Participants: John Lomacang (Host), John Stanton
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL090017
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00:01 Hello friends, grab your Bible and a friend
00:03 and sit back as we explore God's word 00:05 together on this edition of House Calls. 00:23 Hello friends, welcome and realize this. 00:25 There is no place like this place anywhere near this place, 00:28 so this must be the place. So thank you for tuning in. 00:31 And I have my good friend with me, 00:33 John Stanton, good to have you here John. 00:35 Hey, it's great to be here John. 00:36 We can study the word of God and just open up our hearts 00:39 to our viewers, our listeners. 00:41 That's right. They've got some great questions. 00:43 We have a great topic. We're in for a great program. 00:46 That's right. And friends, you know, 00:47 anytime you tune into a House Calls program, 00:50 it's probably a very wise thing to press the record button. 00:54 When we travel around the people say 00:56 well that's my favorite program. 00:58 It doesn't really matter the age, 00:59 matter of fact just this last week somebody said to me. 01:01 And when I padding ourselves in the back 01:04 but somebody said to me you know whenever comes on, 01:07 if I'm in the kitchen washing dishes I stop, 01:09 because it is like getting a free college education. 01:12 And I thought, praise the Lord for that, 01:14 because they get their pen and their paper 01:15 and write on the Bible topics. And another person said, 01:19 Oh! Every time you come, and I record it. 01:21 And we use it for our Friday Night Vespers at our church 01:24 and in their study groups. So, praise God, 01:27 whatever you do with the information 01:28 that we share with you, we praise the Lord 01:30 that He is getting the glory for it. 01:32 But before we go into our topic, we're going to have prayer. 01:35 So, John, would you have prayer for us. 01:36 Let's do that. Father in heaven, 01:38 we depend upon you so much for everything in life. 01:41 But most of all and first thing I would say, 01:44 we need you to lead us and guide us 01:46 by the presence of your Holy Spirit. 01:48 Especially today's topic is about your spirit, 01:52 so what we just ask that you would fill us, 01:53 baptize us, refresh with your spirit. 01:56 And we just pray that as you do that, 01:58 that you give us the words, you give us the wisdom, 02:00 to be able to go through your word and to be able to teach 02:03 and share the things that you so desperately want us to know 02:07 about you and about your truth. Thank you, Father, 02:10 for spending this hour with us, in Jesus name, amen. Amen. 02:15 And, just before we dive into our House Calls questions, 02:19 we want to thank you for participating. 02:22 We are never short of questions. And we thank you for continuing 02:26 to send them in over the number of years that are now behind us. 02:30 But, if you have a question that you would like to send, 02:32 then you want that email address it is housecalls@3abn.org, 02:37 that's housecalls@3abn.org. And if you are a snail mailer, 02:43 that's P.O. Box 220, West Frankfort, 02:47 Illinois, 628936. Thank you; I'm the snail mail guy. 02:51 He is Mr. Techie. 02:53 He is going to start up with the computer question. 02:54 What do you have that computes, John? You know, 02:57 I've got a couple of prophecy questions today. 02:59 Hey, I like prophecy. And, so, there's a couple of them. 03:04 One is in reference to a passage 03:06 from Micah, another one is from Ezekiel. 03:09 Okay. So, let's take a look at the first one here. 03:12 Lets see, it's from Jim. Jim, 03:15 thank you for sending this question in. 03:18 Is the false prophet of Revelation 19:20, 03:22 the one who deceives in Micah 2:10. 03:26 And is this the second beast of Revelation 13:11? 03:32 Is the image of the beast Babylon 03:35 a false and a blasphemous church, 03:38 which is in the likeness of the first beast of Revelation 13 03:42 and supported by the beast of Revelation 13, 03:44 that's the second one beginning in verse 11. 03:47 What am I putting too much in it? Wow. 03:49 That's the catch all usually, you know, because, 03:51 you know, you study your prophecy, 03:53 and you study and you deep sea dive as God calls us to do. 03:59 It really takes a dependence upon the Holy Spirit to lead 04:02 and to come to the right conclusions. 04:04 And we don't always get it right, that's for sure, 04:07 the first time around, it's just takes continual study. 04:09 That's right. So, let's first of all, 04:11 read Revelation 19:20, okay, let's go there. 04:14 Revelation 19, chapter 19 verse 20. Okay. 04:20 Okay. You think they didn't move Revelation. And I will read 04:23 Here it is. And it says then a beast was captured, 04:26 and with him the false prophet who wrought 04:29 signs in his presence, by which he deceived 04:31 those who received the mark of the beast, 04:33 and those who worshiped his image. 04:36 These two were cast alive 04:39 into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 04:41 I just have some brief commentary on that passage. 04:46 The first and second beasts of Revelation 13 04:48 are seen here as working together. 04:51 That's right. As an Anti-Christ unified power to oppose 04:57 the things of Christ and eventually their judgment 05:00 is they will be cast alive into the lake of fire. 05:03 That's as much as we have read there 05:05 from Revelation 19:20. Right. 05:07 So, now as take a look at Micah Chapter 2, 05:12 Micah 2 verse 10. 05:15 And you know what I'm gonna read verse 11 05:17 because I think it's necessary to be able to understand 05:20 what verse 10 is and which entity is it referring to. Okay. 05:25 It says in Micah 2 verse 10, arise and depart; 05:29 for this is not your rest, because it is defiled, 05:33 it shall destroy, yes with utter destruction. 05:37 So there was is a power, John, 05:39 that is working here as far as this prophecy is depicting. 05:45 That is not God's rest. 05:48 But it shall be defiled, it is defiled, 05:51 it shall destroy with an utter destruction. 05:54 It will come with a, when it says utter destruction 05:56 really referring to the last day destruction at the end of time. 05:59 But lets look at verse 11, we need verse 11 06:02 I think to understand this better. 06:05 If a man should walk in a false spirit 06:09 and speak a lie, saying, 06:12 I will prophesy to you of wine and drink, 06:16 even he would be the prattler of this people. 06:20 So, those that are being attacked or challenged, 06:23 who are told that this is not your rest, 06:25 I have a better rest for you. 06:28 It is happening because a power is lying and deceiving, 06:35 and that lying and deceiving interesting enough 06:38 John is being described as prophesying of wine and drink. 06:44 Now, take us, John, 06:45 to a scripture in Revelation that speaks of an entity 06:50 that is making people drunk 06:52 with the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 06:56 Now, let me see. 06:58 I think you'll be able to find one. 07:00 Revelation Chapter 17, look at what it says here. 07:06 Go ahead. Boy, I tell you. 07:08 You see where I'm going with this? 07:09 That's right. Revelation 17, then verse 1, 07:13 then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came 07:15 and talked with me saying to me, 07:17 come I will show you the judgment 07:19 of the great harlot who sits on many waters. 07:22 With whom the Kings of the earth have committed fornication, 07:26 and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk 07:29 with the wine of her fornication. 07:33 Alright. A woman with the wine. 07:35 Now if you, if you see here, 07:37 we know that the Bible clearly describes 07:39 in Second Thessalonians Chapter 2. 07:42 That Satan will work through lying wonders to deceive, 07:46 even Jesus instructed us in Matthew 24 07:50 be very careful least we were deceived, 07:52 because if it were even possibly, 07:54 the elect who are killed 07:57 in the scriptures could be deceived, it's so deceptive. 08:01 And so here what we're finding 08:02 I think in this scenario 08:04 as we read some of these texts is, 08:06 in Micah 2 verse 10 08:08 we are seeing an entity that is, 08:12 has not accepted the kind of rest 08:15 that God wants of his people. 08:17 And what they were doing 08:19 is they were seeking to prophesy lies and deceit. 08:23 They are talking about things that are not true 08:25 and I believe that includes doctrine is not true, 08:27 it's not pure, it's defiled. 08:30 And there are a lot of things that go into, 08:32 to why this entity is defiled. 08:34 But Revelation describes then this power as being Babylon, 08:41 that has fallen and that has made others 08:45 drink of the wine of her fornication. 08:48 If you look here in Chapter 18 of Revelation verse 2, 18:2, 08:54 we see an angel appearing with great authority, 08:59 the earth was illuminated with his glory 09:01 and it says, he cried mightily with a loud voice, 09:04 saying, Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen, 09:06 and has become a dwelling place of demons, 09:09 a prison for every foul spirit, 09:11 and a cage for every unclean and hated bird. 09:14 For, notice unclean, Micah speaks 09:16 of it as being defiled. 09:18 Verse 3, For all nations have drunk 09:21 of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 09:23 There it is that wine again. That's right. 09:25 The Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, 09:27 and the merchants of the earth had become rich through 09:29 the abundance of her luxury. 09:31 And so then the command goes in verse 4 09:33 to come out of her my people, 09:35 so you don't share in her sins and receive of her plagues, 09:39 for her sins have reached heaven 09:40 and God has remembered her inequities. 09:43 The group that comes, that calls them to come out, 09:47 is a group described in Revelation Chapter 14 09:49 as being undefiled. Right. 09:52 And their mouth is without deceit. 09:55 So clearly we can see that this entity in Micah 2:10 10:00 is connected to the powers that Revelation 10:03 is describing both in Revelation 17, 18 10:07 and then of course the verse found in 19 verse 20 10:10 is described by the person asking this question. 10:12 So, are these connected, are they the same power working. 10:16 I believe yes, they are. That's right. 10:18 Good, very good analogy. Prophesy is always such 10:22 an exciting place to go just to kind of throw 10:26 a little dime in the water. The dime maybe small 10:29 but the ripple is far reaching, a little pebble I should say. 10:33 Daniel, you know, you have one of the repetitive symbols 10:38 in the Bible talked about in Daniel, 10:40 but also reintroduced in Revelation, 10:42 the beast having seven heads and ten horns. 10:46 While in Daniel when this beast is talked about having 10:48 seven heads and ten horns, it's also talked about 10:52 three of the horns being plucked up by the roots, 10:55 meaning they are not going to grow anymore. 10:58 And one little horn, a stout little horn coming up 11:01 in its place with eyes like the eyes of a man 11:03 and a mouth speaking blasphemous and great things 11:06 against the most high God. And we know that 11:08 that goes back to the Roman power the rise of the Pontiffs 11:12 and then whole paganistic composition right there. 11:18 But then you have Revelation now, 11:20 with dragon with seven heads and ten horns is introduced. 11:26 But in Revelation it doesn't say 11:29 any of the horns are plucked up by the roots. 11:31 Right. It has, as a matter of fact from Revelation 17, 11:34 I'm throwing this out there so that some of you 11:36 Bible students could start studying more deeply. 11:38 Matter of fact it doesn't say any of those horns 11:40 are plucked up at all. Look at Revelation 17. 11:44 And I showed this to somebody 11:45 and they've thought pretty interesting. 11:47 And by the way I'm not coming up with anything arbitrary. 11:50 But, when you look at Revelation 17 and verse 10 11:56 and the ten horns which you saw are ten kings 12:00 who have received no Kingdom as yet. 12:03 But they received authority for one hour as Kings 12:06 with the beasts. Verse 12. And then verse 12, 12:09 that's verse 12. And then verse 16, 12:14 And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, 12:17 these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, 12:22 eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 12:26 Now on what beast in Revelation the first time 12:30 that that beast with seven heads 12:32 and ten horns has introduced, is in Revelation Chapter 12. 12:35 And it talks about that beast not as just a beast 12:39 but it gives a definition to that beast. 12:43 And look at the definition it gives. 12:45 In verse 3 of Revelation Chapter 12, 12:48 And another sign appeared in heaven, 12:50 behold a great fiery red dragon, 12:55 having seven heads and ten horns, 12:58 and seven diadems or crowns on his heads. 13:01 So when it's introduced there, this beast that's gonna be 13:04 referred to over and over in Revelation having seven heads 13:06 and ten horns is defined clearly in not only that verse 13:10 but verse 9 nails it down. 13:13 So the great dragon was cast out. 13:15 That serpent of old called the devil 13:17 and Satan who deceives the whole world. 13:19 He was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him. 13:23 So now, wherever you start seeing this 13:26 and test this as you do this, as you go through 13:28 Revelation from this point on and by the way John, 13:32 there are certain intersections in Revelation where symbols 13:36 are introduced and defined. 13:38 And it's very important that once they are introduced 13:41 and defined that we don't try to redefine them later on. 13:45 Is like saying me John Stanton, 13:47 he is 6'9.5, 6'10 with shoes on. He plays basketball, 13:50 he is living in California, his wife's name is Rochelle. 13:52 I'm giving all these details. But now I just say John Stanton, 13:56 I know who exactly who we're talking about, 13:58 yeah the tall guys. Yeah, all those facts are there. 14:01 So, not only is he introduced for the first time 14:04 in Revelation Chapter 12 and verse 3 and 9 14:07 but is given a name, the dragon that serpent of old 14:10 called the Devil, and Satan. And so when you go through 14:12 Revelation 12 and you see the dragon, the dragon. 14:14 But now, but now, let's look at this again. 14:17 And this is the reason why it's sso widely important. 14:19 Look at chapter 13, and I stood on the sand of the sea, 14:24 and I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, 14:26 having seven heads and ten horns, 14:28 and on his horns ten crowns, 14:31 and on his heads a blasphemous name. 14:34 Alright. Now you go to Revelation 17, 14:37 you see the same thing again. Okay. 14:40 But the angel in Revelation 17:7, 14:42 but the angel said to me, why do you marvel? 14:44 I will tell you the mystery of the woman, 14:46 and of the beast that carries her, 14:48 which has seven heads and ten horns. 14:51 Clearly seeing it again, that beast shows up 14:53 all over the place and for us to say that, 14:55 that beast is anything but the dragon, 14:59 the dragon works through other nations. 15:01 Works through Rome, worked through Babylon, 15:03 worked through Medo-Persia, worked through Greece, 15:05 works through paganism, works through secularism, 15:08 works through any power that is anti-Christ, 15:14 works through all those powers. But what you wanna see is, 15:17 Satan is interspersed throughout the Bible. 15:21 His head is being seen as popping up 15:24 in all these different places, in all through all these 15:26 different powers. And so when you read Revelation 12 15:30 you see that, yes, Pagan Rome is the one 15:32 that was around and tried to kill Christ. 15:34 Why were they tried to kill Christ 15:35 if Satan was not behind him. Right. Okay. 15:38 Oh, you also see in Revelation 13 there, 15:40 it talks about one of the heads being wounded. 15:43 Right. And so you know the emphasis seems to be, 15:46 as it's described here is on this one head, 15:49 not the beast, that's right. Okay. 15:52 So, you know we can't say the beast is necessarily 15:58 the Church of Rome, it's already defined as Satan, 16:01 but we can't say that one of the heads certainly is. 16:03 That's right. And then we get to Revelation 17, 16:07 we can't say that the beast is Rome because the woman is. 16:11 Okay. So, we've got to be careful as we go through these, 16:15 you know our descriptions here of these powers 16:19 within Revelation that were like you said, 16:21 we're not describing an interpretation to one 16:26 and then changing that interpretation 16:27 because it doesn't quite fit another scenario 16:30 or the scenario that we typically think, right, 16:32 Revelation should have, that would be 16:33 a private interpretation. That's why Revelation 16:36 is showing you the great controversy 16:38 between Jesus and Satan, between light and darkness, 16:41 truth and error. And it is all interspersed 16:43 throughout the Bible and it's showing you 16:45 how Satan worked through all these different nations, 16:47 different powers. But I like what you just 16:49 pointed out, John, I want to reiterate that. 16:51 When the Bible talks about he had one of his heads were 16:56 wounded to death. It means the others were not, 16:59 seven heads. One of them was wounded meaning, 17:02 six were never wounded. And so that means, 17:04 if each of these heads represented power 17:07 it means there are six of the powers 17:08 that Satan had been working through out history, 17:11 human history that were never wounded. 17:13 And you could go down the line and begin to talk about 17:15 what some of those are. Eastern Mysticism is one, 17:20 the other one he worked through was Judaism, 17:23 which rejected the Messiah. Islam rejected Jesus. 17:28 Look at all these powers that when you go through history, 17:30 you find them popping up their heads spiritualism, 17:33 the very first one introduced in the book of Genesis. 17:36 You shall not surely die that whole foundation, 17:38 the natural immortality of man's body, 17:41 or man's soul is all a foundational thing there. 17:45 And the point, reason I'm sharing this today 17:47 is I want many of you to just dive back into your Bible 17:49 and begin to see, that Satan doesn't just show up 17:52 in Revelation 12 and then again in Revelation Chapter 20 17:55 where he is bound for 1000 years. 17:56 He is throughout. He is throughout. 17:59 Another place you will find him is in Revelation Chapter 9. 18:02 We know that when we talked about when the Bible 18:04 talks about this star that had fallen from heaven. 18:08 We find there in Revelation 9 and I'll just go 18:11 and point this other one out too. 18:12 Because the other thing you find in Revelation 18:14 is only seven times is the phrase bottomless pit mentioned 18:18 that's the New King James and the King James Version. 18:21 It's talked about as the abyss 18:23 in the new international version. 18:25 But when you go to the first time it's introduced 18:28 all the major components that talked about 18:30 and defined at the introduction of that symbol. 18:34 So Revelation 9, if I would to ask a novelist 18:37 whose being described there in Revelation 9, 18:40 it talks about this he says and I saw, Revelation 9. 18:45 Oh, I turned, I was right there and I turned back. 18:47 And then the fifth angel sounded, 18:49 and I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth; 18:52 and to him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 18:55 Oh, yes he has the question, couple of questions. 18:58 Who is the star? One that fell from heaven. 19:03 Well the Bible doesn't even cause you to guess, 19:06 because Revelation 12 says there was war in heaven, 19:09 Satan and his angels fought and they did not prevail. 19:13 So they were cast out of heaven into the earth. 19:16 And what was his name before he was cast out? 19:18 Lucifer, The Morning Star. 19:20 So this star that had fallen from heaven 19:22 to the earth clearly is Lucifer, the bright and Morning Star. 19:28 Jesus also is the Bright and Morning Star. 19:31 And so you could see all the types and the anti-types there. 19:35 And then it talks about the bottomless pit twice here 19:39 in chapter 9, you have verse 2 and have verse 11. 19:44 And let's look at verse 11 because it gives another 19:46 definition to this star that fell from heaven. 19:49 It calls it first in verse 1, it calls it him. 19:54 So we know it's not a symbol of a thing but of a personality 19:59 and then it says and they had a King over them. 20:03 So what comes out of the bottomless pit 20:05 is associated with him. He is there obviously 20:08 his subjects, because he is the King over them. 20:11 Now keep this in mind, Jesus is the King of Kings 20:16 and Lord of Lords. And He is the commander 20:18 of the angels, the Holy angels. 20:21 But Satan here is the commander of evil angels. 20:23 Follow this carefully. Verse 11, And they had 20:27 a King over them, the angel now, 20:29 the third symbol is added, he is not only the star 20:32 that fell from heaven, but it's a him. 20:35 And now in verse 11 referred to him as a King 20:37 and then the fourth thing as an angel 20:39 of the bottomless pit. And then whose name 20:41 in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek 20:43 he has the name Apollyon. And when you look at 20:46 the definition of the Greek there and the name Greek 20:51 and then Apollyon in Hebrew, both of those are the names 20:55 that the Greeks and the Hebrews used to identify Satan. 20:59 So Revelation 9 is introducing Satan 21:03 into a very key element of the Bible. 21:05 And so one of the first times he's talked about 21:07 is being introduced on the scene 21:09 and his angels being introduced with him 21:11 in Revelation the book, you see in Revelation Chapter 9. 21:15 I think part of the confusion here too, John, 21:17 is that as each beast, there are three beasts actually 21:19 that are sinned in Revelation. 21:21 There was, the first beast is speaking of ascending out 21:25 of the sea, its Revelation 13 the beginning of it. 21:28 The second beast of Revelation 13 21:30 ascending out of the, what? The land. Right. 21:34 And then the third beast ascending out of the 21:36 bottomless pit. Right. What you're really seeing 21:39 in each of these things are manifestations of Satan, 21:43 his war, through the entity by which he chooses to use. 21:49 Right. So you are having a blending here 21:52 with each of the beast powers of blending 21:54 with the power that he is using. 21:55 First of all, Revelation 12 describes a definition 21:59 as to who this ultimate beast is, it's Satan. 22:01 Right. So when you get to Revelation 13, 22:03 you're talking about Satan managing himself through 22:06 the power of Rome. Then you're seeing Satan 22:09 and the next beast there in Revelation 13 through 22:11 the power of apostate Protestantism which is 22:14 in the United States. Then you are seeing here 22:16 Satan reappearing literally again 22:18 I believe in Revelation 17. Right. 22:21 And then the woman that's riding her and the Kings 22:23 and stuff that are described to her. 22:24 Now, the reason I say it, I describe it that way 22:27 is because in Revelation 16, you've got three, 22:31 it's almost the false trinity identified there 22:33 for the most part. Revelation 16:13, 22:36 the three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of 22:38 the mouth of the dragon, that's Revelation 12, 22:41 the mouth of the beast, Revelation 13 the first one 22:45 and the mouth of the false prophet, 22:46 the second beast of Revelation 13. 22:48 That's right. So the three identified in one spot here, 22:51 but each time this beast with seven heads 22:54 and ten horns appears. So it is a little bit confusing. 23:00 But once you stick to the rules and you start realizing 23:04 how these blend together then it becomes a little easier 23:07 to understand what the Book of Revelation is telling us 23:09 in these passages. Yeah, Revelation, 23:11 and even in Revelation 11 where, you know, 23:13 we know historically through France, 23:14 how Satan used the powers of France to wipe out 23:19 and outlawed the word of God. 23:21 But then who is working through that power? 23:23 Revelation 11 verse 7, the beast that ascends 23:26 out of the bottomless pit will make war against them 23:28 and overcome them and kill them. 23:30 Once again, outlawing the word of God in France. 23:32 That was an application to the time than present 23:36 but has a broader application, because you find that not 23:40 only had that happened, but this is a part of the pause 23:44 between the sixth and the seventh trumpet things 23:48 that are happening between the sixth 23:50 and the seventh trumpet. So anyway not giving 23:52 you an entire study on Revelation but one of the 23:55 thing that you wanna connect in Revelation 12 23:57 and verse 12 at the very end of Revelation 12 verse 12 24:01 it says for the devil that's come down 24:02 to you having great wrath, because he knows he has 24:06 but a short time. And then you go to Revelation 17 24:12 and you look at one more application there 24:14 in Revelation 17 verse 10. They are also seven kings, 24:19 five have fallen. One is in, the other has not yet come 24:23 and when he comes he must continue a short time. 24:27 So who's that one that comes and the answer 24:29 is so simple and so clear because it tells you 24:32 who that eighth one is in verse 8. 24:35 The beast that you saw was and is not 24:37 and will ascend out of the bottomless pit. 24:39 The one that's gonna ascend out of the bottomless pit 24:41 and continue a short time is Satan. 24:45 So it's really clear there. One of the things about 24:47 prophesy that I really like that can also be a little bit 24:50 difficult to understand sometimes is, 24:52 it seems like prophesy itself has a type 24:55 and anti-type fulfillment. Yes, it does. 24:57 You know you've got and some would use 25:00 the words application fulfillment. 25:03 Some use dual fulfillment, I don't like the word so much 25:05 because once fulfillment it's done. 25:07 Right. But anyway, so you have this description 25:10 and over and over again you see 25:13 this in Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel 25:15 and the minor prophets were, as the prophesy was described 25:20 to the children of Israel and nation locally. 25:22 Right. But they also received a climatic fulfillment 25:27 for the spiritual Israel, God's people at the end 25:31 of time right before his return. 25:32 That's right. So when you're reading through 25:35 these prophesies the general understanding 25:38 and application can be made locally 25:41 there at that time and then also a fulfillment 25:43 at the end of time. And some of the symbols 25:45 that are wrapped up in these are more specific 25:48 to maybe one or the other. Do you hear what I'm saying? 25:50 There could be something specific in there that's really 25:52 meant to be more for the local application 25:55 then a ultimate end time climatic fulfillment. 25:58 Not everyone, every single description 26:01 there is fulfilling on both sides. 26:03 The type and anti-type, do you hear what I'm saying? 26:04 Right, there is not always, there is not always that echo 26:07 and then the re-echo. Yeah. There is not constant. 26:09 So when you reading, in fact, when you read 26:11 some of the prophesies of Christ it will be giving 26:13 a prophesy about something entirely else, 26:15 some different application referring to maybe 26:18 the nation of Israel then all of a sudden in the middle, 26:20 one verse. Here's Jesus, it talks about Jesus. 26:24 You know the one that would appear 26:25 and so forth and so on. 26:27 We don't have enough time to go into those. 26:28 But, this is what we're dealing with 26:31 when we're reading prophesy, and it's really important 26:33 understand that it can be complicated 26:36 but you have to replace some general principles and rules 26:38 to understand what's going on, 26:39 in the local perspective as the prophesy was given 26:42 and then the antitypical fulfillment. 26:44 That's right. And some people try to some people 26:46 stumble over themselves by trying to get 26:48 too many symbols to apply to too many things 26:51 and almost some people also make some prophesies 26:54 repeat all the time. This say, will this apply 26:57 to Israel but this also applies to the end time, 26:59 they're applied in Micah there but it also applies 27:01 to the end time. Be very, very careful when you do that, 27:04 because as John just said. 27:05 everything doesn't apply to both. 27:06 Everything doesn't apply to both. 27:07 You have to remember that the prophecy 27:09 of Jonah for example, it had its fulfillment in Nineveh. 27:13 Are there people that do what Jonah did? 27:16 Yes. There are people that go the opposite way 27:18 when God tries to lead them but don't keep applying 27:20 that prophecy to Jonah. The only thing 27:22 that was applied to Jonah more than 27:23 once was when Jesus says as he was in the belly 27:27 of the fish three days and three nights, 27:28 soul of the son of man be in the heart of the earth 27:30 yeah, three days and three nights. 27:31 That's how Jesus applied but he didn't go past that. 27:33 Right. And I think you and I have dealt 27:35 with this several times and have been through 27:38 seminars and things that would be present on prophesy, 27:41 but you know the reading 27:42 of Revelation 8 and 9 and 10 and 11. 27:46 You can make that application to things in history. 27:49 That's right. You can and absolutely 27:51 and we don't second guess or question 27:53 some of the application that people have made 27:55 in those prophesies, but also we think 27:57 that you would be blind not to recognize the literal 28:00 antitypical fulfillment of these events at the end of time. 28:03 Like a broad, yeah, and appointed purpose 28:09 for these prophesies to be written. 28:11 And so that you could literally now establish a timeline. 28:14 A timeline in the sense like Jesus said in Matthew 24, 28:17 when all these things begin to come to pass, 28:20 Luke know that it is near even at the door. 28:23 Matthew lift up as the parable of the fig tree, 28:27 you know, the summer's near. 28:28 Even so you know that when all these things 28:29 begin to happen, well Jesus is near even at the door. 28:32 If they were not things we don't know the day 28:34 nor the hour but the Lord does give us indications 28:36 as to how near it is. And Nahum 3 verse 7, 28:39 the wonderful encouragement is, 28:41 he says, surely the Lord God does nothing, 28:43 except he revealed his secrets to his servants, 28:46 the prophets. And when you look at the word 28:48 servants in Revelation, the reason why the devil 28:50 is angry is because the servants of God 28:53 in the last days will understand prophesies 28:55 so well that he wants to shut them up 28:58 and he can't do it, because the servants of God 29:01 are revealing now to the world, 29:03 the final events as they are drawing to a close. 29:06 So anyway, one quick question here. 29:09 I thought this is a really nice one and you know what, 29:11 I think everybody is sincere but sometimes 29:14 I wanna make sure the reason I am reading this question 29:17 so that you don't misunderstand 29:18 what we do here at House Calls. 29:21 This is from Australia as a matter of fact, 29:24 Stanthorpe, Australia, go on give the name. 29:29 Thank you so much for sending it. 29:30 On the satellite channel one Adventist people 29:32 who are showing scenes of the places 29:34 where the apostles preached. 29:37 He pointed out the marble ruins 29:38 with multiple engravings of eggs 29:41 because they represented the fertility cult. 29:46 And then the person asked this question. 29:47 Is this why you have egg symbols as a backdrop 29:51 on your House Calls? Now, just do this very quickly, 29:54 take a shot of John. If you can do that for me 29:56 but the camera want to show somebody. 29:58 Behind John you could see that there are like on the shelf 30:00 looks like three little stands of eggs on it, 30:03 that has absolutely no bearing to any support of eggs 30:10 or symbols of paganistic believes. 30:12 Pure coincidences. That's decoration. 30:14 Yeah. Now it is like if you eat your eggs, 30:15 or if you have an egg in your house all of a sudden 30:17 you know worshiping the fertility God. 30:19 People worship moon, people worship the Sun, 30:23 because we walk in the light of the Sun. 30:25 we don't bow down to the light of the Sun. 30:27 Right. And so thank you very much for that question. 30:30 And this one last one John. Let's help this person 30:33 here with this. Go to, read this for me 30:35 John 15 verse 5. John 15 verse 5, 30:39 this person evidently misunderstood 30:40 when we talked about keeping 30:43 the commandments of God. And the question 30:44 a few weeks ago was is it necessary to keep 30:47 the commandments to be saved. 30:48 And we said, and we added to qualify to that 30:52 but I think the person only thought that 30:54 we meant in order to be saved, you better 30:56 find a way to keep the commandments to be saved. 30:58 Well what we have to keep in mind, John? 31:01 If you read John Chapter 15 and verse 5, 31:05 read that for us. I am the vine, 31:07 ye are the branches. That's right. 31:10 He who abideth in me, and I in him bears much fruit, 31:13 for without me you can do nothing. Okay. 31:15 Now, John 14 verse 15. If you love me, 31:21 keep my commandments. Okay. By abiding in Christ's divine, 31:25 without him we can't do it. With him, Philippians 4:13, 31:29 I can do all things through Christ who strengths me. 31:31 And to verify that we spent a lot of time in Revelation. 31:33 And Revelation says it very, very clearly the last day 31:37 people of the Lord will not be those who ignore 31:40 the commandments of God but the reason 31:41 why the devil will be upset with them 31:43 is because Revelation 17 says, 31:44 Revelation 12 verse 17 31:47 The dragon is enraged who angry with the woman 31:50 went to make war with the rest of her spring 31:52 who keep the commandments of God. 31:54 So, by the strength of Jesus, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, 31:58 by being connected to the vine they will be able 32:01 by his strength to live in harmony with the commandments. 32:05 Can you ignore the commandments and violate 32:06 them and be saved? No. But are they the means 32:10 by which you are saved? No. And here is another way 32:12 of saying that. Yeah. There are two sides 32:15 of an equation, an equal side. Okay. 32:17 Two sides of an equation, either you are, 32:20 before you, let me put it this way. 32:23 Before you accept Christ, keeping the commandments 32:25 of God will do nothing. Before you meet Christ 32:29 and accept him as your Savior, commandments means 32:31 nothing to you, because they are fruitless. 32:33 Why keep them? Because you are not, 32:34 you don't have Christ. Don't have him. 32:36 After you accept Christ as your savior you see 32:40 these commands, these things that God that he would, 32:43 ask of you in your life and your commitment to him 32:45 such as if you love me, keep my commandments. 32:47 Then those things like the commandments 32:50 become important in your life. So when people talk about, 32:54 you know, legalism and other things I would say 32:56 which side of the equation you are talking about? 32:57 What do you mean? Its like before you accept 33:00 Christ or after you accept Christ, 33:01 because before you accept Christ I agree with you 33:03 keeping the commandments does nothing. 33:04 But you after accept Christ as your Savior, 33:06 I would have to disagree with you. 33:08 Because keeping the commandments 33:10 is something that He clearly asked us to do 33:12 as we abide in him and as we show our love 33:15 for him and bare fruit for him, we are keeping 33:17 his commandments. So never keep 33:20 the commandments to be saved. 33:21 We keep the commandments because we have 33:23 already been saved and add to that if you want 33:27 keeping your commandments and you say 33:28 you are saved. James says that's impossible. 33:32 That's right. So, if you have been saved 33:36 but then don't keep the commandments of God 33:38 then I would say you are in jeopardy of losing 33:40 that salvation because there is not fruit in you 33:42 and it's impossible for you to be saved 33:44 and not keep the commandments of God. 33:46 So which side of the equation are you talking 33:49 about when you say, do you have to keep 33:52 the commandments of God? And to say 33:53 I love the Lord, but don't keep 33:56 the commandments it's not possible. 33:57 It's not possible. First John 2 verse 3 and 4, 34:02 verse 4. He who says I know him and does not keep 34:06 his commandments is a liar and the truth 34:07 is not in him, that's the authority of God's word. 34:09 But here is the way that Jesus illustrates 34:11 it and by the way he is our best example. 34:13 Notice how Jesus put it in the same book, 34:15 John Chapter 15 and verse 10. 34:17 If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love, 34:21 just as I have kept my father's commandments 34:25 and abided in his love. When you abide in the love 34:27 of Jesus, you will keep his commandments. 34:30 He says if you keep my commandments 34:31 you will abide in my love. Otherwise if you love me, 34:33 keep my commandments. That's what he said 34:35 it in the chapter before that. So, it's not possible 34:37 to say I love the Lord. But man that's Sabbath thing, 34:41 I don't know what to do with that. 34:42 I'm just not even gonna deal with that one. 34:44 I'm just gonna forget that. We can't do that. 34:46 It's by the love of Christ abiding in us that we 34:49 are enabled to live in harmony with his commandments. 34:51 So thank you for the question. But we don't have, 34:53 as the person implied here John. 34:56 Of course if John Lomacang and Stanton 35:00 are not sinners these words would not apply to you. 35:03 You have perfect freedom to appear in the judgment 35:05 in your own perfect obedience to the law of God. 35:09 How are you counteracting the counterfeit with this kind 35:11 of legalistic teaching going forth to the whole world? 35:15 And sorry if you misunderstood us, 35:18 but if we ever teach that you can give the 35:19 commandments without Jesus either we were tongue-tied 35:23 and just sick within ourselves or missed the bull by 35:27 thousand miles. But the reason why there are two 35:28 of us if John misstates it I'll correct him and vice versa. 35:32 That's right. So we do believe that the commandments 35:34 of God are widely important to our saving relationship 35:36 with Jesus, cannot, you cannot go to heaven by breaking them. 35:40 But they are not the standard of your salvation, 35:42 Jesus is. And when you are in him, you will walk in 35:45 his commandments. That's right. Right. 35:47 Thank you for your questions and comments 35:49 and by the way I know we've started up your righteous mind. 35:53 If you would like to send us a question or even a comment 35:55 you can send those to housecalls@3abn.org, 35:58 that's housecalls@3abn.org, and we would enjoy continuing 36:02 to walk with you in the word. 36:04 John, take us back into our topic today. 36:06 We've been talking about walking in the spirit, 36:09 so widely important to this walk with Christ. 36:12 And it's a good safe way too from the question that 36:14 we just had because we talked about abiding in Christ. 36:16 So wonderful, yeah. So when you are abiding in 36:18 Christ that means the presence of Christ is with in 36:20 you and you will become one with Christ, 36:22 you are abiding in him. And, so, I think John, 36:27 we covered pretty well last time the importance of 36:30 receiving the Holy Spirit and what the Holy Spirit is for 36:33 that is to help us to live like Christians and the bare 36:35 fruit as Christians. And to manifest Christ in our lives. 36:40 But now we wanna kind of go from here and talk about 36:44 some of the elementary or some of the practices and the 36:47 changes that will occur in life, 36:50 when the Holy Spirit resides there. 36:52 And I think you had some things that you specifically 36:55 had done that you would like to cover on those things. 36:57 You know, where are these changes that occur in our heart, 37:02 in our mind as the Holy Spirit then fills us and gives us 37:05 the ability to keep the law of God and to walk in 37:09 all his ways? Let's go to Galatians chapter 5. 37:13 This is a, we read in the Book of Romans, 37:16 Paul in Romans chapter 8, he talks about walking in the 37:19 spirit as compared to walking in the flesh, 37:22 living in the spirit as compared to living in the flesh. 37:25 And the comparisons are so striking that we have to 37:28 take time to look at that and then he addresses that 37:30 again in Galatians chapter 5 and he starts with verse 16. 37:37 How wonderful it is though John, 37:40 that he talks about the law of God here in this chapter 2 37:42 but let's start with verse 16 John and we would 37:46 walk down. And I'll just go ahead and read as you get 37:48 some other points together here. Galatians 5 verse 16, 37:52 follow him carefully. I say then, Paul is admonishing, 37:57 walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of 38:03 the flesh. Here is the great battle. 38:07 For the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against 38:12 the flesh, and these are contrary to one another. 38:16 So that you do not do the things that you wish. 38:19 Now the reason why Paul is not anonymous in the series 38:21 because he said in Romans 7, what I wanna do I can't, 38:25 what I hate doing that's why I do, I'm wretched, 38:28 I need deliverance. He says the deliverance 38:30 comes when we are walking in the spirit. 38:33 And the reason why he says there is a great 38:35 controversy everyday. If we put to death all these 38:39 fleshy desires then we are walking in the spirit and 38:42 there is life there. But I like you, I don't know if 38:44 you are there John if you could continue, 38:47 and we are gonna go ahead and outline the works of 38:50 the flesh. And I want you to walk through them 38:52 very slowly, because sometimes you find people that 38:56 are walking in the building of the church but they are 38:59 not necessarily walking in the spirit, in the Holy Spirit. 39:03 They are walking in the building, they are walking 39:05 through the pews, they are walking on the rostrum. 39:08 But they are not walking in the spirit. 39:09 Look at the identity of all of those who are walking 39:12 in the flesh. Verse 19, Now the words of the flesh 39:16 are evident which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, 39:23 lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, 39:29 jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, 39:34 dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, 39:39 revelries, and the like, of which I tell you beforehand 39:43 just as I told you in time past. That those who practice 39:48 such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Okay. 39:52 Notice that that's a quite list anywhere from selfishness 39:55 to sorcery from murder to contention. 40:00 Notice he doesn't put murder and contention in a 40:04 lesser category, he says a murderer somebody doing 40:07 life of murder is in the same condemnation in the flesh 40:10 as a person who loves to contend. 40:13 Notice, he talks about people that are outbursts of wrath, 40:19 can't control their temper, temper tantrums, 40:21 temper tantrums. How are you gonna be in the spirit 40:25 and you can't control your temper or more specifically 40:28 when you are in the spirit you yield your temper to the 40:31 control of the Holy Spirit. It's right. 40:34 So, these are things that we often see in and amongst 40:37 our church members and they are singing more like Jesus 40:42 I would know and you know we understand that there was 40:44 a growth aspect to this too. But you know, John, 40:47 if you have been a Christian for any number of years 40:50 and there is no evident growth in that person's life, 40:54 we are asking ourselves the question, are they, 40:56 are they fulfilled in just the label or they, are they living 41:01 a fulfilling life, because of this spirit. Right. 41:05 You know, one of the texts that come to mind that isn't 41:08 usually associated with exactly with the work of the spirit 41:11 but it's there to imply there is First John 1:9. Oh, yes. 41:16 If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive 41:20 us our sins. Now that's the part that happens when we 41:23 accept Christ. We repentant, we confess and Jesus says, 41:28 by my atoning sacrifice my blood I forgive you. 41:32 But in the rest of the verse comes to play, 41:35 and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. 41:39 Now, the word unrighteousness or even the word 41:42 righteousness or the righteous acts are doings what we do. 41:46 And that cleansing, in addition to the forgiveness that 41:49 we first receive the cleansing work is done by none other 41:54 than the Holy Spirit. So when I say the Holy Spirit, 41:57 I specifically mention that for that verse it's implied there, 42:00 because the cleansing process is the Holy Spirit's work. 42:05 Now, I take, I give you that cleanness as a foundation 42:11 for the text I'm about to read from Ezekiel. 42:15 And it's Ezekiel chapter 36 and it begins with verse 24, 42:20 and this is a promise that God made to the people of 42:23 Israel and remember the people of Israel were rebelling 42:26 against him, they were in harlotry, they were in outright 42:30 not only rebellion but they were in idol worship and they 42:33 were doing all those things that we just read. Right. 42:35 And God is saying, you are my people, 42:37 this should not be. But then he provides a solution and 42:42 listen to the solution that we find in Ezekiel 36 beginning 42:45 with verse 24. For I will take you from among the nations, 42:51 gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your 42:54 own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water on you, 43:00 and ye shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your 43:04 filthiness, and from all your idols. I will give you a new 43:08 heart and put a new spirit within you. 43:12 I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and 43:14 give you heart of flesh, and look at this, 43:17 I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk 43:22 in my statutes. You will keep my judgments and do them. 43:27 What verse again and chapter? Ezekiel 36 beginning 43:30 with verse 24 through verse 27. Okay. 43:34 You see the process here of going from, 43:36 taking his people from a state of rebellion that when 43:41 they repent and turn from their sins what he will do 43:43 with them? He will put them and set them up in their 43:45 own land. They will be sprinkled with clean water, 43:49 that is a cleansing that begins to occur and part of 43:51 that cleansing the,, is giving them a new heart and it's 43:55 putting the spirit of God with in them and then I like the 43:58 word cause. Cause you to walk in my statutes and you 44:02 will keep my judgments and do them. Remember we said 44:05 in answering the question, that before you accept Christ, 44:08 before you receive his spirit you cannot keep the 44:10 commandments of God, your mind is carnal, 44:13 it's not able to follow in the ways of God. Right. 44:17 But when the Holy Spirit comes into your life after he 44:20 forgives you from those past sins, he sprinkles you, 44:23 he cleans you, he puts the Holy Spirit in you that begins 44:26 to work. And then that alone the spirit causes you, 44:29 in other words it motivates you. It puts a new desires, 44:33 so you desire to keep the commandments, 44:37 follow God's ways and do the things that are according 44:40 to his plan in your life. You know what's so wonderful 44:44 about that, there needs to be evidence to us that we are 44:47 walking in the spirit. We need to know, 44:50 we need to have a point of reference. 44:52 Lot of people, matter of fact, First John 2 verse 3 when 44:56 Jesus says and here by we do know that we know him if 44:59 we keep his commandments, right, we know that. 45:02 We don't need anybody to tell us that, 45:04 if I'm walking in my house I know I'm home. 45:08 You don't need, you don't have to ring my doorbell and 45:09 say John, did you know that your home, 45:11 I'm using a very loose illustration here. 45:14 But some people need to know that they are in Christ, 45:17 they are abiding in Christ, they are walking in the spirit 45:21 and they need that reference and I like the way that 45:24 in Ezekiel 37, I preach the sermon called dry bones. 45:29 You know everybody talks about that. 45:32 But look at, look at verse 13 of Ezekiel chapter 37. 45:43 Then you shall know that I am the Lord when I have 45:48 opened your graves. Oh, my people and brought you 45:53 up from your graves. There are a lot of, Oh, 45:58 I don't want to start a fire John, but I'm gonna start 46:00 to fire. There are a lot of dead churches. 46:03 People go to the mausoleum, because they are dead. 46:07 They don't go to church to worship, right. 46:10 They go to the mausoleum because they are like, 46:13 they are not walking in the spirit. They are walking in the 46:15 flesh. They are walking dead men. Dead men walking as the, 46:19 one of the sermon titles I have there because they have 46:22 not allowed the spirit of God to dwell in their lives and 46:27 that's why verse 14 is not a reality. 46:29 Read verse 14 for us, notice what the Lord is saying, 46:32 he would do. I will put my spirit in you and you shall live 46:37 and I will place you in your own land then you shall know 46:40 that I the Lord have spoken it and performed it, 46:43 says the Lord. Notice, right away who is doing that? 46:45 The Lord is doing that. He is not only spoken it but he 46:48 is the one doing it and that's the whole reference when 46:51 the prophet was asked, can these bones live? 46:55 And he says well you know Lord, so this is what the Lord 46:58 will do he will make them breathe, bring them back from 47:00 their grave to be able to live in to the true spirit of life, 47:06 through the holy spirit. And notice he says, 47:07 I cause you to live. You've got to have, when you go to 47:12 a football game there is no doubt that those people are 47:14 there for the, they all unified for one reason. 47:17 Now they may not all support the same teams but they are, 47:20 they want to see if their team wins and they are lively 47:23 and vibrant and they are involved. It is impossible to 47:27 be a Christian and not be involved and say you are live. 47:30 Can you imagine John? Go into a football game and you 47:35 are neither supporting, you are supporting neither team 47:39 and so you sit there. That your time, I'm not doing 47:46 anything for those of you who will on the radio. 47:50 No response. You will not throw whether the ball goes 47:53 that direction or that direction whether they tumble over 47:56 here or tumble over there. And when the ball goes the 47:58 field goal, somebody crosses the goal line. 48:01 Someone has got to ask you, why are you here? 48:04 Yeah. I mean literally somebody will say, first of all they 48:07 will jump up because their team gets the score and 48:09 they are assuming that one your team when the next team 48:11 scores, you are gonna jump up. And then next team scores, 48:14 like that guy hasn't moved all game. He almost want to 48:17 check his pulse or her pulse and so the point of the 48:19 matter is, we have to have a living vibrant breathing 48:22 relationship in Jesus Christ as the spirit abides in us. 48:26 You know the one text it is commonly misunderstood John, 48:31 is speaking of this very issue found in First Peter chapter 3. 48:34 Okay, let's go there, First Peter chapter 3. 48:38 Okay, I went all the way to Revelation and I don't know. 48:41 First Peter 3 and verse 18, you know, 48:43 and there is a entire denomination that stands very, 48:48 this is one of their main passengers in the Bible, 48:51 that stands strong on this passage. 48:53 And it's because of a misunderstanding. 48:55 Okay, I'm gonna go ahead and circle that one I haven't 48:57 turn. Verse 18, For Christ also suffered once for sins, 49:00 the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, 49:04 being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit. 49:07 So the context here is being put to death and then alive 49:12 by the spirit we live in Christ we have a live through 49:15 the spirit. Oh, God, got you. And verse 19, 49:17 by whom also he that is Jesus, went and preached to the 49:20 spirits in prison. Some will say okay, 49:24 see their spirits down in hell right down when they are 49:27 in prison and Christ went down to preach them for a while. 49:30 Watch out. And that's true. That's not what it's talking 49:33 about here. This says who formally were disobedient when 49:37 once the divine long-suffering waited in the days of Noah, 49:40 while the Ark was being prepared in which few, 49:42 that is eight souls were saved through water. 49:46 And then it talks about the subject of baptism and how 49:49 you know we die to our old sins and we live to God. 49:53 But notice here verse, chapter 4 verse 1 therefore 49:55 since Christ suffered for us in the flesh armed yourself 49:58 also with the same mind for he who has suffered in the 50:01 flesh has ceased from sin that he no longer should live 50:05 the rest of the time in the flesh knowing the lusts of men 50:07 but for the will of God. In other words she is no longer 50:10 dead, but his alive to the spirit, right. 50:14 So, when Christ's speaking to or pushing to the but the 50:18 spirits in speaking to those who are dead, 50:21 if you wanna know how I write that conclusion look at 50:25 First Peter 4 verse 6, okay, " For this is the reason the 50:30 gospel was preached also those who are what, 50:33 dead, dead, same reference same point Peters making here, 50:37 but he calls them instead of the spirit and prison now he 50:39 calls them dead. By the way when you are dead to the 50:42 spirit of God, you are in prison, who is prison, 50:48 that's right, same as prison, that's right, 50:50 you're in bondage of sin. Paul refers over and over again 50:54 to those who understand and those who are captive to Satan, 50:57 they are in the bondage of sin they are captive, 51:00 then here for this reason the gospel is preached also 51:03 to those who are dead that they might be judged according 51:06 to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 51:09 Again referring to if you're dead you're living in the flesh 51:12 if you live, if you're alive you're living in the 51:14 spirit of God. That's all this passage is talking about, 51:18 but of course we know there's a whole doctrine made 51:20 upon you know about those who are alive we need to be 51:23 preach so they can have a chance to be saved, 51:24 after they have already died and gonna to hell, anyway. 51:29 That's I am so glad you brought that up, John, 51:32 because you connected two things here that a lot of 51:33 people don't necessarily do. You connected this example 51:37 that's often used to say the when Jesus died he went to 51:40 hell and preached a sermon to those who were in the flood 51:43 and were not saved at that time. But show you that he was 51:46 not reversing the process, he's saying only 8 were saved 51:49 back then, right, and what you have to keep in mind is 51:53 Bible says is its pointed unto men who wants to die and 51:57 after that the judgment, not the salvation. 52:00 Right, you don't die and he say oh let me give another 52:04 chance to be saved, that's why today is the day of salvation, 52:07 today is the time of acceptance of Christ. 52:10 Now, let me ignore Jesus when I die maybe he'll come and 52:13 preach to me in prisons too. You understand how 52:15 diabolical that is, we have this putted off and if even if 52:19 you mess up and even if you just don't even get around 52:21 to it, you get a chance when you go to hell. 52:25 And I am in the context of what people think about this text, 52:28 right, when you go to hell, there will be a sermon 52:31 down there. Okay, we have some, I am just, 52:33 I'm gonna be very cynical on this. 52:35 We just have some new people that are and this is the 52:37 ideology people have, they think when you're wicked, 52:39 you die and go to hell. And, now, but the Bible, 52:44 but you know the let me finish my story, 52:46 they think you're wicked and die and go to hell 52:47 and down there you get a second chance. 52:49 Why do you think they baptize the dead... 52:52 they baptized for the dead. Very good point. 52:55 It's from all from this passage, a lot of there process, 52:58 a lot of the things they that are done here today are by 53:01 some are because of a misinterpretation of 53:03 scripture. But when you apply correctly, 53:06 you know the reason for The Rich Man and Lazarus' 53:09 story now. All of a sudden it becomes clear that when 53:12 you die there is no second chance, right. 53:16 And that's the parable of the rich man notice what he said 53:19 very, very carefully he says, Jesus said to him, 53:23 there is a great gulf fixed, there is a great gulf fixed. 53:30 Luke chapter 16, okay verse 26, Beside all this, 53:36 between us and you there is a great gulf fixed. 53:40 In other words its firm its not gonna be change. 53:42 So, that those who wanna pass from here to you cannot 53:46 no can those from there pass to us, to us. 53:50 There is no gonna back there is no gonna forward, right, 53:53 what's done is done when you die that's it. 53:55 So, when people talk about the spirit who God, 53:58 Jesus went and preached, what the Bible in essence 54:00 saying is, in Genesis, when Jesus says, matter of fact, 54:04 let me give you the reference right now, 54:06 here is why Peter referenced that story. 54:08 Genesis 6 and verse 3, this is what was that story was 54:12 all about, when Peter said in times past he's preached 54:15 to them, spirits in prison, he was in essence saying, 54:19 back then in Genesis Chapter 6 and verse 3, 54:21 The Lord says, My spirit will not always strive with men, 54:25 there you go, those man who are in prison, 54:27 and through the Holy Spirit Jesus preached to them 54:32 way back there in the times of the flood. 54:34 That's right, because it was Jesus guiding the affairs of 54:36 the people back then. Exactly, not a second chance 54:41 after Jesus died, he said we know I know there a lot of 54:43 people died in the flood. Let me go and talk to them 54:45 while I'm in the grave for a few days, 54:47 that's not what is being taught there so. 54:49 Friends, don't get in that trap. And that's what the rich 54:53 man Lazarus is all about. So, when you think about it, 54:57 when you narrow it down, John, where are headed, 55:00 did you have something for me right now? 55:02 No, I just think that you know as we talk about the work 55:06 of the Holy Spirit, you know what he's doing in our lives. 55:08 Right. He's trying to get us to pass from dead to life. 55:11 That's right. And without the Holy Spirit as we are saying 55:15 there lot of people in church today that are not being, 55:19 they are not operating or walking in this persons, 55:21 our title of this program is a walk in the spirit. 55:26 They're not walking in the spirit and that's why you've 55:28 some who are so mean-spirited within the church, 55:32 in the way they treat their brethren, 55:34 their brothers and sisters, and the way they handle 55:37 situations even if they're right, the way they handle 55:40 them can be devilish, like that, that's because they are 55:44 operating based upon knowledge or truth rather than 55:47 allowing a spirit. I got to bring this text up, 55:50 John, you go forward. 55:51 Jesus said, I am seeking those who worship me, 55:55 who worship me in the last days in spirit and in truth. 55:58 John 4 verse 23 and 24. And often is 56:02 Adventist Christians, I have to confess, 56:04 we've emphasized, see the truth, is important, 56:06 is important. Let me turn the figure right back at you. 56:10 Some of you've the truth are not worshiping God in spirit. 56:13 That's right. And we are we point other people has oh 56:18 you think you know when the slings and the spirit, 56:20 I am speaking in all these tongues, well, 56:22 you think of spirit, you don't have the truth, 56:23 that's not truth about that matter. 56:24 I am sorry but many of you who are in the truth aren't 56:27 in the spirit, you have the other problem. 56:31 I'm so glad you mentioned that I met a young man, 56:33 who had been listening to 3ABN from many, many years, 56:36 he's now convicted of everything that he had heard, 56:39 but he confessed to me just exactly what you said. 56:41 He says, I am not have all my dots, my i's dotted 56:45 and my T's crossed, but now I need to get back in the 56:48 Bible to learn more about Jesus, because I want to connect 56:50 the two. And that's where my text come from, 56:53 a very short one, that you cannot miss First Thessalonians 56:57 chapter 5 and verse 19, only we has five words, 57:01 "Do Not Quench the Spirit." Are the other words friends, 57:06 and thank you John, for being that point up. 57:08 There those who are, who are in the truth as 57:12 important as being in the spirit for both are necessary 57:16 for your saving relationship in Jesus Christ to be a 57:19 thriving one, a vibrant one, an exciting one and one that 57:24 brings forth fruit for the glory of God. 57:26 So, ask for the Lord to come into your life and his 57:29 spirit's power will make a difference. 57:31 Have a great day in Christ. Amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17