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Series Code: MAT
Program Code: MAT000009S
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00:20 Shall we pray?
00:22 Father in heaven, we come before Your throne once again, 00:26 to continue this very important series 00:29 on Matthew 24 and 25. 00:31 We need the special guidance of Your Holy Spirit. 00:34 So we ask that You will be present here 00:37 through the Spirit that we might understand, 00:40 and we might apply the teachings that we learn. 00:44 I ask, Lord, that You will take away 00:46 every obstacle from our hearts 00:48 that would keep us from embracing the truth. 00:51 And we thank You for hearing our prayer, 00:53 for we ask it in Jesus' name. 00:56 Amen. 00:58 The title of our ninth study in this series is Matthew 24, 01:03 and the False Prophet. 01:05 No, it's not a typo. 01:07 It's not the false prophets. 01:09 It is the false prophet. 01:11 And you'll see the reason why. 01:13 Matthew 24 refers to false prophets 01:17 twice in the chapter. 01:19 The first time in verse 11 01:22 and the second time in verse 24. 01:26 But there's a difference. 01:27 Whereas the reference in verse 11 says that 01:30 God's people would have tribulation, 01:33 in verse 24, actually, verse 21 through 24, 01:37 it refers to Great Tribulation. 01:41 So the first tribulation is just tribulation, 01:44 the second tribulation is the Great Tribulation. 01:49 Now, in order to understand these references 01:52 to false prophets in verse 11 and in verse 24, 01:56 we need to take into account two things. 01:59 First of all, we need to look at the context 02:04 in which these false prophets appear 02:07 in Chapter 24 of Matthew. 02:10 And secondly, we need to look at the Mosaic legislation 02:15 concerning false prophets. 02:18 I want to read the two references 02:20 in Matthew 24 to false prophets. 02:22 And then we will continue our study 02:25 by looking at these two contexts. 02:28 Matthew 24:9-11 reads as follows. 02:33 Then, notice, then is used three times. 02:35 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, 02:40 and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 02:44 And then many will be offended, 02:47 will betray one another, and will hate one another. 02:51 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many." 02:57 Three sequential events, tribulation for God's people, 03:01 some will die, because they're being blamed 03:04 for all of the calamities that are mentioned 03:07 in verses 6 through 8. 03:09 Then when persecution comes, many are offended, 03:12 and they abandoned the faith. 03:14 And number three, then, many false prophets 03:18 who really are those who were offended by the message 03:21 will rise up and deceive many. 03:24 The second reference in Matthew 24 03:26 to false prophets is in verse 24. 03:30 This is in the context of the Great Tribulation. 03:34 It says, "Therefore false christs, 03:36 and false prophets will rise and show," 03:40 listen now carefully, 03:41 "will show great signs and wonders to deceive, 03:46 if possible, even the elect." 03:49 So notice the false prophets show great signs and wonders 03:54 to deceive, if possible, the very elect. 03:58 Now in our study, we're going to find 04:00 that these false prophets do not appear in a vacuum. 04:05 Neither are they secular prophets 04:08 that prognosticate silly things 04:12 that have nothing to do with Bible prophecy. 04:15 What kind of false prophets 04:17 are these in Matthew Chapter 24? 04:20 Are they the Jeane Dixon or David Koresh types 04:25 that deceive practically no one or is there deception, 04:30 more deceptive, so to speak? 04:34 So let's examine first of all the biblical concept 04:38 of what a false prophet is. 04:40 We have to go back to the Mosaic legislation 04:43 to the writings of Moses. 04:45 So let's go back to Deuteronomy Chapter 13:1-5, 04:51 and I'm reading from Today's English Version, 04:55 which I like this particular translation. 04:58 Says the following, 05:00 "A prophet or an interpreter of dreams 05:03 may promise a miracle, or a wonder," 05:07 same words that we found in Matthew 24, 05:11 "in order," now notice 05:12 what the miracle or wonder is for, 05:14 "in order to lead you to worship and serve gods 05:19 that you have not worshiped before." 05:21 In other words, that leads you into false worship. 05:24 "Even if what he promises comes true," 05:28 that is the prophet 05:30 who performed a miracle or wonder, 05:32 "do not pay any attention to him. 05:35 The Lord your God is using him to test you, 05:38 to see if you," now notice several synonymous ideas, 05:43 "to see if you love the Lord with all your heart. 05:46 Follow the Lord and honor Him, 05:49 obey Him and keep His commands, 05:53 worship Him and be faithful to Him." 05:58 Now, this was very serious in the Old Testament, 06:01 because verse 5 continues, 06:03 "However, put to death any interpreter of dreams 06:08 or prophet that tells you to rebel against the Lord, 06:12 who rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves. 06:15 Such a man is evil and is trying to lead you away 06:20 from the life that the Lord has commanded you to live. 06:23 He must be put to death 06:26 in order to rid yourselves of this evil." 06:28 Wow, solemn false prophets, according to this 06:33 were to suffer the death penalty. 06:37 This is during the Hebrew theocracy. 06:40 Now let's summarize 06:41 the characteristics of false prophets 06:43 according to the Mosaic legislation. 06:46 First of all, both the true and the false prophet 06:49 rise among the people of God. 06:51 They are not foreigners, they claim to serve the Lord. 06:55 Secondly, the false prophet is able to perform signs 07:00 and wonders as evidence 07:03 that what this false prophet is saying is true. 07:07 Number three, the false prophet encourages God's people 07:11 to practice false worship. 07:14 Number four, the false prophet seeks to entice God's people 07:19 to break the commandments of God. 07:22 Next, the false prophet entices the faithful from the way 07:28 that the Lord commanded His people to walk. 07:30 And finally, the true prophet rebukes sin 07:35 and teaches the people to walk after the Lord their God, 07:39 to fear him, to keep His commandments. 07:43 Remember this because Revelation 12:17 07:45 speaks of a remnant who keep 07:47 the commandments of God, 07:48 and to obey His voice and to serve 07:52 and hold fast to him. 07:55 So the false prophets are not outsiders, 07:57 they are insiders. 07:59 They claim to serve the Lord. 08:01 They claim the name of the Lord, 08:03 but they lead God's people astray. 08:07 They tell them to break God's commandments, 08:09 and to practice false worship. 08:13 Now, in contrast to the false prophets in Israel, 08:17 true prophets were the conscience of Israel. 08:21 They were not revolutionary innovators, 08:24 bringing in new truths 08:26 that had not been taught before. 08:28 Rather true prophets were the restorers 08:32 of the old landmarks. 08:34 They took people back, so to speak, 08:36 to the old time religion. 08:40 In fact, they were God's attorneys in divorce court, 08:44 because they had followed other gods, 08:45 they were disobeying God's commandments. 08:47 They were practicing false worship. 08:49 So the prophets, the true prophets 08:52 were God's attorneys 08:54 in divorce court saying, I want to divorce Israel. 09:00 Elijah is a prime example 09:03 of the quintessential true prophet. 09:06 He called God's people back to the way 09:10 that they had forsaken. 09:12 He repaired the altar of the Lord 09:14 that the sun worshipping Baal priests had torn down. 09:19 Notice how we find the mission of Elijah 09:23 in 1 Kings 18:37. 09:27 Here he is on Mount Carmel 09:29 and he's making a plea to Israel. 09:32 "Hear me, O Lord," in fact, he's praying to the Lord 09:35 in the presence of the people. 09:37 "Hear me, O Lord, hear me that this people may know 09:41 that You are the Lord God, and that," now the key part, 09:45 "and that you have turned their hearts 09:49 back to You again." 09:52 In other words, Elijah turns the people 09:54 back to the Lord their God 09:56 because they've gone astray from him. 09:59 Jesus also spoke of Elijah as the great restorer. 10:04 Elijah did not come to bring new truths, 10:08 but to bring people back to the old landmarks 10:11 that they had forsaken back to keeping God's commandments, 10:15 back to true worship. 10:17 Matthew 17:10, Jesus said, "Indeed, 10:22 Elijah is coming first and will restore all things." 10:28 In other words, he's going to restore what already existed 10:31 because the people had gone astray 10:33 from the religion of their fathers. 10:37 When Elijah sought to restore the truth of God, 10:41 enemies arose against him. 10:45 Probably the best known is Jezebel, 10:48 who was the leader of the false prophets. 10:51 Jezebel by using her false prophets 10:54 persecuted Elijah mercilessly. 10:58 It bears noting that Jezebel had this group 11:02 of 400 false prophets 11:04 that did the bidding of Jezebel, 11:08 and we know this because we are told 11:11 that the false prophets ate from Jezebel's table. 11:16 And, of course, you don't bite the hand that feeds you. 11:21 I want you to remember the story of Elijah, 11:23 because in the Book of Revelation, 11:25 we're going to find a counterfeit Elijah. 11:28 You see the true Elijah brought fire from heaven, 11:31 but the counterfeit prophets of Baal could not, 11:34 but at the end of time, 11:36 the deceitfulness is going to be far greater, 11:39 because we're told that the false prophet 11:41 will bring fire down from heaven 11:43 in the sight of men. 11:44 He will do what the prophets of Baal, 11:47 the sun worshiping prophets of Baal were not able to do. 11:52 Now it's helpful for us to examine the message 11:56 of the false prophets that arose immediately 12:00 before the first destruction of Jerusalem 12:04 in the year 586. 12:07 It bears noting that Jeremiah, the prophet Jeremiah 12:10 was God's prophet immediately 12:13 before the Babylonian captivity. 12:16 And as we examine the Book of Jeremiah, 12:19 we find that repeatedly Jeremiah denounces 12:24 the false prophets, whose main trait 12:27 was to tell the people, 12:29 "Peace, peace, Jerusalem will not fall, 12:33 everything will be well." 12:36 And they did not rebuke the people 12:38 for disobeying God's commandments, 12:41 and for practicing false worship. 12:45 They arose among God's people to deceive the people 12:48 into thinking that they could 12:50 continue to practice false worship, 12:52 they could break the commandments of God, 12:54 and still everything would go well. 12:58 You see, Jerusalem was full of abominations, 13:01 and yet the false prophets cried peace, peace, 13:05 and predicted that Jerusalem 13:08 would never fall because it was God's city. 13:12 Notice Jeremiah 6:13-15, 13:17 "Because from the least of them, 13:20 even to the greatest of them, 13:22 everyone is given to covetousness," 13:25 here we find a description of what was happening 13:27 among the people, "and from the prophet 13:30 even to the priest, everyone deals falsely." 13:35 Wow! 13:36 So where was this taking place? 13:39 The prophet and the priest, everyone was dealing falsely, 13:44 even the religious leaders. 13:45 Verse 14, 13:47 "They have also healed the hurt of My people 13:49 slightly, saying, 'Peace, peace!' 13:54 when there is no peace. 13:56 Were they ashamed 13:57 when they had committed abomination? 13:59 No, remember he's talking about the false prophets. 14:02 "They were not at all ashamed, nor did they know how to blush. 14:07 Therefore they shall fall among those who fall, 14:10 at the time I punish them, 14:12 they shall be cast down, says the Lord." 14:17 Saw the false prophets promised peace, peace 14:21 to those who despise the Lord. 14:24 They assured those who followed the impulse, 14:26 Paul says of their own hearts, that no evil would befall them. 14:30 Let's read that in Jeremiah 23:17. 14:35 Here God speaks, 14:36 "They continually say to those who despise me, 14:40 'The Lord has said, 'You shall have peace,' 14:44 and to everyone who walks according to the dictates 14:47 of his own heart, they say, 14:49 'No evil will come upon you.'" 14:52 So those who are following their own heart 14:55 and those who wanted peace and disobedience to God, 14:58 we are told that the false prophet said, 15:01 "No evil shall come upon you." 15:04 Jeremiah wrote that the false prophets 15:06 spoke in God's name, 15:09 and yet they were liars. 15:11 They assured the people that no evil 15:13 would come upon Jerusalem. 15:15 Notice Jeremiah 14:13-16. 15:19 And I'm reading many texts from Jeremiah to make a point, 15:23 because this is dealing with the false prophets 15:26 immediately before the destruction of Jerusalem 15:29 the first time. 15:30 False prophets are also mentioned 15:32 before the destruction of Jerusalem 15:33 at the second time. 15:35 And we know that at the end of time, 15:37 there will also be false prophets. 15:38 So we need to look at all three events. 15:41 Jeremiah 14:13-16, 15:44 "Then I said, 'Ah, Lord! 15:47 Behold, the prophets say to them, 15:50 'You shall not see the sword, nor shall you see, have famine, 15:55 but I will give you assured peace in this place.' 15:59 And the Lord said to me, 16:01 'The prophets prophesy lies in My name.'" 16:04 See that problem, they claim to serve the Lord. 16:07 "The prophets prophesy lies in My name. 16:11 I have not sent them, commanded them, 16:14 nor spoken to them, 16:16 they prophesy to you a false vision, 16:19 divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart. 16:25 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets 16:28 who prophesy in My name once again, 16:31 whom I did not send, 16:33 and who say, 'Sword and famine shall not be in this land. 16:37 By sword and famine, 16:39 these prophets shall be consumed,' 16:41 says the Lord. 16:42 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out 16:46 in the streets of Jerusalem, 16:48 because of the famine and the sword." 16:50 Two things mentioned in Matthew Chapter 24. 16:53 "They will have no one to bury them, them, 16:57 nor their wives, their sons nor their daughters, 17:00 for I will pour their wickedness on them." 17:05 You see, the prophets prophesied to the people 17:07 what the people wanted to hear. 17:09 They lied and told the people of God, 17:12 that they should trust their word, 17:15 that everything would be fine. 17:17 Jeremiah 27:9-10 and verses 14 and 15 says the following. 17:23 "Therefore, do not listen to your prophets, 17:25 your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, 17:29 or your sorcerers who speak to you, saying, 17:32 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon.' 17:35 For they prophesy a lie to you, 17:38 to renew, move you far from your land, 17:41 and I will drive you out, and you will perish." 17:45 Therefore do not, this is verse 14, 17:47 "Therefore do not listen to the words of the prophets 17:49 who speak to you saying, 17:51 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon,' 17:53 for they prophesy a lie to you. 17:56 For I have not sent them, says the Lord, 17:59 yet they prophesy a lie in My name, 18:02 that I may drive you out, and that you may perish, 18:06 you and the prophets who prophesy to you.'" 18:09 Once again the same idea, they prophesied a lie. 18:12 God had said to the, to Israel, you need to accept the idea 18:17 that you're going to serve the king of Babylon, 18:19 Nebuchadnezzar, that's my plan. 18:21 But the false prophet said, "Forget it. 18:24 We're not going to serve Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar. 18:27 This city is never going to fall. 18:29 God is going to intervene to deliver us." 18:32 Notice Jeremiah 23:14, 18:35 where we're told that the false prophets 18:37 actually strengthened evildoers. 18:40 In other words, they turned a blind eye 18:42 to what was happening. 18:44 It says there, "Also I have seen a horrible thing 18:47 in the prophets of Jerusalem. 18:50 They commit adultery, and walk in lies, 18:52 they also strengthen the hands of evildoers, 18:56 so that no one turns back from his wickedness. 19:01 All of them are like Sodom to Me, 19:03 and her inhabitants like Gomorrah." 19:07 So far astray from the Lord had they gone. 19:11 The prophet wrote that the false prophets 19:12 did not turn the wicked from their evil ways 19:15 back to the Lord. 19:16 Jeremiah 23:20-22 reads like this, 19:22 "The anger of the Lord will not turn back 19:25 until He has executed and performed 19:27 the thoughts of His heart. 19:29 In the latter days, you will understand it perfectly. 19:32 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. 19:36 I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. 19:39 But if they had stood in my counsel, 19:42 and had caused My people to hear My words, 19:45 then they would have turned them from their evil way 19:50 from and from the evil of their doings. 19:53 In other words, a true prophet turns people away 19:56 from their evil doings, from their evil practices 19:58 and brings them back to obey the commandments of God, 20:02 and also keeps them away from practicing false worship. 20:07 The false prophets did not turn people from their wickedness. 20:12 Notice Jeremiah 23:14. 20:15 And then we'll read verses 31 and 32. 20:19 "Also I have seen a horrible thing 20:21 in the prophets of Jerusalem." 20:23 Notice what the prophets were doing. 20:25 "They commit adultery and walk in lies." 20:28 These are the religious leaders, folks, 20:30 the people who claim to serve the Lord, 20:32 the people who claim to speak in God's name. 20:35 "They commit adultery and walk in lies, 20:37 they also strengthen the hand of evildoers, 20:40 so that no one turns back from his wickedness. 20:43 All of them are like Sodom to Me, 20:45 and her inhabitants like Gomorrah. 20:47 Behold, I am against the prophets, 20:49 says the Lord, who use their tongues and say, 20:53 "He says,' Behold, 20:55 I am against those who prophesy false dreams, 20:58 says the Lord, and tell them 21:00 and cause My people to prophesy, 21:03 and cause my people to err by their lies, 21:06 and by their recklessness. 21:08 Yet I did not send them or command them, 21:11 therefore they shall not profit this people at all, 21:14 says the Lord.'" 21:16 Jeremiah even mentioned 21:18 a single prophet that is called Hananiah 21:21 who taught lies and rebellion. 21:24 The story is in Jeremiah 21:25 28:15-17. 21:30 "Then the Prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, 21:34 'Hear now, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, 21:38 but you make this people trust in a lie.' 21:41 Therefore thus says the Lord: 21:42 'Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. 21:46 This year you shall die, 21:48 because you have taught rebellion against the Lord.' 21:51 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year, 21:55 in the seventh month.'" 21:57 Those who profess to be the people of God 22:00 practiced abominations in the house of the Lord, 22:03 that was called by God's name. 22:05 And they set up high places for the worship 22:08 of the sun god Baal. 22:11 In other words, they were claiming to serve the Lord, 22:13 but they were telling people to serve 22:15 and to worship the sun god Baal, 22:17 which would be a violation of the commandment that says, 22:19 you shall have no other gods before Me. 22:21 Also, you shall not make any graven images. 22:24 Also the commandment says, 22:26 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, 22:28 which shows that there's only one true God, 22:30 the Creator of the heavens and the earth. 22:32 Notice Jeremiah 32:31-35. 22:38 Notice what the prophets, the false prophets were doing. 22:41 "For this city has been to Me a provocation of My anger 22:45 and My fury from the day that they built it, 22:48 even to this day. 22:49 So I will remove it from My face, 22:52 because of all the evil of the children of Israel, 22:55 and the children of Judah, 22:56 that they have done to provoke Me to anger." 22:59 They, now notice who was involved in this. 23:02 "They, their kings, their princess, their priests, 23:07 their prophets, the men of Judah, 23:09 and the inhabitants of Jerusalem." 23:11 No one was excluded. 23:12 Notice, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, 23:16 their prophets, the men of Judah, 23:18 the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 23:19 Verse 33, 23:21 "And they have turned to Me the back, 23:24 and not the face, 23:25 though I taught them rising up early and teaching them, 23:30 yet they have not listened to receive instruction. 23:33 But they set their abominations 23:35 in the house that is called by my name to defile it." 23:39 They were defiling even the holy temple of God. 23:42 Verse 35, "And they built the high places of Baal," 23:46 who was the son God, incidentally. 23:48 "So they built the high places of Baal, 23:51 which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, 23:53 to cause their sons and their daughters 23:55 to pass through the fire to Molech, 23:57 which I did not command them, 23:59 nor did it come into my mind 24:01 that they should do this abomination 24:03 to cause Judah to sin." 24:06 On the other hand, there were true prophets 24:08 that called Judah to walk in the law, 24:11 to heed the words of the true prophets, 24:13 and to turn from their wicked ways. 24:16 Jeremiah 26:4-6. 24:20 "And you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord: 24:23 'If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law 24:27 which I have set before you, 24:29 to heeds the words of my servants the prophets, 24:33 whom I sent to you, 24:35 both rising up early and sending them, 24:37 but you have not heeded, 24:39 then I will make this house like Shiloh, 24:42 and will make this city a curse to all nations of the earth." 24:47 Jeremiah 35:15-16. 24:50 You see while you're reading all these verses, 24:52 I want you to catch the picture 24:53 of what the false prophets were saying 24:56 leading up to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem 24:59 the first time in the days of Nebuchadnezzar. 25:02 Jeremiah 35:15-16, 25:05 "I have also sent to you all my servants the prophets, 25:10 rising up early and sending them saying, 25:13 'Turn now everyone from his evil way," 25:16 see, it's to return to the Lord, 25:18 "amend your doings, 25:20 and do not go after other gods to serve them, 25:24 then you will dwell in the land 25:26 which I have given you and your fathers. 25:28 But you have not inclined your ear, 25:31 nor obeyed Me.'" 25:33 The Prophet Ezekiel, 25:35 who was somewhat of a contemporary of Jeremiah, 25:40 and wrote his book just a few years after Jeremiah 25:44 also had some words for apostate Israel. 25:48 In Ezekiel 22:25-26. 25:53 God spoke through his Prophet 25:54 Ezekiel these very strong words. 25:57 "The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst 26:01 is like a roaring lion tearing the prey, 26:04 they have devoured people," that's the prophets, 26:07 the false prophets, "they have devoured people, 26:10 they have taken treasure and precious things." 26:12 In other words, they were in it to make money 26:15 to make precious things, 26:16 a prosperity gospel, if you please. 26:19 "They have made many widows in her midst." 26:22 Her priests, notice who is doing this, 26:24 her priests, that's a religious leaders. 26:26 "Her priests have violated My law 26:29 and profaned My holy things, 26:32 and they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, 26:36 that is not holy and the common, 26:38 "nor have they made known 26:40 the difference between clean and unclean, 26:44 and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, 26:47 so that I am profaned among them." 26:51 So they were even profaning the Sabbath. 26:53 They were making no distinction 26:54 between the holy and the common, 26:56 between the regular secular things, 27:02 and the sacred things of life. 27:04 Let me just make a short parenthesis. 27:06 Has God established a holy day of worship? 27:09 Yes, He has. 27:10 The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. 27:13 But what does most of the Christian world say? 27:15 No, it's not Sabbath. 27:17 It's Sunday. 27:19 So let me ask you this, is Sunday a holy day? 27:23 Of course not. 27:24 Sunday is a work day, six days you shall labor. 27:27 So how does look up... 27:29 God look upon the idea that religious leaders say 27:32 Sunday is holy, and the Sabbath is not holy. 27:36 That is what the Prophet Ezekiel is talking about. 27:41 They have violated My law, profaned My holy things, 27:44 and not distinguish between the holy and the unholy, 27:48 which means the holy and the common or the secular. 27:51 Ezekiel 8:16, tells us 27:53 what the greatest abomination was that was being practiced 27:56 in the city of Jerusalem. 27:59 "So He brought me into 28:00 the inner court of Lord's house, 28:02 and there at the door of the temple of the Lord, 28:05 between the porch and the altar, 28:07 were about 25 men," now notice this, 28:10 "with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, 28:14 and their faces toward the east, 28:17 and they were worshiping the sun toward the east." 28:20 This was just a few years 28:22 before the destruction of Jerusalem. 28:23 Instead of keeping God's holy Sabbath, 28:26 they were teaching the people to worship the sun 28:29 by turning their back to the temple of Lord. 28:32 Daniel, after the captivity reminisced 28:35 about what happened with Israel, 28:37 and how the false prophets deceived the people. 28:40 Daniel 9:10, 28:42 Daniel is praying to the Lord and he says, 28:44 "We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, 28:47 to walk in His laws, 28:48 which He set before us by His servants the prophets." 28:52 So notice the prophets told Israel to walk in God's laws. 28:57 The Prophet Zechariah also had something to say 29:01 about the apostasy of Israel. 29:03 The refusal of the people 29:06 to listen to God's true former prophets. 29:10 It says in Zechariah, 7:12, "Yes, 29:16 they made their hearts like flint," 29:18 in other words, hard, 29:20 "refusing to hear the law 29:23 and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit 29:27 through the former prophets. 29:29 Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts." 29:33 So they refused to listen to the law and the words 29:36 of the true prophets, 29:38 because they were teaching people 29:39 that they could break God's commandments, 29:42 and they did not necessarily need to follow 29:45 what God had taught them. 29:47 So you say, well, most of the blame 29:49 then was with the religious leaders, 29:52 with the kings, with the priests 29:53 and with the theologians of the day, 29:55 who were telling the people that they were okay, 29:58 that there was going to be peace. 29:59 They didn't need to keep God's laws, 30:01 and that they confirmed that these people 30:04 are in their wickedness. 30:06 But you see, the people had a lot of blame too, 30:09 because in Jeremiah 5:31, we find these words. 30:12 "The prophets prophesy falsely, 30:16 and the priests rule by their own power, 30:19 and My people love to have it so. 30:23 But what will you do in the end?" 30:25 So the people were not guiltless 30:28 because they piled up false prophets 30:30 with because they had itching years. 30:32 And they got prophets that would tell them 30:35 what they wanted to hear. 30:37 I wonder whether in the Christian world 30:39 the same type of thing is happening today. 30:42 The Prophet Isaiah explained that the reason 30:44 why the false prophets prophesied falsely, 30:48 is that they imbibed intoxicating drinks 30:52 that did not allow them to think straight. 30:55 You see, drunk people cannot think straight. 30:58 Everything becomes blurry. 31:00 The distinction between right and wrong is gone. 31:03 Notice what we find in Isaiah 28:7. 31:08 "But they also have erred through wine, 31:12 and through intoxicating drink are out of the way, 31:15 the priest and the prophet 31:18 have erred through intoxicating drink, 31:22 they are swallowed up by wine," and what is the result? 31:26 "They are out of the way through intoxicating drink, 31:29 they err in vision, and they stumble in judgment." 31:35 That's why God told the priest 31:36 not to drink intoxicating drink. 31:38 Now, the big problem at the end we're going to notice 31:41 is not drinking intoxicating alcohol literally, 31:45 but drinking the wine of the harlot Babylon, 31:49 which does not allow them to discriminate 31:51 between right and wrong, good and evil, 31:54 between what God calls holy 31:57 and what God calls common. 31:59 Matthew 24, returning once again, 32:02 now that we've seen 32:04 the Mosaic legislation and the prophets, 32:06 the false prophets before 32:07 the first destruction of Jerusalem. 32:09 Matthew 24 describes the work of the false prophets 32:12 who spoke their false message 32:15 before the second destruction of Jerusalem. 32:19 So you see, before the second destruction, 32:20 there were also false prophets. 32:22 These prophets like those before the first destruction, 32:26 were comforting the people 32:28 with the idea that Jerusalem would never fall 32:31 because it was God's city, 32:33 and they could continue rejecting the Messiah 32:37 who had come to them. 32:39 Matthew 23:37 32:43 through 24:3, 32:45 directly links the destruction of Jerusalem 32:49 with the rejection of the Messiah. 32:51 Instead of receiving the Messiah 32:53 during the 40 years after the crucifixion, 32:55 they continued their conduct of rejecting the Messiah 33:01 and persecuting those who were preaching the gospel. 33:05 Ellen White wrote in Great Controversy, page 22. 33:09 And we've noticed this before. 33:12 The great sin of the Jews was their rejection of Christ. 33:16 The great sin of the Christian world 33:18 would be the rejection of the law of God, 33:20 the foundation of His government 33:22 in heaven and in earth. 33:24 And you say, "Well, those are two different sins 33:26 to reject Christ, and to reject His love. 33:28 Those are two different things." 33:30 They're not two different things. 33:32 The law, as I've mentioned before, 33:34 is a transcript of God's character. 33:36 It's a transcript of what God is like. 33:39 So how can you say that you accept Jesus 33:41 but you reject the transcript? 33:44 You see, the problem with the Jews in Christ's day 33:47 is that they claim to love the law or the transcript, 33:50 but they despised the Lord revealed in the transcript. 33:55 On the other hand, 33:56 professed Christians at the end of time 33:58 will claim to love the Lord, 34:00 but they will reject the transcript. 34:03 As I mentioned before, the Jewish nation 34:05 thought that by getting rid of Christ, 34:07 they would save their nation, 34:10 but they caused what they wished to prevent. 34:13 The Romans did come and destroy their nation. 34:16 Likewise, at the end, 34:18 we're going to find that the United States 34:20 by the influence of apostate Protestantism 34:24 will think that by getting the getting rid 34:26 of those who keep the Sabbath, they will save the nation, 34:31 but the result will be national ruin. 34:34 They will cause what they wished to prevent 34:37 by persecuting those who keep God's holy Sabbath. 34:41 Now let's take a look at what Jesus had to say 34:44 about false prophets because it is relevant here. 34:48 Matthew 7:15-16, and then verses 21 to 23. 34:54 And, of course, this has to be in harmony 34:56 with the Mosaic legislation, 34:58 and what was happening leading up 35:00 to both destructions of Jerusalem, 35:03 Jesus had some very important things to say 35:05 about false prophets. 35:07 When we put all the evidence together, 35:10 we find that the false prophets of the New Testament 35:13 bear the same characteristics 35:15 as the false prophets in the Old. 35:18 The foundational passage I mentioned, 35:20 Matthew 7:15-16, and verses 21-23. 35:24 Here Jesus said, "Beware of false prophets, 35:29 who come to you in sheep's clothing." 35:33 Don't think that they're going to come, 35:34 you know, and say I'm a false prophet. 35:37 They're not going to be obvious. 35:38 They're going to be deceptive. 35:40 "Beware of false prophets 35:41 who come to you in sheep's clothing, 35:43 but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 35:47 You will know them by their fruits." 35:49 And then notice verse 21. 35:51 "Not everyone who says to Me, 35:53 'Lord, Lord,'" they must be Christians, 35:54 because they're saying, Lord, Lord. 35:56 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' 35:58 shall enter the kingdom of heaven, 36:00 but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 36:03 Many will come to Me in that day and say, 36:05 'Lord, Lord.'" 36:07 These are individuals 36:08 who claim to be Christians, folks, 36:10 "Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, 36:13 have we not prophesied in Your name, 36:16 cast out demons in Your name, 36:19 and done many wonders in Your name?'" 36:24 So is it possible that people will utter prophecies 36:27 and cast out demons and also perform miracles 36:31 whom Jesus is not going to recognize? 36:33 Absolutely. 36:34 Verse 23, "And then I will declare to them, 36:38 'I never knew you, 36:40 depart from Me, you who practice," 36:42 listen carefully, "lawlessness." 36:45 In other words you who transgress the law 36:48 is a better translation. 36:50 So summarizing, false prophets 36:52 give the appearance of being true prophets, 36:55 and yet they are ravenous wolves 36:57 in this passage. 36:59 False prophets prophesy in the name of Jesus, 37:02 so they must claim to be Christians. 37:05 False prophets do not do the will of a Father in heaven. 37:10 They even perform signs and wonders 37:12 to try and prove that their message is true. 37:15 And yet the false prophets teach people 37:18 to transgress God's law. 37:22 We immediately see in this list that I just shared with you 37:25 a parallel to the Mosaic legislation, 37:28 in Deuteronomy 13. 37:30 In His Olivet Discourse, 37:32 Jesus warned about the deceptive character 37:36 of the false prophets, 37:38 and one salient characteristic is lawlessness, 37:42 comforting the people and leaving them in their sins. 37:47 Let's read now Matthew 24:11-12. 37:52 This is the reference to false prophets 37:55 in Matthew Chapter 24. 37:59 "Then many false prophets will rise up 38:03 and deceive many." 38:05 And now listen carefully, 38:07 and because lawlessness will abound, 38:09 so what are the false prophets teaching in Matthew 24? 38:12 Lawlessness, folks, the same thing that we found 38:15 the Mosaic legislation, 38:17 the false prophets before the first destruction, 38:19 the false prophets before the second destruction, 38:22 the false prophets in the end time, 38:24 they teach lawlessness. 38:25 They teach people to transgress in some way the law of God, 38:29 saying that it was nailed to the cross, 38:31 that it applied primarily to the Jews, 38:33 that we no longer have to keep the Sabbath 38:35 because the Sabbath is Jewish, et cetera. 38:38 Verse 12, "And because lawlessness will abound, 38:41 the love of many will grow cold." 38:46 And in Matthew 24:24, 38:49 we're told that the false prophets 38:50 will even perform signs and wonders, 38:53 as we noticed in the Mosaic legislation. 38:55 It says there in Matthew 24:24, "For false christs 39:00 and false prophets will rise and show great," 39:03 here it is, "signs and wonders to deceive if possible, 39:08 even the elect." 39:10 So all these things, lawlessness, signs and wonders, 39:14 et cetera all are in the course of all of Scripture, 39:17 Old Testament and New Testament. 39:19 In Luke 6:26, 39:21 Jesus warned the religious leaders 39:24 that prophesied like their fathers, 39:27 in the days of the Old Testament prophets, 39:29 these prophets spoke what the people wanted to hear, 39:33 and the people loved to have it so. 39:36 Notice what we find in Luke 6:26, 39:40 "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, 39:45 for so did their fathers to the false prophets." 39:49 So what does a false prophet do? 39:50 He speaks well to be everything is fine. 39:54 You know, just get along with everyone, 39:55 doesn't matter what you believe. 39:57 It doesn't matter what you practice. 39:59 Everything is okay, peace, peace when there is no peace. 40:03 So if you find a preacher that is very popular, 40:05 every person loves that preacher. 40:07 You know, he's probably not doing his job, 40:10 because true prophets ruffle feathers 40:13 because they tell the truth. 40:14 They tell people what they don't want to hear. 40:18 The Bible commentator Albert Barnes 40:20 wrote the following words. 40:22 Men who pretended to be of God, 40:25 who delivered their own doctrines 40:28 as the truth of God 40:30 and who accommodated themselves to the desires of the people. 40:34 He's describing the false prophets 40:36 that are spoken of in Scripture. 40:38 Of this number were the prophets of Baal, 40:42 the false prophets who appeared in the time of Jeremiah. 40:47 In the Bible Commentary, Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, 40:50 we find these words. 40:52 "Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you! 40:55 For so did their fathers to the false prophets, 40:58 paying court to them because they flattered them 41:03 with peace when there was no peace." 41:06 There is no peace for those who transgress God's holy law. 41:10 There is no peace for those who do not make a distinction 41:14 between good and evil, between right and wrong, 41:17 between the holy and the common. 41:20 In the Old Testament professed people, 41:22 the professed people of God loved the false prophets, 41:25 because they told them what they wanted to hear. 41:28 But true prophets are politically incorrect. 41:32 In John 15:19, 41:35 Jesus explained the reason why false prophets or true prophets 41:39 are hated by false prophets and by the people. 41:42 Jesus said there in john 15:19, 41:45 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own." 41:50 In other words, "If you were of the world, 41:52 if you just accepted everything that the world does, 41:55 the world would love you. 41:57 Yet because you are not of the world, 42:00 but I chose you out of the world, 42:02 therefore the world hates you." 42:04 True prophets were never loved. 42:07 True prophets were despised because they told the truth. 42:11 Ellen White wrote in volume four of the Testimonies, 42:14 page 185 these very significant words. 42:17 "Those who cloak sin, 42:20 and make it appear less aggravating to the mind 42:22 of the offender 42:24 are doing the work of the false prophets, 42:27 and may expect the retributive wrath of God 42:30 to follow such a course. 42:32 The Lord will never accommodate His ways 42:35 to the wishes of corrupt men. 42:37 The false prophet condemned Jeremiah 42:39 for afflicting the people with his severe denunciations, 42:43 and he sought to reassure them 42:45 by promising them prosperity, 42:49 thinking that the poor people should not be continually 42:53 reminded of their sins, and threatened with punishment. 42:57 This course strengthened the people 42:59 to resist the true prophet's counsel, 43:01 and intensified their enmity toward him. 43:06 Today, you have these great evangelists 43:07 who are popular, multitudes follow them. 43:11 The question is, 43:12 why do people love them so much? 43:14 Is it perhaps because they're toeing the line 43:17 of what the people want? 43:19 The Apostle Paul spoke about before the close of probation, 43:23 those who would be saying peace, peace, 43:25 but sudden destruction would come. 43:27 In 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3, the Apostle Paul wrote, 43:30 "For you yourselves know perfectly 43:32 that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief 43:35 in the night. 43:36 For when they say, 'Peace and safety!' 43:41 Then sudden destruction comes upon them, 43:43 as labors upon a pregnant woman, 43:45 and they shall not escape. 43:48 Now we need to get dedicate the rest of our time 43:51 to the Book of Revelation. 43:55 We must now turn to this book 43:57 because it is the testimony of Jesus Christ. 44:00 The Book of Revelation, listen carefully, 44:03 without exception uses the plural word 44:06 prophets to refer to true prophets. 44:10 On the other hand, 44:12 it uses the singular word prophet three times, 44:16 and only three times to describe the false prophet. 44:21 Interesting. 44:22 Four questions face us at this point 44:25 when we read from Revelation. 44:27 Is the false prophet a single individual 44:31 or a system in the Book of Revelation? 44:34 Second, who is this false prophet? 44:37 Third, does the false prophet claim to be Christian? 44:42 And number four, 44:44 what characteristics does the false prophet have? 44:48 First of all, I would like to say that the false prophet 44:51 of Revelation, prophet singular is not an individual, 44:56 but it is rather a prophetic system 44:59 composed of many individuals who are false prophets. 45:02 You say, "How do you know that?" 45:04 Well, simply because Revelation Chapter 16 mentions 45:09 three enemies of God's people at the end of time. 45:12 I want to read that verse. 45:13 And you'll notice that Babylon, 45:14 the end time system that is alienated from God, 45:18 and at enmity with God has three parts. 45:21 It says in Revelation 16:13, 45:24 "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs," 45:28 now notice this, "coming out of the mouth of the dragon, 45:32 out of the mouth of the beast, 45:35 and out of the mouth of a false prophet. 45:38 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs," notice, 45:43 "which go out to the kings of the earth 45:44 and of the whole world, to gather them to battle 45:47 of that great day of God Almighty." 45:51 So you have a trilogy of powers mentioned here. 45:53 You have the dragon, you have the beast, 45:56 and the false prophet that are going to perform signs 45:59 through spiritualism, 46:00 and they're going to gather the entire world 46:03 against God's people, against God. 46:06 Now, in order to understand this trilogy of terror, 46:10 we must go back to Revelation 12 and 13. 46:13 In Revelation Chapter 12 and 13, 46:16 we have this same threefold power. 46:19 You have, first of all, in Revelation 12, the dragon, 46:23 the dragon tried to slay the male child when he is born, 46:26 that is Satan trying to slay Christ 46:29 by using the power of Rome. 46:32 In other words, Satan working through 46:35 the civil power of Rome. 46:37 And then you have in Revelation 13, 46:39 the very next chapter, you have the beast, 46:43 from the sea, 46:44 the beast from the sea rules then 42 months, 46:49 which is 1260 years, 46:53 and that beast represents the Roman Catholic papacy. 46:57 So you have the dragon, which represents Satan working 47:00 through the civil power of Rome. 47:03 Then you have next, the papacy, 47:06 the beast that rises from the sea, 47:08 persecutes the saints, 47:09 speaks blasphemies against the Most High, 47:12 things that can change God's law, 47:14 etc, very significant detail. 47:16 This represents the Roman Catholic papacy. 47:19 And then, at the end of Revelation 13, 47:22 the second half of the chapter, 47:24 you have a beast that rises from the earth. 47:27 This beast that rises from the earth 47:28 has two horns like a lamb, but it speaks like a dragon. 47:32 It's deceptive because the lamb is a symbol of Jesus Christ. 47:35 This is a deceptive power, whereas it professes one thing, 47:40 the two horns like a lamb, 47:41 it actually speaks like the dragon. 47:44 What power is represented by this particular beast 47:48 that rises from the earth? 47:50 This beast represents apostate Protestantism 47:54 in the United States of America. 47:56 Now, I don't have time to prove all of these points here. 47:59 I've done it in another series called God's prophetic chain. 48:03 So if you go to our website, secretsunsealed.org 48:07 and you go to the section that has the study notes, 48:10 you'll find an entire set of study notes 48:13 on God's prophetic chain. 48:15 In there, I studied this threefold power, 48:17 the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 48:20 So this trilogy of terror at the end of time 48:22 that is going to gather the whole world against God 48:25 are Satan working through the civil powers of the world, 48:29 the Roman Catholic papacy that has resurrected 48:31 from its deadly wound, and apostate Protestantism, 48:35 as represented 48:36 in the United States of America. 48:38 But now there's a very important point. 48:41 If you compare Revelation 12 and 13 48:44 with Revelation 16:13, 48:46 and with Revelation 19:20, 48:49 you'll find a variation in the details. 48:51 In Revelation 12 and 13, you'll notice the dragon, 48:55 the sea beast, and the earth beast. 48:59 In Revelation 16:13, you have the dragon, 49:02 the sea beast, and the false prophet. 49:06 So who is the earth beast? 49:08 The earth beast is the false prophet. 49:10 And then you have in Revelation 19:20, 49:12 it speaks not of the dragon it says the kings, 49:16 the sea beast, and the false prophet. 49:20 So you'll notice here that you have a variation 49:23 in the description, dragon, sea beast, 49:26 earth beast in Revelation 12 and 13. 49:28 Dragon, sea beast, false prophet 49:30 in Revelation 16:13, 49:32 and kings, sea beast and false prophet 49:35 in Revelation 19:20. 49:38 This means that in Revelation 19:20, 49:40 the dragon represents the kings 49:43 or the political powers of the world. 49:45 It also means that the earth beast 49:47 in Revelation 12 and 13 is the false prophet 49:51 because it is called the false prophet 49:53 in Revelation 16:13, in Revelation 19:20. 49:58 You say, "Well, doesn't the dragon represent Satan?" 50:01 Yes, it does represent Satan. 50:03 But it's Satan working through the civil powers 50:05 of the world. 50:06 Let me read you this statement 50:08 from Testimonies to Ministers, page 39. 50:10 Kings and rulers and governors. 50:13 These are political leaders, right? 50:15 Kings and rulers and governors have placed upon themselves 50:19 the brand of antichrist, 50:21 and are represented as the dragon 50:24 who goes to make war with the saints, 50:27 with those who keep the commandments of God 50:29 and who have the faith of Jesus. 50:33 So you'll notice here that the dragon 50:35 represents kings, rulers and governors. 50:37 Satan working through the civil powers of the world. 50:41 Now, there's a very important point. 50:43 In Bible prophecy, a beast 50:46 does not represent a single individual. 50:49 So this false prophet that is mentioned here, 50:52 which is the same as the earth beast 50:54 cannot be a single individual because a beast represents 50:58 a kingdom or a nation 51:00 that has a succession of individuals that rule in it. 51:04 For example, a lion in Daniel 7 is not just Nebuchadnezzar, 51:08 a single king, it represents the whole dynasty of kings 51:10 of Babylon. 51:12 The same with Medo-Persia, 51:13 and Greece, and Rome. 51:15 So this false prophet of Revelation Chapter 13, 51:18 and Revelation Chapter 16, and Revelation Chapter 19 51:23 is not a single false prophet, 51:26 it is a beast which represents the fact 51:28 that it is going to be a nation that has many individuals 51:33 who share this false prophetic scenario. 51:38 The false prophet, in other words, 51:39 must claim to be Christian, 51:41 and yet acts contrary to its profession. 51:45 After all, as I mentioned, it has two horns like a lamb, 51:49 which is always a symbol of Christ 51:51 in the Book of Revelation. 51:52 But it speaks like the dragon, which is Satan working 51:56 through the civil powers of the world. 51:58 The earth beast, 52:00 you'll notice very important point, 52:02 is actually the false prophet of the beast, of the sea beast. 52:06 You say, "Now, wait a minute, 52:08 you're saying that the false prophet, 52:10 or also called the beast that rises from the earth? 52:14 You're saying that that beast is actually a false prophet 52:18 for the previous beast?" 52:19 Absolutely. 52:21 You say, "How do we know that?" 52:22 Listen, folks, the sad thing is, 52:24 that is that the United States of America 52:27 is going to serve as the false prophet 52:29 of the papacy of the beast that rose from the sea. 52:33 And you say, "Well, where do you get that from?" 52:36 Let me just share with you 52:37 from Revelation Chapter 12 and 13, 52:40 the details of this particular beast 52:42 that rises from the earth, the false prophet, 52:44 which I repeat, once again, 52:46 it's not a single individual, because it's a beast, 52:49 it's a nation. 52:51 It is a nation that is composed of many false prophets, 52:54 just like Babylon had many kings. 52:57 Everything that this beast from the earth does, 53:00 it does to please the first beast 53:02 to return power to the first beast. 53:05 You say, really? 53:06 Well, let me give you the characteristics. 53:09 You can read it in Revelation Chapter 12 and 13. 53:11 We don't have time to read all the verses, 53:13 because there's so much material 53:15 in Matthew Chapter 24 that we need to cover. 53:19 First of all, we find in Revelation 13, 53:23 that we are told that this beast 53:25 exercises all of the authority of the first beast. 53:29 In other words, the authority of this beast 53:31 that rises from the earth, 53:33 exercise the authority of the first beast. 53:36 We are also told that this beast from the earth, 53:39 the false prophet, 53:40 actually commands every person to worship 53:44 the first beast. 53:46 We're also told that this beast from the earth, 53:49 this false prophet performs actions in the presence 53:55 of the first beast. 53:57 We are also told that this beast from the earth, 53:59 this false prophet, 54:01 composed of many false prophets, 54:02 I might say, makes an image of the first beast 54:05 in its honor. 54:07 And we are told that this beast from the earth, 54:10 the false prophet, 54:12 imposes the mark of the first beast, 54:15 so everything this beast is doing 54:17 is to please the first beast. 54:19 Folks, the United States of America 54:21 is going to ally itself with the papacy. 54:24 It's going to heal the wound of the papacy, 54:27 and is going to bring out persecution 54:28 against those who are faithful to the Lord. 54:31 Apostate Protestantism will join in this 54:35 uttering false prophecies that the day of worship 54:37 is Sunday instead of God's holy Sabbath. 54:41 Another interesting detail is, 54:43 that we are told in Revelation 19:20, 54:46 that this beast from the earth, this false prophet 54:49 worked signs and wonders 54:52 in the presence of the first beast. 54:54 And the purpose was to deceive the people 54:57 who worshiped the image of the beast 54:59 and received the mark of the beast. 55:02 We remember once again, 55:04 the false prophet in the Old Testament 55:06 perform signs and wonders. 55:08 We find in Matthew Chapter 24, 55:10 that the false prophets at the end of time 55:13 will perform signs and wonders 55:15 to deceive if possible, the very elect. 55:18 So if you're expecting a false prophet, saying, 55:20 well, the false prophet is Islam, 55:23 like many are saying, folks, 55:24 that's not someone who is within 55:27 the congregation of Christianity. 55:29 This is not an individual who claims 55:31 that Jesus Christ is God. 55:33 No, it can't be. 55:35 False prophets arose among God's own people. 55:39 They claim to prophesy in God's name. 55:42 Yet they taught the children of Israel 55:44 not to distinguish between good and evil, 55:47 between right and wrong, 55:48 and between what is holy and what is common. 55:51 Is that happening today? 55:53 Once again, folks, I return 55:55 to what we've been talking about previously. 55:58 There is a big test for the world 56:00 at the end of time. 56:01 God has said that His holy day of worship 56:05 is the seventh day Sabbath. 56:07 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 56:09 but the seventh day is a Sabbath of Lord your God. 56:13 As I've studied before, we're going to see 56:16 that the United States of America, 56:18 through its legislative powers is going to mandate, 56:22 is going to proclaim a national Sunday law 56:26 that everyone has to rest on Sunday, 56:29 everybody back to church. 56:31 You say, "Well, that would be unconstitutional." 56:33 Of course, that would be unconstitutional. 56:35 But in times of crisis, what is unconstitutional 56:39 many times is proclaimed to be constitutional. 56:43 And that's exactly what's going to happen. 56:45 It's seen in this beast has two horns like a lamb, 56:50 but it speaks like a dragon. 56:52 In other words, its conduct 56:54 contradicts the principles upon which it was built, 56:57 civil and religious liberty. 56:59 And so this is a time, folks, 57:01 when we need to lift up the truth of God, 57:04 not be politically correct. 57:06 Yes, we need to do it in love. 57:08 In fact, the prophet spoke these things 57:10 because they loved the people. 57:11 They knew that the people would be destroyed 57:13 if they did not listen to the counsel 57:16 of the true prophets. 57:17 So this is a time when we need to come back 57:19 to worshiping the Creator God, to worship Him, Him 57:23 who made the heavens and the earth, 57:25 and to keep the sign 57:26 that He has established of His worship, 57:29 which is the seventh day Sabbath. 57:31 As the fourth commandment says, 57:33 it gives a reason for keeping the Sabbath. 57:35 It says that God created the world in six days, 57:40 rested on the seventh day, 57:42 and therefore we are supposed to work six days 57:45 and rest the seventh day, 57:47 following the example of our wonderful Creator. 57:51 So I trust that what we studied is useful. 57:53 We did it in the context of the totality of Scripture, 57:56 and that we will choose not to follow 57:59 what false prophet say, but we will choose to follow 58:02 what God's true prophets have to say in this time. |
Revised 2021-07-19