless Christians say, here watch the "excuse... " 49:33 "As long as we love the Lord, that's all that matters... " 49:37 and they pick the day they prefer. 49:39 But look at the diabolical nature here, 49:42 the same thing is said about the distortion of marriage. 49:45 You see, God... 49:47 the Bible marriage is man to woman. 49:49 But men marry men and woman marry women 49:52 and they use the same excuse, 49:54 "As long as we love each other, that's all that matters. " 49:57 And then, they pick the gender they prefer. 50:01 Look at the devil... 50:02 people that say they love God pick the day they prefer 50:06 and people that love each other, pick the gender they prefer 50:10 and both cases, the Sabbath and marriage are distorted. 50:13 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... Yeah... 50:15 Lomacang: So, isn't that amazing, 50:16 it's classic how Satan leads "professed Christians" 50:18 to pick the day they prefer 50:19 and people of the world... to pick the gender they prefer. 50:23 And... and in both cases they say, 50:25 "As long as we love... " 50:26 Well, Friends, love is not a license for disobedience. 50:29 You can't put a love coin in the disobedient machine 50:32 and say that God accepts what we do. 50:34 Real love... "If you love Me... " 50:36 Panel: "Keep My commandments. " 50:38 Lomacang: Say it again, "If you love me... " 50:40 Panel: "Keep My commandments. " 50:41 Lomacang: That's a fact... that's not a suggestion. 50:43 So, true love for God doesn't say, 50:45 "I believe in the God of creation... 50:47 but I don't believe what God created. " 50:49 How ironic that is that people that worship God... 50:53 so, today the issue is not worship, 50:55 Brother James, we're Sons of Thunder... 50:57 the issue is not worship... 50:58 the issue is true worship. 51:00 Revelation 14 calls us not back to worship 51:04 but to true worship. 51:06 That's why it says, 51:07 "Worship Him who made the heavens and the earth. " 51:10 And the Israelites were not the first ones to do that. 51:13 Exodus... Genesis 26 and verse 5, 51:15 "Abraham kept My commandments, My statutes, and My laws. " 51:18 He was not a Jew. 51:20 It was not till Abraham had Isaac 51:21 and Isaac had Jacob 51:22 and Jacob was then transformed by overcoming... 51:25 wrestling with Christ that he was named Israel 51:28 and then on, the Israelites came forth... 51:31 they went into Egypt as Hebrews, came out as Israelites... 51:33 the "called-out" ones. 51:34 Even before they got to Sinai, Exodus 5 and verse 5, 51:38 Pharaoh was upset because Moses gave them a day to rest. 51:41 The word there in rest is: Shabbat... 51:44 the Sabbath was restored in Egypt 51:46 before the Israelites even left. 51:47 That's why in Genesis... Exodus chapter 16... 51:51 before they got to Sinai, 51:52 the Lord tested them every day with manna. 51:54 He says... notice what He said, 51:56 a time question... 51:57 "How long do you refuse to keep my commandments... 52:00 my statutes and my laws?" 52:02 How long... why ask me how long 52:03 when I didn't just... I just got the Sabbath. 52:06 Friends, we're reminded, that was two weeks... 52:08 that was two weeks before they got to Sinai 52:11 that the Lord asked them, 52:12 "How long do they refuse to keep His commandments. " 52:14 Why would you ask me how long? 52:16 We haven't even gotten to commandments yet, 52:17 we haven't even gotten to Sinai for You to write them down. 52:20 So, here's my point. 52:22 Sinai was not the inception of the Sabbath... 52:26 the end of creation week was. 52:28 It's the only day God blessed... 52:31 sanctified... hallowed and rested on. 52:34 So, to ask us to honor the Sabbath... 52:36 today, the issue is not worship, the issue is true worship. 52:40 John 4 verses 23 and 24, 52:42 "But the hour is coming, and now is, 52:44 when the true worshipers... " 52:46 you see, the three angels' messages as we point out... 52:48 one of the reasons why you don't hear that in other churches 52:50 because they have ignored true worship 52:52 and they have settled for worship. 52:54 Panel: That's right... hmmm... 52:55 Lomacang: So, worship... music... 52:56 without... without true worship is not acceptable by God. 52:59 How do I know that? 53:00 That's the very question that was asked. 53:03 Titus talks about this, Titus 1 verse 6, 53:05 You know, let me finish John 4 verses 23 and 24, 53:08 Verse 23 says, "But the hour is coming, 53:10 and now is, when the true worshipers must worship... 53:13 or will worship the Father in spirit and in truth... " 53:16 why? Look at this, 53:18 "for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. " 53:21 He's not looking for worshippers, 53:23 He's looking for true worshippers. 53:25 Verse 24, "God is Spirit, 53:27 and those who worship Him... should worship? 53:30 Panel: Must... 53:31 Lomacang: "must worship in spirit and in truth. " 53:34 Notice, the Bible doesn't separate the two... 53:37 so, to say that the Holy Spirit hasn't impressed me for truth... 53:40 that's false... I mean... I got to be very candid with you, 53:43 that's false piety 53:45 because the Holy Spirit never convinces you to ignore truth 53:48 and then settle for worship that you prefer. 53:51 You don't pick a day you prefer, 53:53 you don't pick a gender you prefer, 53:54 you don't pick a Sabbath you prefer. 53:56 Even when people say, "Saturday is your Sabbath 53:59 and Sunday is my Sabbath... " 54:00 even that is a Satanic lie 54:02 because there is no day other than the day God blessed 54:04 that's the Sabbath. 54:05 You can't make a day holy. 54:07 What God blesses is blessed forever. 54:09 You can't change... nothing can be added to it, 54:11 nothing can be taken from it. 54:13 So, the Lord is not looking for people that want to worship Him, 54:15 even those who scoff... 54:17 notice what they said in 2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 4, 54:20 they even noticed that God hasn't changed... 54:23 they said, "All things continue as they were 54:27 from the beginning of creation. " 54:29 Notice that statement, 54:30 even though they scoff at the coming of the Lord, 54:32 they said, "Nothing has changed, 54:33 all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. " 54:36 Meaning, God didn't change the Sabbath, 54:38 kept it... blessed in Genesis... 54:41 honored throughout the Old Testament... 54:42 by Abraham... before the Jews... 54:45 by the Jews... because they were the expositors of God's truth, 54:48 by Jesus... by the disciples... 54:52 by the apostles... 54:53 attacked during the Dark Ages, 54:56 the Church of Rome substituted that... 54:59 they even admitted... 55:00 so, Sunday Christian... what foundation on which... 55:03 what do you stand on? 55:05 Panel: Hmmm... 55:06 Lomacang: Be honest and say, you follow the dictates of Rome. 55:08 Don't say, the Bible gives you a license 55:11 to honor the first day of the week. 55:12 It's not there. 55:14 59 times, the Sabbath is mentioned in the New Testament. 55:17 12... it's mentioned the first day of the week 55:19 and Shelley knows. 55:21 Not a single one of them gives us a new day of worship. 55:23 eight of them refers to the... to the resurrection... 55:26 four of them refer to other instances... 55:28 the collection on the first day of the week... 55:29 the Jews... the disciples hiding for fear of the Jews 55:32 and breaking of bread on the first day of the week. 55:34 But they broke bread every day 55:36 and there's only one other one that you have 55:37 and that one doesn't give you license to honor a new day. 55:40 So, here's my point. 55:41 If you love the Lord... 55:42 if you truly love the Lord, you will do what He said 55:45 and I like what James says, 55:46 "Why do we keep saying... 55:48 why do we keep talking about the Sabbath?" 55:49 Because if you love the Lord, here's what I say to you, 55:52 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. " 55:56 Jill: Amen. 55:57 Ryan: Ooooh... amen... praise the Lord! 56:00 Some truth has been preached today. 56:03 Anyways, wow! let's get some final thoughts... 56:07 that's powerful. 56:08 Shelley: The Sabbath is the eternal link between perfection 56:13 of the past of Eden 56:16 and the eternal glory of the new heavens and the new earth. 56:19 Isaiah 66 verse 23 says, 56:23 when God has created the new heavens and the new earth, 56:27 "It shall come to pass 56:28 from one Sabbath to another, 56:31 all flesh shall come 56:33 to worship before Me. " 56:36 Jill: Amen, we think maybe it doesn't matter, 56:39 I can believe that creation... I still believe in creation 56:42 but it could have taken a long period of time. 56:44 It does matter. 56:45 Number 1... it's biblical, 56:46 Number 2... we lose the Seventh-day Sabbath 56:48 in the weekly cycle if we don't believe that. 56:51 Rafferty: Hmmm... hmmm... 56:52 Satan is trying to usurp the seventh-day Sabbath. 56:55 He's trying to change it because 56:56 it is linked together with the everlasting gospel. 56:59 Panel: Yes. 57:01 Rafferty: God has laid out the plan of salvation 57:03 in resting in Him on the seventh-day Sabbath. 57:05 Lomacang: And Titus 1 verse 16, 57:07 "Don't profess to know God, and deny Him by your works. " 57:10 He said, "They profess to know God, 57:12 but in works they deny Him. " 57:14 What works? 57:15 Ceasing from your works 57:17 and entering into the Sabbath rest 57:19 is evidence that you profess and confess 57:23 and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. 57:25 Don't follow something man established, 57:27 follow what God established. 57:29 Ryan: Amen, praise the Lord. 57:31 You know, I... 57:32 I remember my own experience years ago 57:34 when I was not a Sabbath keeper. 57:36 I had to come to grips with what the Word of God actually taught 57:39 and I can tell you, my Friends, 57:41 it's been one of the greatest decisions I've ever made 57:43 to follow the truth of God's Word to be a true worshipper. 57:46 Well, we have made our way 57:47 through the first angel's message 57:49 and next week, Lesson Number 9 entitled: 57:51 A City Called Confusion. 57:53 You're not going to want to miss next week 57:55 because we're going to be diving into 57:56 the second angel's message of Revelation chapter 14. 57:59 Until next week, my Friends, God bless you all. 58:01 See you right back here. |
Revised 2023-08-03