Participants: John Carter
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000025
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00:12 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth,
00:14 live from the Community Adventist Fellowship Church. 00:18 Present Truth with John Carter. 00:23 If you grew up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:26 and went to Sabbath school, there was a very simple song 00:28 that we use to sing back in Sabbath school called, 00:31 Into My Heart Lord Jesus. 00:33 Do you remember that song? 00:34 Sing that with me as we transition now 00:36 to our worship service. 00:37 Into my heart, into my heart, 00:46 come into my heart Lord Jesus. 00:56 Come in today, come in to stay, 01:07 come into my heart Lord Jesus. 01:19 Out of my heart, out of my heart, 01:28 shine out of my heart Lord Jesus. 01:39 Shine out today, shine out always, 01:50 shine out of my heart Lord Jesus. 02:00 Now just hum that, hum it sweetly. 02:03 humming 02:36 Come into my heart Lord Jesus. 02:49 I'm going to ask Pastor John Lomacang to lead us 02:53 to the throne of grace. 02:55 Shall we pray. 02:57 Our gracious Father in heaven, what a blessing is it to be 03:00 gathered together in the house of the Lord on this 03:04 blessed Sabbath morning. 03:07 Lord, it's not only another day, but it's a day that's been 03:10 hallowed and anchored as a sanctuary in time 03:15 to remind the people of God in every age that there is 03:18 a distinct and unmovable sign between God and His people. 03:24 And Lord, today we've come under the canopy of Your blessings, 03:28 we've come to receive a blessing today. 03:30 We've already been blessed by a wonderful Holy Spirit filled 03:35 message by Pastor Carter. 03:37 And we ask now that you'll fill him again as he 03:40 brings to us the message of Elijah, this last day message. 03:45 And the times in which we live, Lord, require us to be 03:48 truly praying that prayer; come into our hearts, 03:51 shine out of our hearts. 03:53 So we invite you once again, Lord, to fill us with 03:56 Your Spirit and prepare us for the food that You have 03:59 brought to us today to receive. 04:01 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 04:05 You know, it's a wonderful privilege to work 04:07 with Danny Shelton. 04:08 And I'm going to invite him to come at this time and 04:11 sing a song that he has written through the inspiration 04:15 of the Holy Spirit, All My Praise. 04:36 All my praise, I give You all my praise. 04:48 That's all I have to offer You. 04:59 I now build a sanctuary deep within my heart. 05:10 And all my praise I offer up to You. 05:23 I love You Lord, oh how I love You Lord. 05:34 I bear my heart and soul to You. 05:45 I'm and empty broken vessel 05:51 filled with hurt and pain inside. 05:56 Still I offer up all my praise to You. 06:08 Fill me Lord, oh please fill me Lord 06:20 with Your Holy Spirit. 06:25 Fill me now. 06:31 For I long for Your anointing 06:37 that I may work for You. 06:43 Fill me Lord, touch me Lord just now. 06:55 All my praise, I give You all my praise. 07:07 That's all I have to offer You. 07:17 I now build a sanctuary 07:24 deep within my heart. 07:29 And all my praise I offer up to You. 07:39 Oh and all my praise I offer up to You. 07:55 Thank You Lord, for saving my soul. 08:04 Thank You Lord, for making me whole. 08:14 Thank You Lord, for giving to me 08:25 Thy great salvation 08:30 so full and free. 08:53 The best part is I get to introduce Pastor John Carter 08:57 in his own church. 08:58 How about that. 08:59 Elder Carter, if you'll come on up. 09:01 I've said it before and I'll say it again. 09:04 In fact, I love saying it around the world. 09:07 That I know there are a lot of wonderful evangelists 09:10 and people who have great gifts, but Elder Carter 09:12 is at the top of the list. 09:13 I have been places in the world and I have seen 09:16 a lot of times, folks can draw a lot of people to begin with 09:19 because they have good marketing. 09:21 But four weeks later, there's very few people in the crowd. 09:24 When I've been with him, everywhere I've been, 09:26 the crowds grow. 09:27 And we give, of course, all the glory to God. 09:31 But He has given Elder John Carter an incredible gift. 09:35 And you've seen some of the footage and you've seen shots 09:38 and pictures of literally, as you said, 100,000 people 09:41 a night, not at the meeting, that many turned away. 09:45 And so, God has given you a gift and you've been able to 09:47 reach a lost and dying world. 09:49 And we here at 3ABN count it a privilege 09:51 to join with you. 09:54 Short takes are hard to get a word in. 09:58 I was going to say, at The Carter Report 10:01 we consider it a privilege and an honor and a blessing 10:05 to be associated with you and 3ABN. 10:08 We met back in the dark ages, sort of, back in 10:12 when was it, 1986. 10:16 And 3ABN had just gotten under way. 10:19 And how God has blessed. 10:21 And I want you folks to know something. 10:25 This man living in southern Illinois, which is really the 10:29 center of the United States of America in every way 10:33 if you put a line across it. 10:34 That's where the similarity sort of ends. 10:38 It's where the new earth, when heaven comes down 10:41 the new earth will be centered there. 10:43 This man got a vision from God to start a television network. 10:47 Everybody said it can't be done. 10:51 But this man had faith in God and he had a vision 10:54 as wide as the world. 10:56 And 3ABN now is literally reaching millions for Christ. 11:02 It is the one network that I personally know 11:07 that is preaching with courage the three angels messages. 11:11 And I say, glory be to God. 11:14 And it's our privilege to know you. 11:16 And we're going to go back to Russia next year, 11:20 twenty years since the great campaign in 1992. 11:24 By the grace of God. 11:25 God bless you. God bless you, Danny. 11:31 Danny is a special person. 11:33 And folks, he sings good, doesn't he. 11:39 You know, he's my kind of singer. 11:41 In fact, he's my kind of guy. 11:44 The topic today is, here it is; 11:47 When Elijah and Jezebel Ride Again. 11:53 Now I want you folks to listen up. 11:56 We're going to consider a prophecy for our times 11:59 about out times, that if rightly understood 12:02 would change the way the church does business. 12:07 And we are a part of the church. 12:10 So when we talk about the church, we're talking about us. 12:13 If we understood this prophecy, it would revolutionize the 12:17 way we think, live, and what we do. 12:21 This prophecy is a mystery to millions of Christians. 12:27 I weigh my words when I say, I don't think that there is 12:31 one person who professes to believe present truth, 12:38 who is a part of our worldwide church. 12:41 I don't think there's one person in a hundred 12:43 who understands this prophecy. 12:47 So if this is so, many of us here today in this church 12:51 at this moment, do not understand it. 12:54 A friend of mine in Sydney told me he was talking to some 12:58 influential church members. 13:00 Members for 50 years, a guiding force in the church. 13:05 They confessed they did not understand it. 13:10 Yet it describes the mission of the church in our own day. 13:14 This is a message that comes hot from the heart of God. 13:19 And I want to give today, a very special welcome 13:22 to the television audience around the world. 13:25 We love you, we thank you for joining us. 13:28 And an extraordinary welcome today to the 3ABN team 13:33 that have come to our church. 13:35 Beautiful wonderful people. 13:37 It restores your faith in the goodness of humanity. 13:41 So many good people led by Danny Shelton, 13:45 and my old friend, Danny Shelton, 13:47 and also Elder James Gilley who is not the President of 3ABN, 13:53 who is here today with his beautiful wife Camille. 13:56 So we extend to you today the warmest welcome. 13:59 And as we told you last night, we don't just love you, 14:02 we like you. 14:03 Would you come over here to the prophecy in 14:05 Malachi chapter 4 verses 5 and 6. 14:08 This is a Bible reading church and a Bible believing church, 14:12 dear hearts and gentle people. 14:14 Malachi chapter 4. 14:16 Hold up your Bibles please, in this church. 14:19 Hold them up high. 14:22 If you haven't got a Bible here in this church, 14:24 then I don't know what I'm going to say to you, 14:27 but I'll think of something. 14:28 Hold up your Bibles and say, this is my Bible. 14:32 Come on. 14:33 This is God's word. 14:35 God has a message for me today. 14:40 This message will make me a better person 14:45 and give me everlasting life. 14:48 I now open my heart 14:50 to receive God's word. 14:53 In Jesus' name, 14:55 in Jesus' name, 14:57 amen and amen. 14:58 And hallelujah, praise the Lord. 15:02 Malachi chapter 4. 15:04 Are we ready, folks? 15:05 Are you ready to go? 15:07 We don't want you to go, we want you to stay here. 15:09 Malachi 4:5-6 15:11 "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah," 15:15 the last book in the Old Testament, 15:17 "before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 15:20 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, 15:24 and the hearts of the children to their fathers; 15:26 or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." 15:32 The Bible tells me that before the great and dreadful day 15:36 of the Lord comes, the Bible tells me Elijah will return. 15:42 I'm going to write it up. 15:43 Elijah, the prophet of God, will return to this planet with a 15:53 message that comes hot from the heart of the God of creation. 16:00 And if you and I want to be in the right place 16:03 where God wants us to be, then today we need to 16:07 understand this message, because it's a matter 16:09 of life and death. 16:11 Please turn to every text. 16:13 1 Kings chapter 17 and verse 1 is the first passage. 16:18 1 Kings chapter 17 and verse 1. 16:21 It talks about the days of Elijah. 16:24 "Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, 16:30 'As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, whom I serve, 16:34 there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years 16:39 except at my word.'" 16:42 He confronted an apostate church leader. 16:46 Because Ahab was not only the king, he was the leader 16:52 of the church of Israel. 16:53 Who was Elijah? 16:55 Listen to these words. 16:57 Elijah was charismatic; the gifts of the Spirit, 17:02 controversial, plain spoken, non-conforming, courageous, 17:08 non-yielding, and independent spokesman for God. 17:12 These very words make modern religionists cringe 17:19 because they are so far from God. 17:23 He was a man sent from God. 17:26 But usually today, we do not want men sent from God. 17:30 We want whispering hopes. 17:34 We want church politicians. 17:39 But he was a man sent from God. 17:42 He was a reformer who demanded reformation in a corrupt church. 17:47 In today's parlance, he was politically and 17:51 religiously incorrect. 17:53 He was the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 17:58 "Prepare the way of the Lord." 18:01 Now come to 1 Kings chapter 16. 18:04 And if you've got an amen in there, let it out. 18:06 Because if you keep it inside, it's going to hurt you. 18:09 1 Kings chapter 16 and verse 29 and onwards. 18:14 It describes the times of Elijah. 18:20 Got it? 18:21 It says, "In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, 18:26 Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in 18:30 Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 18:33 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord 18:39 than any of those before him. 18:42 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of 18:45 Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel 18:50 daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve 18:55 Baal and worship him. 18:57 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal 19:00 that he built in Samaria. 19:02 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke 19:07 the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings 19:11 of Israel before him." 19:12 You say, he was a bad man. 19:14 He was, and he did bad things. 19:16 And the Bible says he provoked the Lord to anger. 19:22 In today's age, we do not like to talk about the 19:26 anger of the Lord. 19:29 But I want to tell you something. 19:31 The Lord's anger is going to be poured out upon those who 19:37 apostatize from the holy truth and lead God's people into sin. 19:46 Don't forget it. 19:48 He married a wicked woman. 19:52 Beautiful, seductive, persuasive, and unscrupulous; 19:56 Jezebel. 19:58 And as you read the story, it's obvious that she wore the pants. 20:03 Ahab was weak. 20:05 He did what his wife told him. 20:07 And he was a quintessential cry baby. 20:10 When he didn't get what he wanted, he home and turned 20:13 his face to the wall and cried until Jezebel came and said, 20:17 "What's wrong, honey? I'll get it for you." 20:21 Israel was in apostasy. 20:24 Look at chapter 14 verses 23 and 24. 20:29 "They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones, 20:34 and Asherah poles on every high hill and under 20:38 every spreading tree. 20:39 There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land." 20:44 And you can read on. 20:45 And chapter 21 and verse 25. 20:52 "There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself 20:56 to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, 20:58 urged on by Jezebel his wife." 21:02 If you've got a good wife, you ought to say, thank God. 21:06 But he had a wife who led him down to evil. 21:10 They were worshiping pagan gods. 21:12 We're talking here about Israel. 21:15 They were engaging in vile sexual practices. 21:18 Is anything new? 21:19 They were breaking God's commandments, 21:21 including God's holy Sabbath. 21:24 Jezebel had her own religion that persecuted and murdered 21:28 the preachers of God and the prophets of God. 21:31 We're not going to turn up the text. 21:33 But she was murdering the prophets of God. 21:36 And they were hidden by a wise man in a cave. 21:41 And God was angry. 21:42 And He sent a drought, we're told in the book of James, 21:46 for three and a half years. 21:47 I wish I could go into all the typology. 21:50 But there was a drought that lasted for 21:52 three and a half years when church and state 21:55 joined together, and the saints of God were persecuted. 21:58 And then came the man of God. 22:04 And the man of God was in the minority. 22:07 If you're in the majority, the odds are you're on the 22:10 side of the devil. 22:16 God's man. 22:18 Now let me give you a summary of the days of Elijah. 22:20 The reign of Ahab, the leader of the state, 22:22 and Jezebel, the leader of the apostate church, 22:24 It was all mixed up. 22:26 The great apostasy; the forsaking of God's commandments 22:29 and the practice of heathen rights. 22:31 Look at chapter 18 and verse 16 and onwards. 22:33 Chapter 18 and verse 16 and onwards. 22:36 "So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, 22:39 and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 22:41 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, 'Is that you, 22:44 you troubler of Israel?'" 22:46 That's what they'll say when you are preaching the word of God. 22:48 "Are you troubling Israel?" 22:50 "'I have not made trouble for Israel,' Elijah replied. 22:53 'But you and your father's family have. 22:56 You have abandoned the Lord's commands 23:00 and have followed the Baals.'" 23:04 So back here, the people of God were following a religion 23:08 that didn't come from God. 23:10 It was the religion of man. 23:13 It was the religion of the sun god. 23:15 And they were persecuting the people of God. 23:18 You see the demoralization of society, 23:21 perverted sexual practices, Baal worship, paganism. 23:25 And then a judgment from God in the form of a great 23:28 natural disaster to last three and a half years. 23:31 The persecution of the remnant. 23:33 The prophets of God's religion weren't in the majority. 23:36 And they persecuted the people of God. 23:39 Those false prophets persecuted the people of God. 23:44 Then finally when it's all over, Elijah is taken home. 23:50 Swing down, oh chariot. Swing down sweet chariot. 23:56 Let me ride. 23:57 And the chariot comes down and he takes Elijah home to glory. 24:02 Because he represents God's last church. 24:04 You get it? 24:06 He's translated. 24:08 Elijah was God's man at God's time in God's place 24:13 with God's message. 24:14 I want to be that man. 24:16 Have you got the courage? 24:19 He was a forthright proclaimer of God's truth. 24:22 He was the opposite of a spineless self-serving 24:27 flip flopping politician running for high office. 24:33 He was a man. 24:34 To Elijah, the honor of God was everything. 24:37 He burst upon the darkened scene like a meteor 24:41 flashing across the sky. 24:44 He was on a mission to restore all things. 24:47 He was a mighty reformer who called for a decision. 24:51 And he was honored by God, and God honored him. 24:55 He was translated without seeing death. 24:58 And at the end of his life, you'll remember the story 25:02 on Mount Carmel where all the priests of Baal turned up, 25:06 hundreds of them. 25:08 Elijah was the one fearless spokesman for God. 25:12 And Elijah came to the people and he said in words that 25:16 you should never forget, "If God be God, then follow God. 25:20 But if Baal, then follow him." 25:23 And the people answered him not a word. 25:26 And then after the great test, God honors the prophet by 25:30 sending down fire from heaven. 25:33 And the people cry out, "The Lord, He is God. 25:36 The Lord He is God." 25:38 Elijah called for a decision. 25:49 And as the Anglicans would say, "He endeth the first lesson." 25:53 The times of Elijah. 25:55 The Bible says Elijah will come again. 26:00 Come over here to Mark chapter 9. 26:02 I wonder, if we were looking for a pastor and we had a 26:05 search committee, if we'd choose a man who was like Elijah. 26:11 Mark chapter 9 verses 11-13. 26:16 "And they asked Him, Jesus, 'Why do the teachers 26:21 of the law say that Elijah must come first?'" 26:24 Because of this prophecy. 26:27 "Jesus replied, 'To be sure, Elijah does come first, 26:30 and restores all things. 26:32 Why then is it written that the Son of Man must 26:35 suffer much and be rejected? 26:36 But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him 26:41 everything they wished, just as it is written about him.'" 26:45 Jesus said Elijah came in His day. 26:49 Now come over fast, come over here to Matthew 17 26:52 and verses 10-13. 26:53 I'm always glad to hear the pages of the Bible being turned. 26:58 I know I've got a good church when people turn up their Bible. 27:02 Matthew 17:10 and onwards. 27:05 "The disciples asked Him, 'Why then do the teachers 27:08 of the law say that Elijah must come first?' 27:11 Jesus replied, 'To be sure, Elijah comes and will 27:15 restore all things.'" 27:17 Write that down in your mind. 27:19 He restores all things. 27:21 "But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they 27:24 did not recognize him." 27:25 Did you hear this? 27:26 They did not recognize Elijah. 27:29 "'But have done to him everything they wished. 27:32 In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer 27:35 at their hands.' 27:36 Then the disciples understood that He was talking to them 27:39 about John the Baptist." 27:42 Therefore, John the Baptist fulfilled the 27:46 prophecy of Elijah. 27:48 But he didn't fill it full. 27:50 Come over now to John chapter 1. 27:52 John chapter 1 verse 19 and onwards. 27:56 And I'm moving fast. Move with me. 27:58 John chapter 1 and verse 19 and onwards. 28:02 "Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem 28:06 sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 28:10 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, 28:13 'I am not the Christ.' 28:16 They asked him, 'Then who are you? Are you Elijah?' 28:19 He said, 'I am not.' 28:22 'Are you the Prophet?' 28:23 'No, I'm not.'" 28:25 So here you have an apparent contradiction. 28:29 Jesus says he is and John says he's not. 28:34 Then how do you understand it? 28:35 By a comparison of the texts of the Bible. 28:39 A text without a context is a pretext. 28:42 Therefore, please turn with me to Luke chapter 1 28:46 and verse 13 and onwards. 28:48 Are you folks glad to be in church today? 28:52 Are you really glad? 28:53 I'm glad to be here today. 28:55 And I can sense that the Spirit of God is here today. 28:59 Luke chapter 1 and verse 13 and onwards. 29:02 "But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah; 29:07 your prayer has been heard. 29:09 Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, 29:11 and you are to give him the name John.'" 29:15 What a good name. 29:18 "He will be a joy and delight to you." 29:20 Well I guess that applies to all the John's. 29:23 He didn't say his name has got to be Jim. 29:30 "He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice 29:34 because of his birth, for he will be great in the 29:37 sight of the Lord." 29:39 Just get that into your heads, friends. 29:41 We want to be great in the sight of the Lord. 29:45 "He is never to take wine or other fermented drink." 29:48 That is why in this church, we do not have alcohol. 29:53 We don't drink it. 29:55 "He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, 29:58 and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. 30:01 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back 30:05 to the Lord their God. 30:06 And he will go on before the Lord," look at it, 30:10 "in the spirit and power of Elijah, 30:14 to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, 30:17 and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous; 30:20 to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." 30:24 That's the Elijah message. 30:26 Now John was not the literal Elijah, 30:31 but he had the spirit of Elijah. 30:34 He did the work of Elijah. 30:37 He did a work of restoration. 30:40 And the work of Elijah was to prepare 30:48 a work of restoration; 30:50 prepare a people to stand in the day of God. 30:59 So therefore, listen, the return of Elijah is not the return 31:07 of Elijah as a person. 31:10 It is a return of: 31:31 Therefore, what was so significant about what John did? 31:38 He confronted an apostate Israel who had turned from God 31:41 and set up a manmade religion. 31:43 Those people were so entrenched in church tradition that they 31:51 could not recognize the Son of God when He came. 31:54 They put Him on a cross. 31:58 Therefore, we who are religious people need to beware. 32:06 He called the people and the priests to repent. 32:10 He came with the spirit and the power of Elijah 32:13 to prepare the way for the coming of Christ. 32:18 John was God's messenger sent by God to prepare the way 32:23 for the coming of the Lord by restoring all things. 32:27 And the theme of his message was, behold the Lamb of God. 32:33 You hear it. 32:35 Israel, lift up your eyes and behold; 32:38 behold the Lamb of God. 32:43 He called for a decision; if God be God then follow God. 32:47 And he led people out to the river Jordon 32:52 and he baptized them for the remission of sins. 32:57 Come over here to Matthew chapter 3, my dear friends. 33:02 Matthew chapter 3. 33:05 You know the story but we're going to read a bit of it. 33:09 Verse 1 and onwards. 33:10 "In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the 33:13 Desert of Judea." 33:15 Now folks, God is calling His preachers to be preachers, 33:19 not to be whispering hopes. 33:23 "Preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, 33:26 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.' 33:28 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, 33:32 a voice of one calling in the desert, 33:34 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" 33:38 The Bible goes on and says he was dressed like Elijah. 33:42 In verse 6, "Confessing their sins, they were baptized 33:46 by him in the Jordan River." 33:49 This is a great "get ready" message. 33:54 The Lord is coming. 33:56 Look at Matthew chapter 11 and verse 7 and onwards. 34:02 "As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to 34:06 speak to the crowd about John, 'What did you go out into 34:10 the desert to see? 34:11 A reed swayed by the wind?'" 34:15 A person who blows this way and that way, God help us. 34:18 "If not, what did you go out to see? 34:20 A man dressed in fine clothes? 34:23 No, those who wear fine clothes are in king's palaces. 34:26 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? 34:29 Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 34:33 This is the one about whom it is written, 34:35 'I will send My messenger who will prepare 34:39 Your way before You.'" 34:42 And verse 14, "And if you are willing to accept it, 34:47 he is the Elijah who was to come." 34:51 Therefore, I have established today; 34:55 number one, that Elijah was a fearless reformer; number one. 35:03 He called for a decision. 35:05 Number two, Jesus said when John the Baptist 35:10 came with a fiery utterance given to him by the Holy Spirit, 35:17 he didn't get it in the Jerusalem seminary. 35:24 Did you hear that? I heard Danny say, "Alright." 35:27 He didn't get it in the seminary, 35:29 he got it from the Holy Spirit. 35:33 And God is going to raise up in the last days, 35:36 people who are imbued with the Spirit of God. 35:42 So number two, John fulfilled the prophecy. 35:47 But he didn't fill it full. 35:49 Because this prophecy says, "Before the coming of the 35:54 great and dreadful day of the Lord." 35:57 Now let me prove it to you. 35:58 Come over here to Matthew 17 verses 10-11. 36:04 Matthew chapter 17 and verses 10-11, I think it is. 36:11 Here it is. 36:13 "The disciples asked Him, 'Why then do the teachers of the law 36:18 say that Elijah must come first?' 36:21 Jesus replied, 'To be sure, Elijah comes.'" 36:25 That's the future. 36:27 "Elijah comes and will restore all things." 36:31 That is the future. 36:33 "But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they 36:38 did not recognize him." 36:39 Therefore, the prophecy has a dual application. 36:44 "He will restore all things." 36:46 That is the future just before Jesus returns. 36:50 "And he has come." That is the past. 36:53 Therefore, the consummation of the prophecy 36:56 happens in the last days. 36:58 And I'm here to tell you today, and the 37:00 great television audience; 37:02 unless you understand the importance of this prophecy, 37:05 you will not know what the true mission of the church is. 37:10 And you'll be wondering around, and you'll be a blind leader 37:14 of blind men and women. 37:19 So I want you to listen. 37:22 I ask you the question, the pertinent question. 37:26 Are we living in the last days? 37:28 I tell you what. 37:29 I've got a burning conviction in my soul. 37:33 And after the church service today, we're going to give you 37:36 a CD entitled, Iceberg Ahead. 37:41 Preached just recently. 37:43 We are on the Titanic, my friend. 37:47 I want you to know, the signs of the times are telling us 37:53 with a tremendous urgency that Christ is coming. 38:00 He's coming in power and great glory. 38:02 Christ is coming. 38:04 If we are living in the last days, I put it to you, 38:08 we must expect the return of Elijah now. 38:15 And I would suggest to you today sitting here in Los Angeles 38:18 in our beautiful church with the wonderful 3ABN people, 38:22 the times demand it; the professing people 38:27 of God have forsaken the commandments of God 38:31 and they are following the Baal's. 38:35 If you turn to the book of Revelation, 38:37 you will actually read there... 38:39 You don't need to turn to it now. 38:40 But in Revelation 2, it talks about the religion of Jezebel. 38:48 Elijah is coming back because the religion of Jezebel 38:53 is back in the world today. 38:56 And if you'd come over here to Revelation 17, 38:59 it actually describes Jezebel. 39:02 Maybe you haven't seen it like this before. 39:06 But this is the religion of Jezebel. 39:09 Revelation 17 verse 3, "Then the angel carried me away 39:15 in the Spirit into a desert. 39:17 There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast." 39:20 That's Jezebel. 39:22 Verse 4, "The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet." 39:26 That's Jezebel. 39:27 "And was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls." 39:30 That's Jezebel. 39:32 "She held a golden cup in her hand." 39:35 Verse 6, "I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of 39:39 the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus." 39:44 That's why I call this talk, 39:46 When Elijah and Jezebel Ride Again. 39:51 Let me give you some evidence. 39:55 I want you to look at the blackboard, 39:57 or rather the screen because I'm going to put up 40:01 the religion of Jezebel. 40:56 And I declare to you today that this religion of man 41:02 is not the religion of the Bible. 41:05 I declare to you on the authority of scripture, 41:08 it is the religion of Jezebel. 41:14 And I could have put up many many more comparisons. 41:18 Therefore, I come to this tremendously important question. 41:25 Where is the message of Elijah? 41:31 As a man cried out, "Where is the God of Elijah?" 41:38 And I say to the worldwide church, 41:41 where is the voice of Elijah? 41:45 Where is the God of Elijah? 41:48 And where is the Elijah message? 41:53 Is there such a message that is presented in the Bible? 41:59 Come to Revelation 14 and verses 6-12. 42:05 And that is why Danny Shelton was moved upon by the 42:09 Spirit of God to start the Three Angels Broadcasting Network. 42:15 Revelation 14 verse 6 and onwards. 42:18 Let me read it to you, and follow it. 42:22 This is the Elijah message. 42:26 "Then I saw another angel flying in midair, 42:29 and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those 42:34 who live on the earth; to every nation, tribe, 42:37 language and people." 42:39 I want you to know this. 42:41 We believe in the gospel. 42:45 We believe in sola scriptura; only scripture. 42:49 We have only one Bible, we don't have many Bibles. 42:53 We believe this is the word of God. 42:55 We believe in solus Christus, only Christ is our Savior. 43:00 We believe in sola... 43:01 This is the cry of the Protestant reformers. 43:03 ...sola gratia, only grace. 43:06 We are saved by the grace of God alone. 43:08 And sola fide, we are saved by faith in Christ. 43:13 That is the gospel. 43:15 We believe in the blood atonement on the 43:18 cross of Calvary. 43:19 We do not believe that we can be saved by our own obedience. 43:24 We are saved by His. 43:27 We do not believe that the gospel is good advice. 43:34 We believe the gospel is good news. 43:38 Now good advice is about what you ought to do 43:44 in the future, or now. 43:47 But news is about what somebody has already done. 43:52 And the good news is that God became a man, 43:56 and in the person of Christ, went to the cross 44:00 and died for my sins, according to the scriptures. 44:04 So that if you and I believe in Him, we shall live for eternity. 44:09 Say amen. 44:10 Hallelujah. 44:12 And this, my friend, is not good advice. 44:14 This is the good news. 44:17 Now read on. 44:21 Read on. 44:23 "He said in a loud voice..." 44:25 Oh dear, that would embarrass some people. 44:28 They'd say, "You've got to keep it quiet, Brother Carter. 44:31 We don't want you offending any people." 44:34 "He said in a loud voice, 'Fear God and give Him glory, 44:39 because the hour of His judgment has come.'" 44:41 We live in the judgment hour of the world. 44:45 Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, 44:47 and the springs of water." 44:49 Come back to the Creator. 44:51 If God be God, then follow God. 44:53 But if Baal, then follow him. 44:55 We do not believe that we are the end result 44:59 of a long process of evolution. 45:04 We do not believe that we are a product of 45:07 time plus matter plus chance. 45:09 We believe that we were made in the image of God. 45:13 You hear this? 45:15 And because I came from the hand of God through Christ, 45:18 one day I shall return to God. 45:21 You hear this? 45:24 "A second angel followed and said, 'Fallen! Fallen is Babylon 45:27 the Great, which made all the nations drink the 45:30 maddening wine of her adulteries.'" 45:32 This is false religion. 45:34 "A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice..." 45:37 I'm told, "Don't preach that." 45:39 I've been told, "You're not allowed to preach that." 45:43 I've been told, "We won't broadcast you 45:47 if you preach that." 45:48 But I want you to know, by the grace of God, 45:51 I will follow Christ rather than man. 45:56 Do you hear what I'm telling you? 45:58 And that is why I am glad to be on a television station 46:04 that is preaching, in the words of Danny Shelton, 46:07 the undiluted truths of the three angel's messages. 46:12 God save me from being a whispering hope. 46:19 And he who has ears to hear, let him hear. 46:24 Let me read on. 46:25 "If anyone worships the beast and his image..." 46:28 They say, "You don't preach that, do you?" 46:30 Of course I do. 46:31 I preach it in love. 46:33 Why? Because it is the word of God. 46:36 I do not want to be a coward. 46:40 "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives 46:43 his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 46:46 he too will drink of the wine of God's fury." 46:49 Oh, what a terrible sin to refuse to preach that message. 46:56 Verse 11, "The smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. 47:00 There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast 47:04 and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." 47:08 This is God's last warning message. 47:11 Who dare to tell a preacher of the gospel, 47:14 he should not preach that. 47:18 He will bring upon himself the wrath of God. 47:23 "This calls for patient endurance." 47:26 As my mother said, "You should always pray the prayer, John, 47:30 'Help me to be patient.'" 47:33 "This calls for patient endurance on the part 47:38 of the saints who obey God's commandments 47:42 and remain faithful to Jesus." 47:44 That, my friend, I tell you in the name of God, 47:47 is the Elijah message. 47:50 It is, listen, a warning message. 47:55 It is a restoration message. 48:00 It is a clear message. 48:04 It is a powerful message. 48:09 The reason some people don't preach it is because 48:12 they don't have the power of the Holy Spirit. 48:15 Or because they're afraid of becoming unpopular 48:20 with the world. 48:23 I would not want to be a priest of Baal 48:30 in this tremendous hour. 48:33 It is an uncompromising message, 48:36 a Christ centered message; behold, the Lamb of God. 48:41 It is a great "get ready" message to prepare a people 48:45 to stand in the Day of the Lord. 48:49 It is for many, a disturbing message. 48:53 It is a saving message. 48:57 It is a message of warning, hope, joy, and glad tidings. 49:03 The preaching of that message with the power and the spirit 49:09 of Elijah is the return of the prophet Elijah. 49:15 So he returns, not in a super personality. 49:20 You won't see Elijah walking down the streets. 49:23 But he comes back in the spirit and the power 49:28 of that mighty message. 49:32 And that message is going to prepare a people 49:36 to stand in the Day of God. 49:39 That message, my friend, is going to call out a people 49:42 like John the Baptist who will neither drink wine 49:46 nor strong drink, but they will be filled with the Holy Ghost 49:52 from their mother's wombs, we are told in the Bible. 49:58 I say to every pastor watching this, pray that you will be 50:02 faithful to God, that you will be God's man. 50:07 What is the message of the true remnant? 50:14 Now listen up. 50:18 It is not to baby-sit a sleeping church. 50:23 It is not to please the world, 50:27 or even church leaders. 50:30 And certainly, it is not to please the enemies of truth 50:36 or the great Antichrist of Bible prophecy. 50:44 We are not called to be popular. 50:47 We are called to be faithful to God. 50:57 We are not called to preach a popular social gospel. 51:02 We are not to water down the truth and sell our 51:06 souls to the devil, 51:11 but to fearlessly proclaim the undiluted truths of the 51:14 three angels messages to prepare a people 51:17 in the Day of God. 51:19 If I only had time. 51:23 If you understand this, it's going to put a 51:26 fire in your soul. 51:28 There you have 1260 days. 51:32 That's the time of the reign of Jezebel. 51:36 The persecution of the saints. 51:39 And then you have decision time. 51:43 And Elijah comes, the man with a message hot from 51:49 the heart of God. 51:51 And he says, "If God be God, then follow Him." 51:57 And he calls the people out of spiritual apostasy 52:01 to follow the Creator, behold the Lamb, 52:05 and to keep the commandments of God, including the sacred 52:09 seventh day Sabbath. 52:12 So help me God. 52:16 I have here the book, Prophets And Kings. 52:22 I want to read you what this wonderful person wrote. 52:27 "The spirit of worldliness may contaminate the many 52:31 and control the few, the cause of God may hold its ground 52:36 only by great exertion and continual sacrifice, 52:39 yet in the end the truth will triumph gloriously." 52:43 Say amen. 52:45 "In the closing work of God in the earth, the standard of 52:48 His law will be again exalted. 52:50 False religion may prevail, iniquity may abound, 52:56 the love of many may wax cold, the cross of Calvary may be 53:00 lost sight of, and darkness, like the pall of death, 53:03 may spread over the world; the whole force of the 53:07 popular current may be turned against the truth; 53:11 plot after plot may be formed to overthrow the people of God." 53:16 Now listen. 53:20 "But in the hour of greatest peril the God of Elijah 53:26 will raise up human instrumentalities 53:29 to bear a message that will not be silenced. 53:33 In the populous cities of the land, and in the places where 53:37 men have gone to the greatest lengths in speaking against 53:39 the Most High, the voice of stern rebuke will be heard. 53:44 Boldly will men of God's appointment denounce 53:49 the union of the church with the world. 53:52 Earnestly will they call upon men and women to turn from 53:56 the observance of a man-made institution to the observance 54:01 of the true Sabbath. 54:03 'Fear God, and give glory to Him,' they will proclaim to 54:08 every nation; 'for the hour of His judgment is come: 54:11 and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, 54:14 and the fountains of waters. 54:16 If any man worship the beast and his image...'" 54:23 And I've been told on several occasions, I would be fired 54:31 if I preach that message. 54:32 I want those people to hear today, by the grace of God 54:38 we plan to keep on keeping on. 54:42 Because we have the blessing of God. 54:49 And you know what's going to happen? 54:53 Well, it's good news. 54:58 We're in for a time of fireworks. 55:02 Do you think we've had persecution? 55:04 We haven't had anything. 55:06 If you think things are hard, we haven't seen anything yet. 55:12 Jezebel is going to ride again. 55:16 The great conflict is going to come. 55:20 And the message is going to go to the world. 55:24 "How long halt ye between two opinions." 55:28 "How long halt ye between two opinions. 55:32 If the Lord be God, then follow Him; 55:35 and if Baal, then follow him." 55:41 And after the great conflict, do you know what's going to happen? 55:45 A chariot is going to swing low. 55:50 And like Elijah, the people are going home to glory. 55:55 Swing low sweet chariot, stop and let me ride. 55:59 The chariot is coming, my friends. 56:04 And I wish today, I hope this has been plain. 56:10 Most folks say I'm sort of telling what I think. 56:14 Listen to me. 56:15 Let us send a message to God that we will be 56:19 on the Lord's side. 56:21 Whatever happens, that we will choose Christ first and last 56:25 and best in everything. 56:28 Who will raise a hand? 56:30 Who will lift a body? 56:32 Who will stand and say, stand to your feet and say... 56:37 Lift up a hand, lift up two if you want to. 56:41 I don't care, make it a double whammy. 56:43 And say, by the grace of God I will be true to Christ. 56:51 I will follow my Christ. 56:54 I thank You, Christ, for dying for me. 56:58 And by the grace of God, 57:01 I will be a part of the Elijah message. 57:06 My Father, bless this audience. 57:08 Bless every pastor watching. 57:10 Put a fire into our hearts. 57:12 Bless 3ABN. 57:14 And we thank You that the chariot is coming. 57:18 Bless Your holy name. 57:20 We worship You, we praise You, 57:23 and we thank You. 57:25 In Jesus' name, amen and amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17