Participants: Pastor John Lomacang
Series Code: TWH
Program Code: TWH000036A
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00:32 I mentioned earlier
00:34 that this message is not for the faint of heart 00:40 I have been preaching... 00:43 I remember getting an e-mail one day, 00:44 somebody said, "Well, Pastor John, 00:47 don't preach about Jesus." 00:50 Well, you can be here or not, 00:52 you couldn't be here and say that, 00:54 because somebody said, 00:55 "Man, you preach so much about Jesus, 00:58 can you give us some prophecy every now and then?" 01:01 Okay, today is your day. 01:04 You asked for it, as we say in New York, 01:08 you're gonna get it. 01:10 But I'm praying that it will be done in a way 01:12 that will honor God 01:14 because sometimes the message can be so bright, 01:18 I don't want it to burn anybody, 01:20 I want it to shine. 01:22 So I'm gonna ask you this morning... 01:25 Just before I read the scripture, 01:26 just before you read it with me, 01:28 I'm gonna ask for the Lord to guide our minds and hearts, 01:31 so that we could receive it the right way 01:33 and that I could communicate it the right way. 01:37 The message is entitled, "Distractions." 01:38 Let us read the scripture together 01:40 on the screen and I'd like you to read that 01:42 with some oomph 01:43 as we begin our message this morning. 01:47 Together, "Now learn the parable from the fig tree 01:52 when its branch has already become tender 01:56 and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 02:01 So you also, when you see all these things, 02:07 know that it is near at the doors!" 02:12 Let us pray. 02:14 Loving Father in heaven, 02:17 I just want to be Your servant today. 02:19 Use my mind and my heart to speak in a way 02:24 that will glorify Jesus, 02:28 will awaken the slumbering, 02:32 will grab the unaware, 02:35 and will refocus the distracted. 02:40 In Jesus name I pray, amen. 02:45 When I read that scripture, the words of Jesus 02:47 ring with urgency 02:51 to a world that is distracted. 02:55 If you have just taken the pulse of this generation, 02:58 this generation has lost the ability to stay focused. 03:03 Everything around us is grabbing and pulling 03:06 for our attention. 03:09 Social pressures, family ties, and worldly pursuits 03:16 have absorbed the senses of our society to the point 03:22 that the eternal things have almost become unimportant. 03:28 But I think the Lord, 03:31 that even though the unimportant 03:32 and the fascinating heaven 03:33 gross the minds of the mindless. 03:35 I thank the Lord, that the words of prophecy 03:40 still have a voice. 03:44 That the words that Jesus have spoken Himself, 03:48 that the words, that the Holy Spirit 03:52 have inspired the prophets to pen, 03:55 are being fulfilled in our day, letting us know 03:58 that He that shall come, will come and will not tarry. 04:05 But there's someone else that knows 04:06 that the coming of the Lord is even at the door, 04:09 and that is the enemy. 04:11 And the enemy have souls, has devised a strategy 04:14 by which the world has become charmed, 04:18 spellbound, mesmerized, and riveted to the irrelevant. 04:23 Things that really don't matter for eternity 04:26 are getting more of our energies 04:28 than God ever intended for them to receive 04:33 and the simple things are losing their simplicity. 04:38 As I was preparing for the message, 04:41 I said to myself, "I am going to go to bed early. 04:45 I am going to go to bed early. I went to bed at 3:02. 04:50 I went to bed early." 04:52 But I don't feel like I went to bed at 3:00, 04:54 I feel like I had a 12-hour rest, 04:59 because to revisit the words of prophecy 05:01 are exhilarating and awakening and exciting. 05:07 But if you think about the simplicities of life 05:09 and I was looking through in my computer. 05:11 Thank God for the day and age of multitasking. 05:14 You can open as many windows 05:16 as your operating system can allow. 05:19 I was amazed to see that the simple things of life 05:21 are no longer simple and are also no longer safe. 05:25 Take walking, the healthiest exercise. 05:28 Through distractions, walking has become 05:32 the ever increasing means by which 05:35 pedestrians are losing their lives by the thousands. 05:40 Why? Because of distractions. 05:43 Take for example NPR News, March 30th, 2017, 05:48 and they reported: A report released today, 05:50 according to that date, 05:52 by the Governor's Highway Safety Association shows 05:56 that the number of pedestrians killed in traffic 05:59 jumped 11% last year to nearly 6,000. 06:05 That's the biggest single year increase 06:07 in pedestrian fatalities ever and the highest number 06:12 in more than two decades or more than 20 years. 06:16 I began to find out the specifics 06:18 and they point out that more than a million people, 06:22 more than how many? 06:24 More than a million people 06:27 were involved in fatal incidences 06:31 by driving while texting. 06:37 More than a million, this is not in 10 years, 06:39 this is in a year. 06:42 And they've taken the statistics. 06:43 It's an alarming thing. And you almost don't hear it. 06:45 It is almost like the phone companies say, 06:47 "Please do not put that on the news." 06:52 And then 1.6 million 06:56 have been involved in near fatal accidents 06:59 that have admittedly say, said that, 07:02 while they were driving they were trying to text 07:04 or respond to some kind of notification. 07:07 One writer said, "All you've got to do 07:09 to be able to get something accomplished 07:12 is turn the notifications on your phone off." 07:17 Anybody know what I'm talking about? 07:19 You know that ting, ting... 07:23 All these sounds that we connect, 07:24 we have a Facebook sound and an Instagram sound, 07:27 and an e-mail sound, 07:29 you know what I'm talking about? 07:30 And there's some people that... 07:31 "Hold on, hold on, wait." 07:35 And Simon Sinek even points out, 07:38 as he looks at the alluring challenges of the, 07:42 of the multimedia, he says, 07:44 "That when you sit in a meeting, 07:47 when you are waiting in the waiting room, 07:49 do something different for a change. 07:51 Put down your phone and ask the person next to you, 07:55 how are you doing?" 08:01 He said even when he goes to dinner now, 08:03 if they go in a group of four, 08:04 three of them leave their phones at home. 08:06 So they can actually have a civilized meeting. 08:09 He even suggested that when you're having a meeting, 08:11 don't even put your phone on the table, 08:13 because it suggest to some subliminal level 08:16 that you are kind of listening to the person 08:19 that's talking to you, waiting for any interruption 08:22 that could come at any moment now. 08:26 Distracted. Distracted. 08:30 Health Day, October 1, 2017, under the title: 08:34 "Most U.S. Drivers Engage in distracting Behavior," 08:37 the poll was taken. 08:39 It says, "Despite these statistics, 08:40 more than 37% of the drivers have admitted 08:43 to sending or receiving text messages while driving 08:46 and 18% admit doing it regularly." 08:51 That's what we do, that's what we do. 08:57 If you only know how far you go in three seconds 09:00 when you're traveling 60 miles an hour, 09:02 and the question is, 09:03 who drives 60 miles an hour? 09:07 Okay, don't raise your hand. But that's... 09:11 You can go a long way in three seconds. 09:16 A deer can come out, 09:18 a pedestrian can walk in your path. 09:21 And I chose to exercise some discretion this morning 09:24 because there's some really funny videos 09:26 on Youtube about people that... 09:29 There's a lady walking in the mall, 09:30 she works in this mall every day, 09:32 that's the mall she works in. 09:35 And she's walking and she said in the news broadcast, 09:37 she actually was interviewed 09:39 after this accident, went viral. 09:42 She was interviewed and she said, 09:43 "When I got to work the next day, 09:45 all my co-workers were laughing at me 09:47 and I was embarrassed to the point of tears." 09:50 And they said, "What happened?" 09:51 She said, "Well, one of my church members 09:55 texted me while I was on my way to lunch 09:58 and I just decided to respond to the text 10:00 and ended up in the mall's water fountain." 10:04 She said, "The next thing I knew 10:06 I had pennies and quarters all over my face." 10:10 I thought I exercised discretion 10:12 not to show the video. 10:13 I didn't want to embarrass her further. 10:15 But there's another video of a lady, 10:17 just all she did was answer her phone. 10:19 And if you're in New York City, 10:21 you know, many of the stores in New York City, 10:22 the way the city is designed, 10:24 they have these things called chutes 10:25 that are ground level and they open them 10:28 and they are subterranean or they're below the ground, 10:31 if that's the word they use, 10:33 and people often get their store deliveries 10:36 as they take the goods down and below the store, 10:39 but they have to open these gates like this 10:41 and they're open like a, 10:42 you know, a door that's on the ground. 10:44 I show a picture of a lady just on a phone 10:46 and before, you know, she tumbled over 10:48 and ended up in the basement of the store. 10:51 It's funny. 10:53 But it's not funny when you see a person 10:55 fall on the tracks of an oncoming train 11:00 or you hear about a 13-year-old 11:02 that chose to consciously jump down 11:04 and get her phone and after losing her life, 11:07 her peers of equal age said, 11:10 "They would have done the same thing." 11:13 That's why I decided that a distraction occurs 11:16 when our affections and our intellect 11:19 are focused on objects and issues 11:21 of lesser value than our lives. 11:24 That's a distraction. 11:27 But the point of the transition is this. 11:31 If those are the impacts and the statistics of a world 11:34 being distracted by devices, 11:36 imagine the impact on a spiritual level 11:40 of the church being distracted by worldly devices. 11:46 Imagine the Christian that is not aware 11:49 or even tuned in to the urgency of the hour, 11:53 distracted by whatever may become 11:56 the focal fantasy of that very moment. 11:59 Ours is the culture of preoccupation, 12:02 preoccupied with insignificant issues. 12:05 We live in a society that has been sidetracked, 12:08 sidetracked by social disputes. 12:11 All you got to do is listen to the news 12:12 and people talk more about politics sometimes. 12:16 Ours is a civilization that has been diverted, 12:18 diverted by politically bigoted rhetoric. 12:22 We take sides so often, would to God that good news 12:26 traveled as fast as bad news. 12:31 Really, think about it. 12:33 Even the threads we have on our phone are often there 12:36 because we're trying to communicate something urgent 12:40 and we see the conditions of our world. 12:42 And Isaiah, the prophet, outlines with clear accuracy, 12:46 the condition of the world just before Jesus comes. 12:49 He says in Isaiah 60:2. 12:52 The Bible says, "For behold," the what? 12:55 "The darkness shall cover the earth." 12:57 And what else? "Gross darkness the people." 13:01 That's the condition of our world today. 13:03 Not only darkness in the sense of morality, 13:06 and every other avenue that has become 13:09 the pursuit of happiness. 13:11 But darkness is covering the earth, 13:13 and the people, how are they being affected? 13:15 Gross darkness. 13:18 The Bible also talks about the condition of the church. 13:21 Unfortunately Jesus describes it. 13:24 To His society, but it's also true today. 13:26 He speaks about the willingness on the part of the person 13:29 to whom He's speaking directly to ignore His words of urgency. 13:33 For He says, "For the hearts of this people have grown," 13:35 what? 13:37 "Have grown dull. 13:38 Their ears, their ears are hard of hearing 13:42 and their eyes, they have closed, 13:46 lest they should see with their eyes 13:48 and hear with their ears, 13:51 lest they should understand with their hearts 13:54 and turn so that I should heal them." 13:58 Our nation needs healing. Can you say amen? 14:02 But you cannot be healed 14:04 if you ignore the words of Christ. 14:05 It's just not possible to be healed 14:07 by ignoring the only one that can bring healing. 14:11 We're trying to find healing in drugs 14:13 and in pharmaceuticals and in entertainment 14:15 and in some kind of external stimuli 14:18 which really does not ever bring satisfaction, 14:21 when the vacancies of our lives are filled with everything 14:24 but that which is spiritual. 14:27 And he says to the church, "They've closed their eyes." 14:29 And when you look at Christendom today, 14:31 you see in so many circles of Christendom, 14:33 regardless of the denomination and I must say, 14:36 I say this ashamedly, but even amongst us, 14:39 even our own denomination struggling over issues. 14:43 Lord, give me peace this morning 14:45 that don't impact the relevance of reaching out 14:52 to lead a soul to know who Jesus is 14:55 before the end of the world. 15:00 That's why I'm so glad to be a part of a ministry 15:01 that understands that, that there's a soul, 15:04 every waking day, every waking moment 15:06 to get a message out so somebody could find Jesus. 15:10 And even in the day of Christ, 15:11 he said to the religious leaders, 15:13 he said these words. 15:14 Matthew 16:3, he says, 15:17 "You know how to discern the face of the sky, 15:19 but you cannot..." 15:21 What's that word? 15:22 "You cannot discern the signs of the times." 15:31 I want to be a balanced individual, 15:35 a balanced Christian, a balanced preacher. 15:41 And when I was prodded by the events of this week... 15:47 J, I put on my prophesy belt, 15:52 my prophecy parachute 15:54 and I said, "Lord, push me out of the plane, 15:56 let me float to the ground on the, 15:59 on the veracity and the reliance 16:05 of Bible prophecy." 16:08 Bible prophecy, the signs of the times, 16:13 rapidly fulfilling, materializing before our eyes. 16:16 Bible prophecy is God's mile markers along the way 16:21 in our Christian journey. 16:22 And let me tell you based on the mile markers of prophecy, 16:26 the end is nearer than when we first believe. 16:32 Take, for example, the kingdoms, 16:35 the four major kingdoms of the world. 16:37 There are only four. 16:40 The Head of Gold, the kingdom of Babylon, 16:43 represented in Daniel 7 by the lion with eagle's wings 16:48 rapid, powerful, wealthy kingdom of Babylon. 16:53 It fell, as the Bible said, "it would fall, it fell." 16:57 To be followed by the Persian Empire 17:02 and then the Medo-Persian Empire 17:04 identified as the chest and arms of silver, 17:07 also the bear with three ribs in its mouth 17:10 indicating the three nations that were brought down 17:13 to materialize the reign of the Medo-Persian Empire. 17:16 But almost in the cadence of the heartbeat of God, 17:19 the Medo-Persian Empire falls to the ruthless Empire 17:22 of the Grecian army 17:24 under the leadership of Alexander the Great. 17:27 A young man that had a military prowess 17:30 that was unmatched up until his day, 17:32 but he could not control his alcoholism 17:34 which took his life in his thirties. 17:38 But there was no nation 17:39 that would mention the name Alexander 17:41 without being filled with fear. 17:43 He was able to bring down armies of thousands 17:46 with only three hundred men. 17:49 He had that ability. 17:53 But he has the transitioning point. 17:55 He was the kingdom that fell because after he died, 17:58 it was broken into four heads, a leopard with four heads 18:01 and four wings and you know very well, 18:03 you can't have four presidents and make a company successful. 18:08 They eventually imploded on themselves, 18:11 four heads and four wings. 18:16 But now we come to the most significant aspect 18:19 of the cadence of prophecy Rome, 18:21 the legs of iron. 18:24 Rome, the value decrease, but the strength increase. 18:28 The metals are getting stronger but they're losing their value, 18:31 gold, silver, bronze, but then iron legs. 18:36 And not only iron legs, what the Bible in essence 18:38 is saying to us by these images. 18:40 It is also described, 18:41 we called it the nondescript beast, 18:43 the beast with iron teeth. 18:46 Now I know what a lion looks like. 18:48 You know what a bear looks like. 18:49 We know what a leopard looks like, 18:50 but have you seen a beast 18:52 that's nondescript with iron teeth? 18:53 Thank God there are no beasts 18:55 that literally exist with iron teeth. 18:59 But the reason why the prophet uses that description 19:02 is because he's speaking about, 19:04 this beast has no earthly origin, 19:06 its origin is satanic. 19:09 And as you know the entire New Testament was written, 19:12 was written under the reign of the Roman Empire 19:14 from the very birth of Jesus, 19:17 when there was an attempt to take his life, 19:19 up until the faithful carrying out of the penning of prophecy 19:24 from that Island Prison called Patmos 19:29 where John penned the words that still brings courage 19:33 to the faithful today. 19:35 But don't miss the message. 19:38 From the rise of the Roman Empire 19:39 till the coming of Jesus, 19:40 Rome as a political and religious power 19:45 will have its feet in everything pertaining 19:48 to their fears of men until the coming of Jesus. 19:55 Regardless of the continent, Rome as a religious 20:00 and a political power, as, you know, 20:01 the rise began as pagan, 20:04 but later took on a new diversity 20:06 and the Bible tells us exactly what happened 20:08 and how this power would rise 20:10 and what influence it would have. 20:12 Daniel 2:40 the Bible says, "And the fourth kingdom 20:15 shall be as strong as iron, in as much 20:20 as iron breaks in pieces 20:23 and shatters everything... 20:28 and like iron that crushes, 20:30 that kingdom will break in pieces 20:33 and crush all the others." 20:37 And there is no kingdom that has been able to withstand 20:40 the ruthlessness, the prowess, the vindictiveness, 20:44 the laser-like concentration 20:47 of this satanically motivated power 20:49 through the auspices of the Roman Empire. 20:56 And need I say today that there is no place on earth 21:00 where the power of Rome is still not influential 21:02 through the pontiff of Rome, through the Pope of Rome. 21:05 The only religious individual that has influenced 21:10 both in politics and in religion, 21:13 and every earthly monarch, 21:15 king, government, or president, honors 21:19 and pays homage to the "Holy See." 21:23 Mistakable? Coincidental? 21:25 Absolutely not. 21:26 Prophesied by the hand of God. 21:31 But there was one problem. 21:33 There was one problem, God raised up another power. 21:38 That power that God raised up... 21:40 I'm gonna use the word here, 21:41 would postpone Rome's domination of the world. 21:45 Now the Bible said that, 21:46 "Rome will break in pieces and crush everything." 21:49 Amen? 21:50 But the Lord raised up another nation, 21:54 this United States of America that would postpone 21:59 as long as it could, as long as God intended, 22:03 the United States would postpone 22:05 Rome's domination of the world. 22:08 Postponed. 22:10 What I like about Bible prophecy 22:12 is everything moves according to God's timetable. 22:15 You can be smart but you cannot push 22:17 God's timetable other than God allows it to unfold. 22:25 He shows the end from the beginning 22:26 and from ancient times things that are not yet done 22:30 saying, "I will do all my pleasures." 22:32 So while men are scurrying to end the world or to, 22:35 or to annihilate the world through nuclear means, 22:37 God says, "Hold on. Not so fast." 22:42 Because it's happening according to God's timetable. 22:45 God raised up another nation. 22:48 God raised up another nation, 22:49 this little nation that invited, 22:51 that welcomed the pilgrims that sought freedom 22:54 from the tyranny of Rome in Europe. 22:57 On the heels of the 1,260 years 22:59 of religious tyranny and persecution, 23:01 the loss of life, the abandonment of property, 23:04 the division of homes, 23:06 the killing of countless thousands, millions 23:10 that still today echo through the, 23:12 through the halls of, of the unbelievable, 23:16 through books like Foxe's Book of Martyrs. 23:18 When you look at the ruthlessness 23:20 of the Roman Empire during the Dark Ages, 23:22 nothing could withstand her advancement. 23:24 So God said, "To protect my church." 23:27 The Bible says, "The earth opened its mouth 23:29 and helped the woman, and the woman fled 23:31 into the wilderness, a little lamb like nation." 23:33 And the Bible tells in Revelation, 23:35 how God did it. 23:37 He raised up this country to postpone 23:42 Rome's complete domination of the world. 23:45 Revelation 13:11 says, 23:47 "Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth." 23:50 Because the first one came up out of the sea, 23:52 meaning a populated area, 23:53 but this one comes up out of the earth 23:55 and had two horns like a, what? 23:58 Like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 24:00 When the United States came into power, 24:02 the two horns represent, 24:04 that represent the United States 24:06 are the two horns on which this nation pivots, 24:11 Protestantism, the foundation of our religious system, 24:15 and Republicanism, 24:17 the foundation of our government. 24:19 We live in a Republic 24:23 that pivots on the foundation of democracy. 24:26 You see, if you look at the pyramid, 24:29 the pyramid is very fitting of how the world works. 24:33 The pyramid represents Europe, the top, 24:36 under the kings of Europe it was top down. 24:38 They made the rules and you followed it. 24:42 America became the bottom of the pyramid, 24:44 it was made by the people 24:46 and then, and then it was urged 24:49 by the leaders to support that 24:51 which the people have voted into power. 24:55 But it's beginning to be reversed 24:56 even here in America because now even though we say, 25:00 "By the people, for the people," 25:02 it's starting to sound like it's not by the people, 25:04 it's by the government. 25:06 And under the last few administrations, 25:09 it seems like the government has been setting the agenda 25:12 rather than the people. 25:14 But the Bible says, "that's how it's gonna happen, 25:17 two horns like a lamb." 25:18 But the Bible says, "Spoke like a dragon." 25:22 How does the nation speak? 25:25 The Lord allowed 25:27 the First Amendment to guarantee 25:30 that these powers Republicanism and Protestantism co-exist 25:34 without either exercising power over the other. 25:37 Let me see that again. 25:40 The government will not exercise 25:42 power over the religion of its land 25:45 and the religion of its land 25:47 will not usurp the power of the government, 25:52 both to peacefully co-exist, 25:54 that's how this nation was established, 25:56 to prevent the tyranny of Europe 25:58 from being recreated here. 26:00 Although our forefathers were kind of nervous 26:02 and they somewhat duplicated what was happening in Rome. 26:05 They established a system whereby you had to be 26:07 a certain religion to even be involved in politics 26:10 until Roger Williams broke away from the colonists 26:13 and established the first religiously 26:16 free colony, Rhode Island. 26:19 And then eventually 26:20 when our Declaration of Independence 26:21 and our amendments were put together, 26:23 it was framed to reflect what Roger Williams 26:26 and those founding fathers later on established 26:31 as the Bill of Rights and our Constitution. 26:34 But look at the First Amendment, for example. 26:36 This was the coexisting. 26:37 Both powers, Republicanism and Protestantism examined 26:41 and included in the statement of the First Amendment. 26:45 We were told Congress shall make no, what? 26:49 No law respecting an establishment of religion 26:52 or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, 26:55 or abridging the freedom of speech, 26:59 or of the press, or the right of the people 27:03 peacefully to assemble and to petition the government 27:07 for a redress of grievances. 27:09 In other words, 27:10 "I don't like what the government's doing," 27:12 so I want you to re-examine that, 27:14 but we are being silenced in our nation, 27:16 these things that are part of our fabric. 27:18 So what is being said here clearly is, 27:21 "Congress cannot promote one religion over the other 27:25 and Congress cannot restrict any individual's right 27:30 to practice their religion." 27:31 Amen, church. 27:33 Because if they had that power, 27:35 they could tell us when to open when to close. 27:37 That's why you have to be very, very careful 27:39 when you start accepting Government funds. 27:42 The moment they get into your pocket, 27:43 they get in your life. 27:46 But slowly but surely the church, 27:47 the church is metamorphosing gradually 27:51 and they're accepting a lot of government funds 27:53 for good reasons, to feed the poor, 27:55 to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, 27:57 to establish housing, but when the government 28:00 starts funding the church, the church has to listen 28:04 to the government. 28:08 But let me ask a question. 28:10 And I want to read it exactly 28:11 as I wrote it down because I believe this question 28:13 had some inspiration behind it. 28:15 "Since Congress is restricted 28:17 from making laws for the church, 28:19 because in so doing they will appear 28:21 to favor one religion over the other." 28:24 Listen to the latter part of the question. 28:25 "Would Congress still be restricted from making laws 28:30 when all religions in America merge as one?" 28:37 Let me answer my own question. "No." 28:40 Because then you can make laws 28:42 that everybody collectively agree on 28:47 and nobody would be seen as favoring one over the other, 28:51 because the coalition has come together. 28:55 And there's been constant pushes 28:57 through the moral majority. 29:03 All these coalitions 29:07 have been pushed through the years 29:09 to take control 29:10 of the United States government, 29:11 until this point God has held back the winds. 29:17 God is still in control. 29:21 But this push for unity is not something 29:24 that's coincidental, 29:25 the Bible prophesied that this would occur. 29:27 Listen to Daniel 7:23. 29:31 "Thus he said: "The fourth beast," 29:33 this is Rome, 29:34 "shall be a fourth kingdom on the earth which shall be..." 29:37 What's the next word? 29:39 "Different from all other kingdoms 29:41 and shall devour..." 29:42 How much of the earth? 29:44 "The whole earth, trample it, and break it in pieces." 29:51 And so if you think that... 29:53 If you think that because Rome right now 29:55 doesn't have a stronghold in America, 29:57 that Rome has changed, you got to take a breath. 30:02 You got to take a breath. 30:04 We've been around the world, 30:05 we've been in quite a few countries. 30:07 And we've gone to places, we say well, 30:09 "Can we go get something to eat?" 30:10 And they say, "Oh, no, it's Sunday, 30:11 everything is closed." 30:14 Even in populated tourist areas where you think 30:16 it would still be open on Sunday, 30:17 "Oh, no, it's closed." 30:19 Illinois, you cannot buy a car on Sunday. 30:21 Every State in the United States 30:23 has blue laws and every blue law 30:26 is in favor of some prohibitive exercise 30:29 on the first day of the week. 30:31 They're already there. 30:33 What if the government decides all of a sudden, 30:34 we're gonna to put these blue laws into action, 30:37 because as a nation we all need a day off, 30:41 we all need to get together. 30:42 In a nation falling apart, it's just a matter of time 30:46 before a nation that is, that is, 30:50 that is agitated by unrest and division. 30:53 It's just a matter of time before religion and politics 30:58 coalesce to bring about a reformation in a nation. 31:04 But listen to the inspired words 31:06 and I thank God for that faithful messenger 31:09 of God, Ellen White. 31:13 You would almost think that these things are written today. 31:16 But in Great Controversy, page 565, she says, 31:20 "the pacific tone of Rome in the United States 31:23 does not imply a change of heart. 31:27 She is tolerant where she is helpless, 31:32 says Bishop O'Connor. 31:35 Religious liberty is merely endured 31:37 until the opposite can be carried into effect 31:40 without peril to the Catholic world." 31:43 So if you think that, if you think that a thief 31:46 has put down his thievery 31:48 just because he's in the police station, 31:50 it's the circumstance that has restricted him, 31:53 not his character. 31:56 Any thief will behave himself in a police station, I hope, 32:01 and everybody in prison is innocent. 32:07 You'll get that on Tuesday. 32:11 But now let me quickly walk you through the cadence 32:13 of where we are, and I'm gonna carry you 32:14 through this quick, 32:16 because this push for unity is not something 32:17 that just began under Pope Francis. 32:21 But Benedict and Pope John Paul... 32:23 These last three popes, Pope John Paul II, Benedict, 32:27 and Pope Francis have taken the... 32:31 Shall I say, they have come with a forklift 32:34 to push in a great degree 32:36 because the millennial end game? 32:39 You may not have heard the term, but look it up, 32:41 the millennial end game was a push, 32:43 that by the third millennium 32:45 there will only be one world leader. 32:48 And the three competitors were Russia or the Soviet Union 32:52 that came down when Ronald Reagan 32:55 and Pope John Paul II united together 32:58 on the heels of their experience 33:00 when they both were almost assassinated 33:03 and they survived. 33:04 Somebody said they received the deadly wound 33:06 and their wounds we healed and they coalesced together, 33:08 that's not a fulfillment of Bible prophecy, 33:10 but that's how some people applied it. 33:12 They got together and decided 33:13 to bring down the walls of Eastern Europe. 33:17 Tear down those walls, and the walls came down 33:21 and nobody flinched because nobody wanted the world 33:23 to become communistic. 33:25 And when communism end we said, 33:28 "communism down, 3ABN could build in Russia." 33:32 Amen, church. 33:34 We've been in there ever since and by God's grace, 33:37 3ABN Russia is the birth child of the walls coming down, 33:41 a good thing. 33:43 But on the heels of that, an ambassador was sent 33:46 to the Vatican, not that that was the first one, 33:48 but this was the first one 33:49 that established political relations 33:54 in spite of the restriction 33:59 to prefer any one religion 34:01 over the other politically, but nobody argued with it, 34:06 because Ronald Reagan was a nice guy. 34:13 But that wasn't the beginning of, 34:14 that was not the beginning of the push. 34:16 Open your eyes, I'm gonna go very quickly. 34:19 1980, New York City, New York Post, 34:22 November 17th 1980: Pope to Jews and Protestants, 34:25 "Time to heal the scars." 34:26 When you have a wound, what's left? 34:30 A scar. 34:31 The wound was healed in 1929 through Mussolini, 34:36 but the scars were left. 34:37 Time to heal the scars, this push, 34:39 this call by Rome to Jews and Protestants. 34:42 The word Protestants was introduced there 34:45 which now seems to be a bad word. 34:49 You'll find that in just a moment. 34:50 That was the call. 34:52 November 18, 1980, New York Post: 34:55 Pope in unity offer to Lutherans. 34:57 Why Lutherans? 34:58 Because in the article 35:00 which I have on a different presentation. 35:01 In this article, Pope John Paul the II 35:03 referred to Martin Luther, 35:05 who all he did was began a move back to a, 35:08 thus saith the Lord. 35:10 He was listed as a rebel German theologian, 35:16 who caused the split? 35:18 Let me tell you something. 35:19 If I got to split to get back to truth, 35:21 I'm gonna calls the split. 35:22 Come on, somebody here. 35:24 He didn't split because he wanted to hurt anybody. 35:25 He said, "it's time to go back to a, 35:27 "Thus saith the Lord" and he began a journey. 35:30 The just shall live by faith. 35:33 The push continued for unity. 35:36 Protestants warmed to the pope's call 35:39 for Christian unity, 1981, January 21, 35:41 The New York Daily News. 35:43 I was still out in the world but I was on my way back, 35:46 but the Lord had touched the shoulders of this young man 35:49 meandering in the streets of New York City 35:51 to keep these articles, I'm so glad I did, 35:53 because you cannot find them anywhere. 35:58 "Catholics, Anglicans edging toward unity," 36:00 March 30, 1982, all in New York, New York Post. 36:05 They don't, they don't play in the York City, 36:06 they put that stuff right in your face. 36:08 Thank the Lord they did. 36:09 That was happening in New York, but around the world 36:11 the changes and the, and the, and the welcoming in 36:14 of Catholicism was happening all over the globe. 36:18 Here's an example, the former Prime Minister of England, 36:21 Tony Blair, converts to Catholicism 36:23 as immigration means Britain is now a Catholic country. 36:28 Quickly, "Catholics and Orthodox 36:30 moving towards unity," October 12, 2007. 36:34 And then another one, 36:35 "Churches back plan to unite under the Pope." 36:38 Christian churches, non-Christian churches, 36:41 churches, churches, they just decided 36:43 he's got a great plan, 36:44 let's go ahead and back a plan to unite under him and in 1999, 36:50 Evangelicals and Catholics, 36:52 toward a common mission together, 36:54 they signed a joint agreement in 1999, 36:57 that we are now officially agreeing 37:01 on the doctrine of Justification by Faith. 37:05 You see the issue was, they say, 37:06 they say that the only issue that Martin Luther had was, 37:10 he was upset that the Catholic Church taught 37:12 salvation by works and that Christianity taught 37:16 salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone, 37:20 without works. 37:22 But as you know, we are not saved by works, 37:25 we are saved for works, amen everybody. 37:28 We're not saved to sit down. 37:29 We're saved to get busy for Christ. 37:30 Am I right, J.D? 37:32 That's what we're saved for, to do works, 37:33 but the works don't save us. 37:35 So what they did is, they... 37:36 And this is the cleverness, this is the cleverness. 37:39 So instead of saying, let's get together on Sunday 37:42 which we already have in common, 37:44 let's get together on the immortality of the soul, 37:46 which you already have in common, 37:48 and all these other doctrines that we already have in common, 37:50 let's do it in such a way that we can bridge the gap 37:53 on a broad level and include everyone else 37:56 that may not necessarily embrace our existing doctrines. 38:01 Let's get together and say, "we are saved by grace 38:06 through faith in Christ alone for good works 38:09 not by good works." 38:11 And they agreed on that in 1999 and signed a common document 38:16 and Evangelicals and Catholics consider themselves 38:20 to have started a merging, 38:24 but there were only certain signers 38:27 in this agreement and others had held out 38:30 because some of them says, "Wait a minute. 38:32 I ain't jumping on board so fast, 38:34 because I don't believe in what Rome stands for." 38:38 Rome was not satisfied 38:41 because according to the prophecy 38:42 they shall devour the whole earth 38:44 and break it in pieces. 38:46 And to the very end, the iron would be in the toes. 38:49 Iron and clay they tried to mix politically 38:52 but they couldn't do it, 38:54 so they decided to mix on social issues. 38:59 They got the attention of the evangelical world, 39:01 but to make the mix complete, they had to bring religion in. 39:05 So why not begin with the most lamb-like suggestion? 39:09 "We're saved by grace through faith, don't you agree? 39:13 Don't you agree?" 39:14 Amen, somebody? 39:16 We're not saved by our works, we're saved for works. 39:19 So they say, since Martin Luther said, 39:21 "We're saved by grace through faith alone" 39:23 and that's the foundation of his protests. 39:26 They said, "Since he only stopped 39:28 by grace through faith alone and did not include works, 39:31 they say, since Martin Luther didn't finish it, 39:36 his protest is over." 39:40 So as of 1999 they said, "We are no longer protesting, 39:43 we are together." 39:45 Follow this. 39:51 Before I read it, let me tell you something. 39:53 I thank God that He's always a step ahead of man. 39:59 The servant of the Lord, Great Controversy, 40:01 page 563, paragraph 1, 40:03 and I'm gonna show in just a moment, 40:05 I'm telling you tighten your seat belts. 40:07 Romanism is now regarded by Protestants 40:10 with far greater favor than in former years. 40:13 Is that true? Yes. 40:16 The time was when Protestants placed 40:19 a high value upon the liberty of what? 40:22 Conscience, which had been so dearly purchased, 40:26 which Rome didn't tolerate. 40:28 Your conscience was not accepted, 40:30 you either gave up your conscience 40:31 or you died by some atrocity 40:34 under the ruthless arm of Roman tyranny. 40:39 They taught their children to a poor popery 40:42 and held that to seek. 40:43 To seek harmony with Rome would be disloyalty to God, 40:48 because they had to make a decision, 40:49 either its God's word or its tradition. 40:55 But how widely different 40:57 are the sentiments now expressed? 41:00 You would think Ellen White just wrote that last week 41:04 if you're awake. 41:06 So the question is, "how can Catholics 41:08 and Evangelicals get together?" 41:09 How can they possibly... 41:11 Let me, let me make the point 41:12 which I made on Wednesday night, 41:14 "God has a timetable." 41:15 What did I just say? 41:17 That God has a timetable. 41:18 The good news is this world, this world is not gonna go 41:21 on endlessly, sin after sin after sin, 41:24 death after death after death, destruction after destruction, 41:27 calamity after calamity, it's going to come to an end, 41:30 amen, church. 41:31 Amen. God knows when. 41:33 No man knows the day nor the hour, 41:35 but the Father knows, because He's in charge. 41:39 Look at what happens. 41:40 The Lord is telling us how it's going to happen. 41:42 How are these powers that are religiously opposed 41:46 going to come together, 41:47 they're gonna find some area of agreement. 41:50 Revelation 17:13, the Bible says, 41:52 speaking of the institution of Babylon, 41:54 "These are of" what kind of mind? 41:57 "One mind, and they will give their power and authority 42:01 to the beast." 42:03 Meaning all the church leaders will give 42:05 and stand behind the Pope of Rome. 42:07 They will give their power and authority to the beast. 42:13 But the question is, why would they do that? 42:16 God is in charge. 42:18 Now let me prophesize by saying, 42:20 when the Bible says in Exodus 42:21 that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. 42:23 God did not say, 42:25 "Pharaoh, I don't want you to listen," 42:26 but Pharaoh made up his mind not to listen. 42:28 So God kept on pouring the, the urging of God and Pharaoh, 42:32 the more God urged him to let his people go, 42:35 the more Pharaoh determined not to, 42:37 the same thing is happening in Christendom 42:39 for thousands of years, for hundreds of years, 42:41 the Lord has been trying to get Protestants 42:44 to stand on the Bible and the Bible only. 42:47 But since they have chosen not to, Thessalonians says, 42:50 "I will send them a strong delusion 42:52 that they will believe the lie." 42:54 So God is in charge. So what has He done? 42:57 tells us what happened. 43:00 "For God has" done what? 43:03 "Put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, 43:05 to be of one mind and to give their kingdom to the beast 43:09 until the words of God are fulfilled." 43:13 God's in charge. 43:14 He says, we've got to move this thing along. 43:16 They gonna come together, let's move it along. 43:18 They have far more in common than we do not have in common. 43:21 The unity of mind, these will have one mind. 43:25 They don't actually worship Mary, 43:27 my family is Catholic. 43:30 Just do your homework. 43:31 She's venerated. 43:35 And the issues go on and on and on and on and on, 43:37 issue after issue, after issue, but the question 43:40 you have to ask yourself, while there is a unity, 43:42 remember the toes are iron and clay. 43:46 Can iron and clay mix together, somebody tell me? 43:49 No. 43:50 The continued attempt to mix politically has failed 43:53 over and over and over and over and over. 43:57 So abandon the attempt to politically merge. 44:01 Let's go ahead and merge on the things 44:02 we hold in common. 44:06 But now we have to ask ourselves. 44:07 The question is, "Is Rome the authority 44:09 that we should follow?" 44:12 What does the Bible say? 44:14 In describing this power in Revelation 13, 44:17 we read these final words: "Now the beast which I saw 44:21 was like a leopard," He devoured that nation. 44:24 "His feet like the feet of a bear," 44:25 devoured that nation. 44:27 "His mouth like the mouth of a lion," 44:29 devoured that nation. 44:30 But where did Rome get its power? 44:32 "The dragon gave him his power, his throne, 44:36 and great authority." 44:38 Revelation 12:9, "The dragon is Satan himself." 44:44 Satan gave Rome its authority and its seat. 44:50 That is not the power that the Christian church 44:54 ought to coalesce with. 44:55 Amen, somebody? Amen. 44:58 But the lingering question, do God... 45:01 Does God have people in the church 45:04 that are Christians, yes or no? 45:06 Yes. Just like many of you. 45:09 Just like many of you watching, 45:10 you understood what God had revealed to you, 45:13 you understood to that particular point. 45:15 And Jesus said in John 10:16, 45:17 "Other sheep I have, that are not of this fold." 45:18 But he didn't stop there. 45:20 He said, "Them also I must bring." 45:22 So this message is a gathering message, 45:25 them also I must bring and they will hear My voice, 45:27 His word, not tradition. 45:30 And there will be one fold and how many shepherds? 45:32 One shepherd. 45:36 But here is the irony. 45:37 Protestants are abandoning their protest for Rome. 45:41 What Martin Luther began as, "Let's get back to the Bible," 45:45 Protestants are saying, "Well, we don't have... 45:47 We have a lot in common, not everything, 45:49 but these are the big issues. 45:51 Let's unify on this, 45:53 forget about all that other stuff." 45:56 Let me tell you something. 45:57 When it is about salvation, you don't choose 46:01 what part of God's Word is important and unimportant. 46:04 Amen. 46:10 Man shall live by every word 46:12 that perceived from the mouth of God. 46:13 We don't decide what's important 46:15 and what's unimportant 46:16 by the grace of Christ in our lives. 46:18 But the first phase of abandonment came 46:21 when Protestants abandoned the truth, 46:24 so it's not unusual for them to abandon their post. 46:28 When Pope Francis was invited to speak to Congress, 46:31 I was there 46:33 under the Obama administration. 46:37 He came to America to speak to Congress 46:39 and the United Nations. 46:41 Why this country? 46:43 Because this country is the last Protestant 46:46 stronghold in the world. 46:49 And the larger... 46:50 In America, Evangelicals are larger in number 46:53 than Catholics. 46:55 So they are outnumbered. 46:56 Rome is tolerant where she is helpless. 47:00 But what's happening? 47:02 Protestants are now pushing the issue, 47:04 "Let's get together with them." 47:06 How amazing God saw this and He gave us this quote. 47:09 Listen to this. 47:11 Faith of Our Fathers, page 310, paragraph 3. 47:14 "When Protestantism shall stretch her hand 47:16 across the Gulf, to grasp the hands 47:19 of the Roman power, 47:20 when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands" 47:23 with what? 47:25 "Spiritualism," that satanic guidance. 47:29 "When under the influence of this three-fold union, 47:32 our country shall repudiate, 47:37 not delete or change our constitution, 47:39 shall repudiate, that means make of no effect, 47:42 every principle of it's constitution 47:46 as a Protestant and Republican Government 47:50 and shall make provision for the propagation 47:52 of papal falsehoods and delusions." 47:54 This is powerful. 47:56 "Then we may know that the time has come 47:59 for the marvelous working of Satan" And then what? 48:02 The end is near. 48:03 The end is near, brethren, feel the pulse. 48:09 If there is no more protest, 48:10 how could there be a Protestant Church. 48:13 It's not our doctrines that unify us, 48:15 it's just our faith in Jesus. 48:17 Give it on what you believe. 48:19 That is not... 48:20 That has been attempted through Promise Keepers, 48:22 all these Women of Faith movements, 48:24 all these unifying push, they've tried every way 48:27 they possibly could, 48:29 but it has not been accomplished. 48:31 Last few quotations. 48:34 "When the leading churches of the United States, 48:37 he hasn't been able to get Protestants to sign it, 48:40 that's why they are reaching out to Protestants. 48:42 When the leading churches of the United States 48:45 uniting upon such points of doctrine 48:47 as are held by them in common, 48:50 shall influence the state to enforce their decrees 48:53 to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America 48:59 will have formed an image to the Roman hierarchy 49:03 and the infliction of civil penalties 49:07 upon dissenters will inevitably results, 49:11 translated, the Dark Ages will be back to life again." 49:16 As I end, I'm just going to say this carefully. 49:21 "The Lord has shown us in His Word, 49:24 He has shown us through the events 49:28 that are unfolding around our world 49:29 and if there was ever a time that the church needs 49:34 no longer be distracted, it is now. 49:38 Amen. Amen. 49:41 The closing scripture, I would like you 49:42 to read with me together. 49:45 "Now learn the parable 49:48 from the fig tree. 49:52 When its branch has already become tender 49:55 and puts forth leaves, 49:58 you know that the summer is near. 50:03 So you also, when you see all these things..." 50:06 What? 50:08 Wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, 50:12 political unrests, financial unrests, 50:15 calamity after calamity after calamity, 50:20 the fulfillment of the message of revelation 50:22 with blazing accuracy, when you see all these things, 50:29 "know that it is near at the doors!" 50:38 The closing song is one that's fitting. 50:41 I would like us to stand and sing this song out 50:43 of a sense of the realities of where we live. 50:48 In times like these, 50:52 in times like these, we need a Savior. 50:58 In times like these, we need an anchor. 51:02 Be very sure, be very sure, 51:06 your anchor holds 51:08 and grips the solid rock. 51:15 In times like these 51:19 You need a Savior 51:23 In times like these 51:27 You need an anchor 51:31 Be very sure 51:35 Be very sure 51:38 Your anchor holds 51:42 And grips the Solid Rock 51:48 This Rock is Jesus 51:53 Yes, He's the One 51:55 Raise that chorus. 51:56 This Rock is Jesus 52:00 The only One 52:04 Be very sure 52:08 Be very sure 52:12 Your anchor holds 52:16 And grips the Solid Rock 52:20 Before the second verse. 52:23 As Dinia play it softly. 52:25 This is the time to get back to the Bible. 52:27 Can you say amen? 52:29 Get back to the dedication of the call that God has placed 52:31 on our lives as a church. 52:33 No other denomination on this planet 52:37 has been given the directive 52:39 as the Seventh-day Adventist Church 52:41 has been given. 52:44 And in this hour of division and compromise, 52:49 in this hour of distraction, God is calling us 52:52 to proclaim the Three Angles' messages 52:55 and I praise God, 52:57 I want to just go ahead and say this. 52:58 Next year for camp meeting, 53:01 the Lord has placed upon the heart of administration, 53:03 Shelley Quinn, 53:05 the entire spring camp meeting next year is gonna be 53:09 all about the Three Angles' Messages. 53:12 Amen. Amen, church? 53:14 Amen. 53:15 This is not gonna be a tiptoe 53:17 through the Tulip's camp meeting. 53:20 The Mark of the Beast, the Seal of God, 53:23 the Fall of Babylon, 53:25 it's gonna come out concentrated, 53:27 lovingly concentrated because God has called us 53:31 to preach an undiluted Three Angles' Messages, 53:34 one that will counteract the counterfeit. 53:37 In an hour, where everyone is coalescing together, 53:40 God is saying, "These are the times 53:41 to get back to the word of God." 53:42 Come on say, Amen. Amen. 53:44 Be not idle, be very sure your anchor holds. 53:47 In times like these we need a Savior. 53:50 We need His word and we have seen. 53:52 What I've shown you today is not what I'm saying, 53:55 but it's what they are saying what is in their hearts, 54:00 and in their agenda, and in their minds, 54:03 and I've just given you the tip of the iceberg. 54:06 But as you've been awakened, as you've been awakened 54:10 from the slumber of distraction, 54:12 continue studying God's word 54:13 and listen carefully as God calls you 54:16 to be ready at times like these. 54:19 We're gonna sing "In Times Like These" 54:21 you need a Bible" and then the chorus 54:22 and we're gonna close with prayer. 54:24 But let me ask you the question. 54:25 Is it your desire for the Lord to wake you up 54:27 from distractions? 54:29 Come on. 54:30 If ever there was a time when the Christian world 54:33 is saying to us, "We want to come together 54:35 but for not doctrines, not the Bible, 54:38 let's just get together on faith, 54:40 unless the Lord do the works through our lives 54:42 and the way He desires, we've got to stand together." 54:45 Unity without truth is not unity 54:47 and to say that division is divisive, 54:50 is not to understand the mission of Jesus. 54:53 He said, "I came not to bring peace 54:55 but a sword. 54:57 Why? 54:58 To separate darkness from light, truth from error." 55:03 Anytime the unity that you seek is not based 55:05 on the truth of God's Word, it is not unity by any means. 55:09 But Christ, the rock first, and His word, 55:12 and together that unity will take you through eternity. 55:16 Let's sing that second stanza before we close. 55:24 In times like these 55:28 You need the Bible 55:32 In times like these 55:36 O be not idle 55:39 Be very sure 55:41 Raise that chorus together 55:43 Be very sure 55:47 Your anchor holds 55:51 And grips the Solid Rock 55:57 This Rock is Jesus 56:00 Yes, He's the One 56:04 This Rock is Jesus 56:08 The only One 56:12 Be very sure 56:16 Be very sure 56:19 Your anchor holds 56:23 And grips the Solid Rock 56:30 Father in heaven, 56:32 Lord, we thank You for revival, 56:36 for allowing these events to shake our chairs, 56:42 to shake our homes, 56:45 to re-establish an urgency in these hours of distraction. 56:51 We thank You Father, for sustaining your Word 56:53 through every anvil, 56:55 and every attempt to annihilate its content. 56:58 And in this age where doctrine is being deleted 57:02 and feeling and faith alone 57:05 and works alone are being substituted 57:07 for the truth of Your word, 57:09 Lord Jesus, help us not to compromise, 57:14 help us to be a people of a mission, 57:16 a mission not to unify with earthly powers 57:20 but to be in harmony with the only power 57:22 that matters, our Lord and Savior, 57:27 Christ Jesus and His word. 57:30 Father, as You carry Your people 57:32 through the storms that lay ahead of us, 57:34 as You carry Your church through the rock 57:37 strewn waters of persecution that lie ahead of us, 57:42 may we have such a connection to You that we fear 57:46 not the things of earth, 57:48 but that we have an allegiance to the God of Heaven. 57:52 Thank You, Lord, for opening our eyes. 57:54 Now may we go awake to proclaim lovingly 57:57 and kindly to our brothers and sisters, 58:00 those who may be in darkness that love You, 58:03 may we proclaim that when the sea of glass comes, 58:06 they will be standing a redeemed host of those 58:10 who have come out of darkness into this marvelous light. 58:15 In Jesus name, I pray. 58:19 And all of the God's people said, 58:21 amen and amen. |
Revised 2017-12-07