Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP230025S
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00:01 Hello Friends, welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel,
00:02 I'm John Lomacang 00:04 and we want to thank you for joining us 00:05 throughout this entire Quarter studying three cosmic messages 00:09 written by Pastor Mark Finley 00:11 a good friend of ours here at 3ABN 00:13 but we're ending on Lesson Number 13: 00:16 A blaze of God's Glory 00:18 and I tell you, Friends, 00:20 what a blaze that's going to be! 00:21 How wonderful it is when we see Jesus 00:24 but you may want to follow us on this Study 00:26 as well as maybe locally 00:28 but if you want to download a copy, 00:30 go to: 3abnsabbathschoolpanel. com 00:32 and download a digital copy to follow us with 00:35 or go to a local Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:37 and join them say: "3ABN sent me. " 00:41 But, nonetheless, whatever you decide to do, 00:43 join us for this last lesson study 00:45 as we capstone the wonderful message of Revelation... 00:48 the three angels' messages. 00:50 Music... 01:20 Lomacang: Welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:23 This is what we've been enjoying from week to week 01:26 with your participation 01:28 and if you followed us the whole Quarter, 01:30 you know that we've been walking through a book 01:32 that is reminding us how deep the knowledge of God is 01:35 and yet, how much we can still learn 01:37 in spite of our understanding and experience. 01:40 Today, we end on Lesson 13: Ablaze with God's Glory. 01:44 We're been covering the three cosmic messages 01:46 and I know that we've been blessed, 01:48 can the church say, "Amen. " 01:49 Panel: Amen. 01:50 Lomacang: But today we're going to close out this Lesson 01:53 talking about Revelation 18. 01:55 How is the message of God going to close? 01:59 Not with less manifestation than it began... 02:02 it's going to close a blaze of glory 02:05 and countless will be in that number of the redeemed. 02:08 Before we go into that though, let's introduce our Panel, 02:10 to my left is Daniel Perrin in our Pastoral Department, 02:13 good to have you here Daniel. 02:14 Daniel: Thank you, and I have Monday's Lesson 02:16 which is: Knowing Truth. 02:17 Lomacang: And I always appreciate your approach to it, 02:19 thank you for being here. 02:21 Pastor James Rafferty, what do you have for us today? 02:22 Rafferty: Good to be here John, 02:24 I have Tuesday's Lesson: The Reformation Continues. 02:26 Lomacang: And the Singer in Israel, Evangelist and Preacher 02:29 who loves to break out in song every now and then, Ryan Day. 02:33 Ryan: Amen, I have Wednesday's Lesson entitled: 02:35 God's Glory Fills the Earth. 02:37 Lomacang: You haven't sung yet 02:39 on any of these Programs on Revelation, 02:41 What's wrong? 02:42 Ryan: Spirit hasn't led me to do that yet, Brother. 02:45 Lomacang: And Shelley Quinn, good to have you here, Shelley. 02:47 Shelley: It is good to be here, 02:49 I want to say... what a privilege it is 02:52 to be on this Panel and to hear all of you 02:55 and learn from you. 02:56 I have Thursday's Lesson... my favorite topic: 02:59 The Lamb, The Slain Lamb. 03:01 Lomacang: Well, since you're the only lady on the Set, 03:04 would you begin with prayer for us? 03:05 Shelley: Absolutely, "Our loving heavenly Father, 03:08 how we thank you for the gift of prophecy! 03:12 Thank you for the prophecy that is in this book 03:15 that prepares us, Lord, 03:18 to know what's coming 03:21 that we might be prepared for Your coming 03:24 and Lord, we ask in the name of Jesus now, 03:26 I know that you've anointed this study of this Word... 03:30 Your Word is anointed 03:32 but anoint the presentation now 03:34 and may You give us ears to hear 03:37 what the Holy Spirit has to say, 03:39 and a heart that will follow You. 03:42 We love You, Lord, 03:44 we thank You so much for Your plan of salvation. 03:48 In Jesus' name, amen. " 03:49 Panel: Amen... amen. 03:51 Lomacang: Thank you, Shelley, thank you so much. 03:52 Ablaze with God's glory... 03:55 let's look at Revelation 18 verse 1. 03:58 The fall of Babylon... 04:00 we've talked about the Mark of the Beast, 04:02 a topic that was very sobering 04:03 realizing that the world is on a pinnacle of decisions 04:07 for eternity or against it 04:08 and the choice is yours 04:10 but look at Revelation 18... 04:11 by the way, this is the swelling of the second angels' message. 04:14 When we talked about Babylon is fallen... is fallen, 04:16 it didn't follow the cadence of a loud voice... 04:19 a loud voice. 04:20 The first message was a loud voice... 04:21 the third was a loud voice 04:23 but the second grew to a loud voice 04:25 and we find it in Revelation 18 verse 1. 04:28 "After these things I saw another angel 04:31 coming down from heaven, 04:33 having great authority, 04:35 and the earth was illuminated with his glory. " 04:40 And I'm going to add verse 2 just for the sake of it. 04:43 "And he cried mightily with a loud voice... " 04:45 I'll leave it there because 04:47 Pastor James Rafferty is going to talk about the specifics 04:49 but, you know, we're preparing for something that the world 04:52 to a large degree is unaware of. 04:54 As it was in the days of Noah, 04:55 they continue eating and drinking, 04:57 marrying and giving in marriage 04:59 until the day that Noah entered the ark 05:00 and they did not know until the flood came 05:02 and took them all away. 05:04 So, the person that wrote the song: The marketplace is empty 05:07 No more traffic in the streets 05:08 All the builders' tools are silent 05:10 No more time to harvest wheat... 05:11 that's not the actual picture because as it was in Noah's day, 05:14 commerce... 05:15 people were marrying... 05:17 giving in marriage... 05:18 buying... selling... 05:20 planting 05:21 until the day Noah entered the ark 05:22 and they did not know 05:24 until the flood came and took them all away. 05:25 So, we have a world that's ablaze in activity 05:28 when the angels of God are rushing to and fro 05:30 finishing the task appointed to them 05:33 to get the world ready for the coming of our Redeemer. 05:36 So, friends, while Noah's building the ark, 05:39 people were buying and selling 05:40 until the day Noah entered that ark 05:42 and did not know till the flood came. 05:44 We're talking about this message 05:45 because we don't want you to meet God unprepared. 05:48 It doesn't make sense to meet God 05:50 not being prepared for Him 05:52 when He has given you every opportunity to be ready. 05:56 But the Bible says, "For at such an hour as you think not, 06:00 the Son of Man is coming 06:01 not secretly but in a blaze of glory. " 06:05 1st Thessalonians talks about 06:07 why we should not be caught off guard. 06:09 Let's go to 1st Thessalonians chapter 5 06:11 and I'll read verses 1 to 6. 06:13 "But concerning the times and seasons, brethren... " 06:17 I love what the Apostle Paul says, 06:19 "you have no need that I should write to you. 06:22 For you yourselves know perfectly 06:24 that the day of the LORD so comes 06:26 as a thief in the night. 06:27 For when they say, 'Peace and safety!' 06:29 then sudden destruction comes upon them, 06:31 as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. 06:33 And they shall not escape. 06:35 But you, brethren... " 06:36 those of you that understand Revelation, 06:38 those of you studying your Bible, 06:40 those of you listening to the voice of God... 06:42 "But you, brethren, 06:43 are not in darkness, 06:45 so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 06:48 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. 06:51 We are not of the night nor of darkness. 06:55 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, 06:58 but let us be... " what? 07:00 "be sober. " 07:01 Panel: Yes. 07:03 Lomacang: Let us watch and be sober. 07:05 The Lord is saying, "Watch, 07:06 watch the movements of the world. " 07:08 You know, I recently heard... Time Magazine, 07:12 there's a committee that talks about Time Magazine. 07:15 They govern the Time Magazine Committee, 07:17 and in this recent exposé, they said, 07:19 "We have now moved the end clock of the world 07:22 to 60 seconds before midnight. 07:26 Panel: Hmmm... 07:27 Lomacang: And I thought, What? 07:29 They're looking at the movements of the world 07:32 and they said, "We have moved the clock from 60 seconds 07:35 to ten seconds before midnight. " 07:37 So, even people that don't know Jesus 07:40 know that we are on the verge of a stupendous crisis. 07:43 Everything in the world is in agitation... as Ellen White says, 07:47 you can look at the movements between nations... 07:49 the rise and fall of the economy... 07:52 the instability of morality. 07:54 We can look at the deplorable nature of society... 07:58 the dumbing down... the... the... the... 08:00 the legalizing of Marijuana to dumb down society. 08:03 I know it has some medical purposes 08:05 but most people that take it or not... 08:06 in any medical scare or any medical condition 08:08 but we can see the intoxication of Society by media... 08:12 by... by drugs... by crime... 08:15 by immorality... 08:16 something's happening that's bringing the world to a head 08:19 and in the midst of all of that confusion, 08:21 the Lord is saying, 08:22 "Listen carefully what the Spirit is saying to you today. " 08:25 So, I'm going to give you seven reasons 08:27 as to why we should be sober 08:29 and getting ready for the coming of the Lord. 08:31 How do we prepare for the final crisis 08:34 that is going to take the world by storm? 08:37 Let me say, Friends, 08:38 the woman is pregnant... 08:39 the day of her deliverance is just around the corner. 08:43 What should we do first? 08:44 Let's go to 1st John and chapter 1 and verse 7, 08:47 the first thing we should do to prepare for the final crisis 08:50 is... walk in the light. 08:52 Panel: Yes. 08:54 Lomacang: Walk in the light. 08:55 The light is not intended to blind you 08:56 but to enlighten your mind. 08:59 The commandments of God are the light. 09:01 His Word is a lamp unto a feet and a light unto our path. 09:04 If you study God's Word, you won't be in darkness. 09:06 You will see what the news commentators are 09:09 eventually going to say. 09:10 God is far ahead of man. 09:12 He declares the end from the beginning 09:14 and from ancient times... things that are not yet done. 09:18 So, don't listen to CNN and ABC and NBC 09:20 and all the other networks... 09:22 read God's Word 09:23 and when you hear them begin to say it... 09:25 you'll say "Ah... I already knew that. " 09:27 God's people are not in darkness. 09:29 But the Bible says, "But if we walk in the light 09:32 as He is in the light, 09:34 we have fellowship with one another, 09:36 and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son 09:38 cleanses us from all sin. " 09:40 When you walk in the light, 09:42 there's a cleansing benefit that comes... 09:44 there's a fellowship... a koinonia that comes... 09:47 we have fellowship. 09:48 I don't walk in the light because Daniel's my friend, 09:50 I walk in the light because Jesus is my friend 09:53 and Daniel is my fellowship. 09:55 You see, we are brought together by the light... 09:57 we walk in it... 09:59 we have cleansing and fellowship. 10:00 Second thing... 10:02 what shall we do to prepare for the final crisis? 10:04 We should worship God 10:05 based on the revealed truth of His Word. 10:08 John 16 verse 13, notice how the Spirit works. 10:12 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, 10:16 He will guide you into all truth; 10:18 for He will not speak on His own authority, 10:20 but whatever He hears He will speak; 10:22 and He will tell you things to come. " 10:24 It's not ironic that Revelation... 10:26 or no coincidence that Revelation seven times says, 10:29 "He who has ears to hear... " 10:30 and believe me, I know that that means, 10:32 "he who has ears to hear, 10:33 let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches. " 10:36 Making no light of that but hey, that's a family print, 10:39 we've got ears. 10:41 Jeremiah makes it clear... we have to be determined 10:43 to follow God's Word 10:44 based on the mouth of God not on the mouth of humanity. 10:47 Notice Jeremiah chapter 23 and verse 21, 10:51 it says, "I have not sent these prophets, 10:55 yet they ran. 10:57 I have not spoken to them, 10:58 yet they prophesied. " 10:59 There are many people today saying what God has not said 11:02 but they're prophesying... 11:03 they're proclaiming what God has not ever revealed 11:05 but they're saying "God has said... " 11:07 God has said, "I'm against those who do such thing. " 11:10 Base your cadence on the revealed, written Word of God 11:14 not some momentary inspiration, "Hey, God just gave me a message" 11:17 if it doesn't line up with God's Word, 11:19 it is not from God. 11:21 Number 3: Do not accept the word of man over the word of God. 11:25 The evidence that deception is rampant is when we do that. 11:29 Notice the comparison, 11:30 God says, "Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy... " 11:32 man says, "Do not remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. " 11:35 Which one would you follow? 11:36 That's how we are prevented from being deceived. 11:39 Receive the Word of God over the word of man 11:42 no matter how large their church is, 11:44 forget about their popularity, 11:46 if it's not from God's Word, 11:48 you'll say, "Thank you but no thanks. " 11:50 God's Word is supreme. 11:51 Men say, "When we die we go straight to heaven... " 11:54 God says, "When we die, 11:56 we go to the grave until the resurrection morning. " 11:58 Follow God's Word over man's word. 12:01 Man says, "Hellfire is eternal... " 12:03 God says, "Hellfire will burn out eventually... " 12:07 follow God's Word over man's word. 12:11 God says... worship Him in Spirit and in truth... 12:15 men said... worship based on experience and feeling. 12:18 But God's Word is supreme once again. 12:21 Worship according to God... God's dictates. 12:24 Number 4: Settle for nothing but truth. 12:26 Jesus says, "You shall know the truth 12:28 and the truth shall make you free. " 12:30 Not just set you free... but keep you free. 12:33 It's not a "get out of jail" card 12:34 till you pass jail again, 12:36 it's "stay out of jail" card. 12:37 The truth keeps you out of jail, amen. 12:38 It keeps you out of jail. 12:40 You won't get locked up and no matter what anybody says, 12:43 they'll never put you back in jail. 12:45 That's why Isaiah 26 verse 2 says, 12:47 "Open the gates, 12:48 that the righteous nation which keeps the truth 12:51 may enter in. " 12:53 Panel: Yes. 12:54 Lomacang: Not just worships and feeling 12:55 but keeps the truth. 12:57 Number 5: 12:58 Don't settle for being called a Christian... be one. 13:00 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 13:01 Lomacang: Isaiah 4 verse 1, 13:02 "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, 13:04 saying, 'We will eat our own bread 13:06 and wear our own apparel; 13:07 only let us be called by your name, 13:09 to take away our reproach. '" 13:11 Don't settle for the name, 13:13 settle for nothing less than a relationship with Jesus Christ. 13:18 Then His truth comes as a part of the package 13:21 not just a part of the name. 13:23 Number 6: Love Jesus not just with your mouth 13:27 but with your heart. 13:28 Matthew 15 verse 8, 13:30 "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, 13:31 and honor Me with their lips, 13:33 but their hearts are far from Me. " 13:34 Why the heart? 13:36 Because for those who say, 13:37 "The commandments were done away under the old covenant. " 13:39 The new covenant says, 13:41 "This is the covenant... " Shelley, 13:42 "I will make with them after those days, 13:44 saith the Lord; 13:45 I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds, 13:47 I will write them. " 13:49 God has not abrogated His law, 13:50 He's just taken it off the stone and put it on our hearts 13:53 and lastly, be obedient to God's commandments. 13:56 John 14:15, "If you love Me... " come on... 13:59 Panel: "Keep My commandments. " 14:00 Lomacang: And this is the precursor 14:02 to entering the New Jerusalem. 14:03 In Revelation 22 verse 14, 14:05 "Blessed are they who keep the commandments of God, 14:07 that they may have the right to the tree of life, 14:10 and may enter in through the gates into the city. " 14:14 Preparation for going out with a blaze of glory, 14:17 is allowing the truth of God's Word 14:19 to ignite your life 14:21 so that you are not consumed 14:23 but you are set on fire for God's glory. 14:26 Daniel. 14:27 Perrin: Thank you Pastor Lomacang. 14:28 That leads right into what I'm sharing from Monday's Lesson, 14:31 I'm Daniel Perrin and I have: Knowing Truth. 14:34 How do you decide what you believe is true? 14:38 Because whatever I believe, 14:40 regardless of what merits it may have 14:42 and how it makes me feel, 14:43 I want it to be true. 14:45 Well, Proverbs 1:20 tells us 14:47 that wisdom calls aloud outside; 14:50 and she raises her voice in the open squares. " 14:53 That's the marketplace. 14:54 That's the place where people do business. 14:56 That's the place where you hear it. 14:58 Well, there is a lot of competing ideas 15:00 out in the marketplace raising their voice. 15:02 Even in the Christian church 15:03 there is a market place of faith. 15:05 You can believe whatever you want to believe. 15:07 But most people who ask this question, 15:09 "How do I believe or decide what's true?" 15:12 They're really asking in this way, 15:13 "How do I know God's will for my life... 15:15 what does God want me to do?" 15:17 Because truth always gets translated into action 15:19 into a life that lives out what you believe. 15:22 There are only two ways to decide what is true 15:25 and it's not through constructing it... 15:27 making it yourself 15:29 because I have limited experience and ability. 15:31 I don't have all the evidence. 15:32 Truth is not elected... it doesn't come by popularity 15:35 or fitting in because the people are not always right. 15:38 It's not established by tradition, 15:40 Jeremiah 16 verse 19, the Gentiles say, 15:43 "Our ancestors inherited lies. " 15:46 It's not established by pragmatics 15:48 which says, "Well, it gave me what I wanted, 15:50 it did what I felt like at the time. " 15:52 Or feelings... "My emotions can be wrong, 15:55 they can deceive me 15:56 and the truth is not established by human authority 15:58 that says, well, he ought to know... he has a degree. " 16:00 Truth is only... only established 16:04 when it is the... when it is left standing... 16:06 when all the evidence is in. 16:08 How much evidence do I have 16:10 in my vast knowledge of the universe? 16:13 Not much... so I have to take truth on authority. 16:17 It always comes on authority so we have to decide carefully 16:20 who is my authority? 16:22 Take origins, for example, 16:23 we've dealt with that this Quarter... 16:25 this Lesson Study where nobody was there at creation 16:28 so you have to choose your authority here. 16:30 Well, for the Christian, 16:32 a final criterion is always the Word of God. 16:36 That is our authority. 16:37 John 17 verse 17, we've shared this text so many times, 16:41 "Sanctify them by Your truth, 16:43 and Your word is truth. " 16:46 And then, John 16:13, that Pastor Lomacang just shared, 16:50 where it says, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, 16:53 He will guide you into all truth. " 16:55 He's not going to force you into truth, 16:57 He's going to guide you into truth. 16:59 "For He will not speak of His own authority, 17:02 but what He hears, He will speak. " 17:04 In other words, 17:05 there's no divided message coming from heaven. 17:07 It's a completely unified message 17:09 and it will not contradict itself. 17:11 So there are some implications for truth for the Christian 17:15 in a Christian mind. 17:16 And Number one is that you will not have all truth 17:19 but ultimately all that you have 17:21 should be truth. 17:23 It would be presumptuous to say, "Well, I know it all. " 17:26 But I want every bit of what I believe 17:28 to be truth. 17:30 Jeremiah 17 verse 9 says that the heart is deceitful 17:33 and wicked above all things... desperately wicked. 17:36 In other words, it wants to cling to error, 17:38 cling to lies and so I have to say, "Search me O Lord 17:41 and see if there is any unrighteous way in me. 17:44 Lord, help me not to desire to hold on to anything 17:47 that doesn't exalt You as truth. " 17:49 Truth always will exalt our heavenly Father 17:52 and His love and His character 17:54 and it will exalt Jesus. 17:56 That prayer Jesus prayed there the night before He died, 17:59 "This is eternal life, 18:01 to know You the only true God, and Jesus... " 18:04 all right, and to know God to know Jesus is truth. 18:07 Truth always will be unified because it comes from one source 18:11 and so, it will always be in harmony 18:13 and this is why it's a joy to search every book of the Bible. 18:16 Habakkuk... Leviticus... 18:18 what's your favorite book of the Bible? 18:19 "Whatever I'm reading right now. " 18:20 Revelation... Philemon... whichever book it is, 18:23 is teaching us the truth about Jesus. 18:25 And so, whatever is in contradiction to that, 18:28 it's in error 18:30 and if there are apparent contradictions, 18:31 it just says that I don't yet understand 18:33 and it's okay to have questions 18:35 about the Bible and the Word of God. 18:37 We don't know it all... I don't know it all... 18:39 but I'm always growing. 18:40 And then we need to be able to identify error 18:43 because the dragon who is angry with the woman 18:46 attacks through error... through deception. 18:49 And so, we can say, "I don't... I don't want to be in a fight. " 18:52 You can't help it. 18:53 You're always in a fight right here. 18:55 2nd Corinthians 10 verses 4 and 5 says, 18:57 "Our weapons of warfare are not carnal weapons 19:00 but they're mighty, 19:02 they're for pulling down strongholds, 19:03 casting down arguments. " 19:05 This is an offensive strategy... 19:07 a defensive strategy 19:08 in just a best results and a stalemate, 19:10 we'll say, "We're going to tear down these strongholds... " 19:13 and then he ended that text... says... 19:14 "bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. " 19:17 Which means that you... 19:19 you're not necessarily casting down truth... 19:21 casting down error in other people's lives, 19:23 but "Search me O Lord 19:24 and take down every stronghold of error or deception 19:27 that I'm holding on to. " 19:29 You can be comforted in the truth 19:31 because truth is eternal... 19:33 it starts with God... 19:34 it resides in God... 19:36 God doesn't change 19:37 and so, you can trust that it's the same for all times, 19:40 people and places. 19:41 When the three angels come, 19:42 they're bearing the everlasting gospel... 19:45 not the changing gospel... it's unchanged... 19:47 undiminished. 19:49 And then, you don't need to be embarrassed about the truth. 19:52 Even if there's somebody who comes along 19:54 and they speak smooth words 19:55 and they have good style 19:57 and they share something else 19:58 in a way that's... that's engaging you... 20:02 the truth is still the truth 20:03 even if you can't answer every question about it. 20:07 All right, you don't have to apologize or be embarrassed 20:10 about saying and... and believing 20:12 and standing on what you believe. 20:14 Let's listen to Jesus here in Matthew 10 verse 33, 20:17 "Whoever denies Me before men, 20:19 him also I will deny before My Father who is in heaven. " 20:23 Panel: Hmmm... 20:24 Perrin: You don't have to be embarrassed 20:26 to be a Seventh-day Adventist. 20:27 That name is a powerful name, all right. 20:30 Now, the name of Jesus is a powerful name that says 20:32 but think of the seventh day... 20:34 takes us to the God of creation and His Sabbath. 20:37 The God who gives the law 20:39 and the God who gives the law also gives us provision 20:42 and promise to obey the law. 20:44 Sin reminds us of our helplessness which takes us to the Savior 20:48 who came in that first Advent... 20:49 the incarnation coming down from heaven with great love 20:53 and His plan of salvation 20:55 and the... the plan of restoration of our character 20:57 to be just like His. 20:59 Sin removed the blessed hope, 21:01 the everlasting gospel is all in that name. 21:04 You don't need any embarrassment for the Spirit of Prophecy 21:08 and the writings of Ellen White. 21:09 You can hold them up and say, 21:11 they shine a light on the Word of God 21:14 to help us understand it. 21:15 That book... that precious book, Steps to Christ... 21:18 it's not Steps to Denominationalism... 21:21 Steps to Christ and The Great Controversy. 21:23 You can share that... you can read it 21:26 and say, "This prepares us for what we see coming. " 21:28 No embarrassment for the sanctuary message. 21:31 I want to share with you one line from Great Controversy, 21:34 page 423... 21:35 "The subject of the sanctuary was the key which unlocked the 21:39 mystery of the disappointment of 1844. 21:42 The sanctuary opened to view a complete system of truth, 21:46 connected and harmonious. " 21:49 Nothing in God's Word is isolated and disconnected, 21:52 it all works together. 21:53 Hearing the truth is not knowing the truth always. 21:58 Romans 16 verse 25, 22:00 listen to Paul... the last section of his... his book there, 22:03 "Now to Him who is able to establish you 22:06 according to My gospel... " 22:08 What Paul? 22:09 It's your gospel... it's not mine? 22:11 He had taken this in... 22:12 it wasn't just something that he read and understood... 22:15 it was a part of him. 22:17 My gospel... and it should be yours too 22:19 and then truth must be followed. 22:21 Deuteronomy 29 verse 29 says, 22:24 "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, 22:26 but those things which are revealed 22:28 belong to us and to our children forever, 22:30 so that we may do all the words of this law. " 22:35 There are things we won't understand 22:37 and we don't need to speculate on certain things that are coming 22:40 but we can say, "All of this prepares me to 22:42 be the person who says, 'Lord, I want to follow you... 22:45 follow your truth... let it change my life 22:48 not just a hearer of the Word 22:49 but a doer of the Word. '" 22:51 And then, truth must be shared. 22:53 Like these three angels, 22:54 the fourth angel... making it even louder with a loud voice. 22:58 Mark 5 verse 19, here's Jesus' words, 23:01 "Go home to your friends, 23:02 and tell them the great things that the Lord has done for you, 23:05 and know He has had compassion on you. " 23:08 Psalm 37 verse 30, 23:09 "The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom. " 23:12 treasures hoarded will be treasures that waste away. 23:15 And the same is true of truth. 23:18 I had a phone call just last week from somebody here... 23:21 here in the 3ABN Pastoral Department 23:24 and he said this, 23:25 he said, "I get my truth from what I read 23:28 and you guys on 3ABN confirm it for me. " 23:32 Oh, he was so excited as he began to rattle off... 23:35 he was ablaze with the glory of God 23:38 because it had come from God's Word 23:40 and as we shared it, we weren't sharing the opinions of men, 23:43 we were sharing what is... what is revealed... 23:46 what comes out of God's Word 23:47 and so, all that I could say to him on the phone was, 23:49 "Yes... yes... " as he said, 23:50 "And this... and this... " 23:52 and this is a praise of God's Word... 23:55 not of 3ABN 23:57 but this ministry here and other ministries 23:59 and other preachers and other sharers, 24:02 housewives... children... 24:03 people of... of all places who lift up God's Word, 24:06 the power does not come from them... 24:08 it does not come from us... 24:10 it comes from God's Word. 24:11 Let me leave you with Isaiah 54:13, 24:14 "All your children shall be taught by the LORD, 24:18 and great shall be the peace of your children. " 24:21 And we can rest on that. 24:23 We can rest knowing that what we believe is true 24:25 and as we go into a final conflict, 24:28 we can do it confidently 24:29 knowing that God who holds truth... also holds us. 24:32 Panel: Amen. 24:33 Lomacang: Thank you, Daniel, wow! 24:35 As you can see, we lit the candle, 24:37 it's ablaze with God's glory 24:39 and we are going to continue letting that candle shine 24:42 but don't go away, 24:43 there are three more candles that are lit 24:45 that must continue to shine, 24:46 we'll be right back. 24:48 Pause... 24:51 Music... 24:54 Ever wish you could watch a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again 24:57 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 25:01 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel. com 25:06 A clean design makes it easy 25:08 to find the Program you are looking for. 25:10 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 25:14 so you can follow along. 25:15 Sharing is easy. 25:17 Just click "Share" and choose your favorite Social Media. 25:20 Share a Link... 25:21 Save Life... for Eternity. 25:23 Lomacang: Well Friends, we continue in our study of 25:28 Ablaze With God's Glory 25:29 and James Rafferty is going to pick it up on Revelation 18. 25:33 Rafferty: Yes, I have Tuesday's Lesson... 25:35 The Reformation Continues 25:36 and the Quarterly goes on to say that God has raised up 25:39 a last-day people 25:41 to stand on the shoulders of the great Reformers of the past 25:44 with the Bible as their only creed. 25:47 Christ alone as their only source of salvation, 25:51 and the Holy Spirit as their only source of strength, 25:54 and the return of our Lord 25:56 as the consummation of all their hopes. 25:59 Truths long obscured by darkness of error and tradition, 26:03 including the Bible Sabbath, 26:05 will be proclaimed to the world 26:07 just before the return of our Lord. 26:09 The Quarterly goes on to say, 26:10 "The three angels' messages 26:12 give birth to this last-day movement 26:13 to complete the Reformation 26:15 and to participate with Christ 26:16 in the finishing up of His work on earth. 26:19 The great prophecies of the Bible's last book 26:21 reveal a divine movement of destiny 26:24 arising out of a disappointment 26:26 to proclaim God's final message to the world. 26:29 Revelation 14 describes a worldwide church 26:31 spanning the globe with the good news 26:34 of the eternal gospel. 26:35 The three angels of Revelation 14 are joined by a fourth angel 26:39 in Revelation 18. 26:41 This angel gives power to the proclamation 26:44 of the three angels 26:46 so that the 'earth is lightened with God's glory. '" 26:49 So, we're going to read Revelation chapter 18 26:51 and let's just look here in Revelation chapter 18 26:53 and verses 1 and 2, 26:55 "And after these things I saw another angel 26:57 come down from heaven, 26:58 having great power; 26:59 and the earth was lightened with his glory. 27:01 And he cried mightily with a strong voice saying, 27:04 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, 27:07 and is become the habitation of devils, 27:10 the hold of every foul spirit, 27:13 and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. '" 27:16 This is a double fall... 27:17 this is a spiritual fall and it's a physical fall. 27:21 Revelation chapter 18 is actually describing the physical fall 27:24 because Revelation 14 described a spiritual fall 27:27 that wasn't quite complete until we get to Revelation 18. 27:31 What happens in the meantime 27:32 is the Mark of the Beast is enforced. 27:34 Economic control is pushed upon everyone 27:36 and that economic control now comes down to Revelation 27:40 chapter 18. 27:41 All the deceptions are... are removed 27:43 and the whole world stands back in... aghast 27:47 at the final fall of this colossal system 27:50 of spiritual and civil power united together 27:54 to enforce a mark upon everyone... 27:56 small... great... rich... poor... free and bond 27:58 and the reason why this happens... 28:00 the reason why Babylon falls 28:02 is because the glory of God lightens the earth. 28:05 You know, we can spend all-day talking about Babylon. 28:08 We can spend all day talking about... 28:10 "Well, Babylon is this... 28:11 Babylon is this, Babylon... " 28:13 and there's going to be an infinity beyond that, 28:14 We could spend the rest of our Christian experience 28:17 trying to identify what Babylon is 28:18 and we still won't get to the bottom of it 28:21 because Satan is the mastermind behind it. 28:22 He's the mastermind behind confusion. 28:24 So, what God does is... He says, "Listen, 28:26 don't spend all of that time focusing on Babylon, 28:29 what I want you to do 28:30 is I want you to focus on the gospel... 28:32 the everlasting gospel. 28:34 The everlasting covenant... Jesus Christ. 28:36 I want you to lift Jesus up and you focus on... 28:38 when the... when the earth is lightened with the glory of God, 28:42 then Babylon is going to come down. 28:44 That's going to be the consequence 28:45 because you're going to be able to see clearly 28:48 when you get your focus on Christ 28:49 who is the Word, 28:51 thank you so much, Daniel for what you shared 28:52 and John for what you shared. 28:54 We're just going to pick up and go a little bit further with that 28:56 just focusing on one aspect of it, 28:58 when Jesus is lifted up who is the Word, 29:00 then everything else gets clear, 29:02 everything else gets clarity. 29:04 In fact, we're told that the glory of God 29:07 is the revelation of the character of God 29:09 and that's what's going to bring Babylon down, 29:11 this revelation of His character. 29:13 This is going to be the last message 29:14 that's going to go to the world... 29:16 it's going to be a revelation of the character of God 29:17 and we're going to be a part of that. 29:19 Why? How? How does that work? 29:21 That's what I like us to focus on. 29:22 You know, in 2nd Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 17 it says, 29:25 that we all become changed into His glory 29:29 by beholding Him. 29:30 Panel: That's right. 29:32 Rafferty: In The Great Controversy, page 555, 29:34 it's not a hard reference to remember... 555. 29:37 It says that this is a law... 29:41 this beholding and becoming changed is a law 29:45 both of our intellect and of our spiritual nature 29:47 and by beholding we become changed 29:48 and we know it's a law 29:50 because it works for the negative too. 29:51 The things that you spend time watching... 29:53 the things that you spend time beholding... 29:55 the things that you spend time reading 29:57 are the things that you can think about. 29:58 When you watch something, 30:00 it's not just that moment of time that you... 30:03 if it's a bad thing you're wasting... 30:04 not just that moment of time that you're wasting, 30:06 it's more than that 30:07 because you think about it later on. 30:09 It comes back to you. 30:10 There are things that I listened to and watched years ago 30:12 and every once in a while, it comes back into the memory, 30:14 you know what I'm saying? Panel: Oh yeah. 30:15 Rafferty: Well, God is going to take this law 30:17 and work it for good. 30:18 Whatsoever things are true, 30:20 whatsoever things are honest, 30:21 whatsoever things are lovely, 30:22 whatsoever things are pure, 30:24 whatsoever things are of good report, 30:25 if there be any virtue, 30:26 if there be any praise... think about these things. 30:28 And really, if you think about it, 30:29 if you carefully study Revelation and Daniel, 30:31 these two prophetic twins, 30:32 you're going to find that this is the actual message 30:35 God gives to us. 30:36 For example, right after the Mark of the Beast is... 30:39 is expounded... it... it's revealed to us, 30:42 in remember Revelation 13, 30:44 God gives instruction to His people 30:46 and here's the instruction, Revelation 14 verse 4, 30:48 "Here are they who follow the Lamb 30:52 wheresoever He goes. " Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 30:54 Rafferty: Now, again, we want to clarify... 30:56 John 1 verse 1, "The Lamb... 30:58 Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh. 31:01 "In the beginning was the Word, 31:02 and the word was with God, 31:03 and the Word was God. 31:05 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. " 31:06 To follow the Lamb wherever He goes 31:07 is to follow the Word of God wherever it leads you. 31:09 Panel: That's right. 31:10 Rafferty: Oh, oh, you come in contact with the Sabbath, 31:12 how am I going to keep the Sabbath? 31:13 how am I going to get that day off from work? 31:14 Pooooh... don't worry about that. 31:16 You follow the Sabbath... 31:17 you follow the Lamb. 31:18 Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep my commandments. " 31:20 You follow the Lamb... He'll take care of that. 31:22 He'll take care of you. 31:24 Your bread and water will be sure. 31:26 So, the instruction God gives us... 31:28 in Revelation 14 is also the same instruction He gives us 31:31 back in the book of Daniel. 31:33 In Daniel chapter 12, we're told about a people 31:37 who are going to find their names written in the Book 31:39 and I'm not going to steal any from... 31:41 anything from Shelley right now, 31:42 She's going to be talking a little bit more 31:43 about the Lamb's Book of Life, 31:45 the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world 31:46 I should say 31:48 but in Revelation chapter... Daniel chapter 12 verse 1, 31:50 "And at time Michael shall stand up, 31:51 that great prince 31:53 who stands for the children of of thy people: 31:54 and there shall be a time of trouble, 31:56 such as never was since there was a nation 31:57 even up until that time: 31:59 and thy people shall be delivered, 32:01 every one that's found written in the book. " 32:03 Panel: That's right... Hmmm... hmmm... 32:05 Rafferty: This book... and being written in this book is... 32:07 is significant in Daniel chapter 12 32:10 just like following the Lamb is significant 32:12 in Revelation chapter 14 verse 4. 32:15 Well, how do we find if our name is written in this book? 32:16 Well, slip over to Malachi chapter 3. 32:19 Malachi is an easy book to find. 32:21 If you can find the gospel of Matthew, 32:23 instead of turning right to Luke, 32:25 you turn left to Malachi. 32:26 Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament. 32:28 It's right next to the book of Matthew. 32:30 Chapter 3 beginning with verse 15, 32:32 see if this doesn't describe our present world right now. 32:35 "And now we call the wicked... " excuse me, 32:38 "Now we call the proud happy; 32:40 yea, they that work wickedness are set up; 32:42 they that tempt God are even delivered. " 32:44 You know, there are laws being passed all over the place, 32:46 I live in California right now 32:48 and you know, you can go into a store 32:49 and you can rob up to a $1,000 32:51 and they're not going to do anything... 32:52 they're not going to touch you. 32:53 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 32:55 Rafferty: You're set up and don't... 32:56 don't you doubt for a minute that criminals don't know that. 32:58 There's all kinds of lawlessness taking place. 33:01 There's all kinds of wickedness taking place. 33:04 They're set up to do wickedness in a lot of these States. 33:06 The laws are changing to the detriment of society. 33:09 What are we supposed to do in this time? 33:12 Where are we supposed to be at? 33:13 What is God's instruction to us during this time of lawlessness? 33:16 The... the lawlessness that... 33:18 that takes God's seventh-day Sabbath 33:20 and... and transfers it to another day... 33:22 the lawlessness... 33:24 that allows people to steal what you've earned... 33:25 what you've worked for. 33:28 What do we do? 33:29 Well, here's what verse 16 says, 33:30 "Then they that feared the Lord... " 33:32 fear God and give glory to Him... 33:34 "spake often... " they did what? 33:36 "they spake often one to another. " 33:39 Not once a week, 33:40 not casually... every once... 33:41 "often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, 33:43 and heard it, 33:44 and a book of remembrance was written before him 33:46 for them that feared the Lord, 33:48 and thought upon His name. " 33:50 This is the same truth that we find in Revelation 14. 33:53 Thinking upon the name of Jesus... 33:55 talking about Jesus Christ often... right? 33:58 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 33:59 Rafferty: Don't forsake the assembling of yourselves 34:01 together, as the manner of some is; 34:02 and so much the more, 34:04 as you see the Day approaching. " 34:05 Because we need that fellowship, 34:06 we need to think upon... focus on... 34:08 in fact, Jesus was talking to... to Martha. 34:10 Now, Martha was overwhelmed with the things of this world. 34:12 She was, you know, trying to earn that money, 34:14 put in her years 34:16 so that she would get a good Social Security amount 34:18 so that she could retire well, you know, 34:19 she was just doing what she needed to do. 34:20 And Mary, she was sitting at the feet of Jesus... 34:23 just sitting at the... at the feet of Jesus... 34:26 sitting before the feet of the Lord, 34:28 you know, just... just soaking in the Word of God. 34:30 And Martha... she... she was troubled about this. 34:33 She was... she was upset about this. 34:35 "Jesus, you need to tell my sister to come and help me. " 34:38 That's what she says. 34:39 And Jesus answers in verse 41 of Luke 10, 34:42 "And Jesus says unto Martha, 34:43 'Martha, Martha, you are careful, 34:44 you are troubled about many things. '" 34:46 Verse 42, Luke 10, "But one thing is needful... " 34:49 what? 34:50 Jesus is bringing it down to this one thing that is needful, 34:53 one things is needful. 34:54 "And Mary has chosen that one thing. " 34:56 What has she chosen to do? 34:58 "Sit at My feet and learn. 34:59 She has chosen to follow Me wherever I go. 35:01 She's learned to... 35:03 she's learned to... to meditate upon Me... 35:05 talk about Me... to think about Me often. 35:07 She's chosen that one thing and guess what Martha? 35:09 It's not going to be taken away from her. " 35:12 And Friends, that's what Jesus is saying to us today... 35:14 that's what He's saying to you, 35:15 "Look unto Me and be saved... all the ends of the earth. " 35:17 Behold the Lamb of God 35:19 that takes away the sins of the world. 35:20 Behold of the Lion of the tribe of Judah... 35:22 wipe those tears... 35:24 it will not be taken away from you, 35:25 you will be sealed... you'll be settled into... 35:29 you will be marked by God for the New Jerusalem 35:32 when you keep your eyes on Jesus. 35:34 Panel: Hmmm... amen. 35:36 Ryan: Powerful! Thank you, my brother. 35:38 My name is Ryan Day, 35:40 I have Wednesday's Lesson and it is entitled: 35:42 God's Glory Fills the Earth. 35:44 And, you know, I just want to jump right into 35:47 the book of Revelation. 35:48 I want to read a few texts, 35:50 so, we're going to kind of skip around 35:51 just for the first opening minute here, 35:52 but Revelation chapter 4 verse 11, 35:54 I want you to... as I go through this text, 35:56 notice the common words 35:57 and the Lesson brings this out, 35:58 notice the common words that you find between these verses. 36:00 Revelation chapter 4 verse 11 is where we're going to start, 36:03 Revelation chapter 4, verse 11. 36:06 It says, "You are worthy, O Lord, 36:08 to receive glory and honor and power; 36:10 for You created all things, 36:12 and by Your will, they exist and were created. " 36:15 All right, now we skip over to Revelation chapter 5 36:18 and we read verse 12, 36:20 notice what it says, 36:21 "saying with a loud voice: 36:22 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain 36:25 to receive power and riches and wisdom, 36:27 and strength and honor and glory and blessing!" 36:31 Now, Revelation chapter 19 and verse 1, 36:34 Revelation 19 and verse 1, 36:36 "And after these things I heard a loud voice 36:38 of a great multitude in heaven, saying, 'Alleluia! 36:40 Salvation and glory and honor 36:44 and power belong to the Lord our God!'" 36:46 And then, of course, Revelation chapter 21 36:49 and verse 26... 36:50 Revelation 21 and verse 26, 36:52 "And they shall bring the glory and the honor 36:55 of the nations into it. " 36:57 Speaking of the righteous inheriting the kingdom. 36:59 It's powerful, my Friends, when you consider back 37:02 through these just few verses here 37:03 that are tied to this concept of God's glory. 37:07 He is worthy to receive honor. 37:09 He's worthy to receive honor... 37:11 He's worthy to receive honor, 37:12 We see this over and over, 37:14 He's worthy to receive honor and glory 37:16 and that's what we're called to do 37:18 there in the first angel's message 37:20 is to fear God and give glory to Him 37:22 but yet, we're also talking about in this lesson, 37:24 how God's very glory is going to fill the entire earth 37:28 and I'm just going to ask the question here, 37:30 first of all, what is that glory? 37:32 And how is God's glory going to fill the whole earth? 37:34 Let's do some little bit of an identification here 37:37 for just a moment. 37:38 Let's go to Exodus chapter 33 37:40 and, I think, probably one of the clearest examples 37:44 and... and definitions I guess you could say 37:46 as for what God's glory really is 37:48 is found in Exodus chapter 33. 37:50 Of course, this is the instance in which Moses asked God, 37:53 "Lord, show... show Yourself to me, 37:55 let me see... let me see... 37:57 I want to look upon You. " 37:58 And then, God says, "Okay... " 37:59 notice in Exodus chapter 33, verses 18 and 19, 38:01 and he actually asked Him, "Show me Your glory. " 38:04 And... and... and Exodus 33 verses 18 and 19, 38:06 and God says to him, 38:08 or Moses says to Him in verse 18, 38:10 "Please, show me Your glory. " 38:11 And then, God responds in verse 19, 38:12 and He says, "I will make My goodness pass before you, 38:16 and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. 38:19 I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, 38:22 and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. " 38:26 I love this because God's response to his question, 38:30 "Lord, show me Your glory. " 38:31 You know, you and I would be thinking in terms of the... 38:33 you know, the visual. 38:35 We'll be looking, 38:36 you know. ah, this bright glory... just... ah... 38:38 just basking in the glory, right? 38:39 But God says, "Yeah, I'll show you my glory, 38:41 I will let My... " what does He say? 38:43 "My goodness pass before you, 38:46 I will proclaim the name of the Lord, 38:50 I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, 38:54 and have compassion on whom I will have compassion. " 38:56 My Friends, what is God describing here? 38:58 He's describing His character. 39:01 God's glory is His character. 39:03 Panel: That's right. 39:05 Ryan: It says in this lesson and in the Bible 39:06 that in the last days, 39:07 God's glory will fill the whole earth 39:09 and the question is, "How is God glory 39:10 going to fill the whole earth if it's His character?" 39:13 And, of course, the answer is simple, 39:14 Through His people. 39:16 And, I just want to make this very clear 39:18 reading in... this is Testimonies to the Church, 39:20 volume 6, page 19, 39:21 this comes from, again, Testimonies to the Church, 39:24 volume 6, page 19, 39:25 notice what it says, it says, 39:26 "There is no glory for ourselves in our good works 39:30 or our righteousness 39:32 or our goodness. 39:33 The message of Christ's righteousness 39:36 is to stand from one end of the earth to the other. 39:39 This is the glory of God 39:41 which closes the work of the third angel. " 39:43 So, let me be clear, 39:45 while God's glory will be filling the whole earth 39:47 in the last days and it will be through us, 39:48 it's not of our glory... 39:49 it's not our glory... 39:51 it's not our righteousness... 39:52 it's not our goodness... 39:54 it's not our compassion... 39:55 it's not our mercy... 39:56 no, no, no, no, no... 39:58 all of that is manifested in us from God, 39:59 we're reflecting His righteousness and His glory. 40:00 Also, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 40:03 page 456, I really enjoyed this one as well. 40:05 It says, "What is justification by faith?" 40:07 It is the work of God in laying the glory of man 40:12 in the dust. 40:13 Panel: That's right. 40:14 Ryan: And doing for man that which is not in His power 40:18 to do for Himself. 40:19 I love that! 40:21 Letting God be God in us, 40:23 letting Him do the work in us. 40:25 There is no glory for ourselves 40:27 but yes, glory to God instead 40:29 and, of course, my mind went to John 40:30 chapter 3 verse 30 as I was studying this lesson, 40:33 because all I could hear echoing in my mind is, 40:35 "He must increase, and I must decrease. " 40:37 He must increase, and I must decrease... 40:39 those are the words of John the Baptist 40:41 and, my Friends, that really is ultimately the gospel experience 40:44 as we are being transformed day by day 40:47 from glory to glory... 40:48 from faith to faith as Paul writes, 40:49 it is us decreasing and Him increasing in our life. 40:53 I want to take this a little bit... 40:55 a little step into a different direction here... 40:57 still under the same banner of God's glory filling the earth, 41:00 you know, it's got to happen in us. 41:02 It must be manifest within us 41:04 and... and His character as we are told 41:06 must be reproduced in us perfectly 41:08 before Jesus can return. 41:10 I want to read a quote for you from Desire of Ages, page 309, 41:13 it's a lengthy quote 41:14 but I just want to make this point 41:16 because it's a powerful point to make. 41:17 This quote says in Desire of Ages page 309, 41:20 it says, "The greatest deception of the human mind 41:22 in Christ's day 41:24 was that a mere assent to the truth constitutes righteousness. " 41:26 Panel: Hmmm... 41:27 Ryan: In all human experience 41:29 a theoretical knowledge of the truth 41:30 has been proved to be insufficient 41:32 for the saving of the soul. 41:33 It does not bring forth the fruits of righteousness. 41:37 A jealous regard for what is termed theological truth 41:41 often accompanies a hatred of genuine truth 41:44 as made manifest in the life. 41:45 The darkest chapters of earth's history or earth history 41:50 are burdened with the record of crimes committed 41:52 by bigoted religionists. 41:54 The Pharisees claimed to be the children of Abraham, 41:57 and boasted of their possession of the oracles of God; 42:00 yet these advantages did not preserve them from selfishness, 42:04 malignity, greed for gain, 42:06 and the basest hypocrisy. 42:08 They thought themselves the greatest religionists 42:10 of the world, 42:12 but their so-called orthodoxy led them to crucify 42:15 the Lord of glory. " 42:16 But then she goes on to say this... powerful point, 42:18 "The same danger still exists right here today. 42:22 Many take it for granted that they are Christians, 42:26 simply because they subscribe to certain theological tenets. " 42:30 Maybe 28... I don't know. 42:32 "But they have not brought the truth 42:34 into practical life. 42:35 They have not believed and loved it, 42:38 therefore they have not received the power and grace 42:42 that come through sanctification of the truth. 42:45 Men may profess faith in the truth; 42:47 but if it does not them... " 42:49 and please don't miss this point, 42:50 "if it does not make them sincere, kind, patient, 42:54 forbearing, and heavenly-minded... " 42:56 Pastor, you covered that last week. 42:58 "Heavenly-minded, 43:00 it is a curse to its possessors, 43:02 and through their influence it is a curse to the world. " 43:05 My Friends, this is... this is getting down to the nitty-gritty. 43:08 We were talking about God's glory filling the earth. 43:12 God's glory is His character, 43:13 how is it going to fill the earth? 43:15 It's His work in us... transforming us 43:16 we... us decreasing... 43:19 Him increasing 43:20 but my Friends, in order for that to ultimately happen, 43:23 it's not just subscribing to a few theological truths. 43:26 You can profess and claim a certain truth all day long 43:28 and many people... 43:30 I only bring this up because 43:31 I'm meeting more and more Christians today... 43:32 because I see people who think 43:34 that just because they believe in something, 43:36 that somehow, that accounts for their righteousness. 43:38 "Well, you know, I believe in keeping the Sabbath 43:40 and I'm a fourth or fifth generation... " 43:42 whatever... 43:43 "Baptist... Seventh-day Adventist... 43:44 Pentecostal... " whatever... 43:46 "and I... and I believe these truths... 43:47 I uphold them and I proclaim them and I teach them... " 43:49 but yet these same people do it with such hatred 43:52 and such a harsh attitude 43:54 and such a... there's no compassion... 43:56 there's no... there's no love... 43:58 there's no, you know, kindness there 44:00 and at the end of the day, 44:02 Philippians chapter 2 verse 5, 44:03 as we have learned, what does it say? 44:04 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. " 44:09 The transformation of character is simply a spiritual lobotomy. 44:14 Taking the brain... 44:16 and you... you're getting rid of yours 44:17 and you're allowing Christ to be reproduced in you. 44:20 Panel: That's right. 44:22 Ryan: Galatians chapter 5 verses 22 and 23, 44:23 "But the fruits of the Spirit is... " Panel: Love. 44:26 Ryan: Wait, let me re-phrase that, 44:28 because it's not what it says, 44:29 I made a... I made a little bit of a mouth typo there, 44:31 "But the fruit... Panel: Thank you. 44:33 Ryan: "of the Spirit is... love. " 44:34 Pause... 44:37 Ryan: And I suspect there should be... probably a colon right here 44:40 because everything that comes past this 44:42 "joy, peace, longsuffering, 44:45 kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. 44:49 Against such, there is no law. " 44:50 All of those are a description of the love of God... 44:53 the character of God. 44:55 That's why when we read 1st Corinthians 13 44:58 and it says, starting in verse 4, 45:00 "Love suffers long and is kind; 45:02 love does not envy; love does not parade itself, 45:05 is not puffed up... " 45:06 see, this is the real text right here. 45:08 pause... 45:09 Ryan: "It does not behave rudely, 45:11 does not seek its own, 45:12 is not provoked, thinks no evil; 45:14 and does not rejoice in iniquity, 45:16 but rejoices in the truth; 45:18 bears all things, believes all things, 45:19 hopes all things, endures all things. " 45:21 Love never fails... what does the Bible say? 45:23 "God is love. " 45:25 But then, I love verse 13 that caps off this chapter, 45:28 it says, "Now abide faith, hope, and love, 45:33 these three; 45:34 but the greatest of these is love. " 45:38 We can claim to know the truth. 45:40 We can claim to have the truth and be about the truth 45:42 but if that truth does not transform us 45:44 into the very loving compassionate character of God, 45:47 then my Friends, it does no good. 45:49 Let God's glory be manifest in you 45:51 so that you can shine forth His goodness 45:53 before He comes. 45:54 Shelley: Amen... amen. 45:56 My mind is going everywhere right now, 45:59 thank you all... each one of you so much. 46:01 This has been such a beautiful, beautiful study 46:05 and I hope those of you at home have... 46:08 if... if you were unfamiliar with Revelation, 46:11 that you now realize... Revelation is not a sealed book. 46:17 The very title "Apokalypsis" means 46:21 the revealing as Revelation 1:1 says, 46:27 it is the revelation of Jesus Christ. 46:30 You know, I was brought up in a church 46:33 that taught you should read Revelation. 46:35 I used to peak over there and I'd read Revelation 1:3 46:40 that says, "Blessed is he who reads 46:42 and those who hear the words of this prophecy, 46:46 and keep those things which are written in it; 46:50 for the time is near. " 46:52 And I used to think, "What? 46:55 That's the only book I know that has a blessing 46:59 specifically attached to it. " 47:02 But Revelation is a book of signs and symbols 47:06 and sometimes people get very confused by that. 47:10 The meaning... 47:12 oh what helped me so much was to understand 47:16 Daniel is a companion book to Revelation. 47:20 The meaning of the signs and symbols in Revelation, 47:23 John wrote in these signs and symbols 47:26 because Roman persecution... 47:29 and he wrote it in such a way 47:31 that these people who knew the Word of God 47:34 from the Old Testament... 47:36 you'll find all these signs and symbols 47:39 are explained somewhere in the Bible. 47:42 We see in Revelation 12... the dragon in heaven. 47:45 Revelation 14... 47:47 the three angels flying in the midst of heaven. 47:50 Revelation 17... 47:51 the woman dressed in purple and... 47:54 and riding on the scarlet beast... 47:56 Bible prophecy is not meant to scare us. 48:01 It is meant to increase our faith, 48:05 to prepare us for the coming of Jesus. 48:08 The most important symbol in Revelation... 48:11 now I've got to hold it back, 48:12 the most important symbol in Revelation 48:16 is the Lamb. 48:18 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 48:20 Shelley: Twenty-six times 48:21 "Lamb" is used as the title of Jesus. 48:25 In anticipation of the incarnation 48:29 and the crucifixion, 48:31 the second person of the Godhead has been referred to 48:35 as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 48:40 Now, the word "Lamb" is also used in Revelation 13:11, 48:45 when it is describing a lamb-like beast 48:51 that has horns like a lamb and looks like a lamb. 48:55 But Revelation 5 has God on the throne in heaven, 48:58 He's holding the scroll with the seven seals, 49:01 Revelation 6 explains six of them 49:07 and then Revelation... explains the opening of the seventh seal. 49:11 Whatever is in the content of that scroll, 49:14 we know it concerns our salvation 49:19 because only the Lamb who died for us 49:24 is worthy of opening that. 49:27 I want to just give you a few 49:31 references 49:33 and then we're going to wind this up 49:35 of the Lamb of God in Revelation. 49:38 These are just a few of my favorite. 49:40 Revelation 5 and verse 6 says, 49:44 "I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne 49:48 and the four living creatures, 49:50 in the midst of the elders, 49:52 stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, 49:56 having seven horns and seven eyes... " 49:59 the horns are His power... it's a perfection of power, 50:02 the eyes are His wisdom... 50:04 "which are the seven Spirits of God 50:06 sent out into all the earth. 50:08 And they sang a new song. " 50:10 They're singing to the Lamb, 50:13 "And they said, 'You are worthy to take the scroll, 50:15 to open its seals... 50:17 for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood 50:21 out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 50:26 you make us kings and priests to our God; 50:29 we shall reign on the earth. '" 50:31 And they're saying in verse 12, with a loud voice: 50:36 "loud voice: 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain 50:41 to receive power and riches and wisdom, 50:44 and strength and honor and glory and blessing!'" 50:47 I used to look years ago, 50:51 I would look and I would see that... 50:53 that they're always bowing down, "Holy, holy, holy... " 50:57 and I'd think, "Wha... why is this?" 50:59 You know what? 51:01 Now that I understand the everlasting gospel, 51:04 every day, I can't help but cry out, "Holy, holy, holy... " 51:10 I can't help but worship the Lord. 51:13 I can't help but thank Him for what He has done. 51:17 Revelation 7:17, 51:19 it says, "The Lamb who's in the midst of the throne 51:22 will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. 51:26 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. " 51:30 Revelation 12:11 tells you... tells me 51:34 how to overcome Satan, 51:37 how to overcome the beast powers. 51:40 It's by the blood of the Lamb 51:43 and the word of our testimony 51:45 and not loving our lives to the death. 51:49 We've got to be willing to say, "Whatever Lord, 51:52 I will never ever deny You. " 51:55 Revelation 15:3, 51:58 it says, "sing the song of the Lamb, 52:00 saying: 'Great and marvelous are Your works, 52:03 O Lord God Almighty! 52:05 Just and true are Your ways... ' " 52:10 talks about the marriage of the Lamb that has come, 52:16 and His bride has made herself ready. " 52:19 In Revelation 21:22 to 23, 52:22 it's talking about the New Jerusalem 52:25 and there is no need of a temple in the New Jerusalem 52:29 because there's no sin in it 52:31 so they don't need a temple. 52:33 Revelation 21:22 says, "I saw no temple, 52:37 for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. " 52:42 The city had no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it, 52:46 for the glory... the character of God 52:50 illuminated it 52:51 and the Lamb is its light. " 52:55 Panel: Amen. 52:56 Shelley: Revelation 22 and verses 1 and 3 says, 53:00 "He showed me a pure river of water of life, 53:05 clear as crystal, 53:06 Proceeding from the throne of God 53:08 and of the Lamb. " 53:10 The throne of the Lamb... 53:12 "There shall be no more curse... " 53:14 verse 3 says, 53:15 "for the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it. " 53:19 Let me tell you something, 53:20 we've been studying the three angels' messages. 53:24 Revelation 14:6 says, "I saw... " 53:27 and this is the first angel, 53:29 "flying in the midst of heaven, 53:32 having the everlasting gospel 53:35 to preach to all who dwell on the earth... " 53:39 The three angels messages 53:42 are founded on the everlasting gospel. 53:46 And you say, "What is the everlasting gospel?" 53:49 Well, we find it in Revelation 13:8, 53:52 John has already written it. 53:55 It's talking about the Lamb who was slain 53:59 from the foundation of the earth. 54:01 Panel: That's right. 54:02 Shelley: This is talking about the covenant that God... 54:06 that God had got together before they created us 54:09 and decided that one of them would come to earth... 54:13 become like us... 54:15 and pay our penalty for our sin. 54:19 It's talking about the perfect life of Christ, 54:22 the crucifixion of Christ, 54:25 the resurrection of Christ. 54:28 The... the central message of the entire Bible 54:32 from Genesis to Revelation... 54:34 the foundation of the everlasting gospel 54:38 is God's covenant of righteousness by faith. 54:43 That is the everlasting covenant. 54:46 Hebrews 13:20 talks about Jesus' blood 54:51 being the blood of the everlasting covenant 54:55 and I'll tell you what. 54:56 When you look at this, what's the goal? 54:59 What's the goal of the everlasting covenant? 55:02 2nd Corinthians 5 and verse 21, 55:07 says, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us. " 55:11 Christ took on and bore our sin, 55:17 it crushed His holy heart 55:20 and God poured out His wrath against sin 55:23 on Christ at the cross 55:26 but it says, it was for this reason 55:31 that we might become the righteousness of God 55:36 in Christ Jesus. 55:37 Oh! Hallelujah... hallelujah. 55:40 The Revelation of God's love... 55:43 to think that our Creator would take on our flesh... 55:48 would humiliate Himself to that point, 55:51 and take our flesh back to heaven that He... 55:54 after He died for us... that He could be our High Priest, 55:57 let me tell you, 55:58 Christ is the center and the circumference 56:01 of the entire message of the Bible. 56:05 We cannot give the three angels' message 56:08 to people who don't know 56:11 what He has done to save us. 56:14 It's all about Jesus. 56:17 Lomacang: Thank you so much Shelley, 56:20 Ryan... James... 56:21 and Daniel. 56:22 Give me some of your closing thoughts 56:24 as we close this out in a blaze of glory. 56:26 Daniel: Well, the light of God's character... 56:29 is... the light of God's glory is His character 56:31 and we get to see that in His law 56:33 which is why I love that longest chapter of the Bible, 56:36 Psalm 119... verse 98, 56:38 "You, through Your commandments, 56:40 make me wiser than my enemies... " 56:42 We have an enemy 56:43 and God's character... His Law 56:44 will help us defeat that enemy. 56:46 Rafferty: Amen, 56:47 you know, Babylon has silenced the voice of God 56:49 and it must be proclaimed loudly and clearly. 56:51 Babylon has confused the character of God 56:53 and the world must be enlightened. 56:55 Babylon has obscured the glory of God... 56:57 it must be revealed. 56:58 Another angel comes down from heaven 57:00 and cries mightily with a strong voice 57:02 and Babylon falls. 57:03 Ryan: Amen, Jesus says, "And I... if I be lifted up 57:06 will draw all people to Myself. " 57:08 My Friends, just simply lift up Jesus today. 57:10 Look to Him... the Author and Finisher of your faith 57:13 and you can be restored. 57:14 Pause. 57:16 Shelley: The everlasting covenant in the Old Testament... 57:19 they knew there was a Messiah coming, 57:21 they were saved... looking forward to the cross. 57:23 We are saved looking back to the cross. 57:26 But righteousness by faith is going to change us 57:31 to become like Him. 57:33 Lomacang: Wow! thank you all 57:34 everybody for the whole Quarter Study 57:37 and including Jill who's not here with us today 57:39 but thank you for taking the time to tune in. 57:41 What is Revelation's message? 57:43 It's time to stand up for truth instead of falling for tradition, 57:47 time to straighten up so that we can walk right, 57:49 time to speak up for the cause of Christ 57:50 so that when the message closes, 57:52 it closes with a blaze of glory in our lives. 57:55 Next Quarter we start the book of Ephesians. 57:58 Friends, we look forward. 58:00 Thank you for joining us. 58:01 We look forward to seeing you 58:02 next Quarter and next time. 58:04 God bless you. |
Revised 2023-09-18