Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: 14SCM
Program Code: 14SCM000010S
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00:38 Well welcome back, and we are having a really blessed time
00:44 here at West Frankfort, IL, at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:50 And we're so happy that each one of you could be here 00:54 with us. And I just hope that you... if you're within driving 01:00 distance and you can join us for the weekend 01:02 come right along. This place is going to be 01:06 packed out Sabbath. We're looking to see if we can 01:09 find a few extra chairs, in fact, maybe to put over here. 01:12 And we're just having a really wonderful time 01:16 in the Lord as we study about the second coming. 01:20 And it's so encouraging as we look at all the things 01:24 the Bible says about Jesus coming again. 01:29 And tonight we're going to appreciate 01:33 Pastor John Lomacang's message on the signs of His coming. 01:39 We see certain signs that are just unmistakable 01:45 that Christ is coming soon. 01:48 Pastor John is the pastor of the Thompsonville SDA church 01:52 that meets here in the Worship Center. 01:54 And he has been ordained for over twenty years. 01:58 We all know that he's a well- known Christian recording artist 02:04 and has many CDs 02:08 with all of the beautiful music that John has. 02:12 He sang with the Heritage Singers for years. 02:14 Amazing Facts; It Is Written. He has been all over the world. 02:20 Thirty-one countries John has traveled sharing the gospel 02:25 of Jesus Christ. He also is the host of 02:29 A Sharper Focus here every Wednesday night 02:32 and he's co-host of 3ABN's House Calls, 02:36 which is one of our more popular programs. 02:41 And so we're going to have Pastor John come 02:44 and speak to us. But before he does 02:47 our good friend Tim Parton is going to sing for us 02:52 and play God's Been Good. 03:14 Lately I've been looking back 03:18 along this winding road 03:21 to the old familiar markers 03:25 of all the mercies I have known. 03:30 I know it may sound simple 03:34 but it's more than a cliché 03:38 for there's no better way to tell you 03:42 than to say: 03:46 God's been good 03:51 in my life. 03:54 And I feel blessed 03:57 beyond my wildest dreams 04:00 when I go to sleep each night. 04:03 And though I've had my share of hard times 04:08 I wouldn't change them if I could 04:12 for through it all 04:16 God's been good. 04:26 The times replay and I can see 04:30 that I've cried some bitter tears. 04:34 But I felt His arms around me 04:37 as I faced my greatest fears. 04:41 You see, I've had more gains than losses 04:45 and I've known more joy than hurt 04:49 as His grace rolls down upon me 04:55 so undeserved. 04:58 For God's been good 05:02 in my life, 05:05 and I feel so blessed beyond my wildest dreams 05:11 when I go to sleep each night. 05:13 And though I've had my share of hard times 05:18 I wouldn't change them if I could 05:22 for through it all 05:25 my God's been good. 05:30 For you see, God has been my Father, 05:33 my Savior, and my Friend. 05:37 And His love was my beginning 05:41 and His love will be my end. 05:45 Now I could spend forever 05:48 trying to tell you everything 05:52 He is 05:57 but the best way that I can say it 06:03 is simply this - 06:06 I'm sure that you agree - 06:09 God's been good 06:13 in my life. 06:18 And I feel so blessed 06:21 beyond my wildest dreams 06:24 when I go to sleep each night. 06:27 And though I've had my share of hard times 06:33 I wouldn't change them if I could 06:37 for through it all 06:45 God's been 06:50 so good... 06:56 He's been so good. 07:05 Amen. 07:08 Thank you, Tim. 07:10 Amen to that song? Amen! 07:13 Let us pray. 07:19 Lord, we need to know that in these last days 07:23 we serve a God who is good all the time. 07:27 You've spoken to our hearts, You've anointed our lips. 07:30 And Lord, I ask you now to do what You do best: 07:35 and that is to speak to Your people 07:39 and prepare our hearts for Your soon return. 07:44 In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. 07:49 They've given me the message The Signs of His Return 07:54 but I'd like to give it a subtitle. 07:55 I refer to it as: The Not So Often Considered Signs. 08:00 I'd like to begin with a scripture in the book of Matthew 08:02 chapter 24. If you don't have your Bibles, 08:04 it will appear on the screen. 08:08 The not-so-often-considered signs. Matthew chapter 24 08:11 beginning with verse 32. 08:14 The Bible says: 08:42 We are living in the generation that will be judged not for 08:46 the decline of its real estate 08:48 but for the decline of its moral state. 08:53 We are living at a time where the agenda of a nation 08:57 has become the corruption of its inhabitants. 09:02 We have arrived at an hour where the only thing of lesser 09:06 value than the dollar is the value of human life. 09:13 The reason is the world has blinded itself 09:17 to the evidence of Christ's soon return. 09:22 Tonight based on what I see I know that Jesus is soon to come. 09:26 Can you say amen to that? Amen! 09:28 The evidences are clear around us. 09:31 And so tonight I could summarize the message by saying 09:34 the five not-so-often-considered signs 09:39 of the second coming of Jesus. 09:43 Sign number one: the rejection of evidence. 09:53 Now here in southern Illinois we know that the summer is coming 09:56 because the evidence is abundant. 09:59 In the very same way I know that Jesus is coming 10:02 because the evidence is abundant. 10:05 One of the signs that the apostle Peter made very clear 10:09 about the days in which we live - the days just before 10:11 the coming of Jesus - he said: "Consider the temperature 10:14 of the climate. " If the people of God are 10:17 students of the Word, it is impossible to miss the idea 10:21 that we are living in the last days. Can you say amen to that? 10:24 Amen. Peter said in the last days 10:27 people really would not believe that Jesus is coming. 10:30 Notice his words in II Peter chapter 3 verses 3-4. 10:35 He says: 11:03 Now you know if you've been around 11:07 half as long as I have, you know that things have changed. 11:10 Can you say amen to that? 11:11 Amen. I'm in the 50's... 11:19 I'm still the speed limit in some states. 11:22 Not in Arkansas. 11:25 My wife and I just got back from Arkansas. 11:27 It's seventy-five miles an hour there. 11:29 Oh would they get that kind of wisdom in Illinois! 11:32 But I'm still the speed limit in some states. 11:36 But if you look at the temperature and the horizon 11:38 of the society in which we live, if you look at what's happening 11:41 on the daily news broadcast, 11:43 if you listen to the news that comes across our screen from 11:46 night to night and read your Bible and study the newspaper, 11:51 if you simply daily take the temperature of the 11:55 world around us, everyone knows that this world 11:59 cannot last longer than it has. 12:02 It cannot sustain itself. Like one of my favorite 12:05 preachers said: "The world is like an old pair of jeans 12:08 that's been tearing on one section and tearing on the other 12:11 and pretty soon you can't stitch it together any more. 12:13 You just have to throw it away! " 12:16 Well this world is beyond stitching together. 12:18 God is going to give us a new heaven and a new earth. 12:21 Amen! 12:24 But Peter made it clear the reason why the world is 12:26 the way it is... He said: "They willingly forget 12:30 that Jesus is coming again. " 12:32 How can you forget when 24 hours a day 12:34 3ABN is dedicated to proclaiming to the world 12:37 an undiluted three angels' messages... 12:40 but I didn't stop yet... 12:41 one that will counteract the counterfeit. 12:44 Can you say amen to that? Amen! 12:46 Because Jesus hasn't returned yet does not mean that He's not 12:49 coming. The writer of Hebrews says these words 12:52 and I commit them to my memory when I look at how bad 12:55 things get. You know, some- times you look at the news... 12:57 And my wife and I, when we stand there and look at 12:59 the six o'clock news or sometimes just before 13:02 we go to bed we turn to CNN. 13:04 Now some of our members don't have television. 13:06 That's their choice, but I need to remain informed. 13:09 I need to know when I come to church on Sabbath morning 13:11 that I'm aware of the condition of the world 13:14 so I can inform those who may have been at ease 13:17 in Jerusalem. But the writer of Hebrews says this 13:21 about the coming of Jesus. He says: 13:31 The good news tonight is Jesus is not cancelling 13:35 His second coming. 13:39 But just like 9/11, the world is comforted with false reports. 13:44 Jeremiah the prophet in Jeremiah 6 and verse 14 says: 13:55 There is no peace. 13:58 The pope is trying to get peace around the world. 14:00 He's busy traveling to different countries and 14:03 different denominations. He recently had a meeting with 14:06 the Jews and the Muslims 14:07 talking about the areas that they have in common 14:10 trying to find a way for mutual respect to exist 14:13 between the denominations. 14:15 But the only platform of unity I'm going to say tonight is 14:17 Jesus and His truth. Can you say amen to that? 14:19 Amen. I could have mutual respect for your position 14:23 as another Christian, but the only platform by which 14:27 we can be honestly unified is by a "Thus saith the Lord. " 14:33 But this pope is busy. 14:35 And if you're not aware of it this is one of the only popes 14:37 that we've had - as a matter of fact, I believe it's the only 14:40 one we've had - that is a Jesuit. 14:42 And all you've got to do is read the Jesuit oath to know that 14:45 he may appear to be lamb-like on the exterior 14:50 but if you listen to what he's saying, the dragon is reflecting 14:53 every now and then through the things that he is saying. 14:57 Apparently there seems to be statements of peace, 15:01 but when you say that you're not really openly condemning 15:06 the condition of Christians that enter into the ministry - 15:10 and you'll understand what I mean in just a few moments - 15:12 when you appear and say that it doesn't really matter 15:15 what you believe but we're going to all go to heaven anyhow, 15:19 you know that that's not from God's Word. 15:21 What do you say? Amen. And so this man that 15:24 as they said on CNN, they said: "We may not agree with his 15:27 doctrinal position but we just love him so much. " 15:33 I've heard the best way to kick down a door is with a feather. 15:38 And he's doing a very effective job. 15:41 By letting his agenda be known, 15:44 by sweet soft tones... But you've got to read the Bible 15:48 to understand that God made it very clear 15:51 that the last kingdom that will reign on this earth 15:54 is the kingdom of Rome. 15:57 The Bible says it will trample down and break 16:00 the residue under its feet. 16:02 Rome is serious about its prophetic place in history. 16:06 Its nature has not changed. 16:09 And tonight I'm going to preach a very unpopular message. 16:12 But I believe that God's people that are listening to the 16:15 message, God's people in other denominations need to hear 16:18 the truth of God's Word so that they can be aware that 16:20 Jesus IS coming and that prophecy IS sure. Amen! 16:27 In the book Evangelism page 704 16:30 Ellen White says this. She says: 16:56 That's happening even right now. Can you say amen to that? 16:59 Amen. I mean, if you travel around the world as my wife 17:01 and I... Pastor Jim Gilley, bless his heart, he had my old 17:03 bio. It's not been 31 countries, it's 52 now. 17:06 And we have been to places where people say they don't even 17:09 hear sermons about the second coming of Jesus any more. 17:14 I remember standing up and hearing an aged preacher say... 17:18 He said: "I can't think of a day, I can't think of the last 17:21 time that I heard a sermon about the second coming of Jesus 17:24 preached from the pulpit of the church that I attend. " 17:26 And I would wish to say that was a different denomination 17:29 but unfortunately it was an Adventist church. 17:32 It is too late for us to adopt the gospel of another movement. 17:37 We've been called to preach an undiluted end-times message. 17:40 What do you say? Amen! 17:42 A lot of people want to be liked. 17:43 God has not called preachers to be liked. 17:46 God has called us to give the trumpet a certain sound. 17:50 And I have said a number of times and I reiterate this 17:52 again tonight: I'm going to make sure that when Jesus comes 17:55 I've preached what I've found in His Word 17:56 so that the only blood that I have to answer for 17:59 is my own blood. Can you say amen to that? 18:01 Amen! I said to somebody once before: "I'm going to say it 18:03 so clear that your blood will not be on my head. " 18:09 But if you look at the world today, the conditions of our 18:11 world are parallel to those of the days of Noah. 18:15 This world is ripe for the second coming of Jesus! 18:21 Notice the commentary from Genesis chapter 6 and verse 11. 18:24 The Bible talks about that day, the world that existed 18:27 just before Jesus destroyed the world. The Bible says: 18:39 Pastor John Bradshaw talked about the two 12-year-old girls 18:42 that were so caught up in this fictitious world of Slenderman 18:46 that they tried to take the life of one of their friends. 18:50 Sometimes you've got to turn the news off because it's so bad. 18:53 It's so sad that you've got to go back to the Word of God 18:56 to find that there is still some good news in these last days. 19:01 But I was moved by the story. I saw the video. 19:03 I couldn't help. They talked about this on CNN about this 19:06 young man - this 22-year-old 19:08 sent abroad for a college student - that methodically 19:11 planned a shooting spree because he was rejected 19:15 by young ladies. He said and I quote: 19:17 "If I had it in my power, I would stop at nothing 19:21 to reduce every one of you to mountains of skulls 19:25 and rivers of blood. " 19:27 That's the kind of world we live in. Genesis 6:5 19:30 makes it clear that the world that we live in is just like 19:33 the world in Noah's day. 19:34 The commentary says: 19:50 Even got to watch... you've got to be careful what you watch. 19:54 Shows nowadays... they teach you how to be vengeful. 19:59 Shows like Revenge. 20:01 God says: "Vengeance is Mine. " 20:04 You can't watch a show like that and not start becoming vengeful. 20:07 Can you say amen to that? Amen. 20:08 You can't watch some of these shows like... they call it the 20:11 "New Normal" or "Modern Family. " 20:14 You cannot watch what the producers that are motivated by 20:17 a Satanic power from beneath are producing and expect 20:20 your mind to be prepared for the second coming of Christ. 20:27 In Conflict and Courage Ellen White says we are living 20:29 in an age... in an evil age. She says: 20:46 Then Paul the apostle gives us also a snapshot 20:48 of the gathering storm. He says, and this is amazing. 20:51 When I read this I thought to myself 20:54 if Paul the apostle was alive today 20:56 he would be amazed at how accurate the Spirit of God 20:59 gave him a description of the days in which we live. 21:02 This is amazingly accurate about the condition of our world 21:06 today. And it says to us 21:11 that the only way that you can be unprepared for 21:13 the coming of Christ is if you ignore the evidence. 21:19 Notice what he says... 21:20 II Timothy chapter 3 verses 1 to 5: 21:45 Lord have mercy for the parents today. 21:49 I've got to pause here and just say something 21:51 and we'll bring the slide back. 21:52 I was in Wal-Mart one day and I was watching a kid 21:56 really take his mother to task. 21:58 And it appeared as though she did not want to embarrass 22:02 her kid in public. And I thought "My mother was different. " 22:09 Come on, you know what I'm talking about. 22:11 My mother was different. 22:13 She'd embarrass you in public 22:14 and then embarrass you back home in private. 22:16 Come on say amen. Amen! 22:18 I was raised in the day where the neighbor would whip you. 22:21 Tell your mother. She would whip you and then 22:23 she would say: "Wait till papa come home and he'll whip you. " 22:26 I went to school when... I don't want to say this 22:29 too much, but Yvonne Lewis - Dr. Yvonne Lewis - her father 22:32 was my principal. And I can tell you, he 22:36 knows how to swing a really good whip. 22:39 Whenever I visit with him in the care home there 22:41 in West Frankfort... I remember one day when he saw me 22:44 said: "Lomacang, " he said: "I want you to know I own 22:47 some of that success. " 22:52 Unashamedly he said that. 22:54 But I never forget the day when Mr. Hodge called me. 22:57 He said it so nicely. He said to me 22:59 'cause I don't know what I did. I think I brought the wrong 23:03 book report to school or I put the wrong cover on it 23:06 and he said... He didn't say "I'm going to whip you... " 23:08 he said: "Lomacang, we've got to talk. " 23:10 And he didn't say a word. The whip said it all! 23:13 But the problem with our world today is that our modern culture 23:18 has taken the ability to discipline our children 23:22 out of our hands. And I'm not talking about child abuse. 23:26 I'm talking about balanced discipline. 23:28 I'm talking about... When I was raised I remember very well 23:31 I disobeyed my mother, and she taught me well. 23:34 And I've discovered that punish- ment works a whole lot better 23:37 than sometimes a spanking does. 23:39 I said what I should not have said to her 23:41 and when my birthday came I sat in my bedroom 23:43 and I watched all the kids in the kitchen 23:46 blowing out my candles eating my birthday cake. 23:53 And nowadays children will take their parents to task. 23:57 Nowadays you hit a child they'll call the police on you. 24:00 They walk around with their lawyer's card 24:02 in their top pocket. I remember my sister 24:04 and her daughter one day. Her daughter was getting on her. 24:07 She's up in her 30's now, but one day her daughter was 24:09 getting beside herself. And she said: "If you hit me, 24:11 I'll call the police. " She said: "No, I'll call them 24:13 for you. " She forgot that her mother 24:15 works for the police department. 24:19 So she did, she called the police and she said: 24:21 "Now I want you to tell her that if she starts mouthing off 24:23 in this apartment I'm going to kick her out 24:25 and I'll have y'all come and get her to move her stuff out. " 24:28 Well, she's still with her mom to this day. 24:32 The Bible says "disobedient to parents. " 24:34 We cannot underestimate that. Children are disobedient 24:37 in so many avenues. It's amazing today 24:40 that people that don't raise children are saying that the 24:44 only thing you need to do is counsel a child. 24:46 But the Bible says the rod of correction will drive all that 24:48 disobedience far from them. 24:51 Not only that... unthankful. Go back to the slide. 25:26 The only assurance we have in these last days 25:29 I would say is unwavering faith in Jesus. 25:34 You've got to look at the signs; you can't ignore the signs. 25:37 The signs are as thick around us... As God's messenger says 25:41 "they are everywhere. " All you've got to do is open 25:44 your eyes. And based on the signs I know that 25:47 Jesus is soon to come. 25:49 That's sign number one, but look at sign number two. 25:56 In Luke chapter 17 beginning with verse 28 25:59 notice what the Bible says to us in these last days. 26:03 It says: 26:30 I don't want to be a bearer of bad news, but I want to say 26:32 based on what I see another destruction is coming. 26:35 Can I... can I talk tonight? 26:38 Can I be clear? Yes. 26:41 The human heart has been immoral since the fall of man 26:45 BUT we live in a world today that exalts sexual depravity. 26:51 Can I be clear tonight? 26:53 One of the signs that we are living in the time of the end 26:55 is modern society applauds things that animals 27:01 that we call dumb won't do. 27:05 You told me to be clear... I'm going to be clear. 27:08 Luke 17 verse 30 talks about this condition. Says: 27:18 I had to get this text amplified, and I began to do 27:21 some research to find out how this applies... 27:24 how the church has been affected in the last days 27:26 by the condition of the city that Lot lived in, 27:29 the city of Sodom. We are living not in a city of Sodom 27:33 we are living in a WORLD of Sodom. 27:35 And it's becoming increasingly illegal to speak against it. 27:39 I told my good friend John Dinzey - who's the head of 27:42 3ABN Latino - I said to him one day at fellowship luncheon 27:45 I said: "Now John, you want to share a jail cell with me? " 27:52 And he looked and said: "Huh? " 27:55 "What do you mean? " And I said: "When it becomes illegal 27:59 to preach the truth I'm still going to preach the truth. " 28:05 I guess you don't want me to do that. 28:07 Because it's illegal in some countries to speak against 28:12 immorality. It's illegal in some places that are getting 28:15 very close to us to speak against all these sexual 28:20 immoralities that are beginning to wrap our globe 28:23 in a dark curtain of the last days. 28:26 But I was not aware of how much the church has been affected 28:29 by it. Listen to this: 28:31 In the United States the Evangelical Lutheran church 28:36 and the Episcopal church have both approved rules 28:40 to ordain openly gay and lesbian clergy. 28:47 Is that an oxymoron? 28:52 That's just the beginning. 28:53 In 2009 the Evangelical Lutheran church in America 28:59 decided as of 2009 to accept gay clergy 29:03 in sexually-active monogamous relationships. 29:08 So in other words, if a man is with a man 29:10 as long as he's just with one man it's OK. 29:13 That's what they may say, but that's not in God's Word. 29:15 Can I get an amen somewhere? Amen! 29:20 In 2011, that same church in Canada 29:26 decided to accept gay clergy in sexually-active monogamous 29:30 relationships. And right now 29:33 somebody told me they were listening to 3ABN in Canada. 29:36 They said: "Good thing we could get it by airwaves 29:38 because you can't come to Canada and preach that message. 29:42 You'd get thrown in jail. " 29:45 I heard about one of our clergy out West 29:46 that lost his job because on a Sabbath morning 29:49 when he was preaching he made it clear from God's Word. 29:52 And you can't even preach in the pulpit. 29:55 You might get fired from your secular job. 29:58 But that's all right... our Lord will provide. 30:00 Come on say amen somebody. Amen! 30:03 But Paul the apostle makes the reason... makes it very clear 30:06 why this condition exists. But notice God's response 30:10 to those things that are exalted in the eyes of humanity. 30:14 Notice Romans 1:26-27. 30:17 Here are the words of God... here's what he says: 30:50 No matter how popular it gets 30:53 God does not approve it. What do you say? Amen. 30:56 But I made up my mind if rejecting the LGTB agenda 30:59 brings persecution, I'd rather be persecuted 31:02 by man than prosecuted by God. Come on somebody. Amen! 31:06 If speaking out against prevailing immorality brings 31:09 persecution, I'd rather be persecuted by man 31:14 than prosecuted by God. 31:16 If preaching the truth brings persecution, I'd rather be 31:19 persecuted by man than prosecuted by God. 31:23 And I want to make something very clear: I don't preach this 31:26 in a judgmental way 31:29 'cause I've got family members in the same category. 31:32 Somebody once said to me: "You don't understand. " 31:34 I said: "Oh, I understand what I'm preaching. " 31:36 I want to say tonight very clearly: "God loves homosexuals 31:41 but God does not like at all - at all - homosexuality. " 31:45 Come on somebody, help me out. Amen! 31:47 We've got to lift up our voice like a trumpet 31:50 and show the people their transgression 31:53 but show them Jesus is still the answer of deliverance 31:58 from any sin. Amen! The problem is in America 32:01 we've made this sin so unique for so long 32:04 that now it wants its own special category. 32:07 I've said: "Why don't we have special categories? 32:09 Why don't we have support groups in our churches 32:12 for people that drink alcohol? " 32:14 We've got those... they call them AA. 32:16 But we don't speak to those individuals and say: 32:19 "Just keep on drinking for the rest of your lives. " 32:22 We say: "There is deliverance from alcohol. " 32:24 Come on somebody, help me out. Amen. 32:26 So that nowadays it's not about deliverance, it's about... 32:29 it's about... it's about acceptance. 32:33 It's about: "Hear my story but leave me alone. " 32:37 We've got to preach against darkness but we've got to 32:40 hold up Jesus as the light and the answer for deliverance. 32:44 What do you say? Amen. 32:46 That's why I don't support traditional marriage. 32:48 I don't support it. 32:49 I do not support traditional marriage. 32:52 After 31 years of marriage I don't support traditional 32:55 marriage. Just don't cut off the TV until I'm done. 33:03 I support Biblical marriage. Come on help me out somebody. 33:07 Amen! Traditions change but God's Word never changes. 33:11 Amen! So when you start talking about traditional marriage 33:14 well the problem with our world is tradition. 33:17 "In vain, " the Bible says, "do they worship Me 33:19 by their tradition. " I don't do what I do 33:22 because it's traditional, 33:23 I do what I do because it's scriptural. 33:25 Can you say amen to that? Amen! 33:27 God never intended for sex to be between a man and a woman 33:32 either. Don't worry about it, 33:36 just keep your pacemaker going. 33:41 God never intended for sex to be just between a man 33:44 and a woman. God intended for sex to be 33:47 between a husband and a wife. Amen! 33:50 Hallelujah somebody? Hallelujah! 33:52 We've got this thing all mixed up. 33:54 We think: "Well she's a woman, I'm a man. That's OK. " 33:57 And the problem that nowadays is we have so embraced 34:00 this immoral world of sexual deviation that nowadays 34:05 people don't even talk about adultery any more. 34:08 It's like a normal sin. 34:11 This guy that spoke out on the L.A. Clippers - 34:14 Los Angeles Clippers - for this racial remark... 34:17 They ignored the fact that he was in an adulterous 34:19 relationship. They made more noise about his racial remark 34:24 than the life he was living. 34:27 That's what the problem is nowadays. So many people 34:30 living immorally... they just pick the thing they want to 34:32 amplify. But in God's Word you cannot pick and choose 34:35 what you amplify. God amplifies it all. 34:37 Can you say amen to that? Amen! 34:39 Which brings me to my third sign: 34:46 John chapter 3 verse 19. Notice what the Bible says 34:49 about this orchestrated degradation. The Bible says: 35:04 Now if we just turned the lights off in here for a brief moment, 35:07 don't do it, but if we turned the lights off 35:10 and this room was absolutely dark, 35:13 you couldn't see things right away. You know why? 35:15 Because your eyes take time to adjust to the darkness. 35:20 But the fact of the matter is the world has turned 35:22 the light of God's Word off for so long 35:25 that their eyes are now adjusted to the darkness. 35:31 Let me tell you something: don't let your eyes get adjusted 35:34 to the darkness. Come on somebody... help me out. 35:36 Amen! Because if you're in darkness long enough, 35:39 you start seeing things that ain't really there. 35:44 Am I right? This world is orchestrating it so that 35:48 our eyes can get adjusted to the darkness. 35:52 And when you speak against darkness nowadays, it's very 35:55 unpopular. I mean, look at some of these television preachers. 35:58 That's why I'm so glad that 3ABN is in the mix. 36:00 Come on, help me out somebody. Amen! 36:02 If you want to hear it like it is, you tune to this network. 36:04 The undiluted. It's too late to dilute anything! 36:08 But there are those nowadays that preach social... you know, 36:12 the social gospel and the prosperity gospel 36:15 and you know relationship gospel. 36:17 That's all well and good but if that's all you've got 36:20 that's not going to get you ready for the coming of the 36:22 Lord. Because you can preach in the Word of God 36:25 as the Bible said and we just read the text 36:26 ever learning... never able to come to the 36:29 knowledge of the truth. 36:31 You've got to tell the truth. Come on, you've got to tell 36:33 the truth, right? Amen! 36:35 But Hollywood's plan today is to get our eyes adjusted 36:39 to the darkness. Look at Isaiah 60 and verse 2. 36:41 The Bible talks about the condition of the last days. 36:43 Isaiah 60 and verse 2... notice what it says: 37:04 God wants sons and daughters that are willing to reflect 37:09 to the world the glory of God as revealed in His Word. 37:13 Can you say amen to that? Amen! 37:15 The glory of God. All you've got to do nowadays 37:18 to be unusual is don't put a tattoo on your skin. 37:25 Am I telling the truth? Yeah. 37:27 All you've got to do nowadays to be weird 37:28 is don't put a hole in your ear. 37:35 I feel bad... Sometimes I go to the mall I see those 37:37 parents pull their kids... a baby about 6 months old 37:40 shooting holes in the baby's ear. 37:42 And I'm thinkin' they ought to pass a law that you can't 37:44 do that till they're 18. Come on, help me out somebody. 37:47 Amen! At least ask me if I want one. 37:50 But nowadays to be normal seems abnormal! 37:56 When people meet you they say: "What kind of tattoo you got? " 37:58 The only tattoo I've got is BA - I'm born again. 38:00 Come on, help me out. Amen! 38:02 The blood of Jesus has been applied to my life. 38:04 That's the only tattoo I have. 38:06 But I'm going to get a tattoo in eternity 'cause God's going to 38:08 write His name on my forehead. Amen! 38:12 Not literally... but He knows those who are His. 38:16 We don't need to follow the world. 38:18 We follow the world so much. 38:20 The church has been impacted so much by the world 38:25 that when you speak up against it... I always get 38:29 people sometimes after my sermons and come up and say 38:31 to me: "Pastor John, I didn't like what you said. " 38:33 But I say like my favorite preacher, Pastor C.D. Brooks, 38:36 he says: "It's strange that sun could harden clay 38:40 and melt butter at the same time. " 38:44 It ain't the sun that's the problem... it's the condition 38:47 of your life. That's why today God is calling us to be 38:52 children of the light in a generation of darkness. 38:55 All God wants is to have the world reflect 39:00 who He really is because this world has so misrepresented 39:05 Jesus 39:10 that God wants His children to turn the light back on. 39:13 Can you say amen, somebody? Amen! 39:15 That's why nowadays I'm preaching from an iPad. 39:18 But I want to tell you something: we've got to control 39:20 our devices and do not allow our devices to control us. 39:23 Amen! 39:25 I've seen some young people nowadays... 39:26 I saw a picture of nine young ladies standing together 39:28 in a group and they put a caption over their heads: 39:31 Social Media. All 9 of them were oblivious of each other 39:36 'cause their heads were straight down. 39:39 As a matter of fact I had two young ladies 39:40 sit on my couch one day in my office, and they were talking 39:42 to each other and one turned to the other and said: 39:44 "Did you get that? " 39:46 I said: "Get what? " She said: "I just sent you a text. " 39:50 Wouldn't it be a lot easier just to turn around and talk 39:52 to somebody? Amen nowadays? Amen! 39:55 I mean, our devices are controlling us. 39:58 And I put this in here - I'm going to say it - 40:00 some smart phones are turning us into dumb Christians. 40:02 Come on say amen. Amen! 40:04 You'd better be smarter than your device. 40:08 Nowadays all you've got to do is get your kid a computer, 40:12 a cell phone, an iPad, and their own Internet connection 40:16 and you won't see them for months and they'll be just fine 40:18 about that. Come on parents, can I get a witness somewhere? 40:21 Amen. But nowadays all you've got to do is take away 40:24 their cell phone. You know what they say right away? 40:26 "I'm bored. " But the problem with that is 40:30 they are so caught up by their devices that they cannot 40:33 spend a thoughtful hour studying God's Word 40:37 because things come so fast nowadays in nanoseconds and 40:39 milliseconds. But God's Word is not that way. 40:42 You've got to spend a thoughtful hour or half an hour. 40:45 You've got to dig into this treasurehouse of values 40:50 in order to find something that's lasting. 40:54 Nowadays if it can't come quickly in a nanosecond... 40:57 I've got all kinds of Bibles on my iPad, but I want to tell 40:59 you nothing replaces turning the pages of God's Word. 41:02 Can I get a witness, old folks? Amen. 41:05 As a matter of fact, I always say: "If your Bible is falling 41:07 apart it belongs to someone who is not. " 41:14 You also have to decide... You've got to really by God's 41:17 leading carefully decide what real entertainment is. 41:22 You've got to decide about your entertainment with 41:24 eternity in view. And one of the reason why Satan is creating 41:27 all these devices... I got a call from DISH Network 41:30 not too long ago. And they said: "Can we upgrade your 41:35 digital recorder? " I said: "To what? " 41:36 They said: "To the Sling. " 41:38 I said: "What's the difference? " 41:39 They said: "You'll be able to watch television 41:41 no matter where you go. " 41:42 I said: "Well how is that? " They said: "Well if you get the 41:44 Sling you can watch on your cell phone. 41:47 You could be on the plane, you could be in the bus, 41:50 you could be driving. You could watch anything you want 41:52 24 hours a day. " 41:54 Now I don't know if you don't see a demonic plan in that. 41:58 See, Satan is trying to give us 24 hour access to entertainment 42:02 because God has already given us 24 hour access to His Word. 42:05 Help me out somebody. Amen! 42:06 You've got to decide which one is going to make it into the 42:08 kingdom. Sling... 42:14 So I decided no, I don't need a Sling. 42:18 I need to get some quiet time with the Word of God. 42:20 Come on, help me out somebody. I don't need a Sling. 42:23 David had a sling. I don't have a sling. 42:25 I don't need a sling. 42:29 As I was putting this together God gave me this text: 42:33 Psalm 101 verse 3. Listen to this... 42:35 This is definitely a last-day text. Here it is,,, 42:38 David the prophet says or David the patriarch says: 42:52 You've got to decide even what you watch 42:54 because by beholding... come on, say it together... 42:57 we become... changed. we become at least impressed! 43:04 But you look long enough you become changed. 43:08 That's why there are certain shows coming on television. 43:11 This takes me to sign number 4. I only have one more sign. 43:14 But this takes me to sign number four. 43:16 One of the other unobvious signs of the last days is: 43:23 Now Pastor Bradshaw talked about wars and rumors of wars, 43:27 nations rising against nation. 43:29 But rejection of truth... consider this: 43:31 this is the generation that supports its doctrinal beliefs 43:36 based on a movie. 43:38 Think about that for a moment. 43:40 They began way back in the 50's when Charlton Heston came out 43:44 with The Ten Commandments. Everybody thought that that was 43:46 the accurate Biblical account of the Ten Commandments 43:49 It's nice... it's entertaining, but you cannot formulate 43:51 what the Bible teaches based on a movie. Help me out somebody. 43:55 Amen. You've got to know for yourself. 43:58 They made it look like Moses had an affair with the Pharaoh. 44:02 With the Pharaoh's wife... you know, in the movie 44:06 Ten Commandments. Oh, she loved Moses. 44:08 They made it look like he had some kind of secret crush 44:10 on Pharaoh's... That's not in the Bible. 44:13 A distortion of the character of Moses. 44:16 But that's how it began. 44:17 Then even in the movie Passion... 44:19 I was down in Nashville when they showed the movie 44:21 The Passion to all of about 6,000 pastors 44:24 that were down there - people from media and all these 44:26 various groups - they showed The Passion. 44:28 And they said that Jesus was so violently beaten 44:31 that people had walked away with the idea that the reason why 44:34 that Jesus died is because He was beaten to death. 44:38 That's not why He died. He died because of our sin. 44:40 Come on somebody, say amen. Amen! 44:42 You can say they beat Him to death to take the guilt away 44:45 from our sin, but the Bible says: "By His stripes 44:48 we are healed. " But people look at these movies 44:51 and decide: "Well the reason why Jesus died: 44:53 He was beaten to death. " 44:54 That's not scriptural... that's not sound. 44:57 We've got to make our decision about what is true based on 45:00 what God's Word says. 45:02 Not only that, this recent movie called Noah. 45:04 I won't go to see it. Come on, help me out somebody. 45:07 Amen. I ain't goin' to see it. 45:09 I got a phone call from somebody that went to see it. 45:11 They said: "It's 5% truth and 95% lie. " 45:14 Made it look like Noah barely made it in the ark. 45:17 Made it look like Noah had a battle with some antediluvian 45:20 warriors or something like that. 45:22 I don't even know. I'm not going to go and see it. 45:24 I haven't seen it. Come on, help me out somebody. 45:26 Amen. You cannot base what you believe on a movie. 45:32 But it gets even deeper than that. Some people don't 45:33 go to the movies so the devil is bringing it to a TV near you. 45:38 Now ABC has a show called The Resurrection. 45:41 I don't even want to ask 'cause I ain't watching it. 45:45 'Cause I know about the real resurrection. Come on, somebody. 45:47 Amen! It's going to happen at the first trumpet. 45:51 People ain't coming back to your house. 45:52 If somebody rings your doorbell that looks like somebody that 45:55 died, you better keep the door closed 45:57 and get on your knees. Help me out. Amen! 46:02 'Cause the Bible says: "He shall not return to his house 46:05 and his place shall know him no more. " Job chapter 14. 46:08 He ain't coming back, but the devil now... 46:10 Because you know for so long I've been preaching it 46:13 and I think the devil's listening to my sermons because 46:15 for so long I've said - and I have a series - 46:17 I said: "For so long nobody's talking about 46:20 the resurrection. " I've been saying this a couple years now 46:22 on my A Sharper Focus Wednesday nights. 46:25 Nobody's talking about the resurrection. 46:27 The devil said: "OK, I'll talk about the resurrection. " 46:30 So now he's got this fictitious show where after 31 years 46:33 the little boy shows up at the front door of his father. 46:35 Said: "We found your son. " 46:37 I saw the commercial... I ain't watching the show. 46:41 And I said: "Lord have mercy. The devil's talking about the 46:43 resurrection... a fictitious representation 46:46 of the resurrection. " 46:47 They ain't coming out until Jesus gets back. Amen! 46:52 And I can tell you the movie producers are probably coming 46:54 out in the second resurrection. 46:58 But the devil's not done yet because we're talking about 47:00 heaven and he has this new title called "Heaven Is For Real. " 47:05 And it is for real, but I want to tell you 47:07 no little boy went to heaven and just came back. 47:09 Come on, help me out somebody. Amen! 47:11 And that's how the devil does. He uses these little innocent 47:12 faces like: "Oh, he can't be telling a lie. " 47:15 Well he may not be telling a lie 47:17 but he's under some serious deception. 47:20 'Cause here's the point: it's getting to the place 47:23 where we're going to argue with people toe to toe because 47:25 they're going to say: "This is my experience. " 47:28 And I'm going to say: "But this is what the Word of God says. " 47:31 Amen. That's where it's headed. 47:33 It's going to be experience based on God's Word. 47:37 When the devil comes it's going to be: "What do you see 47:40 based on what God's Word says? " 47:43 Because the world is getting ready for the great deception 47:48 of all time... the appearing of Satan. 47:51 So he's laying the foundation. 47:53 And so all these things that are molding the minds and shaping 47:56 people to believe whatever God's Word doesn't say 47:59 are going to accept with open arms when Satan shows up 48:02 and looks like Christ. 48:05 Jesus said: "Don't go out" then so I ain't goin' out now. 48:08 Come on, help me out somebody. Amen! 48:10 II Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 10 48:12 describes the conditions: 48:28 You don't want the truth? The devil will give you a lie. 48:32 As a matter of fact, it's not possible to say "I love Jesus" 48:34 and reject the truth because Jesus and the truth 48:37 are inseparable. 48:39 But the devil knows that our only safeguard 48:42 is to understand what the Word of God says. 48:46 And so he seeks on a daily basis, 48:48 he seeks on a weekly basis, 48:50 he seeks on a Sabbath-to-Sabbath basis 48:53 to separate many of us from our Bibles. 48:56 That's why as Seventh-day Adventists when you go back home 48:58 if you're a Christian at all, if you're watching this program 49:00 tonight, next time you go to church you'd better have your 49:03 sword with you. Help me out somebody. Amen! 49:05 'Cause you can have on a perfectly good uniform 49:07 but you go out there on the fields of Iraq or Afghanistan 49:10 with a pretty uniform and say "Boo! " 49:12 See what happens. 49:17 The devil don't care about your uniform. 49:19 He don't care about your denomination either. 49:20 Help me out somebody. Amen! 49:22 He don't care about what you claim to be. 49:24 He don't care about what you think you believe. 49:26 You'd better know what you believe 49:27 'cause if Jesus needed "It is written" to defeat the devil 49:31 in His time of trial, do we need "It is written" today? 49:34 Amen! Yes we do. 49:36 That's why the Lord is not looking for worshipers. 49:38 He's looking for true worshipers. 49:39 Anybody can worship, but God is looking for true worshipers. 49:44 Notice John chapter 4 verse 23 and 24. 49:46 Notice what the Bible says: 50:05 Satan has a substitute for everything God has a truth for. 50:08 Think about it. 50:10 Sabbath... Sunday. Second coming... secret rapture. 50:14 Death as the end of life... death as an alternate route 50:17 to heaven. 50:18 Only the righteous go to heaven... 50:20 everyone goes to heaven. Have you noticed that? 50:22 Everybody that dies goes to heaven. 50:24 "Where is he? " "In a better place. " 50:28 I'm going to tell you in New York City the cemetery 50:30 is a better place. 50:33 If you want to be safe, sleep in a cemetery in a big city. 50:36 Ain't nobody going to mess with you. 50:40 On one side destruction in hell; 50:43 on the other side eternal torment. 50:45 The truth: the resurrection is at the second coming of Christ. 50:48 But the devil is teaching the resurrection happens now. 50:51 Sin on one side but alternate lifestyle in the devil's camp. 50:55 Marriage with Adam and Eve on God's side... 50:58 marriage with Adam and Steve on Satan's side. 51:01 I'm not even making light of that. 51:03 Immortality on God's side... 51:08 immorality on the devil's side. 51:11 And if you look at the two words 51:12 the only thing that's the difference is the cross. 51:18 So Paul makes it clear in II Thessalonians 2:3. 51:21 "Let no one deceive you by any means, for that day 51:24 will not come unless the falling away comes first 51:26 and the man of sin is revealed, 51:28 the son of perdition. " 51:29 Countless Christians are affected by error! 51:33 But I've got some good news. 51:35 John 10:16 Jesus said: 51:47 What do you say? Amen! 51:49 God's got folk in every denomination. 51:51 That's why we've got to tell the truth. 51:53 If I gave you the wrong directions, you'd be upset. 51:56 But nowadays people can lie from the Bible and it's acceptable. 52:01 If I gave you the wrong amount from your check when you came 52:04 to the bank to cash it, you'd be upset, wouldn't you? 52:06 If I cheated you by 5 cents you'll come back to the bank. 52:09 But people nowadays are lied and go back to church 52:12 every week to hear another lie. 52:14 That's why Tony Palmer recently said... 52:16 told a conference of pastors that doctrines don't matter. 52:19 He said: "God will sort out our beliefs when we get to heaven. " 52:23 Which brings me to my last viewpoint, 52:26 Sign number five... the very last one. 52:28 And I'll get this done. I've got five minutes 52:30 but I'm a New Yorker. 52:36 You see, the modern call to return to Rome began 52:39 in 1980. Notice this article. 52:40 New York Post, December 17, 1980: 52:43 "Pope to Jews and Protestants: 52:47 time to heal the scars. " Look at that article. 52:57 That started in 1980. 52:58 So what you're hearing nowadays is the ending of that. 53:02 When Tony Palmer came to Kenneth Copeland and he talked 53:05 to a whole lot of Protestant leaders, 53:07 a whole lot of evangelical leaders, he said: 53:10 "The protest is over. And if the protest is over, " 53:14 he said, "why are you still protesting? " 53:16 You know why? Because it ain't over. 53:18 Come on, help me out somebody. Amen! 53:19 He talked about only one thing that Martin Luther 53:22 did not accept but there are 94 others. 53:26 Protest ain't over because Martin Luther does not fully 53:30 speak in my behalf. 53:32 God's Word speaks in my behalf. Can you say amen, church? 53:36 Revelation 13:14 tells us about what's happening. 53:39 Revelation 13 verse 14... notice the Bible. 53:42 The Bible says: 53:55 Rome was wounded in 1798 AD. 53:57 It has been healed, and all the world is being called back 54:01 under the umbrella of Rome. Wake up! 54:05 One of the unobvious signs of the last days. 54:07 But look at my last quotation for the night: 54:09 Testimonies volume 5 page 451. 54:12 Notice what God's reliable messenger... And I know 54:16 by this statement that she was anointed by God. 54:20 Look at what it says: 55:10 We are living in the time of the end. 55:12 Say amen somebody. Amen! 55:14 If you ignore all the earth- quakes which were simply 55:17 the beginning of sorrow, don't ignore what's happening in Rome. 55:20 Don't ignore what's happening in the evangelical world. 55:23 Don't ignore what's happening with the busy itinerary 55:25 of popes: Pope John Paul, Pope Benedict, Pope Francis 55:29 are sealing this thing up. 55:31 And Protestants are now reaching their hands, 55:34 Protestants are no longer protesting... they are embracing 55:38 the fourth beast of Daniel chapter 7. 55:42 That's what I said. 55:44 God is saying: "By these things we know that the end is near. " 55:47 My challenge tonight is this: in this hour of descending 55:50 darkness it is time to get back to the light of God's Word. 55:54 What do you say tonight? Amen! 55:55 In this hour of moral corruption 55:57 it's time to get back to holiness. 56:00 In this hour of rejection of truth, it is time 56:04 to get back to the Word of God. 56:07 In this hour of invitation to go back to Rome 56:10 it's time to get back to Jesus. What do you say? 56:12 If you aren't praying for those folks who left the church, 56:15 I'm praying that some Adventists that read the Great Controversy 56:18 will remember what they read 56:20 and see what's happening around them. 56:22 And get back in their car and find an Adventist church 56:25 somewhere nearby. What do you say? Amen! 56:27 And then those who don't know this message 56:29 will see it, will read about it, 56:32 will know that it's truth and find a safe harbor 56:36 and a safe haven in and among the remnant church of God. 56:40 What do you say? Amen. 56:42 Finally my brothers and sisters, in this hour of complacency 56:46 it is time to get ready for Jesus to come. 56:52 You see, the signs are thick... they're all around us. 56:55 The signs are being fulfilled in rapid succession, 56:59 and I believe tonight that the final movements 57:02 will be rapid ones. What do you say? Amen! 57:04 They're happening... Don't fall asleep! 57:06 Pay attention to the signs. Don't dismiss them. 57:09 Pay attention to the signs. As you drive 57:12 pay attention to the signs. As you read God's Word 57:15 pay attention to the signs. For God's Word says, 57:18 and I end with this statement: 57:19 "When you see all these things 57:23 know that it is near... 57:26 even at the door. " 57:29 Let us pray. |
Revised 2022-03-23