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Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS023013S
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00:13 (music ends) 00:15 >>Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:17 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:19 We're glad that you could join us today 00:20 as we begin a brand new quarter, 00:23 13 weeks where we're going to be looking 00:26 at one of the most significant messages 00:28 or series of messages in the entire Bible: 00:32 three cosmic messages, 00:34 the three angels' messages of Revelation, chapter 14. 00:37 And yet they encompass, they encapsulate 00:40 so much of what's happening today 00:42 and through the rest of Scripture. 00:45 Before we dive in and I share with you 00:47 who our special guest is for this quarter, 00:49 let's begin with prayer. 00:51 Father, we ask that you'll be with us 00:52 as we study this incredible subject. 00:55 Give us wisdom, give us insight, 00:57 touch our hearts, and move us closer 00:59 to our Savior as we study. We ask this in Jesus' name, 01:03 amen. >>Amen. 01:05 >>So our guest this quarter is Pastor Mark Finley. 01:08 Pastor Mark, we're glad that you could join us. 01:10 >>This is absolutely delightful 01:11 to be at It Is Written again. 01:13 >>Now, you're no stranger to It Is Written. 01:15 You were with It Is Written for 14 years? 01:18 >>Just at 14 years. 01:20 >>Fantastic, and your journey here is-- 01:23 you've come back around, as it were. 01:25 >>Right. You know, we just love the It Is Written ministry. 01:27 It's making such a difference, Eric, in the world. 01:30 It is impacting tens of thousands of lives each week. 01:34 We're so thankful for Elder John Bradshaw, 01:37 yourself, and the entire team at It Is Written 01:40 as we see this ministry grow. 01:42 >>Well, we've been blessed by your ministry. Of course, 01:44 you were with It Is Written for a while. 01:45 You've served as a pastor, 01:46 an international speaker, evangelist, author, 01:49 you've served at the General Conference. 01:50 You are an assistant to the president today 01:53 and continuing to travel around in a pseudo-retirement, 01:57 as it were, and sharing the gospel around the world. 02:00 And we're grateful that you could share 02:02 these three messages with us. 02:04 Give us a little bit of background. 02:05 We're looking at three cosmic messages here. 02:07 I know that this is a subject 02:09 that is near and dear to your heart. 02:11 How did we get to hold this, 02:13 this adult Bible study in our hands today? 02:18 >>The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 02:20 has been focusing on the three angels' messages, 02:23 Revelation, chapter 14:6-12. 02:26 There are programs for children; 02:29 there's TV programs that I've done 02:31 called "Three Cosmic Messages." 02:34 We did those with Three Angels Broadcasting. 02:37 There are books that have been written 02:39 on the three angels' messages, 02:41 so just a variety of projects to focus the attention 02:46 of the church and the public on God's last-day message 02:50 in the book of Revelation for us. 02:53 About three years ago, 02:55 the General Conference approached me and asked me 02:58 if I would prepare this series on three cosmic messages, 03:02 the three angels' messages. 03:04 I have a little funny story to tell you 03:06 about how we got the name "Three Cosmic Messages" too, 03:08 so don't let me forget that. 03:11 So when you prepare the Sabbath school study guide, 03:14 it's a major responsibility because Seventh-day Adventists 03:17 around the world study these lessons each Sabbath. 03:22 And they're translated into multiple languages. 03:25 And so I prayed over the series a great deal, 03:28 spent a lot of time praying that God would give me 03:29 the right words, to make it very succinct 03:34 but very clear, powerful. 03:37 You might be interested to know that each lesson 03:40 takes me about seven to eight hours to write, 03:44 not counting the time that you put in research. 03:46 So I would figure for the 13 lessons, 03:49 I have about 110-120 writing hours 03:54 because each day is gonna take you, the seven days, 03:57 an hour, an hour and a half, at least, to write it, 03:59 not counting the research time. 04:00 So you might have 150 hours, 04:02 so it's a real investment in time. 04:04 But sensing this responsibility, Pastor Eric, 04:08 and sensing the sacredness of it 04:10 and the importance of clearly articulating it, 04:13 it's something that I placed priority on. 04:17 >>So a lot of time, a lot of effort, 04:19 a lot of prayer, a lot of research went into this. 04:22 We're going to be on a 13-week journey together 04:25 with you on this subject. 04:27 Give us an idea of where we're going. 04:30 What are some things that we're gonna touch on? 04:31 >>Sure. But lemme tell you a little funny story first. 04:33 So, "Three Cosmic Messages," how did we get that? 04:37 You are very well aware here in Chattanooga, Tennessee, 04:40 of the McKee bakery. >>Yes. 04:42 >>So one day, a group of lay people were talking. 04:45 And as we were talking about titles, 04:49 we said, "People may not understand three angels' messages." 04:52 And so as we're talking, 04:54 we were talking with Mr. Rusty McKee of McKee bakery. 04:58 And he said to us, "You know, the bestselling brownies 05:02 we have at McKee bakery are Cosmic Brownies." 05:05 We said, "That's it, 'cosmic'! 05:07 It's a great word; people are familiar with it." 05:10 You know, conflict between good and evil, 05:11 conflict between Christ and Satan, 05:13 "Three Cosmic Messages," so that's how we got the title. 05:17 >>So we've got the title from brownies. 05:19 >>Yeah, right. (laughs) >>I love it. That's fantastic. 05:21 So give us an idea of where we're going, 05:22 these cosmic messages. 05:24 Where are they going to take us over the course of 13 weeks? 05:26 >>The book of Revelation focuses on the conflict 05:29 between good and evil. 05:30 It focuses on the conflict between Christ and Satan. 05:33 It has to do with a cosmic conflict in the heavens. 05:37 It's a Star Wars conflict 05:39 between the forces of right and the forces of wrong, 05:43 between Christ and Satan. 05:45 So the book of Revelation focuses on that conflict. 05:49 The three angels' messages 05:50 prepare us for the final conflict. 05:52 They prepare us for the overwhelming events 05:56 that are coming upon our world. 05:58 So we will go through the messages of Christ 06:03 in Revelation, chapter 14 06:05 and look at why these messages are so important, 06:08 so significant in preparing a people 06:10 for the coming of Jesus. 06:12 >>Very good. Well, let's dive into it. 06:14 We are on lesson number one. 06:16 The title of lesson number one is "Jesus Wins--Satan Loses." 06:20 Now, that, of course, is good news for all of us. 06:23 We wanna find out how Jesus wins and how Satan loses. 06:26 But it's interesting, Pastor Mark, 06:27 that you start lesson number one not in Revelation 14, 06:31 where we find the three angels' messages, 06:33 but you start at two chapters earlier 06:36 in Revelation, chapter 12. Why begin there? 06:39 >>Chapter 12 is really the hinge 06:41 upon which the entire book of Revelation turns. 06:44 In Revelation, chapter 1, 06:46 you have an introduction of the eternal Christ. 06:48 He is eternal, 06:50 He's our Savior, our Redeemer, 06:53 and He is our High Priest and coming King. 06:55 You find that in Revelation 1. 06:57 Then there are three sequences of seven. 07:00 You have the seven churches, the seven seals, 07:03 the seven trumpets. That leads up to Revelation, chapter 12, 07:07 which then catapults you 07:09 into the great controversy and end-day events. 07:12 So Revelation 12 introduces you to the chapters 07:16 that will follow the mark of the beast in chapter 13, 07:19 the three angels' messages in chapter 14, 07:21 the seven last plagues in chapter 15 and 16, 07:24 and the woman in scarlet and the beast 07:25 in Revelation 17 and 18, 07:27 and then the coming of Christ in 19 07:29 and the new heavens and the new earth. 07:31 So Revelation 12 is a pivotal chapter. 07:34 Understanding Revelation 12, 07:35 you get the broader view, the larger view 07:38 of the controversy between good and evil. 07:40 And that's why we started there, to give us that context. 07:42 >>So the theme kind of changes 07:44 when you get to Revelation 12. The focus changes. 07:47 What do we find in Revelation 12? 07:50 What is that content that sets it apart, 07:52 that makes it different from chapters 1-11? 07:56 Now we begin this new journey. 07:58 What makes it a new journey there? 08:00 >>The neat thing about Revelation 12 08:02 is you have four episodes. You have the first episode, 08:07 and I like to look at it as like vignettes, 08:11 as if I'm watching a video, and I see scene one, 08:14 scene two, scene three, scene four. 08:16 The uniqueness about Revelation 12 08:18 is that it takes you down through the ages 08:22 in this conflict between good and evil. 08:25 It starts with Lucifer's rebellion against God in heaven; 08:28 he's cast out. Time goes on. 08:31 Lucifer then attacks Christ when He's born on earth, 08:34 tries to destroy Him. Time goes on. 08:38 There's a period of the Middle or Dark Ages 08:41 where Satan tries to destroy the followers of Christ. 08:44 And then it catapults you 08:46 right into the last days of earth's history 08:48 where the dragon, Satan, tries to destroy 08:50 God's last-day people, the remnant. 08:51 And it's from that vantage point 08:54 that we then go into the beast from the sea 08:59 and the beast from the earth in Revelation, chapter 13 09:01 that tries to destroy God's people. 09:03 We go into the message that prepares God's people. 09:06 So you have that Revelation, chapter 12:17, 09:09 which shows you Satan's attempt on the remnant. 09:13 And then the rest of the book shows 09:15 how he has tried to destroy the remnant 09:17 and how they've stood loyal and faithful and true to Christ. 09:20 >>So you have four episodes here, 09:22 as you mentioned, in Revelation, chapter 12. 09:25 We've got a general idea of where that's going, 09:28 but dig us into that a little bit more. 09:30 We're talking about Jesus winning and Satan losing. 09:33 Revelation 12 brings that all together. 09:36 Help us unpack that a little bit. 09:37 >>Sure, let's just actually go to our Bibles 09:40 and look at Revelation, chapter 12. 09:42 We're gonna start there in Revelation 12 with verse 7. 09:46 So this is the first great episode. 09:49 Revelation 12, verse 7 says, "War broke out in heaven: 09:53 "Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; 09:56 and the dragon and his angels fought." 09:58 Now, notice now, Pastor Eric, the next few verse, 10:03 the next verse in chapter 8. 10:05 And let's also look at chapter 9. 10:07 Why don't you read verse 8 and 9? 10:08 >>It says, "But they did not prevail, 10:10 "nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 10:13 "So the great dragon was cast out, 10:15 "that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, 10:18 "who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, 10:21 and his angels were cast out with him." 10:24 >>So here is a cosmic conflict between good and evil, 10:26 between the forces of good, the force of evil, 10:28 between Christ and Satan. And here in this conflict, 10:32 we're gonna notice something that happens. 10:34 Every angel has to make a decision, 10:36 similar to the final conflict 10:38 when every human being on Planet Earth 10:40 has to make a decision. 10:41 And it says that Satan does not prevail; 10:45 he's cast out of heaven. So in episode number one, 10:48 Jesus wins; Satan loses. 10:51 We come down the stream of time, and we come here now, 10:57 let's go back to Revelation 12, 11:00 and we, again, 11:02 read about this dragon who is cast out of heaven, 11:08 and we get another picture of him 11:10 in chapter 12, verse 3, 4, and 5. 11:14 Go ahead, pastor, and read those. 11:16 >>Sure, verse 3 says, "And another sign appeared in heaven: 11:19 "behold, a great, fiery red dragon 11:21 "having seven heads and ten horns, 11:23 "and seven diadems on his heads. 11:25 "His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven 11:28 "and threw them to the earth. 11:29 "And the dragon stood before the woman 11:31 "who was ready to give birth, 11:32 "to devour her Child as soon as it was born. 11:35 "She bore a male Child who was to rule 11:38 "all nations with a rod of iron. 11:40 And her Child was caught up to God and His throne." 11:43 >>So here's scene number two. 11:45 In scene number two, Satan, who has been cast out of heaven, 11:50 focuses on destroying Jesus. 11:53 A decree is passed that all male children under 2 11:56 should be killed or annihilated. 11:59 Scripture says that the woman 12:02 bears a male Child, obviously Christ, 12:05 who is "to rule all nations with [the] rod of iron.... 12:08 Her child [is] caught up to God and His throne." 12:12 Jesus wins; Satan loses. 12:14 He faces Satan's temptation, and He overcomes. 12:18 He is eventually crucified. 12:21 His death provides salvation for all mankind. 12:23 And then He rises. So that's the second episode. 12:28 Third episode we find here 12:31 is in this next verse, verse 6. 12:34 >>Verse 6 says, "Then the woman fled into the wilderness, 12:38 "where she has a place prepared by God, 12:40 "that they should feed her there 12:41 one thousand two hundred and sixty days." 12:44 >>Then the woman, the church, flees into the wilderness-- 12:47 the long period of Dark Ages, 12:50 this 1,260 days in Bible prophecy; 12:53 one prophetic day is a literal year, 12:57 Ezekiel 4, verse 6, 12:59 and Numbers 14:32 and through 34. 13:04 So you have here the idea 13:06 of the woman fleeing into the wilderness, 13:08 but I'm interested in this expression; 13:09 it says, "She has a place prepared by God." 13:13 In the trials of life, in the heartaches of life, 13:16 difficulties, God always has a place prepared for us. 13:19 >>Amen to that. 13:21 So we've looked at three of these vignettes. 13:23 We've still got one more to go. 13:24 We're gonna take a quick break, but before we do, 13:27 we have a companion book that's available 13:30 to this quarter's Sabbath school lesson. 13:31 It's called "Three Cosmic Messages." 13:33 Of course, you're the author of this, 13:34 as well as the study guide. 13:37 For somebody who's considering whether 13:38 they ought to pick up the companion book or not, 13:41 what would they find in this companion book 13:44 that would add more to their study of the quarterly 13:48 of the Sabbath school lesson? 13:49 >>Sure. 13:50 One of the reasons, Pastor Eric, 13:52 for the companion book is that 13:55 when an author does research 13:57 and spends literally tens of hours on that research, 14:02 there's so much more than you can put 14:04 in the Sabbath school lessons. So, Pacific Press, 14:07 the publisher of the Sabbath school companion books, 14:14 always publishes a book that gives you additional resources. 14:17 So if you're interested in the book of Revelation, 14:19 if you want to have a deeper view 14:21 of the three angels' messages, 14:24 if you want stories and illustrations 14:26 that illustrate these lessons, 14:29 if you really desire to understand the meaning of the text, 14:33 where we break down the text 14:34 and look at the meaning of words and background of words, 14:37 if you are a layperson, a pastor, 14:41 this will enrich your life immensely. 14:44 >>So that is "Three Cosmic Messages," 14:46 the companion book to this quarter's Sabbath school lesson. 14:50 You can find a copy of this at itiswritten.shop. 14:53 Again, that's itiswritten.shop, 14:55 the companion book to this quarter's study, 14:57 and it is called "Three Cosmic Messages," 15:00 of course, by Pastor Mark Finley. 15:02 We're going to take a quick break, 15:04 and when we come back, we're going to be looking 15:05 at the last of those four vignettes. 15:08 And then we're going to dig more deeply into Revelation 12 15:11 and see how it connects with Revelation 14. 15:14 We'll be right back. 15:15 (uplifting theme music swells and ends) 15:19 >>[John Bradshaw] It's everywhere, adorning churches, 15:22 adorning people. 15:24 There's a season every year commemorating the cross. 15:28 But beyond eggs and rabbits, there's a power, 15:31 the power of a sacrifice, the power of the love of God. 15:35 Be sure you see "At the Cross" 15:38 and learn about the single event 15:40 that changed the course of history, 15:42 the event that can change your life forever. 15:46 Predicted by prophets and foretold by Jesus Himself, 15:50 what happened at the cross 15:51 was a demonstration of God's love like no other. 15:55 Humanity's fall into sin in the Garden of Eden 15:58 brought upon Adam and Eve and their descendants 16:01 inescapable consequences. 16:03 But into that turmoil stepped Jesus, 16:05 promising the planet a way of escape. 16:08 Don't miss "At the Cross," 16:11 brought to you by It Is Written TV. 16:16 You know that at It Is Written, 16:18 we are serious about studying the Word of God 16:20 and we encourage you to be serious as well. 16:23 Well, here's what you do 16:24 if you want to dig deeper into God's Word. 16:26 Go to itiswritten.study 16:28 for the It Is Written Bible Study Guides online, 16:31 25 in-depth Bible studies that will take you 16:33 through the major teachings of the Bible. 16:36 You'll be blessed, and it's something you'll want 16:38 to tell others about as well: 16:40 itiswritten.study. 16:41 Go further: itiswritten.study. 16:45 (uplifting theme music) 16:49 >>[Eric] Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 16:51 brought to you by It Is Written. 16:53 We are on a journey through 16:57 the three cosmic messages of Revelation, chapter 14. 17:00 And we're looking especially right now at chapter 12. 17:03 And we've been going through a series of four vignettes 17:06 that you mentioned are described in Revelation, chapter 12. 17:10 Before we get to that fourth one-- 17:12 we've covered three of them-- 17:13 but before we get to that fourth one, 17:15 the Bible makes very plain 17:16 that there is a great conflict coming. 17:19 We can maybe see elements of it now, 17:22 hints of it right now, but we're certainly not there yet. 17:25 There is a great conflict coming 17:28 that many people alive today are probably going to face. 17:32 What kind of hope, what kind of counsel, 17:35 what kind of practical things can we learn from the past, 17:38 from what people have gone through in the past 17:41 that might prepare us for some events 17:43 that are very shortly to come on the earth? 17:45 >>Revelation 12 is our chapter. (chuckles) 17:48 It is just remarkable. 17:50 It not only presents this historical overview 17:52 but these practical hints. 17:54 First, notice that Satan was cast out of heaven. 17:58 He did not prevail. Jesus won; Satan lost. 18:02 Secondly, Christ was victorious over Satan in His life. 18:06 He triumphed over the principalities and powers of hell. 18:09 Again, Jesus won; Satan lost. But notice a couple things 18:14 I think that are very, very helpful. 18:16 If you look at Revelation, chapter 12, 18:21 and you read verse 10, 18:23 through 10 and 11 and 12. 18:27 Go ahead and read 10, 11, and 12. 18:29 They're really helpful, very practical. 18:31 >>Verse 10 says, "Then I heard a loud voice 18:33 "saying in heaven, 'Now salvation, and strength, 18:36 "'and the kingdom of our God, 18:38 "'and the power of His Christ have come, 18:40 "'for the accuser of our brethren, 18:42 "'who accused them before our God day and night, 18:44 "'has been cast down. 18:46 "'And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb 18:48 "'and by the word of their testimony, 18:50 "'and they did not love their lives to the death. 18:54 "'Therefore rejoice, O heavens, 18:55 "'and you who dwell in them! 18:57 "'Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! 19:00 "'For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, 19:03 because he knows that he has a short time.'" 19:06 >>Well, let's unpack those, pastor. 19:08 >>There's a lot there. >>There really is. 19:10 Verse 10, it says he hears a loud voice saying in heaven, 19:16 "Salvation, strength, and the kingdom of our God, 19:18 and the power of His Christ have come." 19:20 So this is speaking about the coming 19:24 of Jesus Christ. When Christ comes, salvation comes. 19:29 We are saved by the grace of Christ. 19:31 Satan can tempt us, he can try to discourage us, 19:35 but salvation has come in Christ. 19:37 Strength has come in Christ. 19:41 Everything we need to overcome the powers of evil, 19:46 we find in Christ. There is strength in Christ; 19:49 there is power in Christ; there is victory in Christ. 19:52 "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God"-- 19:55 what does it mean, "the kingdom of our God"? 19:56 Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you." 19:59 When we look at Christ, 20:00 we see the principles of the kingdom of God: 20:02 love, joy, peace, longsuffering. 20:04 So what this text is saying is that, 20:07 although you live in a world of wickedness 20:09 and sin and rebellion, 20:11 in your heart, you can still have God's kingdom. 20:13 In your heart, you can still be at peace 20:15 and filled with joy. 20:16 Then it says, "And the power of...Christ has come, 20:20 "for the accuser of our brethren, 20:22 "who accused them...day and night 20:24 [before our God and night], has been cast down." 20:26 Incidentally, I don't wanna be a accuser of the brethren. 20:27 (chuckles) I don't wanna be critical of other people. 20:29 I may see the faults of other people, 20:32 but when you begin to criticize others, 20:34 you then become one of Satan's allies. 20:38 I don't wanna be a Satan's ally. But that be what it may, 20:42 we look here at the passage; it says, 20:44 "The power of His Christ has come, 20:47 because the accuser of the brethren is cast down." 20:50 If Christ had such power to cast Satan out of heaven, 20:53 He has equal power to cast him out of my life. 20:56 So these are very practical things. 20:58 The first principle we know 20:59 is that in Christ there is salvation, 21:01 there is power, there is strength, 21:03 and there is the kingdom of God coming into my heart. 21:05 Then it tells you in verse 11, 21:07 "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb." 21:10 Notice it doesn't say they hoped to overcome, 21:13 they were struggling to overcome. 21:15 If we fully understand the sacrifice 21:18 of Christ on the cross for us, 21:19 love is the greatest motivator. We go to the cross-- 21:22 we find that the Christ who loves us most 21:27 gave His life for us, bearing the condemnation, 21:30 the shame, and the guilt of sin on the cross. 21:32 It says, "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, 21:34 ...by the word of their testimony." 21:36 There are some people that say, "Oh, life is so tough. 21:39 "Oh man, I got so many problems in my life. 21:42 "I got financial problems. I got problems with my kids. 21:45 "I got problems in my-- I got so many problems. 21:46 I got problems in the church." 21:48 They're so problem-focused that a dark cloud is over them. 21:52 "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb 21:54 and by the word of their testimony." 21:55 We speak out God's goodness; we speak out God's grace; 21:59 we speak out God's power. If you want faith, talk faith. 22:03 If you want courage, talk courage. 22:05 If you want joy, talk joy. 22:07 We not only reflect what's in our heart, 22:11 but the words that we speak impact ourselves, 22:14 not only others. 22:15 So, "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb." 22:18 Christ died for me; Christ lives for me; 22:20 Christ's power is mine. 22:22 I should be the most joyful, happy person in the world. 22:25 And it says, "They loved not their lives to death." 22:28 In other words, they gave their lives in service. 22:30 So here's the key of overcoming: coming to the cross, 22:33 finding His grace, His mercy, His goodness, 22:36 speaking out joy to encourage others, 22:39 and giving my life in sacrificial service. 22:41 >>So those are things that we can very much do today, 22:44 can be an integral part of our lives. 22:46 We simply have to choose to live that life 22:50 with His power and for His glory. 22:54 So that kind of leads us into, I think, 22:56 our fourth vignette, as it were. 22:59 Where do we go from there? 23:01 >>Yeah, so we've seen that Satan was cast out of heaven. 23:05 We've seen that Satan tried to destroy Jesus 23:08 and he was unsuccessful. 23:10 He tried to destroy God's people in the Middle Ages, 23:12 persecution, fierce persecution, 23:15 many martyred, but the church still grew. 23:17 Even in the Dark Ages, 23:18 there were those that were faithful to God. 23:20 Although you don't have a lot of numerical church growth, 23:23 you do have spiritual growth in the hearts of those few, 23:25 what we'd call the remnant. 23:27 In Revelation, chapter 12, verse 17, 23:31 it comes down to the last verse in the chapter, 23:34 the dragon, which the Bible has identified as Satan, 23:38 was enraged with the woman. 23:41 In Bible prophecy, a pure, chaste woman 23:45 represents the true church. 23:48 Jeremiah 6, verse 2 says, 23:50 "I have likened the daughter of Zion"-- 23:52 which is the church, ancient Israel-- 23:54 "to a pure and delicate woman." 23:57 In Ephesians, chapter 5, it talks about the bride of Christ. 24:02 So in the book of Revelation, a pure, chaste woman 24:05 is united to her true Lover, Jesus Christ. 24:08 A harlot woman is united to the kings of the earth 24:13 and commits spiritual fornication with them. 24:17 So it says, "The dragon was enraged with the woman, 24:20 ...[goes] to make war with the rest of her offspring"-- 24:23 now, the King James version says "the remnant"-- 24:26 "who keep the commandments of God 24:28 and have the testimony of Jesus." 24:30 So we have a description in Revelation 12:17 24:34 of God's final end-time people. 24:37 They have, they keep the commandments of God. 24:41 They are faithful, and they have the testimony of Jesus. 24:44 What's this testimony of Jesus? 24:46 Well, Revelation 19, verse 10 helps us to understand that. 24:52 Revelation 19, verse 10, 24:53 and why don't you read that, pastor? 24:55 >>It says, "And I fell at his feet to worship him. 24:58 But he"--that is, the angel--"said to me, 25:00 "'See that you do not do that! 25:02 "'I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren 25:04 "'who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! 25:08 For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.'" 25:11 >>So we find here a definition of the testimony of Jesus, 25:15 which is the prophetic gift speaking through the prophets. 25:19 You find something very similar to that 25:21 also in Revelation, chapter 22, 25:25 where John falls at the feet of the angel 25:30 that's revealing truth to him. 25:31 And look at Revelation 22, verse 8 and 9. 25:35 >>"Now I, John, saw and heard these things. 25:38 "And when I heard and saw, 25:39 "I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel 25:42 "who showed me these things. 25:43 "Then he said to me, 'See that you do not do that. 25:46 "'For I am your fellow servant, 25:47 "'and of your brethren the prophets, 25:49 "'and of those who keep the words of this book. 25:52 Worship God.'" 25:53 >>So notice, "I am your fellow servant, 25:57 of your brethren the prophets." 25:58 So what is the testimony of Jesus? 26:00 The testimony of Jesus is the gift of prophecy 26:03 that beats in the breast of every prophet. 26:07 It is the testimony, 26:08 it is Jesus' testimony through that prophet. 26:11 So Revelation 12:17 says that God would raise up 26:15 an end-time people, a prophetic movement 26:18 that would be faithful to the teachings of Scripture. 26:21 It would be a Christ-centered, 26:22 biblically-based, truth-proclaiming movement 26:27 that would be characterized by two unique features: 26:31 Its love for Christ would lead them 26:33 to keep the commandments of God, 26:34 including the Bible Sabbath; 26:36 and it would be guided by the gift of prophecy. 26:38 Satan would hate that movement 26:41 and therefore attempt to destroy it, 26:44 Revelation 13, the mark of the beast. 26:46 So God would have an end-time message 26:48 to prepare the world 26:50 to be part of His end-time movement 26:53 to get a people ready for the coming of Jesus. 26:55 >>And that's what we're spending 26:57 the next 12 weeks looking at, 26:59 looking at these three cosmic messages, 27:01 this incredible overarching message 27:04 that God has for this time, for His people 27:08 to prepare a remnant 27:10 to be ready to meet Jesus when He comes. 27:12 And the good news is 27:14 we've got 12 more weeks to dig into this. 27:16 So if not everything makes sense right now, 27:19 if you've got some questions right now, 27:21 you are in the right place 27:23 because we are going to be delving into this in great detail 27:26 over the course of the next 12 weeks. 27:30 This message, this series of messages is for our day. 27:34 If you were to take your finger 27:36 and put it in a portion of the Bible 27:38 that specifically applies to our day, 27:41 it would be right in the heart of Revelation, chapter 14. 27:44 And, Pastor Mark, we're delighted that 27:45 you're going to be guiding and directing us 27:47 through this journey into "Three Cosmic Messages." 27:51 And we are delighted that you're going 27:52 to be joining us as well. 27:54 So make sure that you have the Bible study guide, 27:57 make sure that you have the companion book, 27:59 and make sure that you come back again next week 28:01 to join us for week number two, lesson number two, 28:04 as we look at "Three Cosmic Messages." 28:07 God bless you, we'll see you next time. 28:09 (uplifting theme music) 28:27 (music ends) |
Revised 2023-03-24