Participants: Danny Milenkov
Series Code: FGW
Program Code: FGW000025A
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00:26 I'd like to welcome you once again
00:28 to The Search for Certainty. 00:30 In this fifth and final presentation together, 00:33 it's good to see you all here today 00:35 as well as those who are joining us 00:37 from wherever you may be around the world. 00:39 Welcome and we pray that God will richly bless you 00:42 as we journey on this very important topic together. 00:47 Today we're gonna be taking a look at 00:49 that all important question that many people have asked, 00:52 that people are asking today, 00:54 why is there so much suffering in the world? 00:57 As church minister, 00:59 I've been asked this question on many occasions 01:02 and it's a very important question 01:04 and it's the question that 01:05 we need to have an answer for it, 01:07 and sadly most people today 01:09 cannot give you a very good answer. 01:12 Certainly not an answer that really satisfies the heart 01:15 and helps us to understand the cosmic battle 01:19 that is going on and raging all around us. 01:22 There is so much suffering in the world, 01:24 I don't need to remind you of that, 01:27 we live in a world that is filled with 01:30 sin and sickness, 01:31 and suffering and sorrow. 01:33 Why so much suffering? 01:35 Where did it come from? 01:37 How did everything go wrong? 01:39 If it did all go wrong at one point in time. 01:41 Today, we want to take a look at that. 01:43 Today, we want to do our best to answer 01:45 some of these titanic questions 01:47 regarding the whole issue 01:49 and question of suffering and sorrow, 01:52 and pain and evil. 01:54 We won't answer every question, 01:55 but I pray by God's grace 01:57 and that ultimately through His word, 02:00 we will answer those questions, 02:02 those questions that are at the very foundation 02:05 to giving us an opportunity to know who God is, 02:10 how to understand God 02:11 and ultimately how to relate to God? 02:13 I want to begin by sharing with you 02:18 the title of a book 02:21 written by a Jewish rabbi Harold Kushner, 02:25 who wrote this book back in 1981. 02:28 Well, it was published in 1981, 02:31 "When Bad Things Happen To Good People". 02:33 So he took the question, 02:35 why did bad things happen to good people, 02:37 and he put it as a statement and he wrote a book. 02:40 In fact this became a bestseller 02:43 on the New York Times bestseller list. 02:46 And you might think that's a little strange 02:47 for a religious book back in 1981 to be a bestseller. 02:52 Now why did Harold Kushner write this book? 02:57 Him and his wife, 02:58 while their little boy Aaron was aged three, 03:03 were told by the doctors, by the pediatricians 03:06 that he had a disease called progeria 03:10 or another term for that is rapid aging. 03:13 They shared with Aaron's parent, 03:16 Harold and his wife that their little boy, 03:20 he would grow old as a little boy, 03:23 he would look like a little old man 03:25 and that shortly into his teenage years, 03:29 his life would come to an end. 03:31 And everything that doctor shared 03:33 with the parents came true, 03:35 to the very letter, 03:37 three days after he turned 14, 03:39 little Aaron passed away of this disease, rapid aging. 03:43 Now that's an extreme case of suffering an injustice. 03:47 But today there is a lot of suffering, 03:50 whether it be in the home, whether it be disease, 03:53 whether it be economic, whatever the case may be, 03:56 sooner or later and usually sooner rather than later, 03:59 we experience suffering. 04:01 That is part and parcel of living on planet earth. 04:05 In our previous presentation, 04:07 as we took a look at the everlasting gospel, 04:09 the good news about God and His love, 04:11 we discovered this old important truth. 04:13 In 1 John 4:8, 04:16 we read these three old important words 04:18 that describe who God is. 04:20 "God is love." 04:23 The Bible describes God as a God of love, 04:28 not a God who loves, but this is who God is, 04:30 this is the very essence of God. 04:32 God is love. 04:34 So the question that begs to be asked 04:37 and answered is if God is so love, 04:41 why is there so much suffering in the world? 04:44 Or as someone once put it, if God is all powerful, 04:49 and we believe He is, 04:50 and the Bible claims that God is all powerful 04:53 and He is all loving, why does a good, 04:56 all good and all powerful God 04:59 allow so much suffering to go on. 05:02 Either, He is no all loving and we discovered the truth 05:05 that He is all loving based on our previous presentation, 05:08 or He is not all powerful. 05:10 Can God be all loving 05:13 and all powerful at the same time? 05:15 And still allow for so much suffering to continue on. 05:19 That's a big question that people ask. 05:22 So today we want to seek to answer that question 05:24 as well as some other questions 05:26 that are associated with that question. 05:28 Where did evil come from? 05:31 Why didn't God just put an end to evil whenever 05:35 or wherever it first raised its ugly head, 05:38 or wherever it first appeared? 05:39 That's a very good question. 05:40 Many people have asked that question. 05:43 Why do bad things have to happen at all? 05:46 Is there a good answer to these all important questions? 05:50 And the most important question of all 05:52 that we want to focus on this afternoon is will sadness, 05:57 suffering and sorrow ever come to an end? 06:00 Will we ever come to the point 06:02 where there will be no more suffering, 06:04 no more pain, no more? 06:08 Today before we open up God's word 06:10 as always we need to do what? 06:12 We need to pray. 06:13 We need to ask for God's Holy Spirit 06:15 to lead and to guide us, 06:16 to give us understanding that we may have a clear 06:21 and an old important powerful answer 06:24 from God's word regarding this old important subject. 06:27 So let's just pause and pray a moment. 06:29 Father in heaven once again we come humbly before You, 06:32 we ask and pray that 06:34 as we seek to answer this all important question 06:38 regarding suffering and sorrow, 06:41 where did it all come from? 06:43 Why, all the whys dear Lord, 06:46 we ask and pray that You will guide 06:47 and bless our time together in Your word. 06:49 So open our hearts and our minds 06:51 as we open Your words, 06:52 we pray in Jesus' name, amen, amen. 06:56 Well, for the answer, 06:57 we need to go to the very beginning of time 07:00 when God created this world. 07:03 Notice what the Bible says in Genesis 1:1 and 4. 07:08 Right at the very beginning of the Bible 07:10 we have these words, 07:12 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 07:15 And God saw the light, that it was" what? 07:18 "Good, and God divided the light from the darkness." 07:21 So at the very beginning of the Bible 07:23 we discover that when God created this world, 07:27 He created things to be good. 07:29 In fact, if you read through 07:31 the first chapter of the Book of Genesis, 07:33 you'll discover that each time 07:35 God finish His creating on a day, 07:38 He says, it was good. 07:40 God looks at everything that 07:41 He has made on that particular day 07:43 and He says it is good. 07:44 Six times that word good appears. 07:47 And then finally, on the sixth day of creation, 07:50 the final day of creation, 07:52 notice what the Bible says in Genesis 1:31, 07:56 "Then God saw everything that He had made, 07:59 and indeed it was" what? 08:00 "Very good. 08:01 So the evening and the morning were the sixth day." 08:03 So the Bible is clear, when God created this world, 08:07 He created a good, good, good and indeed very good. 08:11 After He created His masterpiece of creation 08:15 which was Eve, God said it was very good, 08:18 and I for one, I'm thankful to God 08:21 that He created women, amen. 08:23 How many of you men are happy that God created women? 08:25 Absolutely, I've been blessed for over 20 years 08:28 because God chose to create women, 08:31 and I thank God for that. 08:33 But everything was good, every thing was good. 08:36 God designed for Adam and Eve 08:38 to live in harmony with one another, 08:42 with God Himself their creator 08:44 to live in harmony with their environment. 08:48 They were designed to live 08:49 happy and healthy lives forever. 08:53 They were designed to live in a world 08:56 where there was no suffering, 08:57 where there was no sorrow, 08:59 where there was no pain. 09:00 That was God's original plan for Adam and Eve 09:04 to enjoy this beautiful home called the Garden of Eden 09:08 that God had created for them on this beautiful planet 09:12 where everything was good. 09:14 So the big question is, 09:16 who is responsible for all the bad, 09:19 for all the evil, for all the suffering? 09:22 If God created everything good, 09:24 where on earth did bad come from? 09:27 Well, for the answer, 09:29 we need to go back to the Garden of Eden 09:31 and there in the Genesis 3, 09:35 God gives us an insight as to how everything went bad. 09:41 In Genesis 3:1 we read these words, 09:44 "Now the serpent was more cunning than 09:46 any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. 09:49 And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, 09:53 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" 09:56 ' Here the serpent enters the garden, 09:59 the garden home of Adam and Eve, 10:02 and according to the Book of Revelation 10:04 we discover that, that serpent is none other 10:07 than the devil and Satan. 10:10 The serpent tempted Eve with the thought 10:14 that God was not as loving as she may have believe He was. 10:20 That God was not as kind 10:21 and as good as she thought He was. 10:24 The serpent tempted Eve to think that 10:28 God was withholding some thing from her 10:31 that would bring her more joy, more happiness, 10:35 more peace in her life. 10:37 And that if only she took from this fruit, 10:40 that the serpent was extending to her 10:42 that she would receive something 10:45 that God was keeping away from here. 10:49 You see that's the same temptation 10:52 that the devil has been sharing with the human race ever since. 10:56 That God cannot supply for you 11:00 what is in your best interest completely. 11:04 That there is something more out there 11:08 that you can have that God is not giving to you. 11:11 And sadly, sadly as the story is shared 11:15 there in the Book of Genesis, Eve believed that lie. 11:20 Eve believed the lie 11:21 that God was withholding from her 11:23 and from Adam something that would give them greater joy, 11:27 greater happiness indeed to be just like God, 11:32 is what he tempted Eve with. 11:35 Sadly our first parents 11:37 had to leave the Garden of Eden. 11:39 They had to leave this beautiful place 11:42 where everything was just perfect. 11:45 And they experienced the truth of the words of the serpent 11:52 that God can be trusted 11:55 and the serpent cannot be trusted. 11:58 So who is responsible? 12:00 According to the Book of Genesis 12:02 it's that serpent in the garden. 12:04 According to the Book of Genesis, 12:06 God never designed for evil to come into this world. 12:11 Who is responsible? 12:12 Well, Jesus gives us an answer in the Book of Matthew in 13, 12:18 Jesus shared a parable there, He shared a parable of a sower 12:22 who went out to sow seed. 12:24 And the Bible says that he went to sow a good seed, 12:27 but during the course of the night 12:30 an enemy came along who sowed tares 12:34 or weeds amongst the wheat 12:38 and then Jesus gives, 12:40 He gives an interpretation of who the sower is, 12:44 what the good seed is and who the enemy is. 12:46 Notice these words that we find 12:48 in Matthew 13:37 and 39 12:52 as Jesus here defines who the enemy is, 12:56 what the good seed is and who the enemy is. 12:59 He answered and said to them, 13:01 He is speaking to His disciples, 13:02 "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 13:06 The enemy who sowed them, 13:07 that is the weeds, is the devil, 13:10 the harvest is the end of the age, 13:11 and the reapers are the angels." 13:13 So as far as Jesus was concerned, 13:15 the one who has sowed evil in this world is 13:19 none other then the devil himself. 13:22 Jesus made it clear that He simply sowed good seed, 13:25 and that reminds us of what we've 13:27 just read in the Book of Genesis. 13:29 When God created this world, He said it was good, good, 13:34 good and even very good, 13:36 but then an enemy came into the garden, 13:39 an enemy came into the garden 13:41 that serpent of old called the devil and Satan, 13:45 as the Book of Revelation terms him 13:47 and he sowed evil, he sowed sin, 13:51 he sowed pain and suffering. 13:54 In the Book of Luke 13, 13:56 Jesus here once again takes no responsibility 14:00 for suffering and pain. 14:01 Notice these words that we find in Luke 13:11 and onwards, 14:06 "And behold, there was a woman 14:08 who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, 14:11 and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. 14:15 But when Jesus saw her, 14:17 He called her to Him and said to her, 14:19 'Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.' 14:22 " Isn't that good news? 14:23 Jesus straightened this woman up 14:26 after being infirmed for 18 years. 14:29 Jesus goes on, "So ought not this woman, 14:34 being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, 14:38 think of it, for eighteen years, 14:39 be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?' 14:41 " So once again, 14:42 Jesus didn't take any responsibility 14:45 for this woman suffering. 14:47 Instead Jesus placed the responsibility 14:50 for this woman's infirmity 14:52 for the past 18 years upon 14:54 no one other than the Satan himself. 14:58 Jesus is very clear. 15:00 He takes no responsibility for suffering and sorrow, 15:03 that belongs to the enemy. 15:06 In fact, after Jesus had fasted in the wilderness 15:09 for some 40 days, 15:11 He came out of that experience 15:13 and the Bible says He went to his hometown of Nazareth 15:17 where He had been brought up 15:18 and He went to church on one Sabbath morning 15:22 and the person in charge of the worship service 15:26 handed Him the scroll of the Book of Isaiah, 15:30 and Jesus chose this passage to illustrate 15:35 why He came to share His mission statement, 15:38 to share the reason why He came. 15:41 Notice these words prophesied concerning Christ 15:44 by Isaiah hundreds of years before Jesus came 15:48 and Jesus now shares them, and notice these words. 15:51 In Luke 4:18 we read, 15:54 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, 15:56 because He has anointed Me 15:57 to preach the gospel to the poor. 15:59 He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, 16:01 to proclaim liberty to the captives 16:04 and recovery of sight to the blind, 16:05 to set at liberty those who are oppressed." 16:09 This is what Jesus did. 16:11 Jesus came to set the captives free. 16:14 Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted. 16:17 Jesus came to give recovery of sight to the blind, 16:21 to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 16:23 that is why Jesus came. 16:25 The enemy comes and he wants to blind people. 16:29 The enemy wants to blind people to who God truly is, 16:34 the character of God 16:35 and the things that belong to the devil, 16:39 the devil seeks to place them in the lap of God. 16:44 And that's what sadly 16:46 most people believe today in the world. 16:48 The things that ought to be attributed to the devil 16:50 have been attributed to God. 16:53 Today, we have a term 16:55 that the media and insurance companies use 16:59 when it comes to horrific natural disasters, 17:03 what is it? 17:04 Acts of God. 17:06 Often you'll hear on the news reference to an act of God, 17:11 some horrible disaster, 17:13 natural disaster that has taken 17:15 the lives of thousands of people 17:17 and it's referred to as an act of God. 17:19 Insurance companies often in order to get out of 17:22 paying an insurance claim will have you in fine print, 17:26 we pay for everything except for acts of God. 17:31 But the Bible tells us what the acts of God are. 17:35 Jesus went about healing people. 17:38 Jesus went about feeding thousands of people. 17:41 Jesus went about raising the dead 17:44 and ultimately as we discover in our last program, 17:47 Jesus went to Calvary 17:49 and He paid the price of sin for each and every person. 17:53 That is an act of God. 17:55 The acts of the devil are the complete opposite. 17:59 Instead of insurance companies, 18:00 instead of the media referring to these natural disasters 18:04 as acts of God, 18:05 they ought to be referring to them 18:07 as acts of the devil. 18:09 Notice what Jesus shared in John 10:10. 18:13 Here Jesus summarized His work 18:18 in comparison to the devil's work. 18:20 Notice these words, John 10:10. 18:23 "The thief does not come except to steal, 18:25 and to kill, and to destroy..." 18:26 Who do you think the thief is in this passage? 18:28 It's the devil himself. 18:31 And Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, 18:35 and that they may have it more abundantly." 18:37 So here we have these two individuals, 18:41 here we have these two powers. 18:43 One seeks to steal, kill and destroy. 18:46 He is a thief. 18:48 Nobody likes a thief, do they? 18:50 We don't like thieves because thieves take from us. 18:52 Thieves are not in the business of giving. 18:55 Thieves are in the business of taking, hoarding, 18:58 keeping for themselves. 19:00 But Jesus is in the business of giving. 19:04 Jesus says, I give my life for the sheep. 19:11 When Jesus cried out on Calvary's cross, 19:14 Father forgive them, 19:15 for they don't know what they're doing, 19:17 He was giving up His life. 19:20 Jesus claimed no responsibility for the work of evil, 19:26 pain and suffering. 19:28 Instead He placed that responsibility 19:32 completely upon the Devil himself, 19:36 the one whose name is evil with a capital D, 19:40 it all belongs to him. 19:43 The Bible is clear, couldn't be any clearer. 19:46 So the question that begs to be asked and answered, 19:50 where did the devil or this thief 19:54 as Jesus put it come from? 19:56 Where did he come from? 19:57 Did God create him that way? 19:59 Did God created devil in order to showcase 20:03 His love in comparison to the devil and his work? 20:09 Where did the devil come from? 20:11 Well, in the Book of Ezekiel, we have this incredible insight 20:15 as God through His servant 20:16 Ezekiel takes us behind the scenes, 20:20 and He give us an understanding of where this being, 20:24 that we today know as the devil and Satan, 20:26 where he came from. 20:28 Ezekiel 28:11, 20:32 "Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 20:35 'Son of man, take up a lamentation 20:38 for the king of Tyre..." 20:39 And the king of Tyre here 20:41 as we'll discover is a symbol of this being, 20:45 the devil and Satan, 20:47 the king of Tyre and say to him, 20:49 "Thus says the Lord God: You were the seal of" what? 20:53 "Perfection, full of wisdom and" what? 20:55 "Perfect in beauty." 20:57 We continue reading, 20:59 "You were in Eden, the garden of God..." 21:00 And for this reason we know that 21:02 we are not speaking of a literal king of Tyre 21:04 and there was a literal king of Tyre, 21:06 we are speaking of another being, 21:07 because the literal king of Tyre 21:09 was never in the Garden of Eden. 21:11 So this is speaking of somebody else. 21:13 God is just using the king of Tyre as a symbol. 21:17 "You were in Eden, the garden of God, 21:19 every precious stone was your covering. 21:21 You were the anointed cherub who covers. 21:24 I established you, 21:25 You were on the holy mountain of God. 21:27 You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones." 21:31 Notice this being, 21:34 the Bible says was a covering cherub, 21:39 he was anointed, 21:41 he was right there at the very throne of God. 21:44 At the very throne of God we have two angels, 21:47 the Bible says. 21:49 Some of you that have watched Indiana Jones 21:51 and Raiders of the Lost Ark, 21:54 you'll be familiar with this box 21:59 which is called the Ark of the Covenant 22:01 and there were two angels that hovered over this golden box 22:06 that contained the Ten Commandments, 22:08 a symbol of God's throne. 22:10 And so this angel that was created perfect by God 22:15 was there right at the very presence of God, 22:19 right there in His very presence. 22:20 The most exalted angel, 22:23 the most beautiful angel that God created of all the angels 22:28 there was not another angel created like this being. 22:33 We continue reading, 22:35 "You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, 22:39 till iniquity was found in you." 22:42 Three times, the Bible tells us that this being was perfect. 22:48 Now how perfect is perfect? It's perfect. 22:51 Can you get more perfect than perfect? 22:53 No, this being was created perfect 22:57 from the day he was created 22:59 until iniquity was found in him. 23:01 Now what's another name for that word iniquity? 23:05 It's sin, sin. 23:08 So what was the sin of this covering cherub? 23:12 What was the sin of God's leading 23:14 and most exalted angel? 23:16 Notice what we continue reading in Ezekiel 28:7. 23:20 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, 23:23 and you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor." 23:28 How did sin come into this universe? 23:31 It was because this being that was created perfect, 23:34 that was created beautiful, 23:35 more magnificent than any other created being, 23:39 more magnificent than any angel, 23:41 pride welled up in this being. 23:45 That is what the Bible says, you were corrupted 23:48 because of your wisdom and the sake of your splendor. 23:52 As I think about that, I ask myself the question. 23:58 What was the ambition of this God's leading angel? 24:03 What was his ambition? 24:04 What was in his heart? 24:06 Well, the Book of Isaiah gives us an insight 24:09 into the very heart of this perfect being 24:12 that God had created 24:13 that was right there in the very presence of God. 24:15 Isaiah 14:12-14, notice these words, 24:20 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer..." 24:23 That was his original name before he became Satan 24:26 and the devil, and the thief, 24:28 and a whole bunch of other names 24:30 the Bible gives for this being, 24:31 his name was Lucifer. 24:33 And that word Lucifer means light bearer. 24:36 One who was in the very presence of God, 24:39 with the most precious work of all, 24:43 to be an ambassador for God to showcase God's glory, 24:47 God's love, God's light to the rest of the angels, 24:51 to the rest of the universe. 24:53 He was God's light bearer, 24:55 right there in the very presence 24:56 of the heavenly light. 24:59 "Son of the morning! 25:00 How you are cut down to the ground, 25:02 you who weakened the nations! 25:04 For you have said in your heart. 25:05 'I will ascend into heaven, 25:07 I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. 25:10 I will also sit on the mount of the congregation 25:13 on the farthest sides of the north. 25:15 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, 25:18 I will be like" who? 25:19 "I will be like the Most High." 25:22 Notice the word that appears over and over and over again. 25:26 What was that word? 25:27 I, I. 25:31 Lucifer had I trouble. 25:34 Lucifer suffered from pride, 25:36 and pride is the middle letter of I, isn't that? 25:40 I is the middle letter of pride. 25:42 Sin, what's the middle letter of sin? 25:43 I. 25:45 What's the middle letter of Lucifer? 25:46 I. 25:48 He had an I problem. 25:50 That is where all of our problems begin. 25:54 All of our problems begin in the human heart. 25:57 Pride, selfishness, 25:59 that's where all the wars begin. 26:02 The wars don't begin on the battlefield. 26:04 They don't even begin in backrooms 26:07 preparing for the battle. 26:09 The battles, the wars, the violence that... 26:12 You fill in the blanks, 26:14 that all begins in the human heart. 26:16 It begins in the human heart 26:18 and that's where it begun with Lucifer. 26:20 He wanted to be just like the Most High. 26:24 You remember in the wilderness, 26:30 the devil tempted Jesus with three temptations. 26:33 The third and final temptation was 26:35 if You will only bow down and worship me, 26:39 I will give You the kingdoms of this world, 26:42 isn't that right? 26:44 Lucifer has always wanted to be worshipped. 26:48 That's what he wants to be worshipped. 26:50 In fact, he wanted to be God, 26:54 he wanted to take God off His throne. 26:57 Lucifer wanted to have the power of God 27:00 without his character. 27:02 Because God doesn't have a character that takes, 27:06 that grabs, that seeks for oneself. 27:09 God has a character that is described in John 3:16 27:14 where God so loved the world that he, what? 27:16 Gave His only begotten Son. 27:20 He gave His only begotten Son. 27:22 Sadly, the Book of Revelation tells us 27:25 that in the final battle over worship, 27:29 at the end of time Lucifer, the devil, 27:33 he will once again seek worship. 27:36 He didn't received worship from Jesus Christ, 27:38 but one day he will seek worship from the whole world 27:42 at the end of time the Bible says and sadly, 27:44 the sad reality is that 27:46 most people will choose to worship him 27:48 rather than to worship the one 27:50 who gave His life which is Jesus Christ. 27:55 Revelation gives us some more details 27:58 as to this worship war that took place. 28:02 This most gifted of all the angels of heaven, 28:05 notice what we read in the Book of Revelation 12:7. 28:11 "And war broke out in heaven: 28:14 Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, 28:16 and the dragon and his angels fought... 28:18 So the great dragon was cast out, 28:21 that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan..." 28:25 Now before we take a look at this war 28:27 that took place there in heaven, 28:29 the first thing I'd like us to notice is that 28:33 name for Michael is the name for Jesus Christ. 28:38 Michael means one who is like God. 28:42 And so there was this war between Michael and the dragon, 28:47 and the Bible says this was the war, a war. 28:51 What kind of war we don't understand war today, 28:56 outside of a war using military means, 29:00 guns and bombs and planes and so on and so forth, 29:04 that's the way we conduct wars in the herein and now. 29:07 But that's not the kind of war 29:09 that was taking place in heaven. 29:10 That word there war is a very interesting word. 29:14 I looked that up in the dictionary, 29:17 in the original language 29:18 that the New Testament was written which is Greek 29:21 and I compared it with my English dictionary. 29:23 Notice the word for war in the original language 29:27 which is the Greek is the word polemos. 29:30 That's used there in Revelation 12:7 29:33 and we get our English word polemic 29:36 from that word polemos, 29:38 and I looked that up in the dictionary, 29:39 the pocket Macquarie dictionary 29:41 and this is the definition that I received. 29:43 An argument or disputation about some opinion, 29:47 belief or doctrine or teaching. 29:49 So what was this war in heaven over? 29:53 It was a war of words. 29:55 It was a war of ideas. 29:56 In fact it was a war over who 30:00 would run the universe in the best possible way. 30:04 Under whose domain, 30:05 under whose government would universe, 30:09 the rest of the... 30:10 All the angels 30:12 and all the other created beings in the universe, 30:14 under whose government would they be happiest? 30:17 That was the war. 30:18 And the Bible tell us, 30:20 the Book of Revelation tell us in 12, 30:22 that one third of the angels believed 30:26 that they would be better served 30:29 under the dominion and under the government 30:32 and under the leadership of this fallen angel 30:35 than to remain in the presence of their creator. 30:40 One third of the angels, the Bible tell us. 30:44 Our first parents sadly were deceived. 30:48 They were deceived into believing 30:51 that if they only had that which God forbade, 30:56 they would have a greater existence. 30:58 They would have something more than 31:00 what God had already provided for them. 31:04 The enemy is very cunning. 31:06 That's how the Bible 31:07 first describes him in the garden. 31:08 The serpent was more cunning 31:10 than any other beast of the field. 31:14 So why didn't God destroy evil 31:17 before it had a chance to spread? 31:19 Why didn't God destroy the devil 31:23 whilst he was still in heaven, 31:25 before he made his way to planet earth? 31:28 Could God have destroyed him there and then? 31:30 Absolutely. 31:32 The Bible says God is all powerful, 31:33 He can do all things. 31:35 God could have destroyed the devil 31:36 the way I destroy a mosquito. 31:40 How many of you hate mosquitoes? 31:41 Okay. Almost everyone. 31:43 For those who love mosquitoes here 31:45 and those who are watching I'm really sorry, 31:48 but I can't stand mosquitoes. 31:50 If I'm sleeping at night 31:52 and I hear a mosquito, I wake up. 31:55 Immediately I wake up. 31:56 I can sleep with a train going through my bedroom 32:00 but I cannot sleep with one tiny little mosquito 32:03 making its noise. 32:05 And so until that mosquito is squashed 32:08 and no longer lives and exists and breathes, 32:12 I do not have any rest and neither does my wife. 32:15 God could have squashed the devil, 32:18 the way you and I squash a mosquito. 32:21 Now why didn't God do that? 32:22 That's a good question. 32:23 And a lot of people ask that question, 32:25 why not destroy the devil 32:28 before he had an opportunity 32:30 to spread his woe to the human race? 32:34 I mean, why even put a tree in the garden 32:39 where God says don't touch. 32:42 Why even allow the devil into the garden? 32:44 Why not eliminate all possibility 32:48 for Adam and Eve to turn against God? 32:50 That's a good question. 32:52 We'll get to that in a moment. 32:53 But why not destroy the devil immediately? 32:56 Well, I want you to imagine with me this scenario. 33:00 Imagine the greatest scandal that has ever rocked Canberra 33:07 and Australia takes place. 33:09 There in the heart of our nation's capital, 33:14 there Parliament House. 33:16 Imagine with me, now you need to imagine, 33:18 this hasn't actually happened, 33:19 I had someone after one program say to me, 33:21 did that really happened? 33:23 I'm like no, I said imagine, imagine this scenario. 33:26 Imagine the deputy prime minister of Australia 33:30 one day decides to call a press conference at midday 33:34 and he shares that he has evidence 33:38 to incriminate our current prime minister, 33:42 the most responsible person in the land, 33:46 evidence that will send our current prime minister 33:50 to prison for a long, long time. 33:53 He calls a press conference for 12 o'clock midday. 33:57 Can you imagine, you know, the camera crew, 33:59 they just scrambled, 34:01 the world's media is on camera 34:03 waiting for what will be shared at midday 34:06 by the deputy prime minister. 34:08 He comes to the lectern 34:10 and he only has two sentences to share. 34:14 I have evidence 34:17 that will incriminate our prime minister, 34:20 and if this will be proven in a court of law, 34:24 he will spend a long, long time in prison. 34:29 Sentence number one. 34:30 Sentence number two, 34:32 all will be revealed tomorrow same time, same place. 34:37 He walks away, no time for questions, 34:40 he walks away. 34:41 The whole nation is astir, can you imagine? 34:45 The whole nation, the whole world is astir, 34:47 what's happening in Australia? 34:50 Every one's anxiously, anticipating 24 hours, 34:57 midday, and so what happens? 35:00 That night you go to bed and you turn on the news, 35:03 is there any update? 35:04 There is no update, nothing else is being said. 35:06 The deputy hasn't been seen. 35:08 You wake up in the morning, 35:10 you turn on the news to see if there is any update 35:13 and you discover that the deputy prime minister 35:17 on his way home from Parliament House, 35:20 happen to come across a semi trailer 35:23 coming the other way lost his life. 35:28 I guess we will never know, 35:31 we will never know what did he have to share. 35:36 We'll never know. 35:37 Imagine God would have destroyed the devil immediately 35:43 or Lucifer as he was known. 35:45 Imagine God would have destroyed him. 35:47 Imagine the thinking of the heavenly angels, 35:50 this leading angel, I mean this was their leading angel. 35:54 This is the angel that they all looked up to. 35:58 He is no longer. 36:00 Imagine the questions, 36:02 imagine the comments, whatever you do, 36:05 whatever you do don't question God, 36:09 otherwise you are gonna end up like Lucifer. 36:12 Imagine all the questions, 36:15 the angels, 36:17 the heavenly beings would serve God 36:19 out of fear and not out of love. 36:22 But notice what the Bible tells us 36:24 in 1 John 4:18, 36:26 "There is no fear in love, 36:28 but perfect love casts out fear." 36:32 God does not want anyone to serve Him out of fear. 36:36 God only receives obedience that is given in love. 36:42 There is no fear in love. 36:44 The Bible says God is love. 36:47 There is no fear in love, 36:48 but God's perfect love casts out fear. 36:52 You see love is the very foundation 36:54 of God's government, 36:55 the very foundation. 36:58 Let me take you back in time, 36:59 22 years almost when I had the privilege of 37:06 connecting with the most beautiful person 37:09 that God ever created. 37:11 I know some of you men will probably disagree with me 37:13 and that's okay. 37:15 Well, for me my dear wife is the most 37:18 beautiful person in the world. 37:21 Her name is Jazner 37:22 and I'm blessed to have her by my side, 37:24 and that was on January 1, 1995. 37:28 Now you are thinking, 37:29 who gets married on January 1, 1995? 37:33 Well, those of us who have a bad memory. 37:38 I have a bad memory, 37:39 so I figured if I get married on January 1, 1995, 37:43 I won't hopefully forget my wife's anniversary, 37:46 well, forget our anniversary. 37:49 There you go. 37:51 I forget her birthday once and that wasn't a good idea. 37:54 She is, her birthday is December 23, I mean, 37:57 who decides to be born on December 23? 38:00 Two days before Christmas? 38:01 It's a crazy time of the year. 38:03 So I forgot it once and I learnt a lesson, 38:06 there is one way to never ever forget your wife's birthday, 38:11 forget it once. 38:12 Forget it once and you'll never ever forget it. 38:14 That's another story for another day. 38:16 But, you know, what made January 1, 1995 so special? 38:21 It made it so special 38:23 because my two younger sisters 38:26 didn't have to put a gun to my wife 38:30 to say you better say I do or else. 38:35 She voluntarily, willingly said I do. 38:40 She may regret that now, but it's too late. 38:43 I told her, I'm with you until the day 38:46 that we breathe our last 38:47 or certainly until the day that I'll breathe my last. 38:50 I've said to her, I've told her many times, 38:51 you can run but you can't hide from me. 38:54 You can run but you can't hide from me. 38:58 For love to be love, 39:01 it must give you the right to say yes, 39:04 as well as the right to say no. 39:06 Isn't that right? 39:07 For love to be love, 39:08 it must give you the right to say yes, 39:10 as well as the right to say no. 39:13 We have a horrible word that we used for force love, 39:19 a four letter word beginning with R 39:21 and some of you can guess what that word is 39:23 and that's rape, isn't that right? 39:25 False love is rape. 39:28 Genuine love is only genuine love 39:32 if it is freely given. 39:34 Why did God place two trees in the garden, 39:38 the tree of life that they were to enjoy fruit from? 39:42 And the tree of the knowledge of good and evil 39:44 which they were not to touch, well not to eat from? 39:48 It's because if God didn't give Adam and Eve a choice, 39:52 they never would have an opportunity 39:55 to say no to God, 39:56 they never would have an opportunity to truly love God 39:59 because to love someone means that 40:01 there is someone what you will not love. 40:05 There is someone that you'll give your allegiance 40:07 to rather than someone else 40:09 who you won't give your allegiance to. 40:12 Imagine with me, 40:15 the birth of your first precious 40:17 little baby boy or little baby girl is born 40:21 and you are just over the moon. 40:22 I can remember what that was like for me. 40:24 Some 19 years ago, it was just wonderful, 40:28 the best day of my life, the best day of my life. 40:32 Imagine that doctor came to you, 40:35 you are giving birth in this day and age, 40:37 and I said look, 40:39 we've got some bad news and some good news. 40:42 The bad news is 40:44 and we'll give that to you first. 40:45 The bad news is that there is a strong possibility 40:49 that this child will grow up one day to bring a lot of pain 40:53 and suffering and misery into your life. 40:56 Okay, this child will potentially make life 41:00 very, very difficult and challenging for you. 41:03 And you might even get to the point one day 41:04 where you kind of wonder 41:06 why on earth did I give birth to this child? 41:10 That's the bad news, that's the possibility. 41:13 But here's the good news. 41:15 The good news is that we now have the capability 41:18 to take out your child's brain 41:21 and instead to put a special chip in there, 41:24 a computer chip. 41:25 We can take out your child's heart 41:28 and we can put apparatus there 41:30 that will pump blood just as well 41:33 and do what it needs to do for the body, 41:35 just as well, if not better. 41:39 You will never again have to worry 41:42 whether your child will ever disobey you. 41:44 You will never have to worry 41:46 whether your child will do as he's told. 41:48 You'll never ever have to worry about your child 41:51 bringing you grief. 41:52 All we've got to do is just give it a computer chip 41:55 and put in a mechanical heart, so there'll be no thinking, 41:59 there'll be no feeling 42:01 and you'll be happy as Larry for the rest of your life. 42:05 How many of you would say yes? 42:07 That's the kind of child I want, 42:09 I want a perfect child that will always obey me. 42:14 That will do just as I have said, 42:16 as I've programmed it to do. 42:18 So every time I press the button, 42:19 I press button number one, the child says yes, 42:22 I will do the dishes, how long? 42:25 And you punch in 20 minutes 42:26 and the child does that in 20 minutes. 42:28 How many of you would want a robot for a child? 42:31 Nobody, I wouldn't want a robot for a child. 42:35 Why is that? 42:36 Because children are precious 42:38 and that they give you their love freely, isn't that right? 42:42 Do children bring a lot of pain 42:44 and heartache into your lives potentially? 42:47 Absolutely, if you've have teenagers, 42:50 you'll know all about that. 42:51 The challenges of having teenagers. 42:54 But the beauty of our children is that 42:57 they have the freedom to give love, 42:59 they have the freedom to express love 43:02 and in order to love, to genuinely love, 43:06 you must have that freedom to choose. 43:08 So that is why God created all of His heavenly beings 43:12 with the freedom to choose. 43:13 That is why God created Adam and Eve 43:16 with the freedom to choose. 43:19 Two trees in the garden, 43:21 two opportunities to make a decision who to serve, 43:25 that was the first voting booth recorded in scripture. 43:30 We go to elections, don't we? 43:32 We go to elections all the time 43:34 and we vote for this person or that person, 43:36 this party or that party. 43:39 God created a voting booth there in the Garden of Eden, 43:43 and He said to Adam and Eve, if you truly love Me, 43:48 you will not eat from this tree, 43:51 and by not eating from this tree, 43:54 you are showing Me that you truly love Me. 43:57 That's why Jesus comes along and in John 14, 15 He says, 44:01 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 44:03 The greatest sign of loyalty is obedience. 44:08 Of allegiance is obedience. 44:10 That why when two individuals 44:13 give their vows at the marriage altar, 44:17 they say before God and before all these witnesses, 44:23 I will choose to be faithful to you till what? 44:26 Till death do us apart or till I find the better offer? 44:29 Till death do us apart, that's loyalty. 44:33 Loyalty equals love. 44:35 It equals obedience. 44:38 It equals faithfulness. 44:41 Jesus, He knocks in the door of our hearts. 44:46 We read the scripture in our previous presentation 44:48 from Revelation 3:20 where Jesus says, 44:52 behold I stand at the door and what? 44:54 Knock. 44:55 If any one hears my voice and opens the door, 44:58 I will come into him and dine with him and he with me. 45:03 Jesus is a gentleman. 45:05 Jesus doesn't barge down the door. 45:08 Jesus simply knocks and He says, 45:10 are you willing for me to come in 45:12 and share My life with you? 45:14 If you are, I will come in, if not, 45:18 I will stay on the outside. 45:20 That door only has one handle 45:22 and guess where that handle is located? 45:25 It's on the inside, its' on the inside. 45:28 You and I must be willing 45:30 to allow Jesus Christ into our lives. 45:32 He doesn't come and barge in, and He is not like a thief. 45:35 A thief comes and barges in. 45:37 But Jesus says, I come and I knock. 45:41 I love this statement, 45:42 "God would rather wrestle with our rebellious wills 45:46 than to reign supreme over rocks and trees." 45:50 That's a powerful statement. 45:52 God would rather wrestle with our rebellious, 45:56 with our stubborn, 45:58 with our pride filled wills than 46:01 reign supreme over rocks and trees. 46:04 God could have created the angels as robots. 46:07 God could have created us as robots, 46:10 programmed to do just as He chose, 46:14 but then He wouldn't have beings that He could love, 46:18 He wouldn't have beings that could express love to Him 46:21 because love is the foundation of God's government. 46:25 Love is the greatest power in the universe. 46:30 Has this world, 46:32 has this universe experienced the love of God? 46:36 Have they seen the love of God? 46:38 Has this universe had the opportunity 46:41 to see the character of God 46:43 in comparison with the character of the devil 46:46 and Satan at Calvary? 46:51 The whole world, the whole universe 46:53 had an opportunity to see the two sides, 46:58 head to head their characters for all to see. 47:04 Jesus cried out Father, forgive them, 47:07 for they don't know what they are doing. 47:09 And the devil through his servants cried out crucify Him, 47:13 crucify Him, crucify Him. 47:16 At Calvary, we have a clear demonstration of both sides. 47:21 We have a clear demonstration of the thief 47:24 who only comes to steal and to kill and to destroy. 47:28 And we have a clear demonstration 47:30 of God and His love. 47:33 Or where is God when I'm hurting? 47:35 Where is God when I'm hurting and even hurting right now? 47:39 Notice this beautiful promise in Hebrews 13:5. 47:43 God says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 47:47 He is always there with you. 47:48 I love this promise in Matthew 28:20, 47:52 at the end of Matthew's Gospel, 47:55 he quotes the words of Jesus, 47:57 ''I am with you" how often? 48:00 "Always, even to the end of the age." 48:03 Notice the words of the writer 48:06 of the Book of Hebrews 4:15 and 16, 48:10 "For we do not have a High Priest 48:12 who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, 48:15 but was in all points tempted as we are, 48:17 yet without sin. 48:19 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, 48:22 that we may obtain mercy 48:24 and find grace to help in the time of need." 48:27 The good news is that Jesus is with us always. 48:32 He is there to provide His mercies. 48:34 He is there to provide His grace in the time of need, 48:38 so you are never alone. 48:40 When you are going through your trials, 48:42 when you are going through your troubles, 48:44 Jesus is there with you 48:46 just as the Father was there with His Son at Calvary, 48:50 Jesus will be there with you. 48:52 He has promised, 48:54 I will never leave you nor forsake you. 48:56 Whilst heaven and earth remain, 48:58 I will be with you always until the end of the age. 49:03 That's a wonderful promise that God has given to us. 49:08 The Book of Revelation does not end 49:13 with us here on this earth 49:16 and sin and suffering, 49:18 and sorrow and evil, 49:20 and injustice carrying on indefinitely. 49:24 Notice how the Book of Revelation ends. 49:27 Right at the end a couple of chapters 49:30 from the very end we have these words. 49:31 In Revelation 20:9 and 10, 49:34 "Fire came down from God 49:36 out of heaven and devoured them. 49:38 The devil, who deceived them, 49:40 was cast into the lake of" what? 49:43 "Into the lake of fire." 49:45 The Bible tells us that the devil 49:47 and his angels and sadly, 49:49 sadly very, very sadly those that have chosen 49:53 to believe in his lies, 49:55 those that have chosen to be part of his government 49:58 will sadly be lost in the lake of fire. 50:02 Do you know that lake of fire was not designed for you 50:05 or for me or for anybody else living on planet earth. 50:09 Jesus in Matthew 25:41, 50:12 He said the devil and his angels 50:17 are reserved for that lake of fire. 50:20 That lake of fire is for the devil and his angels. 50:25 So why doesn't God just save everyone? 50:27 Why doesn't He just save everyone? 50:31 The truth is, 50:35 if God decided to save people against their will, 50:40 they would find themselves 50:41 living in eternal misery 50:46 there in the heavenly courts above. 50:48 That would be just like putting me in front of the TV 50:51 and making me, 50:53 forcing me to watch days of our lives all day, everyday. 50:57 What would do that for my soul? 50:59 That would destroy my soul. 51:01 That would be liking putting me in front of the TV 51:03 and making me watch violent movies, immoral movies. 51:09 That would be torture to my soul. 51:11 So those that have chosen the character of Satan, 51:15 rather than the character of Jesus Christ 51:18 to be in the presence of Jesus Christ 51:21 would be torture for them. 51:22 So God does the most merciful thing 51:25 that He can do and He simply blots them out of existence. 51:30 They have chosen not to associate themselves 51:33 with the life support of the universe. 51:36 God who is the life support of the universe, 51:40 and sadly they will be lost. 51:43 It's not God's choice, 51:45 for God is not willing that any should perish the Bible says, 51:49 but that all should come to repentance, 51:52 for God so loved the world 51:53 that He gave His only begotten Son 51:55 that whosoever, and that whosoever is even one person, 51:58 it's everyone believes in Him should not perish 52:01 but have everlasting life. 52:03 God is not willing that any should perish. 52:07 I am looking forward to the day 52:09 when God will indeed make a brand new planet. 52:12 And in Revelation 21:4 notice these words. 52:16 John writes as he sees in vision, 52:20 what is awaiting God's people, 52:22 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, 52:25 there shall be no more death, 52:26 nor sorrow, nor crying. 52:28 There shall be no more pain, 52:30 for the former things have passed away." 52:32 Hallelujah. 52:34 Isn't that good news? 52:35 The day's coming when pain and suffering 52:38 and sorrow will be no more. 52:40 Death, disease and destruction 52:42 will be forgotten for ever more. 52:46 There shall be no more pain, 52:48 the former things have passed away. 52:52 Some may ask what if, what if, 52:55 what if somewhere down the track, 52:58 through the ceaseless ages of eternity 53:00 someone asks the question 53:03 that was asked at the very beginning 53:05 by God's leading angel, 53:08 is God really as loving as we think He is? 53:14 Will sin rise up a second time? 53:17 The Bible says no, why? 53:19 The evidence is on the hands of Jesus, 53:23 the evidence is written on His brow for all to see, 53:26 the evidence is there on his faith, 53:28 the evidence is in His side. 53:30 The evidence will be clear for all, 53:34 sin will not rise up a second time. 53:38 I want to take you as we conclude 53:40 to the country of origin of my parents, 53:47 the country of Macedonia, 53:50 to the town of Laki. 53:52 I was In fact conceived in Macedonia 53:55 and dropped off in Melbourne, 53:56 so that's kind of my short history. 53:59 Many years ago, 54:00 this is where my dad's father grew up in a town called Laki, 54:05 and there is really nothing lucky about it, 54:08 it's a pretty tough little town to grow up in 54:11 and here are my grandparents. 54:14 My granddad there and my grandma. 54:18 I had the opportunity of visiting them 54:21 when I was young a couple of times 54:23 and then when I turned 21 and 22, 54:25 I decided to go and spend some time with them. 54:27 I had a great time with my grandparents, 54:30 it was wonderful to see them, 54:31 to see where they lived and this is their village 54:35 as you can see and just a beautiful place, 54:38 very different to Melbourne, 54:39 to the western suburbs of Melbourne. 54:41 This is a birthday that we had for my grandfather, 54:43 his 88th birthday. 54:45 He was an orphan, 54:47 so he has actually no idea 54:48 when he was born, 54:50 there was no record kept of the day he was born, 54:52 the month he was born, just the year 1914. 54:54 And so we decided to have a birthday for my grandfather. 54:58 Fifteen years after I'm seeing my grandfather and grandmother, 55:03 I came back to Macedonia to run a program 55:05 such as I'm running here in Domino. 55:07 I had the opportunity to share and while I was there, 55:10 I visited my grandfather's village again 55:12 and this time I decided to go to my grandfather's grave site. 55:18 My grandfather's grave site is there, 55:21 as you can see just a simple grave 55:23 and as I reflected on my time with my grandfather, 55:29 I couldn't help but reflect on those final moments 55:32 I spend with granddad. 55:34 I remember we were at the bus stop 55:37 and I just had a feeling that this might be the last time 55:41 I would ever talk or see my grandfather 55:42 and I loved him, 55:44 we just had a wonderful relationship. 55:45 He was just very loving and very caring and very kind. 55:48 And I remember sharing with him these words, 55:50 I was impressed to share these words, 55:52 I said granddad, 55:53 this maybe be last time 55:54 we see each other here on this earth 55:57 but I want to make you a promise by God's grace, 55:59 when Jesus comes I will see you in the kingdom, 56:03 and I said to him granddad, 56:04 I want you to make me a promise that when Jesus come, 56:09 we'll be together again forever 56:11 and with tears streaming down our faces, 56:14 we hugged and we embraced. 56:17 I'm looking forward to that day when Jesus comes. 56:20 My granddad now rests, awaiting the resurrection. 56:23 What about you? 56:25 Do you want to join Jesus 56:26 and all those that have put their faith and trust in Him 56:29 on that awesome day 56:31 when God will make all things new? 56:33 If that's your decision, 56:35 why don't you just bow your heads with me as we pray? 56:37 Loving Father in heaven, 56:39 we thank You for the promise of Your soon return. 56:42 We thank You Father that one day 56:43 You will make all things right. 56:45 We thank You Father that one day 56:47 there will be no more pain, 56:48 no more suffering, no more sorrow, 56:51 no more evil, 56:52 for the former things would have all passed away. 56:55 Until that day Father, may we trust in Jesus, 56:57 may we look to Him, 56:59 for this is our prayer in his name, amen. |
Revised 2016-12-19