Participants: John Lomacang (Host), James Rafferty
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL120015
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00:01 Hello, friends, grab your Bible and a friend
00:02 and sit back as we explore God's word together 00:05 on this edition of House calls. 00:22 Welcome to our Bible program. 00:25 It's called House calls, and we are in your house. 00:27 Yes, we are. If you are in office, ignore that comment. 00:31 We are in the place that you are comfortable right now 00:33 and we hope that you just take the time to pause 00:36 and join us for one hour of walking 00:39 through the Bible together. 00:40 My name is John Lomacang and I have James Rafferty. 00:44 Get rid of the last names and we are James and John. 00:46 Hey, good to have you here 00:47 again today. Good to be here, John. 00:48 Yes, I tell you, we've been enjoying our time together. 00:51 As you know, John Stanton is not here with us. 00:54 And sometimes we have other Johns here, 00:55 but today it's the sons of thunder 00:58 and we've been enjoying 00:59 thundering forth the word of God. 01:01 And we thank you for tuning in and supporting 01:02 this network and all that you do. 01:05 We are prayed up and we are prepared for the Lord 01:07 to do what he does best, 01:09 work through us human instrumentalities. 01:12 And before we go any further and talk about the questions 01:15 you've sent in and the topic we're gonna cover today, 01:18 we're gonna first begin with the word of prayers. James. 01:20 Amen. Father, I just want to thank you again. 01:22 It's a privilege for us to come 01:24 to you to ask for your wisdom. 01:26 Your Holy Spirit to guide and direct us 01:28 with Jesus to be our instructor, 01:30 to teaches us as you have in days of old. 01:32 We're opening your Word now. 01:34 We're entering into your presence. 01:35 We're asking you a special blessing upon those listening 01:38 on our audience and upon ourselves. 01:40 We are asking that you use us, that you cleanse us, 01:42 you anoint us and touch us with that call from heaven. 01:45 And we give this time to your house 01:47 to you right now in Jesus name, amen. 01:51 Amen. Well, friends, you always send Bible questions 01:53 to us and that's a very 01:54 significant point of the program. 01:56 We always begin the program with your questions. 01:58 And so if you're thinking about 01:59 anything you want to send to us, 02:01 you can send those to the email 02:02 on you screen housecalls@3abn.org. 02:06 That's housecalls@3abn.org. 02:09 And try to make them as concise 02:10 as you possible can, succinct, small. 02:14 Try not to send us your doctoral dissertations, 02:16 which sometimes some people do that. 02:18 And those are the ones that get us confused, right, James? 02:21 Right. It's like, we look at that and we think, no, 02:23 we can't read all of that. 02:24 And we go on to the next one. 02:26 So to assure that you will get your questions answered, 02:29 try to make them as clear as possible, 02:31 and we thank you for what you do. 02:33 Now would you like to begin or you-- 02:34 Sure. We have a question here from Australia. 02:38 Oh, down under. All the way from Down Under. 02:39 This is Debbie in Australia and she says, dear Johns-- 02:44 Okay. Okay. Can we handle that questions, 02:46 all right? We could be able. 02:47 Okay. "Dear Johns, could you please explain 02:49 to me the passage where God tells Noah 02:52 that He is not able to eat 02:53 every creeping thing on the earth. 02:56 This indicates to me that He is allowing Noah to eat 02:59 any type of meat. 03:01 But why would God then make a distinction 03:03 between clean and unclean meats 03:05 later on as God changes not." 03:08 Now that is a really good question. 03:09 In fact, Debbie says, 03:11 "I would really appreciate you answering this question." 03:14 Well, Debbie, the first answer that comes to mind 03:17 for me is found in Genesis Chapter 7, 03:20 Genesis Chapter 7. 03:22 The story of the flood is a well-known story in the Bible. 03:26 A lot of people understand or know or heard of the story 03:29 of Noah's ark and it's actually in different cultures 03:32 and religions this idea of a worldwide flood. 03:35 What a lot of people don't know about the flood 03:38 that the Bible teaches is that the animals 03:41 did not go into the ark two by two. 03:45 Now most of the stories that I've heard of Noah's ark 03:48 whether they are children story in church, 03:51 whether that's an illustration on some board or in, 03:54 in some kind of program, most of those stories 03:59 show the animals, all of the animals 04:01 going into the ark two by two. 04:05 And so that is the normal understanding that people 04:08 have of the story of Noah's ark. 04:11 Two by two, two by two, two by two. 04:13 But here's something that's really 04:15 interesting, really significant. 04:16 In Genesis Chapter 7, I will begin with verse one, 04:19 The LORD said unto Noah, 04:21 "Come thou and all thy house into the ark; 04:25 for thee have I seen righteous 04:27 before me in this generation." 04:29 Verse two, "Of every clean beast 04:32 thou shalt take to thee by sevens, 04:36 male and his female, and of the beasts 04:39 that are not clean by two, the male and his female." 04:44 Okay, did you know that when Noah 04:46 was called to build an ark, when the animals 04:49 were to be brought into that ark, 04:52 that the clean animals were to go in seven by seven 04:55 and the unclean by twos. 04:58 In other words, it was not all the animals 05:00 that went in the ark by two. 05:01 It is only the unclean animals 05:03 that went into the ark by two. 05:04 Now, Debbie, you've asked the question, 05:07 "why would God," it says, "this indicates to me, 05:11 why would God then make the distinction 05:12 between clean and unclean later on 05:14 and not in Noah's day." 05:16 He did make the distinction in Noah's day. 05:18 Think about it. He did make the distinction. 05:20 If you have two animals going into the ark, 05:23 a male and a female, 05:24 and one of them is eaten guess what? 05:28 That species is now-- 05:30 History. Extinct. That, that species is now gone, 05:34 John. So here God is clearly making the distinction. 05:37 He's saying after the flood, 05:39 this world is going to be devastated. 05:40 There's not gonna be any vegetation. 05:42 It's gonna take a while to recover. 05:43 So I want you to take clean animals 05:45 and those that can be eaten. 05:46 I want you to take those into the ark by sevens 05:49 because you're going to need some extras. That's right. 05:51 But the unclean animals, I only want them in by twos, 05:54 male and female because I don't want you to eat them. 05:57 If you eat them, they're extinct. 05:59 Right the continuation of that species-- 06:02 Is gone. He made it very clear that they would go on. 06:04 Can you imagine as you pointed out, 06:06 if one of them were eaten, 06:08 then right away that's the end of that tune? 06:10 And we think about that in relation to animals 06:12 today that are closed, like I remember the panda. 06:14 You remember the panda and how 06:16 they only had what 40 or 50 or I don't know maybe 06:19 even less than that, I can't remember exactly. 06:21 Now of course, they pulled out of that, you know, danger, 06:25 but the point is that if you--imagine 06:28 if you only had two animals 06:29 one was a male, one was a female, 06:30 and there was just two. 06:32 Well, would you let anyone shoot 06:33 one of those animals and, and have them for supper? No. 06:35 I don't think anyone would do that. 06:37 Absolutely. So another interesting point 06:39 here in the story of Genesis 06:41 and now we're on the story of, of meat eating and when God 06:45 allowed us to eat meat, there's two other points here, 06:48 one has to do with the age difference 06:51 between those who lived 06:53 before the flood and those who lived after. 06:55 After the flood--before the flood, 06:57 I should say, men lived for hundreds of years, 07:00 700, 800, 900 years. 07:02 After the flood, the lifespan of man dropped drastically. 07:07 And, of course, science today tells us that 07:10 the food that we eat has a tremendous impact 07:13 on our health and our longevity. 07:16 They say that Seventh-Day Adventists 07:18 in the National Geographic that they live, the blue zone, 07:21 this whole study about Seventh-Day Adventists live 07:23 an average 10 years longer than the rest of the world 07:27 simply because of their diet and their health practices. 07:30 And so in Genesis Chapter 9, God actually gets specific 07:33 not only about the food that He wants His people eat, 07:37 but how they should eat it. 07:38 And He says here in Genesis Chapter 9, 07:41 and we're just gonna look here in verse 3, 07:44 "Every moving thing that lives shall be meat for you." 07:47 This is what Debbie brought out. 07:48 "Even as the green herb I have given you all things. 07:51 But the flesh with the life thereof, 07:54 which is the blood thereof, you shall not eat." 07:59 In other words even when God allowed us to eat meat, 08:01 He wanted us to kosher it. 08:02 He wanted us to get the blood out. 08:04 He didn't want us to eat the blood. 08:05 And today's science tells us, it's the blood and the fat. 08:07 And in Leviticus, God again repeats this, 08:10 "don't eat the blood, don't eat the fat." 08:12 If we were to follow God's counsel 08:15 not only we would be healthier 08:17 but we wouldn't even eat--you know McDonald's. 08:19 We would be eating hardly anywhere 08:20 because, because most meat has the blood in it. 08:23 Because the blood is what gives it that flavor 08:26 that people get hooked on and really like. 08:28 I speak this to someone who's raised eating meat. 08:31 I mean I've always thought was that there was meat. 08:33 And I remember when I first thought about the idea 08:35 of being a vegetarian I thought what would I eat? 08:38 What would I eat? 08:39 And now I can't even imagine what it would be like 08:41 to eat meat because I just love the vegetarian diet 08:44 and I feel so healthy and, and so good following the counsel 08:47 that God has given us in His word. 08:49 So God, Debbie, is pretty consistent 08:50 there when we look at the Old Testament story 08:52 and the story of the flood. 08:54 You know, what's wonderful about that is God 08:57 has His own sanitation department. 09:01 I like to think of it that way someone was just giving me 09:04 the formula for having a fish tank 09:07 that you don't have to clean. Yeah. 09:09 They said make sure that you have obviously the fish 09:11 that you like, the species, but make sure, 09:13 I forgot the word he used, Crustaceans or-- 09:16 Yes, okay. Make sure you have fish 09:19 that clean up everything in. Yes. 09:22 He says because that will keep you from having to change 09:25 the water as frequently as you might 09:28 because they are the sanitation department. 09:31 So once you have those fish that feed on the bottom, 09:33 you may have looked some crayfish, 09:35 you may have whatever else can fit in your fish tank. 09:40 Some catfish. He said they'll make sure 09:41 that, that thing stays clean. 09:43 And also the glass, I had one that would take up 09:44 and clean the glass. 09:46 Yeah, I had a mudfish that he's always, 09:48 well, he loved mud. 09:50 He didn't need a lot of water that was an amazing thing. 09:51 It's just could be very, very shallow just about little 09:54 above his head and he just loved that. 09:55 So you didn't have to fill the fish tank. 09:56 No, he loved mild. Exactly. 09:59 But I thought about that and I said, you know, 10:01 God had this thing put together. 10:03 He--that's why the oceans are clean for the most part. 10:06 That's why even when they are disasters 10:10 that may occur you know, places--West coast. 10:14 West coast. Yeah, et cetera. 10:15 You go to some lakes then you have lot of catfish 10:18 that's why lot of catfish in lakes. 10:20 You know, there are fish that God 10:22 has design to keep the environment clean. 10:26 We drive down New Lake Road a lot of times 10:29 and we live out of the country, 10:30 and sometimes unfortunately a raccoon 10:32 may get run over or some kind of animal 10:34 may get hit by a car. 10:36 And frequently the vultures 10:41 that's probably big over on here but whatever-- Buzzards 10:45 Buzzards, yeah, big, they're on the road. 10:47 And when they lift up with their massive big black wings 10:51 their cleaning the road up. 10:53 You know, the sanitation department 10:55 is not gonna by and scoop that up 10:57 and next day it's gone. 10:59 You could see the spot where it was, but you know, 11:00 oh, that bird came and got it. 11:02 So the Lord when you look at the dietary principles 11:04 and Leviticus and Numbers and Deuteronomy, 11:07 you begin to see that not only was God right on tap 11:12 as to what is best to put in our bodies, 11:14 but He was also on tap as to how best to keep 11:18 His own creation clean. 11:20 He put all this filters in place. 11:22 And to show you that these principles 11:24 never sees the lot of time people say well, 11:26 when Jesus died on the cross these dietary laws ended. 11:30 No, the ceremonial laws ended. Yes. 11:32 Because they are pointed 11:33 to the coming Christ, the lamb of God. The lamb of God. 11:36 But are our intestines didn't change. 11:39 Our digestive system wasn't redesigned 11:43 after the crucifixion, I know that occurred. 11:45 What was unclean in the word 11:47 beginning continued to be unclean. 11:49 And I pointed this vision of Peter in Acts chapter 10. 11:53 This is probably one of the latest stories 11:55 and then you got on the first Timothy where you know, 11:58 "nothing needs to be refused if it is received 12:00 with thanks giving, for it is sanctified by the word 12:02 of God and by prayer." 12:03 People say, "ah, there is another one." 12:05 You know, you pray over and eat it. 12:07 Your doctors will tell you that. 12:09 I'll tell you a story in a moment after that, 12:10 but into story now Peter, 12:13 remember this is post-resurrection, 12:15 post-ascension, Christ 12:16 is not on the earth He is in heaven now. 12:18 And Lord is giving a vision to Peter 12:21 because there is somebody 12:22 He wants to reach with the Gospel. 12:26 But prejudice is still an issue 12:28 that had to be dealt with. 12:30 Matter of fact, I also discovered 12:31 that whenever the apostles or any of the Jews 12:35 went to the house of someone else they had to qualify 12:38 that with the Jewish leaders 12:39 because as the Samaritan said to Jesus, 12:42 the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritan. 12:45 We don't, we don't get, I mean, and so whenever Peter 12:49 when He was sent to the house of Cornelius 12:53 someone with him to make sure this is okay. 12:56 And he had to qualify that. 12:58 So the Lord gave him permission in this vision 13:01 to fulfill the mission that Christ had given. 13:03 But notice the context of it. 13:06 Acts chapter 10 verse 9. 13:09 And it says, "The next day, as they went on their journey 13:12 and drew near, Peter went upon the housetop to pray, 13:14 about the sixth hour." 13:16 That's noon. "And he became very hungry and wanted to eat, 13:20 but while he, but while they made ready," 13:22 that is got the food ready. 13:25 "He fell into a trance and saw heaven open. 13:28 And an object like a great sheet bound 13:31 at the four corners, descending to him 13:33 and let down to the earth. 13:35 In it were all kinds of four-footed 13:38 animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, 13:42 and birds of the air. 13:44 And a voice came to him, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.' 13:50 But Peter said, 'Not so, Lord, for I have never eaten 13:54 anything common or unclean.' 13:56 Now before I go any further, 13:57 this is post-ascension and Peter as an apostle of Christ 14:02 still knows that there is common things 14:05 and there unclean things that as a follower of Christ 14:08 I shouldn't be eating this, I've never done that. 14:11 We must say his diet was free of the pollutants 14:15 that were created by God. 14:17 Now get this, the pollutants that were created by God, 14:21 in another words if I make a garbage can, 14:23 I maybe the garbage can designer 14:25 but I won't be the one that eats my garbage can. 14:28 So is there anything wrong with the garbage can? 14:30 Absolutely not. For the function 14:31 for which it was created. 14:33 Is anything wrong with the pig? 14:34 No, for the function with which he was created, 14:37 God made that. 14:38 So I said these that the pollutants that God, 14:41 these are the sanitation department. 14:43 Because if they don't eat the sanitation department, 14:45 because my earth will be in serious trouble. 14:48 So the voice against spoke to him in verse 15, 14:51 the second time, and this is what it says. 14:54 "What God has cleansed, you must not call common. 14:57 And that's why they say, 'God cleansed all Beasts, 15:01 all the birds, all the wild beasts, God cleansed it.' 15:05 This was done three times. 15:08 And the object was taken up into heaven again." 15:11 Now while Peter wondered within himself 15:13 what this vision which he had seen meant. 15:16 "Behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius 15:18 had made inquiry of Simon's house, 15:21 inquiry for Simon's house and stood before the gate." 15:24 And you've continue to follow story 15:25 and you begin to continue 15:27 to go further and further down. 15:28 And then he finally sees, He finally sees what God 15:32 had in store for him and then you read verse 20. 15:34 I'm jumping through the story. 15:36 Then he said to them. 15:39 "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man 15:42 to keep company with or go to one of another nation. 15:47 But God has shown me that I should not call any man 15:52 common or unclean." 15:54 So this vision, God used the things that Peter definitely-- 15:56 He knew Peter wouldn't need it. 15:59 But he said Peter there is another issue deep 16:01 within which you don't need. 16:03 It's what you don't associate with. 16:05 And so this is a lesson even to those of us 16:07 who have dietary principles that are clean. 16:10 We may say I don't, I don't think lot of people 16:12 that don't believe like I do. 16:13 Well, I don't think people 16:15 that they don't practice what I do. 16:17 Lord is saying wait a minute, wait a minute, 16:18 wait a minute, so do you not hanging around with them 16:20 because they're common or unclean at the Jews 16:23 had indicted Christ of hanging around with winebibbers 16:25 and harlots and tax-collectors and sinners. 16:28 But Jesus says "I'm the friend of sinners." 16:30 And so the whole story 16:32 here we're going into different area altogether. 16:34 Peter didn't forget the dietary principles. 16:36 But the Lord used the very thing that He knew Peter 16:38 wouldn't do to say, "Peter... I know you wouldn't do that 16:41 but please don't have the same attitude toward man." 16:44 That was...you know, frankly the story there. 16:46 I like, I like this, John, and why we are on the subject. 16:49 Let's go to first Timothy chapter four, 16:51 because I think that, that those verses 16:53 have been misunderstood also. Oh, very much so. 16:55 And they make a lot of sense, if you just read them plainly, 16:58 they'll make a lot of sense in the context 17:00 of what we've just read. 17:01 What've read in Genesis, what we understand 17:03 in the dietary laws and what we've read in Acts 17:07 and how God is applying these verses. 17:09 Now the thing that I like about 17:11 first Timothy and Act chapter four 17:12 is that it applies to us in the end of time. 17:16 The spirit verse one of Timothy 1:4 speaks 17:18 expressly within the later times. 17:21 Some shall depart from the faith 17:23 and the faith has to be qualified here. 17:25 The faith comes by hearing by the will of God. 17:28 So to say that the spirit is warning us 17:30 about something is going to happen, a lot of times 17:33 means that the spirit is warning us about people 17:35 here that are going to leave the word of God. 17:37 They're not going to follow the word of God. 17:39 That's right. They're not going to believe 17:41 the word of God. 17:42 And it says that they're gonna give 17:43 heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. 17:45 That's right. They're going to speak lies and hypocrisy. 17:48 They gonna have their conscience 17:49 and that word means co-perception. 17:51 That is not what you understand by yourself. 17:54 It's what you understand in cooperation with someone else 17:57 and that someone else is God. It's his word. 18:00 Having their co-perception with God 18:01 seared with a hot iron, forbid to marry. 18:04 And we could spend sometime on that, 18:06 but I'm not going because we need to get right 18:07 into and stay with our subject and that is food. 18:10 And can manage to abstain and that word 18:12 means to hold yourself off from, from meat. 18:16 The King James says meats. Right. 18:17 That's not the proper translation. 18:19 Most of the translations, New King James, NIV, NAS 18:23 most of the translations have the word in their food. 18:26 "Command to abstain from food." 18:29 Now here is where people miss the point. 18:33 This is what Paul is making here, 18:35 which God has created to be received with thanksgiving 18:39 of them which believe they know the truth. 18:40 Now stop right there. 18:41 What food did God create that we receive in thanksgiving 18:44 of them which believe in know the truth? 18:46 Originally, when God created us, 18:48 and that word "created" actually 18:50 goes back to original creation in the Greek. 18:52 It's referring to what God originally created. 18:54 When you think about the truth of the word of God, 18:58 the faith of the word--the word of God 18:59 that's comes by faith. 19:01 You recognize that God originally created mankind 19:04 to eat what's called the Genesis diet. 19:06 That's right. Foods, nuts, grains, and vegetables. 19:08 That's the original diet we find in Genesis 19:10 that God originally created for us. 19:12 So that's the context of this verse. In other words, 19:15 in the latter days and think about this today, John, 19:18 'cause this is incredible. 19:19 We're living in a time when science is telling us 19:22 that the vegetarian diet is the diet for man. 19:25 Science is telling us this. 19:26 Okay, so we're living in a time 19:28 when it's not just a Biblical truth, it's a scientific fact 19:32 that the vegetarian diet is the best diet for us. 19:35 So we're living in time when science is proving this. 19:37 The Bible of course teaches this and in this time 19:41 they are many who are departing from the Bible. 19:43 They're giving heed to seducing spirits 19:44 and doctrines of devils, and they're holding themselves off 19:47 from the food that God originally created 19:49 to be received at thanksgiving to them 19:50 which believe in know the truth. 19:51 For every verse four... creature. 19:54 Now that word "creature" 19:55 again connects to the word "created." 19:58 It's, it's connected to that same verse. 20:00 It's not talking here necessary about in animal. 20:04 It's not talking here necessary about what God 20:07 created in the sense of an animal. 20:08 It's talking about food. 20:09 That's the context here. 20:10 Every original creature, every creature, everything God 20:14 originally created for food. 20:15 Okay, every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused 20:21 if it be received with thanksgiving. 20:23 Notice this verse 5, "for it," for God originally created, 20:26 the creation that God originally 20:28 gave to us for food, "it is sanctified by the word of God, 20:32 set aside by the word of God." 20:34 God originally set aside for us 20:36 the Genesis diet, and by prayer. 20:38 And we still need a prayer over this food. 20:39 I mean, think about it. 20:41 You have the pesticides today. 20:42 You have all kinds of diseases that are coming through, 20:45 not just animals, but just through the way that our food 20:48 is prepared and God wants us to pray over this food 20:51 because disease is everywhere. It's rampant. 20:53 But you can see these verses. 20:55 When you read them in their context 20:56 and even in the context in the rest of Bible from Genesis 20:59 all the way to Revelation, 21:00 you can see that all of them come together. 21:02 They're not contradicting. 21:03 There is not, oh, the Bible teaches this here 21:05 and it teaches this over here, 21:07 as Debbie asked and as desire for God is consistent. 21:10 God is very consistent with 21:12 the truth that He has given us to concerning 21:14 these dietary principles. 21:16 And truly today when you eat a tomato, 21:18 unless you grow it yourself 21:20 that tomato was picked when it was practically green. 21:23 And sometimes you see them tracking down the highway, 21:25 you know, it's just bumping down the highway 21:27 with this massive trucks with all these tomatoes 21:30 and you can see the different various shades 21:32 and you are hoping, I hope this truck 21:34 does not have an accident. 21:35 Don't get tomato pelted. 21:38 You know, you see those? Oh, yeah. 21:39 Look at California. It's such a good point 21:41 I'm so spoiled by home ground, by garden produce. 21:44 I can't eat tomato in out of stores. 21:46 It's just hard. It--it doesn't have any-- 21:48 It's premature. It looks little and tiny. 21:51 Danny was making some tomato. 21:54 He planted the garden by his house with tomatoes and-- 21:56 I'm sure he's already got tomatoes. 21:58 And he let them grow therefore. 22:01 One slice of that tomato, one slice covered the whole bread. 22:06 It was outside of the lip of bread. 22:08 Let me tell you a funny story. 22:09 My wife and I had a greenhouse-- 22:10 You just open and just bite into it. 22:12 And a juicy... ripping-- ...filled with flavor. 22:14 We had a greenhouse on the side. 22:15 We were growing tomatoes in this greenhouse. 22:18 And I don't like tomatoes necessarily. 22:20 But when those tomatoes got ripe, 22:21 I was eating tomato sandwiches nothing else in them. 22:24 So we're going out there and these tomatoes 22:26 we're eating them so fast that they're not as available 22:28 and so my wife and I sneaking out there 22:31 and getting the tomatoes. 22:33 You know, before the other, it was really funny. 22:34 She went after one time. 22:36 I had a sprinkling system setup and I had a sprinkling there 22:38 in the greenhouse and I saw her sneak out there 22:42 and I run over to the garage 22:43 and I turned on the sprinkling system, 22:45 just for a second and then turn it off 22:47 and she came running into that garage 22:49 and chased me through the house. 22:51 And it was so hilarious. 22:52 Stay away from my tomatoes. 22:53 Yeah, well, we just-- we just had. 22:55 It was a ride. It's real fun. 22:57 But that's true, so what's happening here is 22:59 God wants the best for us. 23:01 You really can't Doug Batchelor 23:03 he does some funny things at times. 23:05 He said, you know, we get addicted by all the things 23:09 that we put into our bodies. 23:10 But have you ever seen a person say, you know, 23:14 I'm-- I'm going through shakes 23:16 and neither leave the room, I need a banana. 23:18 You know, we don't get addicted to good things. 23:22 We often get addicted to the things 23:23 that are not good for us. 23:24 And physicians are saying 23:25 as you so wonderfully put together, 23:27 we relay this issue to rest here. 23:30 Society with all the principles, 23:32 with all the violations of temperance, 23:36 even the good things, 23:37 we have to be temperance with them. 23:40 And all the processed foods and all the chemicals 23:43 that are being added to things nowadays, 23:44 just to get them to the store, 23:47 my good friend Hans, Dr. Hans Diehl says, 23:49 "If it doesn't spoil don't eat it." 23:52 You know, how is it? 23:54 If it doesn't spoil, don't eat it. 23:57 He says, "you can have 23:58 a bag of potato chips will never spoil. 24:02 Eat the potato that will spoil then the body could use it. 24:06 'Cause the body can break it down to this. 24:07 Body break it down, but we get the potato chip 24:09 rather than the potato. 24:10 Even potato chips is not a sinful thing, 24:13 but it doesn't have the nutrients. 24:14 It's not as good for us. 24:15 Not as good. So be very wise about what we're eating. 24:18 Truly, you don't want to eat things 24:19 that God created not human. 24:20 Another thing about the potato chips, John 24:22 just in the side here and a lot of these 24:24 manufactured foods, the science, 24:26 scientists were called in to figure out 24:28 what kind of chemicals we put in these foods 24:29 to make them addictive. 24:31 And of course you know when you think about, ah, 24:33 but the number one addictive to most foods 24:36 to make them addictive is sugar. 24:37 Just plain old sugar. 24:38 Very addicting is sugar, and it's put in lot of foods. 24:41 You know, some of the foods experts think 24:42 what sugar do in it. 24:43 There is more sugar in ketchup 24:45 ounce for ounce and there is in ice cream. 24:48 Okay, because you don't find tomatoes 24:50 tasting like ketchup. 24:51 And that's why a lot of people 24:52 want to put ketchup on everything. 24:53 It's not necessarily you left ketchup, 24:54 but they're addicted to that because of the sugar 24:57 because of the addictives that were putting into these, 24:59 in these foods, in these bad foods, 25:01 in these chips et cetera. 25:02 So that's, that's another reason. 25:03 That's probably the answer to get Kiddy Brussels sprout, 25:06 put, put sugar on it, okay. 25:08 Anyway I think we'll segue on that note. 25:10 Wouldn't get many Brussels sprouts with that. 25:12 They are really good, they have a function in the world. 25:14 One quick one here. I'm sure they do. 25:16 Once again quick, you get the word there. 25:20 I learned about water cresting in Orland, Brussels sprouts 25:22 and believe me I agree with President Bush, 25:25 there are certain things you shouldn't eat. 25:28 Anyway that's the Father Bush, 25:29 he didn't like Brussels sprouts. 25:30 I thought it was broccoli probably it was. 25:32 That was a broccoli, maybe it was broccoli 25:34 one of those he didn't like. 25:36 Anyway my question is based on Colossians 1 verse 16, 25:39 Hebrews 1 and Proverbs 8 verse 22 to 30. 25:42 I believe in the holy trinity and holiness of Jesus, 25:45 however was Jesus brought into the Godhead 25:49 at some distant point in eternity. 25:51 The language used for Lucifer in Ezekiel 28 25:54 is similar to the language used in Proverbs. 25:56 We were talking about that as we read that. 26:00 There are other scriptures in regard 26:02 perhaps you could start here in assisting me. 26:05 So this person that the basic question is, 26:08 was Jesus created primarily, 26:10 was He brought into the Godhead at some distant point. 26:12 Which is, which is not true because 26:14 the Godhead is the three, so you can't bring, 26:17 that would be bringing the fourth person in, 26:19 you know, as far as that goes with second 26:20 so be yeah, yeah, right. 26:22 So the answer in the nutshell is no, 26:24 but I could understand if you use certain Bible verses 26:30 without connecting all of the pieces, 26:32 its kind of like saying to be absent from the body 26:34 is to be present with the Lord 26:35 and that'll be the summarization of your belief 26:37 from what happens when a person dies, right. 26:39 You would say, "wow, 26:41 I want to be absent from the body, 26:43 I want to present with the Lord. 26:44 But you have to take the entire kit 26:46 and caboodle together put all those text together, 26:49 filter them down and find out what they're all saying 26:52 and then you put the pieces together. 26:53 And there's no contradiction, it all fixed. Amen. 26:56 We will be absent from the body, 26:57 we will be present with the Lord one day. 27:00 But Paul and the very same context says, 27:01 put every man in his own order. 27:03 Yes. So he knows. 27:05 And the next thing we know 27:06 after death is to be present with the Lord. 27:07 That's right, 'cause you'll not-- 27:08 'Cause death is unconscious sleep, 27:10 now we'll get on subject. 27:11 Yeah, but, but, but the point of the matter 27:13 is lets keep it all together and put the pieces there, amen 27:16 Colossians 1 verse 16, 27:18 let's use some of the verses that you sited here. 27:21 The Bible says "For by Him all things were created 27:24 that are in heaven and that are on earth, 27:26 visible and invisible, 27:28 whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. 27:31 All things were created through Him and for Him." 27:34 One of the reason this passage is so widely important, 27:37 if we, if we miss the phrase all things, 27:41 then we could say well, Jesus was created 27:43 and then He was the one used to create, right. 27:47 But the phase all things means all things. 27:50 That were created. Therefore, Jesus was not created. 27:53 There you go. Okay, that's good. 27:55 You can't miss that. 27:56 I like this because when we talk about Christ 27:59 many times we talk about Him in the context 28:03 only of His divinity or in the context 28:05 only of His humanity. 28:06 And Hebrews Chapter 1 which is the other verse 28:08 that we sited tells us that Jesus Christ 28:12 is not only God, but He is also a man, 28:15 Jesus Christ is not only man, 28:16 but He is also a God and you can't separate Him, 28:19 you can't separate those two, 28:21 and so that makes it complicated 28:23 in a sense because understanding 28:25 how He could be both man and God 28:27 at the same time is a mystery first of all. 28:29 But then when we talk about Jesus, 28:32 what do we talking about? 28:33 Are we talking about His divinity, 28:34 or are we talking about His humanity, 28:35 or we talking about both His divinity and His humanity. 28:38 Right, so when you hear these phrases 28:40 brought forth come forth. 28:42 A lot of those phrases and by the way 28:44 Jesus is still human, He still bears humanity. 28:48 He has taken humanity upon Himself 28:50 not just for 33 and half years but for eternity. 28:53 So when He was resurrected, 28:55 He still appeared to disciples in the human form 28:58 and He told them it's expedient for me that I go away, 29:00 because I can't be with you in all places, 29:02 but the Holy Spirit can. That's right. 29:04 So He has, He has limited Himself, 29:06 He has limited His ability to be with, 29:08 to be in all places at all times 29:10 and therefore when you look at Jesus 29:12 even today you're looking at a human and divine person. 29:17 So as you look at this Bible verses 29:18 as we read some of these Bible verses 29:19 I think it's important for us to take that in consideration. 29:23 Hebrews 1, emphasis nine times that Jesus Christ is God, 29:28 Hebrews 2, emphasis that Jesus is man. 29:31 And so as you read about Him being the first begotten 29:33 and being brought forth etcetera, 29:35 you wanna understand in the context 29:37 of the humanity of Christ and you might say well, yeah, 29:40 but that was after we sinned and that was, 29:43 that was you know 2,000 years ago. 29:44 No, the Bible is very clear Revelation 13 verse 8, 29:48 "Jesus is the lamb that was slain 29:49 from the foundation of the world." 29:51 Before the worlds were formed. 29:54 The plan of salvation was put in place 29:56 and that included Jesus Christ coming as a Son of Man. 30:00 Yeah, and so when you, when you put that God's-- 30:06 man's knowledge and God's foreknowledge. 30:10 Yes, there you go. 30:11 We, we figure something out well, God already knew it. 30:14 We say, "I got it." 30:16 God never has a, I got it moment. 30:18 Say that again I like that. 30:19 Man's knowledge cannot compare to God's foreknowledge. 30:24 See before the foundation of the worlds were like 30:27 I think as Isaiah 46 verse 9 and 10, 30:30 "Remember the former things of old, 30:32 For I am God, and there is none like Me, 30:33 Declaring the end from the beginning, 30:34 And from ancient times things that are not yet done, 30:38 Saying, 'My counsel will stand, 30:40 And I will do all My pleasure."' 30:41 So you see clearly, God's-- 30:43 man's knowledge versus God's foreknowledge. 30:46 Let's talk about God's foreknowledge, man's knowledge. 30:50 He maybe seeing the car speeding 30:54 and somebody else sees the car speeding this way, 30:57 God is on the top of the building 30:58 seeing both cars speeding 31:00 and He knows what's gonna happen at that intersection. 31:03 Man finds out what happened at that intersection, 31:05 God sees it coming. 31:06 Did He, did He or did He predestine that to occur? 31:10 No, But He saw, He saw the, 31:13 He saw the trajectory of both vehicles, 31:15 both speeding no stop sign, no, no, no stop lights. 31:19 He could say before they are going to hit, 31:22 man says they did hit, man's knowledge. 31:25 They are going to hit God's foreknowledge. 31:27 So you begin to see Jesus in the very same light 31:29 He cannot be the creator if He is the created 31:34 any more than we can be a creator, 31:36 because we are the created. 31:38 So we'd begin to see this that-- 31:41 yes before this world was and one of the things 31:44 that you wanna bring out I think you-- 31:45 did you read verse 2 of Hebrews-- 31:48 Now you mean reading the verses. 31:49 Hebrews 1, and verse 1 and 2, with the verse 2. 31:54 In the context, "God, who at sundry times 31:56 and in divers manners spake in time past by the-- 31:59 unto the fathers by the prophets, 32:01 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, 32:04 whom he has appointed heir of all things, 32:06 and by whom also he made the worlds" 32:09 Made the worlds, we think world, 32:12 we say why did He say world, 32:13 well, this is our world. 32:15 Science or astronomers call this the constellation 32:18 that were the Milky Way galaxy. 32:21 But they also admitted there are millions more, 32:25 probably more than they have even yet discovered. 32:28 So when we look at that we say 32:29 by whom He made the worlds 32:32 there is no second living planet 32:35 with people on it in this galaxy, 32:38 but science look out and say well, 32:39 if this galaxy could sustain life, 32:42 there's a possibility all the others 32:44 have the same components to sustain life. 32:46 But we'll never know 32:49 God's foreknowledge, man's knowledge, 32:51 So Jesus is forever. He is everlasting, He is God. 32:55 This condescension brought that humanity aspect into it. 32:59 But is He God? Yes, He is. 33:01 Absolutely, and we see this throughout scripture 33:04 but there are difficult verses, there are challenging verses. 33:07 And I think this question have brought up 33:08 a couple of verses that were little bit difficult 33:12 in the context of Christ being God. 33:15 So was Jesus brought into the Godhead 33:18 at some distant point of eternity? 33:19 No, 'cause you can't mention the Godhead 33:22 without including Jesus, right. 33:24 Okay, so He didn't become the Godhead 33:25 when He was added, it was the Godhead 33:27 because He is in it, amen. 33:30 So thank you for your questions and comments. 33:33 We're gonna spend little bit of time 33:34 on the Three Angels' Messages today. 33:38 But if you have any more questions and comments 33:39 you'd like to send to us. 33:40 The House Calls email is housecalls@3abn.org 33:45 That's housecalls@3abn.org and you can submit 33:48 your questions and your comments right there. 33:50 And thank you so much for challenging us 33:53 and also sometimes not so much challenging 33:57 in trying to stump us, 33:58 but mentioning things that will truly be 34:00 an issue in somebody else's mind. 34:02 I appreciate that very much, amen. 34:05 James, lets dive into the topic of the Three Angels' Messages. 34:09 We laid some foundation in the prior program 34:13 that these messages are appurtenant 34:14 to the entire world. 34:16 They are significant for the time, 34:18 but they are part of the everlasting gospel. 34:20 I want you to elaborate on that little 34:21 and then lead us into the message, 34:23 lead us into each of these message, 34:25 how significant are they 34:27 and when do they have their greatest impact? 34:29 I wanna talk about that. 34:30 When do these messages have their greatest import. 34:33 Okay, revelation 14 verse 6, 34:35 the everlasting gospel is the foundation 34:38 for the Three Angels' Messages, 34:40 that it is what shapes and directs us 34:42 to understand these messages. 34:44 The phrase everlasting gospel is so significant 34:48 that this is the only place in the word of God 34:51 that phrase is used. 34:52 It's never used anywhere else, not in the Old Testament, 34:56 and not in the New Testament. 34:57 And the reason why is because this message 34:59 has significant import for our world today 35:03 right now today, and here is why. 35:06 The everlasting gospel tells us, informs us 35:08 that the gospel of Jesus Christ, 35:10 the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world 35:13 is the only means through which anyone ever has been saved 35:16 or ever will be saved, amen. 35:18 Now the reason that significant is because 35:19 we're living in a time when this gospel is been preached. 35:22 There're lot of people and I'm talking now 35:24 about believers, Christians. 35:26 A lot of people who have this idea 35:28 that in the New Testament, we're saved by grace, 35:32 and in the Old Testament, they were saved by the law. 35:34 In the New Testament, we have a new covenant, 35:36 in the Old Testament, we have the old covenant. 35:38 In the New Testament, we're under grace, 35:40 and in the Old Testament, we're under law. 35:42 And so God is reminding us, He's reminding the world know, 35:45 it's always been the everlasting gospel. 35:48 The everlasting gospel reminds us 35:50 that we have always had salvation 35:51 through faith in Jesus Christ. 35:53 Another example of this is found in Hebrews Chapter 11. 35:56 Hebrews 11 points us to the faith 36:00 that those in the Old Testament had in the Messiah to come, 36:03 its called the Hall of Faith chapter, 36:05 I mean that's how we nickname it is. 36:07 Believers, the Hall of Faith chapter. 36:08 And that identifies all to the believers 36:10 in the Old Testament and of course 36:12 it doesn't identify them all, right. 36:14 The Altar Hebrew says you know, 36:15 there is not time to talk about all, 36:17 we run out of time but all of them 36:19 we're looking forward to the promise to the salvation 36:23 it was promised in Jesus Christ. 36:25 The whole Book of Hebrews is all about the sanctuary service 36:27 and all of the types and images 36:29 that pointed forward to the Lamb, right. 36:30 So the significance of this phrase 36:32 everlasting gospel cannot be underestimated. 36:35 It is crucial for the time in which we live, 36:37 because it is informing us about the fact 36:42 that Jesus Christ is the way of salvation. 36:44 In another words let me put it this way. 36:47 There has never been you know, 36:48 there are times when I'll be doing Bible study, 36:50 I'll be sharing, I'll be doing evangelism 36:52 and someone would come to me and inevitably 36:54 they might be from the different denomination 36:56 and they might say well, you know, 36:58 Seventh-Day Adventists are talking about, you know, 37:00 you're talking about the Sabbath, 37:01 you're talking about the Law of God 37:02 and how important it is. 37:03 And they'll say, but my pastor told me 37:05 that we're under grace now, 37:06 we're not under the law, that's the old covenant. 37:08 And in the Old Testament they were saved you know, 37:10 through the old covenant which was the law. 37:12 But in the New Testament, we're saved by grace 37:15 and we don't keep the law anymore. 37:16 And so then I inevitably we'll try to prove to them 37:19 that the Old Testament you know, 37:20 is the New Testament else and but what I'll say now is, 37:24 I will say well, let me ask you a question? 37:26 Would you ask your pastor to answer this question for me? 37:30 Is he saying then that in the Old Testament 37:32 people were saved through obedience to the law? 37:35 Is that, is that what your pastor saying? 37:38 In the Old Testament were people saved 37:39 through obedience of law 37:41 and the ultimate answer to that friends is no. 37:43 There was never a time and there never will be a time 37:46 when people were saved through their obedience 37:48 to the law of God. 37:50 The law of God very clearly Old and New Testament, 37:53 the law of God convicts us of sin. 37:56 It exalts the standard of righteousness. 37:57 It identifies what sin is. 37:59 It reveals God's love, the attributes of His character 38:03 but it does not save us. 38:04 Our salvation has always been Old Testament 38:06 and always will be New Testament 38:08 through the blood of the Lamb. 38:10 That's right and when you, 38:11 when you look at the whole aspect of grace, 38:14 one of the first entries in the Bible 38:16 is in Genesis 6 verse 8 where Noah found grace 38:19 in the eyes of the Lord. 38:20 You know, that's song, where Noah found grace 38:22 in the eyes of the Lord. 38:23 There we sing that song. 38:25 We do and I've never, I've never- 38:26 I don't know that song. Really? 38:28 Yeah, where have I been. 38:29 I don't-James, you had missed 38:31 one of the most enduring quartets of all time, okay. 38:34 And yeah, that's a song that children sing 38:37 in Sabbath school growing up in New York and-- 38:39 Can you give us a couple of chorus 38:41 I'd loved to do that one. 38:43 Yeah, you might get me up at my worst fear but, 38:46 but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. 38:48 Repetitively speaking and when you think 38:50 about the Lord in Exodus when it came before His people, 38:54 He's saying to them seek grace because, 38:59 because of the transgression of the people. 39:00 Now Moses speaks about how he found grace 39:04 in the side of the Lord. 39:06 So salvation, we're saved by grace through faith. 39:11 Faith is not new and grace is not new. 39:14 The Lord long suffering and abounding 39:19 and mercy, He is gracious. 39:23 So gracious is that word full of grace, amen. 39:27 So grace is not a new thing and for God 39:31 to deal with them differently than He deals with us 39:34 on the foundation of salvation would be He changes. 39:37 Yes, but He doesn't change. 39:39 He's a same yesterday, today and forever. 39:42 And that is why this is so crucial 39:43 this everlasting gospel, one of the phrases 39:46 of the proclamations of the gospel 39:47 is to give glory to God. 39:50 Fear God and give glory to Him. 39:51 Now I want you to notice in the context 39:53 of what we've just being discussing here 39:55 Ephesians Chapter 2 beginning with verse 8, 39:58 Ephesians 2, and beginning with verse 8 40:00 identifies this phrase and helps us to understand 40:02 what it means in the context of the everlasting gospel. 40:05 Ephesians 2 verse 8 says, 40:06 "For by grace you are saved through faith, 40:10 and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, 40:14 not of works, lest any man should boast." 40:17 Now, what is that word mean 40:18 in the original Hebrew or Greek. 40:21 We're in the New Testament, so it's Greek, 40:22 Old Testament Hebrews. 40:23 So the word boast actually means 40:26 in the Greek to glory, to glory. 40:29 So when you look at the phrase in Revelation 14, 40:31 fear God and give glory to Him, 40:34 it calls you to Ephesians Chapter 2, 40:37 which tells us that we're saved by grace through faith. 40:39 It's not of our works it's a gift of God, 40:42 lest any man should glory in himself. 40:44 That's right, we ought to give glory to God. 40:46 So to give glory to God 40:47 in the context of Three Angels' Messages 40:49 is to trust in His grace, is to look through His grace, 40:52 to be saved by His grace and not by our works. 40:54 Not to trust in our works and not to trust in our merit. 40:56 Now this is why, John, 40:59 the second angel says, Babylon has fallen. 41:02 What is Babylon all about? What is the essence of Babylon? 41:05 Where does that idea come from? 41:06 Why is God using Babylon 41:08 in the context of the everlasting gospel? 41:09 Babylon was probably one of the greatest kingdoms 41:12 in antiquity and known for its golden representations 41:17 of lions and eagles and all of the pomp and circumstance 41:22 that could ever be mustered up in antiquity. 41:24 I think some archaeologist say, 41:26 there is never been a city like it ever since. 41:29 Now New York is trying really hard 41:31 and so are other cities that are trying to show 41:34 its own glory like Las Vegas and the list goes on and on. 41:39 However Babylon is a city that was named 41:43 because of something that happened earlier, 41:46 post the flood when men began to distrust God 41:51 and they built a tower of Babel, 41:53 so if you really would say it is Babylon, 41:55 if you really think about it. 41:56 Matter of fact one of the gods of the occult world, 41:59 which I did the study, they believe in the father, 42:02 the son, the mother and the church. 42:05 Okay, so they have the father, 42:06 the mother, the son and the church. 42:08 They believe in the father this is their divinity-- 42:10 their figure of divinity, 42:12 their God the father would be named Chaos. 42:15 God the mother would be called Babalon, 42:17 B-A-B-A excuse me B-A-B-A-L-O-N that's the way to spell it. 42:22 And God the son is Bafoment, 42:27 this dual gender He goat that represents 42:30 this occult figure you know, you have the horns 42:33 and the hooves which from 42:35 which we get the goat head in occultism. 42:37 And then you have they believe 42:38 in the daughter as the church. 42:42 So there are four in their Godhead. 42:43 And that's really interesting, because the goat is the animal 42:46 that was made for sacrifice on the Day of Atonement. 42:48 But I don't wanna stray from this. 42:50 Why were they building a tower? 42:52 They distrusted the God. 42:53 They Distrusted God and they were putting 42:55 their trust in their works. 42:56 That's right, to build the tower 42:58 to save themselves in case there was another flood-- 43:00 They boasted, they save themselves. 43:02 Yes, salvation by their own works. 43:05 So Babylon is transposed to the Book of Revelation 43:09 to the last message of Revelation 43:11 to the context of the everlasting gospel, 43:12 Babylon is transposed there as reminder 43:15 not to trust in our own works, 43:17 but to give glory to God, to trust in His grace, 43:20 to trust in the gift of salvation, and notice this, 43:22 this transitions that takes place. 43:25 The first angel's message 43:26 preaches the everlasting gospel. 43:27 It announces that we're saved by grace through faith. 43:30 That's right. Give glory to God. 43:32 The second angel follows the first angel. 43:34 And what does it announce? Babylon is falling. 43:37 When we understand the everlasting gospel 43:39 and we put our faith in Jesus Christ 43:41 and we except salvation as a gift guess what happens. 43:45 The lies of Babylon come crumbling down. 43:47 They come crumbling down, that's right. 43:48 Babylon is diminished, Babylon is destroyed. 43:51 What I like about that, it shows you all the ways 43:54 that Babylon is destroyed one other things 43:56 that really comes out, 43:57 and I just love studying the Book of Revelation. 43:59 It says nobody buys her merchandise anymore. 44:03 You know, I'm not buying what you're selling. 44:05 Love it, see I heard that before. 44:08 We had people that have joined the Adventist Church 44:10 and they're lovely Christians in all. 44:12 They were lovely Christian before 44:13 they join the Adventist Church. 44:14 That's not what I'm saying, 44:15 I'm not saying they became lovely by joining the church, 44:17 they became people of understanding truth. 44:20 They said I heard that, so now after accepting 44:23 the messages of truth as God has entrusted to us, 44:26 entrusted to us, we don't know it's His messages. 44:28 But as after they accept the messages they go back. 44:31 I have a young man in our church named David, 44:33 David Butler, and his family, we call them the Butler family 44:37 and he is fired up and he frequently would say, 44:40 I ain't buying that anymore, 44:41 I ain't buying that anymore really, 44:43 really came out of that hoody life 44:46 and he used to be a gangbanger. 44:48 He said, I ain't buying that anymore 44:49 and I thought about it, 44:51 no one buys her merchandise anymore. 44:53 Love it, so truly when you begin to understand 44:55 the gospel I'm not buying that salvation is by works. 44:58 I'm not buying that the laws been nailed to the cross. 45:00 I'm not buying that Jesus was created. 45:03 I'm not buying the idea that people die 45:05 and go to heaven right away. 45:06 I'm not buying that they are burning in hell forever. 45:09 I'm not buying, and these are, 45:11 these are untruths coming out of the system of confusion. 45:16 What they've done in the context. 45:18 So you gonna finish it, go ahead. 45:20 What they've done in the context 45:21 of everlasting gospel, notice verse 8, 45:24 "Is there followed another angel, saying, 45:25 Babylon, Babylon is fallen, that great city, 45:27 because she made all nations drink of the wine 45:30 of the wrath of her fornication. 45:32 Now fornication is spiritual adultery, 45:35 its unfaithfulness to God. 45:37 The wine in the Bible is a symbol 45:39 of the blood of Jesus Christ. 45:40 It says this wine is a symbol of my blood 45:42 or my salvation so as John, as you were bringing out here 45:46 what they've done is they have taken 45:48 the salvation of Jesus Christ, the blood of Jesus Christ, 45:50 the wine that symbolizes His blood 45:52 and His salvation gift. 45:53 And they have committed spiritual adultery with it, 45:56 they've been unfaithful to it. 45:58 They've as you said added these other doctrines, 46:01 these are the ideas that misrepresent God, 46:04 they misrepresent Christ, they misrepresent salvation, 46:06 they misrepresent the character of God. 46:09 They picture God is burning people 46:11 forever and ever in hell. 46:12 They picture God is doing away with His laws, 46:14 if the law was not a good thing 46:16 a transcript of His character, revelation of His love 46:19 and they nailed it to the cross. 46:21 They don't recognize that while we're saved by grace 46:24 through faith and that not of yourselves, 46:25 it is the gift of God, 46:26 we're His workmanship Ephesians 2:10, 46:29 Created in Christ Jesus unto good works. 46:31 That God has ordained that we should walk in them. 46:33 That's right, and so all of this has been mixed 46:36 with this fornication, all of this wine, 46:38 the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ 46:40 has been adulterated and it caused confusion 46:44 in the minds and hearts of millions, 46:47 perhaps billions of people. 46:48 And now we have this proclamations 46:50 of the everlasting gospel which is going to bring 46:52 an end to all of this confusion, 46:54 its gonna dismantle it, its gonna diminish it, 46:57 its gonna destroy it, and people out there 46:59 are gonna be doing what they were saying, 47:01 they're gonna be saying I ain't buying 47:02 that anymore and that's Revelation 18. 47:04 You know, that's amazing about Babylon. 47:05 We see what Babylon has done and you know, 47:08 when you study with the Bible it says about wine. 47:10 Wine only can effect us if we imbibe it, 47:14 you know, if we swallow that. 47:15 One of the reasons why is sobriety test 47:17 is so vitally important is because the person 47:18 that's a inebriate it can't walk a straight line. 47:21 So that's why we are told when we recognize 47:24 what Babylon has done to other Christians. 47:26 The Bible says to us, there are people 47:27 that have crooked paths, so make your path straight. 47:31 So that those who are laying 47:32 won't be turned out of the way. 47:34 God has a people the path that leads to eternal life 47:37 as straight and narrow path. 47:39 It calls for people to walk a straight line. 47:41 So there are many Christians who love the Lord, 47:43 who have been inebriated, who have been intoxicated 47:45 by the wine of Babylon. 47:47 God is saying before He comes, He recognize it. 47:50 John 10:16, "Other sheep I have that are not of this fold, 47:53 them also I must bring," 47:54 so that's why Babylon's message is doubled again 47:58 when the loud cry comes. 48:00 We called that's the earth being lighten 48:01 with the glory of God in Revelation 18 verse 1 to 4. 48:04 When the earth is lighten with the glory of God. 48:06 In other words, when the gospel permeates the earth, 48:08 saturates like yeast in bread the message is heard, 48:11 everybody come out of her my people. 48:14 I love that, so God is not gonna reform Babylon, 48:16 He's gonna destroy Babylon, He's gonna bring her down. 48:19 And they gonna stand back and say, at last, 48:22 at last this great city for in one hour 48:25 she's come to nothing, He's gonna bring that down. 48:28 So be careful that you swallowing things 48:33 or ingesting things that are not supported by scripture. 48:35 And one of the indications that you maybe is when you say, 48:38 I know the Bible says but, be careful because goats butt, 48:42 and remember goats are gonna be on left. 48:45 See a goat, butt all the time. 48:47 Goats are gonna be on the left 48:48 If the word of God says try not to follow 48:50 that up with but my pastor, but my church. 48:54 Be very, very careful because that's what happens 48:57 in systems that are filled with confusion. 48:59 Destroy I was going to tell before this in our transition 49:01 to the third message and I like you to take us 49:03 to that one before our time expires. 49:05 Is there was a young man who had been confused 49:07 about which day was the day 49:08 that God had sanctified and one of the ladies 49:10 in our church in Florida, our dear, saint sister headman 49:15 she was talking him about the Sabbath message 49:18 and as she was unfolding these truths, 49:21 text after text, scripture after scripture. 49:23 He said wait a minute, wait a minute, 49:24 wait a minute you're confusing me. 49:25 She said no my brother you are confused. 49:28 I'm clearing up the confusion. 49:30 Because he couldn't handled it. Yes, yes. 49:32 She was lining up the bricks, 49:34 the Rubik's cube was coming all together, 49:36 all the colors have been matched up 49:37 and he couldn't handle that, 49:39 because to him it was just a cube of confusion. 49:41 She was lining up and that's what the Bible does, 49:44 It lines it up, it doesn't give you pieces, 49:47 or fragments of the God's word, 49:48 it puts it all together and this message is calling 49:51 the sincere people that love 49:53 the Lord out of darkness into this marvelous light 49:55 out of confusion into this message of clarity. 49:58 Amen and this third, this third angel summarizes 50:01 this everlasting gospel right here in verse 12, 50:04 it is summarized with this amazing 50:08 point of clarity and isn't clear at first, 50:12 but it will be as we move through this and understand 50:14 what we've been talking about here 50:16 in the scriptures verse by, verse by verse. 50:18 Here is the patience of the saints, 50:21 here are they that keep the commandments of God 50:25 and the faith of Jesus. 50:27 Now the reason why this is so significant, 50:29 John, is because this development 50:33 has never taken place before in the history 50:36 of the world with the people. 50:38 Now it has taken place with individuals, 50:41 if you look in Genesis 26 verse 5 for example, 50:43 you gonna find that Abraham kept 50:45 God's commandments and His laws, 50:46 His ordinances, His statues, a statues 50:48 and in when you compare that with Romans Chapter 45 50:51 that Abraham was saved by faith. 50:53 He was the father of the faith. 50:54 And where was Abraham from? He was from the land of err. 50:58 Which is? Love it, Babylon. 51:00 The land of Babylon, so he didn't have to be a Jew 51:02 to keep the commandments of the God. 51:03 Praise God for that. He came out of Babylon. 51:05 That's right, but notice 51:07 he doesn't just keep the commandments of God. 51:08 He also has the faith of Jesus. 51:11 That's right, okay, he has the commandments of God 51:13 and he is the father of the faithful. 51:14 Abraham is considered the father of faith. 51:17 So how do you pull these things together 51:19 I mean in the Old Testament, 51:21 God does had a people who kept His commandments, 51:22 kept His commandments, kept His commandments. 51:24 And they went through a number of experiences 51:26 of backsliding, but finally when Jesus came, 51:29 He had a people who kept the commandments 51:30 so well that when Messiah came, they refused Him, 51:36 because they thought he was doing away with the law. 51:38 They crucified Him and wanted to take His body 51:40 off the cross in order to go and keep the Sabbath. 51:44 So here's a people who kept the commandments, 51:47 but they didn't keep their faith in Jesus. 51:49 They didn't have the faith of Jesus, 51:50 they didn't have faith in Jesus. 51:51 Now in the New Testament, God has a people, 51:54 millions of people who have faith in Jesus Christ. 51:57 They love Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is their savior. 51:59 They put Jesus Christ first and foremost, 52:02 but when you introduce them to the fact the reality that, 52:05 that Jesus Christ came not to abolish the law, 52:07 but to fulfill it, to fill its meaning, to show us 52:11 that there's a transcript of God's character, 52:13 to show us that there is a revelation 52:15 of the principle of love. 52:17 Many of these people who have faith in Jesus 52:20 continue to reject the commandments of God. 52:23 So in Revelation Chapter 14, 52:25 you have a phenomenal revelation. 52:28 You have a people who not only keep 52:30 the commandments of God all ten of them, 52:31 but even though they keep the commandments of God, 52:33 they still keep their faith in Jesus. 52:35 They still have their faith in Jesus, 52:37 they still trust Jesus 100 percent for their salvation 52:39 but even though they trust Jesus 52:41 a 100 percent for their salvation, 52:43 they still keep the commandments of God. 52:45 That's right, but while they keep 52:46 the commandments of God, 52:47 they're still putting their faith in Jesus. 52:48 It's a tension and it's a beautiful picture 52:51 that Revelation is bringing out here as it closes, 52:54 as it summarizes, as it brings to an end 52:57 this beautiful everlasting gospel message 52:59 that is going to lighten the earth with the glory of God. 53:01 You know, what's so wonderful about the way 53:02 you did that repetitively 53:04 and I like that repetition, repetition sinks it in. 53:06 Lot of times people say well, why would I need faith in Jesus 53:08 if I keep His commandments? 53:10 Well, He said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 53:12 He doesn't say keep my commandments 53:13 and you love me, if you love me 53:15 commandments is an indication of obedience. 53:17 Obedience to Christ, not obedience to the laws, 53:20 obedience to Christ if they're good enough for Christ, 53:23 if they are a transcript of His character 53:26 you can't say I love a person and refused their transcript. 53:29 As the matter of fact I heard a story 53:30 about a young man who met a young lady for dinner 53:32 for the first time and they got the talking about books that-- 53:36 they were reading and she mentioned the book 53:37 that she was reading that was very, very boring. 53:39 This book is boring, she is sitting down 53:41 with this young man this book is so boring 53:43 and he said what's the title of the book 53:45 and when she mention the title and the author, 53:47 he said I wrote that book. 53:51 That was awkward moment, I wrote that book. 53:53 and they're meeting at there first time having a date 53:55 sitting down at the little restaurant. 53:57 I wrote that book and what an awkward moment. 54:00 What it did though she went home 54:01 and read that book now in the context 54:02 of loving this man and she said what, 54:04 this is the most beautiful book I've ever read. 54:06 Completely change, as she knew the author. 54:08 You see, once you know the author of salvation 54:10 the author and finisher of our faith 54:12 how beautiful His book becomes. 54:14 And the reason I say is because 54:16 when you look at the next one. 54:17 If any man worship the beast in His image 54:19 and in the future were there are problem 54:20 on this topic alone because this is a topic 54:22 that has to be handle with kit gloves 54:26 and also with the, with the context that this, 54:29 this great massive test on the law of God 54:32 and the Sabbath of God and the mark 54:34 of whether we worship God or worship man 54:37 hasn't been imposed on humanity, 54:39 the stage is being built, the concert is about to start. 54:42 But it has not yet made the clarion call come 54:44 and buy tickets to choose serving God or serving man. 54:48 And so you see clearly when you have a relationship 54:50 with Christ, there is nothing in the Bible 54:52 that you feel fearful of reading. 54:55 You could read if you let me keep my commandment 54:57 to say I'm completely comfortable with that. 54:59 You could read remember the Sabbath, 55:00 we've to keep it Holy because you love Christ 55:02 I'm completely comfortable with that, 55:04 you see the difference. 55:05 But when you put denomination or man ahead, 55:07 my pastor says ahead of what the word of God says, 55:11 then you're in danger of imbibing the wine of Babylon 55:14 and putting the institutions of man 55:16 the traditions of man above the plain thus saith the Lord. 55:19 Amen, so that's really what's happening in Babylon. 55:21 Man is the key, man is the central focus 55:24 and not Christ, the faith of Jesus. 55:27 And this is why this message is so powerful 55:29 because this message directs God's people 55:32 to the everlasting gospel beginning and then shows 55:35 that the everlasting gospel produces His people 55:37 at the end who fall so in love with Jesus 55:40 that they keep His commandments 55:42 all ten of His commandments. 55:43 In fact the source of their love 55:45 we told in First John 4:19 is from God. 55:49 It says there we love Him because He first loved us. 55:53 And then Jesus says if you love me 55:55 you're going to keep my commandments. 55:56 You know just before we live I want to, 55:57 I want to show a comparison very quickly. 55:59 Revelation 14 verse 7 56:01 and then Revelation 15 verse 4, powerful comparison. 56:04 "Fear God and give glory to him, 56:06 for the hour of his judgment has come, 56:08 and worship him that made heaven, 56:10 and earth, and the sea, and the springs of waters." 56:12 Revelation 15 verse 4 look at the clarion response 56:15 these who had gotten victory over the beast in His image. 56:17 Notice what it says in Revelation 15 verse 4, 56:19 same everything that's mention in verse 6 56:21 and 7 of Revelation 14 is now repeated 56:24 "Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? 56:27 For You alone are holy. 56:29 For all nations shall come and worship before You, 56:32 For Your judgments have been manifested." 56:35 So do that it has been done Lord. 56:39 Follow this it has been done 56:40 who will not follow You Lord, who will not worship You. 56:42 And this is powerful because what this is showing us 56:45 there is the Three Angels' Message 56:46 is the everlasting gospel message 56:48 is going to be experience of those 56:50 who stand on the sea of glass. 56:52 Those who worship the Lamb 56:53 and worship the Father through out all eternity. 56:57 Those who have accepted the clarion 56:58 call to fear God and give glory to Him. 57:02 John says who will not when I find out who Jesus is, 57:05 who will not worship all nations will come 57:07 and worship before you. 57:09 So it is the best decision, James. 57:13 It's the best decision, friends, 57:14 whether you're watching or listening to say, 57:17 why would I not want to worship such a loving God? 57:20 Why will I not want to bow down before Him? 57:23 Why will I not want to be a part of that nation 57:25 that worship and serve Him eternally? 57:27 We pray that that is your desire for one day 57:29 He will come and make a house call on your life. 57:32 We pray that when it does happen 57:33 you'll be ready, God bless you. |
Revised 2014-12-17