Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024026S
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00:11 ♪♪♪ 00:14 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:16 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:18 We are now on our 13th and final lesson 00:21 of this quarter. 00:23 We are looking at "The Triumph of God's Love," 00:26 bringing together everything that we have learned 00:29 during our journey through "The Great Controversy," 00:32 and we're going to end on a high note. 00:34 But let's begin with prayer. 00:36 Father, we ask that You'll be with us today 00:38 as we conclude our time together in studying 00:41 "The Great Controversy," 00:42 and we ask that You will give us encouragement and strength 00:45 and hope as we face the future. 00:48 We thank You in Jesus' name, amen. 00:52 Well, we are grateful to have with us today, once again, 00:55 for the last time, at least this quarter, 00:57 Pastor Mark Finley. 00:58 Pastor Mark, thank you for leading us, 01:00 guiding us through this discussion on 01:02 "The Great Controversy." It has been inspirational. 01:05 >>Mark Finley: You know, as I've studied 01:07 and done the research for, biblically, for these lessons 01:09 and compared it with the book "Great Controversy," 01:12 it's been an inspiration to me 01:13 and just to be able to share this 01:15 with the It Is Written viewers, audience, that I know well 01:18 and love a great deal has been a delight. 01:21 >>Eric: So, we're looking now at the last chapter in this story, 01:25 as it were, "The Triumph of God's Love." 01:27 How does our belief in the triumph of God's love 01:32 at the very end in the end of time, 01:33 how should that-- or how should that, could that, 01:36 how will that impact the way 01:39 that we live our lives today? 01:41 >>Mark: The Bible begins in Genesis 1 and 2 01:43 with the perfect world. 01:44 It ends in Revelation 21 and 22 with the perfect world. 01:48 Between Genesis 2 and Revelation 21, 01:53 you have the saga of sin. 01:55 But to know that God's love is going to triumph, 01:58 to know that we are on the winning side, 02:00 to know that Satan is a loser gives us hope. 02:04 Somebody said that hope lifts your eyes 02:08 from the mud below to the heavens above, 02:11 that hope is like oxygen to the soul. 02:14 Hope inspires you, encourages you, 02:17 gives you clarity of thought. 02:20 Hope is what keeps us going during the tough times. 02:24 Somebody said that, you know, 02:25 you can endure anything if you know 02:28 that there's a better day coming. 02:30 And I think knowing that in spite of the conflict, 02:33 the difficulties, the challenges, 02:35 the union of church and state, persecution, mark of the beast, 02:38 that's not what we're focused on predominantly. 02:41 We're focused on the fact that Jesus is going to come, 02:44 usher in a new world 02:45 where there'll be no more sickness, 02:47 suffering, heartache, or death, and that keeps us going, 02:50 the triumph of God's love. 02:52 >>Eric: So, we can focus on that, 02:53 keep our focus on that, but we also know 02:55 that even though Jesus is coming in the near future, 02:58 the second coming of Jesus, as we often refer to it, 03:00 there are some events that are going to lead up to that. 03:03 What do those events look like? 03:05 >>Mark: Well, when you think about 03:06 the final events, just right down at the end, 03:10 we have the coming of Jesus where Christ is going to come. 03:14 Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled; 03:17 "you believe in God, believe also in me. 03:19 "In my Father's house are many mansions; 03:21 "if it were not so, I would have told you. 03:23 "I go to prepare a place for you. 03:24 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again." 03:27 So, we have the promise of Christ's coming. 03:29 What happens when He comes? 03:32 The righteous dead are resurrected, 03:34 the righteous living are changed in a moment, 03:37 in the twinkling of an eye, 03:39 and together with the righteous dead, 03:42 the righteous living ascend to heaven with Christ. 03:45 We find that 03:46 in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, verse 16 and 17, where it says, 03:49 "The Lord Himself [shall] descend from heaven 03:51 "with a shout, with the voice of [the] archangel, 03:54 "...the trumpet of God.... The dead in Christ will rise first. 03:57 "[And] then we [which] are alive and remain shall be caught up 04:00 together with them...to meet the Lord in the air." 04:02 So, we find that clearly outlined in Scripture. 04:06 So, that's what happens to the righteous 04:08 when Jesus comes. 04:10 What happens to the wicked when Jesus comes? 04:12 Revelation 6 says that they call for the rocks and mountains 04:15 to fall on them. 04:17 So one group looks up and-- let's look at Isaiah 25, 04:22 Isaiah 25, and let's look at verse 8 and verse 9. 04:27 This is a very, very significant, 04:29 very significant verse. 04:31 Isaiah 25 and we're going to look there at, 04:35 particularly, verse 9. 04:37 And could you read that? 04:39 >>Eric: "And it will be said in that day: 04:40 "'Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, 04:43 "'and He will save us. 04:45 "'This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; 04:48 we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.'" 04:51 >>Mark: Notice something clearly. 04:53 It says, "It will be said in that day: 04:55 'Behold, this is our God.'" Now, imagine it. 04:58 God's people see the brightness of His glory, 05:01 lightning shines from the east even to the west, 05:03 and they say, "This is our God." 05:05 Now, notice the intro, "This is our God." 05:06 We haven't fallen for the false christ. 05:08 We--Satan has masqueraded as Jesus. 05:12 Satan has counterfeited Christ. He's come to earth. 05:16 He's maybe appeared in Los Angeles 05:18 or Philadelphia or New York, maybe Paris, 05:21 maybe London, the great cities of the world, 05:24 down in South America, the Asian cities, 05:27 and he's maybe appeared in a stadium 05:29 as an angel of light, 05:30 maybe claiming that he can heal the multitudes. 05:33 But notice what the text says: "This is our God." 05:36 This is our God. 05:38 He is the one who comes with every eye to see Him, 05:40 Revelation 1:7. 05:41 Every ear to hear it, Psalm 50, verse 3. 05:44 "This is our God; we have waited for Him." 05:46 Notice, we haven't fallen for the false christ. 05:48 We've waited for Him. 05:49 We've not gone out and been enamored 05:52 by the false miracles of Satan. 05:54 "We have waited for Him, and He will save us." 05:57 Repeat it again: "This is our God; we have waited for Him; 06:00 we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." 06:04 So, just before the coming of Jesus, 06:07 there will be false christs and false prophets. 06:10 There will be, before the coming of Jesus, 06:14 the manifestation of false miracles 06:16 and satanic activities. 06:18 Every human being will make their decision 06:20 for or against Christ. 06:22 Let's go to Revelation 22, 06:24 and maybe you can read this one for us. 06:25 Revelation 22, verse 11 and verse 12. 06:31 >>Eric: "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; 06:34 "he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; 06:37 "he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; 06:40 "he who is holy, let him be holy still. 06:43 "And behold, I am coming quickly, 06:45 "and my reward is with me, 06:47 to give to everyone according to his work." 06:49 >>Mark: So, before the coming of Jesus, 06:51 every human being will make their final, 06:52 irrevocable decision for or against Christ. 06:56 When they have made that decision, 06:58 human probation will close. 07:00 Now, human probation does not close 07:03 because God's mercy has run out. 07:06 Human probation does not close because God's grace has run out. 07:10 Human probation closes because every human being 07:13 has made their final, full decision. 07:15 There's no more time necessary for them to make decisions 07:20 because they've made it. 07:21 They've been fixed in their decision. 07:24 People either receive the seal of God 07:26 or the mark of the beast, 07:27 and that is a final decision that they make. 07:31 Once everybody has made their final decision 07:34 and probation has closed-- 07:36 you see, if God would keep probation open 07:38 another 5 years, 10 years, 100 years, 1,000 years, 07:41 nobody else would make any other decision 07:43 because their minds and characters have been fixed, 07:47 they've made their final, irrevocable decision, 07:49 but there are promises that will take us through. 07:53 Once everybody has made their decision, probation closes. 07:56 It's at that point that the seven last plagues 07:58 are poured out. But God gives us promises during the plagues. 08:01 Let's look at Psalm 27, verse 5, 08:05 Psalm 27, verse 5. 08:08 We have plagues and promises, 08:11 and here are the promises of God written during the plagues. 08:16 Psalm 27, verse 5. 08:18 >>Eric: "For in the time of trouble 08:20 "He shall hide me in His pavilion; 08:22 "in the secret place of His tabernacle 08:24 He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock." 08:27 >>Mark: Don't you love that? 08:29 "In the time of trouble He shall"--do what?-- 08:31 He'll hide me. Look at Psalm 91, plagues and promises. 08:37 God's people will be protected, they will be sheltered, 08:41 they will be hidden in His love and grace during the plagues. 08:44 Psalm 91 and let's go down to verse--let's look at-- 08:51 this is such a good Psalm, I-- let's go down 08:54 and look at verse 7. 08:55 >>Eric: "A thousand may fall at your side, 08:58 "and ten thousand at your right hand; 09:00 "but it shall not come near you. 09:02 "Only with your eyes shall you look, 09:04 and see the reward of the wicked." 09:05 >>Mark: And go ahead and read verse 9 and 10. 09:07 >>Eric: "Because you have made the Lord, 09:09 "who is my refuge, even the Most High, 09:11 "your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, 09:14 nor shall any plague come near your dwelling." 09:18 >>Mark: So, we'll be present 09:19 during the plagues, protected by God. 09:22 Notice verse 11 and 12: 09:25 "For He shall give His angels charge over you, 09:28 "to keep you in all your ways. 09:29 "...They shall bear you up [in their hands], 09:31 lest you dash your foot against a stone." 09:34 So, God is gonna protect us. 09:36 A thousand will fall at our side, ten thousand are-- 09:38 but it won't come nigh us; 09:40 we'll be hidden by God during the plagues, 09:42 protected by God during the plagues, 09:44 sheltered by angels during those plagues. 09:48 Then, at the end of that plague period-- 09:51 now, why would God allow those plagues to be poured out? 09:53 Why doesn't He just come when probation closes 09:55 if everybody has already made their decision? 09:57 The reason is that during that time, 10:00 we, as righteous, develop deeper faith. 10:05 Our decisions have been made, but we develop deeper faith, 10:08 we develop deeper perseverance, 10:10 we have a deeper longing for heaven, 10:12 so God prepares us spiritually in a more intense way for heaven 10:17 during the plagues. 10:18 Secondly, during the plagues, we see the wicked not repenting. 10:23 Revelation 16, that talks about the plagues, 10:25 says they don't repent, they cry out in cursing of God. 10:29 And so, we see that character is fixed. 10:32 The whole universe sees character is fixed 10:34 during that time. 10:36 During the plagues, during a time of hardship and difficulty, 10:38 God's people do not yield. 10:40 During the plagues, 10:41 Satan's people become more wicked, more rebellious. 10:46 And then, at the end of those plagues, 10:48 Jesus comes as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 10:50 >>Eric: That's amazing, 10:52 reading that through in Revelation 16, 10:54 seeing how He finally comes in 10:55 the sixth and seventh plagues. 10:57 There is a time of trouble that's coming. 10:59 We want to be prepared. 11:01 How do we sufficiently prepare for that time of trouble 11:05 so that we end up on the right side? 11:06 >>Mark: Yeah, the way we prepare 11:08 for the time of trouble is preparing now. 11:11 You cannot prepare for a crisis when a crisis comes. 11:14 You prepare for the crisis now by storing up in your heart 11:18 and mind the Word of God. 11:20 I'm reminded of what Ellen White says in the book 11:22 "Great Controversy": 11:23 "None but those who...fortified [their minds] 11:26 "with the [words] of [Scripture] 11:29 will stand through the [final crisis]." 11:31 So, we now fill our hearts and minds with the Word of God. 11:37 The Word of God keeps us from error. 11:39 The Word of God is a living Word; 11:41 it changes our lives. 11:43 Secondly, we enter into a deep, meaningful relationship with God 11:47 through prayer, and we know Him. 11:50 It's not simply we know the truth. 11:52 It's not simply that it's some intellectual thing 11:54 that we stuff in the back of our brains, 11:57 not at all, but rather we are faithful to God 12:01 in the sense that we enter into a meaningful relationship 12:06 with Him through Bible study and prayer. 12:09 And of course, now we prepare for that time by witness. 12:13 Because, as we witness, 12:15 our own strength becomes stronger. 12:17 >>Eric: That book that we've been referencing 12:19 throughout this quarter, the book 12:21 "The Great Controversy," you have written a book 12:23 that is a companion to what we've been studying 12:26 to point people to "The Great Controversy," 12:27 which, of course, points people to the Bible. 12:29 Share with us one more time about this companion book. 12:32 >>Mark: Well, the companion book is called 12:33 "The War Between Good and Evil." 12:35 If you want to know a lot more details about these subjects 12:39 that we're studying, please order the book 12:41 from It Is Written television. 12:43 You will find this book to be an inspiration to you, 12:47 an encouragement to you, 12:48 and reveal to you the events 12:50 that are coming in these last days. 12:53 >>Eric: So, if you'd like to pick that book up, 12:55 you can go to itiswritten.shop, 12:57 and you will find there: itiswritten.shop. 13:00 The book will be an immense blessing to you. 13:03 We're going to be back in just a moment 13:04 as we take a look at the very final chapters 13:08 of what the world is going to look like 13:10 and what God has in store for His people 13:13 here on It Is Written. 13:14 We're gonna take a look in just a moment. 13:16 We'll be right back. 13:17 ♪♪♪ 13:22 >>male announcer: If you'd like to deepen your understanding 13:23 of the powerful themes brought out in this program, 13:26 we invite you to explore the book 13:28 "The Great Controversy." 13:29 For more information, simply text the code "GC24" to 71392. 13:35 This book delves into critical end-time themes, 13:37 offering profound insights into historical events, 13:40 Bible prophecy, and spiritual preparation 13:43 essential for today's unique challenges. 13:45 Discover how "The Great Controversy" 13:47 can illuminate your path in these uncertain times. 13:52 >>John Bradshaw: He was born in the shadow 13:53 of the Tower of London, and by the age of 11, 13:56 he was working on sailing ships. 13:58 In time, he would become a slave trader. 14:01 But when his life turned around, 14:03 John Newton became a giant of the Christian faith. 14:06 He was an influential pastor, a prolific hymn-writer, 14:10 and one of the architects of the abolition of slavery 14:13 in the British Empire. 14:15 The man who wrote "Amazing Grace" 14:17 experienced God's grace in his life 14:20 and left an indelible mark on the world. 14:22 Don't miss "Men of Faith: John Newton, Part 1." 14:26 We'll visit London, England; we'll go to the town 14:29 where his ministry began 14:31 and visit the museum dedicated to his life and accomplishments. 14:35 Once a hard-drinking, immoral man involved in witchcraft, 14:38 John Newton's transformed life 14:40 speaks of what God's grace can do in any human heart. 14:44 "Men of Faith: John Newton, Part 1," 14:48 brought to you by It Is Written TV. 14:56 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 14:58 brought to you by It Is Written. 15:00 We are taking a look at the very final chapters 15:02 of earth's history, 15:03 "The Triumph of God's Love." 15:06 Pastor Mark, we've been talking about the plagues. 15:08 There are seven last plagues. 15:11 Walk us through the end of these plagues. 15:14 How does this all culminate, 15:16 and what comes after the plagues? 15:18 >>Mark: During the plagues, 15:19 the wicked are so rebellious they've lost, 15:23 really, they've lost their minds. 15:25 They are filled with satanic wrath, 15:28 they attempt to rush upon the righteous and destroy them. 15:32 But at that point, hailstones fall from heaven, 15:35 God triumphs, and you have this picture 15:37 of the destruction of the wicked. 15:40 They run for the rocks and mountains to fall on them, 15:42 and this picture of the coming of Christ-- 15:45 Babylon falls; all the confusion 15:48 that has taken place does not sustain 15:51 the wicked at all. 15:53 And you have Revelation 19 15:55 that starts with the four hallelujahs, 15:57 and the fourth hallelujah sing is in Revelation 19, verse 6. 16:04 And if you have that, read Revelation 19:6. 16:06 You have the four hallelujahs 16:08 that speak of the universal praise 16:10 that goes to Christ for the triumph of His love. 16:13 >>Eric: "And I heard, as it were, 16:15 "the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters 16:18 "and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, 16:20 'Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!'" 16:24 >>Mark: Yeah, see, that's it. 16:25 "The Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 16:27 "Let us be glad and rejoice and give...glory [to Him], 16:30 "for the marriage of the Lamb has come, 16:32 ...His wife has made herself ready." 16:33 Here you have the great marriage supper of the Lamb. 16:36 And then, as John often does, 16:39 he starts with the end and ends with the start. 16:42 And so, here he then goes back and describes 16:45 the coming of Christ that will usher in 16:49 the marriage supper of the Lamb. 16:50 Revelation 19:11, "I saw heaven opened, 16:53 "and behold, a white horse. 16:54 "And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, 16:57 and in righteousness He judges and makes war." 17:00 And you go down to verse 16; 17:03 it describes the coming of Christ on a white horse. 17:05 Why a white horse? 17:07 Because Roman generals rode white horses 17:10 back into Rome at a time of triumph. 17:13 The white horse symbol indicates Christ's triumph 17:15 over the principalities and powers of hell, 17:18 Christ's triumph over the powers of evil and wickedness. 17:21 And then it says, "And He"-- verse 16, Revelation 19-- 17:26 "He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: 17:28 KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." 17:30 So, here you have the triumph of Christ. 17:32 Christ come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, 17:34 but it's not the end yet, is it? 17:35 >>Eric: Not yet. >>Mark: Why not? 17:37 >>Eric: Because we've got the millennium. 17:38 >>Mark: Yeah. 17:39 >>Eric: So, tell us about the millennium. What's the purpose 17:41 of the millennium? Why does God allow Satan to be bound 17:43 for 1,000 years but then free him? What's that all about? 17:47 >>Mark: Well, the reason God allows Satan to be bound 17:50 for 1,000 years is to demonstrate a number of things. 17:53 First, that Satan is able to see the results of sin. 17:58 He's able to see, as he goes through dead bodies 18:02 and he sees--because the wicked are destroyed 18:04 by the brightness of Christ's coming; 18:06 their bodies are on the earth. 18:08 The wicked dead are not resurrected 18:10 till the end of the 1,000 years. 18:12 So, Satan sees these dead bodies, 18:15 he sees broken-down cities, and I would suppose 18:18 that he will hear echoing in his ears, 18:20 "The wages of sin is death. The wages of sin is death. 18:24 The wages of sin is death." 18:26 So, one of the purposes 18:27 of this millennial period is that-- 18:31 to demonstrate that sin brings death, 18:34 that sin brings sorrow, that sin brings disappointment; 18:37 it brings heartache; it brings suffering. 18:40 The second reason is that during this period of time, 18:44 the people of God are with Christ in heaven 18:48 reigning on thrones. 18:50 Let's look at some of this, Revelation, chapter 20, 18:53 and why don't you read verses 1 through 3, Pastor Eric. 18:58 >>Eric: "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, 19:00 "having the key to the bottomless pit 19:03 "and a great chain in his hand. 19:04 "[And] he laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, 19:07 "who is the Devil and Satan, 19:09 "and bound him for a thousand years; 19:11 "and he cast him into the bottomless pit, 19:13 "and shut him up, and set a seal on him, 19:16 "so that he should deceive the nations no more 19:18 "till the thousand years were finished. 19:20 But after these things he must be released for a little while." 19:24 >>Mark: Well, notice a couple of things. 19:25 First, an angel comes down from heaven; 19:27 Satan is bound with a great chain 19:29 in the bottomless pit. 19:31 Now, is this some iron chain that binds Satan, 19:35 and is this some subterranean cavern? 19:37 The "bottomless pit" here is an interesting word. 19:40 It's--in the original language of the text, 19:42 it's "abussos abussa," which, it means "an abyss, 19:46 a place of darkness." In fact, in the Septuagint version 19:50 of the Old Testament, 19:52 which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament 19:54 from the Hebrew, in Genesis, chapter 1, when it says, 19:57 "The earth was without form and void," 19:59 it uses that very expression of "abussos abussa." 20:03 So, the expression "bottomless pit" 20:06 really means a desolate earth. 20:08 You can look, for example, at Jeremiah, chapter 4, 20:13 Jeremiah, chapter 4, and we'll find the condition 20:16 of the earth, as predicted by Jeremiah 20:20 during this 1,000-year period. 20:23 Jeremiah, chapter 4, let's look at verse 27. 20:28 And, in fact, let's go back and look at verses 23 to 27. 20:35 >>Eric: "I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, 20:37 "and void; and the heavens, [and] they had no light. 20:40 "I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, 20:43 "and all the hills moved back and forth. 20:45 "I beheld, and indeed there was no man, 20:48 "and all the birds of the heavens had fled. 20:51 "I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, 20:54 "and all its cities were broken down 20:57 "at the presence of the Lord, by His fierce anger. 21:00 "For thus says the Lord: 21:01 "'The whole land shall be desolate; 21:03 yet I will not make a full end.'" 21:06 >>Mark: Now, notice, it says he behelds the heavens 21:09 and the earth, verse 23; it's without form and void. 21:12 The same expression at creation 21:14 and same expression that's used in the Greek language 21:17 in Revelation 20, verse 1, for the bottomless pit. 21:21 So, the earth is like it was. 21:22 Why? Well, the heavens, they had no light. 21:25 He says, "I beheld,... there was no man." 21:28 So, no man lives on earth during the millennium. 21:29 That's a mistake that many people have, 21:32 an erroneous idea. 21:33 There's nobody here, just Satan and his angels. 21:35 "The birds in...heavens had fled." 21:38 He looks at the wilderness; the cities were broken down. How? 21:41 "At the presence of the Lord, [and] by His fierce anger." 21:43 So this is obviously the second coming of Christ. 21:46 It says, verse 27, "The whole lands will be desolate; 21:50 yet I will not make a full end." Why not? 21:52 Because He's going to re-create a new heavens and a new earth. 21:55 Why would God allow this to happen? 21:57 The way God is dealing with the controversy 21:59 between good and evil, Christ and Satan, 22:02 is so that the controversy will never raise up again 22:05 the second time. 22:06 Remember in Nahum 1, verse 9, it says, 22:08 "Sin will not rise a second time." Why not? 22:11 For two reasons. 22:12 The universe has seen the marvelous love of God, 22:15 and they are committed to that love. 22:17 Second reason that it will not rise up 22:19 is we've seen the wickedness and the evil of sin. 22:22 We've seen what sin does, that it brings simply disease, 22:25 heartache, suffering, and death. 22:27 So, we have seen that in Scripture. 22:31 Here, we sense that during the 1,000 years, 22:36 the whole universe looks upon this earth, 22:39 sees what it would have been had God not intervened, 22:44 and took His-- taken His people home. 22:46 They see what a world is like without God, 22:49 and it solidifies in the minds of the whole universe 22:52 that sin only brings death. 22:54 Then, during this period of time in Revelation 20, verse 4-- 23:00 and let's go back to read that because we've seen 23:02 Satan is bound on earth, wicked dead are in their graves, 23:06 wicked living are destroyed by the brightness of His coming, 23:08 but what about the righteous during this period of time? 23:12 >>Eric: "And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, 23:14 "and judgment was committed to them. 23:16 "Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded 23:19 "for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, 23:22 "who had not worshiped the beast or his image, 23:25 "and had not received his mark on their foreheads 23:27 "or on their hands. 23:29 And they lived and reigned with Christ...a thousand years." 23:31 >>Mark: So, a couple of things here. 23:35 First, that word "souls," the lives, 23:38 so, "I've seen the lives." 23:39 John says, "I saw the lives of those who were martyrs, 23:42 and they will be faithful; they're with Christ." 23:44 But the righteous, the Bible says there 23:46 that you've just read, 23:48 are reigning on thrones with Christ. 23:50 What are they doing during that period of time? 23:53 In the investigative of pre-Advent judgment from 1844 23:58 until the close of probation, 24:00 the universe has seen, in the way that God has dealt 24:03 with the controversy between good and evil, 24:05 His love and grace. 24:07 Now, during the 1,000 years, 24:10 the righteous, who have been redeemed from earth, 24:14 sitting on thrones, now they get a chance to behold 24:17 Christ's love, Christ grace, Christ's goodness, and they see 24:21 that He has dealt fairly with every life, 24:23 because if you see a loved one or others that are not there, 24:26 you may say, "Why, God?" 24:27 You know, "What's happened here?" 24:28 And here God reveals to them, at the end of this 1,000 years-- 24:33 the holy city now begins to descend. 24:36 As it does, Satan and his evil angels are resurrected. 24:41 It says, "The rest of the dead 24:42 live not again until the thousand years are finished." 24:44 So, two resurrections: 24:45 beginning of the 1,000 years, resurrection of the righteous; 24:48 the end of the 1,000 years, resurrection of the unrighteous. 24:52 These wicked run against, to try to attack that city with Satan, 24:56 fire comes down from God out of heaven, and the Bible says 24:59 it devours them, they're devoured, 25:02 and then God recreates the earth, 25:06 like it was in Edenic splendor, 25:08 just amazing when you think about it. 25:10 >>Eric: So share a little bit more about this perfect earth 25:13 that the Bible ends with. 25:15 >>Mark: You know, the Bible says 25:17 in Revelation, chapter 21, 25:19 "I saw new heavens and a new earth," John says. 25:22 "The first heaven and the first earth 25:23 "were passed away, and I, John, 25:25 "saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, 25:26 "descending out of heaven to earth. 25:29 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, 25:32 "there will be no more suffering, sickness, heartache, 25:34 sorrow, death, no more pain." 25:37 Just think about it, living in a world 25:40 of fellowship with Christ, 25:42 living in a world of companionship with the angels, 25:45 living in a world where there's friendship 25:48 with everyone who is worth knowing is there-- 25:53 Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Daniel. 25:56 Just think of what we're gonna learn 25:58 from the apostle Paul, from Peter, James, and John. 26:02 You know something? 26:03 I wanna live in a world like that, don't you? 26:05 Live in a world where there is no heartache, 26:07 no war, no famine, no suffering, no death. 26:11 I wanna live in a world like that, don't you? 26:12 A world where we can have fellowship, 26:16 a world where love reigns, a world where peace and joy 26:20 hold hands and dance together through the land. 26:23 Wouldn't it be a tragedy to miss that land, that world? 26:27 And God is making an appeal to you right now. 26:29 You did not turn in to this broadcast by accident. 26:33 There may be somebody here that's drifted away from Christ. 26:35 God is appealing to you to come back. 26:38 This is your hour. This is your moment. 26:42 Maybe you're making a decision right now to follow Jesus. 26:44 Maybe you ought to be rebaptized. 26:46 Maybe you're an Adventist, but you've drifted away. 26:48 Contact It Is Written; contact my friends there; 26:52 let them know that you're making an eternal decision for Christ. 26:55 Maybe you've never been baptized before by immersion. 26:58 Maybe you're a young person, maybe you're a teenager, 27:00 maybe a college student, 27:02 but God is speaking to your heart. 27:04 Maybe your wife is an Adventist and you are not, 27:07 maybe your husband is an Adventist and you are not, 27:09 your brother, your sister. 27:11 You wanna be together in heaven, don't you? 27:13 You wanna enjoy the new earth together, don't you? 27:16 Make that decision right now. 27:18 Call It Is Written, let them know, 27:20 send them an email, respond to our address, 27:24 and follow Jesus. 27:26 And one day I'll meet you in heaven. 27:29 >>Eric: Pastor Mark, thank you for leading us 27:31 through this incredible journey; it has been an immense blessing. 27:35 And we want to thank you for joining us on this journey. 27:39 As Pastor Mark shared, if there's a decision 27:41 that you need to make, 27:43 I want to encourage you to make it as well. 27:45 Choose to follow Jesus. You will never regret it. 27:48 God bless you. We'll look forward to seeing you again 27:50 next time here on "Sabbath School," 27:52 brought to you by It Is Written. 27:53 ♪♪♪ 28:24 ♪♪♪ 28:26 [Captions provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-06-20