Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024025S
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00:00 [uplifting music]
00:15 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:16 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:18 We're glad to have you with us again as we continue our journey 00:21 through "The Great Controversy." 00:23 Today is lesson number 12, "Earth's Closing Events," 00:27 a fascinating subject. 00:30 Let's begin with prayer. 00:31 Father, we thank You for being with us on this journey 00:35 and guiding us up to this point. 00:36 We ask now that You would bless us as we dive 00:39 into today's subject, 00:41 and may our study prepare us for the times ahead. 00:44 We thank You in Jesus' name, amen. 00:47 And we're grateful to have with us once again today 00:49 the author of this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson, 00:52 international author, speaker, evangelist, 00:55 and friend of the It Is Written ministry, 00:57 Pastor Mark Finley. Pastor Mark, welcome back. 00:59 >>Mark Finley: Thank you so much, Pastor Eric. 01:01 You know, this has been an exciting series. 01:02 I have been so blessed in sitting here with you 01:05 and sharing these insights with our It Is Written audience, 01:08 and I know today's lesson will be another powerful 01:10 opportunity to share the divine truths of God's Word 01:14 in the light of the last days. 01:15 >>Eric: It really is, and we're getting 01:16 into some real interesting territory here. 01:20 "Earth's Closing Events," the opening illustration 01:23 that you share with us for this week's lesson 01:26 is a fascinating one. Share that illustration with us. 01:29 >>Mark: Well, let's suppose that you have a teenage daughter, 01:31 19 years old, who's on her way home from college. 01:35 As she's on her way home for, let's say, spring break, 01:38 it's raining, the wind is blowing, trees are being toppled 01:42 and coming across the road, bridges are out, 01:45 and you keep contacting her on her cell phone, 01:48 but then you sense by looking at her on your friend finder 01:54 that she's going on a road that has been severely impacted 01:58 by the storm. You talk to a neighbor. 02:01 The neighbor says, "Look, she can get around that 02:02 if she goes a different way." 02:04 Your heart's beating faster. 02:06 You hope that you can get in contact with her. 02:08 You call her. She picks up. You say, "Look, the next right, 02:11 "if you take it, you can get around 02:13 this major devastation from the storm." 02:17 You wait half an hour, 45 minutes, an hour, 02:20 and pretty soon you see those lights coming up the driveway. 02:24 You run to meet your daughter. You embrace her. 02:27 Now your heart is beating-- not with fear but with joy. 02:31 I think that's a good illustration, 02:33 frankly, of how God feels. 02:35 God sends us messages in the Bible, 02:38 in Daniel, Revelation to get us home in the storm, 02:43 and when we are-- get home, He comes, 02:47 runs with arms wide open to welcome us home. 02:51 What we find in this lesson, in "Earth's Closing Events," 02:55 is a message from a loving God who wants us to get home safely 03:00 and avoid the pitfalls along the road. 03:02 >>Eric: So, this storm that you're sharing, 03:05 this illustration, there is a storm, 03:07 a different type of storm, 03:09 coming for the inhabitants of earth for us, all of us. 03:13 What's the nature of this storm? 03:14 What are some of the central events 03:16 in this storm, this earth's final conflict 03:20 that we're gonna be going into here very shortly? 03:22 >>Mark: Let's look at some of the central issues. 03:25 If you're really trying to define what are the issues 03:27 in this storm, we go into that in Sunday's lesson, 03:30 titled "Loyalty to God and His Word." 03:32 If I had to summarize the lessons in this storm 03:36 of the contrast, it's either Christ or Satan. 03:39 There's no middle ground. 03:41 You know, the Bible says "He that is righteous, 03:42 "let him be righteous still. 03:44 He that is unrighteous, let him be unrighteous." 03:45 So, in other words, people are making eternal decisions. 03:47 So it's Christ or Satan, it's light or darkness, 03:51 and it's truth or error, and I think if I were 03:55 summarizing the entire conflict between good and evil, 03:58 I would say men and women either walk the way of lies, 04:01 of Satan, in the way of error and falsehood, 04:04 or they walk the way of truth in Jesus. 04:07 In fact, in Proverbs, chapter 23 and verse 23, 04:15 we have this instruction from the wise man Solomon. 04:20 So, why don't you take your Bible, 04:22 and, Pastor Eric, would you be willing to read 04:24 Proverbs 23, verse 23? 04:28 >>Eric: "Buy the truth, and do not sell it, 04:30 also wisdom and instruction and understanding." 04:34 >>Mark: Notice there are four things in the text. 04:36 First, there is truth, there is wisdom, 04:38 there's instruction, and there's understanding. 04:41 Truth has to do with those other three: 04:44 wisdom, instruction, and understanding. 04:47 So, the Bible says, "Buy the truth." 04:49 How do we buy the truth? 04:51 We don't buy it with money, obviously. 04:53 I think there are two ways we buy the truth: 04:55 first, by having an open heart to receive God's Word; 05:00 second, by spending the time in searching--and diligently. 05:04 You know, Jesus said that the truth of God 05:07 is like a hidden treasure in a field. 05:09 We search for it. 05:10 So, first, an open heart. 05:12 Secondly, a searching mind. 05:14 Remember, Jesus said through Jeremiah, in chapter 29, 05:17 "You...seek me and find me, 05:19 when you search for me with all your heart." 05:22 So, truth is something we search for. 05:24 Now, the question is often asked, 05:26 in an age of relativism, in an age of when people say, 05:31 "You have your truth, I have my truth, 05:33 and you believe your truth; I believe my truth," 05:35 is truth something objective? 05:37 John, chapter 8, verse 32, 05:41 John 8, verse 32. 05:44 Is truth something objective? 05:47 Can you know truth? 05:49 Well, here Jesus says in John 8, verse 32, 05:52 "You shall know the truth, 05:54 and the truth shall make you free." 05:56 So, the truth can be known, and it frees us from the errors 05:59 and deceptions of Satan. 06:02 Jesus said in John 17, verse 17, 06:04 "Sanctify them through Thy truth: 06:06 Thy word is truth." 06:07 So, the great controversy between truth and error 06:10 has to do with Satan's lies and Jesus revealing 06:14 His truth through His Word. 06:16 >>Eric: So, that's one of the big issues 06:18 in earth's final conflict. 06:20 We know through studying Scripture, 06:23 through studying prophecies through the book of Revelation, 06:26 Daniel, and a variety of others that one of the big issues 06:29 that's gonna separate the world is the issue 06:31 between the seal of God and the mark of the beast. 06:34 What about the seal of God? 06:35 How is God going to seal His people? 06:37 I don't get the impression that He's gonna engrave 06:40 something on their foreheads. 06:42 But what does that seal look like? 06:44 >>Mark: Sure. 06:46 When you look at this conflict between truth and error, 06:49 it focuses in the last days on the question of worship 06:55 and "what is the seal of God?" 06:59 In ancient times, seals were used to authenticate a document. 07:03 Seals were used to testify of the truthfulness 07:06 of that document. 07:08 When you look at God's document, His Ten Commandments written 07:13 with His own finger on tables of stone, 07:15 is there any commandment that has the ingredients of a seal? 07:21 Biblical seals, ancient seals often would have 07:24 the name of the sealer, the title of the sealer, 07:28 and the territory of the sealer. 07:30 So, you'd have to have the name, the title, the territory. 07:33 When you look at the fourth commandment, 07:34 it says, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 07:37 "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 07:39 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." 07:43 So, notice: "Remember the Sabbath.... 07:46 "Six days...the Lord"-- that's His name; 07:48 He's the Lord; He's sovereign-- 07:51 "made"--He is the Creator; that's His title-- 07:54 heaven, earth, sea-- that's His domain. 07:57 So, the Sabbath commandment uniquely, 08:00 uniquely has the ingredients of God's seal. 08:04 Now, we are sealed as by God's grace. 08:09 We settle into God's truth, and as the Holy Spirit places 08:15 within us the resolve and the strength to be obedient to God, 08:20 the Sabbath is the external manifestation of God's seal, 08:25 but the seal has to do with our loyalty and obedience 08:31 to God through keeping His commandments. 08:35 >>Eric: So, that helps us to understand the seal. 08:38 When you look at the issues of the seal of God 08:40 and the mark of the beast, 08:42 it says that the seal can be received in the forehead. 08:45 The mark of the beast can be received in the forehead 08:48 or in the hand. 08:49 What's the significance of the forehead and the hand. 08:52 Again, I'm--I get the impression it's not 08:54 a literal mark or stamp or engraving or something. 08:58 What's the significance there? 08:59 >>Mark: Well, you know, that's an interesting question. 09:02 Let's take a look at Revelation, chapter 7, verse 1 and 2. 09:06 Why is the seal of God in the forehead? 09:09 Why the mark of the beast in the forehead or in the hand? 09:14 Note it says "in the forehead," not necessarily on the forehead-- 09:18 "in the forehead" in the sense of forebrain. 09:20 Take a look at Revelation, chapter 7. 09:22 Go ahead and read verse 1 for us. 09:24 >>Eric: "After these things I saw four angels standing 09:27 "at the four corners of the earth, 09:29 "holding the four winds of the earth, 09:31 "that the wind should not blow on the earth, 09:33 "on the sea, or on any tree. 09:36 "Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, 09:38 "having the seal of the living God. 09:40 "And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom 09:44 "it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 09:46 "saying, 'Do not harm the earth, [and] the sea, 09:48 "'or the trees till we have sealed 09:49 the servants of our God on their foreheads.'" 09:52 >>Mark: So, the forehead there represents the forebrain. 09:56 It represents what is deeply within our mind. 10:00 So, the seal of God is given to us by the Holy Spirit, 10:04 we make a commitment to follow Christ, 10:08 and that seal in our brain is the commitment to be loyal 10:13 to Christ, manifest by keeping God's commandments. 10:17 Just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 10:20 down on the plains of Dura, 10:22 there was a false image set up. 10:24 That image was all of gold. 10:27 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down to it. 10:31 A powerful world ruler, Nebuchadnezzar, 10:34 set up a counterfeit image. 10:36 He commanded all of his servants to come and all the population 10:41 to come to bow down to that image. 10:44 Rather than violate the commandments of God, 10:48 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood. 10:50 Their standing was the visible manifestation 10:54 of an inner commitment. 10:56 Our keeping the Sabbath is the visible manifestation 11:00 that we've been sealed by the Holy Spirit, that we are 11:04 totally loyal to Christ, and that nothing 11:07 can break that loyalty. 11:08 Ellen White puts it this way. 11:10 What is the seal of God? 11:11 She says it is the "settling into the truth, 11:15 "both [spiritually] and [intellectually], 11:17 so [we] cannot be moved." 11:19 >>Eric: So, that explains the forehead. 11:21 It's that choice, the decision that we make. 11:24 What about receiving it in the hand? 11:26 The mark of the beast can go either 11:27 in the forehead or the hand. What about the hand? 11:29 >>Mark: The forehead has to do with your choice, 11:32 your intellectual conviction. 11:34 The hand has to do with power, you know, 11:37 force, coercion. 11:39 So, God never coerces. 11:42 "Only by love is love awakened," "Desire of Ages" says. 11:45 So, God gives us the power of choice 11:48 and therefore never forces. 11:51 The beast power either will try to convince you 11:53 intellectually through deception, through falsehood, 11:56 through error, or if he can't do that, 11:58 he'll coerce you; he'll force you. 12:01 Mark of the beast in the forehead: choice. 12:04 Mark of the beast in the hand: force, coercion. 12:06 >>Eric: All right, so we got a better understanding 12:08 of these two great issues. 12:11 If we want to dig more deeply into this now, 12:14 where can we go to find more evidence of what you're sharing? 12:18 >>Mark: Yes, if you go to our book 12:20 "The War Between Good and Evil" 12:21 and you want much, much more--more stories, 12:26 more illustrations, more historical material, 12:30 more biblical explanation-- pick up a copy of the book 12:34 from It Is Written, and tell them how they can get it. 12:37 >>Eric: It's very easy to get. 12:39 Just go to itiswritten.shop, 12:42 again, itiswritten.shop. 12:44 You can pick the book up right there, 12:46 and you will find a lot more information on what 12:50 you are hearing week by week here in these lessons, 12:53 and if you happen to have missed one of the lessons, 12:56 you can always go back and watch the archived lessons, 12:59 and you're going to find more on each of these weeks 13:02 in the companion book that Pastor Mark was just mentioning. 13:06 Again, you can find that at itiswritten.shop. 13:10 We're going to be coming back in just a moment as we continue 13:12 looking at some of earth's closing events so that we can be 13:16 prepared for what is shortly to come upon this earth. 13:19 We're going to be back in just a moment with more here 13:22 on "Sabbath School," brought to you by It Is Written. 13:25 [uplifting music] 13:30 >>Announcer: If you'd like to deepen your understanding 13:31 of the powerful themes brought out in this program, 13:34 we invite you to explore the book 13:36 "The Great Controversy." 13:37 For more information, simply text the code "GC24" to 71392. 13:43 This book delves into critical end-time themes, 13:45 offering profound insights into historical events, 13:48 Bible prophecy, and spiritual preparation 13:51 essential for today's unique challenges. 13:54 Discover how "The Great Controversy" 13:55 can illuminate your path in these uncertain times. 13:59 >>John Bradshaw: Welcome to "Line Upon Line," 14:01 brought to you by It Is Written. 14:03 ♪♪♪ 14:06 "If the atonement was complete at the cross, 14:09 "then what is Christ doing in the most holy place 14:13 of the heavenly sanctuary?" 14:16 ♪♪♪ 14:17 "Does the soul leave the body once the heart stops beating 14:23 or before?" 14:25 ♪♪♪ 14:26 >>Wes Peppers: Yeah, it's a-- it's very simply the combination 14:29 of the body and the breath of life. 14:31 >>John: How do you know it does not? 14:32 Because it sounds like it does. >>Wes: It sounds like it. 14:35 Sometimes the Bible will say certain things, 14:37 and it sounds like it's saying something, but when you 14:39 compare that to the rest of the Bible, 14:41 you find it's really not doing that. 14:43 >>John: And, you know, it's good to have 14:45 curious questions about some of these things, 14:47 but at times we're just not told. 14:49 More "Line Upon Line" in a moment, 14:50 brought to you by It Is Written. 14:53 ♪♪♪ 15:00 [uplifting music] 15:04 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 15:06 brought to you by It Is Written. 15:08 We're looking at "Earth's Closing Events." 15:10 Pastor Mark, if--can you summarize for us 15:13 some of the things that we can expect to see 15:16 in the closing events of earth's history? 15:19 >>Mark: If you look, Pastor Eric, at the overall picture 15:22 of the Bible and you take the big picture, 15:25 we're entering into a time of uncertainty. 15:28 In fact, we have entered into that time of uncertainty. 15:31 According to Jesus' predictions, 15:33 there will be wars and rumors of wars, 15:36 there will be famines and earthquakes, 15:37 there'll be fires and floods, and during that period of time, 15:41 we'll see rising crime and violence 15:43 and, really, instability in society. 15:47 In the context of that, the world will be looking 15:51 for a leader to rise, to bring solutions 15:53 to the world's problems, problems that seem overwhelming, 15:56 conflict between nations, and hunger and strife 16:01 in the streets. 16:02 As the world looks to that, earthly leaders 16:06 will begin to fail. 16:07 They have begun to fail already, but one religious political 16:11 leader out of Rome will rise to the top. 16:13 He will attempt to bring 16:15 the world together with world peace. 16:18 As that occurs, one day will be set aside for peace, 16:26 for social purposes, for family, for worship of God, 16:31 and God's people will not be able to go along 16:35 with that common day of rest and worship. 16:38 They will stand fast and true, not for the Sunday, 16:43 the day of the sun that has come into the church 16:46 through paganism, but rather they will stand fast 16:49 for Jesus in keeping His true Sabbath 16:54 as Creator of heaven and earth. 16:56 The attack that Satan will bring is on worship. 17:00 God's people will be faithful. 17:02 The Bible says in Revelation 14:12, 17:04 "Here are they that keep the commandments of God, 17:06 and [have] the faith of Jesus." 17:09 Every human being will be brought to a decision: 17:12 those to serve Christ fully, those to serve the evil one; 17:17 those on the side of truth, 17:20 those that are on the side of error. 17:21 And in this central contrast over worship, 17:24 the Sabbath will be the external manifestation 17:27 of faithfulness to God. 17:28 The Holy Spirit will seal God's people. 17:31 They'll settle into the truth. They can't be moved. 17:33 At the same time, the power of God will be poured out 17:38 upon His people, and they'll go to the ends of the earth 17:40 preaching the gospel. 17:42 So, what can we expect to see in the last days? 17:44 A genuine revival of Holy Spirit power, 17:47 a false revival of demonic power. 17:50 We can see the working of God from above, 17:53 the working of Satan from beneath. 17:55 It's gonna be an exciting time, but yet God's people will stand 17:58 loyally for truth, they'll be filled with His Spirit, 18:01 and go out to share the gospel with the world. 18:03 >>Eric: This will be an opportunity for God's people 18:05 to look back on the way He has led them 18:07 in the past and trust that He's going to lead them 18:10 through the trials ahead. 18:11 There's also a couple of phrases, 18:14 or terms, that we come across sometimes in last-day history, 18:19 or the events that are shortly coming on the earth. 18:22 That's the early rain and the latter rain. 18:25 What are--what do these two terms mean? 18:27 Where do they come from, and why are they important for us today? 18:30 What do they mean to us? >>Mark: They're biblical terms. 18:33 Let's look at Joel, chapter 2, verse 21-24, 18:40 Joel, chapter 2, verse 21-24, 18:47 and go ahead and read those verses. 18:51 >>Eric: "Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, 18:53 "for the Lord has done marvelous things! 18:56 "Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; 18:58 "for the open pastures are springing up, 19:01 "and the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield 19:04 "their strength. Be glad then, you children of Zion, 19:07 "and rejoice in the Lord your God; 19:09 "for He has given you the former rain faithfully, 19:12 "and He will cause the rain to come down for you-- 19:15 the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month." 19:20 >>Mark: Notice there are two expressions: 19:22 former and latter rain. 19:23 They come from the agricultural cycle of Israel. 19:27 The former rain came, gentle showers, 19:30 to germinate the seed that was planted. 19:33 The latter rain came to bring the seed to fruition, 19:37 or to harvest. 19:38 So, Joel uses that term to describe the rain of the Spirit, 19:45 the outpouring of the Spirit. 19:46 We find this, too, in Zechariah, chapter 10, verse 1. 19:51 >>Eric: "Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. 19:55 "The Lord will make flashing clouds; 19:57 "He will give them showers of rain, 19:59 grass in the field for everyone." 20:01 >>Mark: You know, you can ask the Lord for rain 20:03 in the time of the latter rain. 20:04 We're living in the time when God wants 20:06 to pour out His Spirit. 20:07 He wants the harvest to be--that--to be ripe. 20:12 So, when you look at these expressions, 20:15 "early and latter rain," we can think about, 20:16 for example, at Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out. 20:20 We might call that the early rain. 20:22 The Christian church was launched then. 20:25 When you look at the disciples, they were committed to Christ, 20:29 filled with the Holy Spirit, went out to preach the gospel, 20:32 3,000 were baptized on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, 20:35 another multiple thousands in Acts 4 are baptized, 20:40 and you go through the book of Acts and you see 20:43 tens of thousands coming to Christ. 20:45 That's under the influence of the Holy Spirit, 20:47 under the influence of the early rain. 20:50 The latter rain will be more abundant 20:52 than the early rain. 20:54 God's people, filled with the Holy Spirit, 20:58 moved by the gospel, transformed by grace, 21:03 totally committed to Christ, will go out to preach 21:06 the Word of God powerfully because the Holy Spirit 21:10 has been working in the world. 21:12 So, the terms "early and latter rain," 21:14 we find this again in the book of James, 21:17 and you go over to James, chapter 5, 21:21 and we find this expression 21:24 of "the early and the latter rain." 21:28 You can find it here, for example, 21:31 in--let's start with James 5, 21:35 and let's start with verse 7 and verse 8. 21:41 Go ahead, Pastor Eric. 21:42 >>Eric: "Therefore be patient, brethren, 21:44 "until the coming of the Lord. 21:46 "See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit 21:48 "of the earth, waiting patiently for until it receives 21:52 "the early and latter rain. 21:54 "You also be patient. Establish your hearts, 21:57 for the coming of the Lord is at hand." 21:59 >>Mark: Notice that the expression 22:01 of "early and latter rain" are linked to the coming of Jesus. 22:04 Early rain is--took place at Pentecost. 22:08 Latter rain takes place at the end of time. 22:11 Early rain to generate the seed. Latter rain to ripen it. 22:15 Now, we can also talk about the early and latter rain 22:17 in our personal experience. 22:19 The early rain of the Spirit, personally, 22:21 is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our hearts 22:25 and minds to bring us to Christian growth, 22:27 to bring us to Christian maturity. 22:29 The early rain is the convicting power 22:32 of the Spirit that convicts us of sin. 22:34 The early rain has to do with God leading us 22:35 into the truth of His Word. 22:37 The early rain has to do with God, 22:39 through His Holy Spirit, sealing us. 22:42 The Bible says in the book of Ephesians, 22:44 "Grieve not the Holy Spirit..., 22:45 whereby [you] are sealed [to] the day of redemption." 22:48 So, it's the Holy Spirit that creates within us this seal. 22:52 What is the latter rain? 22:53 What's the purpose of the latter rain 22:55 in the individual life? 22:57 First, it is to empower and strengthen us so that 23:01 we're able to go through the time of trouble. 23:03 Secondly, it is to empower us so that we can proclaim the gospel 23:09 to the ends of the earth and participate with Christ 23:12 in the finishing of His work. 23:14 >>Eric: So, that helps us understand the early rain-- 23:16 or the former rain-- and the latter rain. 23:19 What about the loud cry? 23:20 That's another term that we frequently hear going along 23:23 with last-day events. What is the loud cry? 23:25 >>Mark: Well, we find that in Revelation, chapter 18. 23:29 So, Revelation, chapter 18, 23:32 and if you will read verse 1 and 2 and 3. 23:38 >>Eric: "After these things I saw another angel 23:40 "coming down from heaven, having great authority, 23:43 "and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 23:46 "And he cried mightily with a loud voice, 23:48 "saying, 'Babylon the great is fallen, 23:50 "'is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, 23:53 "'a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage 23:56 "'for every unclean and hated bird! 23:59 "For all...nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath 24:01 "of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed 24:04 "fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth 24:07 "have become rich through the abundance 24:09 of her luxury.'" 24:10 >>Mark: We get the expression "the latter rain" 24:12 from Revelation 18, verse 2. 24:15 The earth is lightened, lightened with the glory of God 24:18 in verse 1. 24:19 In verse 2 the angel cries mightily with a loud voice. 24:25 So, this is the loud cry. 24:26 He cries mightily, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen!" 24:29 So, here is God's final appeal pictured 24:33 as a loud cry to call men and women 24:35 out of spiritual Babylon, 24:37 spiritual error, spiritual falsehood to truth, 24:40 but look at verse 3: 24:42 "All nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath 24:45 of her fornication." 24:46 Fornication is an illicit union. Wine represents false doctrine. 24:50 All nations have accepted 24:53 the false doctrine of the beast power and Babylon. 24:57 And then it has this triple unity: 24:59 "The kings of the earth have committed fornication 25:02 with her." 25:03 So, you have the kings of the earth, 25:05 the political rulers uniting with the false church, 25:10 "and the merchants of the earth [have become] 25:12 rich through the abundance of her delicacies." 25:14 So, here you have a political, a religious, 25:17 and an economic union, but God makes His final appeal, 25:22 and as He does, people are called out of Babylon, 25:26 out of this falsehood. 25:28 There is a paragraph in Thursday's lesson that says 25:34 "filled with the power of the Spirit," 25:36 and let's look at this, Thursday's lesson. 25:39 And I'll read two paragraphs, and I'd like you to read 25:41 the last one, "servants of God," but I'll read the first two. 25:44 "Filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, 25:46 "going forth with the authority of the living Christ 25:49 "who in His life and death triumphed 25:51 "over the principalities and powers of hell, 25:53 "the New Testament church 25:55 "lightened the earth with the glory of God. 25:57 "In a few short years, the disciples proclaimed 26:00 the gospel to the then-known world." 26:02 Next paragraph: "At the end time, 26:05 "the Holy Spirit will be poured out in unprecedented power, 26:09 "and the gospel will be 26:10 "spread rapidly to the ends of the earth. 26:12 "Thousands will be converted in a day, 26:15 "and God's grace and truth will impact the entire planet. 26:18 "In this way, the world will be warned and the gospel, 26:23 and the hope it offers, will be spread worldwide." 26:25 Just read the next paragraph. 26:28 >>Eric: "The great work of the gospel is not to close 26:30 "with less manifestation of the power of God 26:33 "than marked its opening. 26:34 "The prophecies which were fulfilled in the outpouring 26:37 "of the former rain at the opening of the gospel 26:39 "are again to be fulfilled 26:41 in the latter rain at its close." 26:43 >>Mark: The prophecies will come true. 26:46 The earth will be lightened with the glory of God. 26:49 Every human being will make their final, 26:52 irrevocable decision. 26:54 Friend, where do you stand with Christ right now? 26:59 Where do you stand in the light of eternity? 27:03 Are there hidden sins in your life? 27:06 Are there things you're holding back from God? 27:10 Why not right now open your heart to God? 27:13 Maybe you once walked with God's people, 27:15 you drifted away, and you're watching this broadcast. 27:18 Christ is appealing to you in these last days 27:21 of earth's history to make your decision to come back, 27:23 maybe to be rebaptized. 27:25 Maybe you've never been baptized before, 27:27 you've never walked through the Word, 27:28 never joined with God's people. 27:30 This is your hour. This is your moment. 27:33 Christ is making a direct appeal 27:36 to your heart just now. 27:37 You can be part of something big and great for God. 27:41 You can have a new peace in your life, 27:42 a new joy in your soul. 27:44 Open your heart to Jesus 27:45 and make that decision right now. 27:47 >>Eric: Pastor Mark, thank you for leading us through 27:50 this week's lesson and helping us to see the importance 27:53 of all the things that we've learned. 27:55 We wanna thank you for joining us, too. 27:57 We invite you to be with us again next week 28:00 for the final study, where we're going to be taking a look 28:03 at the end of "The Great Controversy." 28:06 We'll see you next time here on "Sabbath School," 28:08 brought to you by It Is Written. 28:10 [uplifting music] 28:26 [Captions provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-06-12