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Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS023025S
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00:16 >>Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:17 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:19 We're glad that you could join us again this week. 00:22 And this is the 13th week, the 13th lesson, 00:25 the final lesson in this quarter on "Three Cosmic Messages," 00:30 unpacking, understanding and delving into 00:32 the three angels' messages of Revelation, chapter 14. 00:36 We're delighted this week once again to have with us, 00:39 for the last time this quarter anyway, 00:41 Pastor Mark Finley. 00:42 He's an international speaker, evangelist, 00:45 well known to those of you who have been around 00:47 It Is Written for a long time, 00:49 and he's gonna share with us what we need to know 00:51 to pull this all together as we look at being 00:53 "Ablaze With God's Glory." 00:55 But before we dive into that, 00:56 we're gonna start with prayer. 00:58 Father, thank You again for bringing us together. 01:00 Thank You for bringing us on this journey 01:03 of the last 12 weeks, 13 weeks now. 01:06 And we ask that as we bring everything together, 01:08 that You would help us to understand the big picture 01:11 and the role that we play in it. 01:13 We thank You in Jesus' name. 01:15 >>Amen. >>Amen. 01:16 >>Pastor Mark, welcome back once again. 01:18 >>It's been a delight. 01:19 I've really enjoyed being with you, Eric. 01:21 >>So this has been quite the journey. 01:23 We've managed to take three messages, 01:26 and some might say, found a way to expand them 01:30 into 13 lessons. 01:31 But really if you stop and think about it, 01:33 we found a way to cram that into 13 messages, 01:36 because we've covered a lot of ground. 01:38 >>We really have. >>A whole lot of ground. 01:40 Here we are in week number 13, "Ablaze With God's Glory." 01:45 We start this week on Sunday, 01:49 with a lesson or a message, 01:51 a section entitled, "Preparing for the Final Crisis." 01:55 We've looked at so many elements 01:58 of these three angels' messages, 02:00 and ultimately it's leading us to 02:04 some very significant events, 02:06 some of which are kind of beginning now, 02:08 but are going to increase in a very incredible way 02:11 in the very near future, 02:13 some final events, a final crisis. 02:15 What's that gonna look like? 02:17 >>You know, both Jesus and John, 02:20 in the book of Revelation, and Jesus throughout Matthew, 02:23 point out that there are certain events that lead up 02:27 to the second coming of Christ, certain signs. 02:30 But both of them point out that although we can know 02:32 that the time is near, we cannot know when it is here, 02:37 and there's a difference in that. 02:38 There are some people that want to predict 02:40 that Christ is gonna come in five years, 10 years, 20 years. 02:44 But both Jesus and Revelation point out that Christ 02:48 will be coming quickly, rapidly, unexpectedly as a thief, 02:53 but yet, and we'll know the broad outline of events, 02:57 but we will not know the exact timing of His coming. 03:00 The Apostle Paul picks up that theme 03:03 in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, 03:06 where he says, starting with verse one, 03:09 "But concerning the times and...seasons, brethren, 03:11 you have no need that I should write to you." 03:13 In other words, you know the general timeframe of this. 03:16 "For you yourselves know perfectly that the day 03:18 of the Lord...comes...a thief in the night." 03:20 So, you know the general timeframe, 03:22 but you don't know the exact time. 03:24 Most thieves do not announce they're coming to your house. 03:29 It says, "For you....know [that] perfectly...the...Lord 03:31 "...comes...a thief in the night. 03:32 For when they say, 'Peace and safety!'"-- 03:34 now another word for "safety" in the Greek language 03:36 there is "security." 03:38 We hear a lot about that today, 03:39 that men and women desire peace, a society of peace. 03:43 We have crime running rampant in our city streets, 03:46 school shootings, they're just incredibly horrible, 03:50 lawlessness, break-ins to homes, stores. 03:55 People are longing for peace and they want security. 03:57 The security business in the United States is booming. 04:00 Whether it's internet security that keeps you 04:04 from being hacked on the internet from the internet thieves, 04:08 whether it is security in your home 04:10 with security systems that are being sold, 04:14 whether it is national security, where you have security 04:18 because of the government building, weaponry. 04:20 "When they say, 'Peace and [security]!' 04:23 "then sudden destruction comes upon them, 04:25 "as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. 04:28 And they [cannot] escape." 04:29 Now, next few verses tell you exactly how to be ready. 04:33 "But you, [brothers and sisters, of course,] 04:35 "are not in darkness, so that [they]...should 04:37 "overtake you as a thief. 04:38 "You are...sons of [the] light.... 04:40 "[We're] not...of darkness. 04:41 "Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, 04:44 ...let us watch and be sober." 04:46 So what is this talking about? 04:47 What it's saying is, don't be a wild-eyed fanatic 04:51 and say Christ is coming in two years, 04:53 three years, five years, 04:54 'cause then when He doesn't come, 04:55 if He doesn't come, if He does not come at that time, 04:58 you're gonna be discouraged. 05:00 But watch and be ready. 05:01 An old Adventist leader by the name of Luther Warren, 05:05 he founded the youth department 05:06 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 05:08 He said this, 05:09 "The only way to be ready for the second coming 05:11 of Christ is to get ready today and stay ready." 05:14 When Jesus says, "Watch," when Paul says, 05:16 "Watch and be sober," this is what they mean. 05:19 Be alert. 05:20 Be spiritually alert every day. 05:24 Live your life as though Christ were coming, 05:27 because if your heart stops beating, 05:31 for you, the next thing you're gonna know 05:32 is the coming of Christ. 05:33 So the appeal of Scripture is to not have our lives 05:38 so cluttered with things 05:41 that we miss the glorious event 05:43 of the second coming of Christ, 05:45 but every day be spiritually alert. 05:47 Every day have your life dedicated to Christ. 05:49 Be saturated--saturate your mind in God's Word. 05:53 Let His grace fill your heart and wash over you. 05:56 >>You know, Pastor Mark, that very next verse there, 05:59 verse number eight, I think continues that idea. 06:02 It says, "But let us who are of the day be sober, 06:05 "putting on the breastplate of faith and love, 06:08 and as a helmet the hope of salvation." 06:10 That sounds not unlike some counsel that Paul 06:12 has given us elsewhere in his writings 06:15 about the armor of righteousness and so forth, 06:19 that Christian armor. 06:21 And every day we need to put on that Christian armor 06:24 to be ready for those things that are 06:26 shortly going to come to pass. 06:28 >>Exactly. >>Yeah. 06:30 I wanna jump to Tuesday's lesson here. 06:33 On Tuesday's lesson there is an interesting question 06:38 that you ask, 06:40 and it's referring to Revelation 18, verse number 1. 06:46 It says, "What three things does John tell us 06:47 about this angel?" 06:49 So let's take a look at 06:50 Revelation, chapter 18, verse number 1. 06:53 Here's what it says. 06:54 In Revelation 18:1 it says, 06:56 "[And] after these things 06:57 "I saw another angel coming down from heaven, 07:00 "having great authority, 07:02 and the earth was illuminated with his glory." 07:05 Of course, this week's lesson is about being 07:08 "Ablaze With God's Glory." 07:10 What do we know about this angel 07:12 in Revelation, chapter 18, verse number 1? 07:14 What are some of the characteristics that this angel has 07:17 and why are they important to us? 07:18 >>Yeah, I think there are three significant things 07:20 in this verse. 07:22 First, we have been talking about three angels' messages 07:25 to prepare people for the coming of Jesus. 07:27 In the second of those three angels' messages, 07:30 it says, "Babylon is fallen." 07:32 This reiterates that announcement, 07:34 and it--Babylon has fallen lower and lower, 07:40 and it's become a habitation of demons, 07:41 as we pointed out in another one of the lessons. 07:43 So the first thing I would note about this verse 07:45 is it says, "After these things, I saw another angel," 07:48 that God has a continued message for His people. 07:52 He is continually pointing out the events that are coming. 07:56 The second, it says that it has, "Great authority." 07:59 Now the word "authority" there, 08:01 of course, the New Testament is written in Greek language. 08:03 The word "authority" is a word called "exousía," 08:06 and it's when Jesus sent out the disciples 08:09 in Matthew 10:1. 08:10 It says that, "He gave them authority 08:12 over unclean spirits." Exousía. 08:15 "Exousía" is a word that means 08:18 "one triumphs, not defeated." 08:21 One has triumphed over the principalities 08:23 and powers of hell. 08:24 So the angel that comes down from heaven, 08:26 comes down with a message of authority. 08:29 He comes down with a message of the living Christ. 08:31 He comes down with a message of a Jesus 08:33 that triumphed over the principalities and powers of hell, 08:36 so His people can be sent out with that message. 08:40 Then it says, "And the earth was illuminated with his," 08:43 that is, "[the] glory [of God]." 08:46 The angel reflects the glory of God. 08:49 The message that goes forth illuminates the world 08:53 with the glory of God. 08:54 What is God's glory? 08:55 According to Exodus 33, God's glory is His character. 09:00 So here is a message that talks about a people 09:04 who complete the task that Christ began. 09:09 Christ finished the work on the cross. 09:12 He said, "It is finished." 09:14 His death on the cross provides salvation, 09:17 full and complete. 09:19 But the work of God on earth was not finished. 09:22 The plan of salvation was finished, 09:24 the atonement was complete. 09:26 We can add nothing to it, 09:27 but the work of God on earth was not finished. 09:29 It is not finished till every man, woman, 09:31 and child on the face of the planet hears about the gospel, 09:34 knows about the knowledge of God. 09:36 And so here, the character of Christ, 09:40 reflected in His people, 09:42 of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, 09:44 that will be--illuminate the earth with the glory of God. 09:51 In fact, throughout Scripture it talks about 09:55 Christ finishing His work. 09:56 You know, in Romans 9 it says that 09:59 and, "He will finish the work." 10:01 How does God finish the work? 10:03 He doesn't simply finish it by angels, 10:05 because if He were gonna do that, 10:06 He would've finished it long ago. 10:08 He uses His people, 10:10 both through their life and their verbal witness, 10:14 to go out and to illuminate the earth with His glory. 10:17 >>So this sounds, among other things, 10:19 like a message of mercy, 10:21 because God's not done saving people. 10:24 Like you said, on the cross, the work of salvation was done, 10:28 but we're still here. 10:30 Either God is vindictive and hateful 10:32 and just wants us to keep living in a messed-up planet 10:35 and experiencing pain and sadness and death, 10:38 or there's something still that's going on. 10:40 And God is working through you, through me, 10:43 through all of us, to reflect His glory 10:47 into the pathways of others. 10:49 As we embrace Christ, as we embrace His way of life, 10:52 as we embrace His message, and share that, not just in word, 10:56 but in the lives that we live, 10:59 other people get to see a glimpse of Jesus 11:02 that they might have a hard time getting otherwise. 11:04 >>Exactly. 11:05 And you know, I love here, what it says in the next verse. 11:09 "He cried with a loud voice saying, 11:10 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen.'" 11:12 And then he talks about the nations, verse three, 11:14 being "drunk [with] the wine of...her fornication," 11:16 and this union of the church, state, and economic powers. 11:21 But look at verse four. 11:22 "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 11:24 "'Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, 11:27 and lest you receive of her plagues.'" 11:29 So there is this appeal that Christ has given to His people, 11:34 whom He desperately loves, who He desperately wants saved, 11:38 and He appeals to them to come out of this conglomerate 11:41 of false religiosity, Babylon. 11:44 >>I love in that verse where He says, 11:46 "Come out of her, my people." 11:49 He claims them as His own. 11:51 Now, they may be steeped in error, 11:54 the system that they are a part of may be 11:57 headed downhill fast, 11:59 but He still has people in there, 12:00 and His desire is not to see them go down 12:04 with the proverbial ship. 12:05 He wants to save them, He wants to bring them out. 12:09 And if you happen to be watching this 12:11 and realize that you are on a ship that is sinking, 12:14 that is not based upon the sound foundation of Scripture, 12:19 as it were, God's message to you may be, 12:23 and in fact is, "Come out." 12:25 I also noticed something here that God doesn't say. 12:29 He says, if you find yourself in Babylon, 12:31 He doesn't say try to reform her. 12:33 His message is pretty straightforward. 12:36 It's, "Come out." 12:37 >>Yeah. He doesn't say, "Stay in." 12:39 >>That's right. >>He says come out. 12:40 >>He says come out, yeah. 12:41 >>You know, and I was thinking about it, as well, 12:43 the book of Revelation has some 12:44 very straightforward condemnation. 12:48 It condemns systems. 12:51 It does not condemn individuals within those systems, 12:54 and I think that's important. 12:55 We've talked, in this series, about the medieval church, 13:00 the Roman church, 13:01 and the Bible is very clear on its call to come out. 13:05 We've talked about other religious organizations, 13:09 apostate religious organizations within Protestantism. 13:13 God's clarity is, "Come out." 13:15 But God is looking at broad outlines of systems, 13:20 not people. >>That's right. 13:22 >>And within those systems, 13:24 God has people that He loves desperately, 13:27 that He's inviting to follow Jesus and follow His truth. 13:30 >>He absolutely does. 13:32 We're gonna continue looking in just a moment 13:34 at the earth being "Ablaze With God's Glory." 13:37 But I wanna remind you one more time, 13:39 if you haven't done it yet, 13:40 don't let this opportunity slip by. 13:42 You wanna pick up the companion book 13:44 to this quarter's lesson. 13:45 You will get so much more out of it. 13:48 Even if you've gone through the lessons, 13:51 this adds so much more. 13:52 It's called "Three Cosmic Messages" by Pastor Mark Finley. 13:56 Where can you find it? itiswritten.shop. 13:58 Go to itiswritten.shop. 14:00 Pick up "Three Cosmic Messages" by Pastor Mark Finley, 14:03 and you will gain so much more insight 14:05 into this quarter's lesson. 14:07 We're going to be back in just a moment 14:09 with the last segment, of the last lesson, 14:12 and we're gonna tie everything together. 14:14 We'll see you back in just a moment. 14:16 (upbeat music) 14:20 >>More and more people are watching 14:21 It Is Written TV. 14:24 They're watching their favorite It Is Written programs, 14:27 listening to inspiring sermon series, and much more. 14:31 They're watching them here, here, and even here. 14:35 See for yourself why people are turning to 14:37 It Is Written TV 14:39 to watch their favorite Christian programs 14:41 live and on demand. 14:42 Watch It Is Written TV for free anytime on Roku, 14:46 Apple TV, and at itiswritten.tv. 14:50 (upbeat music) 14:55 >>Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 14:56 brought to you by It Is Written. 14:58 We're gonna bring the last little bit 15:00 of this quarter together, as we take a look 15:03 at two significant questions, 15:05 and the first one, Pastor Mark, 15:06 the Bible says about the earth being filled 15:09 with God's glory. 15:11 And in fact, that's the title of Wednesday's lesson, 15:13 "God's Glory Fills the Earth." 15:16 This sounds phenomenal, 15:18 something to look forward to, absolutely. 15:21 What do we have to look forward to when 15:23 God's glory fills this earth? 15:25 What is that all about? 15:26 Unpack that for us if you would. 15:28 >>When I was studying in preparation to write the lessons, 15:32 I began to look at this idea of God's glory, 15:37 to find out what it was associated with. 15:41 And you know, Revelation 18:1 says, 15:43 "I saw another angel [come] down from heaven, 15:46 "having great authority, 15:48 and the earth was illuminated with his glory." 15:52 What is the glory of God? 15:53 Well, obviously it's His character. 15:55 Why does John use the expression "the glory of God"? 16:00 Satan attacked God in this great cosmic conflict 16:05 between good and evil. 16:06 He attacked His authority. 16:08 Satan wanted the glory that would go to God. 16:11 That's why the message of the three angels says, 16:13 "Fear God and give glory to Him." 16:16 Now, when you look at this idea of giving glory to God, 16:20 I wanna look at three texts in the book of Revelation 16:23 that I think are gonna help us a great deal. 16:26 Why do we give glory to God? 16:28 Revelation 4, verse 11. 16:31 "You are worthy, O Lord, 16:32 "to receive glory and honor and power; 16:35 "for You created all things, 16:37 and by Your will they exist and were created." 16:41 Notice two things here. 16:43 First, the worthiness of God to receive worship 16:47 and glory is because He's the Creator. 16:49 The devil attacked creation. 16:52 But notice two other words that are linked 16:55 closely with this, "honor and power." 16:57 What did Satan desire? 17:01 He wanted the glory that went to God, 17:03 he wanted the honor that went to God, 17:05 and he wanted God's power. 17:07 Didn't want God's character. 17:08 Why is God worthy of glory, honor, and power? 17:11 Because He is our Creator. 17:12 But Revelation, chapter five and verse 12, 17:19 if you look at five and verse 12, 17:21 it again, you see this. 17:25 It says, and can you read that, Eric? 17:27 >>Yeah, Verse 12 says, "Saying with a loud voice: 17:29 "'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power 17:33 "'and riches and wisdom, 17:35 and strength and honor and glory and blessing!'" 17:39 >>Mmm. 17:40 There's seven things there, 17:41 those are the seven things that Adam and Eve lost by sin. 17:43 They lost power, another word for that is "dominion." 17:46 They had dominion over the earth. 17:48 They lost the riches of-- 17:50 the richness of the experience of living in Eden 17:53 and all the treasures of Eden. 17:55 They lost wisdom. 17:56 Their hearts were deceived and desperate, 17:58 above all things were wicked. 18:00 They became sinful. 18:02 They lost their strength to resist evil. 18:04 They lost the honor that they had 18:07 before the whole universe as created beings. 18:10 They lost their glory. 18:11 Their robes of righteous were taken from them, 18:14 and now they were naked. 18:16 And they lost the blessing that heaven had. 18:18 Christ was slain, as our Redeemer, 18:22 so He could recover that lost dominion, 18:25 He could recover those lost riches, 18:27 the wisdom, the strength, the honor, 18:28 and glory and blessings. 18:30 So why is Jesus worthy of our worship 18:33 and our honor and our praise? 18:36 Because first, He created us, 18:38 secondly, He redeemed us. 18:39 So what is this glory of God 18:41 in Revelation, chapter 18 talking about? 18:44 It's talking about the proclamation that Christ 18:47 is worthy to be worshiped because He's our Creator. 18:50 Christ is worthy to be worshiped because He's our Redeemer. 18:53 That the whole earth is filled with this idea 18:56 of worship and praise and honor and glory 19:00 to Christ because He created us and He redeemed us. 19:02 But there's one more thing about this, too, 19:05 and that is, we're gonna turn to Revelation, 19:08 and we're going to look there at chapter 19, verse one. 19:14 This is chapter 19. 19:15 There's another--there are four hallelujahs 19:17 in Revelation 19, 19:19 but this one is very fascinating, 19:21 and you wanna pick up this one in Revelation 19, 19:25 and we're gonna look there at verse one to start? 19:28 >>Sure. Verse one says, "After these things," John says, 19:31 "I heard a loud voice of a great multitude 19:34 "in heaven saying, 'Alleluia! 19:36 "'Salvation and glory and honor and power 19:39 belong to the Lord our God!'" 19:41 >>Yeah, then verse two. 19:42 "For true and righteous are His judgments, 19:44 because He has judged the great harlot." 19:46 That's all the false systems. 19:47 "[He's]...avenged...the blood." 19:49 It gives four hallelujahs, 19:50 then it talks about Christ coming, in verse 15 19:53 and onward, about King of kings and Lord of lords. 19:55 So why is He worthy of our glory? 19:57 Because He's gonna come again. 19:59 He is our Creator, He's our Redeemer, 20:01 and He's our coming King. 20:03 And so when we read in Revelation, chapter 18, 20:07 the earth filled with the glory of God, 20:09 a people committed to Jesus Christ, 20:12 a people totally loyal to Christ, 20:15 who are filled with His love and grace, 20:19 go out to proclaim that He is the Creator 20:21 in an age of evolution. 20:23 That He is their Redeemer, 20:25 and His grace is filling their life, 20:27 and He is coming again, 20:29 and the earth is filled with His glory. 20:31 And what is His glory? His character. 20:33 But the truth about Christ, the truth about the Creator God, 20:37 the truth about redemption, 20:39 the truth about the second coming. 20:40 >>And that character, by His grace, will be reflected in us. 20:45 >>Yes. >>Those who recognize Him 20:46 as our Creator, 20:48 our Redeemer, and our soon coming King. 20:49 And that, hopefully, should shine in the lives of others. 20:53 >>Yes. >>To give them encouragement, 20:55 to give them hope as the gospel goes to all the world. 20:57 I've heard some people say, 20:59 "Preach the gospel to all the world 21:00 and if necessary use words." 21:03 You know, I think there's some truth to that. 21:05 But certainly through our lives, through our words, 21:08 through our actions, through our interactions with others, 21:11 we ought to be giving a picture of the character of God, 21:14 a loving, caring, merciful character. 21:18 And yet one that's coming very soon 21:20 that we need to be ready for. 21:21 >>Exactly. 21:22 This whole concept of glory of God has to do 21:25 with both what we live and our proclamation. 21:30 >>Very good. 21:32 One last question as we're kind of pulling things together. 21:36 The Bible describes Jesus as the "Lamb of God" 21:40 many times throughout Scripture. 21:42 And especially in the book of Revelation, 21:44 we see this depiction of Him as the Lamb of God. 21:48 John talks about Him as "the Lamb slain 21:50 from the foundation of the world." 21:53 Why is this understanding of Jesus being 21:55 the Lamb of God so critical, 21:57 so central to the message of the book of Revelation 22:00 and the three angels' messages? 22:02 >>In the book of Revelation, 22:03 there is a battle between Christ and Satan. 22:07 Satan is pictured as the dragon, 22:09 Jesus is pictured as the lamb. 22:13 When you consider a battle with the dragon and a lamb, 22:17 you pretty well know who's gonna win. 22:19 But Jesus reverses it, 22:20 because the Lamb of God is stronger than the dragon. 22:24 At least 28 times, some people have counted 29 times, 22:28 but at least 28 times in the book of Revelation 22:30 Jesus is mentioned as the Lamb of God. 22:33 One of the--there's a couple places 22:35 that I'd like to highlight. 22:37 One of them is Revelation, chapter five. 22:40 In Revelation, chapter five, 22:42 John looks up into heaven. 22:45 And as he looks up into heaven, 22:47 in Revelation 5:1, it says, 22:49 "And I saw in the right hand of Him 22:51 "who sat on the throne a scroll written 22:54 inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals." 22:58 So John sees this scroll of history that is sealed, 23:02 and he wonders who can open that scroll? 23:04 Who can explain to us the scroll of history? 23:06 Who can explain to us the judgments of God 23:09 upon the wicked and the triumph of the righteous? 23:12 Who can explain to us the ultimate solution 23:14 of the great controversy between good and evil? 23:16 And as he looks up into heaven, he sees something, 23:20 and what he sees is quite remarkable. 23:23 In verse five, "But one of the elders said to me, 23:26 "'Do not weep. 23:27 "'Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, 23:30 "'the Root of David, 23:31 "'[was] prevailed to open the scroll 23:34 and to loose [the]...seals.'" 23:36 Then he continues and read verse six, please. 23:38 >>Verse six says, "And I looked, 23:40 "and behold, in the midst of the throne 23:42 "and of the four living creatures, 23:43 "and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb 23:46 "as though it had been slain, 23:47 "having seven horns and seven eyes, 23:50 "which are the seven Spirits of God 23:52 sent out into all the earth." 23:53 >>Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah, 23:56 but He's also the lamb. 23:58 And here in this, it says, "The Lamb as it had been slain." 24:02 We'll come back to that, "with seven horns." 24:04 Horns are always a symbol of power. 24:06 Christ has complete power. 24:08 "Seven eyes," eyes are a symbol of wisdom. 24:10 Jesus is the one with complete power and complete wisdom. 24:13 "The seven Spirits," 24:14 the complete ministry of the Holy Spirit. 24:16 So the Holy Spirit will go out to reveal 24:19 the slain Lamb with wisdom and power 24:22 to the entire universe and to this world. 24:26 And so Jesus is mentioned as this Lamb of God, 24:29 you find this all through the book of Revelation. 24:32 Revelation, chapter seven, for example, in verse 17, 24:38 it talks about the identity that we have with the Lamb. 24:41 "For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne 24:44 "will shepherd them and lead them 24:46 "to living fountains of waters. 24:48 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." 24:51 Here you have the intimacy. 24:53 Revelation 14 talks about those who are redeemed 24:58 and stand on the sea of glass. 25:00 And it says there in Revelation 14, that they follow, 25:05 "These are they"-- 25:07 verse four: 25:09 "These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes." 25:14 All through the book of Revelation you have this concept 25:16 of the Lamb of God that was slain for us, 25:20 has provided salvation full and complete. 25:24 There is no reason to be lost. 25:26 There is no reason not to understand His peace, 25:31 His joy, His grace, His forgiveness. 25:34 Revelation is not so much about wild beasts 25:39 or mystic symbols or weird images. 25:42 It's about the Lamb of God. 25:44 This Christ, who bore the sins of the world, 25:49 who experienced our condemnation, 25:53 who experienced sin itself for us. 25:55 You know, Galatians 3, verse 13 says that, 25:59 "Cursed is everyone that hangs upon the tree." 26:01 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, 26:03 "He who knew no sin became sin for us." 26:06 So Jesus became sin for us. 26:09 That's what Revelation is all about, that we can be saved. 26:13 >>That's encouraging. 26:14 Pastor Mark, we've been on a 13-week journey together, 26:18 looking at the three angels' messages 26:20 and how they apply to our lives today, 26:22 and not just historical, interesting tidbits, 26:26 but very real messages for us. 26:29 As we tie things together, 26:32 is there any kind of final message, 26:33 final thoughts that you would like us 26:36 to dwell on as we're bringing this journey 26:39 through the three angels' messages to a close? 26:40 >>Thank you so much for asking. 26:43 The three angels' messages are a message of love, 26:47 given to us by loving God, to prepare people, 26:51 to prepare us for His soon return. 26:54 At the center of those messages is the everlasting gospel, 26:59 the good news of the grace of God 27:01 that can save every human being. 27:03 I don't know where you stand in your experience with Christ, 27:07 but here's the incredible good news. 27:09 Christ is reaching out to you today. 27:12 Maybe there's some decision you need to make. 27:15 He's inviting you to make that decision today. 27:20 He's coming soon. 27:23 Open your heart, just now, to receive Him. 27:26 Eric? 27:27 >>Pastor Mark, thank you so much for joining us 27:29 for 13 weeks on an incredible journey. 27:31 We appreciate your time and insights. 27:34 And thank you for joining us, as well. 27:36 May God bless you as you continue your study of God's Word, 27:40 and may we all be ready for that great day 27:42 when Christ returns. 27:44 (upbeat music) 28:25 (music ends) |
Revised 2023-06-15