Participants: John Lomacang (Host), John Stanton
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL120017
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00:01 Hello friends, grab your Bible and a friend
00:02 and sit back as we explore God's word together 00:05 on this edition of House Calls. 00:22 Welcome again to another House Calls program 00:25 as you can see I'm here, 00:27 but I'm not by myself I've got my good friend 00:30 Pastor John Stanton sitting to my right. 00:32 Good to see you John. It is good to be here John. 00:34 But that's a fancy shirt. I really like that. 00:36 I was thinking the same about yours. 00:38 Well, you know we try to dress our best 00:40 because this is the best program in the land. 00:43 At this very moment you should not be in any place 00:45 but right here with us and since you're listening to us 00:47 you've made the best decision. 00:49 Stay tuned for the next hour as we open our Bibles, 00:52 as we invite the Lord's presence here 00:54 and get your friends, get your pens, 00:56 get your questions and sit down, 00:57 because we're going to be talking about 00:59 the continuation of Spiritual Babylon 01:02 and we always enjoy having you, 01:04 stay tuned with us. 01:06 If you're listening by radio, listen very carefully 01:09 because you don't want to miss this program, 01:11 but John, before we do anything we always have prayer. 01:14 Let's have prayer again here. 01:16 Father, we again thank you so much for the privilege 01:19 of coming before You and opening Your word, 01:22 the word You've given to us. 01:23 What a special word that is and important in our lives. 01:27 Lord, we thank You for not only the word, 01:30 but Your Spirit whom You sent to us 01:32 to help us understand it. 01:34 And so we ask for His presence here now to be with us, 01:36 guide us through Your scriptures 01:38 and especially this topic that we're talking about today 01:40 a very sensitive one, but a very important one 01:42 in the day in which we live. 01:44 We pray for Your help and Your guidance. 01:46 In Jesus name, amen. Amen. 01:49 Now you know, Bible questions 01:51 are such a significant part of this program. 01:53 If you have any questions you want to send to us, 01:55 we have an email address that you'd like to have. 01:57 If you have any things that are on your mind 01:59 and questions you want to ask us, 02:00 send those to housecalls@3abn.org. 02:04 That's housecalls@3abn.org. 02:06 we'll give you that information little later on. 02:09 So you can also gather and say, "well, where is my computer, 02:12 where is my laptop, I'm going to send the question" 02:14 and we try our best to download those 02:16 and answer those and so the first half 02:19 of our program is often dedicated to questions. 02:21 So John, what do we have for today? 02:23 We had a question from Rochelle. 02:25 Rochelle, is that your wife? 02:28 No, it's not. Okay. 02:30 But it is another Rochelle. Okay. 02:32 And she says, she wonders at times 02:34 about the seeming difference between 02:36 God of the Old Testament and Jesus. 02:40 Jesus himself said that "my Father and I are one," 02:43 but at sometimes it doesn't appear so. 02:45 And she references a text here. 02:47 Deuteronomy 19:21, as an example. 02:50 Why the disconnect? 02:52 And I would even say, is there a disconnect? 02:55 Okay, very good. So let's take a look here. 02:56 Let's read the verse first that Rochelle gives us 03:00 from Deuteronomy 19:21. Okay. 03:05 And it says here, "Your eyes shall not pity, 03:09 life shall be for life, eye for eye, 03:12 tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." 03:17 This was the last text in the passage 03:21 given on the law of witnesses 03:23 and also the counsel God gave the Israelites 03:29 as they were to go into the land of Israel 03:31 or the land of Canaan, 03:32 that they were to take possession of that land, 03:35 but to destroy utterly all that existed and lived in Canaan. 03:39 Not just fathers, but mothers and children and livestock 03:44 to some degree in some of these nations 03:46 it was all to be destroyed as they enter into this land. 03:50 Some look at that and they say, 03:51 "well, you know, the God we serve is not that God. 03:55 It's Jesus of the New Testament." 03:59 And so sometimes you find this disconnect 04:01 between Old Testament and New Testament. 04:04 But what we read in scriptures 04:07 that God is the same yesterday, today, and how long? 04:09 Forever. Forever. 04:11 So God has not changed, we have not changed 04:15 and the fact that we are still corrupted by sin. 04:17 What has-- the problem we have here 04:20 with this apparent disconnect is, 04:22 understanding God's character. Who He really is? 04:26 And there's been a lot of misapprehension about God. 04:28 We in fact we go overboard to reveal 04:31 how God is so loving and kind, 04:33 and I think we disconnect ourselves as Christians 04:36 to a great degree from the Old Testament, 04:38 some of us do because we're trying to almost 04:41 shed that characteristic of God. Right. 04:44 But I think the best way that I can explain 04:46 God's character is to go to Exodus 33, 04:49 when I hear God's character I think of Exodus 33. Okay. 04:52 And so let's go to Exodus 33, 04:56 and we will read there a clear explanation. 05:04 A clear iteration from God Himself 05:06 as to the nature of His character. 05:08 Who He is? What verse? 05:11 And we're going to start here with verse 18. Okay. 05:14 Just to give you some context here, 05:16 Moses is on the mountain, on Mount Sinai with God 05:21 and he's been conversing with God. 05:24 And he says here in verse 18, "Please show me your glory." 05:29 Moses is asking to see God's glory. 05:33 Then he said and this is the Lord responding to Moses, 05:36 "I will make all my goodness pass before you. 05:40 And I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you, 05:44 I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, 05:47 I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion," 05:50 but he said, "you cannot see my face, 05:53 for no man shall see me and live." Okay? 05:57 So then he hides Moses in the cleft of the rock, 06:00 from seeing Him face to face, 06:02 so we can see His backside 06:03 as He goes by him to reveal His glory. 06:07 So we see here, on Mount Sinai 06:10 and this is the place that also Moses received 06:12 the Ten Commandment cut out with stone, 06:15 written by the finger of God. 06:17 We see here God saying to Moses, 06:19 "I'm going to show you My glory." 06:21 So what happens to reveal God's glory? 06:24 What does He do as he passes by Moses? 06:27 Well, you'll see in Chapter 34 verse 1, 06:31 it says, "Moses cut two tablets of stone 06:33 like the first ones and I will write 06:35 on these tablets the words 06:36 that were on the first tablets which you broke." 06:38 So this is his second visit. 06:40 Remember what happened after the first one John. 06:42 What did Moses do with those tablets 06:43 when he saw the golden calf? He threw them down. 06:46 He threw them down and broke them 06:48 because that was symbolic in Moses' own mind 06:50 of the breaking of the covenant already. That's right. 06:52 Because the people, if you remember in Exodus 20 06:55 he said, listen all that God says we will do, 06:58 when God thundered the Ten Commandments 06:59 from Mount Sinai and they were 07:00 at the base of the mountain observing. 07:02 All that he says they'll do and then of course 07:04 Moses goes up gets the Ten Commandments, 07:06 he comes down sees that they broke 07:08 the commandments, he breaks them. 07:09 So now here's the second set 07:11 that God is going to give to Moses. 07:14 But now we see what God does 07:16 as He's delivering these Ten Commandments, 07:18 verse 5 of chapter 34, 07:20 "Now the Lord descended in the cloud 07:23 and stood with him there, that is with Moses 07:25 and proclaimed the name of the Lord." 07:27 So He's responding, 07:28 He's doing now what He said 07:30 He would do to show His glory. Right. 07:31 Verse 6, "And the Lord passed before him 07:34 and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God 07:37 merciful and gracious long suffering, 07:40 in other words, patient and abounding 07:43 in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, 07:47 forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin." 07:50 Now, let's pause there. Doesn't that sound like Jesus? 07:53 That is totally Jesus. 07:55 That it sounds just like Jesus. 07:57 Right. You know what? 07:58 It was Jesus. That's exactly right. 08:00 The God of the Old Testament was Jesus prior to being 08:03 Jesus in physical form on this earth. That's right. 08:06 And so Jesus gave His Ten Commandments 08:09 and as He did that He proclaimed His name, 08:11 His goodness to Moses. 08:14 This is Jesus. That's right. 08:17 And Jesus manifested this character 08:19 while He was here on this earth, 08:21 and we read it about in the four gospels. 08:26 But now let's go further. 08:27 We like to stop there sometimes, 08:28 but let's go further because this is still Jesus speaking. 08:32 It says, "By no means clearing the guilty. 08:37 Visiting the iniquity of the Father 08:40 is upon the children and the children's children 08:42 to the third and the fourth generation. 08:45 And what did Moses do? 08:47 He made haste and bowed his head 08:49 toward the earth and he worshiped. 08:51 I have found grace in your sight, 08:53 he says if I have found grace in sight, 08:55 Oh, Lord, let my Lord I pray go among us 08:58 even though we are stiff necked people 09:00 and pardon our iniquity and our sin 09:02 and take us as your inheritance." 09:04 Now, you know what's interesting here, John. 09:08 God, Christ really before He came to this earth 09:13 to die for us, declareth His name 09:16 and talks about His graciousness, 09:18 His long suffering, His patience. 09:19 And the other side of the equation, 09:22 His justice. That's right. 09:23 He won't just clear the guilty, 09:25 He will meet out punishment and ultimate demise 09:29 for those who hold on to their sin and refused 09:32 to accept His gracious offering of forgiveness. 09:35 But notice when Moses heard this, 09:39 Moses didn't say "Oh, well, in that case 09:41 I'm going to stay away from you Lord." 09:42 No. He wasn't afraid of the fact 09:44 that God was just as well as He was merciful. 09:47 No, not at all. 09:48 He said, "we want you to come among us, dwell with us. 09:52 I know we're stiff necked, 09:53 I know we're a problem to you sometimes, 09:56 but we want you with us." 09:58 You see people always wanted to be with Jesus, 10:01 because of how gracious and loving He was. 10:03 But then Jesus is also a God of justice 10:06 and how do we know that because He died on the cross. 10:09 If God was not a God of justice, 10:11 Jesus would not have died on the cross 10:13 to pay the penalty for the sin of you and me. 10:16 If He could have just changed his lawns, 10:18 and you know what, it's all about just forgiveness. 10:20 He would have come down, given that message and said, 10:22 "Now I'm going back to heaven" 10:23 the cross would never have happened, 10:25 because He could have excused sin. 10:28 But God can't excuse sins, Jesus can't excuse sin. 10:31 He said, "If you love me, keep My commandments." 10:33 He talked about the ultimate punishment of the wicked. 10:36 Jesus spoke about all these things. 10:38 But yet we want to divorce Him and separate Him from 10:41 the God of the Old Testament is the same God. 10:43 We can't. Right. 10:45 So you might ask, "Well, what was God doing then 10:47 when He said to the Israelites go in and destroy them all." 10:51 I would venture to say, 10:53 you would not allow your children to be around someone 10:55 who would corrupt and destroy your lives. 10:57 And the only way they were going to set up 11:00 a place for them to exist in safety 11:02 and under the protective banner of their God, 11:06 is to destroy the nations that were there. 11:08 What do I say about those nations? 11:09 If you read about what their practices were, 11:12 they were corrupt beyond belief. 11:14 They were sacrificing their children in the fire. 11:16 Right. They were burning them. 11:18 They were doing horrific things 11:20 in the name of, their worship of Satan 11:23 and so when we see that picture you might say, 11:27 well, you know, what God was being very protective here 11:29 to make sure that the Israelites weren't going to be-- 11:32 not only worshipping or doing the same things, 11:35 but making sure the Israelites 11:36 were going to fall into their hands 11:38 and he was protective of them. 11:40 So He said, "I will give you power to wipe them out." 11:43 And in fact what God was doing there, John 11:45 Was He was judging them early. 11:48 He was judging them in advance of the ultimate judgment 11:51 at the end of the world. Right, he saw it. 11:52 And he saw what as coming. If he did not do that, 11:55 he could not have protected and cared for his children 11:57 as he knew he needed to do to get them through 12:00 to be the people that he wanted them to be. 12:03 And we wouldn't want anything less for our children. 12:06 What do we do to rapists and murderers and others? 12:09 I mean life sentences sometimes, 12:11 even the death penalty sometimes, 12:12 but we make sure that they are kept from harming those 12:15 who they would harm if we-- if we didn't protect our kids. 12:19 Right, those who are not responsive 12:20 to the redemptive judgments of God, 12:23 will receive the punitive judgments of God. 12:27 And you find here-- 12:28 Break that down, because that's important 12:29 you use two words. 12:31 Right, redemptive and-- Redemptive and punitive. 12:32 And the redemptive, see God, 12:34 His mercy and His message of salvation 12:37 as is today is open to everyone, 12:39 but the message that people sometimes preach 12:42 that everybody is going to be saved 12:44 and there are some people that for whatever reason 12:45 I don't know that doctrine comes out of the woodworks 12:47 that God will never destroy anybody, 12:49 everybody is going to be saved 12:51 and now we have this secular mindset 12:53 that no matter what you do, 12:55 it doesn't really come to the point of judgment. 12:57 When you look at the God of the Old Testament, 12:59 you also find-- and this is a strange thing John 13:02 you don't find the lake of fire in the Old Testament. 13:05 You find it only in the New Testament. 13:07 You don't find hell 13:09 where the final judgment is going to be carried out. 13:12 In the Old Testament the lake of fire is not burning 13:17 or not even stored up 13:19 or in action I should say in the Old Testament, 13:22 it is reserved for judgment in the New Testament. 13:25 So this whole ideology about God being 13:28 loving and kind and He's also just 13:30 and He's a God of justice and judgment. 13:34 In order to be loving and kind to your children, 13:37 you have to establish justice and judgment. 13:41 For people that are just wanting to have a good time, 13:44 you can't really enjoy your life without parameters 13:47 that guide the pleasure of the safety of your life, 13:51 for the safety of the pleasures of your life. 13:53 The one thing that reflects on the justice and judgment 13:57 and love and care of God is the fact 13:59 that when he said to the children of Israel, 14:01 go and spare none young, old, 14:04 men, women, children wipe them out, 14:06 he was able to declare the end from the beginning 14:11 and from ancient times things that didn't even happen. 14:14 And so what God does, 14:15 He has a sovereignty that sees way beyond, 14:18 He sees over the hill, down the mountain, 14:20 around the valley in the corner 14:21 before we even start the journey. 14:23 So this is exactly what that is talking about. 14:26 How could God be the one that wipes out 14:29 and destroys and obliterates and judges, 14:34 that's exactly who He is. 14:35 You know, I hear somebody saying John, 14:37 you know you said Jesus was the God of the Old Testament 14:40 and where did you find that from. 14:43 Jesus says, "I am that I am." 14:45 The I am met Moses at the burning bush. 14:48 That was the base of Mount Sinai. That's right. 14:50 The same mountain that he came back 14:52 and gave Moses the Ten Commandments 14:53 to 40 plus years later. 14:56 Or no, actually it was that four years 14:58 actually that he was there with his father Jethro, 15:00 but still they came back after delivering the Israelites 15:04 from Egypt back to that same mountain 15:06 where God Jesus delivered the Ten Commandments again. 15:09 So you can't disconnect that. 15:11 No you can't. But one of the things-- 15:13 And by the way, just don't lose that point 15:14 because Jesus also said to the Jews 15:16 in the New Testament before Abraham was I am. 15:18 He made him very, very clear. That's right. I am. 15:21 And when Moses said well who send me say, 15:23 "I am sent you." Yeah. See, so there. 15:26 Yeah. Now here's the thing from the book of Jude, 15:28 it says in verse 7, "Sodom and Gomorrah 15:31 and the cities around them in the similar manner 15:35 to these having themselves over-- 15:37 having given themselves over to sexual immorality 15:39 and gone after strange flesh." Notice their practices. 15:42 "That they are set forth as an example 15:46 suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." 15:49 They were the example of what fire or the lake of fire. 15:54 An example, not that there fire continued to, you know, 15:57 burn after they were destroyed. Destroyed. 16:00 But that the destruction of those cities 16:03 and other nations that even the Israelites wanting 16:06 to destroy were an example 16:08 of what God would again do at the end of time. 16:11 So you hear you have God doing the same thing 16:14 then that He's going to do at the end of time. 16:16 But one is an example, 16:17 one is going to be the actual fire. Right. 16:19 The eternal fire that burns all the wicked up. 16:22 So we're seeing the same practice 16:25 in the Old and New Testament, is just understanding it. 16:29 And so don't listen to someone who wants to separate 16:32 the God of the New from the God of the Old. 16:34 It is the same God and these are harmonious. 16:37 It is the whole picture that we find in all of scripture 16:41 to help us understand God's nature. 16:43 Yes, you brought out a very good parallel there. 16:46 I hadn't heard you say that before, 16:48 but then again I do miss things 16:50 even though my ears are large. 16:54 Verse 7 of Jude it says, "This fire that came down 16:58 on Sodom and Gomorrah was an example-- 17:01 Example? Of what's going to happen afterwards." Right. 17:04 And who was the one that brought this fire down? 17:06 God. That's right. 17:08 Now you find there's no separation 17:10 and even though the Bible speaks of 17:13 "let us make man in our image" 17:15 the very expressed image Jesus says in Colossians 17:20 "He's the expressed image of the Father." 17:23 Everything that the Father believes and teaches 17:25 and holds dear Jesus does. 17:27 And so He even said to His disciples 17:29 "Have I been with you so long 17:30 that you have not seen the Father." 17:32 So Jesus is not acting out of harmony with His Father. 17:36 He's not doing something that 17:37 "Well, I like my Father to do that, but I'm-- 17:40 since He doesn't do, I'll go ahead and do it." 17:42 That--there's no division here at all. 17:45 They are al in harmony. 17:47 But people will point out that there are isolated verses 17:51 in the Bible that make it appear as though 17:53 "well, I'm so glad that, that God is not the same God today, 17:57 because we haven't analyzed this so far. Okay. 18:00 You know, there would be a lot of dead folk in church nowadays. 18:02 Yeah, I may think about that. 18:04 I mean in the church in essence of sapphire light 18:07 of the Lord. That's right. 18:09 And what happened to them 18:10 when they came into the presence of God, 18:11 into His place of worship, the light hit him, 18:15 he was struck dead right there. 18:17 And so you see judgment then upon their life 18:19 at that point serve as an example for others 18:22 so that they wouldn't repeat that. That's right. 18:24 That's the example that we find 18:26 of what happened to the nations before. 18:28 You practice you live and you practice like them, 18:30 ultimately you will end up like them. 18:31 We cannot skip that. 18:33 So this is what he was doing and he was setting an example 18:36 and he used the Israelites to do that in Canaan. 18:40 Well, thank you John, 18:41 that's a good one, I appreciate that. 18:44 Another one from a young man, 15 years old. 18:47 His name is Malique. My name is Malique. 18:50 I am 15-years-old and he says where he lives. 18:53 I was talking to some of my friends at school 18:56 and they claimed that we should have sex now at this age. 19:00 I told them that the Bible says 19:02 we are not to have sex before marriage 19:04 for I go to a Christian school. 19:06 However, I was not able to give them or tell them 19:09 exactly where the Bible says not to have sex before marriage. 19:14 I'm asking you would you please show me 19:17 where the Bible says that sex before marriage is wrong, 19:20 so that I'll be able to show it to my friends at school 19:23 the next time we come across this subject. 19:25 Okay, that's it. That's very good. 19:28 Because some young people nowadays 19:30 or young people in general they just bend to peer pressure. 19:33 But thank you Malique, for that question 19:36 because young people need to know that nowadays 19:39 besides all the bad things that happen 19:40 and there's sexually transmitted diseases 19:42 and the guilt and the loss of one's purity 19:45 and just not preserving that special gift 19:48 that God reserves for marriage 19:50 is all the reasons that I could cite that we shouldn't. 19:54 But let me go ahead and give you the Bible verses. 19:55 There are lots of them by the way. 19:57 When you think of the word, 19:58 the Bible uses two words in particular, 20:02 you have the broad words sexually, 20:05 the broad phrase sexual immorality. 20:08 You have the other phrase that is very indicative 20:11 of what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah strange flesh. 20:15 Men with men, women with women. 20:16 That's way beyond the confines 20:18 as whether they're married or not. 20:20 I mean, this is, it doesn't really-- 20:21 marriage doesn't even make that right. 20:24 So I want to make that very, very clear 20:25 because some people think nowadays the new thing is-- 20:27 well, if we get married I guess its okay. 20:29 You know, what amazes me 20:30 is those who don't acknowledge God 20:33 believe that they have to get married 20:34 to make it right, anyway strange. 20:37 You can't, there are certain things cannot be made right 20:39 whether the marriage is in the equation or not 20:42 and that is men with men and women with women 20:44 cannot be made better by marriage. 20:46 But give you a couple of passages 20:49 one here is First Corinthians 6:18, 20:52 it says, "Flee sexual immorality." 20:55 Flee it, in other words run from it. 20:57 "Every sin that a man does is outside the body, 21:01 but he who commits sexual immorality 21:04 sins against his own body." 21:06 What a lot of people don't understand 21:07 is when two people are joined together in a sexual situation 21:12 that the reason why the Bible indicated that 21:15 that should happen before marriage 21:16 is because they become one, 21:18 they become one in a lot of ways. 21:20 And first in God's sight they are one, 21:22 that's a blessed and sanctified union, 21:25 that's the most important aspect of it, 21:26 that is for man and woman in their marriage. 21:29 Once again not woman with woman not man with man. 21:32 That's ordain by God 21:34 from the very beginning Adam and Eve. 21:36 Don't want to be cynical and say, 21:38 Adam and Steve because that's I don't want 21:40 to take this lightly. 21:41 Very serious approach when it comes to what God 21:43 has established from the very beginning. 21:45 But you find the immorality is when God's blessing 21:50 is not bestowed upon that relationship 21:54 and the blessing of God is withheld 21:56 when they are not married. 21:58 To give you even further evidence of that, 22:00 First Corinthians 7, verses 8 and 9. 22:04 And let me read verse 2 first of all 22:08 because First Corinthians 7 deals with this quite a bit. 22:11 It says in verse 2, "Nevertheless, 22:14 because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, 22:21 and let each woman have her own husband." 22:24 See, his own wife, her own husband 22:28 to avoid sexual immorality. 22:31 Why is it saying man and woman, woman and man. 22:34 Its because that's what exactly what happens 22:35 when people come together in a non married format 22:39 man with woman and woman with man 22:42 is immoral outside of being married, 22:46 that's why he uses the word husband and wife. 22:50 Those terms are only applicable in the confines of marriage. 22:54 So that's a very powerful verse. 22:55 And then it goes to verse 8 and 9. 22:58 "But I say to the unmarried and to the widows 23:01 It is good for them if they remain even as I am." 23:06 In other words, unmarried. Paul was. 23:08 But, verse 9, "But if they cannot exercise 23:11 self-control, let them marry. 23:15 For it is better to marry than to burn with passion." 23:19 And the phrase with passion was added 23:22 because it was simply, 23:24 its better to marry than to burn, 23:26 and the burning there is as the Bible says, 23:28 burned in their lust. 23:30 And that's exactly what you must avoid. 23:32 John, we find today 23:35 and thank you, Malique, for the question. 23:36 So the key is God has established a way whereby 23:40 marriage is the-- marriage bed 23:44 as the Bible says, is undefiled. 23:46 But the bed where sexual practices occur 23:50 where they are not married it is defiled, 23:53 that mean it's not clean, it is corrupt, 23:56 it is immoral, it is not pure. 23:58 So you want to avoid that. 24:00 And lastly the council to the young and the unmarried, 24:03 we could avoid so much sorrow, so much grief. 24:07 Let me talk about the millions of young people 24:10 that are having babies outside of the confines of marriage, 24:13 that alone is a plight to the family. 24:16 And I'd say this in the context of the fact 24:20 that I was conceived outside of marriage. 24:22 My mom and dad were not married, 24:24 but God turn to thing that was not done 24:26 with His blessing into a tremendous blessing, 24:29 because here I am, a child of God nonetheless. 24:32 My point is, God does not authorize 24:35 sex outside of marriage, 24:36 but the birth of a child is a blessing nonetheless. 24:40 You have to keep that in mind, 24:42 because these are terrible term John, 24:44 which I won't use on the air, 24:45 I'll use the term illegitimate 24:47 because another more worldly term use. 24:49 The child is not illegitimate, the parents are illegitimate, 24:54 because what they have done was not legitimized by God, 24:57 yet the birth of the child is a blessing to all humanity 25:02 when God steps in as He did in my case 25:05 and directs the child's life. 25:07 So not only that the sexually transmitted disease, 25:12 that's another thing 25:14 and the list goes on and on and on and on. 25:16 And young ladies who after the guy has had his way 25:20 they move on and you know, I would say to young men, 25:23 treat a young lady that you're dating 25:25 as you would treat your sister. 25:27 And I hope that what that means 25:30 is you love your sister in a godly way, 25:33 that you honor your sister 25:34 you wouldn't do anything terrible to her, 25:37 you don't beat her up, you don't use profane language, 25:40 you honor your sister 25:41 as a Christian young man would honor his sister, 25:44 that's the context of that. 25:45 But, John, you want to add to that? 25:47 No, I think you covered it pretty well. 25:49 There are several aspects 25:51 sexual immorality you talked about 25:52 its being inclusive of all the different kinds of things 25:56 that happen within that. 25:58 Bible uses the term adulterer, fornicator, you know-- 26:04 Sexual immorality. 26:05 Strange flesh, these are the things 26:07 all fit within that sexual immorality umbrella. 26:10 And so that when the Bible was saying in the Ten Commandments 26:14 thou shall not commit adultery. Right. 26:16 It's not just referring to somebody that's married 26:19 having sex outside of the marriage, 26:21 its also referring to those that are not married, 26:23 to a degree, its all inclusive 26:25 of the sexual immorality umbrella that we have. 26:29 And so you want to maintain the purity. 26:32 Let me tell you why? 26:33 I'd say these young people that are, you know, 26:36 they are just under the pressures 26:37 of the modern world, 26:39 you know, there are lots of people that are-- 26:40 they admire the rock stars and the musicians and the actors 26:44 and the people that are on television all the time 26:47 and they are talking about the many kids, 26:48 and somebody says, well, you know, 26:50 did you know that, I'm not gonna mention names, 26:52 did you know that that song, that person has sing this song, 26:54 she just had a baby with this other star, 26:56 but they're not married. 26:57 And they talk about the baby and they have-- 26:59 you know, people say, 27:01 I want to be like that guy or that girl 27:02 that my favorite actor, my favorite singer. 27:04 And we become so distorted in our minds, 27:07 because we are following a practice that is pushing us 27:11 to this what we call popular immorality. 27:14 You know, they want to be like somebody, 27:16 but it's immoral just the same. 27:18 So no matter who you follow, 27:20 if you're not following the Lord, 27:21 if you're not following His word, 27:23 then it's not something that you should participate in. 27:26 Keep yourself pure, 27:28 because there is nothing like waiting till Christmas 27:30 to open your Christmas gifts 27:32 when you get old you understand exactly what I mean. 27:34 Okay, that's a metaphor, what do you say? All right. 27:38 Well, thank you for your Bible questions 27:41 and your comments and all the things 27:43 that you do to make this program successful. 27:45 Anymore questions you have you can send those 27:47 to this email address, housecalls@3abn.org, 27:51 that's 3abn.org that means organization. 27:55 Thank you, so much. 27:57 Now we talked about, 27:58 I think the last thing we did about Babylon, 28:01 we were in Daniel 3 and-- 28:04 we just want to emphasis that a little bit more 28:06 after we finish the program we said, 28:07 we want to go back to that plain of Dura setting 28:10 and finish identify what was happening there while we can-- 28:16 But we also talked about going into the women, 28:18 spiritual Babylon being represented as a woman. 28:22 Okay, that's right. That's the other aspect. 28:23 that's the place where we start a transition to, 28:25 we talked about Chapter 3, we talked about Chapter 5, 28:30 you know, using the things of the Lord 28:32 that were the holy things of God for worship 28:35 that was Pagan in origin. 28:37 And so the different aspects that were connected to Babylon 28:40 and now is labeled as being connected to spiritual Babylon. 28:44 We need to find out what's spiritual Babylon is, 28:47 so we can began to see the things 28:49 that are in spiritual Babylon, 28:51 those who practice these things are what the scriptures 28:54 are referring to in a prophetic sense. That's right. 28:56 And the reason I mention Daniel 3 28:59 is because one of the clarity we want to make here 29:02 is when the music was played 29:04 it did not persuade Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 29:10 which are the names given there in the Babylonian province. 29:13 It did not persuade them to still bow down 29:16 and worship the gods of Babylon. 29:18 So what we want to point out 29:19 is when you look at the verse here, 29:21 what's happening nowadays in spiritual Babylon, 29:24 that's sounds so odd, 29:25 its one of the most amazing oxymorons in the Bible, 29:29 spiritual, its more like spiritualistic or spiritualism 29:35 rather than spiritual like Christ to spiritual. 29:38 But what is in essence saying is Babylon for some reason 29:41 is taken on a tone that is not native to it. 29:44 You see, its trying to put for the Christian foot-- 29:48 Think about today, let's just talk common sense, 29:50 how many people say I'm spiritual, 29:52 I just don't believe in organize religion. 29:54 They're spiritual but they don't want the organization 29:59 that God has set for through His church. 30:01 And so you have, I would say, 30:03 part of spiritual Babylon includes that mentality 30:07 that I don't want to be connected necessarily 30:09 maybe to a specific church, but I want to be spiritual, 30:15 you know, yeah and it just, its part of that mentality 30:19 that I want to do it my way 30:21 which is very Babel, Babylon type of mentality. 30:25 You know, that just open up another door 30:27 that I want to go to in Revelation. 30:29 Revelation, let's go back earlier some, I said earlier, 30:33 but just let's go and wrap up this, 30:35 this point of transition. 30:37 When you look at Daniel 3 and you look at verse 5, 30:41 pretty interesting, music has taken 30:44 center stage nowadays when it comes to worship. 30:46 The word of God is being minimized 30:49 and the music is being maximized, 30:52 and so you have places where there is dynamic music, 30:55 but what I want to get at here very, very important point. 30:59 Daniel 3:5, "At the time you hear the sound of the horn, 31:03 the flute, the lyre, the palsy, or the psaltery" 31:08 or how we want to say that, 31:10 in symphony that meaning being all played together, 31:14 with all kinds of music. 31:18 That's the phrase I want to bring out. 31:19 You shall fall down and worship the God, 31:22 the golden image or the gold image 31:24 that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 31:28 Couple of things this image was not set up by God. 31:30 First of all God said, thou shall not bow down 31:32 to worship any image. 31:34 Secondly He says, all kinds of music 31:36 and today in Christendom all kinds of music 31:40 has entered into the church. 31:42 Rock, rap, hip hop, techno 31:46 all kinds of music has entered into the church 31:48 that is being used not for the worship of God, 31:51 but for the worship of the image that has been set up 31:54 in place of the worship of the true God. 31:56 Let me encourage you, to do like these Hebrews did, 31:59 they refused to bow down 32:02 no matter what kind of song was being played. 32:05 So is the problem the music, 32:06 the problem with things that are borrowed from Babylon, 32:10 this is Babylonian music used for the purpose of worship. 32:13 Make sure that the music they use-- 32:15 that you use for the purpose of worship 32:16 is not being borrowed from the world, 32:19 because there is no such thing as sanctifying something 32:22 that is not sanctified by God. 32:24 You cannot sanctify something 32:25 that is not used for Christian purposes 32:28 and that's what happening in the church nowadays, John. 32:30 A lot of the music the same styles 32:32 are coming into the church 32:34 and its being poured in like the wine of Babylon. 32:38 And people hear all kinds of music 32:40 and they just choose to bow down and worship, 32:42 regardless of the fact, 32:43 that God's word doesn't condone all kinds of music. 32:46 So we've let the cat out of the bag. Okay. 32:50 We want to talk about here now, 32:53 why you're saying into the church, 32:56 you use the word church several times. 32:58 So let's define why John and John-- 33:01 are now talking about Babylon being a church 33:05 because it's a woman, okay. So let's connect this. 33:08 Go ahead. Get the docs here. 33:10 Revelation 17 which is where we began talks about 33:14 how this great harlot who sits on many waters, 33:21 the harlot is obviously a woman. 33:25 And it speaks of her sitting on many waters, 33:30 committing fornication with the kings of the earth. 33:32 There is a politico-religio 33:35 kind of a unity here that's happening. 33:38 In the Middle East you'd call it the theocracy. 33:41 Here we typically call it religio-political 33:45 it's the soft word, 33:46 the soft way of saying that 33:48 politics and religion mix just fine. 33:50 This says, that Babylon is comprised 33:52 of those who mixed the two. Okay. 33:55 Now going further as it introduces this woman, 34:00 its goes down and talks about 34:02 some of the characteristic she has. 34:04 Verse 4 one example is that, 34:06 she is arrayed in purple and scarlet 34:09 adorn with gold and precious stones and pearls, 34:11 she is decked out, man, she is just, 34:14 she is decked out and then verse 5 says, on her name, 34:18 on her forehead a name was written 34:19 "Mystery Babylon the Great." So that's her title. 34:22 So Babylon the great is when we see spiritual Babylon. 34:26 We say spiritual because its' not a city, 34:29 it's not the old city of Babylon, 34:31 it's referring to a woman, a harlot specifically. 34:34 In the Book of Revelation, 34:36 you have a couple of different women that are represented. 34:41 In Chapter 12 you see a pure woman. You do. 34:45 Beautiful, pure represents as you go through the-- 34:49 you see, representative of God's followers 34:52 and then here you find a corrupt woman, a harlot. 34:56 What is prophecy telling us 34:58 in comparing and contrasting the two, 35:02 one is, both are women, 35:05 one is pure, one is a harlot. 35:09 A few scriptures here and you may have some other ones. 35:12 The first one is Jeremiah 6:2. Do you have-- 35:17 Well, I could turn to that, but-- 35:18 Go ahead if you have another one start here-- 35:20 Let me amplify what you're saying here 35:21 because when the Bible talks about, 35:23 and this is once again the Old Testament 35:24 lay so much foundation 35:26 for what's happening in the New Testament. 35:27 There was a prophet by the name of, 35:30 not a prophet but a king by the name Ahab. 35:33 He married a woman by the name of Jezebel 35:35 and this is once again a leader of God's people 35:39 Ahab marrying a worshipper of the God of Behal, Baal, okay. 35:45 And when they marry together it formed 35:48 a union between corrupt, 35:51 a corrupt woman and a spiritual man, 35:55 thereby not making the woman spiritual 35:57 but making the man corrupt. 35:59 When you mesh that what is spiritual 36:02 with that which is corrupt, you don't get a pure corruption, 36:08 you get a corrupt spirituality, 36:13 you get the corrupt spiritual, 36:15 it corrupts the spiritual, 36:17 it doesn't purify the corrupt, okay. 36:20 You have here in Revelation 2:20, 19, 36:26 the Lord is talking about fire attire, 36:29 what that church went through and this by the way was, 36:33 this is showing how the corruption got 36:35 into the churches says, verse 20 of Revelation 2. 36:41 "Nevertheless I have a few things against you, 36:44 because you allow that woman Jezebel, 36:47 who calls herself a prophetess, 36:50 to teach and beguile My servants to commit sexual immorality 36:55 and eat things sacrificed to idols. 36:58 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, 37:01 and she did not repent." And then He says. 37:05 "Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, 37:07 and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, 37:11 unless they repent of their deeds. 37:14 I will kill her children with death, 37:16 and all the churches shall know that 37:19 I am He who searches the minds and hearts. 37:22 And will give to each one of you according to your works." 37:26 So when we talked about the church that woman, 37:29 that corrupt woman that's what Revelation 17 37:32 is talking about that corrupt woman, 37:34 but now you want to show us the picture in Jeremiah, 37:36 am I correct? Yes. 37:37 Let's go to Jeremiah. 37:39 And I mention Jeremiah 6 here, 37:41 but just to kind of give you some background, 37:45 Jeremiah 3, let start with verse 1 there. All right. 37:50 And this is God speaking to His people, 37:51 so its council is important for us today. 37:55 Although He's speaking to literal Israel at that time 37:57 now spiritual Israel is God's church. 38:02 "They say, if a man divorces his wife 38:04 and she goes from him and becomes another man's, 38:07 may he return to her again? 38:09 Would not that land be greatly polluted? 38:11 But you have played the harlot with many lovers; 38:15 yet return to me? Says the Lord. 38:17 Lift up your eyes to the desolate heights and see; 38:21 where have you not lain with men? 38:24 By the road you have sat for them 38:26 like an Arabian in the wilderness; 38:28 And you have polluted the land 38:29 with your harlotries and your wickedness. 38:31 Therefore the showers have been withheld, 38:33 and there has been no latter rain, 38:36 and you have a harlot's forehead," 38:39 What is that. "Refused to be ashamed. 38:42 Will you not from this time cry to me, 38:46 My father, you are my guide of my youth? 38:49 Will he remain angry forever, will he keep it to the end?' 38:52 Behold, you have spoken and done evil things as you are able." 38:56 In other words, God allowed them to make decisions, 38:58 to make choices, John, 39:00 but he clearly as they made those choices 39:04 to fall away from him and practice 39:06 those things that were unholy, 39:08 that were defiled, that were from the other nations. 39:10 He spoke to them as a harlot, 39:14 His people were committing harlotry. That's right. 39:17 So in that context when we read in Jeremiah 6:2 39:23 "I have likened the daughter of Zion 39:25 to a lovely and delicate woman." 39:26 He is giving the example 39:28 of what he wants his children to be. That's right. 39:30 Pure and holy, not the harlot, 39:33 but let's not mistaken this. 39:35 In these cases they both on the outward appearance 39:39 to a degree, believed they spoke as if they belong to God. Okay. 39:46 Whether they are playing the harlot 39:48 or whether they were following God 39:49 in a pure way they still look to Him. 39:53 In the verse we just read from Jeremiah 3, 39:55 He said won't you come crying back to me, 39:57 even though you are backsliding, 39:58 won't you come cry out to me every time you get in trouble 40:00 you come cry out to me. 40:02 Well, this is what we're saying. 40:04 So spiritual Babylon we're talking about the harlot, 40:07 it represents a church, it looks like a church, 40:11 it looks like it follows God, but its not, 40:14 its practicing the things that are not of God. That's right. 40:18 And very wonderful parallel you find also Jeremiah 40:21 brings out other elements of Babylon 40:24 and this is going to become more pointed and specifically 40:29 because you need to know whether or not 40:31 where you are is not where God want you to be 40:34 and that's what the whole purpose of this program is, 40:37 so let people know that God has people everywhere 40:41 Revelation 18:1 to 4 that's a call, 40:43 I want to lead into this by the way, 40:45 I want to just mention that, 40:47 that Revelation 18:4 has come out of her my people. 40:51 So the clear element just like the Hebrews were in Babylon, 40:55 God has people nowadays in spiritual Babylon, 40:58 spiritual because the literal Babylon doesn't exist, 41:01 the literal place where Babylon existed does not exist today, 41:05 yet these elements that we're pointing out 41:08 do exist in Christendom 41:10 and so that's what Satan's attempt 41:11 was to pollute the woman, to make her a harlot. 41:16 She has daughters also, and that's the other thing 41:18 that Revelation 17 points out, not just the mother, 41:22 but if she is a mother of the abominations 41:25 and the harlots of the earth. 41:26 In other words her filthiness, her corruption, 41:29 her adultery that is her dishonor to the true God 41:32 is prevalent in so many avenues of worship, 41:35 but the one thing that is common 41:37 that God still hasn't overlook 41:39 is a fact that His people are still there. 41:43 Right, which is the call to come out from-- 41:45 Which is the call to come out, 41:47 you know, the Babylon was a corrupt city, 41:49 but His people were there, they were held captive, 41:52 they were held in bondage to the ways 41:54 and the teachings of Babylon, and that's happening today. 41:57 Lot of Christians are held in bondage to the people 42:00 in the ways of corrupt things, 42:03 immoral things in some movements. 42:05 John, let me talk about some of these things, 42:07 let me just make some comparison here 42:08 because I want to read this first, 42:10 but I don't want to read it before I make this point. 42:14 And we talked about sexual immorality in this program, 42:16 so this fits right now and this shows 42:18 an element of Babylon sexual immorality, 42:20 the woman the perversion there. 42:22 When churches began ordaining people 42:26 that are living sexually immoral lives 42:29 and put them in the positions of leadership. 42:32 There are some churches today that have openly gay clergy, 42:38 practicing that lifestyle and they are leading out 42:42 in these churches that is a symbol of spiritual Babylon. 42:48 That is just, I mean, sexual immorality 42:51 is what we are told to flee, 42:53 but then when you have a person practicing that lifestyle, 42:55 but let's not leave that all by itself, 42:58 if you have clergy that having, 43:00 if you have men clergy that having multiple relationships 43:04 and not being true to the one wife 43:06 that's the similar thing here. 43:08 But one of the examples 43:09 that you're getting here in the Bible, 43:11 is this woman Jezebel, 43:12 who that's her whole life is identified, 43:15 very few people I know nowadays. 43:17 And I said this once when somebody 43:18 wrote me a letter and said 43:20 they actually did named their daughter Jezebel. 43:21 And I thought to myself unbelievable, 43:23 why would you do that 43:24 when you think about what is connected to. 43:26 But there's a very few people has a little girl and say, 43:28 oh, you know, she is so pretty, 43:30 I want to call her Jezebel. 43:32 That name just doesn't have a good connotation 43:33 connected to it at all. 43:35 So what's happening nowadays is wherever sexual immorality 43:38 is reigning in the leadership then you're in a place where-- 43:43 there are those Babylonian practices have entered 43:45 into in this very careful. 43:48 But here's what Jeremiah also points out about Babylon, 43:50 that I want to get to right now. 43:53 Jeremiah 51:47, Jeremiah 51:47. 44:00 Because you have to be able to identify these elements 44:03 because they are not all packaged together 44:05 neatly into one package, 44:06 here the Babylonian identification kit. 44:09 But look at verse 47. Read that for us, John. 44:13 "Therefore behold, the days are coming. 44:15 That I will bring judgment on the carved images of Babylon; 44:19 Her whole land shall be ashamed, 44:21 And all her slain shall fall in her midst." 44:24 Now get what that says, carved images. 44:28 We were just in Russia, few months ago. 44:33 And we went to some of the temples 44:36 that are there in Russia and we walked in 44:41 and saw images abounding to many to count. 44:46 We saw--people came in and depending on 44:51 whatever they came in to pray about, 44:54 they would kiss the picture 44:57 and they would light a candle in front of the picture 44:59 that best represented the thing they wanted to pray about. 45:02 And if you look at the walls 45:04 from the walls left right center ceiling 45:06 pictures of all different kinds of 45:09 and they said these are the Gods they pray to. 45:14 These are the images they pray to, 45:17 because that's how they believe they're suppose to pray, 45:22 that's what has been said in this particular passage. 45:24 Image worship, remember now where did you get that 45:27 from first of all thou shalt not make unto thee 45:28 any graven images, 45:30 that's before the people of God were in Babylon, 45:32 they were let out of Egypt is also there. 45:34 But on the plain of Dura in Babylon 45:39 Nebuchadnezzar was trying to get the Hebrews to bow down 45:42 and worship an image, a carved image. 45:46 So if you are part of a fellowship 45:48 where carved images are worshiped 45:51 that is the symbol of the existence of a worship 45:56 that is not authorized by God. 45:58 Its Babylonian worship, its to be avoided 46:02 and I know and I say this with an element of heavy heart, 46:07 a lot of my family members are part of a faith 46:10 that they have so many images 46:12 and what I learned also over in Russia 46:14 is there was a large picture, they had a picture 46:17 and I was wondering what is that picture was a large a woman, 46:20 a picture of a woman she was a larger part of the picture, 46:24 but there were very, very small part of the picture 46:26 was a smaller image and they say, 46:28 well, in that church Mary is seen as supreme 46:31 and Jesus is being seen as subject to her, 46:35 another symbol of Babylonian worship. 46:40 You know, as we're talking more and more, 46:42 we don't want to single anybody out in this program. 46:45 It's just the purpose of revealing now 46:47 spiritual Babylon is a church, 46:49 a system that is promoting very ungodly practices 46:55 and calling them Christianity. 46:58 It just doesn't spill from one entity down, 47:01 but this harlot has daughters, 47:03 it is filtered everywhere around the world, 47:05 we're seeing rampant cases 47:06 of spiritual Babylon in this world. 47:10 And to maybe find some of those things 47:13 that are represented within Babylon. 47:16 We can go back to Revelation 17 47:18 and let's look at some of the things 47:20 and identify some of the things 47:21 that it's pertaining to when he's speaking now, 47:23 because Revelation 17 remember is a prophecy, 47:26 it is not literal, 47:27 its got a spiritual application, its symbolic. 47:31 So as we look at these symbols 47:33 what are they saying about a church, 47:36 a system that it looks Christian, but its not. 47:40 What are they saying about that to identify it. 47:41 Okay, Revelation 17, what verse? 47:43 Seventeen, let's go back to verse 1. Okay. 47:46 "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot 47:48 who sits on many waters." 47:50 Obviously here we first see that it is going to be judge, 47:52 you just read that from Jeremiah 51, 47:55 Judgment is coming upon Babylon. 47:58 "With whom the kings 47:59 of the earth committed fornication." 48:01 All right, so there is a joining of, 48:03 we already mention this though, 48:05 but let's talk about it again it's a joining of a religious 48:08 with the spiritual practices that the Christianity 48:12 and so you have a religio-political entity here, 48:16 one that is really involved not just overtly, 48:19 so everybody can see, but specially behind the scenes 48:21 and making things happen the way they have. 48:24 In the history we know that persecution often results 48:28 and has resulted when the religious arm 48:31 joins with the political arm 48:32 receives the power of the civil power 48:37 and then forces others to worship 48:39 that has happened already and its gonna happen again. 48:42 "The inhabitants on earth were made drunk 48:44 with the wine of her fornication." 48:45 Talk about that, John, I mean, 48:47 what is this made drunk? 48:49 What are they referring to there? 48:50 You know, imbibing whenever you-- 48:52 we did a program on communion okay, 48:55 this is really interesting. 48:57 Communion, you know, when you partake of the wine 48:59 which is unfermented, but in the Paganistic practices 49:04 the wine was fermented actually it was fermented in some cases 49:08 actual alcohol was introduced, 49:11 but it was fermented fruit. 49:12 It had come to the point where its start to turn into 49:16 that which can inebriate you, 49:18 it can cause you to be drunk. 49:20 And so they said whenever this was participated 49:23 in by those who were dedicated to God 49:26 that's where the inebriation came 49:27 and that's where they were made drunk. 49:29 So what happens nowadays as you see 49:31 that this wine that's coming, you know, the teachings, 49:34 teachings that are throwing the ability of God's people 49:40 to discern between right and wrong is being impaired. 49:45 The ability to understand truth from error is being impaired, 49:50 because when a person is drunk the one thing 49:51 that he or she cannot do is walk a straight line. 49:55 The one thing that he or she cannot do is stand up firmly, 49:59 and so what's happening here is the Christian mind 50:02 this is why the Bible says 50:03 be transform by the renewing of your mind. 50:07 A mind is set free when truth enters, 50:10 the entrance of your word brings light, 50:13 when truth enters the mind then all the sudden 50:15 what people could not discern in darkness 50:17 were under the point of being inebriated or drunk, 50:20 they began to now see clearly 50:22 that's what the Babylonian system has done 50:24 truths and teaching that exist 50:26 that are not in harmony with God's word, 50:28 but the people are so drunk that you can't tell them otherwise, 50:32 because they cannot discern between light and darkness, 50:35 between truth and error. 50:36 So let's just take this the obvious conclusion. 50:39 One of the things that Babylon had done 50:42 was they had polluted the position 50:44 of the work of the priest 50:47 and they had profane the Sabbath of God, 50:49 they made no difference between the holy and the unholy, 50:53 they profane the Sabbath of the Lord. 50:56 So what happen today in the churches of the world 50:58 where you find the true Sabbath of God being profaned 51:01 and a new day been establishing his place 51:04 that's a symbol of the wine of Babylon. 51:06 But what I want to add to what John mentioned 51:08 a moment ago is not the singling out of individuals, 51:11 because the majority of my family 51:12 is still a part of a fellowship 51:14 that honors many of these things. 51:16 That's why I mentioned earlier 51:18 the Lord isn't looking at the destruction of the system, 51:21 but the rescue of the people. 51:23 He is saying to them come out of her 51:25 my people that's the key element. 51:27 You want to add something to that, John? 51:29 Well, I was just kind of connect here this wine, 51:31 you know, what is this wine the prophet Micah speaks of this 51:36 and its interesting in Micah 2:10, 51:42 it just so perfectly fits. 51:44 Look at Micah 2:10 and 11. Okay. 51:47 Arise and depart. 51:48 In other words, the Lord is saying get out of here. 51:50 Get up and get out of her. 51:52 Get out of here. 51:53 In other words, come out of her, my people. 51:55 Arise and depart. 51:57 For this is not your rest. 52:00 Now we can do that with the allotted one, 52:02 day of rest. That's right. 52:04 "Because it is defiled it shall destroy 52:06 yes with utter destruction. 52:09 If a man should walk in a false spirit" 52:11 And this is really a key here. 52:13 "If a man should walk in a false spirit 52:15 and speak a lie, saying, 52:17 'I will prophesy to you of wine and drink," 52:21 Which Chapter you're in. 52:22 Micah 2:10 and 11. Okay, got you. 52:24 "I will prophesy you of wine and strong drink, 52:26 Even he would be the prattler of this people." 52:30 "I will surely assemble all of you, 52:32 O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel;" 52:35 we're in spiritual Israel now. 52:37 "I will put them together like sheep of the fold, 52:39 or like a flock in the midst of their pasture; 52:42 They shall make a loud noise because of so many people." 52:44 What is that loud noise? The loud cry. 52:47 That's right, that's right. 52:48 You have this prophecy is exactly what is about 52:51 to take place or what is it taking place 52:53 even right now. That's right. 52:54 But the connection I want you to notice here 52:56 is the fact that when a man speaks falsity, 52:59 false prophecies even lying teachings, 53:03 that's when they are causing people to get drunk 53:06 because they're prophesying of wine and drink. 53:09 So when it says that Babylon is getting people drunk 53:12 with the wine of her fornication it is her teachings. 53:15 That's right, that's clearly what it is. 53:17 They are drunk of the teachings and in fact 53:19 so much so that they can't discern even what is truth. 53:22 And, you know, John, what's amazing nowadays 53:23 is when people start to come into 53:24 an understanding of the truth. 53:26 It is so strange when a person is-- 53:29 the phrase we could use is being detoxed, 53:32 you know, these facilities where people go and get detoxed, 53:35 they go through withdrawals, 53:37 you know, the body respond in a very strange way, 53:39 those strange reactions that the body is manifesting 53:43 is the body readjusting itself, 53:44 not the body going against its natural use, 53:47 but the body is purifying itself. 53:49 So if you're in the study of that which is truth 53:53 and you've never seen it before, 53:55 it will cause you to adjust in a great degree and, 54:00 but hang in there with it and you will find 54:02 as time goes on those things that you could not see. 54:04 Some people say, I can't see 54:06 how the Sabbath can make a difference. 54:07 I can't see what the difference is between 54:09 whether it's an eternal hell or not an eternal hell, 54:10 what difference does it make. 54:12 What difference does it make where the people dying 54:13 go straight to heaven or they die 54:15 and wait till Jesus comes, what difference does it. 54:16 They can't see that's the key element there. 54:19 They cannot see, their eyes have been skewed 54:23 by the wine that has been introduced into their minds. 54:28 And, you know, what happens when the mind is introduced 54:31 when there is any kind of off kiltering drug introduced 54:36 into the mind you cannot differentiate 54:38 between the holy and the unholy, 54:40 the profane and that which is blessed by God, 54:43 you cannot differentiate. 54:46 They could probably should end here by talking about 54:50 who this beast is connected to, 54:51 because in verse 3, it says clearly 54:54 that she was sitting on a scarlet beast 54:56 and that scarlet beast is connected 54:57 back in Revelation 12 to Satan and his kingdom. That's right. 55:03 So we clearly know that this harlot 55:05 is not linked with God at all. No. 55:09 She is arrayed in purple and scarlet 55:11 adorn with golden precious pearls 55:15 having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations 55:18 and filthiness of her fornication. 55:21 Anyway even what she wears and how she appears, 55:26 red, scarlet the colors and all those things, 55:29 one color is missing. Blue. Blue. 55:33 Yet if you look at the priesthood of God 55:37 in the Old Testament repeatedly you'll find blue, 55:41 woven in through their tassels other parts of the thing, 55:44 what is a blue symbolic of? 55:46 Representing the law of God. 55:48 The law of God. 55:49 So it is absent God's law. That's right. 55:52 And so you have all these things 55:53 that makeup this spiritual Babylonian system here. 55:57 And I think if we were to conclude on that 55:59 we'd have to say that truth is important 56:04 to follow God and to obey what He says 56:07 from front page to back page is important. 56:11 Finding what's right in your own eyes, 56:13 doing what you think is okay, 56:15 what is it Deuteronomy 29:19 or something 56:19 did what's right in their own eyes. Right. 56:21 You know, that kind of mentality 56:23 is a spiritual Babylon mentality. Right. 56:26 It's the mentality that ends only in destruction. 56:29 Search the scriptures, find out what God says 56:32 and follow it with all your heart. 56:33 Don't let anybody talk into, it doesn't matter. 56:35 It does matter, it really does matter. 56:37 It matters, it absolutely matters, 56:39 I don't find anywhere in scriptures where God says, 56:41 you know what, that doesn't matter, 56:43 find me one spot where it doesn't matter? 56:45 That's why we have the word it matters. 56:47 And you know what, you have to look at the fellowship 56:49 that you are part of in. 56:50 We could start naming them, but, you know, this is so broad, 56:53 it doesn't just link itself 56:54 to just one kind of spiritual fellowship nowadays, 56:57 spiritual make sure its based on the word of God, 57:00 make sure that what you're asked to believe, 57:02 and to follow, and to teach, 57:04 and to live by is solidly 57:06 not omitting anything that Lord says. 57:08 Its not omitting the Sabbath, 57:09 its not omitting His Ten Commandments, 57:11 its not teaching that people die and go to heaven, 57:13 its not teaching an eternally burning hell, 57:15 these all remnants of teaching that came out of the dark ages 57:18 through the great spiritual formation of Babylon 57:22 that has inhabited the churches today. 57:24 Here at House Call, we believe 57:25 that Lord is coming back one day to call us home. 57:27 We want to be ready for that, 57:29 the call to come out of Babylon is being preached today. 57:31 May God move upon your heart to respond. God bless you. |
Revised 2014-12-17