Participants:
Series Code: AVGC
Program Code: AVGC210007S
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00:06 Hello, friends,
00:07 welcome to the Adventist Virtual Camp Meeting. 00:10 I'm Pastor John Lomacang. 00:12 And I welcome you to the message of the day, 00:14 The Wine of Babylon subtitled, 00:18 The Coalition of Destruction. Let us pray. 00:22 Father in heaven, we thank You for the privilege 00:24 and opportunity to communicate from Your Word. 00:27 We pray that Your Spirit 00:30 will find fertile soil in the hearts 00:32 and minds of those who are listening 00:34 and those who are hearing. 00:36 In Jesus' name, I pray. 00:39 Amen. 00:41 Friends, John the Revelator opens the Book of Revelation 00:45 with a sober warning from Jesus. 00:48 His message is an urgent call to the world's inhabitants. 00:54 You see, since the fall of Lucifer, 00:56 he has ignited a controversy against the Creator. 01:01 His purpose continues to be, to overthrow the law of God. 01:07 And after being cast out of heaven, 01:09 Satan continues his agenda on the earth. 01:14 We read in Revelation 12:12 01:16 these words about his aim and the Bible says, 01:20 "Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them. 01:25 But woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea, 01:29 for the devil has come down to you, 01:32 having great wrath because he knows 01:36 that he has a short time." 01:40 You see, friends, the great war between light and darkness 01:44 contains an inventory of unfolding strategies. 01:48 But in this final push, 01:50 God unveils the secrets of a dark kingdom, 01:54 and He commissions His servants to warn the world. 01:59 In the final showdown, 02:01 every God opposing entity is involved, 02:04 and Revelation raises the curtain 02:07 to introduce this final coalition of destruction. 02:12 In Revelation 16:13-14, 02:15 we're gonna look at a false trinity 02:18 that is coalescing together in opposition 02:21 to the truth of God's Word. 02:22 Listen to the words of John in Revelation Chapter 16, 02:25 beginning with verse 13. 02:28 And the Bible says, 02:29 "And I saw three unclean spirits 02:32 like frogs coming out 02:34 of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, 02:38 out of the mouth of the false prophet. 02:42 For they are the spirits of demons, 02:44 performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth 02:49 and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle 02:54 of that great day of God Almighty." 02:57 You see John outlines the trinity 02:59 that's described as the dragon, 03:02 the beast and the false prophet. 03:04 And when you applies 03:06 scriptural principles to understand 03:08 who the dragon is, who the beast is, 03:10 and who the false prophet is. 03:12 Historically, we find that 03:14 the dragon represents spiritualism, 03:16 a movement of darkness established 03:19 in the Garden of Eden with the very first lie, 03:22 you will not surely die. 03:24 When you also apply the scriptural symbols 03:27 into the historical scenario, you find that the beast 03:31 is the description of a power that rose out of pagan 03:35 and papal Rome that we now know today is Catholicism 03:40 with its system of dogmas and false doctrines, 03:43 which is a part of this false trinity. 03:47 And then the Bible talks about the false prophet. 03:50 Why the false prophet? 03:51 When you study the Bible, you discover that the prophet 03:54 is a word that is often used to be the spokesperson for God. 03:58 But when a prophet is now described as false, 04:01 it means that he has apostatized 04:04 from the way of God. 04:06 And when you look into that, you find that under 04:09 the Protestant Reformation, many prophets, 04:12 many servants of God began to rise to the forefront, 04:17 reclaiming the truths of God's Word. 04:19 But Satan knowing that, 04:21 he found a way to instill tradition into the Bible. 04:25 And today tradition has taken the place 04:27 of a thus saith the Lord. 04:29 And that means those who are preaching are no longer 04:32 true prophets of God, 04:34 but they are false prophets. 04:35 And more specifically, this power of the false prophet 04:39 describes apostate Protestantism, 04:43 a system claiming to be based on God's Word. 04:46 But in fact, teaching traditions 04:48 and doctrines that are not founded 04:50 anywhere in God's Scripture. 04:53 And you might ask the question, why is the devil doing that? 04:56 You see, he understands the issues. 04:59 He understands that everything 05:01 about this controversy has a final impact, 05:06 either final deliverance or final destruction. 05:09 He knows it is about vindicating 05:11 the character of God and the truth of His Word. 05:15 Therefore, he works overtime to lead people 05:18 to false doctrines, 05:20 to distort the character of God. 05:23 He also knows that it's about Jesus 05:25 longing to save His people from deception and from destruction. 05:30 And so he flavors Christianity with something that's enticing 05:34 so that they are unaware of the approaching destruction. 05:38 Satan also knows it's about the Lord's desire to reclaim 05:42 His children from a satanic grasp. 05:46 He also knows it's about a loving Savior 05:49 refusing to watch His children perish. 05:54 That's why today this urgent calls reveals 06:00 the depth of Christ's love because after thousands 06:03 of years of deception signs and lying wonders, 06:07 Jesus is determined. 06:09 And I say that again, 06:10 Jesus is determined to reclaim and claim His people. 06:16 John 10:16, listen to the words of Christ. 06:19 He says, 06:20 "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold, 06:24 them also I must bring, 06:26 and they will hear My voice, 06:28 and there will be one flock and one shepherd." 06:33 That's right, friends, 06:34 Jesus has followers in other folds 06:37 and other denominations, 06:38 but as the coalition comes together, 06:41 as the dragon and the beast 06:42 and the false prophet works together 06:45 to deceive and to hold into captivity God's people, 06:48 Jesus says, I'm not settling for that. 06:51 I have got sheep that are in other folds 06:54 and I'm not content to leave them there. 06:57 I'm determined that they will hear My voice 07:00 and there will be one fold and one shepherd. 07:04 But Satan knowing that 07:05 has turned his determination on intoxicating the world 07:10 through false ideologies, through false teachings, 07:14 through false doctrines, through religious entertainment 07:18 and through secular enticements. 07:21 And Revelation unfolds his ideology and his plans. 07:25 Listen to Revelation 18:3. 07:28 And the Bible talks about how wide and how broad 07:31 Satan's determination to deceive really is. 07:35 It says, "For all the nations have drunk 07:38 of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, 07:43 the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, 07:47 and the merchants of the earth have become rich 07:51 through the abundance of her luxury." 07:54 And who is the Bible describing here? 07:55 It keeps saying her, the kings of the earth, 07:58 the merchants of the earth have committed fornication with her. 08:04 The Bible is talking about a false religious system 08:07 described in Revelation as the mother of harlots, 08:10 mystery Babylon the great. 08:12 You see, friends, we are in the midst 08:14 of an environment 08:15 where religion has been tainted, 08:18 where religion has metamorphosized 08:20 into other ideologies and teachings 08:24 that are not a part of God's Word, 08:26 but the political leaders and the economic leaders 08:29 have favored the direction of this monolith of deception. 08:33 And they are now pulling the world into their grasp. 08:36 That's why today you've got to be careful 08:38 with what you watch, 08:39 be careful with what you read, 08:41 even be careful how you worship, 08:44 because if it is not from God's Word, 08:47 it is a part of the coalition of destruction. 08:52 And when you understand that you'll discover 08:53 something very clear. 08:55 Allegiance, allegiance is the greatest value. 09:00 We don't serve God for temporary benefits. 09:03 We don't serve God for emotional feelings. 09:06 We don't serve God because it feels good. 09:08 We serve God because we love Him. 09:11 And to serve Him means we have to have an allegiance 09:15 of unwavering, determination, 09:18 and unceasing love for God and His Word. 09:22 And I find this quotation really sharpens the picture 09:25 as you look at this coalition of destruction, 09:28 who this coalition is specifically aimed at. 09:30 Listen to this quotation 09:32 from the book Christian Service, 09:33 page 157, it's a sobering quote. 09:37 "The remnant church will be brought 09:39 into great trial and distress. 09:43 Those who keep the commandments of God 09:46 and the faith of Jesus will feel the ire of the dragon 09:51 and his hosts, Satan numbers the world as his subjects, 09:56 he has gained control of the apostate churches, 10:00 but here is a little company 10:03 that are resisting his supremacy." 10:06 And this is amazing. 10:07 "If he could blot them from the earth, 10:11 his triumph would be complete. 10:14 As he influenced the heathen nations 10:17 to destroy Israel, 10:19 so in the near future he will stir up 10:22 the wicked powers of earth 10:25 to destroy the people of God." 10:29 Think about that. 10:30 We're living down in the toes of the image of Daniel 2. 10:34 We're living under the last church 10:36 of the seven churches in Revelation. 10:39 If Daniel and John were alive today, 10:42 they would be shouting from the rooftop, 10:45 wake up the people of God, wake up world, 10:48 wake up to the urgency and the diabolical nature 10:52 of the hour in which we are living. 10:55 It's not about religion, it's about Christianity. 10:58 It's not about how I feel. 11:00 It's about our dedication to an unwavering Christ, 11:04 to an undiluted message, to a message that will result 11:09 in the salvation of every man, woman, boy, and girl 11:12 that determines that Christ and His Word 11:16 is the only direction of true allegiance because today 11:22 religion and truth are not the same. 11:24 That is why spiritual Babylon is increasing 11:27 its determination to deceive. 11:30 The Bible describes the end result 11:33 of the concoction of spiritual Babylon. 11:35 Listen to Jeremiah 51:7. 11:39 Here are these words that are sober. 11:41 The Bible says, "Babylon was a golden cup 11:44 in the Lord's hand 11:47 that made all the earth drunk. 11:51 The nations drank her wine, 11:53 therefore the nations are deranged." 11:57 Now think about that. 11:58 The Bible says, the nations have drank her wine, 12:01 therefore the nations are deranged. 12:04 And when you look at that word derange, 12:06 you can come up with a lot of suggestions or synonyms, 12:09 deranged out of their minds, 12:11 unable to tell the difference between light and darkness, 12:15 misunderstanding the Word of God that's so clear. 12:18 Diluted and deceived. 12:20 Unfortunately, many people have given themselves 12:23 so much to feeling 12:25 and what they prefer over what the Word of God has said, 12:29 that they are now at the place after drinking 12:31 the wine of Babylon. 12:34 And let me make a very important point. 12:36 Wine does not intoxicate you on the first sip, 12:40 but a continual ingestion of wine eventually inebriates 12:45 the person that's drinking it. 12:47 And the end result is, as you've seen on many videos, 12:50 when a person is pulled over by a police officer and he says, 12:52 walk the line, they are unable to walk a straight line, 12:56 that's Satan's aim. 12:58 He wants the people of God to be 12:59 so inebriated by false teachings 13:03 that they can't tell the difference between light 13:05 and darkness, truth, and error. 13:08 And the Bible describes the effects of the wine 13:11 of Babylon because you see, friends, it's not only 13:14 what's happening to the church, 13:16 what is continually happening to the world. 13:17 And we live in the most morally unstable time in human history. 13:22 And I can tell you for another hour, 13:24 what that really means 13:25 when I break down the entertainment, 13:27 the music, the things 13:29 that are now acceptable in society 13:31 that are a travesty to the righteousness of Christ. 13:34 The world is a theater of irrational thought. 13:38 People do things today that animals wouldn't even do. 13:41 That shows you the depth of the intoxication 13:44 of a world under the control of the wine of Babylon. 13:47 Irrationality does not only affect the world though, 13:50 it also affects the church. 13:52 And when you ask yourself the question, 13:54 how else could there be such an irrational reaction 13:57 to the simple request of Jesus? 14:00 Look at that request in John 14:15. 14:03 And the Bible says this, this is an amazing text. 14:05 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 14:10 If I had a nickel for the amount of times, 14:12 I've read that passage to people 14:14 and their response would be, that's your interpretation. 14:18 How else can you interpret that? 14:19 If you love Me, Jesus saying, 14:21 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 14:25 But a person that's intoxicated, 14:28 a person that is irrational looks at that text 14:32 and says, that's your interpretation. 14:34 And that's the words of Christ. 14:36 It is not mine. 14:37 It's simply saying, you love Me, 14:39 honor My commandments. 14:41 How else can you understand 14:43 and relate to that particular text. 14:47 But what has Babylon's wine done? 14:48 And I'm gonna focus on two particular teachings 14:51 that have in fact taken the world over 14:53 both religiously as well as secularly. 14:57 The first intoxicating lie 15:00 ingested from the wine of Babylon. 15:03 We find in the Book of Genesis 3:4, listen to this. 15:08 You know, when Eve and Adam had fallen into sin, 15:10 the devil said to Eve in Genesis 3:4, 15:13 "Then the serpent said to the woman, 15:16 'You will not surely die.'" 15:19 Now let's spend a moment on that. 15:21 He said to Eve, after he was able to deceive her, 15:23 he said, "You will not surely die." 15:27 The Lord said, "In the day that you eat thereof, 15:29 you shall surely die." 15:32 Now, some people say, well, Adam did not die that day. 15:35 The Bible says Adam lived to be 930 years old, 15:38 and then he died. 15:40 So it was, in fact, true, death reigned upon humanity 15:44 the moment that they decided to ignore the plain 15:47 thus saith the Lord. 15:49 But the devil said, you will not surely die. 15:51 Now, what does this have to do with the message? 15:53 What does this have to do with the intoxicating wine 15:56 of Babylon? 15:58 Well, here's the reality. 15:59 The church today has swallowed Satan's lie that you die, 16:04 but you don't really surely die. 16:08 You can hear today when people die, well, 16:10 they're looking down on me now. 16:12 My friend is in heaven, looking down, 16:14 my mother is my guardian angel. 16:16 My father is in heaven waiting to welcome me. 16:19 Others write books, I went to heaven and came back 16:21 and God gave me a message for you. 16:24 Some people say on the operating table, 16:26 I had died and floated above my body 16:29 and now I'm back with a message from God. 16:31 These are lies that are not found in God's Word. 16:35 Because the Bible clearly says, 16:37 "The living know that they will die, 16:40 but the dead know not anything." 16:41 That's Ecclesiastes 9:5-6. 16:45 They don't know anything, 16:47 but there is a teaching today that when man dies, 16:50 he has some kind of immortal soul 16:53 that hangs around inside the body 16:55 and then is released on the moment of death. 16:58 That teaching has come from the intoxicating wine 17:01 of Babylon and the evidence of the intoxication is this, 17:05 professed Bible believing Christian 17:10 don't think it matters what they believe. 17:12 I've heard pastor say it over and over. 17:14 I've heard church members say it. 17:15 I've been to funerals where pastors would say, 17:18 they're absent from the body present with the Lord, 17:21 ignoring all the other scriptures 17:24 in the Word of God. 17:25 And Satan is using that lie to pull the religious world 17:29 and the secular world together in a coalition of destruction. 17:33 Think about it. 17:35 If your mother or father is in heaven right now, 17:37 they have been exalted from a mere human 17:39 to some super human angel that now has the ability 17:44 to see way down wherever heaven is through the clouds 17:48 around the corner, through buildings, 17:50 through walls, 17:51 right into your life, right into your bedroom. 17:54 And then people are saying, they are our guardian angels, 17:58 completely taking Jesus and His angels 18:01 out of the equation. 18:03 And think about it, even if it, in fact, 18:04 it's true that your mother is still alive, 18:06 then you are open to deceiving spirits, doctrines of devils, 18:10 evil spirits coming to you in the form of a dead loved one 18:14 to lead you away from a plain, thus saith the Lord. 18:19 And that's what's happening today. 18:20 But the Bible says the reason Satan is able to take people 18:24 captive is simply on the principle they ignore 18:29 the truth of God's Word, therefore they are his slaves. 18:33 But look at John 8:32. 18:36 Here's how we can break the bondage of that slavery. 18:40 Jesus said, "And you shall know the truth, 18:44 and the truth shall make you free." 18:48 The truth shall make you free. 18:51 You wanna be free, friends, 18:53 then put down the false ideologies. 18:55 And it's repeated on commercials, 18:57 it's repeated on television shows. 19:00 You hear it on the news. 19:02 I was watching a program the other day, 19:03 a young man was singing and he said, 19:05 "My grandpa's looking down on me now, 19:08 I know that he wants me to win this competition." 19:11 And I'm thinking to myself, no, he's not. 19:12 He's resting in the grave. 19:14 The Bible makes it very clear when you die, 19:17 you go to the grave. 19:19 And why and how has Satan been so successful 19:23 in deleting one of the key teachings of the Bible, 19:26 the resurrection, 19:27 and the second coming of Christ. 19:29 That's the first lie. 19:31 But the second lie is even more intoxicating. 19:34 You see the second intoxicating live from Babylon's cup 19:38 is the belief that tradition is more important 19:42 than God's expressed command. 19:45 What is that command? 19:46 That command is to remember 19:48 the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 19:51 Tradition has replaced 19:53 the Word of God on multiple levels. 19:57 Look at this quotation from the book Evangelism, 20:00 page 365 and paragraph one. 20:03 Here's what we are told. 20:06 "The fallen denominational churches are Babylon. 20:10 Babylon has been fostering poisonous doctrines, 20:15 the wine of error. 20:16 The wine of error is made up of false doctrines, 20:22 such as the natural immortality of the soul, 20:26 the eternal torment of the wicked, 20:29 the denial of the preexistence of Christ 20:32 prior to His birth in Bethlehem, 20:35 and advocating and exalting the first day of the week 20:41 above God's holy sanctified day. 20:45 These and kindred errors are presented to the world 20:49 by the various churches." 20:52 That's what's happening today. 20:54 The wine of Babylon is intoxicating the world, 20:57 eternal torment, you never end in the burning fires of hell, 21:03 you'll be tormented with fire and brimstone forever and ever, 21:07 and ever, and ever. 21:08 And they failed to realize 21:10 that simply means as long as there is something to burn, 21:13 and they never take into consideration 21:15 that Satan himself is going to be destroyed. 21:17 Why would God burn the sinner 21:20 that Satan tempted and then eliminate 21:23 Satan from existence altogether? 21:26 What kind of God is that? 21:27 It is about once again, 21:29 vindicating the character of God 21:31 and the error is about distorting 21:34 the character of God. 21:36 And so therefore the wine of Babylon, 21:38 the intoxicating teaching of the immortal soul, 21:42 the wine of Babylon eternal torment of the wicked 21:45 is Babylon's wine. 21:47 The denial of the preexistence of Christ that Jesus existed 21:50 before the world began is the wine of Babylon. 21:53 And there are those today that claim to even believe 21:56 the Sabbath that are falling for the ideology, 21:58 that Jesus is just a little lower than 22:01 His Father 22:02 and doesn't have preexisting value. 22:04 And then also the exaltation of Sunday 22:07 above the Bible Sabbath. 22:09 But Revelation 17:4 tells us how this happens. 22:12 The Bible says "The woman, 22:14 speaking of Babylon, 22:15 was arrayed in purple and scarlet, 22:17 and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, 22:19 having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations 22:22 and filthiness of her fornication." 22:25 That's how Babylon is distorting the world. 22:29 This woman that seems to be attractive 22:32 to the eye is in fact, the very harbor of deception 22:36 and darkness, full of abominations 22:39 and filthiness of her fornication, 22:42 meaning she is so unfaithful to God 22:44 while claiming allegiance to Him, 22:46 that people following her will be following darkness. 22:50 But, friends, Babylon seeks to intoxicate, 22:53 but Jesus is making a call 22:55 to His people in this crisis hour. 22:58 John 4:23-24, 23:00 listen to the words of Jesus one more time. 23:03 "But the hour is coming, Jesus says, and now is, 23:07 when the true worshipers will worship the Father 23:11 in spirit and truth, 23:13 for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 23:17 God is Spirit and those who worship Him," 23:20 notice the words, 23:22 "must worship in spirit and truth." 23:26 Notice that, worship is not something that's optional. 23:30 Well, let me rephrase that. 23:32 It is optional, but how to worship God is not optional. 23:36 Jesus doesn't say, worship Me, how you feel or how you'd like. 23:41 He says, worship Me in spirit and in truth. 23:44 And today the world is taking people down a path of feeling 23:47 and emotion and entertainment, and ideologies and hype, 23:51 and lights and camera in action. 23:54 And people are ignoring the plain thus saith the Lord. 23:57 And Satan is saying, I've got you where I want you. 24:01 No wonder Jesus made the statement 24:04 that He did in Matthew 24:4, 24:06 as He talked about the signs of the end. 24:08 Look at the very first thing that Jesus said 24:10 about the signs of the end. 24:12 Matthew 24:4, He says, 24:15 "And Jesus answered and said to them, 24:16 that as to His disciples, 24:18 'Take heed that no one deceives you.'" 24:21 Notice, that no one deceives you. 24:24 Now, why would Jesus bring out deception 24:26 as the very first sign of the end? 24:29 And when you follow the unfolding thoughts 24:31 of the signs of the end, 24:33 He says false christs and false prophets 24:35 will arise and deceive many. 24:39 And if you've been the devil 24:40 and you've been around for 6,000 years, 24:42 you better believe at this point in your existence, 24:45 you are able to sharpen your skills of deception. 24:48 But listen to this quotation in the book 24:50 Darkness before Dawn, 24:52 page 32 in paragraph one. 24:55 "Through the two great errors, 24:57 the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, 25:02 Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. 25:07 While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, 25:10 the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. 25:15 The Protestants of the United States 25:17 will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf 25:22 to grasp the hand of spiritualism, 25:25 they will reach over the abyss 25:28 to clasp hands with the Roman power, 25:31 and under the influence of this threefold union, 25:35 this country will follow in the steps of Rome 25:39 in trampling on the rights of conscience." 25:43 And if you've been around for any length of time, 25:45 you know that the right of conscience 25:47 is something that's dear and precious. 25:49 And we are losing the right of conscience in America. 25:52 You see, Babylon's final coalition is being formed. 25:55 The political economic and religious world 25:58 are being drawn into an alliance against God. 26:02 Nothing thrills Satan more 26:04 than knowing that he has deceived you. 26:06 But let me say this, nothing thrills Jesus more 26:11 than knowing that you have responded to His invitation 26:15 for Him to save you. 26:17 And I pray, friends, that you are willing. 26:19 You see, this is the crisis hour that Jesus is saying, 26:22 don't fall for Babylon's lies. 26:25 Don't swallow Babylon's wine. 26:28 Don't consider it to be something of a light matter. 26:31 It's about destruction on one side, 26:34 deliverance on the other and 26:37 eternal life to those that listen to the voice of God. 26:40 You see, as God's servant, as God's servant, 26:44 it is my responsibility to extend to you 26:46 the invitation of a loving Savior. 26:49 Revelation 18:4, we read these words. 26:53 "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 26:56 'Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins, 27:01 and lest you receive of her plagues." 27:04 God is saying today to His people 27:06 who are in various parts of the world, 27:08 various walks of life, various denominations. 27:11 He is saying, I know you love me, 27:13 but I want you to come out of darkness. 27:15 I want you to come out of error. 27:17 I want you to turn your back on false teachings 27:21 and a false day of worship. 27:22 And while Babylon is building its system of deception, 27:26 Jesus is calling. 27:28 Revelation 22:17, listen to His words. 27:31 "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' 27:35 And let him who hears say, 'Come!' 27:40 And let him who thirsts come. 27:42 Whoever desires, let him take 27:45 of the water of life freely." 27:49 Friends, today the wine of Babylon 27:51 is still being poured on the world and its leaders. 27:54 It's still being poured in the church. 27:56 But my question to you is this, 27:58 are you ready to accept the invitation 28:01 of a loving Savior to come out of Babylon? 28:04 Are you ready to walk away from tradition 28:07 and false teachings and stand firmly on a plain 28:10 thus saith the Lord. 28:12 Are you wary of chasing the wealth and fame 28:15 of Babylon's rainbow 28:17 and you wanna be under the banner 28:19 of truth and God's Word? 28:21 Are you longing for freedom 28:23 from the intoxicating influences of false teachings? 28:27 If the answer is yes, 28:29 the only safety from a coalition of destruction 28:34 is the person of Jesus Christ. 28:36 This is the hour where Jesus is inviting you to come out. 28:41 And I pray that you hear His voice, 28:43 that you respond, 28:44 that when the coalition of destruction goes down, 28:47 you are ready to go up in Jesus Christ. 28:50 God bless you. |
Revised 2021-06-27