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Series Code: MAT
Program Code: MAT000015S
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00:20 Shall we pray?
00:23 Father, as we open Your holy book, 00:26 we ask for an open mind and heart. 00:29 We've spoken about some very solemn things. 00:33 I trust, Lord, that You will impress hearts to study, 00:37 to see if these things are so. 00:40 I know I've studied them. 00:42 And I'm firmly convinced that we are living 00:45 in the last remnant of time. 00:47 So remove any obstacles from human hearts that might 00:51 keep people from hearing Your voice. 00:54 And we thank You for hearing our prayer, 00:56 for we ask it in Jesus' name. 00:58 Amen. 01:01 In this series, we have studied two abominations of desolation. 01:07 The first was the destruction 01:10 of Jerusalem by the Babylonians because of the abominations 01:14 that were being committed by God's own professed people. 01:18 The second was the destruction of Jerusalem 01:21 by the Roman legions, because they committed 01:24 the greatest abomination, 01:25 which was to reject Jesus Christ as the Messiah. 01:30 But as we've seen, there will be 01:32 a third abomination of desolation, 01:35 when the United States 01:38 imposes a national Sunday law that will eventually 01:42 lead to national ruin. 01:45 You see, 01:46 what is going to happen is at the end of time, 01:50 a law will be made that 01:52 is contrary to divine legislation. 01:55 You see God legislated in His law 01:58 that the seventh day Sabbath is the day of rest. 02:02 When man changes that commandment and says, 02:04 "No, it's not Sabbath, it's Sunday." 02:07 Human legislation is replacing divine legislation. 02:12 There could be no greater apostasy 02:15 and blasphemy than this. 02:18 We noticed that the sun 02:20 and the eagle was involved in the first abomination 02:24 of desolation in the Old Testament. 02:26 We noticed that the second destruction 02:29 of Jerusalem also involved the eagles 02:32 of the Roman legions, and the sun god Mithra, 02:36 whom they worshipped. 02:38 We've also noticed that in the end time, 02:40 once again, the eagle of the United States 02:42 and the imposition of the day of the sun will be involved. 02:47 Now, I want us to return to the Old Testament 02:49 for the next several minutes to study about the sad apostasy 02:54 of Israel before the first destruction of Jerusalem. 02:58 God married Israel at Mount Sinai, 03:02 but Israel was unfaithful to her wedding vows. 03:07 Before the Babylonian captivity, 03:08 God sent Jeremiah and Ezekiel to rebuke Israel. 03:11 They were too so to speak, God's divorce court lawyers. 03:16 God was saying to Israel want a divorce, 03:19 because you folks have apostatized for Me. 03:23 Jeremiah 31:32 tells us that God was going to make 03:28 a new covenant not according to the covenant that I made 03:31 with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand 03:34 to lead them out of the land of Egypt. 03:37 No, he says, my covenant which they broke, 03:41 though I was a husband to them, 03:44 says the Lord. 03:46 In his Ezekiel 16:32, the prophet said to Israel, 03:51 "You are an adulterous wife, 03:54 who takes strangers instead of her husband." 03:58 Because Israel intermingled with the apostate practices 04:01 of the surrounding nations. 04:03 Israel, God's unfaithful wife 04:07 was committing abominations. 04:10 We find in Ezekiel 1:1-2, 04:14 a description of the abominations that were 04:16 being committed. 04:18 It says there, 04:19 "Again the word of the Lord came to me saying, 04:21 'Son of man, 04:22 cause Jerusalem to know her abominations." 04:27 These were being committed in those 04:29 who profess to be God's true people. 04:33 Ezekiel Chapter 8 presents the abominations 04:36 of Jerusalem in order of severity. 04:40 And what is at the very, very top of the list 04:44 of the worst abomination of all 04:46 is the worship of the sun. 04:48 Ezekiel 8:15-16, 04:51 "Then He said to me, 'Have you seen this, 04:54 O son of man? 04:56 Turn again, you will see 04:57 greater abominations than these.' 05:00 So he brought me into the inner court 05:02 of the Lord's house.'" 05:03 This is an in the very temple. 05:05 And there at the door of the temple of the Lord, 05:08 between the porch and the altar, 05:10 were about twenty-five men with their backs toward 05:15 the temple of the Lord, 05:17 and their faces toward the east, 05:19 and they were worshipping the sun toward the east." 05:23 So you have this unfaithful wife, 05:25 God's professed people that are committing abominations, 05:29 the worst of which is the worship of the sun. 05:32 And so God refers 05:33 to His apostate bride as a harlot. 05:37 Ezekiel 16:15, reads, 05:40 God's speaking to Israel, 05:43 "But you trusted in your own beauty, 05:46 played the harlot because of your fame, 05:50 and poured out your harlotry," 05:52 the King James says fornications, 05:55 "on everyone passing by who would have it." 05:59 We find in Ezekiel 16:28-30, that Israel behaved 06:04 as a harlot with the nations instead of having God 06:06 and her husband as her husband. 06:08 She mingled with the practices of the nations it says there. 06:11 "You also played the harlot with the Assyrians, 06:15 because you were insatiable, 06:17 indeed, you played the harlot with them, 06:20 and still were not satisfied. 06:22 Moreover you multiplied your acts of harlotry 06:25 as far as the land of the trader, 06:28 Chaldea, and even then you were not satisfied. 06:32 How degenerate is your heart, says the Lord God, 06:36 seeing you do all these things, 06:39 the deeds of a brazen harlot." 06:43 So you have this unfaithful wife 06:45 practicing the abominations of the nations, 06:48 especially the worship of the sun. 06:50 God refers to, He refers to her as an apostate harlot. 06:56 And we're told that Israel decked herself, 06:59 this is symbolic, of course, decked herself with all sorts 07:03 of jewels to impress her lovers. 07:06 In Ezekiel 16: 17, 07:09 God rebukes Israel. 07:11 And He says, "You have also taken 07:13 your beautiful jewelry from My gold and my silver, 07:18 which I had given you, 07:19 and made for yourselves male images 07:22 and played the harlot with them." 07:26 In Ezekiel 23:40, once again, 07:28 we find Israel symbolically painting her eyes 07:32 and putting on ornaments to impress her lovers, 07:36 rather than to have 07:38 a strong relationship with our Lord. 07:40 It says there in Ezekiel 23:40, 07:43 "Furthermore, you sent for men to come from afar, 07:48 to whom a messenger was sent, and there they came. 07:52 And you washed yourself for them, 07:54 painted your eyes, 07:56 and adorned yourself with ornaments." 07:59 So Israel was covering herself 08:00 with jewelry to impress her lovers. 08:03 She's been unfaithful to her husband. 08:06 What were the abominations that she was committing? 08:08 Yes, she was trampling on the Sabbath. 08:10 She was also trampling on the sanctuary 08:13 and shedding innocent blood. 08:15 We're told in Ezekiel 23:28, 08:18 "Moreover, they have done this to me: 08:21 They have defiled my sanctuary on the same day 08:25 and profaned My Sabbaths. 08:29 In Ezekiel 16:38. 08:31 This is from the New International Version, 08:33 we find that Jerusalem was shedding 08:36 the blood of innocent people. 08:39 It says, 08:40 "I will sentence you to the punishment 08:42 of women who commit adultery, God says, 08:45 and who shed blood, I will bring upon you 08:48 the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger." 08:52 So they were persecuting and killing the innocent, 08:55 the faithful in Jerusalem. 08:58 And the sad thing is that the religious leaders 09:00 were leading them down the wrong road. 09:03 But the people were happy with it. 09:06 Jeremiah 5:31, says, 09:09 "The prophets prophesy falsely, 09:12 and the priests rule by their own power, 09:15 and My people love to have it so." 09:19 For this reason, God decided that He would pour out 09:22 the cup of His wrath upon the city of Jerusalem. 09:26 We find in Ezekiel 23:32, 09:30 God speaking to His apostate people, 09:33 "You have walked in the way of your sister, 09:36 therefore, I will put her cup in your hand. 09:40 Thus says the Lord God, 09:42 'You shall drink of your sister's cup, 09:44 the deep and wide one, you shall be laughed to scorn 09:48 and beheld in derision, it contains much.'" 09:52 So Judah, Israel was going to drink the cup 09:56 of God's wrath because of her apostasies. 10:01 God prophesied that destruction would come 10:04 from the four corners of the earth. 10:07 We find in Ezekiel 7:1-8, 10:11 a vivid description of the destruction that would 10:13 come from the four corners of the earth. 10:16 It says there in Ezekiel 7:1, 10:19 "Moreover the word of the Lord came to me saying, 10:22 'And you son of man, 10:24 thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel: 10:27 an end! 10:28 The end has come upon the four corners of the land. 10:32 Now the end has come upon you, 10:35 and I will send My anger against you. 10:37 I will judge you according to your ways, 10:40 and will repay you for all your abominations. 10:44 My eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity, 10:48 but I will repay your ways 10:49 and your abominations in will be in your midst, 10:53 then you shall know that I am the Lord! 10:57 Thus says the Lord God: 10:58 'A disaster, a singular disaster, behold, 11:01 it has come! 11:02 An end has come, the end has come, 11:05 it has dawned for you, behold, it has come! 11:08 Doom has come to you, you who dwell in the land, 11:11 the time has come, a day of trouble is near, 11:14 and not of rejoicing in the mountains. 11:17 Now upon you, I will soon pour out My fury 11:20 and spent My anger upon you, 11:23 I will judge you according to your ways, 11:25 I will repay you for all your abominations." 11:28 Notice the number of times that the word abominations 11:30 is used here. 11:32 And God is going to pour out His wrath upon Jerusalem, 11:35 because of their abominations, an end will come upon 11:39 the four corners of the earth. 11:42 But before the destruction, there was a sealing. 11:45 You see, there was a group in the city 11:47 that was faithful to the Lord, 11:48 they were not worshiping the sun, 11:49 they were not practicing the abominations. 11:52 Let's read Ezekiel 9:1-6, 11:55 "Then He called out 11:56 in my hearing with a loud voice, 11:57 saying, 'Let those who have charge over the city draw near, 12:01 each with a deadly weapon in his hand. 12:04 And suddenly six men came from the direction 12:06 of the upper gate, which faces north, 12:08 each with his battle-ax in his hand. 12:11 One man among them was clothed with linen 12:14 and had a writer's inkhorn at his side. 12:17 They went in and stood beside the bronze altar. 12:20 Now the glory of the God of Israel 12:22 had gone up from the cherub, 12:23 where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. 12:27 And He called to the man clothed with linen, 12:29 who had the writer's inkhorn at his side, 12:32 and the Lord said to him, Go through the midst 12:35 of the city, this is Jerusalem, folks. 12:37 'Go through the midst of the city 12:39 through the midst of Jerusalem, 12:42 and put a mark on the foreheads of the men 12:45 who sigh and cry 12:47 over all the abominations that are done in it.'" 12:51 So that you have those who were practicing 12:52 the abominations most. 12:55 And you have those who were actually sighing 12:57 and crying because of the abominations. 12:59 Verse 5, "To the others He said in my hearing, 13:02 'Go after him through the city and kill, 13:06 do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. 13:10 Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children 13:15 and women, but do not come near anyone on whom 13:18 is the mark, and begin at My sanctuary.' 13:21 So they began with the elders who were before the temple.'" 13:25 That is with the religious leaders, 13:26 so notice that there is a sealing 13:29 of the faithful before the destruction of the city, 13:32 and the seal is placed on the foreheads 13:35 of those who were in the city. 13:38 Now, before the destruction, 13:39 the people were trampling on God's holy Sabbath. 13:43 Notice Ezekiel 20:12, 13:45 and then we will read verses 19 to 21. 13:48 Ezekiel 20:12 and then 19 through 21. 13:52 God said, "Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, 13:57 to be a sign between them and Me, 13:59 that they might know that 14:01 I am the Lord who sanctifies them." 14:04 So the Sabbath was God's sign. 14:06 Verses 19-21 read. 14:10 "I am the Lord your God: 14:11 Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments and do them, 14:17 hallow My Sabbaths, 14:19 and they will be a sign between Me and you, 14:22 that you may know that I am the Lord your God. 14:26 Notwithstanding, 14:27 the children rebelled against Me, 14:29 they did not walk in My statutes, 14:32 and were not careful to observe My judgments, 14:35 which if a man does, he shall live by them, 14:38 but they profaned My Sabbaths. 14:40 Then I said, I would pour out My fury on them 14:44 and fulfill My anger 14:46 against them in the wilderness.'" 14:48 So they were trampling on the Sabbath. 14:50 In fact, the great sin 14:52 that led to the destruction of Jerusalem 14:54 was not only that they were worshipping 14:56 the sun, but also that they were 14:58 trampling on the Sabbath. 15:00 Notice Jeremiah 17:27, 15:02 God warned them. 15:04 "But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, 15:10 such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates 15:13 of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, 15:15 I will kindle a fire in its gates, 15:18 and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, 15:21 and it shall not be quenched." 15:23 God says, "If you don't hallow My Sabbaths, 15:26 if you don't keep the Sabbath holy, 15:28 I will destroy Jerusalem." 15:31 And then God predicted that the lovers of Israel 15:35 had a relationship with would turn against her. 15:40 Notice Ezekiel 16:39, 15:44 "I will also give you into their hand, 15:48 and they shall throw you down, 15:50 they shall throw down your shrines, 15:52 and break down your high places. 15:54 They shall also strip you of your clothes, 15:59 and take your beautiful jewelry 16:01 and leave you naked and bare. 16:06 So this is a story from the Old Testament. 16:09 Now we need to take a look at the history 16:13 of the New Testament Church. 16:16 You see, the New Testament tells us that Jesus 16:19 is the husband, and the church is His bride. 16:23 Ephesians 5:25, reads, 16:26 "Husbands, love your wives, 16:29 just as Christ also loved the church 16:32 and gave Himself for her." 16:34 So husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church. 16:38 In Revelation 12:1, 16:41 we find the Old Testament Church 16:43 represented by a woman. 16:46 It says there in Revelation 12:1, 16:49 "Now a great sign appeared in heaven, 16:52 a woman clothed with the sun, 16:55 with the moon under her feet and on her head a garland 17:00 of twelve stars." 17:02 And then it speaks about the birth of the man child, 17:05 which refers to the birth of Jesus Christ. 17:08 So we find that the true church 17:11 is represented by a pure woman, 17:15 a counterfeit church, or an apostate church 17:19 is represented by a harlot woman. 17:22 Now, this woman that we find in Revelation 12:1, 17:26 at first, this woman was pure. 17:28 In other words, the church in the apostolic times kept 17:32 the pure doctrines, it was a pure church, 17:34 it did not mingle with the practices 17:36 of the surrounding nations. 17:39 It eventually came to the point where this woman had to flee, 17:42 because the harlot would persecute her. 17:44 So I want you to notice that during the 1260 years, 17:48 there were actually two churches. 17:51 In Jerusalem, there were those who were 17:53 worshipping the signs and those who sighed and cried. 17:56 You say, "What do you mean?" 17:58 Well, let's notice that in Revelation 12:6, 18:02 we're told, "Then the woman fled into the wilderness," 18:06 this is the pure woman of verse 1, 18:08 "where she has a place prepared by God 18:10 that they should feed her there 1260 days." 18:14 During this time, the harlot woman is persecuting 18:18 the woman in Revelation 12:1. 18:21 So you have the faithful church that flees, 18:24 represented by this pure woman, and you have the harlot woman 18:28 who is persecuting God's people during that same period. 18:33 But unfortunately, the apostolic church, 18:36 in the fourth century, became a harlot 18:40 by forsaking her legitimate husband, 18:43 Jesus Christ, and falling in love with the civil power, 18:48 and the pagan customs of the surrounding nations. 18:53 Revelation Chapter 17 describes the characteristics 18:56 of this unfaithful woman. 18:57 Let's read the verses. 18:59 "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, 19:02 came and talk with me saying to me, 'Come, 19:05 I will show you the judgment of the great harlot 19:07 who sits on many waters, 19:09 with whom the kings 19:11 of the earth committed fornication, 19:13 and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk 19:16 with the wine of her fornication. 19:18 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, 19:21 and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, 19:24 having in her hand, a golden cup, 19:26 full of abominations 19:28 and the filthiness of her fornication. 19:31 And on her forehead a name was written: 19:33 Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots 19:37 and of the Abominations of the Earth. 19:40 And then, John says, 19:42 I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, 19:46 and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. 19:48 And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement." 19:51 Now, that entire Chapter 17 revolves around this woman. 19:56 She is the main actor of the story. 19:59 Let's summarize what this passage says. 20:02 A harlot woman represents 20:05 a church that has apostatized from the truth. 20:09 She sits on multitudes, nations, 20:11 tongues and peoples would mean that she rules over the earth. 20:16 She carries an adulterous affair 20:18 with the kings of the world, 20:20 with the political powers of the world, 20:22 thus forsaking her wedding vows 20:25 with Jesus Christ. 20:27 She has a golden cup in her hand 20:29 with fermented wine, 20:31 and the fermented wine is her abominations, 20:35 and she forces all nations to drink 20:39 the wine of her fornication, 20:42 and the nations become drunk with her wine. 20:46 When the nations drink the wine, 20:48 they become angry because it's called the wine 20:50 of the wrath of her fornication. 20:53 The harlot clothes herself in certain colors, 20:56 purple and scarlet. 20:58 She decks herself with gold, 21:00 precious stones and pearls to impress her lovers. 21:05 The harlot has daughters that were 21:07 born from her at some point, because she is called 21:10 the mother of harlots. 21:12 The vile woman is drunk with the blood 21:15 of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus. 21:18 This, besides being a church is also a political power. 21:23 You say, "How do we know this?" 21:24 Because Revelation 17:18, 21:27 tells us that she reigns over the kings of the earth. 21:32 And we're told in Revelation 17:16, 21:36 that the kings will hate this harlot 21:39 and they will leave her naked, eat her flesh, 21:42 and burn her with fire. 21:44 That's a way of saying that they're going to be very 21:47 angry at her in the end. 21:50 Now let's unpack the details that we've noticed here 21:54 regarding this harlot woman, 21:56 the main protagonist of this passage. 22:00 A woman in prophecy, as I've mentioned, 22:02 represents a church 22:05 and a harlot woman represents a harlot or apostate church. 22:10 Revelation 17:1 is talking about that harlot church. 22:15 "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came 22:18 and talked with me, saying to me, 22:19 'Come, I will show you the judgment 22:21 of the great harlot who sits on many waters.'" 22:26 What do the many waters represent? 22:29 Well, let's read verse 15. 22:32 Revelation 17:15, we already read verse 1. 22:36 It says in verse 15, "Then he said to me, 22:39 'The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, 22:43 are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues." 22:47 And the act of sinning means that she rules over them. 22:51 So you have this apostate church 22:53 represented by the harlot. 22:54 She's sitting on many waters, 22:56 which means that she rules over 22:58 the political powers of the world. 23:00 In fact, this brings us to our next characteristic. 23:04 She actually has an illegitimate love affair, 23:08 spiritually speaking, 23:09 with the political powers of the world. 23:12 You say, "How do we know that?" 23:13 Because of Revelation 17:2, it says there, 23:18 "With whom the kings of the earth 23:21 committed fornication, 23:23 and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk 23:26 with the wine of her fornication." 23:28 In other words, she entertains an illegitimate relationship 23:31 with the kings of the earth instead of having 23:34 a relationship with her only husband, Jesus Christ. 23:39 She's also clothed in a special manner to attract 23:43 the attention of the kings. 23:45 We find in Revelation 17:4, 23:47 "The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet." 23:51 Those are the colors of the Roman Catholic papacy, 23:53 the main colors by the way. 23:55 "And adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, 23:59 just like the Old Testament Israel, 24:01 having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations 24:04 and the filthiness of her fornication." 24:09 So she's clothed in a certain way, 24:11 and she's filled with gold and silver 24:14 and precious jewels. 24:16 She's also a mother, 24:18 which means that at some point in her history, 24:21 daughters must have been born from her. 24:24 Protestantism, apostate Protestantism 24:27 as it exists today was born from the mother, 24:29 never forsake all of the teachings of the mother. 24:33 You see, the mother teaches that the immortality 24:35 of the soul, we're going to notice this. 24:37 The mother teaches that Sunday is the day of rest. 24:39 Protestants inherited 24:40 these practices from the mother. 24:43 It says in Revelation 17:5, 24:45 "On her forehead was name written: 24:48 Mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots 24:52 and of the Abominations of the Earth." 24:55 She also has a golden cup in her hand 24:58 with fermented wine. 25:00 The fermented wine are her abominations. 25:03 It says in Revelation 17:2, 25:07 "With whom the kings of the earth 25:08 committed fornication, and the inhabitants 25:11 of the earth were made drunk with the wine 25:14 of her fornication." 25:16 And she is filled with abominations 25:19 just like Old Testament Israel. 25:20 Revelation 17:15, tell us, tells us, 25:23 "And on her head, a name was written: 25:26 Mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots 25:29 and of the Abominations of the Earth." 25:33 Now, do you know why this church 25:35 which is called Babylon by the way, you notice? 25:38 Why this church failed and became Babylon? 25:41 It's because she gave her wine to all of the nations. 25:46 Let's read the second angel's message 25:48 in Revelation Chapter 14. 25:50 Revelation Chapter 14, and we will read verse 8. 25:55 Revelation 14:8, 25:57 "And another angel followed, saying, 'Babylon is fallen, 26:00 is fallen, that great city," and now comes the reason, 26:04 "because she has made," this means force, 26:08 "she has made all nations drink of the wine 26:12 of the wrath of her fornication." 26:14 So the wine in her cup are her abominations, 26:18 and she gives it to the nations 26:19 and whoever doesn't want to drink, 26:21 the wrath of the woman is against them. 26:24 Now the question is, what are her abominations? 26:28 Well, we need to go back to the Old Testament to see 26:31 what the abominations were. 26:34 The first abomination is making idols 26:36 and bowing before them. 26:39 Let's read several verses, Exodus 20:4-6. 26:43 Exodus 20:4-6, 26:45 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, 26:48 any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, 26:51 or that is in the earth beneath, 26:53 or that is in the water under the earth, 26:55 you shall not bow down to them, nor serve them." 26:58 Not only making images but bowing down to them. 27:01 "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, 27:04 visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon 27:06 the children to the third and fourth generations 27:09 of those who hate Me, 27:10 but showing mercy to thousands to those who love Me 27:13 and keep My commandments." 27:14 This is the second commandments of God's holy law. 27:18 Who would dare make images and bow down before them, 27:21 like the papacy does in violation 27:24 of this commandment? 27:25 Deuteronomy 7:25-26. 27:29 God told Israel as they entered the Promised Land. 27:32 "You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire, 27:36 you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, 27:40 nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it, 27:44 for it is an abomination." 27:46 So notice, "Bowing down before images 27:48 is an abomination to the Lord your God, 27:51 nor shall you bring an abomination, 27:53 that is an idol, into your house, 27:55 lest you be doomed to destruction like it. 27:58 You shall utterly detest it 28:00 and utterly abhor it, for it is an accursed thing." 28:04 Notice Deuteronomy 27:14-15, 28:09 "And the Levites shall speak with a loud voice 28:11 and say to all the men of Israel, 28:13 'Cursed is the one who makes a carved image, 28:16 or molded image, an abomination to the Lord, 28:20 the work of the hands of the craftsman, 28:22 and sets it up in secret. 28:24 And all the people shall answer and say, 'Amen!'" 28:27 So making images and bowing before them is an abomination. 28:32 It's part of the wine that the harlot has in her cup. 28:35 Delving into the occult, 28:38 and saying that 28:40 you can communicate with the dead 28:42 is an abomination, all occultic practices. 28:45 By the way, 28:46 all occultic practices are based on the false theology 28:50 of the immortality of the soul. 28:53 Notice Deuteronomy 18:9-12. 28:57 God told Israel "When you come into the land, 28:59 which the Lord your God has given you, 29:01 you shall not learn to follow the abominations," 29:03 there's the word abominations again. 29:06 When we dealt with idolatry, it's abominations. 29:08 Here it says, 29:10 "You shall not learn to follow the abominations 29:12 of those nations. 29:14 There shall not be found among you, 29:16 anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass 29:18 through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft," 29:22 that includes Santeria, that includes all 29:24 of these occultic practices, Voodoo etc, 29:27 "or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, 29:31 or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, 29:36 or a medium or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 29:41 For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord. 29:46 And because of these abominations, 29:48 the Lord your God drives them out 29:50 from before you." 29:52 The Roman Catholic Church teaches that you can 29:53 pray to the saints who passed away. 29:56 Well, if you can pray to the saints, 29:57 that must mean that 29:59 their soul departed from the body 30:01 and went to heaven, you can pray to them. 30:03 But here it says, you shall not call up the dead, 30:06 which is based on a false theology 30:09 of the immortality of the soul. 30:11 Another abomination 30:12 is the idea that you can be saved in your sins that you 30:18 don't need to turn away from your sins. 30:22 Notice Proverbs 28:9, 30:25 "One who turns his ear from hearing the law, 30:30 even his prayer is an abomination." 30:33 So in other words, turning away from the law, 30:35 and saying that sin 30:37 is not consequential because we're weak 30:39 human beings. 30:41 That is an abomination in the sight of God. 30:43 But the other extreme is also an abomination, 30:46 the idea that you can be saved by your works. 30:49 So one extreme is the idea 30:50 that you can be saved in your sins. 30:52 The other one is that you can be 30:53 saved by your works. 30:55 Notice Luke 16:15, 30:58 Jesus is speaking, "And He said to them, 31:00 'You are those who justify yourselves, before men, 31:05 but God knows your hearts for what 31:07 is highly esteemed among men 31:10 is an abomination in the sight of God." 31:12 So whether you believe that you can be saved in your sins, 31:15 or you can be saved by your works, 31:17 it's an abomination. 31:18 The Roman Catholic papacy teaches, 31:20 well, you know, we're weak, 31:23 if you commit a sin, just go and confess it to the priest, 31:26 and the priest will absolve you. 31:28 On the other end, it says, you know, by pilgrimages, 31:30 and by penance and things like that, 31:32 you can actually work your way to heaven. 31:34 Ellen White wrote this very 31:36 interesting statement in Great Controversy, 31:38 page 572 about the papacy. 31:42 This is speaking to Protestants. 31:44 "A prayerful study of the Bible would show Protestants 31:47 the real character of the papacy." 31:50 So what would they have to do to know 31:52 the real character of the papacy? 31:54 Study the Bible. 31:55 She continues, "A prayerful study of the Bible 31:58 would show Protestants 31:59 the real character of the papacy 32:01 and would cause them to abhor and shun it, 32:04 but many are so wise in their own conceit, 32:07 that they feel no need of humbly 32:08 asking God that they may be led 32:10 into the truth. 32:12 Although priding themselves on their enlightenment, 32:15 they are ignorant both of the Scriptures 32:17 and of the power of God. 32:19 They must have some means of quieting their consciences, 32:24 and they seek that which is least spiritual 32:26 and humiliating. 32:28 What they desire is a method 32:29 of forgetting God that shall pass as a method 32:33 of remembering Him. 32:35 The papacy is well adapted to meet the wants of all these, 32:39 not the needs, but the wants of all these. 32:42 It is prepared, the papacy is prepared for two classes 32:45 of mankind, embracing nearly the whole world, 32:49 those who would be saved by their merits, 32:52 and those who would be saved in their sins. 32:56 Here is the secret of its power. 33:01 Another abomination is adultery, 33:04 fornication, spiritual adultery, 33:06 in the case of the papacy because she fornicates with 33:08 the kings of the earth, 33:10 the churches to be allied only for Jesus. 33:12 It should not get the state to do what the church wants. 33:15 Jeremiah 13:26-27, 33:18 "Therefore, I will uncover your skirts, God says, 33:21 over your face, that your shame may appear. 33:24 I have seen your adulteries and your lustful neighings, 33:28 the lewdness of your harlotry, 33:31 your abominations on the hills and in the fields, 33:34 Woe to you, O Jerusalem! 33:36 Will you still not be made clean?" 33:40 Another abomination is shedding innocent blood, 33:43 which the papacy did through the inquisition, 33:46 all throughout the 1260 years of her dominion. 33:50 Notice Ezekiel 22:2, 33:53 "Moreover the word of the Lord came to me saying, 33:56 'Now son of man, will you judge, 33:59 will you judge the bloody city? 34:01 Yes, show her all her abominations!'" 34:05 Proverbs 17:15 tells us, 34:08 "He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, 34:13 both of them alike 34:14 are an abomination to the Lord." 34:17 Proverbs 6:16-19, 34:21 "These six things the Lord hates, yes, 34:24 seven are an abomination to Him. 34:27 A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 34:32 a heart that devises wicked plans, 34:35 feet that are swift in running to evil, 34:37 a false witness who speak lies, 34:40 and one who sows discord among brethren." 34:45 Another one of those elements of abominations 34:48 or the wine of the apostate churches' abomination 34:52 is homosexuality. 34:55 You know what has happened among the priesthood 34:57 of the Roman Catholic Church. 34:59 Leviticus 18:2 says, 35:01 "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. 35:04 It is an abomination." 35:07 But the greatest abomination of all, 35:09 as we noticed in Ezekiel, was worshipping the sun. 35:15 The Roman Catholic Church is obsessed with the sun. 35:19 There are sunbursts everywhere if you look carefully. 35:23 One of the reasons why the papacy adopted 35:25 Sunday as the day of rest was to make it 35:28 comfortable for the pagans to become Christians. 35:32 As we noticed in Ezekiel 8:16-17, 35:36 one of the great sins that was being 35:38 committed in the Old Testament. 35:39 In fact, the greatest sin of all, 35:41 it was at the top of the list of abominations 35:44 was that the religious leaders 35:47 had their backs to the temple, 35:48 and they were worshipping the sun. 35:51 We're not going to read that passage again. 35:53 It's long, it's Ezekiel 8:16-17. 35:58 And somebody might say, "Well, Pastor Bohr, 36:00 but it's not the same to worship the sun, 36:02 as it is to worship on the day of the sun." 36:04 I've covered this before, but I want to do it again. 36:07 Because there might be people 36:08 watching this presentation that did not see 36:10 the previous ones. 36:11 Isn't the same to worship the sun 36:13 as it is to worship on the day of the sun? 36:16 I say in principle, yes. 36:18 You say, "Why is that?" 36:20 Let me ask you who created the sun? 36:22 God did? 36:24 Did He create the sun for worship? 36:27 As an object of worship? 36:28 No. 36:29 It's a secular object to give us light. 36:31 So what happens if you make the sun an object of worship? 36:35 That's called idolatry. 36:37 Now, let me ask you who created the first day 36:39 of the week? 36:40 God. 36:42 Did He create the first day of the week for worship? 36:45 No, it's a work day, six days you shall labor. 36:48 So what happens if you make the first day of the week, 36:52 a day of worship? 36:53 It's idolatry. 36:55 It doesn't matter if you make an object an object 36:58 of worship, or a day a day of worship. 37:00 Anything that man makes for worship is idolatry. 37:05 Ellen White wrote in Great Controversy, page 389. 37:09 "When faithful teachers expound the Word of God, 37:13 there arise men of learning, 37:15 ministers professing to understand the Scriptures, 37:20 who denounce sound doctrine as heresy, 37:23 and thus turn away inquirers after truth." 37:27 What a tremendous responsibility 37:29 will fall upon ministers 37:31 who lead people astray. 37:32 She continues, "Were it not that the world 37:35 is hopelessly intoxicated with the wine of Babylon, 37:39 multitudes would be convicted and converted by the plain, 37:43 cutting truths of the Word of God. 37:46 However, religious faith appears so confused, 37:50 which is the meaning of the word Babylon, 37:52 and discordant that the people know not 37:56 what to believe as truth. 37:58 The sin of the world's impenitence lies at the door 38:03 of the church." 38:04 You see, the papacy supports 38:06 and teaches a plethora of beliefs 38:08 and practices that either are contrary to the Bible, 38:12 or they're absent from the Bible. 38:16 Here are some of them. 38:17 None of these are in the Bible, 38:18 and many are contrary to the Bible. 38:20 The sanctity of Sunday, the union of church and state, 38:23 the sacrifice of the mass, infant baptism, lent, 38:27 canonizing the saints, praying to and for the saints, 38:31 lighting candles, burning incense, 38:33 sprinkling holy water, crafting idols 38:36 and bowing before them. 38:37 The use of holy vestments, 38:38 the Easter cross on the forehead, 38:40 our regular confession of sins to a mere man, 38:43 praying the rosary, the sign of the cross, 38:46 celibacy, purgatory, convents, monasteries, 38:50 I could continue the list. 38:52 It's endless. 38:53 None of these things are condoned by the Bible, 38:56 and many of them contradict the Bible. 39:00 You see the cup with the wine 39:01 not only intoxicates those who drink it, 39:05 but it also calls it, 39:06 causes them to get angry at those who don't drink. 39:10 Jeremiah 51:7 39:12 speaks about ancient Babylon. 39:14 And it says there, 39:16 Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hand that made 39:20 all the earth drunk. 39:22 The nations drank her wine that is the nations drank 39:26 the wine of Babylon, and what was the result? 39:28 Therefore, the nations are deranged. 39:33 I want to read another statement 39:34 that we find in the book Testimonies 39:36 to Ministers, pages 61 and 62. 39:39 This is a powerful statement. 39:41 The fallen denominational churches are Babylon. 39:45 Babylon has been fostering poisonous doctrines, 39:48 the wine of error. 39:51 So the wine of error is poisonous doctrines. 39:54 This wine of error is composed of false doctrines such as 39:57 and now she's going to give a sampling, 39:59 such as the natural immortality of the soul, 40:02 the eternal torment of the wicked that is a false 40:05 view of hell, the denial of the preexistence 40:08 of Christ prior to His birth in Bethlehem, 40:11 and advocating and exalting the first day of the week 40:14 above God's holy and sanctified day. 40:17 These and kindred errors, 40:20 see this is only a partial list, 40:21 are presented to the world by the various churches, 40:25 and thus the Scriptures are fulfilled that say, 40:28 for all nations have drunk of the wine 40:30 of the wrath of her fornication. 40:33 It is a wrath that is created by false doctrines. 40:36 And when kings and presidents drink the wine 40:39 of the wrath of her fornication, 40:41 they are stirred with anger 40:43 against those who will not come into harmony 40:46 with the false and satanic heresies 40:49 which exalt the false Sabbath 40:51 and lead men to trample underfoot 40:53 God's memorial. 40:56 The harlot and her daughters 40:58 have made the multitudes spiritual alcoholics, 41:03 and they are so addicted and intoxicated, 41:06 that it is virtually impossible for people to think rationally, 41:11 and to grasp the truth. 41:13 The harlot spiritual alcohol controls them. 41:17 It is impossible to reason with a drunkard. 41:20 Drunkards are quite sure that they know everything, 41:23 and will argue with you until they are blue in the face. 41:26 Ellen White wrote in the book Counsels to Writers 41:29 and Editors, page 47, "Error is never harmless. 41:33 It never sanctifies, but always brings confusion 41:37 and dissension. 41:39 Error is always dangerous. 41:41 The enemy has great power over minds that are not 41:44 thoroughly fortified by prayer 41:46 and established in Bible truth." 41:50 So spiritual wine does to people spiritually 41:54 what literal wine does to people literally. 41:57 The alcohol clouds the mind, 42:00 makes it impossible to think straight, 42:02 to make right decisions, to distinguish between right 42:05 and wrong, the holy and the common. 42:08 That's why God warned kings and rulers not to drink wine, 42:12 because they wouldn't be able to grasp the truth. 42:15 Proverbs 31:4-5 says, "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, 42:20 it is not for kings to drink wine, 42:22 nor for princess intoxicating drink, 42:25 lest they drink," notice what result is, 42:28 "lest they drink and forget the law, 42:31 and pervert the justice of all the afflicted." 42:34 Wow! 42:36 Leviticus 10:8-11 describes the story of Nadab and Abihu 42:40 who offered common fire as if it were holy. 42:45 Let's read those verses. 42:46 "Then the Lord spoke to Aaron saying, 42:49 'Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, 42:52 you nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle 42:55 of meeting, lest you die." 42:57 This is after Nadab and Abihu who were consumed by fire. 43:00 God says don't drink wine or intoxicating drink. 43:03 "It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations." 43:06 Why weren't the priests to drink wine? 43:09 Because it says in verse 10, 43:11 "That you may distinguish between the holy 43:15 and the unholy, and between the unclean and clean, 43:19 and also that you may teach the children 43:22 of Israel all the statutes 43:24 which the Lord has spoken to them by the hand of Moses." 43:29 We have the story in Daniel Chapter 5 43:32 of King Belshazzar, who knew the story of Nebuchadnezzar's 43:36 insanity for seven years. 43:38 He knew that Nebuchadnezzar had become boastful. 43:41 And God humbled him and then returned his reason to him. 43:45 And yet, in spite of the fact that Belshazzar knew 43:47 all of this, we are told in Daniel 5, 43:50 that he brought the holy vessel from the temple 43:53 to drink wine out of them. 43:55 Let's read it in Daniel 5:1-4. 43:58 "Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand 44:02 of his lords, and drank wine in the presence 44:05 of the thousand." 44:07 And now notice, what's the result? 44:08 "While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave 44:12 the command to bring the gold 44:13 and silver vessels that his father Nebuchadnezzar 44:16 had taken from the temple that had been in Jerusalem, 44:19 that the king and his lords, his wives, and its concubines 44:22 might drink from them, taking holy vessels to drink 44:25 wine from." 44:27 Verse 3, "Then they brought the gold vessels that had been 44:30 taken from the temple of the house of God, 44:33 which that had been in Jerusalem, 44:36 and the king and his lords, his wife 44:38 and his concubines drank from them, 44:40 they drank wine, and what is the result? 44:43 Idolatry. 44:44 They praise the gods of gold and silver, bronze, 44:48 iron, wood and stone. 44:51 Ellen White wrote a very interesting statement 44:54 about the danger of replacing the Sabbath 44:59 and putting Sunday in its place. 45:01 She wrote this, but this day that is Sunday, 45:05 so universally exalted is a spurious Sabbath, 45:10 a common working day. 45:12 It is accepted in the place of the day that the Lord 45:16 has blessed and sanctified. 45:18 But the sure result of this course 45:20 may be seen in the punishment that fell upon Nadab and Abihu, 45:24 the sons of Aaron. 45:25 As priests of God, these men had been commanded to offer 45:28 always the fire of God's own kindling, 45:31 which was kept burning before God day and night. 45:35 This was ever to be strictly observed, 45:38 but Nadab and Abihu drank wine too freely. 45:42 And because of this, their minds were not keen, 45:45 but confused, and they were unable to distinguish 45:49 between the sacred and the common. 45:53 Are you catching the picture? 45:55 How do you suppose God feels when people say, 45:58 "Well, I know that the Bible says that the seventh day 46:01 is holy, but I'm going to keep the first day instead. 46:05 God is going to have to then apologize to Nadab 46:08 and Abihu, because they took something common 46:11 and they made it holy. 46:13 How do you suppose God feels about human beings changing 46:16 His divine legislation? 46:18 Puny, weak human beings, 46:22 very important. 46:24 The harlot sheds the blood of God's faithful people. 46:29 Revelation 17:6 says, 46:30 "I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, 46:33 with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. 46:34 And when I saw her, 46:36 I marveled with great amazement." 46:37 Shedding of blood was an abomination as well. 46:39 I hope you're understanding all of these abominations. 46:42 Every single one of them 46:43 is practiced by the Roman Catholic papacy. 46:46 And Protestants practice 46:47 many of these characteristics because they are the daughter 46:51 of a harlot. 46:53 What is going to come as a result of this apostasy? 46:56 Destruction. 46:58 Revelation 6:14-17, 47:00 describe what is going to take place. 47:03 The sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, 47:07 and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 47:10 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, 47:13 the commanders, the mighty men, every slave, 47:15 and every free man, hid themselves in the caves 47:17 and in the rocks of the mountains, 47:19 and said to the mountains and rocks, 47:21 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him 47:24 who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb! 47:26 For the great day of His wrath has come 47:28 and who is able to stand?'" 47:31 However, just like in the Old Testament, 47:34 before the destruction comes, there is going to be a sealing 47:39 process, a seal is going to be placed on the foreheads 47:43 of those who sigh and cry because of the abominations 47:47 that are being committed in the religious world. 47:51 Revelation 7:1-3 describes that sealing. 47:54 It says, "After these things, 47:56 I saw four angels standing at the four corners 47:58 of the earth." 48:00 Remember, the four corners in the Old Testament, 48:01 you know, when the angels released 48:03 the winds from the four corners, 48:05 the entire world, the four corners of the world 48:08 will have the worst tribulation in the history of this planet. 48:13 So it says, "After these things, 48:14 I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, 48:17 holding the four winds of the earth, 48:19 that the wind should not blow on the earth, 48:21 on the sea, or on any tree. 48:23 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, 48:26 having the seal of a living God, 48:29 and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom 48:31 it was granted to harm the earth and the sea." 48:33 Remember the man clothed in linen in the Old Testament. 48:37 Verse 3, "Saying, 'Do not harm the earth, 48:40 the sea, or the trees till we have sealed 48:43 the servants of our God on their foreheads." 48:47 But the opposite of the seal of God 48:48 is the mark of the beast. 48:50 Revelation 13:16, 48:53 speaking about this beast that rises from the earth, 48:55 apostate Protestantism doing the biddings 48:58 of the mother from which they were born. 49:00 It says, "He causes all, both small and great, 49:04 rich and poor, free and slave, to receive 49:07 a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads." 49:11 So the wicked receive a mark on their foreheads, 49:13 the righteous receive a mark on their foreheads 49:16 before the destruction. 49:18 describes the seal of God. 49:21 "Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, 49:24 and with him 144,000 49:27 having His Father's name written on their foreheads." 49:32 You see the reason why God calls His people, 49:34 His faithful people to worship the Creator, 49:38 and to keep His holy Sabbath is because at the end, 49:41 virtually the entire world is going to be observing 49:44 the day of the sun. 49:46 That's why Revelation 14:7, 49:48 the first angel's message says, the following, 49:51 "Fear God and give glory to Him, 49:53 for the hour of His judgment has come 49:57 and worship Him who made heaven and earth, 49:59 the sea and springs of water." 50:01 And, of course, Genesis tells us the sign 50:04 of the Creator is the holy Sabbath. 50:08 Those who have the mark of the beast will drink 50:10 the wine of God's wrath, just like we saw 50:13 with Old Testament Israel. 50:15 We're told in the third angel's message, 50:17 Revelation 14:9, 50:19 "Then a third angel followed them 50:21 saying with a loud voice, 50:22 'If anyone worships the beast and his image 50:25 and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 50:28 he himself shall also drink of the wine 50:30 of the wrath of God, 50:32 which is poured out full strength into the cup 50:35 of His indignation. 50:38 Incidentally, at the very end, 50:42 the kings of the earth, 50:44 and even the multitudes are going to hate this harlot, 50:49 who deceived them. 50:52 You find this in Revelation 17:16. 50:57 You see, it says there, 50:59 "And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, 51:02 these will hate the harlot, make her desolate 51:06 and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire." 51:11 But as with the destruction of Jerusalem, the first time, 51:14 there will be a faithful remnant who sighs 51:16 and cries and do not practice these abominations. 51:20 In the second destruction of Jerusalem, 51:22 before that, you find God's people fleeing, 51:26 the apostate people staying, and those who fled were spared, 51:31 because they sighed and cried, 51:33 because the Messiah had been rejected 51:36 by the people. 51:39 So God gives a special call to His faithful people 51:44 who are in Babylon, who have drunk this wine. 51:48 He wants them to sober up. 51:51 He wants them to be on the right side. 51:52 He wants them to receive the seal of God, 51:54 not the mark of the beast. 51:56 So he's gonna give one last warning to the world, 52:00 making a call to them. 52:02 Let's notice that in Revelation 18:1, 52:08 "After these things, 52:10 I saw another angel coming down from heaven, 52:13 having great authority, 52:15 and the earth was illuminated with his glory." 52:19 In other words, this is not a literal angel. 52:22 This is a message that is imparted to the world 52:26 by a group of people on earth. 52:28 It's just like the three angels' messages. 52:30 You don't see an angel whizzed through heavens, 52:32 preaching the everlasting gospel, another, whizzing 52:35 through heaven preaching about the fall of Babylon, 52:37 another one whizzing across the sky, 52:40 preaching against the mark of the beast and his image. 52:42 No, this is referring to an angelic 52:45 message that is imparted to the human race, 52:48 by human beings who sigh and cry because 52:51 of the abominations that are taking place. 52:54 That glory of this angel is going to fill the entire world. 52:57 Now let me ask you. 52:58 What will be the condition 53:00 of the spiritual world at that time Babylon? 53:03 Babylon is composed of three parts, 53:05 the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 53:07 The dragon represents the civil powers of the world, 53:10 of course, influenced by Satan. 53:12 The beast represents the papacy, 53:14 and the false prophet, 53:16 or the beast that rises from the earth 53:18 represents apostate Protestantism, the daughters 53:21 who were born from the mother. 53:25 So what condition is Babylon going to be in 53:28 when this message is imparted? 53:30 It says there in Revelation 18:2, 53:34 "And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, 53:38 'Babylon the great, is fallen, is fallen, 53:42 and has become a dwelling place of demons, 53:45 a prison for every false spirit, 53:48 and a cage for every unclean and hated third!" 53:52 That's a terrible denunciation 53:54 of what the condition of the religious world 53:57 is going to be at the end of time. 54:00 Notice verse 3, for all nations. 54:04 Why? Why did Babylon fall? 54:07 "For all nations have drunk of the wine 54:10 of the wrath of her fornication, 54:13 the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, 54:17 and the merchants of the earth have become rich 54:20 through the abundance of her luxury." 54:22 It even speaks about the economies of the world. 54:27 And then I want you to notice the last point that we find 54:30 here in this passage in Revelation 18:4. 54:36 You see, most of God's true people 54:38 now are in Babylon. 54:41 You say, "Now wait a minute, 54:42 are they Babylonian?" 54:43 No, they're not Babylonian. 54:45 They're in Babylon. 54:46 It's just like Lot was in Sodom, 54:48 but Lot was not of Sodom. 54:51 On the other hand, Lot's wife was in Sodom, 54:55 and she was of Sodom. 54:57 And that's why she was destroyed. 54:59 There will be a faithful group in all of the churches. 55:03 Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying 55:04 Seventh-day Adventists are the only, 55:06 the only people in the world that are going to be saved. 55:08 No, there are multitudes of people in all 55:10 of the current churches, Catholic, Protestant, 55:13 you name it, who are sincere. 55:15 They love Jesus, they serve Him to the best 55:18 of their knowledge and ability. 55:20 They don't know these things. 55:22 And when they know these things, 55:24 they are going to respond to a special call 55:27 that we find in verse 4 of Revelation Chapter 18. 55:32 "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 55:36 'Come out of her," that is come out of Babylon, 55:40 my people, so God has the people in Babylon. 55:42 "Come out of her, my people." 55:45 Why? 55:46 "Lest you share in her sins, 55:49 and lest you receive 55:52 her plagues." 55:55 So you'll notice here, that God gives a final call 55:58 to come out of apostasy 56:00 and embrace the fullness of truth, 56:03 as we find it in God's Word. 56:06 So some people say, 56:08 so you're saying that the final conflict 56:09 is going to be whether we keep Sabbath 56:10 or keep Sunday? 56:12 Yes, absolutely. 56:14 But I want you to understand that the final conflict 56:16 is not primarily a conflict over days, 56:19 but over the authority that stands behind the days. 56:23 You see, if you keep Sunday, 56:26 you're saying I accept the authority 56:28 of the power that claims to establish the Sunday 56:30 as the day of worship. 56:32 If you keep the Sabbath, 56:34 you're saying I'm accepting the authority 56:36 of the divine law giver 56:38 who said that you're supposed to keep the Sabbath. 56:41 So behind the issue of the days is authority. 56:45 God is testing whose authority we accept. 56:49 Do we accept God's authority 56:51 who says that we're supposed to keep 56:53 the Sabbath in honor of our wonderful Creator? 56:56 Or do we accept and follow the observance of Sunday, 57:01 as the Pope says we're supposed to do, 57:04 and accept the authority 57:05 of the papacy in the day that we worship? 57:09 So behind the days is the issue of worship. 57:13 Just like behind the tree in the Garden of Eden, 57:15 the issue was, would Adam and Eve 57:17 live by God's authority, 57:18 or would they live by Satan's authority? 57:21 So the issue is not only days, 57:25 the days are only the way in which God 57:27 tests us to see which authority we will accept. 57:33 And there are people who are saying, 57:34 "Pastor Bohr, you're crazy. 57:36 There's never going to be a Sunday law." 57:37 Believe me, there will be. 57:40 Listen to the next lectures that we're going to study. 57:42 We're going to find that in the United States, 57:44 there was an attempt in the 1860s, 1870s, 57:48 and 1880s to have a Sunday law. 57:51 And there are rumblings today in the United States 57:54 and in the world, clamoring for a Sunday day of rest. 57:58 So don't miss 58:00 the next exciting study in this series on Matthew 24. |
Revised 2021-09-24