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Series Code: TAM
Program Code: TAM000001S
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00:30 Let's pray. Father we're thankful for the privilege
00:35 of being in Your presence today. 00:37 What a joy it is to know that You are in our midst 00:42 through the presence of Your Holy Spirit and Your angels. 00:45 And Father, as we open Your holy book, we plead for Your help, 00:51 for human minds cannot begin to comprehend the great 00:55 things from Your Word. 00:56 And so Father come to be with us. 00:59 Instruct us and give us the capacity to live in harmony 01:04 with what we learn. 01:06 And we thank You, Father, for hearing our prayer, for we ask 01:10 it in the precious and powerful name 01:12 of Your beloved Son Jesus, Amen. 01:15 Let's reflect for a few moments about the world 01:21 as it is after 9/11. 01:25 We live in a world of unparalleled turmoil. 01:31 The world economy is crumbling before our very eyes. 01:37 The United States taxpayers have incurred a debt of over 01:44 2 trillion dollars just in the last few months. 01:48 As you know, the United States government has had to bail out 01:54 some very large banks, and some significant corporations. 01:59 And they've put a huge sum of money into getting the economy 02:08 of the United States on track again. 02:10 But it's not only the United States that is in trouble. 02:15 We live in a time of global economic turmoil. 02:20 As you know, many states in the United States 02:23 are almost bankrupt, including the state of California. 02:29 Millions of people in the United States have lost their homes 02:33 due to foreclosure. 02:35 Life savings, and retirement plans have disappeared. 02:40 Corporate greed runs rampant in Wall Street 02:47 and in the large corporations. 02:48 And this has caused unprecedented financial loss 02:53 for millions of people. 02:55 And then we have the natural disasters, which seem to be 02:59 greater and more prevalent every day. 03:01 Disasters that are of epic proportions like 03:06 Hurricane Katrina, like the Asian Tsunami, like the terrible 03:11 tornados that we had just a few months ago 03:14 in the Midwestern United States, hundred year fires in Australia, 03:20 and in California, and earthquakes in different places. 03:24 And what could we say about wars and rumors of wars? 03:29 Israel and the Palestinians, Iraq, Afghanistan, India, 03:35 Pakistan, and many other countries of the world 03:38 that are embroiled in war. 03:40 And then we have the threat of global pandemics and epidemics: 03:45 Bird flu, Mad Cow disease, new strains of Tuberculosis, AIDS, 03:53 and other diseases that could devastate the human race. 03:57 And then there is the ever present danger of global terror, 04:01 and the perilous task of trying to guard our homeland security. 04:07 And what could we say about the potential for biological, 04:11 chemical, and nuclear weapons? 04:14 On the moral level everything seems to go downhill. 04:19 The gay marriage debate rages. 04:23 Pornography runs rampant. 04:26 The use of pornography on the air is prevalent. 04:29 Abortions are performed without any pangs of conscience. 04:35 School shootings and workplace shootings appear to be 04:39 the rule of the day. 04:40 Child abuse and kidnappings, husbands killing their wives, 04:45 and global warming. 04:48 I don't know how you feel about global warming, 04:51 but it's definitely happening. 04:52 Something is happening in this world that is disturbing 04:57 the delicate ecosystem of Planet Earth. 05:00 In the midst of all of this turmoil, 05:04 and all of these problems we ask the question, 05:08 Is there no hope? Is the world moving towards Armageddon? 05:14 Is the world, as we know it, moving to its end? 05:18 Well, during this series I have good news. 05:22 We're going to study God's final message to Planet Earth. 05:28 And that message is found in Revelation 14:6-12. 05:36 Now I'm going to tell you that we're going to study 05:38 24 sessions together. 05:40 And we are going to analyze every phrase 05:44 of the three angels' messages. 05:46 We are not going to leave any stone unturned when it comes 05:50 to the study of these three messages that God 05:53 sends to Planet Earth. 05:54 And I believe that when we finish the 24 sessions, 05:58 those of us who attend will understand the relationship 06:03 between all of these different aspects that we find in the 06:06 three angels' messages, and the urgent need that we have 06:10 of preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ, which I believe 06:15 is to be even at the door; very, very eminent. 06:19 I'd like to begin by reading the three angels' messages 06:24 as we find in Revelation 14: 6-12. 06:28 And of course the title of our study today is, 06:31 Ten Great Facts About the Three Angels' Messages. 06:37 So turn with me in your Bibles to Revelation 14:6-12. 06:44 Let's read the first angel's message. 07:22 That's the first message. 07:23 Now we go to the second. 07:43 And then we find the third angel's message 07:46 beginning in verse 9. 08:41 Now during this series we are going to try to answer 08:46 a series of questions. 08:47 And so as we begin our study today, I would like to formulate 08:53 those questions which we are going to answer in the course 08:56 of the next 24 sessions that we have here together. 09:00 Question 1. What is the everlasting gospel? 09:07 It's mentioned in the first angel's message. 09:11 What is the everlasting gospel that needs to be preached 09:14 to the whole world? 09:15 2. What do three angels represent? 09:21 Are we to expect three angels flying in the midst of heaven 09:24 zipping from one side of the heaven to the other? 09:26 What do angels represent? 09:30 What do angels symbolize? 09:32 And then we must ask the question, Why are they described 09:36 as flying in the midst of heaven? 09:39 Why are these angels flying? 09:41 Why do these messages go to all of the world, 09:45 as we've just read? 09:46 What does it mean to fear God? 09:50 What does it mean to give glory to God? 09:54 What does the first angel's message mean when it says 09:59 that we are in the hour of God's judgment? 10:03 What does it mean to worship the Creator? 10:07 What is Babylon? What is Babylon's wine of wrath, 10:13 because Babylon has wine? 10:14 What does the wine represent? 10:16 What does prophecy mean when it says that Babylon fornicates 10:22 with the kings of the earth? 10:23 Who is the beast? Who or what is the image to the beast? 10:30 What is the mark of the beast? 10:34 What is the number of the beast's name? 10:38 What is the wine of God's wrath? 10:42 Why is God's wine poured without mixture? 10:45 Will the worshippers of the beast be incinerated 10:49 in fire that will never go out? 10:51 After all the Bible says forever and ever. 10:54 What is the patience of the saints? 10:57 What are the commandments of God? 11:00 What is meant by the faith of Jesus? 11:03 And finally, who are the 144,000, 11:08 and when will they live? 11:10 And you say, Why are you including the 144,000? 11:13 Simply because in Revelation 14:1-5 you have the 144,000 11:20 before the three angels' messages are proclaimed, 11:22 which means that the 144,000 are somehow related 11:27 to the three angels' messages. 11:29 So we have our work cut out for us. 11:32 We have a lot to study. 11:34 We have to know who the beast is. 11:36 How can you not worship the beast 11:39 if don't know who he is? 11:41 You see, if we don't know who the beast is, 11:44 we'll end up worshipping him. 11:46 If we don't know what the image is, 11:48 we'll end up worshipping the image. 11:50 If we don't know what the mark of the beast is, 11:54 we might just end up receiving the mark of the beast. 11:57 So it's very important for us to understand these things. 12:01 Now we want to take a look at ten facts concerning 12:06 the three angels' messages. 12:07 This is an introductory subject today. 12:10 We're going to take a look at several introductory matters 12:14 dealing with the three angels' messages. 12:16 Fact 1. When the Bible says that three angels' are proclaiming 12:22 their messages to the world, we are not to understand that 12:26 literal angels will zip across the sky at the speed of 12:31 lightening, shouting with a loud voice the messages that we find 12:35 in Revelation chapter 14. 12:37 The fact is that in the Bible angels are depicted as helping 12:44 human beings proclaim the message. 12:47 In other words, the angels represent heavenly messengers 12:53 that use human beings to proclaim the 12:57 message of Jesus Christ. 12:58 Take for example Revelation 1: 1-3, where we find 13:03 a very interesting process. Revelation 1:1-3. 13:09 This is the introduction to the book of Revelation, 13:12 and it says there: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, 13:17 which God gave Him. 13:19 Now notice the sequence. 13:21 God gave Jesus a certain Revelation. 13:24 And He gave it to Him, to show whom? His servants things which 13:30 must shortly take place; and he sent and signified it by his 13:35 angel to His servant John: who bore witness to the word of God, 13:40 and to the testimony of Jesus Christ. 13:43 Do you see a chain of command here? 13:44 Very clearly there's a chain of command. 13:47 God the Father gives the message to Jesus. 13:50 Jesus gives the message to His angel. 13:53 The angel then whispers in John's ear and says, 13:56 This is the message that I want you to write down. 13:58 And so now the angel gives the message to John. 14:01 And John gives the message to the churches. 14:04 And the churches are supposed to give the message to the world. 14:07 In other words, the angels are depicted as three messages 14:10 that the angels help human beings to proclaim to the world. 14:15 By the way, the word angel in Greek, angelos, 14:20 actually means messenger. 14:23 And did you know that in the New Testament certain human 14:26 beings are called angels? 14:28 You say, Now how's that? 14:29 Well, let me just mention some. 14:31 We're not going to read the text, but if you want you 14:33 can write them down. 14:34 Epaphroditus: you say well, that's a weird name. 14:38 Is he in the Bible? Yes, he's in Philippians 2:25. 14:42 The apostle Paul mentions him, but he's called an angel. 14:45 He's called a messenger. 14:47 John the Baptist in Matthew 11: 10 is called 14:51 a messenger, or an angel. 14:54 You remember that there were certain messengers that John 14:57 sent to speak with Jesus. 14:59 The word messengers there is the word Angeloi. 15:03 In other words they are angels. 15:06 The spies that went to Jericho, according to James 2:25, 15:12 were angels, or messengers. 15:14 Even the apostle Paul, in Galatians 4:14, 15:18 is called an angel, or a messenger. 15:21 And, of course we, know about Stephen, that first martyr 15:25 of the Christian church, in Acts 6:15 it says that his face 15:31 was like the face of an angel. 15:34 Now we all know that God has not committed the preaching 15:37 of the gospel to angels, has He? 15:39 Jesus did not say to the angels, Go proclaim 15:43 the gospel to the world. 15:44 The work of proclaiming the everlasting gospel to the world 15:48 has been committed to the servants of Jesus Christ; 15:52 to human beings. But they are aided in their work 15:56 by the angelic host. 15:58 In fact, notice Matthew 28: 18-20 where it tells us, 16:06 to whom it has been committed to preach the everlasting gospel. 16:10 It says there in verse 18, And Jesus came and spoke to them, 16:15 saying, All authority has been given to me 16:20 in heaven and on earth. 16:21 Go, He's speaking to His disciples, 16:35 Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded 16:40 you: and, lo, I am with you always, 16:43 even unto the end of the age. Amen. 16:47 Notice that the great commission of preaching the gospel was 16:50 committed to the disciples. 16:52 It's not committed to angels. 16:54 You see, the angels never needed to be redeemed. 16:57 They don't know what it means to be redeemed. 16:59 Only those who have been redeemed can proclaim 17:03 the message of redemption with power, because they know 17:06 the experience of the gospel. 17:08 Also in Acts 1:8 we find the command of Jesus to His 17:16 disciples to proclaim the gospel. 17:18 Once again, the gospel has not been committed to angels 17:21 to proclaim by streaking across the sky and shouting 17:25 with a loud voice God's message. 17:27 It's committed to human beings, but angels help human beings. 17:32 Notice Acts 1:8, But you shall receive... 17:48 Incidentally, I would like to share with you two experiences 17:52 where an angel actually helped one of the followers of Jesus 17:56 to proclaim the message. 17:57 Do you remember the story of Phillip 18:00 and the Ethiopian eunuch? 18:02 Let me ask you, Who was it that actually took Phillip so that he 18:07 could go speak and meet with the Ethiopian eunuch? 18:11 If you read Acts 8:26, it says that the angel directed Phillip 18:18 to go and meet with the Ethiopian eunuch. 18:21 And then, of course, Phillip shared the message 18:24 of God with the eunuch. 18:26 And then we also have the example of the apostle Peter. 18:30 You remember that Peter preached the gospel to Cornelius. 18:33 But it was an angel that came to Cornelius and actually put him 18:37 in touch, or put him in contact with Simon Peter. 18:40 In other words, the angels give the message to human beings, 18:45 and then human beings proclaim the gospel to the world. 18:48 So these three angels represent messages that God sends 18:53 by the angelic hosts to us, for us to proclaim to the world. 18:57 That's fact 1. The three angels represent human beings 19:02 preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, 19:05 particularly God's end time people. 19:09 Now let's go to fact 2. 19:11 We're told as we read in Revelation 14, that the angels 19:20 This must mean that the messages of the three angels 19:25 are of heavenly origin. 19:28 You know, whenever God speaks in the book of Revelation, 19:32 God's message always comes from above. 19:35 It always comes from heaven. 19:37 On the other hand, the powers of Satan come from the sea, 19:43 from the abyss, and from the earth. 19:47 In other words, the fact that these three messages are 19:51 depicted as three angels' flying in the midst of heaven, 19:55 coming from heaven to earth, means that these messages 19:58 are directly sent by God. 20:01 They are heavenly messages. 20:03 Incidentally, in the Bible to speak of beneath 20:07 is the realm of Satan. 20:09 To speak of above is the realm of Jesus Christ. 20:13 It's the realm of God. 20:14 So whenever an angel comes from heaven 20:16 it means a message from God. 20:19 James 3, I want you to notice, James 3 tells us this: 20:25 speaking about the wisdom that doesn't come from above, 20:28 it says: this wisdom does not descend from above, 20:32 but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 20:36 So where does the power of Satan come from? 20:39 It comes not from above, but from where? from beneath. 20:43 Revelation 18:1, which we're going to study in this series 20:48 later on, speaks of a powerful angel that comes down from 20:52 heaven, and he cries with a mighty voice 20:55 that Babylon is fallen. 20:56 And then he calls God's people to come out of Babylon. 20:59 This message comes with great power from heaven. 21:03 So Fact 2. is that the fact that these angels are depicted as 21:07 flying in the midst of heaven, means that these messages 21:11 are of heavenly origin. 21:13 They come directly from the throne of God. 21:15 Fact 3. We're told twice in the three angels' messages 21:21 that these messages are proclaimed with a loud voice. 21:27 It's interesting; the Greek word that is used for loud voice 21:32 is the word megaphone. 21:35 What word do we get from megaphone? 21:38 The word megaphone, right? 21:40 Have you ever heard of megaphone? 21:42 You know you use them at campouts. 21:44 I know at camporees, Pathfinder camporees, you have a megaphone 21:49 to call all of the Pathfinders together. 21:52 Let me ask you, When you use the megaphone, 21:54 can you hear the message? 21:55 You certainly can. 21:57 And sometimes it's so loud that it actually squeals, 22:00 and then everybody can hear it. 22:02 And so that's the word that is used. 22:05 These messages are of heavenly origin. 22:07 Human beings are supposed to preach them, and they come with 22:12 great power, because they're proclaimed with a loud voice. 22:16 In other words, there is no word parcing or political correctness 22:20 in these messages. 22:22 This is not some ambivalent double speak. 22:26 There's no mute on the trumpet. 22:28 It is to be shouted from the rooftops no matter what 22:33 the consequences are. 22:35 The messages are to be proclaimed with utmost power. 22:39 Fact 4. The angels fly. 22:43 Now what does that represent, the angels flying? 22:49 It represents the speed with which this message is supposed 22:53 to go to the world. 22:55 Now let me ask you, How fast do angels fly? 23:01 Well, let's go to Ezekiel 1, Ezekiel 1:13, 14. 23:08 Let me ask you, Are these messages supposed to go with 23:11 utmost speed to all of the world? Absolutely! 23:15 These messages of heavenly origin are to go to all of the 23:19 world with great power, and with the utmost velocity. 23:23 Notice what it says in Ezekiel 1:13, 14. 23:27 It's speaking about the four living creatures, 23:29 which represents the angelic host. 23:31 And notice what it says. 23:32 As for the likeness of the living creatures, 23:35 their appearance was like burning coals of fire, 23:38 like the appearance of torches going back and forth among 23:43 the living creatures. 23:45 The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightening. 23:50 And the living creatures ran back and forth in appearance 23:56 like a flash of lightening. 23:58 How fast do angels travel? 24:00 With the speed of lightening. 24:02 How fast does this message need to go to the world? 24:05 It needs to go to the world with the speed of lightening. 24:08 But, unfortunately, it's going to the world 24:09 with the speed of a snail, or the speed of a tortoise. 24:14 It's not because the angelic host isn't waiting 24:18 anxiously for this message to be proclaimed to the world. 24:22 It's simply because we, as human beings, have not lent ourselves 24:26 to be used by the power of God to proclaim these heavenly 24:30 messages of God to the world, so that the end can come. 24:35 Now I have an example of the speed of travel of angels. 24:38 Do you remember that in Daniel 9, Daniel was praying because he 24:42 wanted some wisdom about understanding a prophecy 24:45 that said unto 2300 days and the Sanctuary shall be cleansed, 24:48 which was in the previous chapter of Daniel 8:14? 24:51 And Daniel was praying because he wanted to understand 24:53 that time prophecy? 24:55 And if you read there in Daniel 9 it says that Gabriel, 24:58 when Daniel began his prayer, he left the heavenly throne, 25:03 and before Daniel finished his prayer 25:04 Gabriel was next to his side. 25:07 So how fast do angels travel? 25:09 They travel very, very swiftly. 25:12 And God wants these messages to go with utmost swiftness. 25:17 Fact 5. The messages are worldwide in scope. 25:23 In other words, the messages are of heavenly origin, 25:27 they're to be proclaimed by human beings with the utmost 25:31 velocity, with great power, and they are to be proclaimed 25:35 in all of the world. 25:36 Now listen to what I'm going to tell you. 25:38 Most Christians today, most conservative Christians that is, 25:44 Evangelicals, Pentecostals, etc., believe that the three 25:48 angels' messages are actually messages that will be proclaimed 25:52 during the tribulation, after the church has been 25:56 raptured to heaven. 25:57 In fact they believe that everything from Revelation 4, 26:02 all the way through Revelation 19, applies to the Jews 26:06 in the Middle East after the church has been 26:08 raptured to heaven. 26:10 But my question regarding that is this, If this message, 26:17 or these messages, because it's one message 26:20 composed of three parts. 26:21 If these messages are to be proclaimed only to the Jews, 26:25 why do we find that it says that these messages are supposed 26:30 to go to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people? 26:35 Obviously, these messages are not only for the Jews in the 26:38 Middle East. These messages are to be proclaimed on a worldwide 26:43 scale, which means that in order to proclaim them, 26:46 you have to have a worldwide people to announce them. 26:49 I'm just throwing that out. 26:51 We're going to talk about that a little bit later on. 26:54 A worldwide message being proclaimed necessitates a 26:57 worldwide people that understands these messages, 27:00 and is willing to go out and preach these messages. 27:03 These messages are to go to every nation, kindred, tongue, 27:08 and people. They are global in extent. 27:11 Notice Matthew 24:14. 27:14 You notice that the first angel's message speaks about 27:16 preaching the everlasting gospel. 27:18 And then when you get to the end of the three angels' messages 27:21 you have the harvest. 27:22 In other words, Jesus is seated on a cloud, 27:24 He has a cycle on his hand; the end has come. 27:26 The earth has been harvested. 27:28 In other words, the preaching of the gospel has come to an end. 27:30 Now I want you to notice what Jesus said 27:33 in harmony with this. 27:34 Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom 27:50 And in Mark 16, the last few verses it says, 27:54 And he said to them, Jesus says to the disciples, 27:57 Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel 28:02 to every creature. 28:04 Go into all the world and preach what? 28:06 And preach the gospel to whom? to the Jews? 28:09 No, preach the gospel to all the world. 28:13 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; 28:16 but he who does not believe will be condemned. 28:20 So what is the purpose of the three angels' messages? 28:23 The purpose of the three angels' messages is to proclaim the 28:26 gospel to gather as many people as possible into God's camp. 28:30 In other words, to gather as many people 28:33 as possible onto God's side. 28:35 That's the purpose of the three angels' messages. 28:37 They go to every nation, because Jesus, through the gospel, 28:40 wants to conquer the world for Himself. 28:43 But do you know something very interesting that we're going 28:45 to study later on in Revelation? 28:46 And that is that the Devil also has three 28:50 counterfeit angels' messages. 28:52 You say, Now how is that? 28:54 Go with me to Revelation 16. 28:57 We're just going to briefly introduce this. 28:59 Revelation 16, and I want to read verse 13 and verse 14, 29:06 16, verse 13 and 14. 29:09 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs... 29:14 Let me ask you, What are unclean spirits? 29:18 What were the unclean spirits that Jesus cast out when He 29:23 was on this earth? demons. 29:25 And what are demons? fallen angels. 29:28 Thank you very much. 29:29 So notice it says here in Revelation 16:13, I saw three 29:35 unclean spirits like frogs coming out of where? the mouth. 29:41 What do you use your mouth for? to speak, right? 29:45 And this is not talking about eating, because we eat 29:49 through our mouth, too. 29:51 But it says here that the three unclean spirits 29:53 come out of the mouth. 29:55 In other words, it means that these three unclean spirits 29:57 are proclaiming a what? a message. That's right. 30:00 Coming out of the mouth of the dragon... 30:03 We're going to study this. 30:04 ...and out of the mouth of the beast, 30:06 and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 30:08 What is the purpose of this trilogy of these three 30:12 counterfeit angels? 30:13 Of these three evil spirits? 30:15 Why are they speaking it out of their mouths? 30:17 They have a purpose, and it's to gather the world 30:20 on the Devil's side. 30:22 Notice verse 14: For they are spirits of demons, 30:25 performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth 30:29 and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of 30:32 that great day of God Almighty. 30:35 So how many groups of three messages do we have? 30:38 We have two groups of three messages. 30:40 We have God's three messages, which are proclaimed 30:44 from the mouth with power, the everlasting gospel. 30:46 The purpose is to gather the whole world on God's side. 30:49 But the Devil also has three counterfeit angels 30:52 that are called demons, and out of their mouths, 30:55 out of the mouths of the dragon, and the beast, 30:57 and the false prophet, these three angels proclaim their 31:00 messages, and their messages also have the intension 31:04 of gathering the whole world on whose side? 31:06 on the Devil's side. 31:08 By the way, do you know the reason why God wants these three 31:12 angels' messages to go to the whole world? 31:15 Simply because the Bible says that Babylon, who is called 31:18 the harlot in Revelation 17, she controls all of the 31:23 peoples in the world. 31:24 You say, How's that? 31:26 Go with me to Revelation 17, Revelation 17:1. 31:32 It says, Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls 31:35 came and talked with me, saying to me, Come, I will show 31:39 you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters. 31:42 Where does the harlot sit? on many waters. 31:45 What does that mean that she sits? 31:47 It means that she rules, she controls, right? 31:50 She sits on many waters. 31:52 Let me ask you, What are those many waters that she sits on? 31:55 Go with me to verse 15, verse 15. It says: 32:11 Are those the same groups that the three angels' 32:13 messages go to? Yes. 32:15 Do the three angels' messages go to every nation, kindred, 32:19 tongue, and people? Absolutely! 32:21 Who does the harlot sit on? every nation, kindred, 32:24 tongue and people. 32:25 So why does God send these three messages? 32:28 He sends these three messages to say to the people upon whom 32:32 the harlot sits, Get out of there before the plagues 32:35 are poured out, and before you are destroyed. 32:38 So the question is, Which three messages are we 32:41 going to listen to? 32:42 Are we going to listen to God's three messages that are from 32:45 heavenly origin; they're the preaching of the everlasting 32:47 gospel, with absolute power and velocity, 32:51 to all of the world to gather people on God's side? 32:54 Or are we going to accept the three messages of these evil 32:58 spirits, who are fallen angels, who have the intention of 33:02 gathering us, not on God's side, but on Satan's side. 33:05 You see, the book of Revelation tells us that there's only 33:07 going to be two sides at the end of time: those who have the seal 33:11 of God, and those who have the mark of the beast. 33:17 So Fact 5. is that these messages are worldwide 33:21 to counteract the worldwide message of these three 33:24 counterfeit angels' messages that come out of the mouth 33:28 of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 33:30 Now let's go to Fact 6. These messages are supposed to be 33:37 proclaimed in their proper order. 33:39 You say, what do you mean by their proper order? 33:43 You know, if you try to proclaim the third angel's message 33:46 without proclaiming the first and the second before, 33:48 people will not be able to make sense out of it. 33:53 In other words, the messages must be 33:55 proclaimed in their order. 33:57 The first message we need to proclaim and understand first. 34:01 Then we'll be ready to understand the second. 34:05 And after we understand the second we will be ready 34:08 to understand the third. 34:09 Now you say, How do we know that they are sequential, 34:12 and that we need to study them in their order? 34:14 Notice Revelation 14:6, 14:6. 34:19 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven. 34:22 Okay, so you have an angel that flies in the midst of heaven. 34:24 Now notice verse 8. 34:28 What's the next word? 34:29 Another angel what? followed. 34:32 Is there an order here? most certainly! 34:35 And then notice verse 9. 34:37 Then a third angel followed them. 34:40 Is there an order to the three angels' message? Most certainly! 34:46 And if we get the order wrong people will never listen. 34:49 You say, What do you mean? Let me explain. 34:53 The reason why Babylon falls in the second angel's message 34:58 is because Babylon rejected the first angel's message. 35:05 Are you with me? When you go to Revelation 18 God says, 35:10 Babylon is fallen, come out of her My people. 35:12 So people say, Why should I come out? 35:15 You say, Yeah, come out of her My people. 35:18 Why should I come out? 35:19 Do you know the reason why? 35:21 Because Babylon has rejected the first angel's message. 35:24 So before people are ready to come out of Babylon 35:27 and join God's forces, they need to understand the reason why. 35:31 And the first angel's message gives you the reason why. 35:34 The first angel, you see, has three imperatives. 35:37 It has three commands. 35:38 The first angel's message says, Fear God. 35:42 By the way, that's not just counsel, that's not just, 35:47 I hope you'll do it. 35:48 It is an imperative in the Greek language. 35:51 It says, Fear God, give glory to Him, because the hour of His 35:58 judgment has come, and worship Him who created the heavens, 36:02 the earth, and the fountains of waters. 36:04 The reason why Babylon falls is because she's not fearing God. 36:09 So we need to understand what it means to fear God. 36:11 The reasons why Babylon has fallen is because she's not 36:15 giving glory to God. 36:17 She's giving glory to herself. 36:18 The reason why Babylon has fallen is because she refuses 36:23 to believe that the hour of God's judgment has come. 36:26 The reason why Babylon has fallen is because Babylon 36:30 does not worship the Creator of the heavens, the earth, 36:33 the seas, and everything that is in them. 36:36 In other words, for people to be willing to come out of 36:40 Babylon, the second angel's message, 36:42 in order for people to understand that Babylon is 36:45 fallen, they need to understand why Babylon is fallen. 36:48 Babylon is fallen because she refused 36:52 the first angel's message. 36:53 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 36:55 And let me share this with you: If we do not proclaim 36:58 the first angel's message, people will feel no incentive 37:02 to come out of Babylon in the second angel's message. 37:05 And they will feel no urgency to receive the final warning 37:10 in the third angel's message. 37:11 Because the third angel's message says, Woe if you worship 37:15 the beast, or if you worship his image, or if you receive his 37:19 number, or if you receive his mark. 37:22 Because you will receive the wrath of God 37:24 poured out without mixture. 37:26 Let me ask you, Are people going to want to listen to that 37:31 warning and not worship the beast, or his image, 37:34 or receive the mark, or receive the number of his name 37:37 if they don't understand the first angel's message? 37:40 Absolutely not! You see, we have a sequence. 37:43 The first angel's message tells us the positive message of God. 37:47 The second message says, Get out of Babylon, because Babylon has 37:51 rejected the first angel's message. 37:53 And then the third angel's message says, If you don't 37:56 get out you'll end up worshipping 38:00 the beast and his image. 38:01 You'll end up receiving the mark, 38:03 and you'll receive the plagues. 38:05 So basically in the first angel's message 38:07 you have a command of God. 38:09 In the second message you have a call to come out from where 38:13 that command is not being obeyed. 38:15 And in the third message God says, If you don't come out 38:19 the plagues, and the wrath of God will fall upon you. 38:22 So these three messages must be proclaimed 38:25 in their proper order. 38:28 Let's go to Fact 7. 38:31 These messages are God's final... 38:41 These are God's last message. 38:44 There will be no further message besides these three. 38:46 And you say, Well, Pastor Bohr, how do you know that? 38:49 For the simple reason that as soon as the third message is 38:53 finished: you have message 1, 2, and 3. 38:56 As soon as 3 is proclaimed, notice what we find 39:01 in chapter 14, and verse 14, Revelation 14:14. 39:26 What event is being described in that verse? 39:30 The coming of Christ. 39:33 When does the coming of Christ take place in the 39:36 sequence of Revelation 14? 39:38 It comes immediately after the third angel's message is 39:42 proclaimed, which means that these three messages are 39:45 God's final message to the world, 39:47 and then the end will come. 39:50 Are you understanding my point? 39:52 So you have the three messages and then Jesus is seen sitting 39:56 on a cloud, with a sickle in His hand, and He's going to come 39:59 to harvest the earth. 40:01 He's going to come to gather His people, and He's going to come 40:03 to destroy the wicked. 40:05 You can continue reading it there in Revelation 14. 40:07 So let me ask you, How urgent is it for us to understand 40:11 these three angels' messages in these last days? 40:13 It's a matter of life and death, because it's the last message. 40:17 There will be no other message that God will give 40:21 to the world after this one. 40:23 Now let's go to Fact 8. 40:26 The proclamation of these three messages will be accompanied 40:31 by the power of the latter rain. 40:33 Do you understand what I mean by the latter rain? 40:39 You know, in Biblical areas you have the early rain, 40:45 and you have the latter rain. 40:47 The early rain is that rain that falls in the spring, 40:51 that causes the seed to germinate 40:54 and to begin its growth. 40:56 And then the rain continues falling throughout the season. 41:00 And then eventually you have the latter rain. 41:02 And the purpose of the latter rain is to ripen that which has 41:06 been growing through the influence of the early rain. 41:09 Now let me ask you, When was the early rain poured out 41:11 according to Scripture? 41:13 It was poured out when God poured out the Holy Spirit 41:16 on the day of Pentecost. 41:18 Isn't that correct? 41:19 The Holy Spirit was poured out with power. 41:21 Let me ask you, Did the disciples go out and preach the 41:23 gospel with power? 41:25 Were thousands upon thousands gathered on God's side? 41:27 Did multitudes come from the side of the Devil 41:30 to the side of God? Absolutely! 41:32 But the Bible teaches that at the end of time God is going 41:36 to have a people that will proclaim the three angels' 41:40 messages under the power of the latter rain, 41:43 with the purpose of maturing the human race, 41:46 and preparing the human race for the harvest. 41:49 For the harvest on God's side, which is the righteous, 41:53 and for the harvest of the wicked, which are called the 41:56 grapes in Revelation 14, on the Devil's side. 41:59 You say, How do we know that these messages are accompanied 42:02 by the latter rain? 42:03 Well, let's go back to Revelation 14, and you're going 42:07 to see that God is going to pour out the Holy Spirit with great 42:09 power upon the world. 42:11 And do you know what's going to happen when He pours 42:14 out His Holy Spirit? 42:15 God's people will proclaim the message 42:16 just like the disciples did. 42:18 And thousands upon thousands will come over to the Lord's 42:21 side in preparation for the second coming of Jesus. 42:25 And the whole world will be polarized into two groups, 42:28 as a result of the power, and the message that 42:32 goes along with the power. 42:34 You say, How do we know that? 42:35 Well, notice Revelation 14 and let's read verse 14. 42:39 Immediately after the third angel's message it says: 42:44 Then I looked, and behold a white cloud, and on the cloud 42:46 sat one like the Son of man, having on his head a golden 42:49 crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 42:51 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud 42:55 voice to him that sat on the cloud,... 42:57 Now notice this:... Thrust in your sickle, and reap: 43:02 for the time has come for you to reap; for the harvest 43:06 of the earth is ripe. 43:09 Let me ask you, in Biblical times what was it that 43:12 ripened the harvest? 43:13 What ripened the harvest was the latter rain. 43:17 The early rain began the germination process. 43:20 You know, like in Fresno you have the rain in the spring? 43:23 Right? And that germinates the seed, and leaves it to grow. 43:26 So you have the harvest later on. 43:28 Well, the same thing you have in Biblical times. 43:31 By the way, the climate in Fresno is very similar 43:34 to the climate in Israel. 43:35 We're in the sub-tropical zone just like they are. 43:37 That's why a lot of our products are the same products 43:40 that you have in Israel. 43:42 Because the weather patterns are very, very similar. 43:45 And so you have the early rain, and you have the latter rain. 43:48 The purpose of the latter rain is with the 43:50 three angels' messages. 43:52 The power of the Holy Spirit is poured out upon His people. 43:55 And as a result the whole earth is ripened either as the harvest 43:59 of the earth, which is the righteous, or the grapes of 44:02 the earth, which is the wicked. 44:04 What this means is that the three angels' messages are going 44:07 to ripen the world in two different ways. 44:09 The people who reject these three angels' messages 44:13 will be the grapes. 44:15 They'll be fully ripened against these messages. 44:18 Whereas on the other side you have those who receive these 44:22 messages with the power of the Holy Spirit, and they will be 44:25 also ripened, but they will be ripened on God's side. 44:28 And when all of the world has made its decision to be on one 44:31 side or the other, because the messages have been proclaimed 44:34 with the power of the Holy Spirit, 44:35 then probation will close, and then Jesus will come. 44:42 Fact 9. And this is a very important fact. 44:51 The three angels' messages are linked with what? 44:57 with the most holy place of the heavenly Sanctuary. 45:01 You say, Now what's this issue of the heavenly Sanctuary? 45:03 Let me just say that God has a Sanctuary in heaven, 45:06 which is the great original. 45:07 The one that He told Moses to build in the wilderness was only 45:11 a copy of, it was actually a copy of a, how would you say? 45:16 a small scale model of the real Sanctuary 45:20 that we find in heaven. 45:21 And in the Sanctuary you had three apartments. 45:24 You had the court, where the sacrifices were offered. 45:26 You had the holy place where the priest entered to intercede 45:31 for the sins of Israel. 45:32 And you had the most holy place where the ark of the 45:35 covenant was found. 45:36 And inside the ark of the covenant was God's holy law. 45:39 Now you say, Pastor, how do you know that the three angels' 45:43 messages need to be connected, or linked with the most holy 45:46 place of the Sanctuary? 45:48 Let me give you some indications why. 45:49 Day after tomorrow, in our third lecture in this series, 45:54 we're going to study what it means to fear God. 45:59 In Scripture very, very frequently when you find that 46:04 expression, fear God, it is linked with keeping 46:07 the commandments of God. 46:09 Just to give you one example, in Ecclesiastes 12:13 it says: 46:15 Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the 46:19 whole duty of man. 46:21 For God will bring every work into what? judgment. 46:25 Notice how similar to Revelation 14 where it says, Fear God, 46:28 and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment has come. 46:31 Ecclesiastes says, Fear God, and keep his commandments. 46:35 For God will bring every work into what? into judgment. 46:38 Fearing God is coupled with keeping God's commandments. 46:41 Now let me ask you, In which apartment of the Sanctuary 46:45 were the ten commandments contained? 46:47 They were contained in the most holy place. 46:51 Furthermore, the first angel's message calls people to 46:56 worship the Creator. 46:58 Let me ask you, What sign did God give of 47:02 worship to the Creator? 47:04 You go back to Genesis 2. 47:06 It says that at the end of creation week, 47:08 God rested on which day? 47:11 God rested on the seventh day. 47:14 And then He commanded Adam and Eve to rest every seventh day 47:18 in commemoration of the work of creation. 47:21 Now let me ask you, Where is the Sabbath found in the Sanctuary? 47:27 It is found in the tables of the law, 47:30 and the tables of the law were where? 47:33 They were in the most holy place of the Sanctuary. 47:37 By the way, the three angels' messages end by speaking 47:42 about a people who keep the commandments of God. 47:46 So the commandments are involved, but the commandments 47:48 are in the most holy place. 47:50 The first angel's message says, Worship the Creator. 47:53 The sign of the Creator is the Sabbath. 47:54 The Sabbath was in the law. 47:56 And the law is in the most holy place of the Sanctuary. 48:00 But there's more! The first angel's message also tells us 48:05 that the hour of God's judgment has come. 48:07 Let me ask you, In which apartment of the Sanctuary 48:11 in the Old Testament do you have an illustration of the judgment? 48:14 Once a year on the great Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, 48:22 the great judgment day of Israel, 48:25 those who were faithful to God, and those who were unfaithful 48:30 to God were separated one from another in the judgment 48:34 when the law of God came into view. 48:36 And in what apartment did the Day of Atonement 48:40 take place primarily? 48:42 It took place in the most holy place. 48:45 That's where the blood was sprinkled, was on the mercy 48:48 seat, in the most holy place, to satisfy the demands of the law. 48:52 So when the first angel's message says the hour of His 48:56 judgment has come, immediately we say, If this is the judgment, 49:00 it must involve the law, because we will be judged by the perfect 49:04 law of liberty, and the law was in which apartment? 49:08 In the most holy place of the heavenly Sanctuary. 49:11 But there's more. Do you know that this passage that we're 49:17 studying actually begins in Revelation 11:19? 49:22 Do you know what Revelation 11: 19 says? 49:26 Where this whole passage of the three 49:27 angels' messages begins? 49:29 It begins by saying that John saw heaven opened, 49:32 and the temple of God in heaven was opened. 49:34 And what was seen in His temple? the ark of His covenant. 49:39 Let me ask you, Where was the ark of the 49:42 covenant in the Sanctuary? 49:43 The ark of His covenant was in the most holy place. 49:46 So this whole passage that has the three angels' messages, 49:50 in the heart of the book of Revelation, begins with the 49:53 opening of the most holy place where the 49:56 ark of the covenant is. 49:57 And then, of course, you have the dragon introduced 50:00 in chapter 12. You have the beast introduced 50:03 in Revelation 13:1-10. 50:05 And then you have the second beast, the image to the beast, 50:09 introduced into the latter half of Revelation 13. 50:12 And then in chapter 14 you have the hour of His judgment. 50:16 And interestingly enough, when you get to Revelation 15, 50:20 the first part of the chapter says that the temple of God 50:24 in heaven is now closed. 50:27 And no one can enter the temple until the seven last plagues 50:31 have been poured out, because probation has closed. 50:34 Isn't that interesting that you have this passage? 50:37 Revelation 11:19, The most holy place is opened. 50:41 The ark of His covenant is seen. 50:43 And then you have an introduction to the dragon, 50:46 the beast, and the false prophet, which we're going to 50:48 study in connection with the three angels' messages. 50:51 And then God warns against the beast, and his image, 50:53 and his mark in the three angels' messages. 50:55 And after that warning we find that the temple in heaven 50:59 closes; the most holy place closes. 51:02 No one is able to enter the temple anymore, 51:05 because probation has closed. 51:08 Fact 10. The acceptance or rejection... 51:21 It's not optional. 51:23 You can't say, Oh, you know, if you accept them fine, 51:26 and if you don't accept them that's fine. 51:27 You know, ultimately everybody is going to the same place. 51:32 My Bible tells me that those who listen to these three angels' 51:37 messages will receive the seal of God. 51:38 And those who reject these messages will receive 51:43 the mark of the beast. 51:44 And one group will be saved in God's kingdom. 51:47 The other group will receive the wrath of God. 51:51 So let me ask you, Are these messages a matter of 51:54 life and death? They most certainly are! 51:56 Now, when I was in school I used to like bonuses. 52:01 Say, teacher, could you please give us a bonus question? 52:04 So I'm going to give you two bonus facts 52:06 to end our study today. 52:09 Praise the Lord that there will be a people, 52:14 because the question is, is God going to have a people 52:17 in the world who will accept these messages 52:19 and eventually be saved? 52:21 There's good news. 52:22 God will have a people who will listen to these messages. 52:27 They will accept them, they will proclaim them to the world, 52:30 and they will be faithful till the end, and they will be saved. 52:33 Notice Revelation 15, Revelation 15:2-4, Revelation 15:2-4. 52:40 Notice here you have a group that's victorious over what the 52:45 three angels' message mentions: the beast, his image, 52:47 his number, his mark. 52:48 There's a group that's going to be victorious, because they 52:51 receive the three angels' messages. 52:52 It says in verse 2: 52:59 Ha ha ha, I love that! 53:11 Is there going to be a group that's going to reject the beast 53:14 and his image, and his mark, and his number? 53:16 You'd better believe it! 53:17 And they're going to be victorious. Verse 3: 53:31 So there will be a group that will listen to these messages 53:35 and that will ultimately be saved in Christ's kingdom. 53:39 They will stand on the sea of glass, and they will sing 53:42 the song of Moses and the Lamb. 53:44 They will not worship the beast. 53:47 Let me ask you something. 53:48 Do you think it's important to know who the beast is? 53:51 How are you going to not worship the beast 53:54 if you don't know who he is? 53:55 Is it important to know what the mark of the beast is? 54:00 Of course! If you don't know what the mark of the beast is, 54:03 how can you be sure that you won't receive it? 54:05 Is it important to know what the image to the beast is? 54:09 Of course! If you don't know what the image is, 54:11 you might end up worshipping it. 54:13 Some people say, Oh no, when the temple is rebuilt over in the 54:16 Middle East, and the anti-Christ, 54:20 this nasty individual sits in the temple, and he raises up 54:22 this great big statute. 54:24 I'll say, Oh, that's the image to the beast! 54:25 I'm not worshipping that. 54:27 Do you think the Devil is dumb? 54:29 Do you think it's going to be that obvious? 54:31 Do you think that it's talking about a literal image, 54:34 and a literal individual that's going to sit in a rebuilt 54:38 Jerusalem temple? Not according to what we're going to study 54:41 from the three angels' messages in Scripture. 54:43 Bonus Fact 2. And this will be Fact 12. Listen to this: 55:05 You say, How do we know that? 55:07 Notice Revelation 14:6, 7 once again, 55:10 as we draw this to a close. 14:6, 7. 55:37 Why do you suppose the first angel's message calls the world 55:40 to worship the Creator? 55:44 Let's go to the third angel's message, which is the opposite. 55:48 It says in verse 9: Then a third angel followed them, 55:53 saying with a loud voice, If any man worships the beast and his 55:57 image, and receives his mark on his forehead, or on his hand, 56:00 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God. 56:05 Let me ask you, How many systems are there that will 56:08 demand worship at the end of time? two: 56:10 the Creator, and the beast. 56:14 So let me ask you, In some sense, will the beast be a 56:19 counterfeit creator? 56:20 Let me ask you, Why do we worship God? 56:25 Because He's our Creator and we are what? creatures. 56:29 What sign has He given us that He is the Creator, 56:34 and we are creatures? the Sabbath. 56:37 So when we worship on the Sabbath we're recognizing 56:41 and worshipping whom? the Creator. 56:44 Is it just possible that the beast claims 56:49 to have creative power? 56:51 And he also has a sign; a sign of his authority? 56:57 That when we keep his sign we are recognizing him, 57:03 and we are worshipping him. 57:06 Don't you think that people are just going to kneel down 57:08 and start worshipping an individual? No! 57:11 Worship is a far deeper and greater issue. 57:14 It involves a Creator and a counterfeit creator. 57:17 It involves one sign versus another sign. 57:20 So I trust that we'll continue coming, because we have great 57:23 things that we're going to study in this seminar. |
Revised 2023-04-20