Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: GMTB
Program Code: GMTB000037
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00:19 Well hello and welcome to the
00:21 3ABN Worship Center 00:23 right here in Thompsonville, IL. 00:25 I always like to give just a 00:27 whole-hearted welcome to you 00:29 that are here in the sanctuary 00:32 tonight. Thank you for coming out. 00:34 And I want to welcome all of you from across the 00:36 country and around the world 00:38 that are viewing this with us tonight as well 00:41 as we worship together. Pastor Kenneth Cox 00:44 has been coming to southern Illinois, joining with us here 00:48 at the 3ABN Worship Center now for eight months 00:52 to bring us this series on Give Me The Bible. 00:56 And you know, I did the math on it the other day. 00:59 This is the 37th sermon in this series. 01:03 And I just wanted to encourage anyone... 01:06 if you have missed any of these sermons 01:08 you've missed a blessing and I want to encourage you 01:11 to contact the Kenneth Cox Ministry 01:14 and get every one of these. They're a true blessing to you. 01:17 And every month when Pastor Cox comes 01:21 he has a specific topic that he ministers on. 01:24 And this topic that we're ministering on this 8th month 01:28 that we're doing the series is on Judgment. 01:31 Last night we look at Christ our Mediator, 01:34 but tonight we're going to look at the Investigative Judgment. 01:37 Before Pastor Cox comes, though, 01:40 we want to welcome back again Kateena LeForge. 01:43 You know, Kateena is a member of the 3ABN family. 01:48 She's been ministering with us for many, many years. 01:50 Kateena, what the name of the song 01:52 you're going to minister tonight? 01:53 I am going to sing Where Could I Go But To The Lord. 02:07 Livin' below 02:11 in this old sinful world. 02:15 Hardly a comfort 02:19 can afford. 02:24 Striving along 02:28 to face temptations sore. 02:32 Where could I go 02:35 but to the Lord? 02:40 Where could I go? 02:44 Oh, where could I go? 02:49 Seeking a refuge 02:52 for my soul. 02:57 Needing a friend 03:01 to save me in the end. 03:05 Won't you tell me: where could I go 03:09 but to the Lord? 03:23 Life here is grand 03:27 with friends I love so dear. 03:31 Comfort I get 03:34 from God's own Word. 03:39 Yet when I face 03:43 that chilling hand of death, 03:47 Won't you tell me: where could I go 03:51 but to the Lord? 03:57 Where could I go? 04:00 Oh, where could I go? 04:05 Seeking a refuge 04:08 for my soul. 04:13 Needing a friend 04:17 to save me in the end. 04:21 Won't you tell me: where could I go 04:25 but to the Lord? 04:30 Where could I go 04:34 but to the Lord? 04:38 To the Lord. 04:49 Thank you very much, Kateena. Appreciate that. 04:52 Without a doubt... where could we go but to the Lord? 04:56 That is what makes all the difference in the world. 05:00 If tonight you're joining us by television or you're 05:04 joining us by radio, 05:06 I like to ask you to do something. 05:07 If you've got somebody in your household 05:10 that doesn't believe in the Word of God, 05:13 that doesn't believe in Jesus Christ, 05:16 would you ask them to watch tonight's program? 05:19 Just ask them to watch tonight's program 05:22 because this subject tonight, as far as I'm concerned, 05:27 is probably one of the greatest prophecies 05:30 in all of God's Word 05:31 and I think it might answer some questions for them. 05:34 So we hope you'll just invite them. 05:36 To all of you that are here with us tonight: welcome. 05:39 Glad that you're here. 05:41 And we hope that this presentation will bless you 05:44 in a very definite way. 05:47 We're looking at the Judgment. 05:50 That's what we're talking about 05:51 is the Judgment during this series 05:54 and how it takes place and what happens. 05:56 And tomorrow... or our next presentation 06:01 is entitled the... 06:05 There's three books that are used in the judgment 06:08 the Bible says. There's the Book of Life, 06:10 the Book of Iniquity, and the Book of Remembrance. 06:14 And so we're going to see exactly how those books are used 06:18 in our next presentation. 06:21 How do they... how to they use them in the judgment? 06:25 How do you get your name in the Book of Life? 06:29 And what do you do to get your name in the Book of Remembrance? 06:33 These are things that we'll look at and how 06:36 they take those names and how they are used 06:39 and exactly how the judgment takes place. 06:41 So you want to be sure and be with us as we take a look 06:44 at the Book of Life in the Judgment. 06:47 Tonight our presentation is entitled 06:53 As I mentioned to you last night, this prophecy 06:58 is one that no agnostic, 07:04 infidel, or atheist has ever been able to answer. 07:09 In fact, this is a prophecy 07:13 that many Jewish rabbis 07:18 forbid their people to look at or to study. 07:25 It's a very, very vital and important prophecy 07:30 in God's Word. And it has to do with the judgment 07:33 is what it has to do with. 07:34 So we're going to take a look at this judgment 07:37 that we're going to find out tonight is going on 07:40 up in heaven at the present time. 07:44 So we hope that you'll follow as we take a look at God's Word 07:48 and it will bless you in a very special way. 07:51 You know, when it comes to music 07:55 Jesus is described 07:57 many, many different ways. 08:00 He's talked about as the Lily of the Valley. 08:03 He's referred to as the Bright and Morning Sun. 08:07 Talked about as the Beloved. 08:12 Many, many different ways. 08:15 And tonight Kateena LeForge is going to sing for us 08:19 a beautiful, beautiful melody 08:22 entitled Fairest Lord Jesus. 08:49 Beautiful Savior, 08:55 Lord 08:57 of the nations. 09:01 Son of God 09:07 and Son of 09:11 Man. 09:15 Glory and honor, 09:21 praise, 09:23 adoration 09:27 now and forever more 09:33 be Thine. 09:50 I'd rather 09:53 have Jesus 09:56 than silver or gold. 10:02 I'd rather be His 10:07 than have riches untold. 10:13 I'd rather have Jesus 10:19 than houses or lands. 10:25 I'd rather be led 10:30 by His nail-pierced 10:35 hand. 10:40 I'd rather have Jesus 10:45 than man's applause. 10:50 I'd rather be faithful 10:55 to His dear cause. 11:00 I'd rather have Jesus 11:05 than world-wide fame. 11:10 I'd rather be true 11:14 to His holy name. 11:21 Than to be the king 11:26 of a vast domain 11:31 or be held in sin's 11:36 dread sway. 11:45 I'd rather 11:48 have Jesus 11:52 than anything 11:58 this world 12:02 affords 12:05 today. 12:13 Amen. 12:32 Our Heavenly Father, 12:35 we'd rather have You 12:39 than anything this world has to offer tonight. 12:44 We ask that You would come and be with us. 12:48 May your Holy Spirit enlighten our minds. 12:54 As we open Your Word, give us understanding. 12:59 Help us to see and to know 13:02 that You are without question 13:08 the Redeemer of this world. 13:12 We pray that our eyes 13:15 may be open to see by faith 13:19 what Your Word has recorded 13:23 and may we each one walk in the light. 13:28 For this we pray in Christ's name, Amen. 13:38 As you pick up the Word of God, 13:42 throughout it, place after place 13:45 it talks about Jesus coming back. 13:48 It's a promise that's given to you and to me 13:51 that Jesus Christ is going to return. 13:54 But there's an aspect about His return 13:58 that's very important that we understand. 14:02 I want you to listen to a couple texts. 14:04 It says here: 14:14 So the scripture says that Jesus is coming back. 14:18 But He says when He comes back 14:20 He is bringing His reward with Him. 14:24 Now if Christ is going to bring His reward with Him, folks, 14:30 then it's very simple 14:32 that judgment has to have taken place. 14:36 Every case has to have been decided... 14:39 because it wouldn't work for Christ to come back, 14:42 take some people to heaven, 14:45 and then find out they don't belong there. 14:47 That won't work. 14:49 So He's got to have judgment taken place 14:53 before He comes back. 14:56 Let's look at another text: 15:11 So it's very, very clear that when Jesus comes back 15:15 He is bringing His reward with Him 15:18 to give everyone according as his works. 15:22 And this judgment that is going on up in heaven now... 15:28 we're simply going to refer to that judgment as an 15:32 Investigative Judgment. 15:34 That simply means going through the cases 15:37 and they're taking a look at each individual 15:40 and deciding whether that person will be there, 15:44 whether they'll be part of those that are saved when Jesus comes, 15:49 or whether they will not. 15:51 That's what's taking place 15:53 up in heaven at the present time. 15:56 It tells us that judgment is going on now in Revelation. 16:01 Revelation the 14th chapter verse 6: 16:26 It does not say the hour of His judgment IS coming. 16:30 It says the hour of His judgment HAS come. 16:33 So it tells us that judgment is going on up in heaven 16:39 right now. And that's what we're going to take a look at 16:42 tonight. We want to take a look at this judgment. 16:45 Where it's taking place. What's involved in it 16:49 as the scripture presents it. In the book of Daniel 16:52 it presents it in a special way. 16:54 Here in Peter it gives us an insight 16:58 into this judgment as to who is being judged. 17:02 And it says in I Peter 4:17: 17:12 So it tells us clearly that this judgment that we're 17:15 looking at tonight has to do with the saved 17:19 because it says it begins "with the house of God. " 17:24 That's referring to those who are followers of Christ. 17:34 So Peter is saying that judgment involves those that have 17:39 accepted Christ and are following Him. 17:42 So that's what we're looking at in this judgment. 17:45 The children of Israel... for 400 years 17:51 they worshiped around the sanctuary. 17:55 The sanctuary set out in the middle of their encampment 17:59 and this is where people came, brought their sacrifices. 18:04 This is where they came and worshiped. 18:06 They worshiped the Lord. 18:08 The sanctuary, or the tabernacle, 18:11 was a tent. 18:14 It was surrounded by a curtain 18:17 which made what they called the court. 18:21 And in the court were three things. 18:25 There was the altar of sacrifice, there was the laver, 18:28 and there was the tabernacle. 18:30 Inside the tabernacle there were two compartments. 18:34 One compartment called the holy place 18:38 and another compartment called the most holy place. 18:41 In the holy place, this is where the priest ministered. 18:46 They went in and out of there many, many times 18:49 every day. And in that holy place 18:52 was basically three pieces of furniture. 18:55 There was the seven golden candlesticks. 18:59 There was the table of shewbread. 19:01 And right before the curtain was the altar of incense. 19:06 This is where they sprinkled the blood 19:09 from the offering of the lamb that the person had brought. 19:13 But once a year - once a year - 19:17 the high priest - only the high priest - 19:20 is going to part that curtain 19:23 and go into the most holy place. 19:26 That was done on what was called the Day of Atonement... 19:32 or better known also as the Day of Judgment. 19:38 So that's what it's talking about: 19:41 Day of Atonement or the Day of Judgment... 19:43 or even referred to as 19:46 the cleansing of the sanctuary. 19:50 That becomes important as we look at this prophecy 19:54 because Daniel... is very, very concerned. 19:59 Daniel has been in Babylon 20:02 for about 70 years now. 20:06 He understands clearly, folks, 20:10 the prophecies of the prophet Jeremiah. 20:13 Because Jeremiah had said that the children of Israel 20:17 would be in captivity for 70 years 20:20 and he know that 70 years is coming to an end. 20:25 And he wants to know when are they going to be delivered. 20:29 When are they going to be taken out of Babylon? 20:32 And so Daniel has been praying about this, 20:35 seeking the Lord. And as he has been praying about this, 20:39 the angel Gabriel 20:42 here in Daniel the 8th chapter verse 14 20:45 makes a statement to him. 20:47 And he says: 20:57 Daniel understood exactly that when it said 21:01 the sanctuary shall be cleansed 21:04 he understood that to mean the Day of Atonement 21:07 or the Day of Judgment. 21:09 He understood that's what he was talking about. 21:11 So the angel said: "unto two thousand three hundred days 21:15 then the sanctuary" - or the Day of Judgment - 21:18 "is going to take place. " 21:20 Now the angel also said to him here concerning this vision... 21:26 we're still in the 8th chapter... 21:43 So he told Daniel... He said: "Daniel, 21:46 this vision refers to many, many days in the future. " 21:50 This really bothered him. 21:53 He didn't understand what it was talking about. 21:57 And it bothered him so much the 8th chapter of Daniel 22:01 ends with this verse: 22:18 The angel had told him unto two thousand three hundred days 22:23 then the sanctuary's going to be cleansed. 22:26 Daniel knows that he is living right at the time 22:30 that Jeremiah had talked about. 22:32 And now the angel has said 22:33 this has to do with something in the future. 22:36 Many days in the future. 22:37 And Daniel is having a terrible time 22:40 putting all of this together. 22:41 So as you move into the 9th chapter of Daniel 22:47 Daniel is praying. 22:50 He's pleading with God to give him understanding 22:55 concerning this vision to help him know what it's all about. 22:58 And God in His love and in His kindness 23:02 sends the angel Gabriel. 23:05 Listen: 23:23 So here Daniel is praying. 23:26 You can read his prayer there 23:28 asking the Lord when this is going to take place. 23:31 And God has sent the angel Gabriel 23:34 to help Daniel understand what this vision is about. 23:50 He said: "Daniel, I've come here to help you understand 23:54 what this vision is about. " 23:56 Now, Daniel is in Babylon, folks. 24:02 The Jewish people are in Babylon. 24:06 They're in captivity. 24:08 This is what is concerning Daniel. 24:11 So the angel Gabriel says this to Daniel: 24:38 He said: "Daniel... giving 70 weeks to the Jewish people. 24:43 In that 70 weeks 24:47 God has said: "I'm going to give them a time to come to Me, 24:52 come back to Me, 24:54 to follow Me, to obey Me. 24:56 to do My will. Also, I'm giving this prophecy 25:02 to anoint the Most Holy. " 25:04 And He also said to "seal up the prophecy. " 25:08 He said, in other words: "There's going to be certain 25:10 things about this prophecy that will absolutely seal it 25:14 and make it immoveable. " 25:16 That's what He's saying. 25:17 So he takes this and says to him: 25:25 Well now, that's fine 25:28 to tell you and I "70 weeks 25:32 are determined on your people, " 25:34 but that doesn't mean much if we don't know a starting point. 25:40 You can't determine what 70 weeks are 25:44 unless you know where it starts. 25:46 And the angel Gabriel understands that. 25:49 And so we find this begins to take place: 25:53 Daniel 9 verse 25 he gives him a starting point. 25:57 Now stay with me, folks. 26:11 Now let's establish it. 26:14 The Jewish people are in captivity. 26:16 They're in Babylon. He says when this command 26:20 comes for you to go forth and go back and rebuild Jerusalem... 26:25 that's the starting point. 26:27 When that decree is given then that will be the starting point. 26:32 OK? 26:52 Now... we need to establish that date. 26:55 And fortunately, that is a date in scripture 26:58 that's well established 27:01 because we read here about the king Artaxerxes 27:07 who makes the decree for the children of Israel to go back. 27:11 Now I'm going to say something here 27:13 for the sake of some people maybe who have delved into this 27:17 quite a bit and wondered about it. 27:19 There were three decrees that were given. 27:22 Darius gave a decree, 27:24 Cyrus gave a decree, 27:26 and Artaxerxes gave a decree. 27:28 Those were the three decrees that were given. 27:32 We go by Artaxerxes' decree 27:37 because that was the decree that gave the children of Israel 27:41 the right to go back to Jerusalem 27:43 and establish themselves as a sovereign government. 27:50 Cyrus's decree, Darius's decree 27:52 did not give them that opportunity. 27:55 But Artaxerxes gave them the right to go back 27:59 and be a sovereign government, a nation. 28:03 That's what it gave them the right to do. 28:05 So we read here in Ezra 7 and verse 12: 28:30 That decree was given 28:33 by king Artaxerxes in 457 BC. 28:38 We now have a starting point. 28:41 457 BC is when the decree was given 28:46 for the Jewish people to go back and to set up 28:50 their nation in Jerusalem. 28:53 All right... so we can start there. 28:56 Now, let's establish one other thing 28:59 because we have to put these together 29:01 so that the prophecy will make sense. 29:04 And in Bible prophecy God gives a simple principle, 29:08 and that principle is that in prophecy 29:11 a day represents a year. 29:14 So we read in Ezekiel 4:6 29:20 We read in Numbers 14:34 29:24 So in Bible prophecy one prophetic day 29:29 equals one literal year. 29:32 OK. Now that we have that, let's move ahead. 29:35 Three times... three times the angel Gabriel has spoken 29:41 of a period of time. 29:43 And this is what he told Daniel: 29:45 In Daniel 8:14 he talked about what? 29:50 2300 days. 29:53 OK? Daniel 9:24 29:56 he talks about 70 weeks. 29:59 And in Daniel 9:25 30:02 he talks about 69 weeks. 30:05 Now we're going to put that all together 30:08 and we're going to see how it works 30:10 and what it's talking about. 30:12 OK. Are you still with me? 30:14 OK. Here we go. 30:16 2300... 2300 and it says 30:21 2300 days. In Bible prophecy a day represents how much? 30:26 One year. So we have 2300 years. 30:36 So we actually have 2300 years. 30:40 OK. Continue. 30:49 Now what he's doing here is he's giving us a starting point. 30:53 457 BC when the decree was given. 30:57 And then he said: "I'm going to take 70 weeks 31:02 off of that 2300 years. " 31:05 And so if we've got 70 weeks - 31:08 there's 7 days in a week - so if we've got 7 times 70 31:14 that equals 490... 490 years. 31:19 He said: "I'm going to take 490 years off of that 2300. " 31:24 All right? Let's take it another step farther. 31:28 The decree was given in 457 BC. 31:32 He gives us this starting point. 31:40 All right. If I had 70 weeks 31:43 and I took 70 weeks - or 490 years - 31:49 off of 2300, 31:52 and I'm starting in 457 BC, 31:54 that takes me to 34 AD. 32:00 Remember, in BC dates 32:03 you subtract. Don't add. 32:06 OK, you subtract. You have to be careful here, folks, 32:10 because you've got to put a year in there for 0. 32:15 You understand what I mean by that? 32:17 Because we're moving from BC dates into AD dates 32:22 and there's a 0 year there, and you've got to account for it. 32:26 So you have to put a year in there. 32:28 Because if you just take pencil and paper 32:31 and you subtract 490 off the 2300 years, 32:37 you'll come up with 33 not 34. 32:40 OK. So you've got to put that year in there for 0. 32:44 So it takes us to 34 AD. 32:46 That was the 70 weeks that God gave to the Jewish people. 32:50 All right. Then it says here: 32:59 Now the angel Gabriel gave the same starting point 33:04 for both those: the 70 weeks and the 69 weeks. 33:09 Both have the same starting point. 33:11 So if I go 69 weeks from 457 BC, 33:17 7 times 69 is? 33:21 483. 33:25 And if I subtract 483 33:29 from 457... 33:32 takes me to what? 33:34 27 AD. 33:38 Now, any way you want to look at that 33:44 dear friend, there is only one person 33:48 in all of history that ever only meets this prophecy 33:54 because he said it would be 69 weeks 33:57 until Messiah the Prince. 34:01 In other words, what's just happened... 34:04 the angel Gabriel has pointed out exactly 34:07 when Jesus Christ was going to appear on the scene of action... 34:11 or the Messiah. 34:14 If you're a Jewish person and you've been looking for 34:17 the Messiah, here Gabriel has 34:18 told you exactly when He was 34:20 going to show up. 34:22 27 AD... that is exact. 34:26 That's why rabbis don't want their people looking at it 34:30 because there is nobody else that fits this prophecy. 34:34 Let's see what happens in 27 AD. 34:37 Luke the 3rd chapter: 35:05 Watch what happens... 35:30 Watch what happens here, folks. 35:33 Becomes very important 35:35 because this is what the next verse says: 35:51 So here it tells us clearly 35:53 that Christ began His ministry. 35:55 So it said here in the scripture 35:57 it would be 69 weeks until Messiah the Prince. 36:01 And right there at 27 AD Christ began His ministry 36:06 as the Messiah. 36:08 Now, all I can say 36:12 is if you don't believe... 36:16 if you don't believe in the Word of God 36:18 and you don't believe in Jesus Christ, 36:20 then I want to ask you... 36:24 what are you going to do with this information? 36:27 What are you going to do with it? 36:30 I mean... you're either going to have to sit down and study it 36:34 and say "Is this really true? " 36:36 Or you can be like an ostrich and stick your head in the sand. 36:40 You know? But you really need to take a look 36:44 and say "Is this true? " 36:45 And if it is true, then, dear friend, 36:48 then you need to give your heart to the Lord 36:51 and accept Christ as your Savior. 36:52 Walk with Him and follow Him. 36:55 Because this scripture has pointed out clearly 36:58 that He IS the Son of God. 37:01 Without question He is the Messiah. 37:04 All right, let's go on. 37:05 The decree was given in 457 BC. 37:09 483 years takes us to 27 AD. 37:13 Gabriel had told Daniel 37:17 70 weeks were determined upon the people, right? 37:24 And he told him what was to do... what was to happen 37:27 during that time... 37:33 In other words, he's telling those Jewish people 37:35 you need to stop your sinning. 37:39 Stop going contrary to God. 37:50 To seal up the vision of the prophecy, dear friend. 37:53 Let me tell you something. We just tied it down 37:56 so you can't move it. 37:58 Because if you move it, 38:01 then it ceases to have any meaning. 38:06 Again, it tied it solid. 38:09 That's what he did... said. 38:11 He told him 70 weeks are determined upon your people. 38:15 So, if I've got 70 weeks and I've looked at 69 weeks, 38:20 I have one week left... right? 38:23 Yeah. I have one week out of the 70 left. 38:27 So he has this to say in Daniel... 38:31 Daniel the 9th chapter and verse 27: 38:46 Now this 70 weeks was given to the Jewish people. 38:51 And here he's saying that Jesus Christ 38:55 was going to confirm that covenant with the Jewish people 38:58 for one week. That's what he's saying. 39:01 He's saying He's going to confirm it with them for 1 week. 39:04 What does that mean? 39:07 Well, we find He began His ministry in 27 AD. 39:10 That meant that He was going to be here in person 39:15 and they were going to see Him 39:16 and they were going to hear Him 39:17 and they were going to understand that He was 39:20 the Son of God. That He was confirming the covenant 39:23 with them for one week. 39:25 And he said in the middle of the week He would bring the 39:28 sacrifices and offerings to an end. 39:31 So we find this is what happened. 39:34 If I have one week and there's seven days in a week, 39:39 and if I go to the middle of the week, it takes me 39:43 3-1/2 years... right? 39:46 That's half of seven... 3-1/2 years. 39:49 So if I come 3-1/2 years from 31- excuse me - 39:55 from 27 AD, that takes me to 31 AD. 39:58 And he said He was going to confirm the covenant with many 40:02 for one week. And if I go to the middle of the week, 40:04 what happens? What took place? 40:19 They took the Son of God, crucified Him. 40:22 When they crucified Jesus Christ, 40:25 let me tell you something... the Lamb of God died. 40:32 The Lamb of God died. 40:35 That meant no longer was there a necessity 40:40 for them to bring a sacrifice. 40:43 Jesus Christ had died. 40:46 And the priest down in the temple 40:50 ready to offer the lamb, 40:53 the scripture says: 40:57 That's the veil that I showed you there 40:59 that separated the holy and the most holy place, OK? 41:10 That curtain that separated it 41:14 from the holy to the most holy place all of a sudden 41:16 tore from top to bottom 41:18 and they could see into the most holy place. 41:23 Jesus told them, remember... "I'm going to confirm the 41:25 covenant with many with you for one week. " 41:28 And they refused to listen. 41:32 They refused to accept. 41:34 And so He said to them: 41:49 Told them: haven't accepted Him. 41:51 They took Him, crucified Him. 41:53 He said: "Your house is left unto you desolate. " 41:55 And so, they didn't follow it. 41:58 But... I have 3-1/2 years that took me to 42:02 the cross: 31 AD. 42:05 But I have 3-1/2 years left. 42:08 "Seventy weeks are determined upon your people. " 42:12 At the end of that 70 weeks 42:15 the scripture makes it very clear 42:17 that the gospel went to the Gentiles. 42:24 Seventy weeks: that's the time that God gave to the 42:28 Jewish people. 490 years from the time the decree 42:32 went forth to rebuild the temple, move back to Jerusalem. 42:37 They had 490 years. 42:39 God in His mercy and His love 42:42 wooed them and cared for them and tried to get them 42:46 to follow Him. He talks about it 42:48 as His vineyard 42:49 and how He dug around it 42:51 and cared for it. 42:52 But it didn't bear any fruit. 42:55 So at the end of 70 weeks - 43:01 490 years - 43:03 34 AD - there's a young man. 43:06 This young man is extremely articulate. 43:11 Has great ability for logic 43:16 and to present something. 43:18 And he has gone throughout Judea preaching 43:21 and great numbers of people have accepted Jesus Christ. 43:26 So many, in fact, that they arrest him. 43:29 And they bring him in before the Sanhedrin 43:33 and they give Stephen the opportunity to defend himself. 43:40 And his defense is absolutely so strong 43:45 that they took and they stuck their fingers in their ears 43:48 so they wouldn't hear him. 43:49 And he said: "Oh, you uncircumcised of heart, 43:53 how long will you resist the Holy Spirit? " 43:55 And they grabbed him and drug him outside the city 43:59 and they stoned Stephen to death. 44:04 They laid down their coats at the feet 44:09 of a young man by the name of Saul of Tarsus... 44:15 who had given himself to the persecution of Christians. 44:18 And a few days later he has orders from the high priest 44:24 with soldiers is heading for Damascus to arrest Christians 44:28 when a bright light shines on him. 44:31 So bright that it knocks him to the ground. 44:34 A voice said: "Saul, Saul, 44:37 why persecutest thou Me? " 44:40 And he said: "Who are You, Lord? " 44:43 He said: "I'm Jesus... whom you're persecuting. " 44:47 Said: "What do You want me to do? " 44:49 Said: "Go on to Damascus. It will be shown you 44:53 what you shall do. " 44:55 And they took him to a man's house by the name of Judas 44:59 on a street called Straight. 45:01 And there Saul of Tarsus is 45:05 in that house... blind. 45:08 He cannot see. 45:11 And God speaks to a man by the name of Ananias. 45:15 And He said: "Ananias, you go and pray for Saul 45:21 that he may receive his sight. " 45:23 I want you to listen to what God said to him. 45:30 He didn't want to go. 45:32 This man was there going to haul him off to jail. 45:35 Crucify him, kill him. 45:45 The date for that, folks, is 34 AD. 45:50 Exactly as God said, the gospel went to the Gentiles. 45:55 "Seventy weeks are determined on your people. " 45:57 And the gospel went to the Gentiles. 45:59 At the same time Peter - 46:03 who has given himself almost exclusively 46:08 to preaching to the Jews - 46:10 and by the way, with quite success because it says 46:12 there were multitudes of them who believed... 46:15 But Peter is down in Joppa. 46:19 He's gone up on top of the house 46:21 since the ladies didn't have lunch ready. 46:24 He's gone up on top of the house to pray, 46:26 and while he's praying he has a vision. 46:29 And in that vision he sees a sheet let down 46:33 with all kinds of unclean animals in it. 46:37 And a voice says to him: 46:39 "Rise, Peter. Kill and eat. " 46:42 And he said: "Not so, Lord. 46:44 I've never eaten anything common or unclean. " 46:47 The Lord said: "Peter, what I have cleansed 46:51 don't you call common. " 46:55 And it says while Peter doubted in himself 46:58 what that vision meant, 47:00 there was a knock at the door. 47:03 Peter went to the door, and here were two men 47:07 from Cornelius's house. Now Cornelius is a Roman Centurion 47:12 that lives down in Caesarea. 47:15 He has had a dream... a vision... 47:18 and God has told him to send these servants to get Peter. 47:22 And so they told him. 47:24 And Peter said: "Well spend the night and we'll go tomorrow. " 47:27 They spent the night with Peter, and the next day 47:30 they make their journey to Caesarea. 47:33 Now folks, when they get there, Cornelius has invited in 47:37 all of his relatives, all of his friends. 47:39 The house is full of people... completely full. 47:43 I want you to notice how Peter reacts. 48:04 Now this house was full of Gentiles, OK? 48:15 He said: "Peter, you need to take the gospel 48:17 to these Gentiles. " 48:19 Date? 34 AD. 48:23 Just exactly as God said, the gospel went to the Gentiles. 48:28 And it went to the Gentile world, folks, 48:32 with great, great rapidity. 48:35 I mean in a matter of just a few years 48:39 all of Asia Minor had heard the gospel - given their hearts. 48:44 This became the time of the Gentiles. 48:49 OK? Mark it down 48:51 because we're going to talk about something here. 48:54 This was the time of the Gentiles. 49:04 So I've got 2300 years 49:07 and I'm taking off of that 49:10 70 weeks or 490 years. 49:14 If I subtract 490 years 49:20 off of 2300, 49:23 what does it leave me? 49:24 It leaves me 1810 years. 49:30 Now in AD dates, you add. 49:34 OK? Don't subtract... you add. 49:37 So if I add 1810 years to 34 AD, 49:43 takes me to 1844. 49:47 Says that judgment would begin in heaven 49:51 with the house of God in 1844 AD. 49:56 That's when it's going to start. 49:58 And that's going on now up in heaven. 50:02 Now watch what happens. This to me 50:05 is the most marvelous thing of all of it. 50:35 That we'll talk about tomorrow night. 50:37 Watch this, folks. Here judgment's going on. 50:40 The court is seated. The books are opened. 50:42 Watch this: 50:57 Here dear friend is the judgment. It's in process 51:00 and here comes Jesus Christ. 51:03 "One like the Son of God. " We talked about it last night. 51:07 He's coming there as your Mediator. 51:12 He's coming there to intercede for you. 51:15 And He comes in before God. Watch what happens: 51:30 Because of Jesus a judgment is made in favor of you. 51:37 See? Judgment is made in favor of you 51:40 because of Jesus Christ. 51:45 Does that for us. 51:46 But, tonight he's our Mediator. 51:51 He's in heaven; He's interceding for us. 51:54 But let me tell you something, 51:57 there's coming a day when He's going to take off His robes 52:00 and He's going to put on the robe as the King of Kings 52:03 and Lord of Lords and He's going to say: 52:31 He's going to come back. When He comes back 52:34 He's going to gather all of His people. 52:37 Let me tell you something. 52:39 Tonight the door of mercy is open. 52:42 The door of mercy's open to any man, woman, or child 52:47 that wants by faith to reach out and accept Him 52:50 as their Lord and Savior. 52:52 Tonight He wants to be your Mediator. 52:56 He wants to plead your case. 52:59 He wants to present you to God. 53:02 And because you and I accept Him 53:05 He will give you life 53:08 because He came and paid the price 53:13 that you might live. 53:16 Let Him be your Mediator. 53:22 Let Him represent your case. 53:28 Accept this Savior... 53:34 Jesus Christ who took 53:37 your place. 53:44 Heavenly Father, 53:45 tonight we thank you. 53:48 Thank you that You 53:53 made it possible for us to have life. 53:57 That tonight You're willing to be our Mediator. 54:04 our Advocate, our Representative. 54:08 That You can stand between us and God 54:13 and give to each one of us 54:18 Your righteousness so that we might stand 54:24 with You. That we might have hope 54:28 and eternal life because of what You've done for each one of us. 54:33 May we all - each one here tonight - 54:36 take hold of Your hand 54:38 and walk with You all the way into the kingdom of heaven. 54:43 We pray in Christ's name, Amen. 54:49 Well, that's the judgment 54:52 that's going on in heaven now. 54:54 Now how it's taking place 54:57 and what is happening... 54:59 how it's happening... 55:00 has to do with the Books. 55:02 And that's what we're going to take a look at tomorrow night 55:05 is the Book of Life, the Book of Remembrance, 55:07 the Book of Iniquity. 55:09 How they're used in the judgment. 55:11 How does this take place up in heaven... 55:13 this Investigative Judgment that's going on? 55:15 How is it that our names come up? 55:18 And let's say your name comes up in the judgment 55:21 and you're found lost. 55:23 Is there any hope for you? 55:24 You want to get... understand that and see 55:27 what the scriptures says about it... 55:29 because Christ made a special effort that each one of us 55:34 could be in the kingdom of God. 55:36 And so we're glad that you're here tonight. 55:38 Those of you who've been watching us by television. 55:40 We hope that you'll continue to follow as we go through 55:43 this series on the Judgment. 55:45 So God bless you. Have a great evening. 55:47 We thank you for being with us. Good night. 55:52 Psalm 19 and verse 1 says: 55:55 "The heavens declare the glory of God 55:58 and the firmament shows His handiwork. " 56:01 All around us we see the handiwork of our Creator. 56:05 Every flower displays a palate of color and texture 56:08 beyond the imagination of man. 56:11 Every variety is uniquely designed 56:14 by the Master of creativity. 56:17 But they're not just a thing of beauty. 56:19 Every flower has a function and a purpose. 56:22 So does every living creature. 56:24 Whether it is feathered or finned, 56:26 each creature was put together by the Author of Life. 56:30 Even in a fallen world 56:32 God has placed a desire for life in every creature. 56:36 Without instruction, a mother knows how to nurture 56:39 and protect her young 56:41 reflecting the tenderness God feels for each of us. 56:45 No man can observe nature 56:48 and deny His existence. 56:50 But the God of Heaven went far beyond 56:53 by humbling Himself and becoming the man Jesus. 56:57 He walked the dusty paths of Israel 57:00 and He paid the debt for every man's sin 57:02 so we could have eternal life. 57:05 The Bible says in John 17 and verse 3 57:09 "And this is eternal life 57:11 that they may know You, 57:13 the only true God, 57:15 and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. " 57:17 The evidence of a Creator God is all around us. 57:21 He has revealed details of His character 57:24 in a love letter to you and to me. 57:27 Our desire is to help you understand the Bible 57:30 and receive life... eternal life... 57:33 by getting to know Him intimately. 57:36 Won't you help us bring this message to the world? 57:39 Please consider what you can do 57:41 for those who still don't know about Jesus. 57:44 As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:45 please send your tax-deducible gifts to: 57:59 Thank you for helping us spread the light of God's Word 58:02 through television and radio. 58:04 Your gifts help bring the Blessed Hope of salvation 58:06 to millions around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17