Participants:
Series Code: HC
Program Code: HC200016S
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00:08 It's time to ignite the flames of revival
00:11 with 3ABN's first Interactive Homecoming Camp Meeting. 00:15 It's time to rise and shine... 00:18 we are the light of the world! 00:22 Turn up the light, 00:24 let it shine bright 00:26 like never before. 00:29 In a world that's dark 00:31 the only hope we have is Jesus Christ 00:36 so turn up the light, 00:38 let it shine bright... 00:40 turn up, turn up the light! 00:46 Hello and welcome to 3ABN's Interactive Fall Homecoming. 00:49 I'm Jill Morikone, and we're so glad that you have tuned in 00:52 this evening. Our very last presentation on this entire 00:56 Camp Meeting theme has been Turn Up The Light! 00:59 Our featured speaker for this Camp Meeting is 01:02 our very own Pastor John Lomacang 01:04 who happens to be my pastor, the pastor of the Thompsonville 01:07 Seventh-day Adventist church 01:08 as well as 3ABN Director of World Evangelism. 01:12 Pastor John is a student of the Word. 01:15 He loves the Word AND the Lord. 01:18 And I know that you will be blessed by his anointed message 01:21 this evening entitled Marked for Death or Sealed for Life? 01:26 I don't know about you but I know the category 01:28 of the camp I want to be in, and I know tonight's message 01:31 is a call to you at home and to all of us 01:35 that we would make a choice to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. 01:38 Before we hear from Pastor John 01:40 Ryan Day and Tim Parton will be bringing us a wonderful 01:44 message in song to prepare our hearts for the message 01:48 in the Word. And that song is entitled In Christ Alone. 01:58 In Christ alone will I glory 02:03 though I could pride myself in battles won. 02:10 For I've been blessed beyond measure 02:14 and by His strength alone 02:17 I will overcome. 02:22 Oh, I could stop and count 02:25 successes like diamonds in my hand 02:32 but those trophies could not equal 02:36 to the grace by which I stand. 02:42 In Christ alone 02:46 I place my trust 02:50 and find my glory in 02:53 the power of the cross. 02:57 In every victory 03:01 let it be said of me 03:06 my source of strength 03:09 my source of hope 03:12 is Christ alone. 03:16 I place my trust 03:20 and find my glory in 03:23 the power of the cross. 03:27 In every victory 03:31 let it be said of me 03:36 my source of strength 03:39 my source of hope 03:42 is Christ alone... 03:47 my source of strength 03:50 my source of hope 03:58 is Christ alone! 04:11 Amen! Amen! Thank you so much, Ryan. Thank you Tim. 04:14 What a powerful song! 04:16 In Christ alone... what a way to begin 04:19 this final message, this sobering message: 04:23 Marked for Death or Sealed for Life? 04:27 Even though our theme has been Turn Up the Light! 04:29 which we have asked the Lord by His Holy Spirit 04:32 to intensify, in a loving way this challenging message, 04:36 this challenging topic, we have been standing 04:40 in every sermon on Christ alone. 04:42 So bow your head with me as I ask the Lord to guide 04:45 in the proclamation of this vitally important 3rd angel's 04:49 message. Gracious Father in heaven, 04:53 give wisdom and understanding, Lord, to Your servant 04:55 I ask. May Your Spirit come and fill my mind and my life 05:01 that what is communicated would find fertile soil, 05:05 willing hearts, people looking for something lasting, 05:10 eternal. Something righteous. 05:14 People looking for answers in this dark and dismal society. 05:18 People looking for open doors where the unemployment rate 05:22 is increasing exponentially. 05:24 People looking for something that lasts 05:27 that they can trust in this politically divisive society. 05:31 We do pray now that You will bring Your Word to life 05:34 and speak to the hearts of Your people 05:36 that Your kingdom may be fur- nished with souls for eternity. 05:41 We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. 05:46 Marked for Death or Sealed for Life? I always like to begin 05:50 with a story, a particular story I heard a number of years ago 05:53 about something that happened in Dundee, Scotland, 05:57 pertaining to the Tay Bridge. 05:59 The Tay Bridge was designed by an engineer and builder 06:04 by the name of Sir Thomas Bouch. 06:08 I visited the story many times 06:10 but I was re-educated about some of the details 06:13 that fit perfectly into the foundation of this message. 06:17 Sir Thomas Bouch was a person that was economic. 06:21 He tried to stretch the dollar. 06:23 And in the attempt to build a bridge that was not too 06:26 expensive he sought the advice of experts. 06:29 And the particular area was he wanted to make sure 06:32 the bridge that was spanning the bay, the Tay Bay, 06:35 was a bridge that had wind loading. 06:38 What that means is if a storm were to come up 06:41 they wanted to make sure that the bridge could handle 06:44 any kind of storm. 06:46 Well, even after getting advice from experts 06:49 he made no allowance for bridge loading in the design of the 06:54 Tay Bridge. They looked at it as time went on and they said 06:58 "The piers are narrow. " The cross bracing was less extensive 07:01 and less robust than other bridges that Sir Thomas had 07:05 built before and they wondered why. 07:07 He said: "I was just trying to save money 07:09 because the bridge was so long. " 07:12 Sadly enough on December 28, 1879, 07:16 at 7:16 PM a violent windstorm 07:21 packed with driving rains claimed the lives of 07:26 60 to 75 passengers on a train that was traveling 07:30 from Burntisland to Dundee. 07:33 It plunged off of the Tay Bridge into the Tay Harbor 07:36 sadly enough taking lives into eternity. 07:40 When you read the record they said the official count 07:43 really wasn't arrived at but one thing was for sure: 07:47 when they looked at what had happened 07:49 they discovered on the record that many warnings were issued 07:53 to Sir Thomas Bouch. 07:56 Maintenance crews had warned him. 07:57 They said the design of the bridge had flaws. 08:00 In the quality of the bridge there were issues that they 08:03 complained about. But the sad reality 08:06 they said that each warning Sir Thomas Bouch explained away. 08:11 Every time they told him of some kind of improvement 08:13 Sir Thomas Bouch dismissed it. 08:16 But less than a year after the bridge fell it is said 08:20 that Sir Thomas Bouch died with a destroyed reputation. 08:24 He died from the sadness of the great loss of life 08:28 that fateful day on the Tay Bridge. 08:30 You know, friends, that bridge collapsed 08:34 but there is another collapse the Bible talks about. 08:37 Another collapse. Not only the message "give God glory" 08:41 in the hour of judgment and "Babylon is fallen" 08:44 but an even more sinister collapse is coming. 08:47 Because as we sit here today as you listen for this message 08:51 there are those building their hopes on a faulty system 08:54 that has been camouflaged to not allow them to see 08:58 the danger under the structure 09:01 on which they base their finances, their livelihoods, 09:04 their worship, their religion, their practice. 09:07 Something that's affecting every one of us 09:10 economically, financially, socially 09:13 and ultimately religiously. There is a major collapse coming. 09:18 As we walk on the balcony of time, we're going to take 09:21 a peek, and in this message we are going to see a number 09:24 of things. We are going to see the angels 09:28 hurrying to and fro letting God know that they're 09:31 appointed work on earth is winding up. 09:34 We are going to trace the path of death and life 09:38 and lastly we are going to examine with diligence 09:41 the Savior's tear-filled appeal 09:45 to a complacent world intoxicated by sinful pleasure. 09:50 What a time we're living in! 09:52 Marked for death or sealed for life? 09:55 You know, friends, when Jesus comes 09:57 there will only be two groups. 10:00 When the last appeal is done 10:02 somebody will be marked for death 10:04 and somebody will be sealed for life. 10:07 It might as well be you... sealed for life. 10:09 Why should you be marked for death 10:11 when right now is a perfect opportunity to say: "Lord, 10:15 things are not going the way I'd hoped. 10:17 This world doesn't give me any more hope than I had hoped 10:20 to see in it. It's not the kind of world 10:22 that I imagined it to be. 10:24 But if You give me another opportunity, Father, 10:26 I will give my life to You. " 10:27 Why be marked for death when you can be sealed for life? 10:30 Everyone when the gospel is done 10:33 will be categorized in one group or the other. 10:37 On that fateful day there'll be no middle ground. 10:40 There will be no neutral places. 10:45 The third angel contains God's concluding appeal 10:50 to all of earth's humanity. 10:53 For 6,000 years God has been patient, waiting. 10:58 And now He is saying: "This is My final appeal. " 11:02 God sent Jesus to make a way of escape 11:06 from the approaching judgment. 11:08 Jesus paid the price with His life 11:10 that our forgiveness and redemption can be made possible 11:14 and the Holy Spirit has been knocking on our heart's door. 11:18 Every provision has been made by heaven 11:21 to get our attention but so many have refused. 11:25 So many have turned away. 11:28 But this message - a sobering one - 11:31 is another appeal from heaven, 11:33 another call from God, another tear from Christ 11:37 saying: "Why die before your time? " 11:40 When the message is done every case of every person 11:45 that has ever lived will be decided. 11:48 Revelation chapter 22 verse 11 11:50 gives us a glimpse into what this society 11:53 is going to look like and how these two categories 11:55 are going to shape up. The Bible says in Rev. 22:11 11:59 these following words: 12:20 Notice, friends, there's no third category. 12:22 There's holiness and righteousness; 12:25 there is filthiness and unjustness. 12:27 There is no third category. 12:29 This is not where you can sit in the stands 12:32 and watch the game of salvation being played on the field. 12:35 Everyone is a participant on one side or the other. 12:41 That's why the three angels' messages is such a powerful 12:44 group of messages. That's why this final message 12:46 is one that we cannot afford to turn our attention away from. 12:51 Because when this message is done 12:54 the only thing that's going to be left is a harvest. 12:58 A harvest on one side of those that have accepted Jesus Christ. 13:01 Those that said: "Father, I want to be out of this world. " 13:04 "I want something better... something eternal. " 13:06 That's going to be on one side. 13:08 But on the other side are going to be those filled with regret, 13:13 those begging for another opportunity. 13:17 And I say once again: "Why wait for that day? " 13:19 As I saw a sign-on a Baptist church one day: 13:22 "Repent now and avoid the rush! " 13:24 This is the hour to make your calling and election sure. 13:27 Young man, young lady: this is the time to say 13:30 "Internet is not enough... Facebook, Instagram. " 13:33 No, the only book that you're going to face one day 13:35 is the living Word of God. 13:36 This is the time to get ready for that fateful day. 13:40 John in Revelation chapter 14 verse 15 13:43 talks about this harvest. 13:44 He talks about this future time when the world and all of 13:48 its inhabitants will be gathered into the kingdom of God 13:51 or thrust out into everlasting darkness. 13:55 The Bible says in Revelation 14:15 these words: 14:19 Can you imagine? Picture with me the end of the harvesting 14:23 field. Picture with me the cotton machines 14:26 and the farming machines going to root out the corn, 14:31 to gather the barley, to gather the wheat. 14:33 And then look with me. Stand at the field looking 14:35 that the fields are bare... there's nothing left to gather. 14:39 That's the picture that John gives us in Revelation. 14:42 One day there will be no one to gather in 14:44 because everyone will be in one group or the other. 14:48 I've made up my mind and I'm praying that you also 14:51 make up your mind to be in the harvest that is about 14:55 to begin... that eternal journey with Jesus Christ 14:59 because this harvest is coming. 15:01 But Jeremiah the prophet, Jeremiah the prophet 15:04 looking down to this time 15:06 when there'll be no more opportunities, 15:09 when every case will be decided for life or for death, 15:13 when all the movie theaters, all the racing stadiums, 15:18 all the gambling casinos and all the basketball and football 15:21 arenas will be forever closed, 15:23 when there'll be no more lights in the shopping malls. 15:26 When nobody wants to hear the music, no one wants to watch 15:30 television any longer, and everyone would be drained 15:34 from their thirst for the world 15:37 looking for some- thing that they have ignored. 15:39 Jeremiah the prophet: what a sobering picture he gives 15:42 in this very short verse in Jeremiah 8 and verse 20. 15:47 Listen to what he says. He says sad words: 15:59 What a picture! When I read these passages 16:02 I say: "This is what's coming! " 16:05 This is why a loving God is saying: "This is coming. " 16:08 Like the meteorologist saying "There's a category 5 16:11 growing in the Gulf. " 16:13 Like the seismologist saying "This hurricane is about to 16:16 blow its top. " Like those who are working in the forestry 16:19 that are saying "The forest fire is out of control. " 16:22 God is saying with a loving voice 16:24 "It's coming... and you cannot stop it. 16:27 The only thing that you can do is get ready for it. " 16:30 There's no reason for you to be a part of those who say: 16:33 "The harvest is past; the summer is ended 16:36 and we are not saved. " 16:38 But the sad reality is 16:40 there were those who listened to Noah preach 16:42 in his day for 120 years 16:45 and they belittled his message. 16:47 They made light of it as he appealed, and he said: 16:50 "There's a flood coming! " But because it never rained 16:52 in their day they said: "It's not possible. " 16:55 Well friends, it never rained fire on the entire earth 16:58 either, but the Bible said that's also coming. 17:01 And I believe God's Word. Why? 17:03 Because we have confirmation that what happened in Noah's day 17:06 is confirmed in Scripture and archaeologists that have done 17:11 discoveries have seen that there are evidences 17:14 of a world-wide deluge. 17:16 Evidence enough, but even if they didn't find any evidence 17:19 I still believe the Word of God. 17:22 God can be trusted. 17:23 Amos the prophet also adds his portion 17:26 to the sad developing picture of a world that right now 17:30 was eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, 17:34 buying and selling - working in the stock market - 17:37 trading shares, buying mansions, 17:41 storing up goods for many many years 17:43 of which they had no guarantee that tomorrow would come. 17:46 Amos the prophet takes us down to the precipice of time 17:50 and He says: "Look over... that's how it's going to be. " 17:53 Listen to his words in Amos chapter 8 verses 11-12. 17:56 Sobering words, but he says: 18:36 A sad picture: harvest is coming, 18:39 people are going to turn their backs 18:42 like they did in Noah's day. 18:43 It really doesn't make sense. 18:45 There are some individuals that say: "Well, 18:47 who is God that I should obey His voice? " 18:49 I saw a commercial one day of a man who said 18:51 he was happy to be an atheist. 18:53 "I'm an atheist and I'm proud of it. " 18:56 I don't believe that he will say that again 18:59 if he lives to see this day coming. 19:01 I don't believe that when the earth is rocking 19:04 and fire is being rained down from God's judgment bar 19:08 I don't believe that there are going to be people on earth 19:11 saying: "Bring it on. " 19:13 The Bible says they're going to be running to the rocks 19:15 and the mountains crying: "Hide us from the face of 19:17 Him that sits on the throne 19:19 and from the wrath of the Lamb 19:21 for the great day of His wrath has come 19:24 and who shall be able to stand? " 19:26 That's why this message brings into focus 19:29 a candid description of a coalition with your destruction 19:35 and my destruction in mind. 19:37 And friends, whether you know it or not 19:39 this coalition is farther along than anyone would imagine. 19:44 It's designed to limit your freedom of worship. 19:47 It is designed to limit your ability one day to buy 19:51 or sell. It is designed to remove 19:55 and reverse every basic human right. 19:59 This coalition is economic; 20:02 it's religious; it's political; and it is social. 20:06 And Revelation says to us it's coming. 20:09 The day is coming that no matter how much you have, 20:12 no matter your credit rating or your credit limit, 20:15 if you don't stand with this coalition 20:17 Revelation 13:17 tells us what is going to happen. 20:22 Listen to these words from the prophet. The Bible says: 20:40 An elusive topic. Many people wonder: "What is the mark 20:43 of the beast? " "What is his name? " 20:46 "What is his image? " "What is the number of his name? " 20:50 Many people thought it was the barcode years ago 20:52 or the tattoo on Gorbachev's forehead years ago. 20:58 Many people thought it was President Reagan because he had 21:00 three names with six letters in each name. 21:03 And somebody foolishly thought it was the picture of stars 21:07 on the side of a Proctor & Gamble soap box. 21:09 None of those things are true. 21:11 But Revelation issues a startling warning 21:15 in Revelation chapter 14 verses 9 to 11 21:19 about this beast and its sad impact on the world 21:24 and society. The third angel's message 21:28 issues a solemn warning. Listen as God speaks 21:32 in this final message to those who inhabit earth. 21:35 He says through John the Revelator, 21:38 Revelation chapter 14 verses 9 to 11. The Bible says: 22:35 If I've ever read a sobering passage 22:37 that is a SOBERING passage. 22:42 John the Revelator picks up a picture 22:45 that was first introduced to Daniel the prophet 22:49 in the book of Daniel. 22:50 In Daniel chapter 2 and Daniel chapter 7 22:53 Daniel the prophet was given a faithful overview 22:57 of the world - the four great kingdoms of the world - 23:00 these great kingdoms that would inhabit the landscape 23:03 of humanity. 23:04 But John was given a picture of how the United States 23:07 would come into being in that picture. 23:09 We'll talk about that in just a moment. 23:11 But this beast that John introduces 23:13 has been around for some time. 23:16 This is the fourth beast of Daniel chapter 7. 23:20 Let me give you some overview. 23:22 See, Daniel looked forward. When Daniel is given the prophecy 23:26 Daniel is looking forward to the kingdoms. The lion, 23:29 the bear, the leopard, the beast with seven heads and ten horns. 23:33 But when John is speaking John is looking backward. 23:35 The beast with seven heads and ten horns, 23:38 the leopard, the bear, the lion. 23:40 In other words, John is looking back 23:43 from Rome going back. 23:45 Daniel is looking forward from Babylon going forward. 23:48 Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. 23:51 Look at this slide that illustrates that. 23:52 These are the four world empires as they appeared on 23:56 the landscape of humanity. 23:58 These four great empires: 24:15 Four major empires, and the last one 24:19 had seven heads and ten horns. 24:23 Now why ten horns? 24:25 When you trace the pages of history you find 24:29 that... There's a saying that you may have heard before 24:31 but let me put it in context: 24:33 During history - and I love studying world history - 24:37 there was a phrase that went this way: 24:39 "All roads lead to Rome. " 24:41 When Rome overthrew the Grecian Empire, 24:45 when Greece overthrew the Medo-Persian Empire, 24:47 when the Medo-Persians overthrew the Babylonian Empire, 24:50 when you look at Daniel 2 you find the gold gave way 24:54 to silver, the silver gave way to bronze, 24:57 the bronze gave way to iron. 24:59 Notice something: the metals got less valuable 25:03 but a lot stronger. 25:05 Gold is softer than silver; 25:09 silver is softer than bronze; 25:11 and bronze is definitely softer than iron. 25:14 Rome became that iron kingdom. 25:16 And then we find the lion: Babylon. 25:20 The bear: Medo-Persia. 25:21 The leopard with 4 heads and 4 wings: the Grecian Empire. 25:25 But then you find a beast with seven heads and ten horns 25:29 and I can tell you: you've never seen a beast 25:31 with seven heads and ten horns. 25:32 You've never seen a beast that has that kind of description 25:36 because there is none... which means 25:38 this beast has no earthly origin. 25:42 It's a demonic beast. 25:44 And when you study the pages of history you begin to discover 25:47 that this beast describes the kingdom of Rome 25:50 when it rose into prominence. 25:52 When Rome rose it dominated ten nations. 25:57 Let me share with you those nations. 25:59 The ten nations were: Alemanni. Later became Germany. 26:02 The Visigoths that later became Spain. 26:06 The Franks that later became France. 26:09 The Suevi that became Portugal. 26:11 The Burgundians that became Switzerland. 26:14 The Anglo-Saxons that became England. 26:17 The Lombards that became Italy. 26:20 But there are 3 powers that did not survive the power of Rome. 26:24 These three powers were known as Arian Nations. 26:28 They resisted the rise of Rome. 26:30 And from 476 AD to 538 AD 26:34 Rome fought valiantly to eliminate one nation 26:39 after the other. 26:40 And they finally succeeded in the year 538 AD 26:44 to bring down the last power that opposed its rise. 26:48 The reason why you don't hear about these three powers 26:51 is because the Bible tells us exactly what happened. 26:53 Look at Daniel chapter 7 verse 24. The Bible says: 27:15 Wow! Ten horns that were narrowed down to seven! 27:20 And when you study the Bible when those three nations fell 27:24 one little horn came up in the midst of those other horns 27:29 that were remaining. A little horn that had eyes 27:32 like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things 27:35 and blasphemies. 27:37 What was that little horn? 27:38 That was the transition from papal Rome to pagan... 27:43 from pagan Rome to papal Rome. 27:46 Pagan Rome was passing off the scene. 27:49 The power was being passed from the caesars to the popes. 27:52 And in 538 AD the popes established an ever-growing 27:57 authority over the people of the earth. 27:59 Those three nations that they brought down were the Vandals, 28:03 the Heruli, and the Ostrogoths. 28:06 I know you never heard about them. 28:08 And my point is clear because they don't exist any longer. 28:12 They came down when Rome came up. 28:16 The power that replaced those three nations was papal Rome. 28:22 And what a power it was! When you study... 28:25 when you study the Dark Ages you begin to see 28:27 the ruthless power of Rome. No power that stood against it 28:31 was successful. Rome caused kingdoms to fall. 28:36 Rome caused leaders to come to the steps of Rome. 28:40 You read some of the stories there. King Henry VIII 28:43 to seek the approval and the forgiveness of Rome 28:47 walked in the snow, the cold snow, and when he got 28:50 to the city of Rome he was made to stand in the snow 28:53 for three days before he was being allowed to come in. 28:56 Rome punished those who stood against them. 28:59 When you read the records more than 50 million Christians 29:02 lost their lives under the brutal, persecuting, 29:06 ruthless hand of Rome. 29:08 What a power it was! 29:09 And the Bible said it would be. 29:11 A non-descript beast: seven heads and ten horns. 29:15 And Daniel further says it had "great iron teeth" 29:18 and it "trampled with its feet the residue 29:22 and it trampled the entire earth. " 29:25 This beast even more particular- ly was said in the Bible 29:29 it was going to last until the end of time. 29:32 That's why in this next picture you see there is no other 29:35 nation that fits that description other than 29:38 the power of papal Rome. 29:40 That's why when I was in Washington, D.C. in 2015- 29:43 this picture shows that - I was there when 29:45 Pope Francis outlined a message to America. 29:49 But if you think about it somebody might say: 29:51 "Well, what's strange about that? " 29:53 Well, what government do you know 29:56 that gives that kind of platform 29:58 to the leader of the Baptist Church? 30:00 Or the Pentecostal Church or the Methodist Church 30:03 or the Presbyterian Church? No other earthly power 30:06 shares the kind of power that Rome has. 30:09 And the Bible said that that would take place. 30:12 The Bible also revealed that Rome would dominate the world 30:15 for 1,260 years. 30:18 Listen to Daniel 7:25 30:20 and then we're going to walk through three slides 30:23 that outline how these powers ruled the world. 30:27 Listen to Daniel 7:25. The Bible says, speaking of Rome: 30:53 I'm going to walk you through three slides 30:55 that show you the rise of Rome. 30:57 You'll see #1, #2, and #3. 31:00 I'll walk you through that. Look at this first graphic. 31:02 When Rome rose as a papal power from 538 AD to 1798 AD 31:08 Rome dominated the Dark Ages. 31:11 No power was able to resist it. 31:14 No power successfully stood against it. 31:16 Let's go to the next slide. 31:18 But you find something happened. 31:20 During the Dark Ages America came into existence 31:22 in the year 1776 AD 31:24 just a few years - about 22 years short - 31:28 short of the reign of papal Rome. 31:30 God had a plan. God was bringing a new power 31:33 into existence because the Bible made it clear 31:36 that this nation, this power of Rome, 31:38 would only be able to reign for 1,260 years 31:44 as a ruthless power and something would happen to it. 31:48 We'll read that in just a moment. 31:49 But while God was dealing with Rome's issues 31:53 God was creating a place called America 31:55 where the church can come and find freedom, 31:58 where people can come and find a place to worship. 32:00 That's why we established what's called a Declaration 32:03 of Independence, the Constitution, where we can worship God 32:08 according to our own dictates 32:10 and according to our own conscience. 32:13 But look at the third slide. 32:14 It's very powerful. You'll find when America rose 32:17 into prominence in 1776 AD 32:19 the pope was taken captive in 1798 AD. 32:23 And from 1798 AD to 1929 AD 32:27 there was no political or religious influence 32:31 from Rome. The Lord shut it down to give the church time 32:34 to come to fruition and grow in America 32:36 if you notice that. But something happened in 1929 AD. 32:40 I'll read Revelation 13:1 32:43 and we'll begin to see what happened in 1929 AD. 32:47 The Bible says... This beast now comes back into play 32:50 in the book of Revelation. 32:52 Read the words. John the Revelator says: 33:16 But now let's look to verse 3 because something happened. 33:20 That power of Rome is what's pictured there in verse 1. 33:22 But what would happen to that power? 33:24 Let's look at it. The Bible says: 33:43 Now we saw the picture of the Pope standing there 33:45 in Washington. How do you think that was possible? 33:48 Because all the world after Rome rose to prominence... 33:52 I'll tell you in just a moment how they rose to prominence. 33:55 The Bible says Rome "would receive a deadly wound" 33:59 but that deadly wound would be healed. 34:01 Well, you saw the date. What happened in 1929 AD? 34:04 In 1929 AD the leader of Italy 34:09 Benito Mussolini signed a pact 34:13 with Rome called the Lateran Treaty 34:15 at which time they gifted the Vatican City 34:19 to the powers of Rome. 34:20 Here's a picture looking at that commemoration. 34:23 You see there Benito Mussolini and you see to his right 34:27 the papacy... the representative of the papacy... 34:30 looking at that signature. And that's why today 34:33 the Vatican City that you see today 34:35 is the Vatican City that was gifted to Rome 34:37 in the year 1929 AD. 34:39 What a powerful exchange! 34:42 And from that day to this 34:44 the Bible made it very clear that Rome... 34:46 It says when that wound was healed all the world 34:51 would wonder after the beast. 34:54 All the world would wonder after the beast. 34:58 Now you might ask yourself the question 35:00 "How is it possible that the world could be so enamored 35:03 by a political power 35:05 that is under the auspices of Rome? " 35:08 "How could the world be so swayed 35:10 by a single individual? " But when you think about it 35:14 more than 1.5 billion adherents 35:17 to this monolith called the church of Rome. 35:20 It's not just religious... it's also political. 35:23 So where did the power come from? 35:25 How could such a system wield and sway the political leaders 35:30 of nations? How could a single power 35:34 make economic decisions and financial decisions 35:37 and social decisions? How could such a power 35:40 speak and everybody listens? 35:43 The Bible tells us in Revelation 13:2 how and where 35:49 Rome received its power. 35:51 Listen to the inspired words of John the Revelator. 35:55 The Bible says: 36:16 Did you get that? 36:17 The dragon gave Rome its power, its throne, 36:21 and great authority. 36:23 Now I must say at this point 36:24 this is an abridged version of what will be covered 36:27 in detail in the booklet The Three Angels' Messages 36:31 in Summary and you'll hear about that. 36:34 But Rome was given a power that caused kings 36:38 and prime ministers and leaders of all the nations of the earth 36:43 to look at that single power right there in Vatican City 36:45 and say: "That's the man that we listen when he speaks. " 36:48 And I will tell you today all you've gotta do is 36:52 look at the pages of not only ancient history 36:55 but modern history to see that when Rome speaks 36:59 everyone turns an ear. 37:02 The question you might ask yourself: 37:04 why is Rome so silent at a time when the world is 37:08 fighting this tragic disease? 37:11 Who is this dragon that gave Rome its power, 37:14 its seat, and great authority? 37:16 Let the Bible answer the question. 37:19 we read these words from John 37:22 once again in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. 37:25 John says in Revelation 12:9: 37:48 How did they get cast out? Let me tell you why. 37:51 Satan challenged God's government in the beginning 37:55 and he lost the battle against God and His government. 37:58 To God be the glory! 38:00 God won! In the beginning the devil lost. 38:03 He tried to overthrow the government of God 38:06 and he failed, but he was cast to the earth. 38:09 He did not lose his desire, he just enforced his desire 38:14 on humanity. He led Adam and Eve into sin. 38:17 Eve was deceived; Adam opened the door. 38:20 And from the day that sin entered the world 38:22 Satan has been working his art behind his curtain of deception, 38:26 behind his curtain of lies, 38:28 using humanity to perpetrate the most 38:33 hideous evil - unimaginable - to the person whose heart 38:37 is touched by God. That's the power of Rome. 38:40 But the devil said something that he was not able to 38:43 accomplish. But listen to his words. This is a picture 38:47 of Satan's desire. And since he was not able to 38:51 enforce that desire in God's kingdom 38:54 he's now perpetrating that desire on earth 38:57 through the system of Rome that he has established 39:00 to trample the world... to break it down, 39:03 to deceive it, and to lead it away from worshiping 39:06 the true God. Listen to Satan's desires 39:09 in Isaiah 14:13-14. 39:12 Hear the words of the prophet. "For Satan said... " 39:42 Those were the words of a boastful, rebellious 39:46 angel. Cut loose... boasting to the face of God 39:50 but God said: "Not on MY territory! 39:52 Not on MY time... not in MY kingdom! " 39:55 When God took a stand Satan had to bow to the 39:59 authority and power of God. 40:00 And the angels that took his side Revelation tells us that 40:04 1/3 of the angels of heaven that took his side 40:07 were cast to the earth as we just read: 40:11 "And his angels were cast out with him. " 40:14 And Satan has been perpetrating for 6,000 years 40:19 his plan that he put in place 40:21 when he boasted in the face of God. 40:24 But the apostle Paul tells us 40:26 what kind of power this system would have 40:28 and how it would sway those on this earth 40:32 in these last days. 40:34 Listen to the words of the apostle Paul 40:36 in II Thessalonians 2:3-4. 40:39 He says to us today... listen to these sobering words. He says: 41:17 The apostle Paul paints a vivid picture. 41:19 A power that would appear after the falling away comes. 41:24 The falling away from what? 41:27 From truth. 41:29 The falling away from God's Word. 41:31 The falling away from a "Thus saith the Lord. " 41:34 Let me explain. 41:36 If you lived for 1,260 years during the Dark Ages 41:41 and you were living in the dark during the Dark Ages 41:44 and your house had no light for 1,260 years, 41:48 and someone came by and moved your furniture around 41:51 and they moved it again and you never saw it, 41:54 but as the lights came back on 1,260 years later 41:59 you would think to yourself: "The furniture has always 42:02 been there. " But the reality was 42:04 the devil has been moving that furniture around for 1,260 yrs. 42:09 but you didn't even know it because it was the Dark Ages. 42:14 Satan established a system 42:17 to do what he could not do. 42:19 And that system was a ruthless system! 42:22 This religious and political power of Rome 42:25 did some damage to the earth that many of you may be 42:29 completely unaware of. 42:30 This beast described in the second angel's message, 42:33 this beast now described in the third angel's message 42:38 did damage to the political and religious world. 42:41 Read the records. But since you haven't read it 42:45 let me give you an understanding. 42:47 What did Rome do 42:48 that has caused so much confusion in Christianity today? 42:52 About 30,000 denominations. So many teachings... 42:56 different conflicting views. 42:57 Yet it's hard for any minister to say 43:01 that: "I'm not getting it from God's Word. " 43:03 How could such confusion exist today? 43:06 How could there be such a diabolical approach 43:10 to the Word of God? People believing that somehow 43:13 what they believe is in God's Word. 43:15 What did Rome do? Here are some examples. 43:17 Rome altered the commandments of God. 43:20 The Bible said that Rome would seek to change times and laws. 43:24 And it did that... it altered the commandments of God. 43:26 What did Rome do? 43:28 Rome deleted the 2nd commandment that forbids image worship. 43:31 Why? Because they venerate images. 43:34 You've seen bowing before statues that have no life. 43:38 Statues made of plastic and concrete and metal. 43:41 They have eyes but they cannot see, 43:43 hands but they cannot touch, ears but they cannot hear. 43:45 They venerate these idols. 43:47 They sell you idols and say: "Bow to it. " 43:50 And you bow before Mary and do the sign of the cross. 43:52 THIS is what Rome has done. 43:53 Rather than bowing before the true God 43:56 Rome said: "Let's delete that commandment 43:58 so people won't know about it and they'll therefore willingly 44:02 bow before the idols that we erect. " 44:04 But Rome also moved the fourth commandment 44:09 to the third when they got rid of the second. 44:11 The fourth commandment is about the Sabbath 44:13 but when you read the command- ment as it is in the Douay 44:15 version of the Bible - the Roman translation of the Bible - 44:19 you'll find that the third commandment says: 44:21 "Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy" 44:22 but it doesn't tell you what day it is. 44:25 Do you know why? Because Rome leads us to believe 44:27 that Sunday is the day to worship. 44:29 What else did Rome do? Rome split the 10th commandment 44:32 in two to take up all the slack. 44:35 The 10th commandment was simply the 10th commandment 44:38 but Rome split that commandment 44:40 so they could take up the slack making it the 9th and the 10th. 44:43 And they move all the commandments up 44:45 to take the space of all the changes that they made. 44:48 But that's just the tip of the iceberg. 44:50 Can I keep going? 44:52 Rome also substituted Sunday worship 44:56 for the Bible Sabbath. 44:57 The details are in that booklet The Three Angels' Messages 45:00 in Summary. Rome also formulated the false doctrine 45:04 of eternally burning hell during the Dark Ages. 45:07 That's how they raised the money to build their cathedrals. 45:10 They taught that people will die and burn forever 45:12 and ever and ever in hell 45:14 if they were not baptized before they died. 45:16 And that's where infant baptism came from. 45:18 That's where purgatory and limbo came from. 45:21 These deceptive lies came from the mouth of that little horn 45:25 that spoke great things and blasphemies against 45:29 the government of God. 45:30 Today millions believe that there is an 45:32 eternally burning hell, but it cannot be found in Scripture. 45:35 When you read the Bible the Bible says they will be 45:37 burned up. They will be ashes under the soles of our feet. 45:41 But let me keep going. 45:42 Rome also formulated in the 1500's 45:45 something that millions of Christians believe today: 45:48 the secret rapture. 45:50 They believe that somehow when you're driving your car 45:52 one day you're going to disappear. 45:54 When you study history Francisco Ribera 45:57 and Luis del Alcázar were two commissioned Jesuits by Rome 46:01 to turn the eyes of the Reformers away from 46:04 the Bible. They knew that Rome fit the description of the beast 46:08 of Daniel chapter 7. They knew that Rome fit 46:11 the antichrist system so they formulated the secret rapture. 46:15 And today millions of those books are being sold... 46:18 the Left Behind theory. 46:20 Well, the only thing left behind is the truth as it is in 46:24 Jesus. Rome also taught that humans possess an immortal soul. 46:28 That the soul never dies but goes to heaven when they die. 46:32 What does the Bible say about the soul? 46:34 There is no immortal soul hiding in my body. 46:36 Listen to God's Word. Ezekiel 18:4 the Bible says: 46:48 The Bible also makes it clear about what happens when we die. 46:51 Listen to the wise man: Ecclesiastes 9:5-6. 46:56 Listen to God's Word. The Bible says: 47:18 THAT's what the Bible says. But it doesn't stop there. 47:21 What else did Rome do? Rome teaches to this very day... 47:25 Rome teaches to this very day that Mary, the mother of Jesus, 47:29 is alive in heaven and is one of the intercessors. 47:34 This delusion was created by placing tradition 47:38 above the Bible. Mary, who gave birth to the earthly Jesus, 47:43 is not alive in heaven. She is not our intercessor. 47:46 Can we allow the Bible to speak for us? 47:49 You see, the Bible makes it very very clear 47:51 that Mary is not the intercessor; Mary is not... 47:54 Mary is not a part of the godhead. 47:56 So when people that know no better say: 47:59 "Hail Mary, full of grace" 48:01 oh friends, THIS is a diabolical lie from Rome... 48:06 from Satan who wants to take the glory that belongs to Christ 48:11 and give it to someone else. 48:13 Let the Bible speak. In I Timothy 2:5 the Bible 48:16 makes it clear. The Bible says: 48:25 There's only one Mediator and His name is Jesus. 48:29 John 14:6 also says... listen to the Bible: 48:43 I can't go to the Father through any earthly person. 48:46 I can't go to God through any earthly priest. 48:49 I've gotta go to God through Jesus. 48:52 He's the only Mediator. 48:54 He's the only One that died for my sins. 48:57 He is that Man Christ Jesus and that God Christ Jesus. 49:01 He is linking heaven to earth. 49:03 The divine side linking man to divinity. 49:06 The human side linking divinity to humanity. 49:09 He is the only One standing between me and heaven. 49:12 When I pray I pray in Jesus' name... 49:16 not in the name of anybody else. 49:17 That's what the Bible says in Hebrews 7:25. 49:35 As I'm preaching as you're listening 49:38 Jesus is our High Priest. 49:40 Not some earthly priesthood. Not some priesthood where I go 49:44 into a booth and I begin to confess to a man 49:46 who has to confess his own sins. 49:49 Not someone who puts on his pants one leg at a time 49:52 like you and I do. 49:53 Not someone whose life is temporary and one day ends up 49:55 in the grave. The only One that can forgive sin is Christ Jesus. 49:59 The only One that can save me and remove the stain of sin 50:03 upon my life is the Man Christ Jesus. 50:05 But what Satan claimed to want to do 50:08 he has established a system on earth to deceive millions 50:12 and millions and billions into believing that somehow 50:16 this system of Rome is the answer for humanity. 50:20 Why is this message so vitally important? 50:23 Why am I preaching with such passion? 50:26 Because God has Christians in every walk of life. 50:31 God has sincere Christians 50:35 in every denomination littering this planet 50:38 from north to south, east to west. 50:40 God is saying to those Christians 50:43 "It is time to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. " 50:47 "It is time to turn away from false doctrines; 50:49 turn away from false teachings about death and hell 50:53 and heaven and intercessory work. " 50:56 "It is time to say Christ is the ONLY way. " 50:58 But Satan, knowing that if he can direct our attention 51:04 away from Christ, how could we find salvation 51:07 when we're looking to somebody other than Christ. 51:10 There's only salvation found in the person of Christ. 51:14 But now, why is this message important? 51:18 The third angel is warning against worshiping the beast, 51:21 his image, and receiving his mark. 51:25 Now let me make something very very clear. 51:28 The beast system is presently alive and well 51:33 as I'm preaching right now. 51:34 That monolithic system of Rome 51:37 with daughters that have embraced what she teaches... 51:40 The Bible says Babylon is not by itself... it has daughters. 51:44 How can you recognize the daughters of that system? 51:47 When they believe the same thing. The Bible says 51:49 these have one mind. If you believe that you die 51:53 and go to heaven, that came out of Rome's teachings. 51:55 That's the daughter of Rome. 51:57 If you believe in an eternally burning hell, that's a gift... 52:00 that's the daughter of Rome. 52:01 God is saying: "Don't look away to the false 52:04 woman; look to the true woman: 52:06 that woman in Revelation chapter 12 and verse 17. " 52:09 The Bible makes it clear: the beast system is alive 52:13 and well today. The image of the beast 52:16 is alive and well today. The image of the beast 52:19 is the exaltation of Sunday worship. 52:23 But let me make a third vitally important point: 52:25 right now... let me say that word again... 52:28 as I stand here: no one has the mark of the beast 52:34 yet. No one. 52:37 Somebody just took a breath. 52:39 "Whoo! After all that I'm glad to know no one has it! " 52:42 But I ended with the word yet. 52:44 Why? Because until Sunday is made a day of legal 52:50 legislation... You might say: "Well that will never 52:53 happen. " Well, you never thought there would be 52:55 legislation for homosexual marriage either 52:57 but that happened. 52:58 The Bible says: "As it was in the days of Lot. " 53:00 It's just like the days of Lot. 53:02 It's just like the days of Noah. 53:04 Things that are being legalized that threaten the marriage 53:07 institution we will never think that that would ever happen. 53:10 Who would ever think that we would live in a nation 53:12 where it's now legal that a man can marry a man 53:15 and a woman can marry a woman? 53:16 And it's legalized.. regardless of what God's Word says. 53:21 We never thought it would happen. 53:22 But let me tell you why it happened. 53:23 God only blessed two things in the Garden of Eden 53:26 before sin: He blessed the marriage 53:28 and He blessed the Sabbath. 53:30 Satan has already removed the sanctity of the Sabbath. 53:32 For centuries, for millennia people have been worshiping 53:36 on Sunday. So Satan just finished 53:39 the second part of his attack 53:41 and he's going to take it to the next level 53:43 in the not-too-distant future. 53:45 That's why there is same-sex marriage. 53:47 He has removed an institution that people and Christians 53:51 never thought would ever be altered. 53:53 Is there something wrong with the marriage? No! 53:56 Is there something wrong with the Sabbath? No! 53:59 The problem is not in what God blessed; 54:02 the problem is in the human vessel. 54:05 But the Bible says that the next move in forming 54:07 an alliance and embracing the institution of Sunday 54:11 is going to happen here in the United States. 54:14 I add the last component 54:16 to marked for death or sealed for life. 54:19 You see, when Rome was going down - I showed you 54:21 the graphic - the United States was coming up. 54:24 But now there was a time when Rome could never come 54:26 to the United States. There was a time that the Vatican was 54:29 never welcomed here, but that's no longer the case. 54:31 We have an ambassador to Vatican City. 54:34 Since our former president Ronald Reagan, ambassadorship. 54:37 An open dialogue with Rome has been kept open 54:41 ever since then Rome and has influenced so many things 54:44 in our politics here in America. 54:46 The Bible says in Revelation 13 verse 11 54:49 look at the not-too-distant future... 54:51 Speaking about America the Bible says: 55:00 Those two horn represented the United States. 55:03 When the United States came into existence 55:05 they offered two things to us: 55:08 a Protestant form of religion protesting Rome 55:13 and a republic form of government... 55:16 simply meaning not Republican vs. Democrat. 55:19 It's a democracy based on the system 55:21 of a republic by the people, for the people. 55:24 It was not that way in Europe. 55:26 They did what the people at the top said. 55:28 In America we vote... we are a ground up 55:31 grass roots movement. Thank the Lord for that! 55:34 Your vote and my vote DOES still count. 55:36 But that's not how it was in Europe. 55:38 That's why when we established the Constitution 55:41 it was for "a more perfect union" 55:44 because it was not a perfect union in Europe. 55:46 But listen to Revelation 13:12 because this country, America, 55:50 who has open dialogue with Rome will one day 55:54 follow in the footsteps of Rome 55:57 and build an alliance bringing Sunday to the forefront. 56:00 Listen carefully, verse 12: 56:13 And now I end with a very solemn quotation 56:16 from the book Testimonies for the Church 56:18 volume 5 page 451. Listen: 57:00 What a sobering message! 57:02 Don't worship the beast or his image or receive his mark 57:05 in your right hand or in your forehead. 57:07 Don't support it; don't accept its teachings. 57:10 Friends, Sunday legislation is not yet enforced. 57:14 Today you can make a decision to follow Christ. 57:17 Because when Sunday becomes a law in America 57:20 it'll quickly become a law around the entire world 57:23 and an image to Rome will be formed 57:27 and the mark will be imposed upon humanity. 57:30 Everyone will be legislatively compelled 57:33 to honor Sunday or honor the Bible Sabbath. 57:38 But here's my closing question: 57:40 marked for death or sealed for life? 57:42 That's the question that you must answer for yourself. 57:45 When that day comes 57:48 when the final call to humanity is over 57:51 where will you stand? 57:53 Will you be on Christ's side or on the devil's side? 57:56 And the question is simple: 57:58 will you be marked for death 58:00 or sealed for life? 58:03 May God bless you as you make that eternal decision. |
Revised 2021-03-01