Participants: David Shin
Series Code: 14SCM
Program Code: 14SCM000012S
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00:38 Hello and welcome to 3ABN's Spring Camp Meeting!
00:41 And as you heard, we are talking about the second coming: 00:44 an in-depth look. 00:46 Are you ready for the second coming of Jesus Christ? 00:48 Amen! Amen! Amen! We have 00:50 wonderful folks that have joined us from different parts 00:53 of the United States. Anyone come from outside 00:56 the United States here? Anyone? Yes, we see a hand. 01:00 Maybe a couple... several! Praise the Lord! 01:03 We are glad that you're here and we are glad that all of you 01:05 are joining us throughout the world 01:07 as we hear messages from God's Word 01:10 that are going to help us prepare for the soon return 01:13 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 01:16 During this hour we will have a message from God's Word 01:19 with Pastor David Shin. 01:22 Pastor David Shin is happily married to his wife Tennille 01:25 and he has a Master's Degree in Historical Theology. 01:30 His passion is to bring God's Word to millions of people... 01:36 especially the young people at the university level. 01:39 And God has used him in a mighty way in times past 01:42 and we know that through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit 01:45 He will use him again during this hour. Amen? Amen. Amen. 01:49 We are blessed to have Pastor C.A. Murray with us 01:53 during this hour. He will be sharing a song, 01:56 a hymn, that will carry us to the throne of grace 02:00 and bring our thoughts, prepare our thoughts for the message. 02:03 The message in the song is Do You Love God? 02:07 Do You Love God? How many would say amen to that? 02:10 Amen! Amen. I hope those at home can also say the same. 02:14 The message is a message that should help us wake up 02:19 and realize that the end is soon to come. 02:23 It is entitled The Close of Probation. 02:27 The Close of Probation. 02:29 Some people perhaps are not acquainted with this topic 02:32 so we hope that you have your Bible with you 02:34 and something to write with because there is a definite 02:38 time when probation will what? Close. Close. 02:43 And everyone at that moment should have his decision made, 02:47 her decision made, as to who they want to 02:51 make their life with. 02:55 Either eternal life or eternal death. 02:59 There are only two choices: eternal life or eternal death 03:03 because the Bible says the wages of sin is? Death. 03:06 But the gift of God is what? Eternal life. 03:09 And so I'm happy that I'm among people 03:11 that are hoping for that eternal life. Amen? Amen. Amen. 03:15 Before we begin, we'd like to invite you to pray. 03:18 If you will please stand. Before we have the message in song 03:23 we will pray. Then after Pastor C.A. Murray 03:26 brings us to God's throne of grace we will hear 03:30 the voice of Pastor David Shin in the message for this moment. 03:34 Let us pray together. Our loving heavenly Father, 03:39 how grateful we are, Lord, for the holy scriptures 03:42 that are able to make us wise unto salvation. 03:45 We thank you, Lord, that we can approach Your throne of grace 03:49 with confidence to know that You will listen, 03:53 to know that You will hear, and to know that You will bless us 03:58 according to our needs. 04:01 Father, we approach Your throne of grace 04:03 in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 04:06 and we pray, Lord, that You will bless Pastor David Shin 04:11 with the Holy Spirit. 04:13 That You will use him once again to lead our thoughts 04:16 and help us understand the holy scriptures. 04:21 And help us to understand that the time will come 04:24 when probation will close. 04:27 And we ask You, Lord, to help us to be drawn closer to You 04:33 and to understand that Your love is beyond our comprehension 04:37 and that in You we can have security, 04:41 salvation, and hope through Jesus Christ. 04:44 We thank you, Lord, for this opportunity 04:47 and we ask You for these blessings in Jesus' holy and 04:50 blessed name, Amen, amen. 04:53 You may be seated. We leave you with Pastor C.A. Murray. 04:56 God's blessings upon you. 04:59 The Bible asks us for self-examination. 05:02 A very simple song. It asks the question: Do You Love God? 05:05 If you love God, how much do you love God? 05:08 And if you say you love Him a lot, 05:09 what are you prepared to do about it? 05:23 Do you love God more than anything? 05:29 Do you love God? 05:35 Do you love God more 05:40 than anything? Do you love God? 05:49 Love is all that He asks 05:54 in return 05:56 for all that He has given. 06:03 Love will be 06:06 the endless theme 06:09 through all the courts of heaven. 06:16 Do you love God more 06:19 than your car or home? 06:23 Do you love God? 06:28 And do you love God more 06:33 than all you own? 06:36 Do you love God? 06:42 Do you love God more 06:46 than your family? 06:49 Really really love Him? 06:53 If you do, just let the whole world know... 06:59 that's all He asks of you. 07:09 Do you love God more 07:13 than that car or home? 07:16 Do you love God? 07:22 And do you love God more 07:26 than all you own? 07:29 Do you love God? 07:34 Tell me... do you love God more 07:40 than your family? 07:42 Really, really, really, really love Him? 07:46 If you do, just let the whole world know 07:52 that you love the Lord. Come on... 07:56 let the whole world know... 07:58 let 'em know that you love the Lord. 08:02 Let the whole world know... 08:08 let the whole world know... 08:15 let the whole world know 08:22 that's all 08:25 He asks 08:30 of you. 08:43 Amen. 08:51 Amen. Praise the Lord for the words of that song. 08:54 Thank you, C.A. I'd like to invite you 08:57 to bow your heads with me as we pray today... 09:00 this morning for this message. 09:02 Our Father in heaven, we thank you for 09:05 this privilege and opportunity 09:08 that we have to study Your Word. 09:11 We thank you for the promise of the second coming: 09:15 that one day the sky will split open like a scroll 09:19 and Jesus will come in the clouds of glory to take us home. 09:24 We pray that You would help us to be prepared 09:27 for the second coming. Help us to be faithful, to share 09:32 the good news of the eminent soon return of Jesus Christ. 09:36 So bless us as we open Your Word this morning. 09:40 Speak to our hearts. Hide me behind the cross. 09:43 May Jesus be seen. For we ask these things in Jesus' name, 09:47 Amen. Amen. Amen. 09:50 Our topic today is entitled The Close of Probation. 09:55 And I want to invite you to turn with me in your Bibles 09:58 to Hebrews chapter 3 verses 7 and 8. 10:01 I want to look as we set the stage for the topic 10:05 of discussion here this morning 10:07 at the relationship between character and the close of 10:11 probation. Hebrews 3:7-8. 10:15 And while you're turning there I want us to define 10:18 the definition of what we mean by probation. 10:21 Probation comes from the Latin word probare 10:24 which means to test. And I want to read a definition 10:28 of the word probation. In the Biblical sense it means: 10:34 the general doctrine of religion that presents life 10:38 is a state of probation for the future one. 10:43 That this present life is in a temporary state 10:47 of probation for a future one. 10:50 This is another quotation from a Christian author. 10:53 It says: "Everywhere the scriptures teach that in time 10:57 and life man is on probation with the power to choose 11:02 eternal life or eternal death. " 11:06 So when we talk about the concept of probation 11:09 it is the notion that this life - this existence 11:14 that we have here on planet earth - is not our home. 11:17 It is a temporary state which determines our eternal state. 11:22 It is a temporary time in which we have the opportunity 11:26 to choose where we're going to spend eternity. 11:30 When we think of the term probation, many individuals 11:33 think of it in a negative sense. 11:36 You think of a probation officer and when you hear the term 11:40 "close of probation" there is an implication of 11:43 fear that is many times aroused in the human emotion. 11:47 But I'd like to propose here this morning 11:51 that when we talk about probation it is really grace. 11:56 Amen. Amen. 11:58 Because if it was not for Jesus Christ 12:01 and the plan of redemption 12:03 there would be no probation. 12:05 Are you following me here this morning? Yes or no? 12:08 So the very fact that we have probation is grace 12:11 because Jesus came. And because of Jesus 12:14 we have this time to determine where we are going to spend 12:20 eternity. Eternal existence or eternal non-existence? 12:25 This is a solemn thought: that this is not our permanent place. 12:29 That this life is to determine our choice for or against 12:35 eternal life. Now let's look in our Bibles 12:39 to Hebrews chapter 3 verses 7 and 8. 12:44 Here Paul is establishing the reality of our heavenly 12:48 High Priest and the reality of the heavenly sanctuary. 12:51 And Hebrews chapter 3 verses 7 and 8 he actually 12:55 quotes a Psalm. And it's repeated three times 12:59 in the book of Hebrews: "There- fore just as the Holy Spirit 13:05 says, today if you hear His voice do not harden your... " 13:11 What? Hearts. "do not harden your hearts 13:14 as they did when they provoked Me in the day of trial 13:18 in the wilderness. " Now skip down to 4 verse 15 13:21 and it says: "While it is said today 13:25 if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts 13:29 as when they provoked Me... " And let's go to 4 verse 7. 13:33 He again picks a certain day - today - saying through David: 13:38 "After so long a time just as has been said before 13:43 today if you hear His voice 13:46 do not harden your hearts. " 13:50 Here not one time, not two times, but three times 13:54 Paul quotes Psalm 95. And he says: "Today 13:59 if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts. " 14:04 How do we hear God's voice? 14:06 The Holy Spirit. Through God's Word. 14:09 Through conviction. These are the ways that God 14:12 speaks to our hearts. 14:13 And the implication of this passage is that if you put Him 14:17 off today you will hear Him less tomorrow. 14:22 That is what this passage is saying. 14:24 And it says: "Today if you hear His voice 14:27 do not harden your hearts. " 14:32 When we look at the word harden it means to become firm 14:38 or solid. To solidify. 14:41 To become set; to calcify. 14:46 To become inflexible or unchangeable 14:50 or to become cemented. 14:54 Now when you look at this passage, the passage does not 14:57 say that God hardens our hearts. 15:00 It says that WE harden our hearts. 15:04 Now when you look at the relationship between God and 15:07 ourselves and the transmission of truth 15:11 this passage is telling us that God is unchanging. 15:15 God is always calling. 15:18 God is always seeking to save. 15:20 God is always reaching out. 15:23 The issue is that if we do not respond today 15:28 God does not change... we change. 15:31 Is that tomorrow we will be in a different state of existence 15:36 because we did not respond today. 15:39 That's why the Bible says: "Today if you hear His voice 15:42 do not harden your hearts... " Because you will be a different 15:44 person tomorrow. That is what this passage is saying. 15:48 In regards to the notion of the close of probation 15:52 is the reality that God does not close probation on us; 15:56 we ultimately close it on ourselves. 16:00 Is that God closes probation on us when we through our own 16:03 choices and decisions have brought ourselves to a state 16:08 of solidified - of fixedness, 16:11 of a solid, cemented state - 16:13 so that we can no longer hear the voice of God. 16:16 This is what this passage is saying. 16:18 That's why today is so important... 16:21 because you will be a different person tomorrow. 16:25 I've seen this so many times in Bible studies 16:28 as I pastor at the University church. 16:30 I sit down with an individual and they are sold 16:34 on the Sabbath. They see it in scripture. 16:37 They say: "Pastor, it is so clear! 16:40 I need to keep the Sabbath, but... 16:43 I don't want to respond today. 16:46 Let me think about it a little more. " 16:48 And it's fascinating what happens. 16:50 I sit down with them the next week and they say: 16:54 "Pastor, I just don't see the Sabbath any more. " 16:58 What has happened? Has God changed? No! 17:02 Has the Word of God changed? No! 17:04 They have changed. Because they did not respond today 17:08 the next week they are in a different mental state. 17:12 They are in a different framework. 17:15 They are not able to decide what they were able to decide 17:18 the previous week because their hearts have become hardened. 17:23 The reality is that our choices every single day 17:27 in a moral sense are changing us spiritually. 17:33 You will never have a better opportunity to respond to the 17:37 Holy Spirit's conviction than today. 17:41 At the moment that you hear the Holy Spirit speaking to 17:45 your heart the Bible says respond. 17:48 Because just in the reality of not responding 17:52 you will be a different person tomorrow. 17:56 "Today if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts. " 18:02 I want to read this quotation from Review and Herald 18:05 November 2, 1886, Ellen White writes: 18:12 "If the voice of Jesus is not heeded at once... " 18:18 At what? "at once 18:21 it becomes confused in the mind with a multitude 18:27 of other voices. The world's care and business 18:32 engross the attention and the conviction dies away. " 18:37 What does it say? "the conviction dies away. " 18:41 Why? Because they did not respond at once. 18:44 "The heart becomes less impressible and lapses 18:50 into a perilous unconsciousness 18:54 of the shortness of time and of the great eternity beyond. " 19:00 So this is what happens. 19:02 God calls. We don't respond. 19:06 We become hardened. 19:09 God calls again. We don't respond. 19:13 We become hardened. 19:15 And through a lifestyle of choices, 19:19 through a lifestyle of not heeding the voice of God, 19:23 we become set. 19:27 We become fixed. 19:29 We become solidified. 19:33 This is a scary nature of our characters in relationship 19:37 to the close of probation is that ultimately 19:41 God closes probation on us when we, through our own decisions, 19:47 have closed it on ourselves 19:50 and have, through out choices and decisions 19:53 of not heeding the Holy Spirit, 19:56 have come to the place that even though God may be calling 20:01 we cannot hear His voice any more. 20:06 Some people ask: "I'm afraid I've committed the unpardonable 20:09 sin. " Well probably if you're asking that question 20:13 you haven't committed it because the person that is in 20:16 that solidified state just does not care any more. 20:20 They're apathetic to the Spirit's voice. 20:25 When we talk about the stages of character development 20:28 and the close of probation, the reality 20:31 is that our characters are like cement. 20:36 Now when I was in academy I worked with cement 20:40 when I went on a mission trip to Central America. 20:43 And the fascinating thing about cement is that there are 20:46 essentially two stages that you can divide cement into. 20:51 When you pour the cement there is that stage of cement 20:54 when it is still soft and pliable. 20:57 It is called the forming stage 20:59 for the sake of our illustration. 21:01 You can still form it. You can put it in forms 21:03 and then you can mold it to the direction that you desire. 21:07 So it's up to the individual to form the cement 21:11 during the forming stage. But during the process of time 21:15 as the cement starts to react with carbon dioxide 21:20 it starts to set. 21:23 It starts to solidify and after a certain stage 21:27 you can no longer form the cement because it has become 21:31 solid. It is impossible to form after a certain stage. 21:37 The same way with our own characters. 21:41 Our characters are really in two stages just like cement. 21:46 You have the forming stage: 21:49 the time that the character still can be impressed 21:53 and formed and shaped and molded. 21:58 Then you have the fixed stage. 22:03 The fixed stage is the stage 22:06 when you are so set in your ways. 22:10 Have you heard that term before? 22:12 The character has become so settled 22:16 through a lifestyle of decisions 22:18 that you are crafted in a certain direction 22:23 that it can no longer be formed any more. 22:27 That is the implication of this verse: 22:30 "Today if you hear His voice harden not your hearts. " 22:32 The implication is that one day through a series of decisions 22:36 you will arrive at a set stage 22:39 that you can no longer hear the Holy Spirit's voice. 22:42 This is the warning of this passage: 22:44 "Today if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts. " 22:50 Now I want to invite you to turn with me in your Bibles 22:53 to Revelation chapter 20 and verse 9. 22:55 This is after the millennium. 22:57 Revelation is the last book of the Bible. 22:59 Revelation chapter 20 and verse 9. 23:02 The wicked are raised. 23:04 The righteous are inside the city of the New Jerusalem. 23:07 Satan goes out to deceive the multitude 23:09 and they go to attack the city. 23:12 Now imagine for yourselves... 23:15 Maybe this is not a good thing to imagine, but imagine 23:17 for yourselves that you're outside of the city. 23:19 Now let's say that I am outside of the city. 23:21 I pray that I'm not... But if I arise on the outside 23:25 of the city and I see that I'm on the wrong side... 23:30 I look next to me... I see the devil. 23:33 I see other people that I know that I should not be 23:37 in their company. And then I look inside of the city 23:40 and I see Jesus and the righteous. 23:42 Automatically from this vantage point 23:45 living in 2014 I would hope and I would think 23:48 that in my own mind I would say: "Lord, I need more time. " 23:54 "I need more probation 23:56 because if I just had a little bit more time I would have 24:00 made the right decision and I would not be here. 24:02 You didn't give me enough time! " 24:04 That's what I would think I would say. 24:06 I get up on that resurrection day and I'm 1,000 years too late 24:10 and I get up and I say: "Oh no! Please give me more time. 24:14 I need more probation. " But notice what happens in 24:17 Revelation chapter 20 verse 9. 24:20 "And they came up on the broad plain of the earth 24:24 and surrounded the camp of the saints 24:27 and the beloved city. And fire came down 24:31 from heaven and devoured them. " 24:35 The reality is that the wicked that are outside of the city 24:39 are there trying to take the city. 24:43 They are trying to storm the city. 24:46 They are trying to capture the city 24:48 meaning that the characters have become fixed. 24:53 Meaning that even if probation were to be extended 24:59 the people will still choose to make the exact 25:03 same decision because the character has been set. 25:08 The character has been fixed. 25:11 The issue is no longer time or the duration of time. 25:15 The issue is that every decision that has been made 25:18 is the final answer and the final decision. 25:23 I want to read this statement from the book Great Controversy 25:27 663. 25:30 Ellen White comments on this. 25:33 Talking about at the end of the millennium. 25:37 It says: "They are to have no new probation 25:42 in which to remedy the defects of their past lives. " 25:48 Now listen to this next sentence: 25:51 "Nothing would be gained by this. " 25:55 How much? Nothing. 25:57 "A lifetime of transgressions 26:00 have not softened their hearts. " 26:03 Now notice the language here. 26:05 "A lifetime of transgression has not softened their hearts. 26:08 A second probation were it given them 26:14 would be occupied as was the first: 26:17 evading the requirements of God and exciting rebellion 26:23 against Him. " The implication is that at the millennium 26:28 when the dead are resurrected, the wicked are resurrected, 26:31 is that they - even if they were given a million years 26:35 or a billion years - they would still make the same 26:39 exact decision. That is the implication of what is happening 26:44 here at the end of the millennium. 26:47 Now I want to invite you to turn with me to 26:49 Revelation chapter 22 and verse 11. 26:51 And here we have a familiar passage where Jesus 26:56 stands up and makes the final proclamation 26:58 at the end of what we call the Investigative Judgment. 27:02 Revelation chapter 22 and verse 11. 27:06 It says: "Let the one who does wrong still do wrong. 27:11 And let the one who is filthy still be filthy. 27:16 Let the one who is righteous still practice righteousness 27:21 and the one who is holy still keep himself holy. " 27:27 This is talking about the character. 27:29 Notice that not only are the wicked are in a two-phase 27:35 or a two-stage of development when it comes to character - 27:39 the forming and the fixed - 27:40 but it's also the same for the righteous. 27:42 For the righteous it is in the same way. 27:44 We are forming our characters and there will be a time when 27:47 our characters have matured and become solidified 27:51 and become fixed. Here is a universal proclamation 27:55 of the close of probation in which every character 27:59 whether for good or for evil will be fixed. 28:05 Will be set. 28:07 Will be solidified. 28:10 Now I would venture to contend here this morning 28:15 that this proclamation by Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary 28:19 is not an arbitrary proclamation. 28:24 Rather it is a proclamation of the reality on planet earth 28:29 that every decision has been made, every character has been 28:34 matured, and Jesus then closes probation. 28:38 There is the forming stage and the fixing stage. 28:42 When we talk about the concept of our character, 28:46 character development - the forming and the fixing stage - 28:50 responds and interacts with the proclamation 28:56 or the knowledge of light. 28:59 The accelerant that takes us through the forming stage 29:04 and the fixing stage is in direct proportion 29:08 to the amount of light that you and I have been given. 29:13 Now that's a scary thought because we as SDA's 29:16 have been given a lot of light. 29:18 It's an accelerant because every time you're 29:21 presented with light and you respond to that light 29:24 you are forming your character 29:28 toward a trajectory of becoming fixed in character 29:33 through your own decisions and through your own response. 29:38 In the book of Revelation - Revelation chapter 18- 29:40 it says "the whole earth was lit with the glory of God. " 29:44 Meaning that in the end of time right before Jesus comes 29:48 planet earth will be given a revelation of light, 29:51 a revelation of Jesus Christ, that has never been given 29:55 in human history. That is a good thing! 29:57 That is a wonderful thing. 29:59 The world will see a witness of Jesus Christ as never before 30:02 in human history. But the problem with that 30:05 if I were to say that there is a problem 30:08 is that the proclamation of unprecedented light 30:13 means that the forming and the fixing of human character 30:18 is accelerated. Is what? Accelerated. 30:22 Remember Pharaoh's heart was hardened? Why was it hardened? 30:26 Because he had been given unprecedented evidence 30:30 of the power and the grandeur of God in the 10 plagues 30:36 so it accelerated his forming and fixing of character. 30:40 In the same way in the end of time 30:43 as the proclaiming of the witness of Jesus Christ is given 30:47 every character on planet earth 30:51 will be accelerated 30:54 from the forming to the fixing stage 30:58 to the maturation of character to the point 31:03 that Jesus says: "You're solidified. 31:08 Whatever through your choices and through your decisions 31:13 you are right now you will continue to be. " 31:19 It's a scary thought. 31:21 Scary thought when we think about the nature 31:25 of the close of probation. 31:28 Every character will be fully matured. 31:33 Then Christ will make the pronouncement: 31:37 "He that is just let him be just still. 31:41 He that is holy let him be holy still. 31:46 He that is filthy let him be filthy still. " 31:51 At this point I want us to transition a little bit 31:55 as we talk about the close of probation 31:58 and ask this fundamental question 32:02 as we talk about the forming and the fixing of character 32:05 and we're headed toward that trajectory, I believe 32:08 in the very near future when 32:10 Jesus will stop His intercession, 32:13 stop His work in the Investigative Judgment 32:16 and make that pronouncement... And right now every one of us 32:20 are in a trajectory toward one of those two areas. 32:24 Toward righteousness or unrighteousness. 32:28 And I want to ask this question: 32:30 why hasn't God closed probation? 32:37 What is Jesus waiting for? 32:42 We are here 2,000 years 32:47 after the cross, after arguably 32:53 the greatest revelation of God - I would say the greatest, 32:56 not even arguably - the greatest revelation of God 32:59 hanging upon the cross - "God is love" - 33:02 and yet Jesus has not come. Two thousand years! 33:06 We're not talking about a hundred years or 200 years. 33:09 We're talking about two millenniums after the cross 33:13 and we have to ask ourselves why. 33:16 Why are we still here? 33:19 Paul himself wrote in the New Testament 33:23 that the gospel had been preached to every creature 33:26 under heaven during his day. 33:29 How much longer will this go on? 33:32 Why hasn't Jesus come? And we don't have the time 33:36 here this morning to go through all the nuances of 33:39 the answer to this question because it relates to what 33:41 Christ is doing in the Investigative Judgment 33:44 in the heavenly sanctuary. 33:45 It also has to do with issues in the great controversy. 33:48 But I want us to look at one aspect of what heaven 33:52 is waiting for and why probation has not closed immediately 33:58 after the cross. And I want to invite you 34:00 to turn with me in the book of Revelation, Revelation chapter 6 34:03 and verse 14. Revelation chapter 6 and verse 14. 34:08 What is Jesus waiting for? Why hasn't He come? 34:12 Why are the doors of probation still open? 34:16 And why is Jesus still inter- ceding in the heavenly sanctuary 34:21 for us and has not said those final words: 34:24 "Let him that is filthy be filthy still. 34:26 Holy be holy still. " Revelation 6:14. 34:30 "Then the sky was split apart like a scroll when it was 34:33 rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of its 34:36 place. Then the kings of the earth and the great men 34:40 and the commanders and the rich and the strong 34:43 and every slave and every free man 34:45 hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains 34:49 and they said to the mountains and rocks: 34:52 'Fall on us and hide us from the presence 34:55 of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb 35:00 for the great day of His wrath has come 35:03 and who shall be able to stand? ' " 35:06 Judgment Day has come. 35:08 Jesus is coming, and there's a group of people 35:10 that are not ready for Jesus to come, and they're crying for 35:13 the mountains and the rocks to fall on them. 35:14 We could preach a whole sermon on this. 35:16 But I want you to notice the words that come out of their 35:19 mouths in verse 17. It says: "The great day of His wrath has 35:24 come... " And what is the last part of that? 35:26 "And who shall be able to stand? " 35:29 The question that arises in the mouths of the wicked 35:32 when Jesus is coming in the clouds of glory 35:34 "Hide us from the face of the Lamb... 35:36 Who shall be able to stand? " 35:40 The answer to this question is actually found in chapter 7. 35:44 Chapter 7 gives the answer of who will be able to stand 35:49 when Jesus comes. Chapter 7 verse 1: "After these things 35:54 I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth 35:57 holding back the four winds of the earth 35:59 so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea 36:01 or on any tree. And I saw another angel 36:04 ascending from the sun having the seal of the Living God. 36:08 And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels 36:12 to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea 36:15 saying: 'Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees 36:19 until we have sealed the servants of our God 36:23 on their... ' Where? 'on their foreheads. ' " 36:26 So this is what's happening. What's happening is that John 36:30 sees in the heavens there are four angels standing at the 36:32 four corners of the earth, and they're holding back 36:35 the four winds. Bible students tell us 36:39 and scholars believe that the 4 winds are the winds of strife. 36:43 These are the final judgments. 36:44 And when those four winds are let go, it brings into a 36:48 series of events that closes probation 36:51 and Jesus is soon to come. 36:53 But they are holding back these four winds. 36:56 Another - a fifth angel - arises out of the East 36:59 and he has in his hand the seal of the Living God. 37:02 And he cries out to the four angels and he says: "Look, 37:05 hold them back. Continue to hold them 37:08 until we have sealed the servants of our God 37:11 in their forehead. " The rest of chapter 7 37:13 talks about the 144,000. 37:16 We don't have time to get into that here this morning, 37:17 but the 144,000 is a group of people 37:21 that are alive when Jesus comes. They are translated 37:24 without seeing death just like Enoch was translated 37:27 without seeing death. 37:29 Now the important word that I want us to look at 37:32 in this passage is verse 3. 37:37 There's a very important word that I want us to highlight 37:40 here this morning. 37:42 "Saying: 'Do not harm the earth 37:46 or the sea or the trees... ' 37:48 What does your Bible say? 37:50 'till... ' Right? Or my Bible says: 'until 37:55 we have sealed the servants of our God 37:58 on their foreheads. ' " 38:01 The implication of this passage 38:04 is that God is not waiting for final events. 38:11 God is not waiting for more earthquakes, 38:15 for more tsunamis, for even what the beast power is doing. 38:21 The implication of this passage 38:24 is that God is waiting for His people. 38:28 That's what the verse is saying. 38:31 The verse is not saying 38:33 "You know, until church and state unite... " 38:36 Or "until national Sunday law... " 38:39 Or "until we have this beast power arising... " 38:43 The Bible is telling us in this passage 38:46 that God is holding back the four winds 38:49 until the servants of God are sealed on their foreheads. 38:53 God is waiting for His people! 38:56 That is what this passage is saying. 38:58 When we talk about the seal, in ancient times the seal was 39:02 a signature. After a document was written 39:06 many times the rulers or these individuals would have a seal 39:10 that they would impress onto the document 39:13 and it was the signature of the document. 39:16 In Revelation chapter 22 verse 9 it says: 39:18 "They shall see His face, and His name shall be 39:20 on their foreheads. " So you have the seal on the forehead. 39:23 You have the name on the forehead. 39:25 It's the exact same concept. 39:28 The exact same notion that we are talking about here 39:30 in Revelation chapter 7. 39:32 The seal IS the signature. 39:35 When we talk about a signature 39:38 most of the time when we write a letter 39:43 when do you sign your signature? Before you've finished it? 39:47 Or after you've finished it? 39:49 After, right? You never sign... 39:51 At least most of the time I don't... 39:53 It's very rare. I would say 99% of the time 39:57 or 100% of the time when I write a letter 39:59 after I have edited the letter, 40:01 after I have looked over the letter, 40:03 after I have completed the letter that is when I say: 40:06 "Look... I'm going to sign it now. 40:09 I can stand behind this document. " 40:13 After I have created the document I place my signature, 40:17 I place my seal, upon it. 40:20 In Genesis 2:2-3 the Bible tells us 40:23 "Then the earth and the heavens and all the host of them 40:26 were finished and on the seventh day 40:29 God ended His work which He had done. 40:32 And He rested on the seventh day 40:34 from all His work which He had done. 40:37 Then God blessed the seventh day 40:40 and sanctified it because in it He rested 40:43 from all His work which God had created and made. " 40:48 After God creates His masterpiece... 40:53 He takes the earth - which is without form and void - 40:57 and creates the beautiful creation 41:01 in six literal, contiguous, 24-hour days... 41:08 Can you say amen? Amen. 41:09 All right? So God creates the earth 41:11 from this without form and void in six literal days. 41:17 He's finished and He says: "This is VERY good. " 41:22 He places His signature upon it. 41:26 It is the Sabbath. That is the signature of creation. 41:31 That is His seal. After He has completed it 41:36 just like when you're writing a letter, after you've completed 41:38 the letter you place your signature upon it. 41:41 "I stand behind this. " In the same way 41:43 God creates the earth in six literal days 41:45 and places His signature upon it. 41:48 It is a sign of creation. 41:50 And in Ezekiel chapter 20 verse 12 it says: 41:52 "Also I gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between us 41:56 so that they might know that I the Lord make them holy. " 42:02 This is the reality is that when God took David Shin 42:08 from the depths of degradation and sin 42:13 and He builds me up. Not only does He forgive my past 42:16 but He gives me victory in the present 42:19 over my addictions, my habits, and re-creates in me 42:22 the image of God and the character of Jesus Christ. 42:25 And as He takes me through the process of sanctification 42:30 that at some point God can look down from heaven 42:33 and say: "I have re-created David Shin. " 42:39 Amen! Amen. "In My image 42:43 to reflect the character and the love of Jesus Christ. " 42:46 And when He has done this He places His signature upon me. 42:52 That is the reality of the gospel. 42:55 Friends, the gospel is not just cleansing our past 42:58 but victory in the present. The gospel is to take us back. 43:02 It is restoration of man back to the image of God. 43:07 That is the concept of salvation. That is the 43:11 concept of the Sabbath: it is a seal. 43:16 When a painter finishes his masterpiece... 43:20 Many times after he has completed it 43:24 what does he do? 43:26 He signs it. 43:29 God is the painter; we are the canvas; 43:35 and the painting is His character. 43:39 Let me say that again. God is the canvas... 43:42 God is the painter; 43:45 we are the canvas; 43:48 the painting is His character. 43:53 And the sealing process is allowing God 43:58 to make us like Jesus in character. 44:04 That is the sealing process, friends. 44:07 is that God is looking down from heaven for a group of people 44:10 that will allow Him to place His image, 44:14 His stamp, His character upon us. 44:18 That is what God is waiting for. 44:19 That is why God is holding back the winds of strife. 44:21 He says: "Hold them back till I can place My signature 44:24 upon them. But I can't place My signature upon them 44:27 until I have a group of people that will surrender their lives 44:30 to me to allow God to be the painter 44:33 to paint the character of Jesus upon us. Amen! 44:37 That is the reality of why probation is still not closed. 44:41 That is the reality of why Jesus has not come. 44:45 Because the character of love of Jesus 44:49 still has to be reproduced in you and me. 44:55 We are His creation, 44:58 and when we have matured and allowed Jesus to place 45:02 His image upon us, He's placed His signature, 45:06 His seal... the sign symbolized by the Sabbath. 45:12 I want to invite you to turn with me in your Bibles 45:14 to Matthew chapter 24 and verse 14. 45:17 Matthew 24:14. We know this; it's familiar. 45:22 Here Jesus is looking down toward the end of time. 45:25 He's giving the signs of the end, and in Matthew 24:14 45:29 this is the pronouncement by Jesus Christ 45:33 talking about the end. 45:37 Matthew 24:14. 45:40 "And this gospel of the kingdom 45:44 shall be preached in all the world 45:48 for a witness unto all nations 45:51 and... " What does your Bible say? 45:53 "and then shall the end come. " 45:58 The word then is very important. It is just like 46:01 the word until in Revelation chapter 7. 46:04 The Bible here is saying that the gospel of the kingdom 46:08 must be preached in all the world "and then shall 46:11 the end come. " This is the condition that must be fulfilled 46:15 for probation to close and for Jesus to come. 46:19 But when you look at this passage it says that the gospel 46:22 shall be preached in all the world for a... What? 46:26 For a witness. 46:28 Now the preaching of the gospel is not just the proclamation 46:32 of the gospel in words. 46:36 That is an important component, 46:38 but I would argue that the words do not mean a lot 46:44 unless it is coming from a character witness. 46:48 Isn't that right? Amen! The character speaks as much 46:52 or if not more than the words. 46:54 What makes the words so powerful is that it comes from 46:57 the character. Desire of Ages says "No man 47:00 spoke like Jesus spoke because no man lived like Jesus lived. " 47:04 So we must not come under the impression 47:08 that we just need to go out there preaching the gospel 47:10 and not live the gospel. 47:12 So when we talk about this witness it is not only the 47:15 preaching of the gospel in the words but in the life. Amen! 47:21 Which means that we must not only preach the words of Jesus; 47:25 we must have the character of Jesus. Amen. 47:28 So that just like the apostles they say: "These people are... 47:31 have been with Jesus. " 47:33 That was the power of the witness. 47:35 So what God is looking for in the end of time is not just 47:38 the preaching of the gospel in the words but in the life. 47:41 A group of people that have allowed Jesus to reproduce 47:45 His character in you and I. 47:48 The character of Jesus and the character of love. 47:52 Ministry of Healing 470 says this: 47:54 "The strongest argument in favor of the gospel 47:59 is a loving and loveable Christian. " 48:04 Let me read that again. 48:08 The strongest... the most powerful... 48:14 "The strongest argument in favor of the gospel 48:19 is a loving and loveable Christian. " 48:26 The character of Jesus Christ, 48:29 the character of love, being reproduced in you and me 48:35 by the Master Creator 48:38 is what God is waiting for. 48:42 That is the witness. 48:44 There is going to be a revelation of Jesus Christ 48:47 in the end of time unprecedented in human history. 48:51 There will be a group of people that will reflect 48:55 the character of love of Jesus as never before. 48:59 By the grace of God people will be able to say 49:02 "I see Jesus in you. " 49:06 "I see the character of Christ being reproduced in you. " 49:12 God is holding back the winds of strife. 49:16 God is holding back the close of probation 49:20 waiting for a people who allow Him to imprint 49:26 the character of Jesus upon you and me. 49:32 This is what heaven is waiting for. 49:35 This is what Jesus is waiting for. 49:38 He's waiting for individuals that will say: "Lord, 49:43 I surrender. I surrender to the process of justification, 49:49 sanctification, and by the grace of God ultimate glorification 49:55 by the grace of Jesus. " 49:58 I want to make this practical here this morning. 49:59 How do we become like Jesus? 50:02 How do we allow the painter to paint His masterpiece - 50:08 the character of Jesus - upon you and me? 50:10 In II Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18 50:13 I want to read this to you: "But we all with unveiled face 50:16 beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord 50:19 are being transformed... " 50:22 It's a process. It says: "Are being transformed 50:25 into the same image from glory to glory 50:29 just as by the Spirit of the Lord. " 50:33 This is a principle of character transformation. 50:36 It does not happen overnight. 50:38 Justification happens immediately. 50:40 The moment that you accept Jesus, ask for the forgiveness 50:43 of sin, it is done... it is immediate. 50:47 Sanctification is the process of a lifetime. 50:49 When we look at the process of character transformation 50:53 this is the principle: that by beholding you become changed. 50:57 By what you think about, what you meditate upon, 51:00 what you choose to listen to and to allow into your consciousness 51:05 is the thing that is changing you from one character 51:10 to another character. 51:12 And this is the reality: 51:14 that in the end of time there will be two master artists. 51:21 There will be two creations. 51:25 One will look like Jesus Christ 51:29 and the other would look like antichrist... 51:32 ultimately the devil. 51:34 And when we look at this process 51:36 we have to come to the recognition that there are also 51:40 two signatures. You have the seal of God - 51:44 those that are re-created in the image of God - 51:46 and you have the mark of the beast which is really the mark 51:50 of Satan... and that will be the signature. 51:54 Before Jesus comes a second time there will be a group of people 51:58 that will be like Jesus in character. 52:02 But there will be another group of people 52:05 that will be just like Satan in character. 52:10 This is a solemn thought, friends. 52:12 When we recognize that in the end of time there will be 52:15 the maturation of two types of character. 52:18 One that is like Jesus Christ and one that is like the devil 52:21 and antichrist. 52:23 They will have matured to a certain point 52:24 that God can say: "These are My people. " 52:26 He places His seal; He places His signature. 52:29 There's another group of people that will be just like the 52:32 antichrist and the devil and he'll say: 52:34 "These are my people. I'm going to mark them; 52:36 I'm going to place my signature upon them. " 52:38 And in the presence of these two characters 52:43 that have become pronounced and matured 52:45 in the end of time, in the context of the great controversy 52:50 before the universe every decision will be decided 52:53 and every character will be fixed. 52:57 And the process of forming and fixing of character 53:01 is this principle of beholding and becoming. 53:06 What you behold you will become. 53:10 I want to talk a little bit about the media before we close. 53:14 The things that are coming down the airwaves: 53:18 cable television, the Internet, 53:20 online, the movies, 53:24 Hollywood. I would say the vast majority of these things 53:30 are the programming of the devil - Amen! - 53:34 to prepare a group of people 53:38 that will become what they behold 53:42 and will form and become fixed 53:46 to reflect not the character of Jesus 53:49 but the character of the devil. 53:51 God has His operation as well. 53:55 I praise the Lord for 3ABN! 53:58 I praise the Lord for online resources 54:01 that we have access to and we have the proclamation 54:05 of the gospel going on as never before. 54:06 And this is why, friends, we need to be in our Bibles 54:09 as never before. Because the devil has the airwaves 54:13 so covered and there is a maturation happening right now 54:17 before our eyes... There is a group of people 54:20 becoming like the devil and there's a group of people 54:22 becoming like Jesus. And the question that I have for you 54:25 here this morning: which program are you in today? 54:30 Which track are you in? 54:32 You just have to ask yourself: where do I spend the majority 54:36 of my time? In the Word of God 54:38 or on the television? Or on the Internet? 54:41 Or at the movies? Just by default you are becoming 54:46 what you behold. And there will come through a series of events. 54:50 You think to yourself: "Oh, one day I'm going to change. " 54:52 "One day I'm going to... When I hear about the Sunday law 54:56 or when I hear about this I'm going to change. " 54:58 But by that time it will be too late 55:00 because through a series of decisions your character 55:03 has become set. It has become cemented. 55:07 It has become solidified. 55:09 Not that God has arbitrarily closed His probation upon us 55:13 but that we through our own decisions 55:17 have come to a place that we no longer hear the voice 55:20 of God. Which program are we in? 55:24 The programming to become like Jesus? 55:27 Or the programming to become like the devil? 55:32 In the end, every character will be fixed. 55:36 Every character will be set. 55:38 Every case will be decided. 55:44 "Keep your Bible with you... " Christian Education 582: 55:47 "As you have opportunity, read it. Fix the text in your memory. 55:52 Even while you're walking the streets you may read 55:54 a passage, meditate upon it and fixing it in the mind. " 55:58 Now is the time, friends, that we have the opportunity 56:02 to allow God to form our characters after the character 56:06 of Jesus Christ for "by beholding we become... " 56:10 Now is the time to spend time in the Word of God 56:15 as never before. Now is the time to get up early 56:20 in the morning to spend time with Jesus Christ 56:23 so that you do not become in the image of antichrist. 56:29 We are seeing a time of unprecedented light 56:32 and unprecedented evil. 56:35 And we must choose today who we will serve... 56:41 whether it be God or Satan. 56:45 And I want to appeal to you here this morning. 56:47 How many of you want to say: "Lord, by the grace of Jesus 56:51 help me to spend time in my morning devotions? " 56:56 Amen? Amen! You know, the spirit is willing but 56:58 the flesh is weak. Amen? But God can help us. 57:01 And by raising our hands we can say: "Lord, 57:04 work in me both to will and to do of Your good pleasure. " 57:07 Because now is the time. 57:08 "Today if you hear His voice 57:12 harden not your hearts. " 57:14 And the Holy Spirit is speaking to us, friends. 57:16 And by the grace of God it's my prayer here this morning 57:20 that when Jesus comes in the clouds of glory 57:24 that we will say: "This is our God; 57:27 we have waited for Him and He will save us. " Amen! |
Revised 2022-04-07