3ABN On the Road

Revelations Four Apocalyptic Horses

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Pr. Louis Torres

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Series Code: OTR

Program Code: OTR000722


01:00 Welcome back to "Digging Up the Future,"
01:02 Bible Prophecy Exposed.
01:04 How many of you are thankful
01:05 that we have Bibles that we can study?
01:08 And that we can grow and learn together
01:10 as we look not only the past but the present and the future.
01:14 And today's subject is going to be
01:16 looking at the past and the future again,
01:18 Revelations 4, Apocalyptic Horses.
01:22 And I don't know about you,
01:23 but I am excited to learn what that's all about.
01:26 Let's ask the Lord's presence though as we study today.
01:30 Father in Heaven, we're thankful
01:32 that You are pictured as coming on a white horse
01:37 coming victorious but there is other horses
01:39 and as we look through scripture today
01:42 we ask that You would help us understand them
01:44 and we ask that You would be with our speaker Pastor Torres.
01:46 We're thankful for his ministry.
01:48 And we ask that the Holy Spirit
01:50 would especially be with him today
01:52 and we come in Christ name, amen.
01:55 Let's stand together and sing our theme song
01:57 "Jesus is coming again."
02:09 Marvelous message we bring
02:13 Glorious carol we sing
02:16 Wonderful word of the King
02:20 Jesus is coming again
02:24 Coming again, coming again
02:31 Maybe morning, maybe noon
02:34 Maybe evening, but surely soon
02:38 Coming again, coming again
02:45 Oh what a wonderful day it will be
02:51 Jesus is coming again
02:59 Amen.
03:00 Say hallelujah this morning.
03:02 You can be seated.
03:04 We're thankful that Jesus is coming again
03:08 and we're thankful there is a going to be a time
03:10 that Revelation describes
03:13 a time when there is a no more night.
03:16 And to remind us of that wonderful time
03:19 Marion Peppers will be singing
03:21 an Anthea Hii will accompany her this morning.
03:36 The timeless theme
03:39 Earth and Heaven will pass away
03:47 It's not a dream
03:50 God will make all things new that day
03:58 Gone is the curse
04:02 From which I stumbled and fell
04:08 Evil is banished
04:12 And all is well
04:20 No more night
04:25 No more pain
04:29 No more tears
04:34 Never crying again
04:39 Praises to the great, "I am"
04:47 We will live in the light
04:52 Of the risen Lamb
05:06 See all around
05:09 Now the nations bow down to sing
05:15 The only sounds are the praises
05:21 To Christ, our King
05:26 Slowly the names
05:30 From the book are read
05:36 I know the King
05:40 So there is no need to dread
05:47 No more night
05:52 No more pain
05:57 No more tears
06:01 Never crying again
06:06 Praises to the great, "I am"
06:14 And we will live in the lights
06:19 Of the risen Lamb
06:26 Look over there
06:29 There is a mansion prepared for me
06:35 Where I will live
06:38 With my Savior eternally
06:46 No more night
06:51 No more pain
06:55 No more tears
07:00 Never crying again
07:04 And we will sing praises
07:07 To the great, "I am"
07:13 And we will live in the lights
07:18 Of the risen Lamb
07:23 We will live in the lights
07:28 Of the risen Lamb
07:33 We will live in the lights
07:39 Of the risen
07:46 Lamb
08:00 Well, the song is like that just take you
08:01 all the way up to heaven, what do you say?
08:03 Amen. No more night.
08:09 We long for that day when Jesus will come.
08:13 Shall we pray?
08:14 Our Father, as we open up the word again,
08:16 You've promised that you'll give us understanding
08:18 as we seek Your guidance and help.
08:21 And so according to Your promise
08:23 we thank You for it because we can realize it
08:27 not because of any merits that we have
08:28 but because of Jesus, amen.
08:31 Amen.
08:32 We open the scriptures today
08:34 to that chapter of Revelation 8:1.
08:39 Revelation 8:1, we start out with
08:43 "And when he had opened the seventh seal,
08:47 there was silence in heaven
08:50 about the space of an half hour."
08:53 When he opened which seal?
08:55 The seventh seal. There was what?
08:57 Silence in heaven. Our friends, listen.
09:01 There is a lot of activity in heaven.
09:04 And for the Bible to say
09:05 that there is a silence in heaven
09:07 must indicate that something very important is happening,
09:11 what do you say? And so what is it?
09:14 And what is it that the scripture reveals to us
09:17 about the Four Apocalyptic Horses?
09:22 We must begin in chapter 4,
09:24 so if turn with me to chapter 4
09:26 we're gonna briefly discover a few things in chapter 4.
09:29 Chapter 4 is a chapter
09:31 that ushers us right into the throne of God.
09:35 John the beloved has been given a vision
09:38 and as he has given his vision
09:40 he is able to look right into the very throne of God.
09:44 And there he sees 24 elders
09:47 and he also see four a living creatures
09:50 and that's what the word beast is there--
09:54 four living creatures.
09:55 And as John is looking at this
09:59 he is then brought to the realization
10:03 that in the midst of all of this there is a Lamb.
10:07 And verse 11 of chapter 4 it says "Thou are" what?
10:11 "Worthy to receive glory and honor and power,
10:15 for thou hast created all things,
10:16 for thy pleasure, are they and were created."
10:22 And let me give you a thought here.
10:27 Notice that it doesn't highlight
10:30 that the Lamb created miracles that the Lamb walked on water,
10:35 that the Lamb fed 5,000 or 12,000 people.
10:38 In other words, the attribute or the attributing factor here
10:45 that which brings glory to the Lamb
10:47 is nothing else then that He is the Creator.
10:53 Planet earth has lost sight of that
10:55 and most people believe that Jesus is a mere man.
10:59 But my friends, according to what we studied
11:01 when we've study the passion of Christ
11:03 we know then that we're not living
11:05 we're just or worshiping or following a mere man
11:09 we're worshiping and following a divine Christ.
11:12 What do you say?
11:13 One who is ever able to understand
11:17 and know what our needs are
11:18 and to sucker or to help us
11:21 and word "sucker" comes from the word socorro
11:24 in Spanish or Latin which means to help.
11:26 To what? To help in time of need.
11:29 Aren't you glad you have saviour
11:30 who is all powerful, all knowing
11:32 and who is able to help you in time of need,
11:34 what do you say?
11:35 Yes, thank the Lord for that.
11:37 And so then chapter 5
11:42 we then come into the next chapter.
11:46 And the next chapter begins to speak about
11:48 the "Opening of the 7 Seals."
11:52 As John is turned
11:55 and his attention directed to something else
11:59 there he finds that the one sitting on the throne
12:02 has a scroll, the Bible says there.
12:05 And that the scroll has seals on back of it.
12:08 You notice chapter 5 verse 1.
12:10 "And then the strong angel stands up and says
12:14 who is worthy to open the book,
12:18 and to loose the seals thereof?"
12:20 And John the Bible says turn to try to find out
12:23 who it is and he can't seem to find anybody
12:27 and the Bible says he begins to weep.
12:29 Why is John weeping?
12:30 Because obviously John had
12:32 come heart to heart with his savior
12:34 and he'd longed for the salvation of the world.
12:36 And he knew that somehow
12:38 this book had to do with man salvation
12:41 and so he begin to weep no one can open it.
12:44 There is something here that we need to know
12:46 and we cannot know.
12:48 And finally the angel says "don't we John, don't weep."
12:54 Verse 5 "why not."
12:56 Behold we found somebody who can open a book
12:59 "the Lion of the tribe of Judah,
13:01 the Root of David has reveal to open the book
13:04 and to loss the seven seals thereof."
13:06 And then the scripture says
13:07 that as John turn to see the lion what he see?
13:11 He sees a Lamb. Who is that Lamb?
13:13 Why either it is Jesus Christ. What do you say?
13:16 He it says that because of His sacrifice
13:20 He is worthy to open the seals
13:23 and to help us to understand what this is all about.
13:28 And so "Lo, I beheld in the midst of the throne
13:32 and other four beasts and in the midst of elders
13:35 stood a Lamb as it had been slain."
13:38 A Lamb who is still suffering
13:41 because of the condition of planet earth.
13:44 A Lamb that is actual word in then
13:46 the Greek continues to be slain.
13:49 Why does he continued to be slain?
13:51 Our friends, sometimes we think
13:53 that we have a difficult time in life.
13:57 Sometimes we cry out to God
14:00 "O, Lord, how long do I have to suffer this."
14:04 But friends, how long has God been suffering,
14:09 think of it.
14:13 You and I deal with our own problems.
14:16 God has to look down and see every sickbed,
14:21 every child who's suffering, every home that's divided,
14:26 every abuse, everything that has brought woe
14:31 and misery and pain and suffering
14:34 and agony to planet earth.
14:35 God has to look at it and see it all.
14:39 And so the Bible says if they see a Lamb,
14:42 you see is the Lamb that had been, what?
14:44 Slain. The Lamb is still suffering.
14:47 But will it there ever come an end to that suffering?
14:51 That's what this is all about
14:54 the time when the suffering will finally end.
14:56 And so we then turn to chapter 6
15:00 and we begin to talk about the opening of the seals.
15:03 John then--
15:04 attention again it's directed to something else.
15:07 He's now focused on the opening of the seals
15:12 and the Bible says then that John sees
15:15 Four Apocalyptic Horses racing through space.
15:18 What could this mean?
15:20 Well, what are the four horses and what do they represent?
15:24 We don't have all our time today
15:26 but I just want you to write down
15:27 some verses of scripture if you want to,
15:29 Zechariah 1:9, Zechariah 6:3.
15:35 These two verses tell you that the four horses represent
15:38 those who are going to and from the earth.
15:40 In other words, it represents the message of salvation
15:44 going through forth throughout the earth--
15:47 the messengers of God.
15:49 The Bible then says
15:50 that as John sees these horses
15:56 running across the space
15:59 it is a description that God reveals to us of Christianity
16:05 and helping us to understand
16:07 what happens to that message of--
16:09 that begins when Jesus Christ comes in full--
16:12 full gospel being preached to the world.
16:15 What happens to it through the Trans-course of history
16:18 all away up to our time.
16:20 In fact, this particular prophecy
16:22 helps us to understand
16:24 how the church was established and what happened to it
16:27 when it got involved with the military
16:29 and the political aspects of society.
16:32 But let's quickly go into the opening of the seals
16:35 because we have lot of ground to cover.
16:37 Chapter 6 and verse 1
16:39 "And I saw when the Lamb opened
16:41 one of the seals, and I heard,
16:42 as it were the noise of thunder,
16:44 one of the four beasts saying" doing what?
16:46 "Come and" what? "Come and see."
16:49 And in verse 2 then it says
16:52 that "When he looked he saw" what?
16:55 "A white horse and he that sat upon on him
16:58 had a bow and a crown was given unto him,
17:00 and he went for conquering and" what?
17:03 "To conquer."
17:04 Now if you remember in Revelation Chapter 19
17:07 it says "Jesus is coming and His riding on" what?
17:10 "On a white horse" exactly. So what does this represent?
17:14 It represents a Christian Church
17:15 and it's beginning as Jesus is famous as the Christian Church
17:19 and He begins to ride as it were to conquer.
17:22 Did the Christian Church conquer the world
17:24 in those days, what's the answer?
17:26 The answer is yes.
17:27 In fact, Paul says that by the time
17:29 he was still preaching he says that all the world
17:32 has heard about the gospel.
17:34 And even in the houses of Haran
17:36 and even the house of Caesar there were believers.
17:38 Can you imagine that?
17:40 God so blessed the Apostolic Movement
17:43 that the church went out to conquer
17:46 and what was beautiful about it is
17:48 that the gospel had power to change to human heart.
17:52 And so the criminal became a wonderful honest person,
17:56 the drunkard became sobered individual.
17:59 The child who was disobedient became an obedient child,
18:02 the dishonest became honest.
18:04 All the wonderful things that took place
18:06 God performing miracles in the human heart
18:09 and the human heart changing.
18:11 The Pagans became Christians and the Jews became converted.
18:17 There was a tremendous power that went out as the gospel
18:20 is being preached throughout the world.
18:21 And so it is shown here as a horse, white.
18:25 White represents what? Purity as a pure gospel.
18:29 A what? Pure.
18:31 A pure gospel, a pure message being given to the world
18:34 and because it was a pure message
18:36 it had power to conquer the heart.
18:38 Our friends, listen,
18:40 when Paul was preaching the gospel
18:41 he said "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ
18:43 because it is the power of God onto salvation."
18:46 The what? The power of God.
18:49 Thus the gospel had power, what's the answer?
18:51 Yes or no? Yes.
18:52 Absolutely.
18:54 So my friends, I'm surprised
18:55 you to didn't say "Amen" already.
18:57 Does the gospel have power?
18:58 Yes or no? Amen.
18:59 Absolutely.
19:00 So listen, I can tell you I've been to places
19:03 I preached the gospel of Christ
19:04 and I have seen all sorts of people being converted.
19:07 I have seen the drug addict, I've seen the murderer,
19:10 I've seen the thief,
19:11 I've seen all sorts of people been converted.
19:13 I remember one time in Romania I was preaching
19:16 4,500 people in the audience and a young man came to me,
19:21 a gypsy young man
19:22 and he brought with him a friend.
19:24 The friend looked like he was still drunk,
19:26 his hair was mad and his eyes looked bloodshot
19:30 and he could hardly stand.
19:32 And his clothing was obviously reeking with smell
19:35 looked like he was slept on the street.
19:37 And the young man brought him to me
19:38 and said "do for him what you did for me."
19:42 And I said, "What do you mean, what I'd did for you?
19:45 I didn't do anything for you." I said "God did it."
19:48 He said "well, however you explain it
19:50 do for him what you did for me."
19:53 And I said "well, what happen to you?"
19:54 He said "when I came to these meetings
19:56 before that I was alcoholic,
19:58 I was drunker, I was a fighter."
20:00 And then he pulled up, pulled down his sleeve
20:02 and there all sorts of scars on his arms,
20:04 knife scars from fighting up in the street all the time.
20:07 But he says "since I have come to these meetings
20:09 God has changed my life."
20:11 "I no longer drink" he said "I'm no longer fighting."
20:14 He said, "now, I'm home and my wife is happy."
20:17 Then he said, "do for him, what you've done for me?"
20:19 And so then I looked at the young man and I said,
20:21 "God has done it for him
20:22 and God can do it for you, too."
20:24 And I said, "how badly do you want it?"
20:26 He said, "with all my heart."
20:27 I said, "would you kneel down with me
20:29 then commit your heart to God?"
20:30 We knelt down.
20:31 That young man just lifted up his heart to God
20:34 and plead for deliverance.
20:35 Few weeks later, I had the two boys
20:38 and the two wives weeping with joy
20:41 because their husbands had been delivered
20:43 from alcohol and from the streets
20:44 and now they are good loving husbands.
20:46 What do you say, friends?
20:47 Does the gospel have power, yes or no?
20:49 Yeah. Absolutely so.
20:51 And so the gospel is going with power,
20:53 hearts are been converted, things are happening,
20:56 exciting things happening.
20:57 But listen, something happens.
21:00 A white horse is then
21:02 a pure faith changed his color.
21:05 "And when he had opened the second seal
21:07 I heard the second beast say, come and see.
21:09 And there went out another horse."
21:11 And what color was this horse?
21:12 Red. Another horse, red.
21:14 And then it says that this red horse,
21:16 does something, power is given unto whom?
21:19 "Unto him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth,
21:22 and that they should kill one another,
21:23 and there was given unto him a great sword."
21:26 Now imagine what happens.
21:28 The pure horse becomes a persecuting horse.
21:33 What?
21:34 The pure horse becomes a what?
21:36 Persecuting horse.
21:37 Oh, I've known that maybe some of you are confused,
21:40 some of you are saying
21:41 well, that that represented persecution
21:42 was brought to the church.
21:44 No, my friends, it says that the power,
21:46 the sword was given to him.
21:48 To whom? To the one riding the horse.
21:51 Do you see that?
21:52 Yes or no? Yes.
21:54 The sword was given to him and it says,
21:56 "It was given to him that sat thereon
21:59 to take peace from the earth,
22:00 and that they should kill one another,
22:01 kill one another."
22:02 Well, what is this talking about?
22:04 As the church grew in power, the devil tried to stop it,
22:08 and the devil couldn't stop it.
22:10 The devil tried to destroy Christianity.
22:11 Persecution did come on the Christians no doubt.
22:15 And people did suffer for their faith no doubt.
22:17 But, my friends, every martyr only create a new believers,
22:22 their blood was like sea
22:23 that quite create a sprouting of many others
22:26 who believed in the name of Jesus Christ
22:28 and who had gladly go to the stake
22:31 for that precious name
22:33 but then something began to happen.
22:34 The church became popular.
22:37 And when the church became popular,
22:39 it began to pull in Pagans into the church.
22:41 They wanted to win the world
22:43 and they thought compromise was the best way to do it.
22:46 They forgot how it was the truth
22:49 that converts the heart.
22:50 It is what? Truth.
22:51 Jesus didn't say compromise, you shall not comprise
22:54 and the compromise shall make you free.
22:57 Does that what you said? What did you say?
23:00 "You shall know the truth and the truth shall" what?
23:03 My friends, listen, let me share this to you.
23:06 It is the truth that converts human hearts.
23:09 Don't ever allow you, yourself to believe
23:13 that it is something else.
23:15 If you could just do something else
23:16 the church isn't doing other things
23:18 to win people to Christ.
23:19 My friends, listen, what you win people with
23:21 is what you win them to.
23:26 What?
23:27 What you win people with is what you win them, too.
23:30 My friends, if you win them to the true,
23:32 what do you win them to?
23:33 The truth. The truth.
23:35 So the church changed to began to persecute its own believers.
23:41 And the Bible reveals then as the church became popular,
23:44 they began to self positions to the highest bidders
23:47 and things began to take place,
23:48 there was a compromise that took place,
23:51 paganism begin to creep into the church
23:53 but there were people in the church
23:54 whose hearts were just broken.
23:56 They couldn't believe that the church
23:59 beginning to compromise and accept things
24:02 that were antichrist and they became victims.
24:06 They became what? Victims of their own people.
24:10 That's why it says, they what? Began, they should kill what?
24:14 One another.
24:15 So that pure church became a persecuting church.
24:20 Became a what? Persecuting church.
24:22 How was that possible?
24:24 How is it possible
24:25 that the Christian can become a persecutor?
24:28 Is it possible?
24:30 My friends, is it possible that you could persecute
24:33 somebody else in the name of the Lord?
24:35 Is that possible?
24:37 Is it possible that you could become critical,
24:40 condemnatory about somebody else
24:42 because they don't meet up to your standards?
24:44 Is that possible? Yes or no?
24:45 Yes.
24:46 Yes and unfortunately it's done too often.
24:48 What do you say?
24:49 Now that doesn't mean
24:50 that God does not have standards
24:52 or that means that we as Christians
24:54 ought to seek to always redeem.
24:56 To always what? Redeem.
24:58 The truth is not given to kill people,
25:00 the truth is given to give life to people.
25:03 And so the Bible says then a Red Horse
25:06 the church then began to become a persecutor
25:10 and it persecuted others.
25:14 Well, then the Bible says
25:16 that something else would take place to the church.
25:19 Verse 5 and 6 "And when had opened the third seal,
25:21 I heard the third beast say, come and see.
25:25 And I beheld, and lo a" what?
25:28 "A black horse, and he that sat on him
25:30 had a pair of" what?
25:31 "Balances in his hand."
25:33 Now what do you suppose it says "balances in his hands?"
25:35 What do you think what balances we use for the old days?
25:40 It was use to buy and sell.
25:42 In other words when you went
25:44 I remember when I was a little boy
25:45 we used to be in Brooklyn, New York
25:47 they used to still use balances they call them a scale.
25:50 But I remember how we--
25:52 my mother would go to Jewish they use to--
25:56 the Jews had little carts, grocery carts
25:59 and all sorts of carts they can push,
26:01 there on Belmont street in Brooklyn, New York
26:03 and my mother would always go early
26:04 because she knew she go to--
26:05 went early and she would always get a better price
26:07 than if you went late.
26:09 And they had balances and they put so much here
26:13 and then they had weights they put on the other side
26:15 to you know balance out how much she brought.
26:17 And my mother always watched those balances.
26:20 She wanted to make sure
26:21 that the right weights are put on this side,
26:22 do you understand?
26:23 And so it says that the black horse--
26:26 now next verse it says then that this particular horse
26:31 it says "I heard the four beasts say,
26:33 a measure of wheat for a penny,
26:34 and three measures of barley for a penny,
26:36 and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine."
26:39 Something is happening to the spiritual condition church.
26:42 Which way is the church going up or down?
26:44 It is going down.
26:46 From white it becomes red from red now becomes what?
26:49 Black as a change in the church
26:51 in the Bible reveals then that during this time
26:55 once the church to control the society
26:58 that it began to sell salvation.
27:02 Began to what? Sell salvation.
27:06 Now you've probably have heard of something like indulgence,
27:08 how many of you have heard of indulgences?
27:10 Okay, in this particular time it became--
27:15 there came a terrible time for the church.
27:17 The church became popular and there is always is danger
27:21 when the church becomes popular.
27:23 Isn't that true?
27:25 I remember when the Cubans came on that flatizza
27:28 from Cuba where Castro
27:29 was sending out all the Cubans out of--
27:31 pulled all the criminals.
27:32 Well, there were some of them were criminals
27:34 but the only crime they had committed
27:36 was that they believed in the Bible.
27:37 So to Castro they were criminals.
27:40 And so I remember meeting some of them
27:42 in Fort Chaffee, Arkansas
27:44 not too far away from here and talking to them.
27:48 And as I talked to them
27:51 I asked them about their situation,
27:53 how hard it was?
27:54 And they told me how difficult it was,
27:56 how tough it was to be there in prison
28:00 because their faith in the Lord.
28:05 And some of them only had a towel
28:08 wrapped on their waist that's all the clothing
28:10 they were permitted to take with them.
28:13 And as I said to those of you
28:15 who were here at the other night
28:17 they would open up their mouths
28:18 and see if they had any gold in their mouth
28:20 and there would just yank it out
28:21 right down the cold blood.
28:24 Yank it out and send them off.
28:26 So all people came with nothing.
28:30 But they were faithful, they were faithful
28:32 and when I meet them it was already setup
28:36 they had ask permission of the military there
28:38 if they could have a worship service
28:40 on Wednesday night, okay.
28:42 Here they were as pilgrims and strangers
28:44 couldn't speak English or anything
28:46 but they had somehow figured out
28:47 how to have a worship service once a night.
28:49 My friends, how many of you come out to prayer meetings?
28:52 Don't raise your hands.
28:54 It's a sad comminatory that most people now
28:57 only come to church when?
29:00 One day a week.
29:02 Oh, friends, there were people
29:05 who were refugees, people who had been deserted,
29:11 people who had nothing
29:12 and there they were setup to worship.
29:15 And when I got to the barrack
29:17 they had barrow the footlockers.
29:19 You know what I am talking about
29:20 the arm and footlockers, little rectangular boxes.
29:24 And they had set it up as a church with pews.
29:29 And I was just moved to tears to see
29:31 that kind of commitment.
29:33 What do you say? Amen.
29:36 But here is what I told them.
29:37 I said "my brother, here in the America
29:41 it'll be much tougher for you than in Cuba,
29:45 concern in your faith."
29:47 They didn't understand that.
29:49 I said you'll find that it's more difficult
29:51 to be a Christian in prosperity
29:54 than it is to be a Christian in adversity.
29:58 What did I say?
30:00 More difficult to be a Christian in, what?
30:02 In prosperity than in what? In adversity.
30:07 They didn't understand what I've said
30:11 but then they did.
30:14 The church became popular and they became more difficult
30:17 and doctors begin to sweep in.
30:19 In fact I hope that Pastor Don
30:22 will give you the outline of all the things
30:24 that came into Christianity through the Dark Ages.
30:27 Would you like to know that?
30:29 I have a whole list of all the teachings
30:31 and all the practices that came into Christianity
30:34 through Dark Ages and the dates
30:35 that they were introduced into Christianity.
30:37 How many of you would like copy of that?
30:39 All right Pastor Don, you have it, okay.
30:41 So the terrible time came and of course what happened is
30:45 that those who were sincere,
30:47 who wanted to still be true to God left the churches
30:51 and found no other choice but to hide in the wilderness.
30:55 And that's why in Revelation Chapter 12
30:56 it says, that the Lord prepared a place in the wilderness
31:00 for His for the woman and wing was given to her
31:04 that she may fly into the wilderness
31:05 for time and time and half a times.
31:07 In other words the Christians
31:08 who wanted to still follow the scriptures
31:11 had no other choice them to leave
31:12 because the church became pagan in nature
31:15 had Christianize but pagan in nature.
31:18 For example there are lot of practices
31:20 that people practice today
31:21 that they have no idea it comes from paganism.
31:24 Did you know that? A lot of practices.
31:27 You just think for example Sunday.
31:30 Sunday was not a Christian or Biblical position
31:33 it was a pagan position.
31:35 It was a day of the worship of the sun.
31:37 Easter, Easter was not a Christian
31:39 or Biblical practice.
31:41 It was a pagan practice.
31:42 So they-- when they worshipped the Goddess of Easter
31:44 and they used the burn in the egg
31:46 as emblems or symbols
31:48 of procreation and a multiplication.
31:50 In other words the rabbit can multiply up pretty fast.
31:53 And in those days the pagans would actually have open orgies
31:58 as celebration for this particular Goddess.
32:02 Well, also to practices have come in.
32:05 And you can understand how the ache of heart
32:08 that people had and so you find then a separation.
32:11 The church then is a church has turned what? Black.
32:15 And when the church turns black it is in darkness.
32:17 It is what? In darkness.
32:19 And by the way this time period
32:22 is considered to be the Dark Ages.
32:24 That what?
32:25 How many of you have heard
32:26 of the Dark Ages in history, okay.
32:27 So this is Dark Ages and its call the Dark Ages
32:30 because it seemed that people
32:32 have no ability to gain knowledge.
32:34 Well, it had knowledge.
32:36 They could have gotten the knowledge.
32:38 All they had to do was to read the scriptures.
32:39 But what did they do with the scriptures?
32:41 Well, they took the Bible
32:43 and only the wealthy could buy Bibles.
32:46 It was very expensive to buy a Bible.
32:48 And only the priests or the churches
32:50 could have the Bible
32:51 and then it came to boot too have a Bible.
32:54 So you could not read a Bible because it was a Holy Book
32:57 was still Holy for the common people
32:59 and therefore the people who left in darkness.
33:01 Left in what? In darkness.
33:04 And so the church then it goes into kind of dark period
33:09 through the Dark Ages.
33:10 Well, the fourth seal then its open.
33:15 And the Bible says "that the invitation is come and see.
33:19 And I looked and behold a" what?
33:22 "A pale horse and his name that sat on him was" what?
33:26 "Death, and hell followed with him."
33:28 My friends, it was a terrible time then
33:30 the church actually became spiritually dead.
33:34 In others words it began to rely
33:35 upon the civil authorities and the power
33:38 to actually control the conscience of the people.
33:40 And so the church rather than relying
33:43 upon the God of heaven to inspire people
33:47 to be holy it relied upon its dogmas
33:50 and the authorities to force people
33:52 to for conform into these particular dogmas.
33:56 The scripture says that notice it says
33:58 death and hell followed them.
33:59 So when you think of color pale,
34:02 when you see somebody who's pale face,
34:03 what does that tell you?
34:05 You see my mother use to say
34:07 ( speaking in foreign language )
34:09 Well, that means he's pale. Which means what?
34:11 He is pretty close of being dead, all right.
34:14 And so when the church then becomes a pale color
34:17 which means what?
34:18 It is gone from white to red to darkness
34:23 and now to what spiritual death, okay.
34:25 My friends, remember that
34:27 when you shift away from the scriptures,
34:29 when you shift away from the Lord
34:31 you will finally spiritual speaking die, okay.
34:36 And so it continues then and it tells us
34:41 that "power was given unto them
34:43 over the fourth part of the earth,
34:45 to kill with the sword, and with hunger and with death,
34:48 and with the beasts of the earth."
34:49 In other words people who cast the lions
34:51 during the Dark Ages they all sorts of atrocities
34:54 that were committed.
34:55 And we can spend time on that
34:57 but it was important for you to understand
34:59 that it was a terrible time in earth's history.
35:02 People were basically just pressed
35:05 into certain mental pictures that they had of God.
35:11 They believed that God was a tyrant looking down
35:14 and ready to beat you up if you got out of the line.
35:17 If you go to Europe and you go to the great cathedrals
35:19 you see all sorts of weird creatures
35:23 that images of them allover beast or demons
35:28 or there're all sorts of different strange creatures
35:32 there on cathedral walls.
35:34 And it was there to inspire fear
35:37 and there were some pictures of hell
35:39 and people burning in hell and all that.
35:40 Well, no one wanted to go to hell.
35:43 I mean if you saw you're gonna go to hell
35:44 and burn forever, who wanted to do that.
35:46 So it was easier to obey than to what?
35:50 To disobey.
35:52 But the problem is this friends,
35:53 just like in communism.
35:54 I remember in communism they try to scare people.
35:57 They would pick somebody as a victim
35:59 and they put in the prison with the hope
36:01 that would then take care of the rest of the people.
36:04 But all it did was have people just go underground.
36:06 They did what they wanted to do secretly.
36:09 And so you cannot change a human heart my friends,
36:12 by forcing them into conformity.
36:14 What do you say? Amen.
36:16 You have to give people the opportunity
36:18 to believe and to accept the power of Christ to change.
36:21 Well, the white horse or the pale horse pardon me,
36:24 and that faith and so then from that then the Bible says
36:30 "When he'd opened the fifth seal,
36:32 I saw under the altars the souls of them
36:35 that were slain for the word of God,
36:37 and for the testimony which they held."
36:40 Now, I want you to notice something interesting here,
36:41 by the way some people think this is actual place
36:44 and they use this text to prove that
36:45 there are people down there underneath the earth
36:47 some place under the, in hell.
36:49 This is not talking about that at all.
36:52 This is saying that souls under the altar,
36:54 when it say souls under the altar where is an altar,
36:57 no one is speaking where do you find an altar?
36:59 In the church and what is it telling you,
37:01 that these people lost their lives, where?
37:04 In the church, all right.
37:06 And that it says that they were slain for what?
37:10 For the word of God and for their testimony.
37:13 In other words the only crime they committed was simply that
37:16 they believed in the Word of God and testimonies.
37:18 There were people called Waldensians
37:19 and I've been to the Waldensian valley
37:21 there in Italy and in Switzerland
37:23 and those people with actually were became merchants.
37:27 I've been through the college there
37:28 its still a building made out of rocks
37:31 and when you go there you realize
37:34 the sacrifice of these people
37:36 made to be able to maintain in their hearts to Word of God,
37:41 and so their kids were taught how to be merchants.
37:44 And then they were given the Bible.
37:46 They would handwrite the Bible.
37:48 And then they were given the pages for the Bibles
37:50 and these people went around as merchants
37:52 and when they found somebody
37:53 that they thought would be a believer,
37:55 they would give a page of that
37:56 of the Bible to those individuals.
37:59 Unfortunately, sometimes they give it to the wrong person,
38:01 they would turn them
38:03 and what is supposed to happen to them?
38:04 They were burnt up to stake.
38:08 You go over there to the Waldensians,
38:10 you'll see paintings of when the Roman's armies
38:15 would go and try to destroy these villages--
38:20 whole villages of Waldensian people.
38:23 You see horrible pictures of soldiers
38:25 holding a baby upside down and then other soldier
38:28 with a sword to split the child in half.
38:31 You see, all sorts of things happening there.
38:34 It was a terrible time that this took place
38:37 and so many people died for their faith.
38:40 But it says then that they were under the altar, right.
38:44 "And they cried with a loud voice, saying,
38:46 How long, O Lord, holy and true,
38:49 dost thou not judge and avenge our blood
38:51 on them that dwell on the earth?"
38:53 How long, O, what? How long, O Lord.
38:57 Now listen, this is a same wording
39:01 that you'll find in the Book of Genesis.
39:02 For example, does blood have a voice?
39:08 Does it? No.
39:10 It says "And they cried with a loud voice,
39:13 saying, how long, O Lord--
39:15 dost thou not avenge our blood on them
39:17 that dwell on the earth."
39:18 Well, it says like they're crying
39:19 well, in Genesis, in the Book of Genesis
39:22 we're told that the people-- pardon me,
39:27 King himself who killed Abel
39:29 that God tells Cain that the blood of Abel
39:33 also is crying out.
39:34 But notice it says, "White robes are given unto Him
39:38 and it was said unto them, that they should" what?
39:41 "Rest."
39:42 So if they're resting you cannot be crying
39:46 all the time in resting, right?
39:48 So, obviously there were slain
39:50 and there were told that they should rest
39:52 and they should rest until when?
39:55 "For a little season until the fellow servants
39:57 also and their brethren should be killed as they were
40:00 and that time should be fulfilled."
40:02 Well, as I said in the Book of Genesis,
40:06 the same languages is had there as remember
40:09 as I mentioned about Cain and Abel God said to Cain
40:12 "And He said what that thou done?
40:14 The voice of thy brother's blood crieth
40:16 unto me from the ground."
40:18 In other words what this language is simply saying is
40:20 that people were innocently killed
40:23 and because they were innocently killed,
40:26 justice was demanded.
40:28 What was demanded? Justice is demanded.
40:32 Okay.
40:34 We have the same saying today.
40:37 For example the Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline
40:42 said the following.
40:43 "Victims whose voices were brutally silenced
40:46 by the evil of one man
40:47 will now have their voices heard again."
40:50 Simply he's referring to what? Justice will be had.
40:55 And so that's in reference to what God is referring to,
40:59 people were killed in the dark ages
41:01 and they were crying "how long, O Lord."
41:03 And the Lord said basically you rest
41:07 and, in fact in the Revelation Chapter 14
41:09 it says, blessed are the dead, they rest in the Lord.
41:13 They what? They rest in the Lord, okay.
41:17 And so the idea is you hold on tight,
41:23 I'll take care of it.
41:25 Vengeance is mine saith the Lord.
41:29 Well, as we continue then, the scripture reveals
41:32 that people were having being killed et cetera
41:39 finally were arrayed with white garments.
41:42 In other words you remember the reformers,
41:44 for example, Luther, Zwingli, Hus and Gerome.
41:47 In Switzerland, you can go to Switzerland
41:49 and by the university down there in Geneva
41:52 you'll find a wall called the Reformation Wall
41:55 and there in that Reformation Wall,
41:56 you will find statues of the reformers.
42:01 Hus and Gerome et cetera,
42:03 they're now considered honored men.
42:06 In those days they were considered
42:08 to be betrayers of the faith.
42:10 People worthy only of the worst type of death
42:15 but God saw them as righteous people.
42:18 He saw them as what? Righteous people.
42:21 These men were holy men.
42:22 God had called them and God had called them
42:25 to bring the light out of darkness.
42:28 Remember the Dark Ages finally,
42:30 a great light shown on the Dark Ages.
42:32 Different reformers began to come up
42:34 in England, in Switzerland, in Germany.
42:37 All over people began to sprout up
42:40 right from within the church.
42:41 Most of these people were monks, friars, priests,
42:45 who began to read the Bible for the first time
42:47 and discovered the wonderful truth of salvation
42:50 as it is found in Jesus Christ.
42:52 And so the Bible says
42:53 "then that they were given white robes"
42:55 and according to the scriptures,
42:57 white robes then represents what?
42:59 "Righteousness."
43:00 So these people were considered to be what? Righteous.
43:04 Not criminals, righteous people.
43:07 Well, we go into verse 12,
43:11 "I beheld and when he had opened the" what?
43:14 "Sixth seal and lo, there was a great earthquake
43:16 and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair,
43:18 and the moon became as blood."
43:20 So the sixth earthquake actually,
43:22 I mean the sixth plague
43:23 actually opens with an earthquake.
43:27 Now notice then as we continue the next verse,
43:30 it says "the stars of heaven fell unto the earth,
43:33 even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs,
43:36 when she is shaken of a mighty wind."
43:38 And so we now see then
43:41 that the earthquake opens the sixth seal, the what?
43:45 Earthquake opens the sixth seal.
43:47 So we come all the way through the Dark Ages,
43:50 we now come to the time of the reformation
43:53 and then as an evidence that we've been ushered
43:57 into what the Bible calls it time of the end,
44:00 there's an earthquake.
44:01 There's what? An earthquake.
44:03 And it has to be in Europe because all of these things
44:05 we're talking about so far are taking place where?
44:09 In Europe.
44:10 And so there must be an earthquake
44:11 in Europe at that time.
44:12 And did it take place?
44:14 Well, the scripture reveals then
44:16 that an earthquake did take place in Lisbon
44:20 and when it did hit in Lisbon,
44:23 it happened to hit on a religious day
44:26 and the history reveals that the earthquake hit
44:30 and it actually affected over 2,000 miles
44:34 and the loss it says from 60,000 to 90,000 people
44:38 died in six minutes.
44:41 It's the terrible earthquake that hit,
44:43 there're people who thought
44:45 that they could find refuge in the church,
44:46 you know, the idea is God is in the church
44:48 so your running to the church.
44:49 Well, the church is crumbled on them,
44:51 many people died.
44:53 There was some people who went after the dock, to the port,
44:56 thinking that they could find shelter on the port
44:58 and as they were there a great tsunami came
45:00 and swallow them away,
45:02 it was a terrible time that took place in Europe.
45:04 And then the Bible says, after the earthquake
45:07 there would be the darkening of the day
45:10 and then it says that the stars would fall.
45:14 So, the question is when did all these things take place?
45:17 Well, let me just give you the dates.
45:19 The first one the earthquake took place
45:21 November 1, 1755 in Europe
45:23 and there was a terrible earthquake
45:24 it actually cause the current of some rivers
45:27 to go backwards it affected all the way
45:29 around Europe and Africa, North Africa et cetera.
45:32 The second sign the darkening of the sun
45:35 and the dark day it happened in 1780.
45:38 You can go into the internet and check up 1780, May 19, 1780
45:45 and it will tell you about the dark day,
45:47 it will tell you the phenomena that's unexplainable,
45:49 it just all of a sudden it happened
45:52 the things kind of shutdown.
45:54 Then on November 13, 1833,
45:58 you'll find also that a spectacular thing took place.
46:02 There were shooting stars that they say,
46:04 they were about 200,000 per hour.
46:07 How much? 200,000 per hour.
46:11 And each event people thought it was the end of the world
46:14 and in each event people went into the church
46:16 to make peace with God.
46:18 Isn't it interesting how it is?
46:19 That people can be living a wow righteous life
46:23 and when some disaster takes place where they go to?
46:27 Remember this friends, and I heard this
46:29 and I believe it to be true because I was in a military,
46:32 they say there are no foxhole atheists.
46:36 And there're no what? No foxhole atheists.
46:40 And I will tell you when you are in a foxhole,
46:43 you got to believe in something?
46:44 You got to believe in what? Something.
46:47 When bullets are flying all over you
46:50 and you'll see bullets coming in your way,
46:55 you got to believe in something.
46:56 I remember when night time the machine guns went off
47:00 and the bombs gone off and all that.
47:02 I like-- we were in the constant home
47:04 not to go to sleep and the guys would say Torres, Torres.
47:09 How can you sleep with all that?
47:11 Now I said, leave me alone I rather be asleep
47:13 than alive than awake you know.
47:15 And what if a rocket hits us? Well, I don't want to know.
47:22 Your crazy Torres go back to sleep,
47:24 they would say.
47:26 I had made my peace with the Lord
47:27 and I have knelt down and after I'd knelt down
47:30 I have made my peace with the Lord
47:32 and the Lord could take care of me.
47:35 And if a rocket hits so big, what do you say?
47:38 And so, in each case people would fly
47:43 and run to the churches but unfortunately friends,
47:46 you cannot have a Fire Escape Religion.
47:48 You cannot have what? A Fire Escape Religion.
47:52 God would rather to have faithful people
47:54 who love Him, what do you say?
47:55 Amen.
47:56 Well, then it says,
47:58 "And the heavens departed as a scroll
48:03 when it is rolled together and every mountain and island
48:05 were moved out of their place."
48:09 And finally, the Bible reveals then,
48:13 in verse 15 that something wonderful happens,
48:16 so it said, "the Lord returns."
48:20 In other words, I want you to understand
48:21 this according to Revelation,
48:23 you and I are living between verse 13 and 14.
48:26 Between what? Verse 13 and 14.
48:31 In other words, "we are living in the end of time."
48:34 We are living what? "In the end of time."
48:38 Those signs have already taken place
48:40 and next sign that will take place
48:43 is the seventh seal that's open.
48:45 But listen when the Lord returns it says then,
48:48 "That the kings of the earth, and the great man,
48:50 and the rich men, and the chief captains,
48:52 and the mighty man, and every bondman,
48:53 and every freed man, hid themselves in the dens
48:55 and in the rocks of the mountains.
48:56 And they pray to the rocks and mountains,
48:59 they fall on us, and hide us from the face of him
49:02 that sitteth on the throne,
49:04 and from the wrath of the Lamb."
49:06 And verse 17 says,
49:08 "For the great day of his wrath is come,
49:10 and who shall be able to stand?"
49:12 Now that question who shall be able to stand
49:14 is answered in chapter 7.
49:18 In the Book of Revelation Chapter 7
49:19 which is the parenthesis between the sixth seal
49:22 and the seventh seal, you'll find the answer.
49:25 And the answer is,
49:27 "There they have washed their robes
49:29 in the blood of the Lamb."
49:31 Who will be able to stand? There they'd have what?
49:35 Washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.
49:39 And the question it says, who shall be able to stand?
49:43 The answer is they that have had their robes washed
49:48 in the blood of the Lamb.
49:52 And so the scripture reveals my friends,
49:54 that we are very close to the time
49:57 with the master shall appear.
49:58 So, you may ask the question then,
50:02 what is that mean then the silence in heaven?
50:05 Let me explain to you what's taking place.
50:07 According to Revelation Chapter 16,
50:10 it brings us all the way up to the future.
50:13 It brings us to the time when,
50:15 when the churches have basically fallen spiritually.
50:19 And then the Revelation Chapter 12 and 13
50:21 help us to understand that there're two churches
50:23 that that they come up.
50:25 Of course, the one that receives the wound
50:27 begins to be the super church.
50:29 The other one that woman dressed in white,
50:33 Revelation Chapter 12 is God's true church
50:35 but it's identified as keeping the commandments of God
50:38 and having what?
50:39 The faith of Jesus.
50:41 Then the scripture reveals
50:43 that finally as prophesy finally meets its fulfillment
50:49 that they are two distinct groups
50:50 they are those that love God one who obey and follow Him
50:53 and those that think they love God
50:55 but do not want to obey and follow Him.
50:59 Like Cain who offered to God what he wanted
51:04 but did not bring to God what God asked.
51:07 Is it possible friends, that some times
51:08 we want God to save us on our own ground?
51:12 Is that possible, yes or no? Yes.
51:15 Yes, oh, God, look I want to be saved
51:17 but I why wanted you--
51:18 you know, won't be too hard on me.
51:19 And let me at least keep this. Let me at least do that.
51:22 My friends, listen those things that you want to keep
51:25 will only bring you harm and God knows that.
51:28 And so he tries to help us to understand
51:31 that it is now the time for us to be ready.
51:34 Now when that's-- that happens
51:36 this seventh sealed happens,
51:38 and opens up and there's silence in heaven
51:40 is because it is finished.
51:43 Then mystery of iniquity has finally come to an end.
51:46 The great controversy finally has coming to a climax.
51:50 The master has left heaven with all the Angelico's
51:53 and you read in Revelation Chapter 19.
51:57 The master promised that He would come again.
51:59 Do you remember that?
52:00 And now He is coming with all his Angelical
52:02 to rescue those who have loved Him and served Him.
52:06 And He had made the promise
52:07 but to many Christians they think oh, why this is so long
52:11 just like in the ones underneath the altar.
52:14 Oh, how long, O Lord?
52:16 And, friends, when you're suffering on this earth,
52:20 you can understand and emphasize with that.
52:22 You'll say "oh, God, how long we have to wait?
52:29 How long do I have to suffer?
52:32 How long do I have to be in this condition?"
52:37 And the Lord says, "wait, trust in Me.
52:42 But the time will come when I will come."
52:46 And when Jesus He sends from heaven
52:48 with all His Angelico's there is silence in heaven.
52:51 Why?
52:52 Because the greatest deliberation
52:55 of all of earth's history is about to take place.
52:58 Jesus is coming with all His mighty angels
53:01 to conquer and to conquer
53:02 and to be conqueror what do you say?
53:04 He is coming as king of king and Lord of Lord's.
53:06 He is coming with all His angels
53:08 and nothing on this earth will be able to hold Him back.
53:10 Well, Macarthur had promised that he would return.
53:14 I remember when my wife's family
53:16 both grandfather and great uncle were in China.
53:19 They were missionaries in China
53:20 the communism put them in concentration camps
53:23 for a while then they were released.
53:25 And Uncle Lionel then decides to go to the Philippines
53:28 and Grandpa Ham decides to go to India.
53:32 Well, Uncle Lionel didn't realize
53:33 when he went to the Philippines that war would breakout.
53:35 And then he and his son Ovendale
53:40 got caught in a prison camp
53:42 and that's why they spent three years.
53:45 Well, Aunt Pearl wrote the book about that experience
53:49 and the book is entitled "Angels Over," what?
53:52 Manila.
53:53 And her name of course is Hazel but we called her Aunt Pearl.
53:57 And Aunt Pearl tells us a story.
53:59 I remember sitting with her often times
54:01 and I always wanted to know things
54:03 that happened in the past especially with the family
54:06 and she disclosed, you know, the agony
54:09 that she was experiencing as she was hoping
54:12 that what the general had said would be true.
54:16 But you know you can wait one year
54:18 and you can do it one year then you have to wait two years
54:22 and that comes a little more difficult to endure.
54:24 Then you have to wait three years
54:26 and then it becomes even more difficult to endure.
54:29 And you begin to then understand the cry
54:31 how long, oh, Lord?
54:36 It was getting worse and worse and worse.
54:38 Her husband and son were becoming
54:40 more and more emaciated they were skinner
54:43 they didn't have much food to eat et cetera.
54:46 They were suffering hardships there.
54:47 She was suffering hardship because she had a sick mother
54:50 and all she could do is take care of her in the house
54:53 that the Japanese later allowed to stay in.
54:56 And finally one day she was outside
54:58 she heard the roaring of angels of engines in the sky.
55:02 And when she looked up she thought
55:03 it was Japanese zero, so the Japanese airplanes
55:06 but they were not, it was American air planes.
55:08 And they began to jump out of the sky and she said,
55:11 she saw those paratroopers come down they look like angels
55:14 so coming down to rescue her.
55:17 And so that's why she wrote the book
55:19 "Angels over" what?
55:20 "Manila."
55:22 And, my friends, she was so excited
55:26 that they had finally come and arrested them
55:29 and the question is this friends,
55:33 are you excited that Jesus is coming?
55:37 Are you longing for Jesus to come?
55:40 You know, I've heard some people say,
55:41 I love the Lord but I hope He doesn't come in my day.
55:46 Oh friends, how could you love the Lord
55:47 and hope that He doesn't come in your day.
55:52 My friends, if you love somebody,
55:54 you want them to come, what do you say?
55:55 Amen. Yes or no?
55:57 The more you love them,
55:58 more and more anxious you are for them to come.
56:00 No wonder John the beloved
56:02 in the last book of the Bible in the last chapter,
56:06 the last verse, the last prayer on the Bible,
56:10 "even so come" what? "Lord Jesus."
56:15 All friends, that should be the prayer of my heart
56:17 and the prayer of your heart, what do you say?
56:19 Even so what? Come Lord Jesus.
56:22 Maybe you got some business
56:24 that you think you have to take care of
56:25 before you commit yourself to the Lord.
56:27 Maybe you think you need to get a masters degree
56:29 before you commit yourself to the Lord
56:32 or may be there's something that you need to do,
56:33 I remember just recently holding a meeting,
56:35 a couple wanted to quit smoking
56:37 but they had just bought a carton of cigarettes
56:39 and they started that they wanted to finish a carton
56:40 before they quit smoking.
56:42 Oh, friends, listen,
56:44 what is that is holding you back
56:45 from giving yourself to the Lord?
56:47 Whatever it is, don't let it hold your back
56:50 what do you say?
56:51 It doesn't pay, it's not worth it.
56:53 Listen friends, if you really long to see the Lord,
56:56 then you should be willing to cast anything aside for Him.
56:59 What do you say? Amen.
57:00 I'm gonna every today would like to lift up your hands
57:02 to heaven and say, Lord, come and come quickly,
57:06 I want to see You. Shall we pray?
57:08 Our Father, You see in our hands,
57:11 oh, God, help us to long for that day
57:14 when You will appear we pray in Jesus name, amen.


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Revised 2014-12-17