Participants:
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000957
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01:00 Let's bow our heads.
01:03 Almost gracious and heavenly Lord, 01:06 we thank You for this, Your heavenly Sabbath. 01:09 Father. We pray that your spirit 01:12 would be here among us. 01:14 Father today there are someone 01:15 as looking for a special blessing. 01:18 I pray Lord that you will hear their prayer 01:23 and their cry Father. 01:25 Lord we asks that You will speak 01:27 through our speaker today. 01:30 Give him words from own high. 01:32 Bless his service Lord, and come be here with us. 01:37 This is our prayer Father, not because we are worthy, 01:40 but because we've been filled by Your Son Jesus Christ. 01:44 Thank you Father, it is in His name that we pray 01:47 and we give Him all the glory. amen. 01:51 You maybe seated. 02:03 Happy Sabbath Church. 02:05 One more time Happy Sabbath Church. 02:09 it's a blessing to be here together with everybody. 02:12 My church soared song with you 02:14 that encompasses the message of the weakened. 02:42 He was standing in heaven With tears in His eyes 02:48 Saying, tell me this isn't so 02:54 For there was one in heaven And no one on earth 03:02 Worthy to open the scroll 03:08 And one of the elders Said, John don't you cry 03:14 It was all a part of the plan 03:20 And then in the center Of Gods glorious throne 03:26 Hallelujah, there stood a lamb 03:35 And they sang worthy Worthy of honor and praise 03:49 They were casting down crowns 03:54 And they were praising His name 04:02 When he said, are you worthy? I can hear Jesus saying, I am 04:16 Oh, praise God, forever There stood a Lamb 04:29 Now open your Bible's And open your hearts 04:35 It is clear we are in the last days 04:41 And he said, I'll come quickly So don't be surprised 04:48 When He comes back to take us away 04:55 And feeble excuses won't get very far 05:01 When you find yourself There at His throne 05:07 But if you know Jesus And He is your Lord 05:13 Hallelujah, you won't be alone 05:23 And well sing worthy Worthy of honor and praise 05:36 Well be casting our crowns And we'll be praising His name 05:49 And when he says, are you worthy? 05:53 I can hear Jesus saying, I am Oh, praise God, forever 06:08 For there stood a Lamb And well cry worthy 06:20 Worthy of honor and praise As we cast down our crowns 06:34 Well be praising his name 06:42 And when he says, are you worthy? 06:46 I can hear Jesus saying, I am 06:57 Oh, praise God, forever Yes, praise God, forever 07:04 Praise God, forever There stood a Lamb 07:26 All right good morning everyone. 07:29 Good morning everyone. Good morning. 07:32 Can you hear me? Yes. All right. 07:35 Happy Sabbath. 07:37 Are you having a good convention? 07:39 Yeah, amen. 07:40 I love the morning because my voice is so deep. 07:45 I like to sing in the morning. Sing the base. 07:49 While we've been studying in our Sabbath school lesson 07:53 "The Epistles of John." 07:55 And it has been an excellent quarterly. 07:58 How many have you have been studying faithfully 08:00 your lesson quarterly? 08:01 Let me see you raise your hands. Great! 08:04 I remember when I first became 08:06 a Seventh-day Adventist, one of the things 08:07 that drew me to the church, 08:09 one of the things that initially really appealed me 08:12 was the fact that this was not an isolated parochial church, 08:16 but it is the worldwide church. 08:18 Can you say amen to that? 08:19 Amen. And one of the things 08:21 that gives a worldwide church, 08:23 the kind of coherence and cohesiveness 08:25 that we have, is the fact that all over the world, 08:29 all of our members whether they are in Australia 08:32 or they are in America or they are in Africa, 08:34 all over the world, 08:36 we study the same thing from week-to-week, 08:38 month-to-month, Sabbath-to-Sabbath 08:40 and quarter-to-quarter, amen. Amen. 08:43 And I think that's great. 08:44 I think it's very important for us 08:46 as Seventh-day Adventist, 08:47 who can be very busy to take seriously 08:50 not just the study of God's word in general, 08:52 but to take very seriously 08:54 the Sabbath school commentary. 08:55 I believe that God guides the general conference 08:58 and the other men and women that are in-charge of planning 09:02 and strategizing these quarterlies 09:04 so that we receive these quarterlies right on time 09:06 to study things that are critical for us 09:09 at this point in earth's history. 09:11 And so we're going to be talking today 09:13 not in a sermonic fashion, but we're going to be going 09:15 through the lesson, and our lesson this week 09:19 was on Antichrist. What was it on everyone? 09:21 Antichrist. Antichrist 09:23 and the title of the lesson is 09:25 "Walking in the Light Rejecting Antichrists." 09:29 And as we've been going to the lesson, 09:30 we are not quite half way through. 09:32 We've had this sort of mini-series, 09:34 "Walking in the Light Keeping His Commandments," 09:36 "Walking in the Light Being Ready 09:38 for the coming of Christ," 09:39 and now "Walking in the Light Rejecting Antichrist." 09:43 And so the essence, the guts of what we are going 09:47 to be talking about today is this topic of the Antichrist. 09:51 But especially from the perspective of 1st John 09:55 and also we look a little bit of 2nd John. 09:56 So before we get into scripture proper, 09:58 let's begin with the word of prayer 10:00 as we commands with our lesson study. 10:02 Father in Heaven, we anticipate 10:04 Your presence among us. 10:07 We are not inviting You to come and be with us 10:10 because we believe You were here 10:12 before any of us got here. 10:14 And so Father we are glorying in the fact that 10:16 you have invited us to come and meet with you. 10:19 Father we are living in paralysis 10:20 and pretentious times. 10:23 We are living in strange times. 10:24 We are living in hostile times. 10:28 And Father many of us have not made scripture, 10:30 the priority that it should be. 10:33 And we need to be recalibrated. 10:35 We need to be refocused, and we pray today Father 10:39 that as we study this very serious 10:41 and biblical topic of the Antichrist 10:44 that you would give us a urgency, 10:47 a sense of immediacy, 10:50 that today is the day of salvation 10:52 and that now is the accepted time. 10:55 Father today we hear Your voice 10:56 and so we want to the heed the admonition 10:58 of the solemnest not to harden our hearts. 11:02 So please Father as we open Your word 11:04 in this marvelous supernatural transaction, 11:08 may the inspiring spirit now become the instructing spirit 11:12 And Father, may You open us, that You read us, 11:15 and may our sense of urgency and our sense of immediacy 11:19 be increased as a result of this study, 11:23 is our prayer in Jesus name, 11:24 let everyone say, amen. Amen. 11:28 So let's all open together to the Epistle of 1st John, 11:33 1st John and we're going to Chapter 2. 11:35 What Chapter we're going to everyone? 11:37 Chapter 2, "Walking in the Light Rejecting Antichrist." 11:43 Now 1st John Chapter 2, 11:45 our passage that we're going to be concentrating on 11:47 and that our lessons study brings out for this week, 11:50 begins in verse 18. 11:52 We're going to begin reading in verse 18 11:54 and extend down to verse 27. 11:55 So we're in 1st John Chapter 2, 11:57 beginning in verse 18. 11:59 John says, "Little children, it is the last hour. 12:03 And as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming," 12:07 there is our word, 12:08 "and even now many Antichrists have come by 12:11 which we know that it is the last hour. 12:14 They went out from us, but they were not of us, 12:16 for if they had been of us, 12:17 they would have continued with us, 12:19 but they went out, that they might be made manifest 12:21 that they were not all of us. 12:23 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, 12:25 and you know all things. 12:27 I have not written to you because 12:28 you do not know the truth, 12:30 but because you do know it, 12:31 and that no lie is of the truth. 12:34 Who is the liar but he who denies 12:36 that Jesus is the Christ? He is," 12:39 what does your bible say there? 12:40 What is the next word? Here it is again, 12:42 the third time, "He is Antichrist, 12:44 who denies the Father and the Son. 12:46 Whoever denies the son does not have the Father either, 12:48 whoever acknowledges the son has the Father also." 12:51 Verse 24, "Therefore let that abide in you, 12:54 which you heard from the beginning. 12:56 If what you heard from the beginning abide in you, 12:58 you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 13:01 And this is the promise 13:02 that He is promised us, eternal life. 13:04 These things I have written to you concerning those 13:06 who are trying to," what does your Bible say there? 13:09 "Trying to seduce you, trying to deceive you, 13:12 trying to trick you. 13:13 But the anointing which you have received from Him 13:16 abides in you, and you do not need that 13:18 anyone teach you, 13:19 but as the same anointing teaches you 13:20 concerning all things, and is true, 13:22 and is not a lie, 13:23 and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him." 13:27 This is the passage that we're going to be looking 13:28 at today and we'll be branching out 13:30 into other passages. 13:31 But the central idea here is that John was concerned 13:35 about these infiltrators. 13:37 He was concerned about a group of separatists 13:40 and probably as the lesson quarterly brings out, 13:42 the separatists had Gnostic leanings, Gnostic influences. 13:47 And we find John's pastoral heart, 13:49 John's pastoral concern on full display. 13:52 And he says I'm writing this to you concerning those 13:55 who are trying to deceive you. 13:57 Then he goes on to use the term Antichrist not once, 14:01 not twice, but three times. 14:02 He says they are Antichrist. 14:04 They are Antichrist. They are Antichrist. 14:07 Now the word Antichrist occurs 14:09 only five times in scripture, five times, 14:11 all of them in "Epistles of John." 14:13 In fact, what we're going to now 14:14 is just jump over to chapter 4 14:16 and notice the second usage here, of Antichrist, 14:19 the second passage in which John uses this term. 14:23 Go with me to chapter 4, we begin in verse 1, 14:27 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit." 14:29 But what should be do with the spirits? 14:31 "Test the spirits whether they are of God, 14:33 because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 14:37 By this you know the Spirit of God, 14:38 Every spirit that confesses that 14:40 Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God." 14:42 Notice verse 3, "and every spirit 14:45 that does not confess that Jesus has come 14:47 in the flesh is not of God. 14:48 And this is the spirit of, " what everyone? 14:51 "Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, 14:53 and is even now in the world." 14:57 The Antichrist apparently, already was in the world 15:01 or at least the spirit of Antichrist 15:03 and John identifies these Gnostic leaning separatists 15:06 that were infiltrating his churches, 15:08 probably the churches in and around Ephesus 15:10 as Antichrist vigorous. 15:12 He uses this word Antichrist in three ways here. 15:15 He says Antichrist in the singular, 15:17 Antichrist in the plural, 15:19 and the spirit of Antichrist as well. 15:21 Let's look at our third passage. 15:23 We go from 1st John to 2nd John. 15:26 Second John, there's only one chapter 15:28 there so that's an easy one to figure out, 15:30 2nd John chapter 1. 15:33 We'll begin in verse 7, it says, 15:36 "For many deceivers," there is that word again, 15:38 "have gone out into the world 15:40 who do not confess Jesus Christ 15:42 as coming in the flesh." 15:43 This is a deceiver and a what? "Antichrist." 15:48 There is the 5th and final usage 15:49 of Antichrist in the Bible. 15:50 So we've just done an exhaustive study 15:53 on the word Antichrist in scripture. 15:56 They are all here in 1st John and 2nd John. 15:59 Notice what he goes on to say there. 16:00 "Look to yourselves that we do not lose 16:02 the things we worked for, 16:04 but that we may receive a full reward. 16:07 Whoever transgresses and does not abide 16:09 in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. 16:11 He who abides in doctrine of Christ 16:13 has both the Father and the Son." 16:15 Verses 10 and 11 are really striking 16:17 and frankly strike us as almost unchristian, 16:22 as almost too strong. Notice what he says, 16:25 "if anyone comes to you," John writing to his Church, 16:28 his pastoral heart on full display. 16:30 "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, 16:34 do not receive him into your house nor greet him, 16:37 for he who greets him shares,"in his what? 16:42 "In is evil deeds." 16:44 You can really get the sense here that John 16:47 is very concerned, deeply concerned, 16:49 in fact, this sense of urgency 16:51 and immediacy saturates the "Epistles of John" 16:54 and here we find John with his pastoral heart 16:56 on full display and he says, 16:58 if these people come to you and they want to come 17:01 into your house don't even let them into your house. 17:03 In fact don't even greet them in the streets, 17:05 don't greet them in the marketplace 17:07 because he who receives them and greets them 17:09 is actually a participant, 17:11 is acquiescing to their evil deeds. 17:15 Question, is John concerned, yes or no? Yes. 17:20 Is he very concerned? Yeah the sense of immediacy, 17:23 the sense of urgency is absolutely on display here. 17:26 And John says, when these Antichrists, 17:28 when these deceivers come to you, 17:30 do not receive them. 17:31 What was taking place probably 17:33 as we begin to put the pictures together 17:35 is that there were a group of infiltrators, 17:36 as we already suggested 17:37 there is the lesson quarterly brings out, 17:40 they were Agnostically influence likely. 17:43 Now the word Gnostic comes from the Greek word Gnosis, 17:47 it means to know, it means what everyone? 17:50 To know! To know. 17:51 For example many of us have heard 17:53 someone say they are an Agnostic. 17:55 You might have met someone 17:57 and you try to witness to them and they said, 17:59 you know I'm not sure, I don't know, 18:01 I don't consider myself believer. 18:02 I consider myself to be an Agnostic. 18:06 Well, an Agnostic is simply the opposite of a Gnostic. 18:09 If something is symmetrical, if you have a piece of paper 18:12 that is symmetrical, if you fold it in half, 18:15 the two halves are the same. 18:16 If you have something that is asymmetrical 18:18 when you fold it in half, the halves are not the same. 18:21 And so Agnostic is someone who knows 18:24 and Agnostic is someone who claims not to know. 18:27 In the first second and third centuries 18:29 this Gnostic influence terrace 18:31 was one of the great hurdles that the early church faced. 18:34 And basically many scholars believe that Agnosticism 18:37 can not be defined as a Homogeneous Entity. 18:40 There is discussion about what exactly Agnosticism is. 18:43 And while we may not be able to put 18:44 all of the pieces together, 18:45 we can be sure of a few things. 18:47 What these Agnostics were basically doing 18:49 and especially in John's case here, 18:51 is they were subtly infiltrating the church, 18:54 they were subtly what everyone? 18:57 Infiltrating! Infiltrating the church, 18:58 and they were saying things probably like this, 19:00 what John is teaching you is great, 19:02 what others are teaching you is fine, 19:03 but we know but we, what everyone? 19:08 We know! We know what's really going on. 19:11 It's nice what they've taught you 19:12 and they have got you started. 19:13 But now let's time to advance into more alight, 19:16 into more knowledge about God. 19:18 We know what is taking place and many of the things 19:21 that they propertied to know, 19:23 stood indirect opposition to scripture. 19:26 Now some of you are really into conspiracy theories. 19:34 Is that true yes or no? Yes. 19:37 I won't make you raise your hands 19:38 and embarrass yourselves. 19:41 Now there is grand conspiracy. 19:43 I too believe not in conspiracy theory, 19:45 but in an actual conspiracy. 19:47 And the conspiracy is to keep you away from Jesus. 19:51 Can you say amen? Amen. 19:53 But there are in addition to this grand conspiracy, 19:55 other conspiracies that sort of grab our attention 19:59 and for some people they become absolutely consuming. 20:02 The conspiracy theory de jure is 20:04 what exactly happened on 9/11. 20:06 And you meet people who are totally consumed 20:09 with what actually took place. 20:11 And these people will come to us 20:12 and they will say things like, 20:14 sure the media tells us that they were 19 hijackers 20:18 and sure the media tells us that 20:19 it's Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic radicalism. 20:22 But we know, but we what's the word everyone? 20:26 But we know what's really going on 20:28 and just about that time, they hand you the DVD, right. 20:32 Watch this DVD and you too will know. 20:35 You will also know what is going on behind the scenes, 20:38 you will have inside knowledge, inside data, 20:41 inside information, in many ways 20:43 the Agnostics in John's day and in the early church 20:46 were like these conspiracy theories who were saying, 20:48 sure that's would others are telling you, 20:50 but we know what's really happening. 20:53 This is what is really taking place behind the scenes. 20:57 Now very significantly the word 'know' 21:01 is a critical word in the epistle of, 21:03 in all of the, in all of, not just chapter 2 here, 21:07 but in all 1st John. 21:08 In fact, stay right there in 1st John and go to chapter 5 21:12 stay right there in 1st John and go to chapter 5, 21:15 we're talking about Antichrists. 21:17 John identifies these Agnostic influenced 21:21 infiltrators as Antichrist. 21:23 We're going to get down 21:24 to our modern application of this. 21:27 But first we want to understand textually 21:29 and contextually what was John addressing, 21:31 what was actually taking place. 21:33 When we go to 1st John chapter 5, 21:35 we read in verse 13 and I want you to notice 21:37 the recurrent theme here the recurrent idea here. 21:40 He says in verse 13, 21:42 "these things I have written to you 21:44 who believe in the name of the Son of God, 21:46 that you may," what is the word? 21:49 "That you may know that you have eternal life. 21:52 And that you may continue to believe 21:53 in the name of the Son of God." 21:54 Notice verse 15, John is closing his Epistle here. 21:57 He's bringing this Epistle to a close. 21:59 He says in verse 15, "And if we what is the word?" 22:02 If we know. "If we know 22:03 that he hears us whenever we ask we," 22:05 what's the word? "Know that we have the petitions 22:08 that we asked of him." Notice verse 18, 22:10 "We know that whoever is born of God does not sin, 22:13 but he who has born of God keeps them safe, 22:15 and the wicked one does not touch him." 22:17 Verse 19, "We know that we are of God." 22:19 Verse 20, "And we know the Son of God has come." 22:22 Notice the recurrent theme here, 22:23 as John is bringing his Epistle to a close. 22:25 We know that we have eternal life, 22:26 we know that Jesus is the Son of God, 22:28 we know that when we pray we have the things 22:30 that we asked of him, we know, we know, we know, 22:33 we know, we know. 22:35 In fact marvelously even though 22:37 there are only five chapters, 22:40 five short chapters in the Epistle of 1st John, 22:42 John actually uses the word no, if I not mistaken, 22:45 I think I'm on this, more than any other books 22:48 in the New Testament. 22:51 This word 'know.' I mean, 22:52 you think about the book of Matthew 28 chapters. 22:54 You think about the book of Mark 16 chapters, 22:55 Luke 24 chapters, John 21 chapters, 22:58 Acts 28 chapters, and here in five chapters, 23:00 John says we know, we know, we know, we know, 23:04 we know, we know. 23:07 Why the emphasis on "knowing." 23:09 Well contextually because they were others 23:11 who are coming in and saying 23:12 what John has taught you is good. 23:14 What you've learned is good, 23:15 but we know what is really taking place 23:19 behind the scenes. 23:21 Are you with me yes or no? In fact, 23:22 on one occasion John says, 23:23 something absolutely fascinating, 23:26 he says I'm not writing to you because 23:28 you don't know the truth. 23:31 We've read this. We've just read this 23:33 in 1st John chapter 2. 23:34 He says, I am not writing to you because 23:35 you don't know the truth. 23:37 He says I am writing to you, do you remember it? 23:40 Because you do know the truth. 23:43 John in a marvelous stroke of pastoral wisdom 23:46 and brilliance here, 23:47 basically rather than getting into yelling match. 23:49 For some reason John couldn't travel to the church. 23:52 Probably he was aging. 23:53 He was unable to travel. 23:54 And so he sends this Epistle 23:55 and in a stroke of pastoral brilliance rather than 23:58 getting into yelling match with Agnostics, 24:00 who are trying to infiltrate and to deceive the church 24:03 who were saying, we know what's really going on, 24:05 and according to the Epistle some are being let astray. 24:08 John says they went out from us, 24:09 but they were not of us. If they had been of us, 24:12 they would have remained with us 24:13 and so people were going out. 24:14 They were leaving. They were leaving. 24:15 And so rather than getting into a yelling 24:17 in which the Agnostics are saying no we know, 24:19 and John says no we know, 24:21 and they say no we know this is the truth. 24:23 No, no this is the truth. No, no this is the truth. 24:26 John says I'm not writing to you because 24:28 you don't know the truth. 24:31 I'm writing to you because you already know the truth. 24:35 And in the context he says because the spirit himself 24:38 has given you the truth, can you say amen to that? Amen. 24:41 It reminds me of that marvelous story 24:43 there when Jesus says, Who do men say 24:45 that I the Son of Man am? 24:46 And they, well some say you're Elijah, 24:47 some say you're John the Baptist, 24:49 some say you're one of the prophets 24:50 and Jesus says okay well, 24:51 who do you think I am? And Peter's speaks up on 24:53 behalf of the rest of the apostles and he says, 24:55 you are the Christ, you're Son of God, 24:59 you are the Christ 25:00 and what Jesus says is marvelous here. 25:02 He says, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, 25:04 because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, 25:06 but" who, who did He say reveal to it him? 25:08 "My Father which is in heaven." 25:09 In other words, men didn't teach you that. 25:13 God taught you that. 25:14 And when John writes here with his pastoral heart 25:17 on full display and his concern on full display, 25:20 he says, you don't need another human teacher. 25:22 In fact, he says that, 25:23 you don't need any one to teach you because 25:25 you know all things. 25:29 John did not want to get into a yelling match 25:31 where it was the Agnostic versus him 25:33 and the congregation would have been confused 25:35 and invariably divided. 25:40 John fingers these separatists, 25:42 John fingers these Agnostic 25:44 influence separatists as Antichrists. 25:48 Antichrists. Antichrists. 25:53 Many scholars believe that the word Antichrist 25:55 was itself coined by John. 25:57 He may have been the one that formulated the word. 26:00 Now our lesson here is rejecting Antichrists. 26:06 So I think it follows a logical pattern here, 26:09 a logical linear line of reasoning to suggest this. 26:12 If we're going to reject Antichrists in modern times 26:15 and even in John's time, 26:16 if they were going to reject Antichrists, 26:18 they had first know what an Antichrist was. 26:22 Are you with me yes or no? 26:23 Yes. Of course. 26:25 How can you reject something 26:26 that you don't even have an identity of? 26:28 And so we are rejecting Antichrists. 26:30 In John's day there was no question, 26:31 no equivocation about what the Antichrist was. 26:34 It was the separatists who had left, 26:36 who had actually gone out under the influence 26:40 of these Gnostic influence teachers 26:43 and were beginning to woo people away 26:46 from John's church, likely in Ephesus, 26:48 wooing them away. And John says, 26:49 if these people come to you, don't greet them. 26:53 Certainly don't have them into your house, 26:56 not because John didn't want them to act 26:58 in kindly Christian and courteous manner. 27:00 But John knows that these deceptions 27:02 are of such of character, of such a subtlety 27:05 that many of us burgeoning young sheep 27:07 will be led away and deceive by this individuals 27:10 and he says don't even greet these people. 27:14 Now what is an Antichrist? 27:18 Well when you take that prefix 27:19 "anti" and you stick it on the front 27:22 of a name or of a person, 27:24 it can mean several things. 27:26 It can mean being that person, 27:28 or purporting to be that person, 27:30 what we call impersonation, 27:32 or even more precisely personation, 27:35 claiming to be. It can also mean substitution, 27:39 taking the place of. 27:42 So when Antichrist is someone 27:43 who seeks to substitute for the real Christ. 27:47 In the context of 1st John, the concern, 27:50 the nucleus of the heresy revolved around 27:54 the atonement and incarnation. 27:57 The Gnostics were beginning to say no Jesus 27:59 was more like a projection. 28:01 He wasn't into really flesh and blood 28:03 because they had these very elaborate ideas 28:05 of about what spirit was and flesh was 28:06 and it wasn't possible in their world view for Jesus 28:09 who've actually been God and who've actually been flesh, 28:12 and so you find John over an over again in the epistle 28:14 saying this is he who came by water and blood. 28:17 He is Christ. He came in the flesh 28:18 because they were beginning to take issue 28:20 with the actual incarnation, 28:21 which simply means the in-fleshing of God. 28:25 But just because that was the first, 28:27 the original usage of Antichrist, 28:30 John and scripture does not limit Antichrist 28:33 only to those who have this Gnostic influence. 28:36 Scripture says, for example in Acts chapter 4 28:38 and verse 12, that Jesus Christ is the only name 28:41 whereby people can be saved. 28:43 Can you say amen to that? Amen. 28:44 And so it is Christ and it is a correct 28:46 understanding of Christ 28:48 that enables us to come to know God. 28:50 Jesus himself said "no man cometh 28:51 under the Father but by me. 28:52 " And so what ends up happening is that Satan, 28:56 Satan begins to setup these counterfeit 28:59 competing Christ and these counterfeit 29:01 competing Christ interpose themselves 29:04 between genuine believers and the real Christ 29:07 and he woos them away from the real Christ. 29:11 This can take many different forms. 29:13 When we come to the Middle Ages for example, 29:16 the reformers unanimously and uniformly 29:19 fingered the church itself, as Antichrist. 29:23 They said the Roman Church and the office 29:25 of the Pope is none other than 29:27 the office of Antichrist. 29:28 And this wasn't Mark and Luther in isolation. 29:31 This was the uniform, virtually unanimous. 29:34 In fact some would argue the actually unanimous 29:37 perspective of all of the reformers because 29:39 what they saw was that scripture had been supplanted 29:42 and a system, an enormous unbiblical 29:47 monolithic obstruction had placed itself 29:51 between the believer and the Christ. 29:53 And so the reformers looked at that and said 29:55 that's an Antichrist system that is a system 29:57 that is seeking to take the place, 29:59 to take the position of Christ. 30:01 And so they said the office of the Pope 30:03 is the office of the Antichrist and they said 30:04 it over and over again, the office of Antichrist, 30:07 the office of Antichrist. 30:08 And they were exactly right. 30:12 And they were right because of this simple reason. 30:14 Anything that seeks to interpose itself between 30:19 the sincere believer and the genuine historical 30:23 scriptural Christ is in a very real sense an Antichrist 30:26 That's why John can use the term Antichrists 30:29 in the plural, Antichrist in the singular 30:32 that is consummate Antichrist that is to come, 30:34 and the sprit of Antichrist which is any 30:36 spirit that seeks to interpose itself between 30:39 the genuine believer and the scriptural Christ. 30:42 Are we together everyone yes or no? 30:44 Now what does this mean for us today? 30:47 Well according to Revelation chapter 13, 30:51 the very entity that the reformers unanimously 30:55 fingered as the Antichrist will actually 30:57 become resurgent, reborn and revitalized 31:01 and we'll become again not just an Antichrist, 31:05 but the consummate Antichrist. 31:07 The consummate entity, the consummate system 31:10 who has setup a rival Christ and a rival 31:13 system of salvation. 31:17 Revelation chapter 13 presents this in 31:19 marvelous counterfeit language. 31:20 In fact many scholars have noted this. 31:22 They have noted that in Revelation 13 you have, 31:25 you have Christ, in Revelation for example 31:28 depicted with horns and crowns. 31:30 And so to the Antichrist Revelation 13 31:33 depicted with horns and crowns. 31:35 Christ is ministering for three and half years 31:37 on earth, the Antichrist comes 1260 days, 31:40 or three and half prophetic years. 31:42 Christ received the deadly wound 31:44 and was raised. He was resurrected. 31:46 The Antichrist so too receives 31:48 a deadly wound and his healed. 31:50 And many of noted this counterfeit motive 31:52 between the genuine Christ and this 31:54 Revelation 13 Antichrist, 31:55 and that's why it is absolutely biblical 31:58 even though the nomenclature is not there 32:00 in Revelation 13 to refer to the first piece 32:02 Revelation 13 as the Antichrist beast. 32:06 Because this beast is seeking to setup to you 32:08 serve the very position, place, 32:10 preeminence and prominence of Christ 32:12 by interposing its own system. 32:16 Its own what everyone? 32:18 Its own system. 32:20 And maybe we should quickly disabuse 32:22 our minds of this idea that in order to 32:23 be a counterfeit Christ, 32:25 we have to dress up like Jesus. 32:27 You have to put on the robe and pretend to be Jesus 32:30 and have the beard and carry the cross 32:31 around, not at all. 32:33 A counterfeit Christ can be any Christ, 32:35 that claims to deliver, that claims to save 32:37 by some means other than what scripture 32:39 identifies the only way of salvation. 32:42 Are you with me everyone yes or no? 32:44 And so when Antichrist in John's day were those 32:46 that interpose themselves between true Christs, 32:50 the incarnate Christ 32:51 who died on Calvary street to save us, 32:53 and this false system between that 32:56 and the believer. 32:57 For us in modern times there was going to be 33:00 a consummate Antichrist and in fact there is 33:03 a consummate Antichrist. 33:04 And as we've already said and it is 33:05 none other than the reborn, revitalized, 33:09 resurgent church that the reformers 33:11 unanimously fingered in the Middle Ages. 33:14 Now this Antichrist is not slow to move. 33:19 And we are seeing like before our very eyes 33:22 these last movements which are rapid ones. 33:25 In fact, I have an article right here 33:26 with me dated July 26, 2009 from USATODAY that says 33:31 Pope calls for 'God-centered' global economy. 33:35 Let me just read you the first two paragraphs. 33:37 Pope Benedict the XVI today called 33:39 for reforming the United Nations and establishing 33:42 "a true world political authority" with 33:46 fascinating language here "real teeth". 33:51 With what everyone? Real teeth! 33:53 Just a quick question for clarification. 33:55 What are teeth for? for Biting, for chewing. 34:01 for devouring. 34:03 A true world political authority with 34:04 real teeth to manage the global economy 34:10 Sounds very nice, sounds very good, 34:11 sounds very magnanimous, sounds very wonderful. 34:14 In fact, it goes on, in his third encyclical, 34:15 a major teaching released as the 34:17 G-8 summit begins in Italy. 34:18 By the way this was well-time. 34:20 This was not, this wasn't a happen stand. 34:22 This was absolutely calculated, 34:24 the release of the epistles, the encyclical. 34:26 The pope says that such an authority is urgently needed. 34:30 Now we have an urgent need for a God-centered 34:33 global economy with real teeth. 34:37 This is sounding surprisingly 34:39 but not to us start, not to us startlingly, 34:43 like exactly what has been predicated 34:45 in Revelation many hundreds of years ago, 34:47 two millennia ago and even more precisely 34:52 and even more with more detail 34:54 in great controversy about a 150 years ago. 34:58 Urgently needed to end the current world 35:00 financial crisis, it should "revive" 35:03 damaged economies, reach toward disarmament, 35:05 listen how good this sounds "disarmament, 35:08 food, security, and peace. 35:11 " We love it at Revelation chapter 13 35:13 in the plainest of language suggest that this 35:16 end time Antichrist which is very similar to 35:19 the Antichrist that existed in John's day seeking to 35:22 interpose itself between the true believer 35:24 and the historical Christ. 35:26 Revelation 13 says, that this power will use economics. 35:30 Will use what word did I say everyone? Economics! 35:33 In fact it goes to as far to say if you don't 35:35 receive this mark of the beast, 35:36 this mark of allegiance to this end time 35:39 Antichrist, that you will not be able to, 35:41 does anyone remember? 35:42 To buy or beloved, that is economics, 35:46 there is going to be a significant economic pressure 35:50 a significant economics pressure 35:52 that is brought to bear on God's people at the 35:54 end of time that's going to go something like this. 35:57 Either you get along with our program, 36:00 either you act with us to our desire for global 36:03 disarmament, oh that sound so nice. 36:05 Our desire for global peace, 36:06 our desired to end, either you get on board 36:08 with our program or you yourself 36:11 will not be able to sell. 36:13 You yourself will not be able to buy. 36:15 Does that sound like economic peer pressure, 36:17 yes or no? Absolutely! 36:20 Now if it was only economic those of us 36:21 that have gardens and other things maybe able 36:24 for a time to endure, but you actually see 36:26 in Revelation 13 an auscultation 36:27 from economic pressure to or else, or else. 36:34 I'm so thrill that in Revelation chapter 14 36:36 verse 12, scripture says in the plainest 36:38 of language, here is the patience of the saints, 36:42 here are those that do you know what? 36:44 Keep the commandments of God and cling to their 36:46 faith in Jesus. 36:48 Beloved there is going to be an end time 36:49 people, who will reject the overtures of Antichrist. 36:53 Who will reject the overtures of an end time 36:55 system that is sought to you serve the power of 36:58 Christ to interpose itself between us and the Christ. 37:02 My word of exhortation for you today is the same 37:05 that John gave to his Church many hundreds 37:07 of years ago and that is I'm not telling you 37:10 these things because you don't know the truth, 37:12 but because you do know the truth. 37:15 Beloved this is the time when we need to know 37:18 God, we need to know Him, 37:19 we need to know Him, we need to know Him, 37:22 we need to know Him, w need to know Him. Why? 37:25 Because this is life eternal that they might 37:27 know thee, the only true God, 37:30 and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent. 37:34 Amen. Amen. 37:36 Let us pray Father in Heaven, 37:38 we are thrilled with the message today. 37:41 A message that by your grace we can reject 37:44 Antichrists, and Father we pray to you that 37:46 would give us the desire to reject spirit 37:48 of Antichrist, anything any fall system that would 37:51 seek to interpose and interrupt 37:54 the relationship that you have with your people. 37:56 Father may be we riveted to you, 37:58 maybe we riveted to Christ and maybe we 38:00 riveted to scripture, so that when these 38:02 overtures economic, miraculous 38:04 and eventually on pain of death come to us, 38:07 may we stand with Christ, 38:09 may we stand by Christ and may we stand in 38:12 Christ, is our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, 38:15 let everyone say, amen. 38:21 [Music] 43:27 I like to challenge you to turn to Matthew 43:30 Chapter 5, first verses, "When Jesus saw 43:34 his ministry drawing huge crowds, 43:37 he climbed a hillside. 43:39 Those who were apprenticed to him, 43:41 the committed, climbed with him. 43:45 Arriving at a quiet place, 43:47 he sat down and taught his climbing companions. 43:51 This is what he said: "You're blessed 43:55 when you're at the end of your rope. 43:58 With less of you there is more of God and his rule. 44:05 Denzil, you and I have watched this process 44:09 in several places around the world. 44:10 Yes we have. But a few months ago, 44:12 we were in Livingstone, 44:14 Zambia and I want to show you about seven 44:17 photographs and see what they remind you of 44:20 when you look at the pictures, 44:22 here is the first one. 44:24 This was just the most exciting thing I've seen. 44:27 I've been able to have the privilege of doing 44:30 DVD training around the world, 44:32 and I have never seen people more intent 44:36 and more excited about telling the good news 44:39 of Jesus Christ. 44:40 And take a look, see all the prayers. Yes. 44:42 And no matter where you looked 44:44 in that church, people were praying. 44:45 You'll be in the middle of a talk and all of 44:47 a sudden two or three of the people over here 44:49 would just kneel down and start focusing on 44:51 God. Yes. 44:52 It was just so exciting because you saw people 44:55 knowing that they wanted to be involved 44:57 Evangelism, they wanted to play their part, 45:00 but they knew that the only way they could do it 45:02 with the help of the Holy Spirit. 45:03 And I want to stop on that picture for a just a minute. 45:06 What are in all those boxes? The picture just went away, 45:08 what's in all the boxes the DVDs? 45:10 Don't let that picture go away. Okay. 45:12 Well, DVDs, what you mean DVD players? 45:14 They were DVD players. 45:15 And you are giving them way. 45:17 We are giving them away to the lay people. 45:19 So you take those DVD players along with the 45:23 DVD lessons that are on the top of them 45:25 and you give them away all over the world, 45:27 so Adventist-laymen can give Bible studies. 45:31 Absolutely, and the exciting part of that is, 45:34 is that they are able to take that DVD player 45:37 and the tools that they have with the pictures 45:39 and be able to tell the complete Gospel message. 45:43 Now I saw something that I've never seen 45:45 before in my life. 45:47 In Livingstone that day there were three 45:49 Adventist Pastors, who tried to sneak into the line 45:52 where the laymen were getting the Bible studies. 45:55 And they were turned away they didn't get 45:56 DVD player why is that. 45:58 Yes, well because we only had so many 46:00 and the other part is the main thing is that we wanted 46:04 our lay people to be the ones to have the 46:06 privilege of telling others 46:08 about the soon coming savior. 46:10 And if the laymen think the pastors got the 46:11 DVD player and he's going to do the work... 46:13 They are not going to work. They are not going to work. 46:15 That's right. But look at the last photograph. 46:17 Can we get back to that one by any chance 46:19 the thing I love about this picture is all 46:22 the darkest ladies walking away from the building. 46:25 This is after we did our DVD training. 46:27 Now keep in mind it's about 100 degrees here 46:30 and the ladies have on those warm hats. 46:32 And they were just excited singing. 46:35 They were just really happy to be able to tell 46:39 others about Jesus soon coming. 46:41 Denzil we get to back to that in a few minutes. 46:43 Right now I want to talk Chuck Cleveland and 46:46 Pastor Richard Elofer from Israel. 46:49 And there is story in Israel about the 46:51 DVD training about ministry and it goes right back 46:56 to where Jesus walked. 46:59 Chuck, let's start with you. 47:00 Tell us what you been doing the last few weeks in Haifa. 47:04 Well, we had the privilege of going over there 47:05 and working with our Israeli Field programe 47:09 and to teach a medical missionary course, 47:11 we call it Light Course and it will be 47:13 discussed a little bit more, later today. Okay. 47:15 But in that medical missionary training 47:17 our objective was to train 30 of our church 47:21 members, you know, nearly one month program 47:24 go to Haifa, run a large auditorium, 47:27 and have a health explore there for six days. 47:30 Wow! And was it effective? 47:32 Well, God really did bless. 47:34 We had over 600 people come out for our expo 47:38 and when we offered to signed them up for 47:41 follow-up classes, which is the purpose of 47:43 expo, we had nearly 50 percent of them 47:45 we said we want more. 47:47 That's the time to declare a victory. 47:49 So now we have a weekly health club going on 47:52 in Haifa as well. 47:54 May I tell you one quick story? 47:56 If it's really fast. 47:57 The man that we read it from was a former 48:00 Israeli General of Russian background. 48:05 He was all of that Russian, 48:06 General, the whole works. 48:09 And we had to deal with this man and telling so 48:11 to where we could put our things 48:12 or where couldn't put our things. 48:14 And he seemed very gruff. 48:16 But as he saw us work night after night 48:18 his heart just melted and instead of being gruff, 48:22 he is hugging us and loving us, 48:24 and in a week or two he is going to our health 48:27 center at Herghelia in Romania because they were 48:31 very much involved in working with the mission 48:33 and it's all timed together as we get to know 48:37 these people work with them, 48:38 medical missionary work opens doors. 48:40 Speak to me about medical missionary work pastor. 48:43 You are in-charged with Adventist work in Israel. 48:45 Yes, yes in Israel we have in fact two territories. 48:50 We have that Israel territory 48:53 and the Palestinian territory too. 48:55 And what are you doing for the Palestinians? 48:57 That is a very big important question, 49:01 because we have very few members 49:04 among the Palestinian. 49:06 And we wouldn't really reach to Palestinian 49:09 people and that's why in East Jerusalem 49:12 we have community service center. 49:15 On this community service center we want 49:18 also to have health ministry because we have 49:22 noticed that's the Palestinian people 49:24 have a very poor health system. 49:28 When we have already organized a health seminar, 49:32 there was the five day plan 49:34 with new start program. 49:36 A lot of Palestinian came and they were very happy 49:40 to have free examination 49:42 from one of our doctors. 49:44 It sounds like health ministry opens doors 49:47 on both sides of the world. 49:48 Yes that is exactly. 49:50 On at the end of this healthy ministry 49:53 there the leader of the health club where we had 49:58 this health ministry, say to us that is 50:01 wonderful for our people. 50:03 Can you come back and do the same program 50:06 in the Ramallah, in Jericho, in Bethlehem. 50:09 I say, oh, just a moment please because 50:12 we are a very small team. 50:14 Now which this product we have, 50:16 we have OCI and Chuck, we would like to open 50:19 a health center to has more volunteer, 50:22 more people come into work for us and then we 50:25 will able to reach this two population, 50:28 and we would be able to preach peace 50:31 between Israelis and Palestinian people. 50:34 What do you think? Amen. 50:36 Thank you so much, thank you. 50:39 We are going on from Israel where the Gospel 50:42 really started to the story of creation. 50:45 Thanks for joining us gentlemen. 50:46 Thank you, thank you very much. 50:47 I want to introduce you to a lady 50:49 whose experienced with ASI is deepening as we speak, 50:55 and that's Conna Bond. 50:57 And when Conna gets here, 50:58 she is the new director of communication for ASI. 51:03 Now what do you think about that? 51:06 Conna is one of the most brilliant pleasant, 51:11 wife's, mother's, horsewoman, 51:15 take care of whatever animals happened to be 51:16 in the back of your ranch--I hope you enjoy 51:20 Conna as much as I do. 51:22 Conna take a minute I want to ask you one 51:25 leading question? 51:27 When you were young you were in an environment 51:30 where asking questions about creation or about 51:33 Bible or about God what's just really not, okay 51:37 How have you transitioned in the last few years. 51:41 Well, I want to share with you my experience 51:44 with the Creation-Evolution debate 51:46 that goes to be way back to when I was young. 51:48 I was very blessed to grow up in a loving Christian home. 51:51 I had wonderful loving Christian Seventh-day 51:53 Adventist parents, both of my parents had a deep 51:55 abiding faith of their own, 51:57 and so I got a really wonderful picture of who 52:00 God is, how loving God is. 52:02 But I never really questioned my faith. 52:04 I didn't really need to 52:05 I was in a very protected environment. 52:08 And so it wasn't until I was about 21 52:10 when a respected scientist, a friend of mine 52:14 brought into question the biblical account of creation. 52:17 And it didn't take me probably a week to make 52:20 the connection between, well if I can't trust 52:22 the Bible on this issue, 52:24 why should I trust it on anything else. 52:27 And it was what my poof, my faith was just 52:30 evaporated before my eyes and I started to question 52:33 everything including is there really a God. 52:35 And it was very hard, 52:37 very painful time for me in my life. 52:40 But looking back I can see the God 52:41 was guiding through that process. 52:42 It was necessary thing for me to go through 52:45 because I didn't have a faith of my own at that point. 52:47 I had memorized a lot of information, 52:50 but I didn't know God at that point. 52:52 So the Lord really guided me through 52:54 the process but I didn't really have a lot of 52:56 places to go for answers. 52:58 There were not a lot of resources. 52:59 People weren't really talking about 53:01 the Creation-Evolution debate 53:02 at least not around me. 53:03 And so I had to meddle through that whole process 53:07 and it over period of 25 years 53:09 I continued to study everyday and personally 53:11 I can say the I truly, firmly believe there is 53:14 a God and that the biblical account of creation 53:17 is trustworthy and that is my testimony 53:19 my personal testimony. 53:21 I really believe in my heart 53:23 that is not a peripheral issue. 53:25 As you can see in my own life when the biblical account 53:28 was dissipated before me then the rest 53:31 of my faith fell apart as well. 53:33 And we need to recognize that for our children 53:35 and for our young people growing up 53:37 when they ask questions. 53:39 It helped me shape and form the way 53:41 I raised my own children. 53:43 I wanted to be there for them to help them ask 53:47 questions at a young age, 53:48 to tell them this not, this is what you should 53:51 believe, but this is what I believe and why. 53:54 Let's look at the evidence together, 53:56 and one of the things that really helped me 53:58 was to recognize that, you know, 54:01 some people will say there is more evidence 54:03 for Creation, or there is more evidence for evolution. 54:06 The reality is we all look at the same body of evidence. 54:10 It is how we look in way and test the evidence 54:13 that brings us to our conclusions. 54:16 And so I have worked through with my 54:17 own children to way and test that evidence 54:19 for themselves, and I'm really thankful now 54:22 for the resources that are out there to help me 54:25 work through that for myself and with my children 54:28 and a lot of wonderful Christian 54:30 scientists out there who studied into this issue. 54:33 I really was thankful for what Michael Hasel said 54:37 this week when he gave his presentation on archeology. 54:40 He gave some strong evidence that supports 54:43 the biblical account of the Israelites. 54:46 But he held up his Bible and this is the Bible 54:48 that my parents gave me when I was 16 years old, 54:50 I still have it. 54:52 He held up his Bible and he says I'm not here 54:53 to proof to you that God exist, 54:55 or to proof to you, and I'm not here today 54:56 proof to you that the creation account is true 54:59 or that the account of Israel is true. 55:01 The Bible stands on its own. 55:03 You can read this and there is enough eternal evidence. 55:05 You can way up and test it for yourself 55:08 and as David Asscherick told our children, 55:10 our youth yesterday or day before, 55:12 he said you can know that God is real 55:16 because of the relationship that you with Him. 55:18 When you what He has done in your own life 55:20 nobody can shake your belief 55:22 in the existence of a loving God. 55:24 But one of the things that he instruct me, 55:25 and I want leave you with this thought is that, 55:27 I have seen ranker on both sides of the issue 55:30 on the Creation and Evolution debate. 55:32 There has been disrespect 55:34 and unkindness and ridicule on both sides. 55:38 We need to not divorce the issue of Creation 55:41 from the message of the Cross, 55:44 from the message that we serve a loving God. 55:47 When I looked into this issue, 55:49 I saw the order of the universe. 55:51 I saw the order of creation. 55:52 It fits into my picture and my understanding 55:55 that God is good and that God is loving 55:58 and that is the most important message 56:00 that we have to share with the world 56:02 and the creation account is part of that message. 56:07 Conna thank you. What do you think? 56:13 I pray that each of us will be able to share 56:16 the kind of conversation Conna has had with her kids, 56:19 with our children and with our friends. 56:21 The Bible is the source and it is the safe source. |
Revised 2014-12-17