Participants:
Series Code: GLM
Program Code: GLM200006S
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00:39 Hello and welcome again to another one in the series
00:43 on God's Last Message to the World. 00:47 I do appreciate seeing those who are in the studio, 00:50 and I've always got at the back of my mind, 00:52 those people who might be around the world, 00:55 who are watching this series. 00:57 Welcome to you in a very special way. 01:01 The title for our presentation today 01:04 is a Precious Gift from Jesus, 01:07 Soon to Divide the World. 01:10 I hope that as you think of this title, 01:12 that it might arouse some questions in your mind. 01:16 First of all, of course, what is this precious gift? 01:22 And then how can we be sure that it comes from Jesus? 01:28 And if it does come from Jesus, 01:30 how and why does Jesus give us a gift 01:34 that's going to divide the world? 01:37 There's a text I can think of 01:38 in the book of Ephesians Chapter four, 01:40 that tells us that there are gifts 01:42 that Jesus gives to His church 01:45 that were given primarily 01:47 to bring us into a unity of the faith. 01:50 Well, then why does this gift divide the world? 01:55 And finally He, why would Jesus give us a gift 01:58 that will divide the world 02:01 as part of his last warning message? 02:05 How thankful that we should be today, 02:07 that Jesus has promised us the gift of the Holy Spirit 02:10 to guide us into the truth 02:12 as we consider 02:14 these very important questions today. 02:16 So let us bow our heads in a word of prayer. 02:18 Our loving Father in heaven, 02:21 we thank You again 02:22 for the promise of the Holy Spirit. 02:25 "He was given to us to guide us," 02:27 Jesus said. 02:28 "into all truth" 02:30 and given to us also to help us glorify Jesus. 02:35 We pray that that may happen today, 02:37 that we might in all the words that are spoken here 02:40 under the influence of the Holy Spirit, 02:43 see more of God's truth 02:46 and glorify Jesus in what is revealed. 02:49 And we ask this in Jesus' precious name. 02:52 Amen. 02:54 I'd like to begin today 02:55 by taking the time for a brief summary 02:58 of God's last warning message 03:00 as we've unfolded it so far in our series. 03:04 Those three messages, 03:07 symbolizing three angels and presenting three angels, 03:11 symbolize God's last message 03:13 that he's going to go send to the world. 03:15 And I'm going to put on the screen, 03:17 therefore, a summary of these messages, 03:19 just to remind you of this at the beginning. 03:22 First of all, we noticed that 03:23 at the beginning in Revelation 14:6-7, 03:27 that these messages are based on the everlasting gospel 03:31 to be proclaimed to the world. 03:32 That's important to understand it, 03:34 that it's part of the gospel. 03:36 Then two, 03:38 they call for reverence for God in view of the fact, 03:41 as we've discussed recently 03:43 that the hour of God's judgment has come. 03:47 Then number three, 03:49 they urge all to worship the Creator. 03:53 You remember in Revelation 14:7, 03:55 that angel says with a loud voice, 03:57 a megaphone as we noticed recently, 04:00 they urge all to worship the Creator. 04:04 Then they warn, 04:06 and this is the second angel's message. 04:08 They warn of the development of a union of all religions 04:13 symbolized by the city of Babylon, 04:15 that ancient city that stood for Babel 04:18 and confusion of languages. 04:19 You'll remember at the beginning. 04:21 And they will call God's people to separate, to come out. 04:25 In Revelation 18:4, it says, 04:28 "Come out of Babylon, my people, 04:32 that you receive not of her plagues." 04:35 Then there's the third angel's message. 04:37 That solemn message 04:39 that's given in Revelation 14:9, 04:43 they warn against the worship of the beast, his image, 04:48 and receiving his mark in the forehead 04:51 or in the right hand. 04:53 Then at the end of the messages, 04:56 God is very clear on describing the people 04:59 who will be proclaiming these messages, 05:02 because in Revelation 14:12, 05:04 it says, 05:05 "Here is the patience of the saints: 05:06 here are they 05:08 that keep the commandments of God, 05:10 and have the faith of Jesus." 05:16 We need to begin today 05:19 by going back to a very important time 05:22 in church history. 05:23 We have spoken a little bit about it 05:24 in this series so far, 05:26 but as we consider 05:28 these three angels' messages from Jesus, 05:31 and since we know 05:32 how much Jesus loves the people of the world, 05:35 and he wants them to be ready for his return, 05:38 and since we understand that Jesus knows in advance 05:41 the events and the issues and the conditions 05:46 that the world will be facing 05:48 in the last days of earth's history, 05:50 it's so important that we know these messages, 05:53 believe them 05:55 and act on their calls for obedience. 05:59 That's why we need to go back in history 06:01 to this surprising time in church history, 06:04 when so much happened, 06:06 that has really changed the world. 06:08 And I'm referring, of course, to the time when this man, 06:12 his name was Martin Luther 06:15 and Martin Luther the monk in 1521 06:19 delivered one of the greatest speeches 06:22 in the last 500 years 06:24 in terms of their influence upon the world 06:27 and Martin Luther, 06:29 four years before 1521, 06:31 in 1517, 06:33 went to the Castle Church, his church 06:37 there in the German city of Wittenberg 06:40 and nailed on the door, 06:42 which was the habit in those days 06:44 that if anybody wanted to make an announcement to the, 06:46 to the, to the city, 06:48 they went to the door and nailed their little remarks 06:51 or whatever they were going to say 06:53 on the church door. 06:55 And he came to this church 06:57 and he nailed on the door 95 theses they were called, 07:03 95 propositions, if you like. 07:06 They were concerning 07:10 what was happening in a nearby town 07:12 when a Catholic monk was there selling indulgences. 07:16 And what were indulgences? 07:17 They were pieces of paper 07:19 that would give the purchaser forgiveness 07:22 for all of his sins, both past, present, and future. 07:27 And this aroused this man, Martin Luther. 07:30 He was learning enough about the Bible 07:32 to know that 07:34 forgiveness can't be bought on a piece of paper. 07:36 It comes as you know, from confession of your sins 07:40 and directly to Jesus. 07:42 And so in 1521, 07:45 he was summoned to appear before the parliament. 07:49 But I should show you, 07:50 first of all, before we leave that there is today, 07:54 if you were to visit that church 07:55 and the church still stands in Wittenberg today, 07:58 and the door was burnt. 08:00 The whole church was burned, 08:01 but they've constructed a new door. 08:03 And you'll see there on that picture, 08:05 that on the front of the door in the black there, 08:08 the 95 theses have been reproduced in metal 08:12 and they're still on that door today. 08:16 Well, in 1521, Luther, as I said, 08:18 was summoned to appear before the parliament 08:20 with the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire there. 08:24 They were gathered in the city of Worms 08:26 to recant what he had written in 1517 08:31 on that door, on those doors. 08:33 And also the books that he'd written 08:35 in the interceding four years. 08:38 And so here is a painting, 08:41 well-known painting of that moment in history, 08:44 you can see the emperor 08:46 of the Holy Roman Empire on the left, 08:48 and here is Martin Luther making his famous speech. 08:52 What did he say? 08:54 What did he say at that time? 08:57 I want you to read the words 08:58 and notice them carefully. 09:00 "Unless I," 09:02 because they were asking him to recant 09:04 what he'd written in those books, 09:05 to give them up, 09:07 to say that they were wrong 09:08 and those 95 propositions, 09:10 his reply was, 09:12 "Unless I can be instructed and convinced 09:14 with evidence from the Holy Scriptures 09:17 or with open, clear, 09:19 and distinct grounds of reasoning, 09:22 then I cannot and will not recant 09:26 because it is neither safe nor wise 09:30 to act against conscience. 09:33 Here I stand, I can do no other. 09:37 God help me. 09:39 Amen." 09:41 What a speech. 09:43 It was to change world history and church history 09:46 from that day on, 09:48 because his appeal was 09:50 that we must test everything that we write, 09:53 everything that we say 09:55 and everything that we believe by the Bible, 09:57 because the Bible is to be the source of truth. 10:02 And his appeal that the Bible must be the foundation 10:04 and the ultimate authority for all faith 10:07 laid the foundation 10:09 for the Protestant reformation that followed. 10:12 God had begun, notice I use the words 10:15 "begun, " 10:16 the work of reforming the church, 10:19 bringing it back to the great truth 10:21 that Jesus had taught 10:22 at the beginnings of the church. 10:24 But there had been, 10:25 a lot of false doctrine had crept into the church 10:28 during its history, up until the 1500s. 10:33 Within a few years of that time, 10:35 still in the 1520s, 10:38 two men in Europe 10:40 applied Luther's foundational principle. 10:44 What does the Bible say about what we believe? 10:48 And they began to study the Bible 10:50 on the question of, 10:52 "The Bible talks a lot about the Sabbath. 10:55 And yet we as Christians today, keep Sunday," 10:58 they said. 10:59 "Is this taught in scripture?" 11:02 These two men were 11:04 Oswald Glaidt and Andreas Fischer. 11:07 And they were convicted 11:08 as a result of their study of the Bible 11:09 that the seventh day 11:11 should be kept as the Sabbath. 11:13 And they share their faith with many people in those days. 11:16 This was in the 1520s. 11:19 And many people accepted what they said. 11:21 Yes. 11:22 The Bible only seems to teach 11:24 the observance of the seventh day of the week 11:26 as the Sabbath. 11:28 Well, they shared their faith with many, as I said, 11:31 and later they gave up their lives 11:35 because of their faith in the seventh day Sabbath. 11:39 Among the puritans in England, in the 1600s, 11:42 there was considerable controversy 11:45 over the question of the Sabbath. 11:48 And many puritans 11:49 began to keep the seventh day Sabbath, 11:52 including a man that 11:53 when I read about his history, I was quite impressed 11:56 with who he was and what he did. 11:58 His name was Dr. Peter Chamberlen 12:01 and Dr. Chamberlen was a brilliant physician 12:04 to three of the kings of England. 12:07 We have the King James Version of the Bible 12:09 authorized by King James the First, 12:11 and Dr. Chamberlen was the physician 12:13 to care for the health of King James. 12:17 He was also the physician to King Charles the First, 12:20 and King Charles the Second, three of the kings of England. 12:25 But when I visited his tombstone 12:27 some years ago, 12:28 I noticed that it said 12:30 that he was baptized in 1648 12:33 and kept the seventh day for the Sabbath for 32 years. 12:39 From these Sabbath-keeping puritans 12:42 there developed the Seventh-day Baptist church 12:45 in England, 12:46 and in 1664, 12:48 one of these Seventh-day Baptists, Stephen Mumford, 12:52 wanted to escape the persecutions 12:54 that were being conducted 12:56 against those who were keeping the Sabbath 12:58 at that time. 13:00 And so he moved across to the United States. 13:03 He brought the Sabbath to America 13:04 and established 13:06 the first Seventh-day Baptist church 13:08 in Newport, Rhode Island, in December 1671 13:13 with just seven members. 13:16 But I noticed that by 1802, 13:19 the membership had grown from 7 to 1,200. 13:22 And in that year, they organized 13:24 the general conference of Seventh-day Baptists. 13:27 By 1843, 13:29 there was 5,500 Seventh-day Baptists 13:33 in the United States. 13:35 And they met in that year in a general conference. 13:38 They sent delegates to this general conference 13:41 and they voted a most interesting 13:45 and important recommendation. 13:48 What was their recommendation? 13:51 Let's have a look at it. 13:52 "That the first day of November next, 1843, 13:59 be observed by our churches as a day of fasting and prayer 14:05 that Almighty God 14:06 would arise and plead for his Holy Sabbath." 14:10 What an interesting recommendation 14:12 from those 5, 500 14:15 at Seventh-day Baptist 14:17 working through their delegates. 14:19 They wanted to set aside a whole day, 14:21 November, the 1st of November, 1843 14:24 as a day of fasting and prayer, not just an ordinary day. 14:27 They were not only going to pray on that day. 14:29 They were going to fast on that day. 14:31 They were in earnest 14:32 because they wanted to take a message to God 14:35 that he would plead for his Sabbath. 14:38 They were wanting the Sabbath to be brought 14:40 to the attention of the world. 14:42 And they felt they were just a small group of people 14:44 who would do it. 14:46 Well, the Seventh-day Baptists could never have imagined that 14:53 that day of fasting and prayer 14:57 was going to change the world in essence, 15:02 because those who observed this day of fasting 15:05 could never have anticipated 15:09 the manner or the magnitude 15:11 of the answer that the Lord for centuries 15:14 was preparing in advance. 15:16 I want to take you to a very nice, 15:20 well, I think you'll like the picture 15:22 because it was a beautiful day 15:24 when I visited Washington in New Hampshire. 15:28 Washington is just a small village 15:30 in the state of New Hampshire, 15:33 but why did I put that on the screen? 15:36 Because of the story I'm about to tell you. 15:39 This is the town square. 15:40 You can see the church on the left, 15:42 the school in the center 15:44 and the council buildings 15:45 on the right-hand side of that picture. 15:48 Within a month, notice, 15:51 within a month of that day of fasting and prayer, 15:56 Seventh-day Baptist lady, Rachel Oaks 16:01 was on her way to Washington, New Hampshire 16:04 from her home in Verona, 16:06 in the state of New York. 16:09 And she was walking into God's amazing plan 16:12 for his last message to go to the world. 16:16 She had come and here is Rachel Oakes. 16:19 She had come to Washington 16:20 to visit her 18-year-old daughter 16:23 Delight Oakes 16:25 who had accepted a position as the public school teacher 16:29 in the little village of Washington, New Hampshire. 16:32 And because there were no Seventh-day Baptists 16:35 in the village in Washington, 16:38 they met on a Sunday 16:40 with the Christian Brethren Church 16:42 who met in this wooden building in Washington, New Hampshire. 16:48 But the interesting thing about the people, 16:50 the members who worship in that little building 16:53 was that they had recently accepted 16:56 totally as a church, 16:57 the teachings of William Miller. 17:00 And this is 1843, 17:04 and here they were 17:05 waiting for Jesus to come in 1844 17:09 and into their midst 17:10 comes this Seventh-day Baptist lady, 17:12 because there is no Sabbath-keeping church there 17:16 they decided to meet in the only Christian church 17:18 in that little village, 17:20 and that was the one that met here. 17:23 Well, as they met Sunday by Sunday, 17:27 one day, the minister of the church 17:30 stood at the pulpit there 17:32 because this is inside that little church 17:35 and it was communion day. 17:37 And that day for the minister, Frederick Wheeler decided that 17:40 he should preach 17:42 on the importance of keeping the 10 Commandments. 17:45 And he stood up 17:47 and preached a sermon 17:48 on the importance of all Christians keeping 17:50 the 10 Commandments. 17:52 And well, Rachel Oakes was there in the congregation. 17:56 And we know that 17:58 she must have been a fairly outspoken kind of a lady, 18:01 but she didn't fortunately stand up that day, 18:03 but she waited for the minister to call 18:06 and within a week or so, he called on this lady, 18:10 the Seventh-day Baptist lady, Rachel Oakes, 18:13 and he was very quickly confronted 18:16 with the question, 18:17 "Reverend Wheeler, 18:19 you told us in communion that day 18:21 that we should all be keeping the 10 Commandments 18:24 and you're not keeping them yourself." 18:27 Well, Frederick Wheeler tells us 18:29 that he sat back, 18:30 was rather confronted by this question. 18:33 And she went on of course, to explain why 18:36 that you're not keeping the Fourth Commandment, 18:39 the one that talks about the seventh day Sabbath. 18:42 Well, Frederick Wheeler was impressed enough 18:46 to want to know more. 18:48 Rachel Oakes gave him a Bible study. 18:51 And within a couple of months, 18:54 Frederick Wheeler 18:55 became the first Sabbath-keeping 18:58 Adventist minister in the world, 19:02 in the world. 19:04 Well, in Washington, New Hampshire, 19:08 soon others joined Frederick Wheeler 19:11 from that little church. 19:12 And they became 19:14 the first Sabbath-keeping Adventist church 19:16 in all the world. 19:18 And I noticed that as you drive into Washington today, 19:21 there is a sign on the side of the road. 19:25 "In April 1842, 19:27 a group of citizens in this town 19:30 banded together to form the first Christian society 19:34 in the Adventist movement of 1842-43, 19:37 they espoused the Advent hope. 19:40 In January 1862, 19:41 these Washington Sabbath-keepers 19:43 after meeting for many years as a loosely knit group, 19:46 organized as the first Seventh-day Adventist church." 19:50 And then it gives the instruction 19:52 on how to find that little church 19:54 in the woods 19:55 that you can visit today. 19:58 Dear friends, 20:00 as I have visited this little church, 20:03 I'm always filled with a sense of awe, 20:06 what has God wrought? 20:10 One lone Seventh-day Baptist lady 20:14 sharing her understanding 20:16 with the minister and the members of that church, 20:19 that's about the seventh day Sabbath. 20:21 She could never have dreamed 20:24 of the important role she was playing 20:27 in the plans of God. 20:29 She could never have dreamed that more than 170 years later, 20:33 some 22 million people in 200 countries of the world 20:39 would be keeping the Sabbath, 20:42 the seventh day Sabbath 20:43 as a result of what she had shared that day. 20:48 And she also probably didn't know 20:50 of how she was an important answer 20:53 in that day of fasting and prayer. 20:57 How was God to send it to the world? 20:59 Well, by just one little lady 21:01 who shared it in Washington 21:03 and the rest of the story is known. 21:07 I know that I've said these words before, 21:08 but let me say them again. 21:11 There is nothing so powerful as a prophetic truth 21:15 whose time has come. 21:19 After 1844, 21:21 when the three angels 21:22 began their messages to the world, 21:26 some very important reasons 21:28 for keeping the seventh day Sabbath 21:31 was found in their study of the Book of Revelation 21:36 that has given great impetus 21:39 to why we should keep the seventh day Sabbath today. 21:43 And of course, God always works through human instruments 21:45 and much of the credit for what has been added from, 21:48 by studying the Book of Revelation 21:51 is due to a sea-captain- turned-Adventist preacher 21:55 with William Miller. 21:57 His name was Captain Joseph Bates. 22:01 Let me tell you a little bit about this man. 22:03 Joseph Bates was born in 1792 22:07 and in 1793, 22:09 their family moved to this home, 22:12 Meadow Farm in the city of Fairhaven 22:15 in Massachusetts. 22:18 This home still stands today. 22:21 You can visit it. 22:22 It's the oldest house in Fairhaven. 22:25 But at the age of 15, 22:26 Joseph went to sea as a cabin boy 22:29 and spent the next 21 years at sea. 22:34 In 1818, 22:35 he married his childhood sweetheart 22:38 Prudence Nye, 22:40 who placed a New Testament in his trunk 22:44 and while he was having 22:45 those idle moments as captain of his ship 22:48 on the next journey, he found the New Testament, 22:52 began to read it and fell in love with Jesus. 22:57 Captain Joseph Bates. 22:59 Well, he returned home in 1828 at the age of 35 23:02 with a small fortune. 23:04 And in 1939, 23:07 he heard about William Miller's preaching 23:10 with all the other ministers 23:11 who were telling the world at that time 23:13 that Jesus was coming very, very soon. 23:17 And he gave his heart again to Jesus 23:20 and to the new truth he was hearing about 23:23 with the coming of Jesus. 23:26 But of course, Joseph Bates was one of those 23:28 who was greatly disappointed as we've discovered 23:31 when Jesus didn't come, but he never gave up his faith. 23:35 In mid 1845, 23:37 Bates read a tract written by Thomas Preble, 23:42 a name you wouldn't know today, 23:44 who had been a free will Baptist minister, 23:48 but he too had accepted the Sabbath in 1844. 23:54 And he wrote a tract with this interesting title, 23:57 "Tract Showing 23:59 That the Seventh Day 24:00 Should Be Observed as the Sabbath." 24:04 What Bible evidence, is my question this morning, 24:08 what Bible evidence 24:09 was presented in this little tract 24:12 that convicted Joseph Bates, 24:14 that he too should keep the Sabbath? 24:17 Let me point out some of these Bible texts. 24:21 First of all, he noticed in Genesis Chapter two, 24:24 right back at the very beginning 24:26 of the Bible, 24:27 we read in Genesis 2:1, 24:30 "Thus the heavens and the earth, 24:31 and all the host of them were finished. 24:34 And on the seventh day 24:36 God ended His work, which He had done, 24:39 and He rested on the seventh day 24:41 from all His work, which He had done. 24:45 Then God blessed the seventh day 24:47 and sanctified it, 24:49 because in it He rested from all His work, 24:54 which God had created and made." 24:56 As Bates thought about that text 24:59 way back at the very beginnings of the Bible, 25:01 after God had created the world in those six days, 25:05 we read that on seventh day, God rested. 25:09 May I remind you 25:11 of what we've discovered earlier in our presentations? 25:13 And that is that it was Jesus, according to new scripture, 25:17 that was the Creator. 25:20 It was Jesus, therefore, 25:22 who rested on that first Sabbath day. 25:26 It was Jesus who blessed that day. 25:30 And it was Jesus who sanctified, 25:33 as we read there, that day. 25:35 What does that word sanctify mean? 25:38 It means to set apart for a holy purpose. 25:41 And here we read 25:42 at the very beginnings of the Bible 25:43 before there were any Jews to say it was Jewish day, 25:47 back there 25:49 at the very beginnings of the world, 25:51 Jesus set apart 25:53 the seventh day of the week as a holy day. 25:57 That was a surprise to Joseph Bates, 25:59 but that's not all that he read in this text. 26:02 He turned to the 10 Commandments 26:04 that was mentioned there. 26:06 And when he came to the Fourth Commandment, 26:08 what did it say? 26:10 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 26:13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 26:16 but the seventh day is the Sabbath 26:18 of the Lord your God. 26:20 In it you shall do no work: 26:23 you, nor your son, nor your daughter, 26:25 nor your male servant, 26:27 nor your female servant, nor your cattle, 26:29 nor your stranger who is within your gates." 26:33 Well, that was a text he had read, 26:38 but never thought about it. 26:40 That it was right written by God, 26:41 you remember, in stone and it was placed, 26:44 the 10 Commandments were placed inside that arc 26:47 that we talked about in our last presentation 26:51 and right above it was the presence of God 26:53 and that mercy seat. 26:55 Yeah, the 10 Commandments, 26:57 including the command to keep the Sabbath 26:58 written by God's own finger in stone, 27:03 there it was, 27:04 "Remember the seventh day of the week, " 27:07 a day at the beginning of the world, 27:10 it was Jesus' gift. 27:12 Notice what I said 27:14 in relation to our title for today. 27:16 If Jesus blessed that day at the beginning 27:19 and commanded its keeping, 27:21 it was Jesus' gift to the human race 27:24 at the very beginning of the world. 27:27 He gave it as a day to get to know God better. 27:33 Well, that's not all 27:35 because next he noticed in Luke 4:16, 27:40 what something is said about Jesus, 27:43 "As Jesus came to Nazareth one day, 27:45 where He had been brought up," 27:47 you know the story there, 27:49 "and as His custom was, 27:51 He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath the day, 27:55 and stood up for the read." 27:57 It was Jesus' custom. 27:59 It was Jesus who had given the Sabbath 28:02 way back at the very beginnings of time. 28:05 But now this wonderful Jesus, 28:07 when He's a man on earth as it were, the God man, 28:10 it was His custom 28:12 to go and keep the seventh day Sabbath 28:15 when he stood up that day to read. 28:18 But also in the gospel of Luke, 28:19 we read at the end of the Gospel of Luke, 28:22 in Luke 23:25-26. 28:27 Notice, it's talking about the women, 28:30 it's talking about the day of Jesus' death. 28:33 And there were women who came 28:34 and when He was put into that grave, 28:38 they prepared spices and ointments 28:40 to anoint His grave and His body. 28:43 But they couldn't do it on the Friday afternoon. 28:46 Sunset was coming, the beginnings of the Sabbath 28:49 and notice what the record says 28:51 about these faithful followers of Jesus. 28:54 "And the women also, 28:55 which came with Him from Galilee, 28:57 followed after, and beheld the sepulcher, 29:01 and how His body was laid. 29:03 And they returned, 29:04 and prepared spices and ointments, 29:07 and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment." 29:13 Well, Joseph Bates was learning a great deal 29:16 that he'd never known before 29:18 as to the keeping of the Sabbath. 29:21 And then when we turn to the Book of Acts, 29:23 what did the early church do? 29:26 There are many today who believe that 29:28 once Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, 29:30 that the early church 29:31 then kept every Sunday holy. 29:34 But that's not what Joseph Bates found 29:36 in this little pamphlet. 29:38 And there are a number of references to Paul, 29:41 the great Apostle Paul, 29:43 keeping the Sabbath and meeting at the church 29:46 on the seventh day of the week. 29:47 Let me just put one on the screen 29:49 because here in Acts 13:42, 29:52 it says, 29:53 "And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, 29:57 the Gentiles," 29:59 notice the Gentiles now, 30:01 that's 30:02 "besought that these words might be preached to them" 30:04 when, not the next day, Sunday, the next day, 30:09 "the next Sabbath." 30:11 And then what happened afterwards. 30:13 "And the next Sabbath day came 30:14 almost the whole city together to hear the word of God." 30:20 Well, that was a revelation to Joseph Bates too. 30:24 And the other text in the Book of Acts. 30:26 But then Joseph Bates noticed in this pamphlet, 30:30 a text in the Book of Isaiah, 30:32 going back to the Old Testament, 30:34 when we read these remarkable words, 30:38 God is speaking through the prophet Isaiah. 30:40 And he says, 30:41 "'For as the new heavens and the new earth 30:44 which I will make shall remain before Me, '" 30:47 that's the new earth 30:48 that's going to be recreated by God 30:50 after the end of the reign of sin, 30:53 after the second coming, 30:54 that's got to be the home of God's people. 30:57 What does Isaiah tell us? 30:59 "'For as the new heavens and the new earth 31:01 which I will make shall remain before Me,' 31:03 says the Lord, 31:04 'So shall your descendants remain. 31:08 And it shall come to pass 31:09 that from one new moon to another 31:11 and from one Sabbath to another, 31:14 shall all flesh come to worship before Me, ' 31:18 says the Lord." 31:20 In other words, 31:21 this seventh day Sabbath 31:22 given by Jesus at the very beginning 31:25 was very special 31:26 and He gave it as a gift to the human race. 31:30 And even in the new earth that one day we will live on, 31:34 that Sabbath rest and worship 31:38 is the day that we will be able to look forward to. 31:42 Bates was surprised to find not one text 31:45 in that little tract, 31:47 showing that 31:48 the Sabbath had been changed to Sunday. 31:52 And as a result of that little tract, 31:54 he too began to keep the Sabbath 31:57 that was in 1846. 31:59 In early 1846 32:01 Bates also read the article 32:03 that Hiram Edson had written about the sanctuary. 32:07 Now we talked about this in our presentation 32:10 one or two times ago. 32:13 And what did he read in that little tract? 32:15 You remember Hiram Edson had discovered that morning 32:17 that Jesus had moved 32:19 from the Holy place into the Most Holy place 32:22 in 1844 to cleanse the sanctuary. 32:25 And that was an explanation 32:27 as to why Jesus didn't come on October 22, 1844. 32:32 And as Bates read that tract, 32:36 he decided that he would go up to Hiram Edson's place 32:42 who had published that little article, 32:45 and he thought if he can study with Hiram Edson 32:49 about the sanctuary, 32:51 maybe he can share 32:52 what he's come to an understanding of 32:54 about the Sabbath. 32:56 And they met. 32:58 He traveled up to Hiram Edson's home 33:00 in Port Gibson 33:01 and Edson convinced Bates 33:04 about Jesus and His ministry in the sanctuary 33:07 and Bates convinced Edson 33:10 about Jesus and His keeping the Sabbath. 33:14 You know, when I stopped to think about this, 33:17 they were following the Bible principle. 33:20 What does the Bible say and we want to follow it. 33:25 Well, a little later in 1846, 33:28 Hiram Edson, rather Joseph Bates 33:31 wrote a little booklet on the Sabbath. 33:34 It was the first booklet 33:36 ever to be written by a Sabbath-keeping Adventist 33:39 as Joseph Bates was. 33:41 It was 44 pages in length. 33:46 And what a little, wonderful little book it was. 33:49 The title, the interesting title, 33:51 "The Seventh Day Sabbath, A Perpetual Sign." 33:55 It was only 48 pages, 33:57 but that little booklet published there 34:00 by Benjamin Lindsey. 34:02 I think it says in 1846, 34:05 went out and touched many people's lives. 34:07 I can tell you a lot of stories 34:09 about the influence of that book. 34:11 At that time, there were about 50, 34:14 notice how many I said, 34:15 50 Sabbath-keeping Adventists 34:19 living in the northeastern section 34:21 of the United States. 34:23 But that number was growing very fast. 34:27 The following year in 1847, 34:31 Joseph Bates printed 34:33 a second edition of that little book, 34:36 the Seventh Day Sabbath. 34:37 It had 63 pages in it. 34:40 And what made the difference 34:42 between that second booklet and the first booklet 34:44 in the meantime, 34:46 Joseph Bates had began to study the Book of Revelation 34:51 and he was convinced that 34:52 the Sabbath was going to play a vital role 34:56 in the last days of earth's history. 35:00 He believed this was true from his study 35:02 because of the connection 35:03 between the Sabbath 35:06 and the messages of the three angels, 35:09 the last message Jesus would send to the world. 35:14 Why did he believe this? 35:15 I'd like to share you the reasons. 35:17 He saw that when he looked at Revelation 14 35:20 and those points there by the three angels 35:23 that the Bible taught 35:25 that the end time struggle in the world 35:30 before the coming of Jesus, 35:32 will be over two issues. 35:36 What was the first one? 35:39 The first one 35:41 was that those people 35:42 who were preaching those messages 35:45 would be keeping the commandments of God. 35:49 And that made Joseph Bates think, 35:50 "Well, evidently the commandments of God 35:53 and the keeping of them is going to be a real issue 35:55 in the last days of earth's history." 35:58 And that God would raise up a people 36:00 to proclaim God's last message to the world 36:03 who would be keeping God's commandments. 36:06 He knew that James said that if you keep the whole law 36:10 and yet offend in one point, you're held guilty of them all. 36:13 And therefore here must be a people 36:15 who are keeping all 10 Commandments. 36:18 That was the first issue 36:19 that impressed him as he looked at those messages. 36:22 The second one 36:24 will be played out 36:25 against the background of the world 36:29 having to make a choice over who 36:33 or whom they would worship. 36:38 Notice in Revelation 14:7, 36:42 where it says about the first angel's message, 36:45 "Saying with a loud voice," 36:46 that megaphone, 36:48 "'Fear God and give glory to Him, 36:50 for the hour of His judgment has come, '" 36:52 we have noticed that in our last presentation, 36:55 "'and worship Him who made heaven and earth, 36:59 the sea and the springs of waters.'" 37:01 Since the one who made heaven and earth and the sea 37:03 and the springs of waters was Jesus, 37:06 here is a call to worship Jesus. 37:12 But he also noticed 37:14 what many Bibles students have noticed 37:16 that Verse seven, 37:18 worship him who made heaven and earth, 37:21 the sea and the springs of waters 37:23 is a direct quotation from the Fourth Commandment, 37:28 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." 37:32 And as Bates saw the relationship 37:34 between that first message to Jesus, 37:36 a call to worship Jesus, 37:38 but also quoting from the Fourth Commandment 37:41 there in the first angel's message, 37:44 it impressed him that this day was still to be very relevant 37:48 at the end of time. 37:51 How could you call the world to worship the Creator 37:54 without remembering the day the Creator gave to the world 38:00 to remind them that He had created the world 38:03 and all that was in it. 38:05 But then as Joseph Bates went down in those messages, 38:09 he noticed in Revelation 14:9, the third angel's message. 38:14 And what did it say? 38:16 In revelation 14:9, 38:20 "Then a third angel followed them, 38:22 saying with a loud voice," 38:23 again, 38:25 "'If anyone worships, '" 38:26 notice that word, 38:27 "'the beast and his image, 38:29 and receives his mark on his forehead 38:32 or on his hand...'" 38:34 Here was a warning, 38:36 don't worship, in the last days, 38:38 the beast and his image and receive the mark. 38:42 Do worship Jesus the Creator. 38:47 Clearly there was a great choice 38:49 that was going to have to be made by the world 38:51 in the final days of earth's history. 38:55 And that choice 38:56 was to involve worship the Creator 39:00 or worship the beast. 39:03 That was the choice, worship. 39:07 I want you to do a little exercise with me 39:09 from the screen. 39:11 I'm going to put on the screen 39:13 a number of texts in the Book of Revelation 39:16 chosen from Chapter 13. 39:19 Of all the chapters in the Bible, 39:21 if you want to know the last issues and concerns 39:25 that the world will have to face 39:27 in the last days, 39:28 Revelation 13, that one chapter deals with them. 39:32 And I'm going to put a number of texts 39:34 from Revelation 13 and a couple from 14. 39:37 And I want you to think about, 39:39 and I'm going to ask you at the end 39:41 and at least some of you can answer me. 39:43 What's the one word 39:45 that's found in all these verses. 39:48 Have a look at them. 39:50 First of all, 39:51 we're going to notice Revelation 13:4. 39:54 I'll read it and look for a word 39:56 that comes up in all these verses. 39:59 "And so they worshiped the dragon 40:01 who gave authority to the beast, 40:04 and they worshiped the beast, saying, 40:06 'Who is like the beast? 40:08 Who is able to make war with him?' " 40:11 And then Verse eight. 40:14 "And all who dwell on the earth will worship this beast 40:20 whose names have not been written 40:21 in the Book of Life of the Lamb 40:23 slain from the foundation of the world." 40:26 Then we read in Revelation 13:12, 40:32 "And he exercises 40:34 all the authority of the first beast 40:36 in his presence 40:37 and causes the earth 40:39 and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, 40:43 whose deadly wound was healed." 40:46 And then in Verse 15, 40:50 "He was granted power 40:52 to give breath to the image of the beast, 40:55 that the image of the beast 40:56 should both speak and cause 40:58 as many as would not worship the image of the beast 41:00 to be killed." 41:02 And then as we go over to Revelation 14:7, 41:06 "Fear God," 41:08 this is the first angel's message, 41:10 "and give glory to Him 41:11 for the hour of His judgment has come, 41:13 and worship Him 41:15 who made heaven and earth, 41:16 the sea and the springs of waters." 41:18 And then the last text in Verse nine, 41:22 we have noticed it before, 41:24 "Then a third angel followed them, 41:26 saying with a loud voice, 41:28 'If anyone worships the beast in his image, 41:30 and receives his mark on his forehead 41:32 or on his hand...'" 41:34 it goes on to say in the next verse, 41:35 he shall receive the wrath of God, 41:38 a very serious warning. 41:40 What's the one word that you found 41:43 in each one of those verses? 41:47 It's the word "worship." 41:50 Worship. 41:52 That's the issue that will become so important. 41:57 Did you notice in one of those verses 41:59 in Verse eight, it was of Chapter 13 42:01 that eventually just before Jesus comes, 42:03 "All the world will worship this beast, 42:08 whose names are not written in the Book of Life." 42:12 In other words, the text is telling us 42:15 that all the world is going to worship the beast. 42:17 But those whose names are written in the Book of Life 42:22 will not worship the beast, will not worship the beast. 42:27 Your name, 42:29 is it written in the Book of Life, 42:30 dear friends? 42:32 Our names are written in the Book of Life, 42:33 the Bible tells us, 42:34 when we accept Jesus as our Savior. 42:39 Is your name written there? 42:42 When it says that all the world will worship, 42:45 let me just make this explanation. 42:48 That does not mean 42:49 that all the world is going to become religious, 42:52 but they will give, and listen to this, 42:55 they will give allegiance to accept the authority of, 43:00 and obey the commandments of the beast, 43:05 as opposed to Jesus. 43:09 I want to ask the most important question, 43:11 dear friends. 43:13 Why should worship be the final issue 43:17 that will divide the world? 43:20 It's just up to think about it. 43:22 Couldn't it be one of a number of other issues, 43:25 but why does the Bible clearly tells us, 43:27 and you've read those texts this morning, 43:29 why should worship 43:31 be the final issue for the world to decide? 43:36 To answer, 43:37 we must first note that 43:39 when most of the world will be worshiping the beast, 43:43 who are they ultimately worshiping? 43:47 Have a look at Revelation 13:4. 43:52 We read this verse 43:53 as one of those ones I asked you to read, 43:56 but I want you to notice what it says. 43:59 Talking about the people of the world 44:01 it says, 44:02 "So they worshiped the dragon 44:05 who gave authority to the beast, 44:08 and they worshiped the beast, saying, 44:11 'Who is like the beast? 44:13 Who is able to make war with him?' " 44:16 Notice that the Bible says that in worshiping the beast, 44:20 the world will be ultimately worshiping the dragon. 44:25 And that very important question 44:27 must be answered from scripture, 44:29 because if we go back to Revelation 12:7, 44:36 what do we read there? 44:37 Revelation 12 has an amazing verse 44:41 because it's speaking there about war in heaven. 44:45 Did you ever know that 44:46 there was once war in heaven of all places? 44:49 This is the only text in the whole of the Bible 44:51 that ever tells us that. 44:53 But notice that it says, 44:54 "And there was war once, " 44:56 and this is way back before the world was created. 44:59 "And there was war in heaven," 45:01 and who were contenders in this war? 45:03 "Michael and his angels fought with the dragon 45:08 and the dragon and his angels fought." 45:12 Notice those words, 45:15 Michael, on one side and his angels 45:18 and the dragon and his angels on the other. 45:23 Michael is another name 45:25 given in, particularly in the Old Testament 45:28 but also in the New, 45:29 to refer to Jesus himself. 45:33 Because the word Michael means "who is like God." 45:37 And Michael, this is Jesus, the archangel. 45:41 That doesn't mean to say that Jesus is an angel. 45:43 It just means 45:44 that the word archangel 45:46 comes from two Greek words, meaning 45:47 "leader of the angels." 45:49 And that's why it says 45:50 Michael and his angels 45:52 fought against the dragon and his angels. 45:55 And that goes on to say in the next verse, 45:58 "But they did not prevail, 46:01 nor was a place found for them in heaven 46:02 any longer. 46:04 So the great dragon," 46:05 remember, we're asking the question, 46:07 who is the dragon? 46:08 "So the great dragon was cast out, 46:10 that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, 46:13 who deceives the whole world." 46:15 Notice that's in the present tense, 46:17 who is deceiving the whole world. 46:21 That's an explanation for all that we read in our newspapers 46:24 and here on our television sets 46:26 and the confusion of today's world, 46:28 Satan, the dragon, 46:31 he is deceiving the whole world. 46:33 "And his angels were cast out with him." 46:38 Why was Lucifer cast out of heaven? 46:43 Does the Bible give us an answer? 46:45 It certainly does. 46:47 We go back to a very remarkable time 46:51 when that leading angel in heaven, 46:54 his name was Lucifer, 46:57 the one who stood next to the throne of God, 47:00 that was his role, as a covering cherubim. 47:04 This leading angel in heaven, Lucifer, 47:07 the Bible tells us 47:08 in the Book of Isaiah 14:12-14, 47:13 these words, please notice them, 47:15 where the prophet is addressing this leading angel, 47:19 "How you are fallen from heaven, 47:21 O Lucifer, son of the morning! 47:24 How you are cut down to the ground, 47:26 you who weakened the nation. 47:30 Then it goes on to say, 47:32 "For you have said in your heart, " 47:34 this is what went on in the heart 47:36 of that exceedingly brilliant and wise angel, 47:40 "You have said in your heart, 47:42 'I will ascend into heaven, 47:44 I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, 47:48 I will also sit on the congregation 47:50 on the farthest sides of the north. 47:53 I will ascend 47:54 above the heights of the clouds, 47:56 I will be like the Most High.'" 48:00 Well, my friends, 48:02 Lucifer's problem was an "I" problem, 48:06 but not this one. 48:09 He wanted to be number one in the universe. 48:12 And you notice what he says at the end of that text, 48:15 "I will be like God." 48:17 He didn't want to be like God in character. 48:20 He wanted to be like God and be worshiped 48:25 to be number one in the universe. 48:28 The spirit of pride and envy was eating away at his heart. 48:31 This is this leading angel. 48:33 That's why the Book of Isaiah says 48:35 that he was perfect in his ways 48:37 until iniquity was found in him. 48:44 And so he wanted to be worshiped. 48:46 And, my friends, 48:48 this desire to be worshiped was so intense 48:52 that thousands of years later, 48:55 when Jesus became a man, 49:00 the dragon, Satan, 49:03 was determined to stop him from going to the Cross. 49:07 And we read the record in Matthew 4:8-9, 49:12 where the devil came to Jesus when he was in the wilderness, 49:16 after being hungered for six weeks 49:20 in a weakened condition. 49:23 Satan came to him and gave him three temptations. 49:29 I want you to notice the third one. 49:34 "Again, the devil took Him, Jesus, 49:37 on an exceedingly high mountain 49:39 and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 49:42 And he said to Him," 49:44 this is the angel, Lucifer, as it was, 49:47 speaking to the one who made the angels, 49:50 to Jesus, 49:51 now in a weakened form, 49:53 being tempted by him in the wilderness, 49:56 and he said to him, 49:58 all these things, 49:59 the glory of the world that he showed him that day, 50:01 "I will give you, 50:04 there's no need to go to the Cross. 50:06 I will give you the kingdoms of the world 50:10 on one condition." 50:13 What was it, my friends? 50:16 "If you will fall down and worship me." 50:22 Notice that? 50:24 "If you will fall down and worship me." 50:27 and notice Jesus' answer in Verse 10, 50:32 where Jesus says to him, 50:34 "Away with you, Satan! 50:37 For it is written, 50:38 'You shall worship the Lord your God, 50:40 and Him only shall you serve.'" 50:45 Are you understanding 50:46 why I'm pointing out these in scripture? 50:49 Because since the Cross, 50:52 Satan who failed to get Jesus to worship him, 50:57 still wanted to be number one, 51:00 still wanted worship. 51:02 And therefore we read in the Book of Revelation 51:05 as we have read this morning, 51:07 that all the world eventually is going to worship the beast. 51:13 And in worshiping the beast, remember that text, 51:16 they are ultimately worshiping Satan, 51:19 but they are deceived 51:20 and not realizing what they are doing. 51:24 All my friends, Jesus, and the beast. 51:28 That's the choice that all must make. 51:32 And in Revelation 13:8, as we've read that text, 51:36 all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast, 51:40 worshiping Satan, but they do not know it. 51:43 He's deceived them 51:44 into thinking that they're worshiping, 51:47 whose names have not been written 51:48 in the Book of Life of the Lamb 51:51 slain from the foundation of the world. 51:55 All dear friends, 51:58 how will Satan deceive most of the world 52:02 into worshiping the beast and not the Creator? 52:06 By attacking Jesus as the Creator, 52:10 by persuading the world to believe that 52:12 the world came into existence by evolution 52:15 over millions of years, 52:16 without God being involved, there is no Creator. 52:21 And by substituting the memorial 52:23 that Jesus appointed at the beginnings 52:27 to remind the world that he was the Creator. 52:31 By substituting another day for them to worship on. 52:37 And this means that Satan must attack 52:40 the 1 commandment in the 10, 52:45 that provides us the reason 52:47 as to why we should worship God. 52:50 He's made us. 52:52 He's made everything that we are 52:53 and everything that we have. 52:56 We owe to him everything in the world 52:59 because he's made it. 53:00 Even in heaven, 53:02 we read that all the angels worship God, 53:05 because he made all things. 53:07 And we read that in Revelation 4:11. 53:13 Here it talks about 53:14 how all the heavenly beings worship Jesus 53:19 because He created all things. 53:24 Satan well knew 53:25 that he must replace 53:27 that 1 commandment in the 10 with another 53:32 so the world will forget of Jesus' creative power. 53:38 And if he's to succeed 53:40 in persuading the world to worship himself 53:42 and not Jesus, 53:44 as he's long intended, 53:46 he must do it through a nation of the earth 53:49 with global authority 53:51 to force the world, to worship the beast. 53:57 In our remaining two presentations, 54:02 we are going to look at the identity 54:04 of this beast power. 54:06 We are going to learn of the rise 54:08 of an earthly government 54:11 that is going to force the world 54:13 to worship this beast 54:17 and to receive the mark of the beast's authority 54:21 in their forehead or in their right hand. 54:26 All dear friends, because of Jesus' love, 54:28 can I just emphasize this before I close, 54:31 because of Jesus' love, 54:34 He knew in advance 54:37 the events that Satan is going to bring the world to 54:41 in order to accomplish his aim way back, 54:43 "I will be like the Most High, " 54:47 he nearly has accomplished his aim. 54:50 There's just a small group of people 54:52 who are resisting his temptations, 54:56 who are still holding on to their worship of Jesus 55:01 and at that time in earth's history, 55:04 that's why God is sending the third angel's message 55:08 in this last warning message to the world. 55:12 Dear friends, as I think of this, 55:13 I am reminded of a story 55:15 that happened many hundreds of years ago. 55:18 It's recorded in Daniel Chapter three, 55:20 when the king of Babylon erected a great golden image 55:24 and called representatives of his kingdom 55:26 from all around the world 55:28 and said, 55:29 "You must all fall down and, " 55:31 listen to the words, 55:32 "worship the image. 55:36 When the music sounds, 55:37 fall on your knees and worship." 55:39 But you remember the story 55:41 where three young men stood up, 55:44 stood and didn't bow down. 55:48 This aroused the wrath of King Nebuchadnezzar, 55:50 read the whole story in Daniel Chapter three, 55:53 so much so that he said, 55:55 "I'm going to heat the furnace of fire 55:57 seven times hotter. 55:58 And if you don't worship this image, 56:01 you will die." 56:03 And they said in that classic answer, 56:06 "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us, O king. 56:11 But even if he doesn't," 56:13 notice that, 56:14 "we will still not bow down and worship the image." 56:18 They had to choose who they would worship 56:21 just like the people at the end of time. 56:25 Who would they worship? 56:26 And you remember the story, 56:28 how those three young men 56:31 were thrown into the fiery furnace. 56:35 But the good news is that Jesus came down, 56:39 you remember in that story, 56:41 and talked with those three young men 56:45 and their lives were saved 56:46 because when they were called out of the fire by the king, 56:49 they couldn't even notice the smell of smoke upon them. 56:53 What a witness 56:55 and I believe that story was written to give you 56:57 and me encouragement 56:59 in the last days of earth's history, 57:02 when we're going to be called to make a decision, 57:04 just like they did, who will they worship? 57:08 Will they obey the worship of the king 57:12 or will they worship and be faithful to Jesus? 57:15 It may involve their lives, 57:18 but that doesn't matter 57:20 because Jesus, at that time, 57:22 when that difficulty comes to the church, 57:26 Jesus is going to come 57:29 and He's coming the second time 57:31 to gather all those 57:33 who stand up at that time and say, 57:36 "We will worship Jesus." 57:39 May the Lord bless us 57:40 as we think about these things. 57:42 And may you be blessed as you make a decision, 57:46 who you will worship. 57:48 Let us bow our heads. 57:50 Our Father, we thank You for this subject 57:53 we've discussed together this morning from Your word. 57:56 Help us to have our hearts open to Your leading 57:58 that we might find and understand 58:01 and keep this very special day, 58:03 which was a gift from Jesus. 58:06 It may, in the future, divide the world 58:09 but we can see beyond, 58:11 dear Father, are people 58:12 who will be gathered together in Your kingdom 58:15 because of their faithfulness and their love for You. 58:18 And we ask this in Jesus' precious name, amen. |
Revised 2021-02-25