Participants: Harold Harker
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001008
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00:07 From Arcadia, California, the Carter report presents,
00:10 The Living Word Around the World. 00:18 Hello, friend, I'm John Carter, 00:19 with a very special message just for you. 00:23 I believe that God has called you and me 00:26 to tell the world about the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:30 You know, friend, when I turn in my Bible 00:32 to Revelation Chapter 14, I read there 00:35 of a worldwide proclamation of the gospel, 00:40 in the setting of some very amazing truths. 00:43 And that is why the Carter Report right now 00:46 is working in China, isn't that amazing? 00:48 Also in India, we're telecasting in India. 00:52 And very shortly, we're going to Africa. 00:55 And when we go to Africa the message of Christ 00:58 is going to be telecasted right across that great continent 01:02 and millions of people are going to have an opportunity 01:06 to come to the knowledge of Christ. 01:09 I am asking today for your help and your partnership. 01:14 I want you to write to me, please. 01:17 And I want you to support us in this worldwide evangelism. 01:22 And when you do so, 01:24 I want to send you two DVD's, two DVD's. 01:32 One is about how to survive the coming financial meltdown 01:37 and the second one is about the health crisis 01:40 that is just about blowing America apart, 01:44 but it concerns my friends, also in Australia. 01:48 So please, support us in this great work 01:51 and when you support us, I'll send you these two DVD's. 01:56 Write to me John Carter, P.O Box 1900, 01:59 Thousand Oaks, California, 91358. 02:02 In Australia, write to me at Terrigal. 02:06 Support us in this great outreach to the world, 02:10 let Christ be known and may God richly bless you. 02:15 Write to me please, today. 02:22 Seeing is believing, at least most people tell me 02:28 if I see it I know that it's happened. 02:31 True? 02:33 Ask any magician. 02:36 You'll know that the other things can come into it. 02:39 Sight is important. 02:42 What you see is what you get, some people tell you. 02:46 Just last week, I was over in Hong Kong, 02:50 as we met with people. 02:52 And there I went along the street 02:55 and I wanted to buy some fruit. 02:59 I saw some beautiful citrus some mandarins as I call them. 03:04 And I started to pick them out and they said, no. 03:08 I wasn't allowed to touch them. 03:10 I wanted to see that each one would be good. 03:15 Seeing sight is vital. 03:19 You know, I'm so sorry for those who don't have sight. 03:22 But now if you went to a court case, 03:25 if someone saw you in a restaurant, 03:28 and all of a sudden you felt, 03:30 oh, my hair, I've got to fix it, 03:32 and you moved with your comb quickly 03:36 and at that moment there was a gunshot 03:38 and someone drops dead. 03:40 And someone from over this side said, 03:42 I saw you moved quicker, than wider. 03:46 All the lone ranger, you were quick, 03:48 I heard the bang and I saw them fall. 03:53 I witnessed testimony, where were you? 03:58 Fortunately there may be a surveillance camera up there, 04:04 that has taken the whole picture 04:06 and saw that someone else had a gun 04:08 and all you had was a comb to fix your hair. 04:13 Eyewitnesses, if you are in court and say, 04:16 I saw it, I heard it and that's what happened, 04:22 first person eyewitness testimony 04:26 is fairly convincing, isn't it? 04:30 I want you to take your Bible 04:33 because there's a great message. 04:35 Let's turn to John's gospel, Chapter 20 04:40 and we are going to read verse 29. 04:44 John's gospel Chapter 20. 04:48 It's good to take your Bible. 04:52 John 20:29. 04:54 Then, Jesus is talking here to Thomas. 04:57 "Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, 05:02 you have believed.' 05:03 " Now Thomas was the one who hadn't been 05:06 in the upper room with the other disciples. 05:09 They had all seen Jesus, they had seen Him. 05:13 Thomas wasn't there and he said, unless I see, 05:17 unless I can put my fingers in His hand, 05:20 unless I can put my hand in His side, I won't believe. 05:26 And Jesus calls him and says, here's My hands, 05:31 here's My side Thomas, you are believing 05:36 because you have seen and then He says, 05:40 "Blessed are those who have not seen 05:44 and yet have believed." 05:47 So people who have not seen, but believe on Jesus 05:53 because of this story and His love that never fails. 05:58 My friends, Jesus has a blessing for you 06:02 if you believe on Him, if you trust His word 06:08 and act on that, there is a blessing here. 06:13 I'm gonna talk about why it's more important 06:16 than even eyewitness testimony. 06:20 You know, Peter was one of those disciples, 06:23 could you imagine him in that boat 06:26 when it's nearly going to sink and Jesus is asleep 06:30 and he says Master, we perish. 06:33 You've been with Him. You've eaten with Him. 06:39 You've touched Him. And He talks about that. 06:43 Please come with me to Peter's story 06:46 in the Book of 2 Peter. 06:48 This is vital for every Christian. 06:52 2 Peter and it's in the 1 Chapter 06:56 and I'm reading from verse 16. 06:59 2 Peter 1:16, 07:07 2 Peter 1:16. 07:13 Peter's testimony by the Holy Spirit 07:18 to you and to me today. 07:22 "We did not follow cleverly invented stories 07:27 when we told you about the power 07:29 and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, 07:33 but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." 07:38 No doubt, Peter, thought back to that time 07:41 on the Mount of Transfiguration when he and John 07:46 and the three of them were there 07:48 and they see the glory that comes down to Jesus. 07:53 He says we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 07:57 So many Christians tell me today, 08:00 I wish, I could have been there with Jesus. 08:04 Wouldn't it been wonderful 08:06 to walk with Him, to talk with Him. 08:09 To have Him talk with you, 08:11 to encourage you, even like Peter, 08:15 who needed lot of encouragement? 08:18 But he says, we were eyewitnesses 08:20 and then he said "For he received honor 08:25 and glory from God the Father, 08:27 when the voice came to him from the Majesty Glory, saying, 08:33 'this is my Son, whom I love, 08:38 with Him I am well pleased.' 08:43 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven 08:48 when we were with him on the sacred mountain." 08:52 Hey, Peter is saying, we were with Him, we heard it, 08:55 we saw it, we experienced it. 08:59 It was part of their lives. We'll never forget it. 09:02 And if you were there, 09:03 you would never forget it either. 09:06 What first class evidence, eyewitnesses, 09:11 to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. 09:15 Can you think of anything better than that? 09:20 Notice what he says in verse 19. 09:26 "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, 09:32 and you will do well to pay attention to it, 09:36 as a light shining in a dark place, 09:39 until the day dawns 09:42 and the morning star rises in your hearts." 09:48 King James Version says, 09:49 and we have a more sure word of prophecy. 09:53 Here it says, we have the word of the prophets 09:56 made more certain. 09:58 More certain than what? 10:00 More certain than being with Him 10:03 and seeing the glory and hearing the voice. 10:08 More certain, something that's more important 10:11 than even eyesight is this Word of God that comes to us. 10:18 No wonder we should be reading this everyday. 10:22 This is more important than actually seeing Jesus 10:27 when He was on earth. 10:29 You know, that takes a little of believing. 10:33 But it is true. 10:35 "The words of the prophets are made more certain, 10:39 and you will do well to pay attention to it." 10:44 Then it says, "Above all, you must understand 10:49 that no prophecy of Scripture came about 10:54 by the prophet's own interpretation. 10:57 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, 11:02 but men spoke from God as they were carried along 11:07 by the Holy Spirit." 11:09 Here, Peter is elaborating under the auspices 11:15 of the Holy Spirit and says, prophecy is in here, 11:20 the word that you have is not only more certain 11:24 but it's been God breathed, 11:27 it comes to us from God himself. 11:32 You know, sometimes we could look at it this way, 11:37 this word that comes to us is not only more certain, 11:43 but it has a message for me and for you, 11:49 and that's what we want to look at today. 11:50 You know, prophecy, some people think 11:54 the best message I can get from this 11:57 is to tell me what's going to happen in the future. 12:00 The Bible has the great outlines of history. 12:04 Jesus Christ is coming and coming soon. 12:09 He says, He that will come, will come and will not tarry. 12:14 I will come, He says in Revelation. 12:18 He is coming again to prepare, 12:21 to take you to the place He has prepared for you. 12:26 This is vital. 12:28 Some people say, I would like to know the prophecy, 12:31 to know exactly everything that's going to happen. 12:34 Do you know, what Jesus said? 12:36 Jesus said, I am telling You these things, 12:40 so that when it comes to pass 12:43 then you may know that I am He. 12:49 He doesn't say, you can write down 12:52 what every year is going to have, ahead of us. 12:56 No. 12:57 Prophecy says, oh, look, it has happened, 13:00 just as the Word of God has said. 13:04 That's where it is for us. 13:07 And this word is more certain than eyewitnesses. 13:13 It is better than eyewitnesses. 13:17 Now we could call it by a different name 13:20 and some times I've called it this name. 13:23 This could be history, prophecy and you. 13:30 It could be a great title. 13:32 It's still better than eyewitnesses. 13:34 History, prophecy, and you, 13:39 because this book deals with all of those. 13:43 History, you know, tells us how God has worked 13:49 in the affairs of this world to bring about His purpose. 13:55 No it's not His purpose to have all the accidents 13:58 and diseases that was never in His plan. 14:02 But through the events of this world 14:06 God is working out His plans and purposes 14:10 and His will, will come to pass. 14:13 That much is sure. 14:16 Let me look at it from another title I could tell you. 14:20 This could be God's hand in history. 14:26 God's hand in history. 14:28 Someone has said, history is His story. 14:35 And that's what it is. 14:36 The history of this world only bears out 14:41 the story of Jesus Christ and His involvement 14:45 in the affairs of this world. 14:50 Prophecy has foretold that. History shows its fulfillment. 14:56 Can you understand why I love history? 14:59 Why I visit places where great events have happened? 15:03 All of this just bears out God is in control. 15:10 Let me tell you something else. 15:13 God does not say go to jail, 15:18 don't pass go, go straight there. 15:20 You know, the monopoly game, doesn't do that. 15:24 But He uses people and the events that take place. 15:30 He puts these together and uses them 15:34 to bring about His purpose. 15:37 He wants to show us this, I am behind all of this. 15:42 This is My plan. That's what history shows us. 15:48 He has already told us what will happen. 15:52 But now history just tells us how it will come to pass. 15:58 Let me just take one of the prophecies 16:01 and the associated things with it, 16:03 to show you what I mean. 16:05 Let's go to Revelation Chapter 13 16:09 and I am going to read the second verse 16:12 and then look at some detail of this. 16:17 Revelation 13, talks about 16:19 a beast coming up out of the sea. 16:22 It's a composite beast. 16:24 The four beasts of Daniel 7 are all put together 16:29 in one beast here in Revelation 13. 16:33 In verse 2 it says, "The beast I saw resembled a leopard, 16:41 he had the feet like those of a bear 16:46 and a mouth like that of a lion." 16:50 The dragon and Scripture tells us 16:53 very clearly in chapter 12 of Revelation, 16:56 the dragon is the devil and Satan. 17:02 "The dragon gives the beast his power 17:06 and his throne and great authority." 17:13 Now you say that's interesting. 17:17 This beast or this power that it's talking about, 17:22 that arose during the middle ages. 17:25 The devil is behind it. 17:26 And through events in this world 17:29 he gets his place, his seat or his throne, 17:34 his power and great authority. 17:38 Let me put over here for you because this deals 17:42 with the great city of Rome. 17:52 The year came to 476, 17:56 imperial Rome is finished. 18:00 The Rome of the Caesar. 18:01 Now there some emperors, yes, but imperial Rome is finished. 18:05 It's beginning to disintegrate. 18:09 And it disintegrates according to the Scripture 18:11 into ten different groups. 18:15 But while the emperors were still there, 18:19 there is a time and I'm going to put it over here for you. 18:24 The year was 533, 18:31 the emperor was a man by the name of Justinian. 18:38 Let me tell you what he did. 18:42 He made this decree in the year 533 18:45 and he said, the Bishop of Rome, 18:49 the head of the church in Rome is the head of all of bishops 18:53 and the true and corrector of heretics. 18:58 Wow, did you ever hear of the seat in Rome 19:04 being called a sea? 19:07 Oh, yes. 19:09 Have you ever heard of the transference of power 19:12 from Rome of the Caesar and the emperors 19:17 to this power of the Middle Ages? 19:20 Verse 2 we just read in Revelation 13, 19:23 the dragon gives him his seat or his throne or his sea. 19:29 He gives him his power. 19:31 He is in charge now and great authority. 19:35 No more authority for Rome could be given. 19:40 The emperor is over in the east at Constantinople, 19:45 founded by Constantine. 19:47 But, there is a problem. 19:52 Surrounding Rome there is an 19:55 army of Ostrogoths who are besieging Rome. 19:59 And this man in Rome can't exercise 20:03 all the power that he would like to. 20:08 In fact, it took five years 20:12 before he had full sway of all that he did. 20:17 The year came to 538, 20:25 the Ostrogoths now go, they're chased away 20:28 and the Bishop of Rome has now the facility 20:32 to exercise the control that the emperor has given to him. 20:36 You're in charge of it. You have full authority. 20:40 Not only are you in charge of the city 20:44 and the country there, 20:46 you're also in charge of the church 20:48 and you have the power to look after 20:51 any heresies that come, you're in charge. 20:54 The dragon gives him his seat, 20:57 his power and great authority. 21:01 Now I would like to show you an example from Rome to show 21:06 this transference of power, it's very interesting. 21:11 There is an obelisk in Rome. 21:14 It's about one block from Colonna Square, westwards 21:17 and it's a block and half from the Pantheon, 21:21 that great temple originally for all the gods of Rome 21:26 became Christianized in the first century. 21:29 And now the church has some meetings there 21:33 from time to time. 21:35 But here is this obelisk, its 21.8 meters high, 21:40 which is something like 70 feet. 21:45 Great long column. 21:48 But on this column it shows the link 21:51 between Rome of the Caesars 21:55 and the Rome of the power of that church. 21:58 Lets look a little closer at this obelisk. 22:02 On the base you'll notice that there is an inscription. 22:07 And I want to look at this obelisk. 22:10 There is a picture here and if you lookup it tells you 22:14 it's the imperial Caesar Augustus. 22:19 You know, this obelisk firstly stood 22:22 over on the eastern bank of the Tiber. 22:25 It was near the Altar of Peace, as it's called. 22:30 And this was placed so that its shadow 22:33 just reached to the center of the Altar of Peace. 22:39 On the 23rd of September it was the equinox. 22:45 And it also showed one of its faces 22:49 pointed to the sun on April 21, which was the day, 22:54 the birthday of the city of Rome 22:57 as they celebrate it. 22:58 And it showed that Caesar Augustus 23:02 was ordained by the stars above 23:05 to be the divine ruler of Rome. 23:10 And you see it on this block. The Obelisk of Montecitorio. 23:17 But you'll notice also in the third line 23:21 it gives a name that he claims is his. 23:25 It is Pontifex Maximus 23:29 or if you want a simple translation, 23:32 the great bridge builder. 23:35 He is in charge, he brings peace 23:38 and he is in charge of all. 23:40 Pontifex Maximus, was the title of the Caesars 23:44 and remember what Revelation says. 23:48 He gives him his seat, his power, and great authority. 23:53 Here is the name Pontifex Maximus. 23:56 But let's go around the corner of this monument 23:58 and have a look on the other side 24:01 because there is also an inscription. 24:06 And here it tells me that it is Pope Pius VI, 24:14 now Pius VI had this installed 24:16 in this place not far 24:20 from the Pantheon in the year 1787. 24:25 But he also claims the title Pontefix Maximus. 24:30 And if you go to Rome today, 24:33 every time you see a monument 24:35 or an obelisk with a Popes name on it 24:38 there is the title Pontifex Maximus, 24:42 always there, some times abbreviated. 24:45 The same title that Augustus Caesar 24:48 took for himself, is taken 24:51 by the church of Rome for its leader. 24:57 Well, you can see there is no question, 25:01 here is a visible link between Rome of the Caesars 25:06 and the Rome that developed through the Middle Ages. 25:10 Same name, same city, the power is given to it 25:14 by the emperor and he revels in it. 25:20 Now let's go to a prophecy from Gods Word, 25:22 we need to look at that. 25:24 In Gods Word there is a prophecy 25:28 that's mentioned seven times. 25:31 Now sometimes you'll find in Scripture 25:34 something mentioned just once, 25:38 666 only once in Revelation. 25:43 And people put a lot of attention on that. 25:46 They have something that's, they say, hey, 25:49 this is very relevant for us today. 25:52 Let me tell you, this prophecy is far more relevant 25:58 because it is more extensive and more detailed. 26:04 This prophecy as you can see 26:06 occurs seven times in Scripture. 26:10 If God tells you something once, 26:13 it's pretty important. 26:14 But if He mentions it not twice, 26:16 not three times or four or five but seven times. 26:22 Then remember what Peter said, 26:26 you do will to take heed. 26:29 Here is a message for us. 26:33 Daniel 7:25 is the first reference 26:37 from the Old Testament and they all come from Daniel. 26:41 By the way, let me tell you this. 26:44 When a great man of this country 26:47 by the name of Roger Williams 26:49 made his appeal to England for religious freedom, 26:54 he quoted from Daniel Chapter 7. 26:59 It was also the chapter 27:01 that John Knox took for his first sermon. 27:05 This is where it comes from and in chapter 7 27:09 and I am reading verse 25. 27:11 "He will speak against the Most High 27:13 and oppress his saints 27:15 and try to change the set times and laws. 27:18 The saints will be handed over to him 27:20 for a time, times and half a time." 27:26 There it is. 27:28 If you went to Daniel 7, 27:30 you would find that it calls it a time, times 27:33 and a dividing of time, same thing. 27:38 Now I'm gonna show you 27:39 that this must be a year, a time must be a year. 27:44 If you went to Revelation 27:47 and you may want to check that with me 27:49 because I'm gonna tell you what's there, 27:51 always checkout what the Scripture says. 27:54 The Scripture is the authority, 27:56 it's not me, it's always Scripture. 27:59 Revelation 11:2. 28:07 The last part says, "They will trample 28:09 on the holy city for 42 months." 28:14 Tell me how long is 42 months? 28:17 Three and half years, a time, time and half a time. 28:22 And now it's called 42 months. 28:26 Now it's very interesting that in the same chapter, 28:31 chapter 11 we're looking at and in verse 3, 28:35 it says here, and I will, 28:38 "and they will prophesy for 1,260 days." 28:46 Two verses side by side, one says 42 months, 28:51 the other says 1,260 days. 28:55 Again it's putting it together. Three different terms are used. 29:00 Three and half years or time, times and half a time. 29:04 Forty two months, 1,260 days. 29:09 And you can look again Revelation Chapter 12 29:13 has the same thing again, 1,260 days 29:17 and a time, times and half a time. 29:20 And you'll find in Revelation 13, 29:22 where we started, it's given as 42 months. 29:25 If you take the 42 months, 29:28 the 1,260 days in prophecy you have 1,260 29:36 and the day stands for a year in prophecy 29:39 which must take you to the year 1798. 29:48 Okay, let me tell you what was happening. 29:54 There were many people who were looking at their Bible. 29:58 And in the 18th century, that the 1700's 30:04 there were many Christians who were reading this 30:07 and they said, at this time 30:12 between the last few years of the 1790's 30:17 this prophecy must be fulfilled. 30:20 Its time will be up. 30:23 Probably a dozen churches in the early 19th century 30:28 in this country were pinpointing 30:31 the beginning of this as 1798. 30:36 Didn't come from one, 30:37 it came from many churches, 1798. 30:42 And so we have a prophecy. 30:45 I want to share with you a little of how God 30:49 brings about the fulfillment of this. 30:55 The Bishop of Rome gets his authority 30:59 back in the sixth century, 538 he is now free to lead, 31:05 the ostrogoths are gone. 31:08 What's going to happen in 1798? 31:11 God just doesn't pick some one up and say go to jail. 31:14 He uses the events around Him. 31:18 And I want to take you on a quick tour 31:21 of a few places to show you what happens. 31:24 Firstly let's go into Rome and find a palace, 31:30 it's called the Palace Corsini, 31:34 a book when I was over here before, 31:38 the palaces of Rome, palazzo in Italian. 31:43 This is the Corsini Palace, 31:46 it was the home of an archbishop. 31:49 Let me give you the history. 31:51 It was in the 1790's, 1796, 31:56 Napoleon and the French troops start to invade Italy. 32:03 They move over the Alps. 32:05 Everyday they are taking another town in their, 32:08 in external march down to Rome. 32:12 They want to seize this power, 1796. 32:17 And as the papal forces fought, 32:21 they arranged for a truce about February of 1796. 32:28 The armistice were signed a truce. 32:31 Let's hold it here. But that truce has a price. 32:37 If you look like being the victor, 32:41 one of the terms of this armistice, 32:45 21 million lira, and in that day 32:50 that was more than a fortune. 32:53 Okay, we'll stop fighting, 21 million lira. 33:01 After seven months the fight still, it continues. 33:06 This armistice fails because the French 33:10 didn't get all they wanted and they moved down 33:13 town by town until the Bishop of Rome 33:17 sends a high powered envoy and they meet over here 33:22 in the east of Rome at a place that's called Tolentino. 33:34 The treaty of Tolentino, 33:36 Napoleon signs it along with a French ambassador. 33:42 The envoys from the Pope of Rome, 33:45 they sign it and a little bit later 33:47 the Pope himself signs it but let me tell you, 33:53 not only was there 21 million lira now, 33:56 they said, we want more. 33:59 Fifteen million lira on top of that making 36 million. 34:06 Now on top of that we want gold and silver and brass 34:11 and we want more than that, we want all these paintings. 34:16 And the French authorities were given permission 34:19 to go into any place and say we want this sent off to France. 34:25 One hundred great paintings alone 34:28 went to the museum of Napoleon in Paris. 34:34 This brought the church to its knees. 34:39 And, well, they didn't destroy Rome, 34:43 in this palace here, the Palace Corsini, 34:47 the French requisitioned it. 34:49 They said, we will use this as our headquarters. 34:53 And now it was in a street, you can see the Via Corsini, 34:56 the name of the palace and the name of the street. 34:59 There was a gateway there. The Porta Settimiana. 35:05 Now it just so happened and it wasn't coincidence. 35:09 God works in a great way. 35:13 You see Napoleon had then gone back up to Vienna 35:18 and he was fighting the Austrians 35:20 and a rumor comes around Rome. 35:23 Did you know, did you hear, 35:25 has anyone told you, Napoleon is been defeated? 35:30 He is done like a dinner. 35:34 And the Pope says why do we want 35:36 these Romans here in this palace for? 35:40 Let's get rid of them. 35:42 They love the French being their, 35:44 just like the Jews love the Romans. 35:47 Just like any country would hate usurper, 35:51 who's come in and he is ruling over them. 35:54 And so around this palace, on the 28th of December, 35:59 1797 there was a scrap 36:04 and the French General Leonard Duphot, 36:07 comes out to direct the fight 36:09 and someone sees him and he is history. 36:16 He just happened. Did he? 36:20 Did I say happened? It wasn't circumstantial. 36:24 Leonard Duphot was, he was engaged 36:29 to Napoleon's sister Pauline. 36:33 Wow. 36:35 Well, the message goes back from Rome up to Napoleon. 36:39 This guy, he was going to marry your sister, 36:42 he's been killed, assassinated, knocked off, 36:46 call it what you like, by this crowd down in Rome. 36:51 Napoleon calls his council of his office 36:54 and he says not you, not you, not you, not any of them, 36:58 who had been Catholics before. 37:00 Remember the French revolutions come, 37:03 religion are been pushed down? 37:05 But if they came and said, I'm taking you prisoner 37:08 and he says, you'll burn in hell I'll excommunicate you. 37:13 Okay, would he go to water? 37:16 He chooses his Chief of Staff, General Berthier, 37:21 a Huguenot, a Protestant 37:24 and Berthier leaves over the Alps 37:27 and comes down, enters Rome February 10, 1798. 37:33 The trigger, the uprising in December 1797, 37:38 the time wasn't quite fulfilled. 37:41 But God uses that trigger. 37:44 He uses those people to bring about His plans. 37:48 And February 10, Berthier enters Rome, 37:52 on the 15th he takes the Pope Pius VI, a prisoner. 37:57 And on the 20th the little Porte including 38:01 the Pope is going into exile. 38:05 And he goes up passed Bolsena in Viterbo. 38:08 He gets to Sienna and there there's an earthquake 38:12 and he's moved on to a place near Florence. 38:17 And we have a picture of this monastery in Florence, 38:22 where he stays for a little time. 38:26 And in this monastery, 38:29 let's just look at this picture. 38:32 It comes to us on the outskirts of Florence. 38:36 These are the guest rooms. The monastery is La Certosa. 38:41 And the guest rooms have the picture 38:44 of the Pope there and the time that he was there. 38:48 A prisoner in this monastery, he is on his way to France. 38:54 And couple of more pictures will show you 38:56 a little of the furniture of the room 38:59 in which he was kept and detained. 39:04 But then he moves on. 39:06 And we go to France, 39:08 the border town in France is Briancon. 39:12 Briancon is a border town 39:16 and so there is a garrison there. 39:18 It's interesting to walk through the garrison. 39:21 As you go through the garrison then you'll find 39:24 a great gateway, a narrow gateway. 39:28 It has a Porte colors. 39:30 You know one of these great things 39:32 with spikes that come down, say you can't come in. 39:35 And we go into the main street, the main street of Briancon, 39:40 if you are in France its la grand-rue. 39:44 The great street, it's the main street 39:46 and goes down the hill. 39:48 And we walk down to number 64 on the left hand side. 39:52 And down toward the bottom of this street, 39:54 then you see the sign above the door "Maison Du Pape." 40:01 It's the house of the pope. 40:03 This is where Pope Pius VI stayed here for three months. 40:08 He was old, 80 years of age, he had gout. 40:12 And wasn't, from here in alpine road 40:16 and so he pauses here before they take him to Valence. 40:21 Let's look at Valence, where he finishes up 40:25 and he lived there for six weeks. 40:26 The Crussal Castle is just across the Rhone River. 40:31 And in the town a memorial to the visit 40:34 of Pope Pius VI is here in the Cathedral of St. Apollonia. 40:41 This cathedral is the main cathedral of Valence 40:45 and as you go into the cathedral 40:49 we look around behind the altar. 40:52 And behind the altar there is a monument 40:56 with the inscription about it that tells you there 41:00 Pope Pius VI died here, it was now 1789. 41:08 Why did Napoleon send him to Valence? 41:11 Because he had been there as a young army lieutenant, 41:14 did his artillery training there 41:16 and knew what it was like and surrounding the town, 41:20 it was Huguenot at that time and if he managed 41:23 to bribe his jailers, he wouldn't get far, 41:27 after what he had done to them. 41:30 That's why he went to Valence and he dies there. 41:34 And so at the end of this prophecy 41:37 God has used the events of an insurrection, 41:41 the killing of Leonard Duphot the year before. 41:45 The coming down over the Alps of General Berthier 41:48 all of this to bring about His will. 41:52 Let's look quickly, we go back to Rome 41:55 because in Rome you can see down from St. Peter's, 42:00 you can see some St. Peter's Square 42:02 but off to the left there is a very interesting picture 42:07 and there you can notice the long drawn out building 42:12 with a court yard in between. 42:14 It is the Vatican museum. 42:17 And beside it at the end, 42:19 at the lower part of the picture 42:21 is the Sistine Chapel. 42:25 But in this museum many popes have a little, 42:29 what would you call it? 42:30 They have collected different pictures 42:32 and paintings of a number of popes. 42:34 And we go to have a look at one that deals with Pius VI, 42:39 the man who goes into prison in Valence. 42:42 And here is some paintings that talk about Pius VI 42:47 and we go a little further and you'll find him getting now 42:51 into the horse drawn chariot, the French officers around him 42:56 and he is taken off as a prisoner 1798. 43:03 Don't forget you do will to take heed 43:06 because we have a more, sure word of prophecy. 43:10 It's better than eyewitnesses. 43:12 This is what God has given to us. 43:15 You can see God's hand in history. 43:20 This is how He works. He works through people. 43:24 He works through events. 43:27 And God shows us 43:29 that these great time periods tell us, He is in control. 43:35 The picture over on your right shows him 43:38 on his death bed in Valence. 43:41 He dies there. 43:42 Only there for six weeks and he is dead. 43:46 Another story I could go on another time. 43:49 God's hand in history. 43:52 Remember I said history is His story. 43:58 There's a verse I want you to read 44:00 from the Old Testament and its Isaiah the gospel profit 44:05 and I am reading 46:9, 10. 44:12 Isaiah Chapter 46, "Remember the former things, 44:17 those of long ago, I am God, and there is mo other, 44:23 I am God and there is none like me. 44:26 I make known the end from the beginning 44:30 and from ancient times, what is still to come." 44:34 Then the verse concludes "I say, My purpose will stand, 44:40 and I will do all that I please." 44:43 God is in control. 44:45 He says I know the end from the beginning. 44:48 And when He has given us the prophecies in this book, 44:53 it's better than eyewitnesses. 44:56 Because it tells me God is in control, 44:59 not only of the world but if I allow Him, 45:02 He will be in charge of my life as well. 45:05 That's fantastic to know. And so I ask a question. 45:10 Is your confidence in His word strengthen 45:14 when you see how God arranges things to make it come to pass? 45:21 If your confidence is strengthened, 45:25 will you treasure it more? 45:28 Will you read it more? Will you take it to heart? 45:32 Because it's not only those who hear the prophecy, 45:34 it's those who do it. 45:37 And God is looking for people at the end of time 45:41 who will treasure His word, who will follow His word. 45:45 He is in control. 45:47 Is He really the center of your life? 45:52 I would like to tell you the story of a young man. 45:57 This young man lived in England. 45:59 I want to take you outside of London. 46:02 Around London goes the great big ring road called the M25. 46:07 Just on the eastern side of that, 46:09 just outside there is a little town 46:12 and it's called Brentwood. 46:15 And you say well, what's special about Brentwood? 46:19 Well in France the main street was called la grand-rue. 46:22 If you go to England most small towns 46:25 the main street is high street. 46:28 Usually the ground drops away from it. 46:30 And high street is the place in Brentwood 46:33 and there is an obelisk. 46:36 And it has the name of a young man 46:38 who was still in his late teens. 46:41 His name William Hunter. 46:44 Well, you say, why would a town raise a monument 46:48 to a young man who died, was martyred in his teens, 46:53 a man who loved the Bible. 46:55 Let me tell you a bit about William Hunter. 46:59 He was raised and educated to believe 47:03 and love this book. 47:05 He believed in the principles, enunciated by the reformation, 47:10 that it was only in Jesus Christ that we are saved. 47:14 Not by works what we have done. 47:16 He believed that. And he read his Bible. 47:20 And in fact, that was not considered only proper, 47:25 it was outlawed. 47:27 You don't read this book. 47:29 Only the priests then could interpret the book. 47:32 But he loved the book and he would read it. 47:35 And he would read it everyday. 47:36 And so someone sees him reading and he is arrested. 47:40 He is taken down to London. 47:43 Bishop Bonner, is in charge there and he says, 47:48 okay, he is in jail, let me talk to him. 47:52 Look, William, I'll give you the opportunity, 47:56 you just go the confession 47:58 and we'll forget all this and you can have a good life. 48:01 He says, I'm not going. 48:03 He was arrested for not going to mass. 48:05 Now he won't go to confession. He is pronounced incorrigible. 48:13 He stays in Newgate prison nine months. 48:19 Irons are put on him as heavy as he can possibly bear 48:24 without having to lie on the floor all the time. 48:27 He's put in the stocks 48:29 and he's given a crust of brown bread 48:31 and a cup of water in two days and he refuses to touch it. 48:36 Finally the bishop says, I've heard enough of you. 48:39 Go back to Brentwood and there they can burn you. 48:44 William Hunter, thought so much of this book 48:47 that he was willing to die for it. 48:51 Is that a challenge to you and to me? 48:54 On the day of his martyrdom 48:57 he is marched out from the Swan Inn. 49:00 And there he comes to the place 49:03 and he is reading from Psalm 51. 49:06 And he reads until it says, 49:08 "The sacrifices O God are a broken spirit, 49:12 in contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." 49:17 And he throws his Bible to his brother 49:21 because he has no more need of it. 49:23 He gives to him, his brother calls out, 49:25 William, says think of the passion of Jesus 49:30 and don't be afraid. 49:31 He says, I am not afraid. 49:33 And they put a chain around his neck. 49:36 And then they light the fire. 49:41 Martyred for reading this book. 49:47 You and I haven't been martyred yet. 49:51 You and I have access to this book at all times. 49:56 And God says through Peter, 49:58 that it's better than eyewitnesses. 50:02 This shows me history, 50:04 God's hand in the affairs of this world. 50:09 When William Hunter died the town thought so much of it, 50:14 that's reason it they built this monument. 50:16 Because as a result of this man's faith 50:22 many others sought salvation because they knew he had it. 50:28 Salvation is in this word and this word is important 50:33 because it tells me about a person 50:36 who is called the Word. 50:40 The Word was made flesh. The Word was God. 50:45 The Word came down and dwelt with us. 50:48 And in Revelation it says, 50:49 his name is written, the Word of God. 50:52 This book tells me about Him. 50:57 Will you choose it in your life? 50:59 Will you treasure it in your life? 51:01 Will you recognize that this book 51:04 is more important than eyewitness testimony? 51:10 You know, this is a challenge to us. 51:13 I would like you to pray with me 51:15 that we might put this in the place 51:17 that it needs to be. 51:19 Let's pray together. 51:30 Our Father in Heaven, we are so conscious 51:34 that this Word has come to us by Your spirit. 51:40 Peter says that's even more important 51:42 than being eyewitnesses, 51:43 even though we would have like to have seen Jesus. 51:46 Help us to treasure it. Help us to read it everyday. 51:50 Help us to make it part of our lives 51:52 the very heart and center of our life. 51:56 Oh, Father, may we not only treasure it, 52:00 may we be willing to tell others 52:02 that there is salvation in the Word the man of the book 52:07 and that history is just His story. 52:10 How You speak to us, how You arrange things, 52:15 is because of Your knowledge of the end from the beginning. 52:19 Today Father, we acknowledge our great need of You. 52:23 Father, may we seek Your face each day. 52:27 Cover us with Your blessing. 52:30 Be with our family members dear Lord, 52:32 and may it be that this church, this congregation, 52:37 these people worshiping You today 52:40 will be known as people of the book 52:43 because You have given to us that precious Word. 52:47 William Hunter treasured it, may each one of us 52:51 treasure this everyday of our lives 52:54 until we see the Word Himself come in the clouds of heaven. 53:00 And we thank You, and we praise You, 53:03 because it is only through the name of Jesus our Lord. 53:08 Amen. Amen. 53:13 Hello, I am John Carter. 53:14 I first came here in 1971, that's a long time ago. 53:19 I've been back 39 times, more recently in 1991 53:24 when we had the privilege under God of conducting 53:27 the first ever evangelistic campaign 53:30 in the old Soviet Union. 53:33 Since then we have been 53:34 preaching right around this great country. 53:37 St. Petersburg, Moscow, as they call it Moskva, 53:41 Nizhny Novgorod, Dzerjinsk. 53:45 I could just go on and on. 53:47 And we have seen thousands and thousands of souls 53:51 come to our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. 53:55 I want to thank you today for your magnificent support. 53:59 You're standing with us 54:01 in tough times and in good times 54:04 in the preaching of Christ to the Russian people. 54:07 My friend, it's not over yet, we are not giving up on Russia 54:12 because the needs here are tremendous. 54:16 Please pray for the Russian people. 54:19 And please in the name of Jesus write to me, 54:23 John Carter, P.O Box 1900, 54:27 Thousand Oaks, California, 91358. 54:31 Let me give it to you again. 54:32 John Carter, P.O Box 1900, 54:36 Thousand Oaks, California, 91358. 54:39 For my friends in Australia, look at the screen right now 54:43 we're putting up our address. 54:45 Write to me and help us to keep the light burning 54:50 as the sun goes down in the land of Russia. 54:55 Religious liberty will soon be a thing of the past. 54:59 Please write to me, 55:00 please pray for us, pray for Russia. 55:03 This is John Carter, thank you from the Kremlin, 55:07 thank you in Jesus name and God bless you. 55:28 Love is not proud 55:32 Love does not boast 55:36 Love after all 55:39 Matters the most 55:42 Love does not run 55:46 Love does not hide 55:50 Love does not keep 55:53 Locked inside 55:56 Love is a river that flows through 56:03 Love never fails you 56:13 Love will sustain 56:17 Love will provide 56:21 Love will not cease 56:23 At the end of time 56:27 Love will protect 56:31 Love always hopes 56:35 Love still believes 56:38 When you don't 56:42 Love is the arms that are holding you 56:48 And love never fails you 57:06 When my heart won't make a sound 57:11 When I can't turn back around 57:17 When the sky is falling down 57:20 Nothing is greater than this 57:24 Greater than this 57:29 Because love is right here 57:34 And love is alive 57:38 Love is the way 57:41 The truth the life 57:44 Love is a river than flows through 57:50 And love is the arms that are holding you 57:55 Love is the place you will fly to |
Revised 2015-04-09