House Calls

The Great Controversy Pt. 2

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Pr. John Lomacang (Host), Pr. John Stanton

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Series Code: HCL

Program Code: HCL080023


00:01 Hello friends, grab your Bible and a friend
00:03 and sit back as we explore God's word
00:04 together on this edition of House Calls.
00:22 Hello friends, welcome to another beautiful
00:24 day in God's word. Anytime you open the
00:26 book the weather is fine, and we're going to enjoy
00:30 ourselves as we continue our journey through the
00:33 book of Revelation, through the Great
00:35 Controversy, through the pages of scripture that
00:38 always have a message for us today.
00:40 So thank you for tuning in. You may want to hit the
00:42 record button right now because you don't want to
00:44 ever miss a House Calls program and say I wish
00:47 I got it. I am not by myself though you know
00:50 I know that, I have my good friend John Stanton
00:52 with me. Good to have you here John.
00:53 It's good to be here John with you again.
00:56 I like that shirt. Yeah, I like your shirt too
00:58 you know we're blue, I guess you got the memo.
01:01 Good to have you here. You know we're going to
01:03 continue on this great topic of the Great
01:06 Controversy, and we know that you've chosen
01:09 to tune in because you just couldn't wait till this
01:11 program came along since we laid so much
01:13 foundation on the last one, but you know what
01:16 before we do anything we always have prayer.
01:17 So John, would you pray for us. Let's do that.
01:19 Our Father in Heaven, once again its time for
01:21 a program where we open up your word and seek to
01:24 understand more deeply your plan for us and how
01:28 you're trying to redeem and save this world.
01:31 Lord, we just pray that as we talk about this Great
01:33 Controversy that many out there don't understand
01:36 the battle that truly is taking place behind the
01:38 scenes, and we just pray for you to send your spirit
01:42 to give us the words to share and give those who
01:45 are viewing, who are watching, who are
01:47 listening the ability to understand and to
01:50 read along with us, so that we can more identify
01:53 what the enemy is doing and how you are seeking
01:56 to work in us to oppose him and to get this last
01:59 message out to the world. Thank you Lord for what
02:01 you're going to do here in Jesus name
02:03 we pray, amen, amen. As you know we have
02:08 Bible questions, we always enjoy Bible questions,
02:11 and so if you have any of those questions
02:12 you'd like to send to us, send those Bible
02:14 questions to housecalls@3abn.org.
02:17 That's housecalls@3abn.org.
02:20 and we will try our best to go to that website,
02:24 type in send and receive and we'll download your
02:28 questions, but if there are those of you who still like
02:31 the method called snail mail, you can send those
02:34 too, we would read it. But try your best to not
02:37 write in hieroglyphics. John, I have some people
02:41 that have beautiful handwriting,
02:43 but I have to send it to Egypt to get it decoded.
02:46 Try to write it so that we could read it,
02:48 we appreciate it very much.
02:49 What do you have for us John?
02:50 What's our first question for today?
02:52 Well I've got a question from Brian, and he's from
02:56 New Hampshire, sounds so terrific, well he writes
03:00 in a good question here. He says God's promises
03:03 are often conditional, the nation of Israel is a
03:06 good example, and with that being said, here's my
03:09 question, isn't Christ promised to return to get
03:12 us conditional and that he told us all about the signs
03:16 of the nearness of this coming, but said in
03:18 Matthew 24:14 that this gospel of the kingdom
03:21 shall be preached in the whole world for a witness
03:23 unto all the nations, and then the end would come.
03:26 Isn't Christ waiting for this generation to get the
03:29 gospel to the whole world because he wants to
03:31 come, but cannot until we do the
03:34 work entrusted to us. Won't God bury this
03:37 generation and raise up another and so on until
03:42 his people do what he commanded.
03:44 Now that our SDA church counts by people
03:47 groups instead of countries where we're
03:50 about half way to completing the great
03:53 commission, that's not too encouraging, even if this
03:57 does not make into your show please reply it
04:00 by e-mail, okay. Thank you very much Brian for
04:02 your question. You know the first thing I want to
04:06 say about the encouraging part, I was encouraged
04:09 recently because the reviews send out in their
04:15 news a little blurb on how that last year the
04:21 Adventist Church grew by one million, amen.
04:25 And how compared to fairly recently but years
04:29 ago how we have gained per capita Adventists to
04:35 world population. So we are making headway
04:40 if you're looking at the numbers, okay that's
04:42 just pure numbers, okay statistician.
04:45 So you know from that perspective I am
04:47 encouraged, but let me say this I think Adventist
04:50 to a degree, we often get so caught up in last day
04:56 events, and how they're going to unfold that
04:59 we forget maybe or we miss maybe how God is going
05:03 to work truly. I'm not talking about the people
05:07 who play a part in the end of time.
05:09 I think we have the parties in those identified,
05:12 and we have been blessed to have those identified to
05:14 us very clearly through prophecy.
05:17 But I do believe that to a degree sometimes we
05:19 lock down in our minds exactly the scenario and
05:23 we try to fit it into that scenario on our minds,
05:27 those are things that we know.
05:29 That being said here's what I am pointing at.
05:33 We most of the times as I've asked congregations,
05:38 what the next significant in prophetic history is.
05:40 The answer has come through National Sunday Law,
05:44 we seem to be locked in to this when is the
05:47 Sunday Law coming, when is the Sunday Law
05:48 coming thing, and you know we talked about this
05:50 before, right. And so we're looking for, okay,
05:54 what political party needs to be in place, you know
05:57 if this person gets elected how this might happen.
05:59 We lived the Christian life for a long time which
06:01 has really lost a lot of its power, lets admit it, okay.
06:05 The Christian right has lost a lot of its power
06:07 to a great degree. So we used to identify them as
06:09 bringing the Sunday Law in. we talk about these
06:12 secret meetings in secret rooms about Sabbath,
06:15 and the blue laws coming about again, you know
06:17 we've talked about that over and over again.
06:19 But I think we've missed to a great degree some
06:22 key things in scripture, okay. And one of those
06:25 things and the part I am talking about that we've
06:28 missed, okay, is really summarized in Romans
06:32 9:28, alright. Romans 9:28 says this,
06:42 for he will finish the work, speaking of God,
06:46 speaking of Jesus Christ. He will finish the work
06:49 and cut it short in righteousness because
06:52 the Lord will make a short work upon the
06:55 earth, okay. Now that was a little contrary to our
06:58 question here, the scenario that one he
07:00 continue it to allow to pass away, and continue
07:02 on and on until some generation steps up to
07:04 finish the work, right. God will finish the work.
07:08 Now what example do we have of that, I mean you
07:10 know in my mind the problem with you and
07:14 I John together as while I am talking you're rolling,
07:17 when you're talking I am rolling right.
07:18 We're like two marbles in the gumball machine.
07:22 In my mind I am thinking of the children of Israel.
07:25 I am thinking of the nation that he entrusted
07:27 the message to for thousands of years,
07:30 and they had a lot to do, and he didn't wait for
07:32 them, they decided to forfeit it, and so he raised
07:36 up the disciples, yeah. And you'll find that the
07:39 God has always had a people, but what the
07:41 confidence is now he said to us the capping
07:44 off of this thing is not going to be left to any
07:47 other man, any more than as Daniel 2:44 says
07:50 that the kingdom that's going to be established
07:52 is not going to be established
07:53 by other men, right. God is going to finish
07:55 the work in Romans 9:28, that's right.
07:57 God is going to finish work, he will finish the
08:00 work and cut it short in righteousness, so we see
08:03 clearly the example of fact that God is not
08:05 waiting for man is when he said in Matthew,
08:09 if the rocks and the mountains have to cry
08:12 out, it's going to get done, that's right.
08:14 So, so there is no, God is not waiting for us.
08:18 Can you imagine the Lord saying, how much longer
08:21 is going to take you guys, I really like to come back,
08:25 it's been like three hundred years overdue.
08:28 God is not doing that, because the Bible says,
08:30 we don't know the day nor the hour.
08:32 The angels of heaven don't know it, but the
08:33 Father knows it. So he's got that date
08:37 where he is going to return and the events Isaiah 49.
08:42 I believe its Isaiah 49:12 if I'm not correct
08:45 I will go and look it up. He says I'm the Lord
08:48 God, declaring the end from the beginning and
08:52 from ancient times things that are not yet done
08:55 saying I will do all of my will or I'll accomplish
08:59 all of my will, so God is in control of this thing.
09:02 Yes, yes. And what he, he is indicating here
09:05 and we read it in the words of Christ, in his,
09:08 in Matthew 24, Luke 21, where what happens is
09:14 the judgments that come upon the earth at the end
09:16 of time are not intended to punish us as much as
09:20 they are intended to wake up the saints.
09:24 And so what I find in my reading of prophecy is
09:29 that the Sunday Law comes after the
09:32 judgments of God begin to be poured out upon
09:33 this earth and the saints had been awaken or
09:37 at least by those judgments are called to work.
09:41 And what we also find even, even in inspiration
09:47 that system why it even alludes to, how Satan
09:49 himself is here calling for the Sunday Law to make
09:52 it happen, right. So knowing those things
09:55 what the real next significant event we
09:58 should be looking for is calamity. That's right.
10:01 And that can happen tomorrow, so the time of
10:04 trouble, the early time of trouble could be ushered
10:06 in today, tomorrow. That is the next big
10:10 event and you can't time that. You can't say well
10:13 the Sunday Law is not here, so I have a little
10:15 more time to kind of get right with the Lord.
10:17 You know what, now is the day, today is the time
10:20 to get ready for the Lord, because this calamity
10:22 when it comes and I know you already
10:24 mentioned this before and what we're
10:25 talking about how, what we fail to do now in times
10:30 of peace, relative peace we'll be forced to do
10:35 in times of incredible stress and severe system,
10:36 severe calamity. So what I see is that no matter
10:44 what the condition of God's people are,
10:46 when that calamity hits, his remnant will
10:48 be called forth to action. They will engage, they
10:52 will become involved in the work more seriously
10:54 than they have been today, that we see today
10:57 and that work will be finished in quick
10:59 succession because who's in charge?
11:01 God's in charge. God's in charge.
11:02 He will use his armories; he will use his
11:06 warehouses of things to come upon the earth to
11:08 wake his people up. They will wake up and this
11:11 work will finish and you'll find in that period
11:13 of time, the Sunday Law comes about.
11:15 But it's in response to what do we do about
11:18 these things coming upon the earth.
11:20 It won't be some secret thing that happens
11:22 in a backroom that all of a sudden we wake up
11:24 and we say whoa, wow the Sunday Law was
11:25 passed yesterday, get ready, right.
11:29 We need to get out of that mind set and get into the
11:32 mind set that, you know what the end of time
11:34 could come tomorrow. As far as the day of the
11:37 Lord, the beginning of the end, and we could be
11:40 facing severe calamity of which would bring us
11:43 closer and closer to finally Christ's ultimate return.
11:46 And, and as you look at the, as you look at
11:48 the train of unfolding events.
11:49 You see that the Sunday Law has been talked
11:50 about quite often, quite a bit, referendums and
11:55 people saying well its important for the family.
11:58 The groundwork is being laid.
11:59 The groundwork is being laid, the Sunday
12:00 movement as Ellen White says is making
12:02 its way in darkness. That's right.
12:04 The leaders are concealing the true issues
12:07 from the people, and they themselves do not know
12:09 where the undercurrent is tending. That's right.
12:12 So, so you could jump in the river with this
12:14 movement, but as the undercurrent's gonna
12:16 carry it in the completely different direction.
12:17 It's gonna turn you up side down and then they
12:20 would say those who have been standing
12:22 behind this, you have a lot of stores that wanna
12:25 stay closed on Sunday. You have some states
12:27 that wanna pass laws to prevent shopping on Sunday.
12:30 I did a sermon not too long ago on this called
12:32 Sunday Mask. That shows that we're
12:37 in the midst of a strong push, the people of the
12:40 world, some of them have even gone so far
12:43 calling Sabbath Sunday or calling Sunday Sabbath.
12:48 They're just determined that the world is in the
12:50 condition its in because they're violating Sunday.
12:53 So you could see that there will be little spurts
12:55 here and there, but the one that's gonna come
12:57 and tie it all together as you just so wonderfully
12:58 put John is when Satan shows upon the scene
13:01 in the midst of calamity. He's going to say well
13:03 the answer is, if we honor this new day of worship
13:06 all these calamities will seize and those calamities
13:09 according to First Thessalonians 5,
13:11 listen to this. If you have Bibles turn to
13:13 First Thessalonians chapter 5, Jesus says,
13:16 but concerning the times and the seasons, brethren,
13:19 you have no need that I should write to you.
13:22 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day
13:24 of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
13:28 For when they say, "Peace and safety!"
13:31 then sudden destruction comes upon them,
13:33 as labor pains upon a pregnant woman,
13:36 and they shall not escape. But you, brethren,
13:39 are not in darkness, so that this day should
13:42 overtake you as a thief. So we're not in darkness.
13:47 We see what's happening, we see what's coming.
13:49 The Lord is saying let the others know
13:51 that this is coming. That's the responsibility
13:54 we have, but I like the whole question is whose
13:56 gonna finish the work John?
13:57 Whose's gonna finish the work?
13:58 The Lord's gonna finish the work.
13:59 Yes, you know and there is no doubt.
14:00 I understand Brian who sent this question in.
14:04 There is a lack of workers, or labors in the
14:08 harvest field. That's right. You know and we aren't
14:10 doing what we need to be doing, but God is going
14:13 to not wait for us to get our act together.
14:15 He's going to bring about events that put us into
14:20 action, that causes us to have to respond and to
14:23 move, rather than just sit back and
14:25 wait for us to get our act together.
14:28 My mother used to say if I put some fire under you,
14:31 you'd move. And I think that the Lord is going to
14:33 do that in a number of ways. He's going to
14:35 allow the events of the earth to light up the hearts
14:39 and wake up the sleeping saints.
14:42 Yeah, I believe that's coming.
14:43 Thanks for that John. It's a very good question.
14:46 This one is from Shelbyville,
14:52 Kentucky and from the Beach family,
14:58 kind of amazing from Kentucky and the only
15:03 beach they have there is a river that's running
15:05 through it, don't have any ocean. See an ocean
15:08 is a real beach, but the question is very
15:10 pertinent and I wanna answer it delicately
15:12 because it says I'm sure you wouldn't remember
15:17 me and so it seems we met in 2003, that person
15:21 was a volunteer. Okay yeah and we had studies
15:25 at Dee's house I remember that day
15:27 a lot of people were there.
15:29 The question is, children that died
15:33 before the age of accountability will
15:35 they be in heaven? I'm thinking about my
15:39 grand babies who are not yet two years old
15:44 and whose parents my sons and daughters have
15:46 not given their hearts to God. You know what's
15:49 so tough about a question like this John
15:51 and the person who wrote the question if
15:53 you listen to the program let me,
15:55 let me profess it by saying this.
15:58 My answer wouldn't determine whether
16:00 they're saved or whether they're lost,
16:02 because of one major factor I'm not the judge.
16:06 God is the judge. Whether or not
16:10 you talked about children that maybe,
16:12 that may die before the age of accountability.
16:15 My understanding of it is that the salvation
16:18 of the parents will be the determining factor;
16:23 you know the righteousness of the
16:24 mother, the righteousness of the father.
16:28 The word of hope that I, I've read in this letter
16:32 is you says, you say that your son and daughter
16:35 have not yet given their lives or their hearts to
16:39 God. One of the things that you may, you may
16:41 have done this before, but I don't know if you
16:44 say your son and your daughter,
16:47 you know if you give your heart to the Lord
16:48 you'll see your children again.
16:50 You love your children and you should give
16:52 your heart to the Lord. On the other side of
16:55 that, I don't have any scriptural evidence
16:57 anywhere to suggest otherwise, but I do
17:00 know that the other suggested possibility
17:05 would be, it would be as though these children
17:09 had not been which means they're not going
17:11 to suffer the fires of destruction because
17:14 they didn't give their hearts to the Lord,
17:16 but it's such a gray area in the topics.
17:19 Let me, let me strengthen you up by
17:20 saying this, the Lord has made provision for
17:24 salvation, the Lord has made
17:26 provision for salvation. We're praying that we
17:29 follow the conditions for salvation and
17:31 so I honestly this is one of those John,
17:33 there's no scriptural answers to this,
17:36 to give you a particular affirmative,
17:38 yes they're going to be saved no matter what
17:41 because salvation is not something that is a no
17:42 matter what situation, and so we must be born again.
17:46 How does someone who is not born be saved and then
17:49 Jesus said well his righteousness will be
17:52 imputed and imparted to them.
17:55 When you don't know whether or not there
17:57 is a Lord and whether or not you're going to
17:59 saved. It's a very hard question to answer,
18:02 but I would say this, when we get to the
18:05 kingdom, we're not going to be in heaven
18:07 say, you know it would have been so much
18:10 better here. If so and so was here or if
18:13 so and so was here. I think that the Lord
18:15 in his mercy is going to make sure that
18:16 everyone who can be saved, everyone who
18:18 can be saved will be saved. He's trying to get
18:21 people in not keep them out.
18:22 Not willing that any should perish.
18:23 That's right, good, good answer.
18:27 You know this question is kind of an
18:29 encouraging one, at the same time it's a
18:31 question that we've received fairly often
18:34 quite a few questions like this come in.
18:37 And it says it's from Albert, and he is from
18:40 Papua New Guinea, oh. And it says that he
18:45 praises the Lord that 3ABN is now in his
18:48 country, okay. And he loves all the programs.
18:52 He's a member of the Pentecostal Church,
18:55 but he says he's not ashamed to say that
19:00 to the viewers worldwide that SDA
19:01 preachers teach and preach truth nothing
19:04 but truth. Praise the Lord. Without fear or
19:06 favor and they're not motivated by prior
19:09 circumstances or whatever, amen.
19:10 They are humble and willing to pay the price
19:12 for proclaiming the truth, so he is, he is
19:15 impressed. He's convicted that what
19:17 he's hearing is truth and praise the Lord,
19:18 so we thank you Albert for sharing that,
19:20 that's encouraging. But he has a question here
19:23 too and he says, he, that is the devil became
19:29 what he is because he decided to wage war in
19:31 heaven against God and his angels as a result of
19:33 his pride. Lucifer was with God in heaven
19:36 commanding the angels and there was no sin or
19:39 evil in heaven. Who tricked Lucifer into
19:42 believing that we would be like God?
19:46 If the answer is his own pride then where did
19:50 this pride come from, if there was no evil in
19:55 heaven in the first place? And so there is a verse,
19:58 a scripture that I like to kind of start off with
20:00 here and John maybe you're going to the
20:01 same one. We often think alike, okay.
20:04 Ezekiel 28:15, Ezekiel 28:15 gets us a little bit
20:09 into the mind and the heart of Lucifer when
20:14 he had cherished pride and inequity in it.
20:18 And so I'm turning here to Ezekiel 28.
20:22 That's right, right before Daniel. In verse 15,
20:25 lets see. Let's start off a little earlier here.
20:28 I'll start with verse 11, "Take up a lamentation
20:32 upon the King of Tyre, and say to him,
20:35 Thus saith the Lord God; You were the seal
20:37 of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in
20:40 beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of
20:43 God; every precious stone was your
20:45 covering, the sardius, topaz, and diamond,
20:48 beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise,
20:51 and emerald with gold: the workmanship of
20:52 your tabrets and pipes was prepared for you on
20:56 the day that you created. He was born to leave
20:58 the choir. Oh I like that one.
21:00 And he was an credible singer. Verse 14,
21:04 "You were the anointed cherub who covers;
21:07 in other words he was first in line of the angels.
21:11 I established you, God put him there.
21:14 you were on the holy mountain of God,
21:15 you walked back and forth in the midst
21:17 of the fiery stones. You were perfect in your
21:19 ways from the day you were created until
21:23 iniquity was found in you. That's right.
21:27 There was no iniquity outside of Satan himself.
21:31 No iniquity outside of him, iniquity was found
21:34 in Satan himself who looked in the mirror and
21:38 said and began to really think of himself as
21:41 being beautiful in and of himself and pride
21:43 took route. And that pride that took route,
21:47 he began to think about it. In fact if you wanna
21:50 know what sin does, I have said this several
21:52 times and maybe it's a little confusing to some
21:54 who I've said this to but I will say it again.
21:58 I don't think that Satan even understood what
22:00 sin did when it hit him. He hardly knew what
22:04 hit him when it hit him, but when sin has a way
22:09 of just destroying everything it comes in
22:13 contact with, right. Sin is an animal in itself.
22:16 I'm not saying it's a thinking thing it's just,
22:19 diabolical in nature, horrible, diabolical.
22:22 So when it took him over, when it got a hold
22:25 of him, he hardly knew what hit him and it just
22:29 he got worse and worse and worse until he,
22:33 the initiator of sin, the birth of sin, until he
22:39 became something he could probably hardly
22:41 conceive of when it started, before it started.
22:43 But let me read me a verse here, that I think
22:46 gives us a little bit of what sin does and what
22:49 sin did to Satan to say that when iniquity was
22:52 found in him what had happened as he looked
22:55 upon his own beauty, okay. James 1, verse 13,
23:00 alright, good passage. Let no one say when
23:03 he's tempted, I am tempted by God.
23:06 This applies to Satan too, right. God didn't
23:08 tempt Satan, God didn't moved Satan to sin,
23:11 God didn't create any I didn't hang any
23:13 evil within Satan himself. carrot in front of him.
23:15 He was perfect. For God cannot be tempted
23:18 by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone,
23:20 and you're right he didn't hold any carrot
23:21 in front of Satan to say hey take this 'cause we
23:23 got to get this over with, okay.
23:26 Verse 14, but each one is tempted when he is
23:30 drawn away by his own desires, and enticed.
23:36 Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth
23:39 to sin and sin when it's full grown bring forth
23:42 death, perfect. Satan himself began to
23:47 conceive sin by his own desires and his
23:49 imagination and he enticed himself right into it.
23:52 Right, his own desires. His own desires, and
23:55 then when his desires conceived it says it
23:57 gave birth to sin. There it was and he couldn't
24:01 turn the course. That is the easiest explanation
24:05 we can give you for what happened to Satan
24:08 from the very beginning. And I believe he had an
24:12 opportunity to turn back, God wouldn't say
24:14 oh you stepped out of line, you're out of here.
24:16 He had an opportunity to turn back but when
24:18 he went point, when he went beyond the point
24:20 yes, of reconciliation is when the war,
24:23 we're gonna talk about that war again in the
24:25 Great Controversy. If you saw the last
24:27 program, you know what I'm talking about,
24:29 when you go past the point of reconciliation,
24:32 when you go past the point of redemption,
24:35 even in the book of Hebrews it says for
24:37 those who continue to sin, there no longer
24:39 remains a sacrifice for sin, but a certain fearful
24:41 looking for of the judgment to come.
24:43 So for those who are just past the point
24:46 of even the appeal of God. It becomes a practice.
24:50 Yes, and that's why it says iniquity was found in him.
24:54 There we go. It was cherished.
24:56 This is what I want, I'm gonna hold on to this
24:57 and God there is nothing you can do,
25:00 and that's exactly what the case was.
25:02 When we get to the point where we are
25:03 beyond God's appeal. Well God is not going
25:06 to say okay I have one more choice.
25:08 He doesn't through a rope out and drag our
25:10 sin against our will and truly there are some
25:13 people that won't be in heaven merely because
25:15 of the fact that it will be hell for them if God
25:17 saved them against their desire.
25:20 So this iniquity was found in him.
25:21 It was his own desire that led to his own
25:24 downfall. I do not believe that God just
25:26 stood by and let it happen either.
25:27 No, he didn't. I think that as he began to
25:29 cherish these thoughts as it says and became,
25:32 they became a desire of his before he got to the
25:34 point of fully having iniquity, giving birth to
25:37 iniquity in himself. But God met with him and
25:41 said Satan this is what's, I mean
25:43 Lucifer at the time. This is what's
25:45 happening in you. The feelings you are
25:47 starting to experience they're not healthy.
25:49 They are gonna take you down the wrong
25:50 road, if you go far with this, if you keep going
25:52 with this, you're gonna go past the point of
25:55 return to where there is no way I can redeem you.
25:58 And so Satan began as he cherished these thoughts.
26:02 He saw both options, he saw both sides and
26:05 when he finally made that decision,
26:07 his final decision, he made it on the side of
26:10 sin, and there was no turning back.
26:13 But I believe the Lord, John, was very
26:15 pro-active in trying to get him to go
26:19 from those desires to acting on those desires
26:23 and making them his decision.
26:25 Yeah, as you were talking John,
26:26 I looked up a text here Ecclesiastes 7 in verse
26:29 17 and it says do not, this is I like the
26:34 way it reads it. Do not be overly
26:37 wicked, nor be foolish: Why should you die
26:41 before your time? So the Lord is saying
26:43 there is a point of beyond which the
26:46 mercy of God ceases to chase you.
26:49 Why die before your time? And years ago,
26:55 I won't mention his name, but there is a guy
26:56 that wrote a song called only the good
26:58 die young, I don't agree, when you're good,
27:01 the Bible says goodness and mercy shall follow
27:03 you all the days of your life.
27:05 You'll dwell in the house of the Lord
27:06 forever and the Bible promises that we will
27:08 have long life as a blessing, so that idea
27:11 that only the good die young is kind of
27:12 ridiculous idea, it was a concept brought up by
27:15 very famous musician, but Satan passed the
27:18 point of no return thus God said I can no
27:22 longer do anything for you. I will not save you
27:24 against your will. As you were saying
27:27 you know when you're talking, another text
27:29 pops up, so we got to keep going with this,
27:31 but First John chapter 5, okay. Beginning with
27:35 verse 16 it says, if anyone sees his brother
27:37 sinning a sin which does not lead to death.
27:40 He will ask, and he will give him life for those
27:42 who commit sin not leading to death.
27:44 There is sin leading to death, and I do not say
27:47 that he should pray about that.
27:49 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin
27:52 leading or not leading to death. That's right.
27:55 In other words, there is sin that can occur in
27:58 your heart that takes you beyond a point
28:00 which there is no return. Leading to death.
28:03 That leads to death and you can't even raise
28:06 someone out of that. They're gone, they've
28:08 gone beyond that. Because it's their choice.
28:10 They did unpardonable sin, their choice they
28:12 know it, they know all the evidence,
28:14 they've got all the facts and they have clearly
28:16 made a decision that they do not want God,
28:19 they want this, wow. And that you cannot
28:22 turn someone back, that's the unpardonable
28:23 sin when the Holy Spirit can't even
28:25 impress upon somebody to turn.
28:28 They're even so aware of their sin that they
28:30 know the Holy Spirit is working on them
28:31 and they tell the Holy Spirit go away, right.
28:34 I'm not interested, oh boy. And that's the part
28:38 that I believe the Pharisees got to,
28:41 because see the Pharisees they said
28:44 we're lovers of evil. When God, when Jesus
28:48 spoke of them, he said you are, you're like
28:51 your father the devil. You love evil and
28:56 you've even invented and think about it,
28:58 and that's what was in their heart.
29:00 Of course it looked like they were all clean on
29:01 the outside, but you see there are several things
29:03 in the Bible that tell us that you can't go back
29:06 past the point of no return.
29:08 But I will say to someone who thinks
29:10 that they've committed the unpardonable sin,
29:12 if they're worried about having done that.
29:14 I always say well don't worry about that,
29:16 because if you're worried about it,
29:17 you haven't gone there, because you want
29:20 righteousness. You want God to restore
29:23 you and to put righteousness back
29:24 within your heart, right. It's only those who say,
29:27 you know that righteousness stuff,
29:28 don't want it. I rather be you know,
29:32 I rather choose sin and they knowingly do that
29:34 and Satan had gotten to that point, so anyway.
29:36 That's a good question. Several different
29:38 aspects of what sin will do to you, but clearly
29:41 had done to Satan from the beginning.
29:42 Bottom-line God didn't do it, Satan chose it.
29:45 That's right. I think we need to end there
29:46 because, yeah, we have some topics to cover
29:48 here, but friends once again thank you
29:50 for you questions. As you see we try our
29:52 best to come from all different angles,
29:54 but if you have an angle that we haven't covered
29:56 or a question that we, you like an answer to,
29:59 send that question to housecall@3abn.org.
30:02 That's housecall@3abn.org
30:04 and John and John will hopefully do their
30:07 best to answer your questions.
30:09 John, we really had, we do our best to
30:10 hopefully be able to answer those questions.
30:12 We get a lot of them. Yeah that's what
30:14 I meant. Is that what you said, whatever he
30:17 said I agree. We got, we have a lot of questions
30:19 and we try our best. We don't always get to
30:21 all of them, but thank you for sending them in.
30:24 They, our viewers, our listeners are a big
30:26 part of the program. We couldn't do this with them.
30:28 And you know we love to preach, but this is not
30:30 a preach program, sometimes we get
30:32 excited and get all fired up and our fireworks
30:33 start going off, but this is not a preach program,
30:36 because we want you to stay on top and see
30:37 what the word of God says which is our segue
30:40 into our topic that we started on our last
30:42 program, the Great Controversy.
30:45 I wanna go back to Revelation 12 and if
30:46 you have your Bibles go there with us,
30:48 Revelation chapter 12, it's funny how the
30:52 woman in Revelation, the dragon in
30:55 Revelation has 12, what's the number
31:00 there, yeah the woman had 12 stars on her
31:02 crown, and its in Revelation chapter 12,
31:06 I'm just trying to find out. Well we looked at
31:07 the various aspects of this, the Red Dragon
31:10 being introduced, how the Jesus was born to
31:13 the woman and how he attacked and persecuted
31:17 to try and kill this child, to kill Jesus and how
31:21 war broke out in heaven, in fact we even
31:22 talked about Genesis. How war broke out in heaven.
31:25 He was cast to the earth that serpent, yes.
31:28 And how the serpent we find in Genesis trying
31:30 to, it deceiving Eve and of course Adam and
31:33 Eve falling into sin and I think the last thing we
31:36 talked about was Satan claimed from that point
31:40 on, Satan claimed the earth was his.
31:42 Oh okay right. He claimed the earth
31:44 was his, but God said not so fast, not so quick.
31:49 And I know that you, you think that you've
31:51 got everything in your side here now that say
31:53 Adam and Eve have fallen, but I'm not done.
31:56 And so the springboard text, I think we got to
31:58 give today. There's a couple of, we're gonna
32:00 go to Job chapter 1. Right but let's finish the
32:02 Genesis story. Because there's this promise
32:04 there, alright. Let's look at the promise.
32:06 Look at the screen board text.
32:09 After the fall here of Adam and Eve.
32:11 Genesis chapter 3. It's in Genesis chapter 3,
32:14 we're gonna see that Jesus, God, in Genesis
32:20 is coming to find Adam and Eve and I believe
32:24 of course he knew exactly where Adam
32:25 and Eve were, but he was asking them more
32:28 or less to examine themselves as to where
32:30 they were and they had spiritually died.
32:32 We know that and that death has already
32:35 spiritually began to take place, but God wanted
32:38 to instill hope and not just hope for Adam and
32:40 Eve, because all of us today have Adam and
32:43 Eve as our father, as our parents and we have
32:48 fallen into sin because of that.
32:50 We are all sinful human beings.
32:53 But God says this here with regard to
32:57 Adam and Eve and the human race.
33:00 In verse 15, I will put enmity between you
33:05 and the what? Woman, woman, now we already
33:08 talked about the woman in Revelation didn't we.
33:10 The woman being God's people and between
33:15 your seed and her seed. My Bible capitalizes that
33:20 because Jesus is identified here as well.
33:23 But his Satan seed was not capitalized, but the
33:25 woman seed is, the woman seed is capitalized
33:27 that's where Jesus comes through.
33:29 And he shall bruise your head and you shall
33:33 bruise his heel. So we find here that a promise
33:38 is given to Adam and Eve that a seed would
33:41 come through the woman, the descendants of the
33:44 people of God who would bring about salvation.
33:47 Satan would attack the seed, bruise the seed's
33:50 heel, but what in the end happens is, Satan's
33:54 head is bruised which are wounded, which is a
33:57 mortal wound that Satan suffers to finally end
34:01 the controversy. Go ahead, I'm almost
34:05 without a word. Hold your peace, okay.
34:09 This is an amazing thing because you know when
34:11 you talk about this fall here in Genesis,
34:13 the controversy is, I want to show two
34:16 comparisons in Genesis 2 verse 25, the Lord
34:22 joined Adam and Eve together, that's we call
34:24 the first wedding there in the Garden of Eden,
34:26 the garden wedding, but it says in verse 25 and
34:30 they were both naked, the man and his wife
34:32 and they were not ashamed, meaning they
34:35 did not need physical clothing, but they still
34:37 had the glory of God, right. After they sinned
34:42 their nakedness now was obvious, yeah.
34:46 It was now visible, rather than shrouded in
34:49 the glorious light of God. The nakedness
34:52 that they had was now visible, because it says
34:55 when the Lord came to look for them in
34:59 Genesis 3 verse 8 and they heard the sound of
35:01 the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool
35:03 of the day. And Adam and his wife hid
35:06 themselves from the presence of the Lord
35:08 God among the trees of the garden.
35:09 And when the Lord called Adam, he says where
35:12 are you? Not looking for location, but confession?
35:15 He said I heard your voice in the garden and
35:17 I was afraid because I was naked and I hid
35:19 myself, and the Lord says in verse 11.
35:22 Who told you that you were naked? Who told
35:23 you, you were naked? See, see so this is like,
35:26 it's like the Lord like saying who told you
35:29 that you were naked, and then he goes to the
35:31 next question. Have you eaten of the tree which
35:32 I commanded you that you should not eat?
35:34 And then the man said the woman whom you
35:37 gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and
35:39 I ate. First domestic dispute recorded in
35:43 scripture. I would hate to say, I don't think it
35:46 was recorded, but Eve probably felt like hitting
35:49 Adam upside the head with a bamboo bush,
35:51 or hit him with the same fruit she made him eat,
35:54 but she probably felt like throwing the seed
35:55 at him. And then here's where the comments
35:58 come in, and the Lord God said to the woman,
36:02 what is this that you have done? And the woman
36:04 said the serpent deceived me and I ate.
36:06 She points to somebody else. See, so right there
36:08 when we read Second Timothy chapter 2 verse 14,
36:11 the serpent admitted, I deceived her,
36:16 I deceived her, he didn't say a word, but that's
36:20 why Paul recorded yes. The woman was deceived.
36:24 Adam opened his eyes wide and walked into
36:27 this plot and that's where you get Romans chapter 5
36:30 and verse 12. What I want to show you there
36:32 before we go to Job, because now because
36:34 of this entrance of sin in the world,
36:35 Satan's gonna have another claim and
36:37 you're gonna go to that claim in just a moment
36:39 in the book of Job. But in Romans 5:12
36:41 it doesn't say that by Eve sin came into the world.
36:45 It says by one man sin entered the world and
36:50 death through sin and thus death spread to all
36:54 that one man is Adam.
36:57 First Corinthians 15 verse 22 says as in
36:59 Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made
37:03 alive. So the Bible makes it very, very clear
37:05 that Adam was the one that caused sin to come
37:07 into the world, but when that sin came into the
37:10 world, Satan thought hey, I won. I got my own
37:17 earth, thus we go to Job. That's right.
37:20 There are so many parallels here too,
37:23 it's just amazing. The Genesis 3 and the fall to
37:26 Revelation chapter 12. It's in there. You know
37:28 the woman is there, the seed which is the child
37:32 that comes through in Revelation 12 and we
37:36 talk about you know the serpent being in the
37:38 garden, so there is so much here, but now
37:41 we're going to the rest of the story, which is
37:45 the claim is made by Satan that this world is
37:47 now his. But God has something to say about
37:50 that. John why don't you read start reading
37:52 Job chapter 1 and I'll pick up where.
37:54 Okay while I'm turning there, I am just gonna
37:56 quote Galatians 3:14, because in Galatians 3:14
38:00 the Bible says that the law, for God the law
38:04 was added till the seed should come.
38:06 See, so this ceremony law that existed to talk,
38:09 to teach people about God, to teach people about
38:12 the plan of salvation. It was there put in place
38:14 until the seed should come to whom the promise
38:18 was made. So when the promise was made in
38:20 Genesis 3 verse 14 everybody was looking
38:24 for that child to be born, woman thought that
38:27 their son would be the Messiah and Paul says
38:30 clearly in Galatians 3:14, they were all
38:32 waiting for the seed to come and that seed was
38:34 Christ, so that's why that language, the seed,
38:37 here what am I going, Job, okay. Job 1.
38:39 I'm doing a job trying to find Job, okay here it is.
38:43 Job chapter 1 and put the context together,
38:48 Job was the greatest man of the people of the East.
38:54 Job chapter 1 and verse 3 and when the Lord
38:56 said that you're greatest, you're the greatest
38:59 and I know that Mohammed Ali said that but sorry,
39:02 Job was the greatest. Now verse 6 of Job chapter 1.
39:06 Now there was a day when the sons of God
39:09 came to present themselves before the Lord
39:12 and Satan also came among them. First thing
39:14 friends a Bible doesn't stay where this meeting
39:16 took place. And the Lord said to Satan from
39:19 where do you come, so Satan answered the Lord
39:21 and said from going to and fro on the earth and
39:23 from walking back and forth on it.
39:26 That was his, he thought the earth was his.
39:29 He says where you come from, I'm here as
39:31 a representative of the earth.
39:33 He thought the earth was his.
39:34 He just snatched the authority that God gave
39:38 to Adam and he became subject now.
39:41 Adam became a subject now to the nature that
39:44 was passed onto him from Satan himself,
39:48 but in fact and we showed you that just as
39:50 I simply show you that Satan came to make claims.
39:54 He says Lord if you take what Job has,
39:56 I'm sure that Job is going to curse you,
39:59 praise the Lord John, Job did not curse God
40:01 to his face and die. What else you want to
40:02 point out in there? Well you know there is
40:04 something that just jumps out at you when
40:06 you read this passage, okay, because Satan
40:07 is stepping up to a place where he does not belong.
40:11 When, when the Lord said to Satan from
40:12 where do you come from? It's almost the language
40:15 is almost like you don't belong here, right.
40:18 And what are you doing here? Okay.
40:20 And so you know that being the case,
40:22 you know that something becomes
40:23 very obvious to us. The sons of God were
40:27 created beings who clearly in this context
40:30 are heads of worlds, right. Okay, there is no other
40:34 explanation for it. They've got to be heads
40:37 of worlds and here it is Satan is coming in the
40:39 midst of him, of them at this council meeting
40:43 and he's an angel. Angels were not created
40:47 to be heads of worlds, no. That's a fact and we
40:51 know that angels are ministering spirits,
40:53 they are there to do the bidding of God from
40:56 heaven to a minister and to serve these other
41:00 worlds as they're needed, okay, right.
41:02 The part of God's working.
41:05 They are the work of, creation. Yeah.
41:07 They're the work of beast. Yeah you can say
41:08 that, that's a good word for it.
41:10 So that being the case, you know it would be
41:13 very appropriate for God to see when Satan
41:15 comes into this council meeting, what are you
41:17 doing here? Right, what you are doing here.
41:18 I'm meeting with my creation, people that
41:20 are created and set up and established as
41:22 creators or not as creator says as
41:25 procreators as you might say, but as
41:27 leaders of and stewards of these worlds, right.
41:31 And one of the things that we find too is that
41:35 often people distort the passage of Genesis
41:38 chapter 6 where it talks about you know the
41:41 sons of God came to the daughters of men,
41:45 saw that they were beautiful and then the
41:48 giant, there were giants on the earth in that time
41:50 and so forth. They're trying to say well this
41:52 is Satan and the angels coming down to procreate
41:55 with human beings, but you know what
41:59 nowhere in scripture do we find any evidence
42:01 what so ever that angels can procreate, no.
42:04 There's no need for them to procreate.
42:07 They are not assigned genders, no.
42:10 You know really we don't know exactly
42:12 what they look like, we have pictures of them
42:13 and often they look like men, because we
42:15 associate strength with manliness you know
42:19 men, but they're not men, they're not
42:21 women, they're angels. Right they don't have a
42:24 procreate gender. Yeah, so anyway just some
42:27 insights here into what's going on, Satan
42:30 is appearing he says I own the earth.
42:33 I belong to the earth and God says not so fast,
42:36 so he moves from what you are doing here
42:38 to his charge. He gives Satan okay, you're here,
42:42 you shouldn't be here, but your charge is that
42:44 you own the earth, but I'm wanna tell you,
42:47 have you looked at Job lately, okay.
42:51 And Job isn't evil like you are. Job doesn't
42:54 do what you do. Job is like me. He's righteous,
42:59 he's blameless before me. Here in Job, Job
43:02 denied all the evil of his day. Job just remained
43:05 away from it and that's why Satan said let me
43:08 try him and the reason why Satan went after
43:10 Job is because he went after the best of the
43:13 best, because he knew anything below Job was
43:15 just not really a challenge, right.
43:17 He said if I can get the best one, if I can get the
43:19 one that's most devoted to you then I've finished
43:22 my job because all the others there is no
43:24 challenge at all. That's why when you go for
43:26 World Champion you don't play the worst
43:28 team, you play the two best. When the boxers
43:30 are fighting for the World Championship,
43:32 you don't get a guy that just began to spar the
43:34 week before, you get the two best that have
43:36 fought their way to the top, so this is a
43:38 contention here between the best of the best.
43:41 So Satan says in other words. Lord give me
43:43 the best you have and I'll prove to you that
43:45 he's not good enough and the Lord says wait
43:46 a minute and this is what's nice about,
43:49 I'm gonna call you Sam, this is what's nice about
43:51 this John. I don't know where the Sam came
43:53 from, Ignore that statement, his name is John.
43:58 But this is where this comes from, the best
44:02 that man has to offer is the worst that man has
44:07 to offer when God is not on his side.
44:09 That's right. Let me change that when he is
44:12 not on God's side. Job, although great in the
44:16 earth, great possessions, great wealth, you are
44:19 the worst when you're not on God's side.
44:22 Because I always say intellect and possession
44:25 and power without God is a dangerous thing.
44:27 That's right. So Job had all those things,
44:29 what made him great was not his possessions,
44:31 but he was one that, one that avoided evil,
44:34 one that feared God and avoided, he distained
44:38 evil, so Satan says wait a minute you know I'm
44:41 looking for somebody and he said I bet you if
44:43 I could touch him, I bet you if I could take all
44:45 things that he has from you. He'll curse you,
44:48 he'll curse you to your face. Well you know
44:50 another thing point here John and I think this is
44:52 so important. This is a part of Great
44:53 Controversy, right. There are people that
44:55 say, God took my mother or God took my
45:00 niece or God needed another, another angel
45:03 so he killed my or allowed my sister to die.
45:06 You read the story of Job, God didn't do any
45:09 of the afflicting. He said to Satan go ahead
45:12 take his house, take his possessions, take all
45:14 that he has, but just don't take his life.
45:17 You see, so God was not the one that sent the
45:21 tornado. God was not the one that send the
45:24 fire to burn up this stuff. God was not one
45:26 that send the thieves to raid and
45:28 take all of his cattle. God does not do that.
45:31 James says every good and every perfect gift
45:33 comes from God. That's right, who is the enemy.
45:36 Even Jesus referred to the fact the enemy has
45:38 done this thing. You know how they're
45:40 pointing to the enemy, Matthew 13, whose is
45:42 the source of all the evil and the bad things that
45:44 happened in this world, right. You know one of
45:48 the things that I have learned from here,
45:49 applying this to a practical level is that in
45:51 my own life, when I face challenges.
45:55 Could it be that God is asking me to step up for
45:59 him. Oh undoubtedly. Could it be that I'm as
46:03 part of the Great Controversy that when
46:05 these horrible things happened in my life.
46:08 Whatever challenges that I face, the God is
46:11 asking me to show my Godly character.
46:16 And how often when he does that, he relies on
46:18 me to do that, I say I just complain, oh God
46:22 has done this to me, oh God has done all this
46:25 and that and all, why is he doing this to me.
46:27 I mean I became a complainer rather than a
46:30 person that stepped up that says you know
46:32 what God is my defender, in spite of
46:35 what's going on around me. You know I believe
46:37 God is fair. I just got a cliche, if we comply,
46:40 we won't complain. You comply with
46:43 God's parameters, you won't complain about
46:44 God's parameters. That's good.
46:46 So, so we complain because we don't
46:48 comply. Yeah, but we complain because we
46:50 don't see the big picture either and that's one of
46:52 the reasons for this Great Controversy
46:54 segment that we're doing here is that
46:57 you know we are part of that Great Controversy
46:59 going on right now. And every trial, every
47:02 struggle that you face, every time the enemy
47:05 comes at you, he's coming at you because
47:08 you're a child of God number one and God is
47:10 allowing it to happen because he wants you
47:12 to show that you're more like him.
47:16 We reveal through our struggles who we are
47:18 really like and we reveal that we are like
47:22 God and are becoming more and more like
47:24 God because of our, of the strength that he
47:26 gives us to show that we are depending upon
47:29 him even in spite of all the struggles and trials
47:31 we go through. And so that's a big part of
47:34 the Great Controversy here. Now I'm looking
47:36 at the time, so we need to go back to
47:38 Revelation chapter 12. That's right.
47:40 Let's go to verse, let's go to verse 10.
47:45 Now this is, this is so beautiful this takes us
47:49 to the Cross and you know you can go to
47:52 John 5, you can go to Matthew chapter 20,
47:57 when Jesus rose from the death, you see Satan
47:59 thought he had defeated
48:00 Christ until the resurrection.
48:03 When the resurrection came salvation was
48:06 completed, that's right. The price that Jesus
48:09 paid for us was he Jesus was exonerated,
48:13 Jesus was vindicated and in the resurrection
48:16 because he has said before he died I'm the
48:17 resurrection in the life and then here
48:19 I tried to keep him in the tomb and Satan
48:22 tried to keep him in the tomb, but when he rose
48:24 this statement was proclaimed and
48:26 I believe that it's at that particle juncture
48:29 when it says then I heard a loud voice
48:31 saying in heaven, now salvation's strengthen
48:34 and the kingdom of our God and the power of
48:36 his Christ have come. For the accuser of our
48:40 brethren, notice what he does, who accused them
48:43 before our God day and night has been cast
48:46 what? Down, down fallen condition that's
48:49 the casting down. When Satan was cast down,
48:52 he was continually labeled as the fallen.
48:56 How art thou fallen? He's fallen, because
48:59 Jesus overcame him from his own victory,
49:03 but then what about our victory.
49:04 This cast down is not cast out of heaven.
49:06 This cast is down is any authority that he
49:09 claimed to this earth, he now has lost
49:11 completely, unequivocally it is gone.
49:15 And so by the Cross and by his the
49:17 Resurrection of Jesus Christ who now sits at
49:20 the right hand of the Father, Satan has been
49:22 cast down. So when Satan tries to remind
49:28 you now and you've heard this statement
49:30 before of your past. Remind him of his
49:33 future, because he's fallen, he's cast down
49:37 and he has no authority what so ever.
49:39 If Christ has given you authority and we find
49:42 from Luke that Christ has given his people in
49:46 the last days authority over Satan and his angels.
49:51 That we have nothing to fear and so now I like
49:55 that now, now why? Because the Cross has
49:58 happened now, salvation has come.
50:01 I wanna just target one in here, because,
50:04 you see Satan claimed to have power that he
50:07 didn't really have. In Hebrews 12, Hebrews 2
50:10 verse 14 listen to Jesus' assignment, he says in
50:15 his much then as the children have partaken
50:18 of flesh and blood that's that fallen nature.
50:20 He himself Jesus likewise shared in the
50:22 same that through death he might destroy him
50:27 who had the power of death, had the power of
50:31 death that is the devil and release those who
50:35 through fear of death for all their lifetime
50:38 subject to bondage. Satan had the power of
50:41 death, but when Jesus rose he says in
50:43 Revelation I have the keys of death and of hell.
50:48 I've got a key, I've got the keys now, yeah.
50:50 I've got the keys of death and of hell.
50:51 And so now go to Revelation chapter 12,
50:53 you see clearly the rejoicing and it says in
50:55 verse 11 those of us who overcome, how do
50:58 we overcome. They overcame him by the
51:00 blood of the lamb, by the word of their
51:02 testimony and they did not love, love their lives
51:05 to the death. Why did they not love their lives
51:08 to the death, because death no longer was
51:10 their greatest fear. That's right.
51:13 They had fear of death Hebrews 2 and verse 15.
51:15 And they were talking about the persecuted, right.
51:17 They longer had the fear of death.
51:19 Now the persecuted as alluding back to verse
51:21 6, were introduced how the woman fled into the
51:24 wilderness and fled persecution for that
51:26 1260 years that they overcame him by the
51:30 blood of the lamb and by the word of their
51:32 testimony, they did not love their
51:34 lives to the death. Now verse 12, read it.
51:36 Let's go on. Therefore rejoice O heavens,
51:39 and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the
51:42 inhabitants of the earth and the sea.
51:44 For the devil has come down unto you, having
51:46 great wrath, because he knows that he
51:48 has a short time. Now summarizing,
51:53 now when the dragon saw that he had
51:56 persecuted the woman who gave birth to the
51:59 male child went after the church.
52:02 Now when the dragon saw that he had been
52:03 cast to the earth. He persecuted the woman
52:06 who gave birth to the male child and we
52:08 talked about that. Persecuting the church,
52:11 he not only tried to marry, but he continued
52:13 persecuting the church through the dark ages,
52:15 through the New Testament I talk about
52:17 Roman Emperor Diocletian, but the woman was
52:20 given two wings of a great eagle that she
52:22 might fly into the wilderness to her place,
52:25 where she is nourished for a time and times and
52:27 half a time from the presence of the serpent.
52:30 For 1260 years John you know that, yes.
52:33 In 538 Rome was given complete power over
52:38 religious and political affairs and for 1260
52:40 years from 538 to 1798 persecution was
52:45 rampant in Europe. Trying to stamp out all
52:48 those who were a legion to God, but what
52:50 happened to the church. God hid her in the dens
52:53 and the rocks of the mountain.
52:55 You read the story of the Waldensians.
52:57 Read the story of the Swiss who hid in the
53:02 dens and the rocks of the mountains and so
53:04 and even those who were killed, if one died
53:08 two or three took his or her place.
53:10 God hid the church so that Satan couldn't
53:12 wipe her out. And it says read the next verse.
53:15 Verse 15. So the serpent spewed out water from
53:20 his mouth like a flood after the woman,
53:23 that he might cause her to be carried
53:25 away by the flood. Now we know that water
53:27 is referred to people, people. So a great army
53:31 of people came after this woman, came after
53:34 the church. You know how that happened.
53:36 During the Dark Ages, as a counter to the
53:39 Reformation. There was something called
53:43 the counter Reformation or the Renaissance
53:46 period, when all this truth was coming to the
53:48 forefront one of the ways that they attacked
53:50 the reformers was they brought out all the
53:52 culture and the art and the music as accounted
53:55 to the Reformation, even stain glass.
53:57 Look, do a research of stain glass even stain
54:00 glass Christians refused to go into the Roman
54:03 Cathedrals, but when they change the glass to
54:05 colorful beautiful glass, the only way to see the
54:08 beauty of the glass was to go inside the dark
54:10 building, because the sun shown through it
54:13 and so all these things that happened during
54:14 the Dark Ages were a method where by those
54:17 who rejected the darkness were now
54:19 ward against through culture, through music,
54:21 through art and that was the renaissance or the
54:23 counter reformation, a time of great culture,
54:26 great music, great science and that was the
54:29 water that Satan sent after the woman
54:31 through all these people bringing these things to
54:33 the forefront, but look at the next verse.
54:34 And we also have in other words since two
54:35 you have the armies of Rome who are all
54:38 subject to the Roman powers, literally going
54:41 off to and to kill and persecute the saints that
54:44 are staying faithful. Which was called this
54:47 inquisition, inquisition. The massacres, over 50
54:50 million Christians were killed during the Dark Ages.
54:52 Read the next verse. But the earth helped the
54:55 woman and the earth opened its mouth and
54:57 swallowed up the flood which the dragon had
54:59 spewed out of his mouth. It's very difficult
55:02 in an unpopulated areas in wilderness
55:04 to find anybody. I mean just think just think
55:06 I mean these hikers that will get lost.
55:08 I mean God used the wilderness so that all
55:10 the people coming after them couldn't find
55:12 his people. Now many were found, because
55:14 obviously 50 million martyrs is a huge
55:18 number. But still the wilderness helped
55:21 preserve the truth and the Reformation, okay.
55:26 And to the point where before we read
55:27 this last verse 17. The point where to this
55:30 very day the Reformation continues to grow.
55:33 Praise the Lord. The Reformation continues
55:35 to grow, God's truth continues to champion
55:38 on, and we believe that there is still a truth
55:42 being proclaimed even in your hearing right now.
55:44 Oh. The truth is being proclaimed in
55:47 opposition to many who are still in Babylon
55:51 per say. That's why I want you read verse 17
55:53 this is powerful, amen. And that brings us to
55:56 verse 17. That's why I wanted to say that
55:57 verse 17 says and the dragon was enraged
56:00 with the woman and he went to make war with
56:03 the rest or the remnant, that's the last piece.
56:07 Now to, of her offspring who keep the commandments
56:10 of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
56:13 I wanna cite the King James version here
56:15 because it says the remnant of her seed.
56:17 Seed, yes. And that links you right back to
56:20 Genesis 3 where the Lord says I put
56:22 enmity between your seed and her seed.
56:25 The remnant of her seed and what did they do
56:27 John, who have the testimony.
56:29 They keep the commandments of God
56:31 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
56:33 Now friends, you may see well what does this
56:34 all mean. If you wanna be a part of the
56:36 remnant, the message is here.
56:38 God's last day people, God's last day people
56:40 that Satan is angry with, I rather have Satan
56:43 against me than Christ against me, see.
56:45 If you want to keep the commandments of God
56:47 you will be against Satan. If you avoid the
56:50 Commandments of God you are on Satan's side.
56:52 Now who would you rather do that which
56:55 upsets the devil, not that which denies the Lord.
56:58 Any comments John before we close.
57:00 Well in the testimony of Jesus Christ, we know it
57:02 refers to prophecy, that's right.
57:04 So clearly there's a prophetic message tied
57:06 to a commandment keeping people to finish
57:08 the work before Jesus comes, Revelation.
57:11 We're in that era, we're in that time and Jesus is
57:14 coming very soon. That's right they'll have
57:16 they'll have an understanding of
57:17 prophecy through the gift of prophecy,
57:21 active in the church. Satan doesn't like it
57:23 when the people of God understand the
57:24 prophecies of God and are faithful to the Lord.
57:27 Friends, you could be one of those,
57:29 choose the Lord and make him
57:30 your Christ today. God bless you.


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Revised 2014-12-17