3ABN On the Road

The Last And Final Deception

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: David Shin

Home

Series Code: OTR

Program Code: OTR000982


01:00 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Spring Camp Meeting 2010.
01:05 And we welcome our local audience and our audience
01:08 from around the world. Now, I know that
01:10 we've just returned from lunch.
01:12 When I was in the seminary,
01:13 I had a Greek class that I used to take right
01:16 after lunch and I had to actually cancel that class
01:19 because I was going to fail it.
01:21 Because I kept falling asleep
01:23 on my Greek teacher.
01:25 So, I'm praying that you didn't eat too much
01:27 and everybody is wide awake because
01:29 we've got an exciting seminar this afternoon
01:31 and some good music.
01:33 Our music is coming from our friend
01:35 Darrell Marshall and he is gonna be
01:38 with us in just a moment to sing,
01:39 but our, our speaker for this afternoon is a
01:41 young man that we'll hear again during the course
01:44 of this weekend. His name is David Shin.
01:46 He is a just a fireball for the Lord.
01:49 We like David Shin quite a lot around here.
01:51 He is married under two years,
01:55 so he's still technically a newly wed.
01:57 He went all the way to Africa to,
01:59 to be married. And his wife is Tennille,
02:03 I don't know if Tennille is here,
02:05 but I know she is on the grounds.
02:07 David Shin pastors the East Lansing
02:10 and Williamston district in Michigan conference.
02:14 He is a graduate of the seminary with his
02:16 Masters Degree and is continuing his education,
02:19 but more than that, this is a young man
02:20 who loves the Lord, who is a good student
02:23 of the word and just a Christian young man,
02:26 who we really love here at 3ABN.
02:28 He will be our seminar presenter this afternoon,
02:30 but before he comes to us,
02:32 Darrell Marshall is here, who is gonna be singing,
02:34 Drinking From My Saucer, God bless you. Amen.
02:57 I've Never Made A Fortune
03:04 and It's Probably Too Late Now
03:11 but I Don't Worry About That Much
03:17 'Cause I'm Happy Anyhow
03:24 As I Go Along Life's Journey
03:31 I'm Reaping Better Than I Sowed
03:39 I'm Drinking From My Saucer
03:45 'Cause My Cup Has Overflowed
03:53 Ain't Got A Lot Of Riches
03:59 Sometimes The Going's Tough
04:05 but I've Got a friend his Jesus, Oh! Yes
04:12 and That Makes Me Rich Enough Oh! Yes
04:19 I Thank God For all His Blessings on me
04:26 and The Mercies that He's Bestowed
04:35 I'm Drinking From My Saucer
04:40 'Cause My Cup Has Overflowed
04:48 You know, my friend, sometime sadness
04:51 and sorrow comes our way and
04:53 there doesn't seem to be much we can do about it.
04:56 But I remember the one day,
04:57 when I was at my very lowest?
04:59 I looked up into heaven
05:01 and I've touched his precious nail scarred hands.
05:03 God promises all that he would be faithful
05:05 to reach down, pick us up and restore us to new.
05:09 Has he done that for you today, yes?
05:14 So Lord, Help Me Not to grumble in pain
05:21 about The Tough Rows That I've Hoed
05:29 I'm Drinking From My Saucer
05:34 'Cause My Cup Has Overflowed
05:42 And if I should go in levy and if and if my way gets
05:50 steep and low
05:55 I'm not gonna ask for other blessings.
05:59 And you know why because I feel that
06:02 I'm Already Blessed Enough
06:06 And this is my prayer for all of you, all over the
06:08 world today that
06:09 I can Never Be Too Busy
06:13 I don't wanna ever be too busy
06:15 To Help another Bear his Loads
06:24 I'm Drinking From My Saucer
06:29 'Cause My Cup Has Overflowed
06:36 Yes, I'll be drinking from my Saucer
06:41 Oh! Yes I will, this cup has overflowed,
06:48 Tell me today
06:49 Has your cup overflowed.
06:58 Amen, amen.
07:10 Good afternoon. Good afternoon.
07:13 And let's bow our heads forward to prayer.
07:15 Father in heaven we thank you
07:17 for this Pillars Weekend
07:19 and this opportunity that we have to study
07:22 your word this afternoon.
07:24 We pray for your Holy Spirit to be with us.
07:28 I be behind the cross, we pray that as
07:30 we open your word, as we delve into
07:33 your holy scriptures that you would speaks to
07:36 our hearts and to our minds in Jesus name,
07:39 amen. Amen.
07:41 Our topic this after afternoon is entitled
07:43 'The Last And Final Deception.'
07:47 And I know, we've heard this many times,
07:49 but I believe sincerely that we are living in the
07:51 very final moments of earth's history,
07:54 amen. Amen.
07:55 Jesus is coming soon.
07:57 And as we delve into this topic,
07:59 I would like to just by way of introduction
08:03 set this stage for the Bible study
08:06 we're gonna have for this seminar,
08:08 is it okay if we've a Bible study this afternoon,
08:10 amen. Amen.
08:12 I was working as a Bible worker
08:13 a number of years ago in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
08:16 Anyone here ever been to Tulsa, Oklahoma before?
08:19 And we were doing an Evangelistic series there.
08:21 I was going door-to-door working with the contacts
08:24 that were coming to these Evangelistic series.
08:27 And there was this one couple they had some
08:29 Pentecostal background, they were hearing
08:31 the Adventist message and were making
08:34 steps toward baptism.
08:37 On this particular afternoon she came to the church,
08:41 I was walking around the church
08:42 praying for our interest and she said,
08:45 David something's happened in our home this morning.
08:48 You'll have to hear me out,
08:50 is there anything you can do
08:51 and I asked her what happened?
08:53 And she said that, she went out to her
08:54 garage that morning, it's a stone
08:58 or I should say a cement slab garage floor.
09:01 And there was this closet in the garage and
09:04 suddenly the closet started shaking.
09:08 She knew that it wasn't an earthquake because
09:10 there was nothing else in the room that was shaking
09:11 and she knew that this was a supernatural
09:14 phenomenon and she called out the name of Jesus
09:17 and the, the closet started shaking even more.
09:21 You can imagine that she was quite frazzled
09:24 to say the least and it was that day that she
09:26 came out to the church and spoke to me.
09:29 So, I said, there is no problem,
09:31 I will speak to the Evangelist
09:32 and I'm sure that he will do something about it.
09:35 So, I was in Workers Meeting that morning
09:38 and I told the Evangelist and there was another
09:40 Bible worker that was with us and I said,
09:43 Mark, his name was Mark, I said there is this
09:46 situation in the home, is there something
09:48 that we could do. He said David this
09:49 will be a great experience for you.
09:54 And I said, wait a minute. I'm here to learn,
09:56 no you know, why don't, why, what about you?
10:03 And he said, no,
10:04 no I want you and Bill to go down there
10:05 and, and pray in the home and,
10:06 and it will be fine.
10:07 And, so I went back to my room and I was quite.
10:12 Had a little bit of anxiety to say the least
10:14 because I remember in the Book of Acts
10:16 where these gentleman were dealing with the
10:19 supernatural phenomenon.
10:20 And they said, Peter we know,
10:22 Paul we know, but who are you?
10:25 And remember the rest of that story
10:27 they ran out of the room
10:28 and without their clothes on. And,
10:30 so I went and said, the Lord if there is anything
10:32 in my heart that I need to repent of,
10:34 please cleanse me and you know the Holy Spirit
10:38 works on your life and I went on my computer
10:41 and I remember I had some software
10:42 on there that I had not paid for.
10:45 A friend had given it to me, amen. Amen.
10:47 Remember, and so I started deleting all these
10:50 software and all the things on my computer
10:52 that I did not have a license for.
10:54 I prayed Lord if there is anything in my heart
10:56 that I need to confess, please cleanse me,
10:58 cover with me with your blood and I went off
11:01 with my friend Bill. I never forget it;
11:03 it was so silent in the car.
11:06 We pulled up to the drive way,
11:08 and I said are you ready. He said, yeah.
11:11 And we, she invited us in, she said I want you to
11:14 go to the garage where this happened.
11:16 We're thinking great you know,
11:18 and so we went in the garage.
11:19 It, it is kind of anticlimactic,
11:22 but we're glad nothing happen
11:23 we prayed in the home,
11:24 come to find out they had a history
11:26 of supernatural phenomenon happening
11:29 in their home and they were making steps for
11:31 baptism and there was these things taking place,
11:35 praise the Lord they were,
11:36 they were baptized into the Seventh Day
11:38 Adventist as a result. Amen.
11:40 You know, that situation really got me thinking
11:42 because I came to the conclusion with other
11:46 individuals I met canvassing and going Bible
11:49 work door-to-door was that.
11:51 As we approached the end of time
11:53 and if I read my Bible correctly
11:55 that the veil between the supernatural
11:58 and natural will become very,
12:01 very thin.
12:03 And if you haven't noticed in the media
12:05 and magazines, in the Internet
12:09 and on the TV shows and movies,
12:12 there is a fascination with the supernatural,
12:15 it seems that Hollywood is embracing these
12:17 things and it comes down to this question of
12:20 what is our final authority
12:23 because all over the world there are these
12:26 supernatural phenomenons that are taking place
12:28 and people are saying, this is real
12:30 because I've experienced it.
12:33 And, as we approach the end of time,
12:34 there is going to be miracles according to
12:37 the Book of Revelation that is going to be
12:39 from both sides and the question comes to us.
12:42 What is our final authority?
12:46 I'd like to give you some other examples here
12:48 this afternoon of things that have been
12:50 happening in society and read this quotation.
12:54 It's said just before Christmas in 1996,
12:57 a painting of Jesus was seen by hundreds of
13:00 eyewitnesses to be weeping red tears.
13:05 The painting was not an ordinary icon for
13:09 it hangs in the Bethlehem Church of the Nativity,
13:12 above the spot where Christian tradition
13:15 maintains Jesus was born.
13:17 A Muslim cleaning lady was the first to see
13:20 a light that came from the painting just
13:23 prior to the tears flowing from the eyes of Jesus.
13:26 Since her sighting, thousands of Christians
13:29 of all denominations, along with many Jews
13:33 and Muslims, have witnessed the tears.
13:37 Here is another instance, it's called the lady
13:39 of Syracuse, maybe you've heard of this
13:41 before in Sicily in the spring of 1953,
13:44 you've heard of these marine operations
13:46 that have been taking place.
13:47 It says, the statue of Mary began weeping tears.
13:51 Doubting neighbors cynical journalists
13:54 and rational scientific investigators
13:57 were baffled by the phenomenon of a virtual
14:00 torrent of tears flowing from the eyes
14:04 of the plaster Madonna.
14:07 A skeptical detective caught several tears
14:10 in a chemist's vial and without identifying
14:12 the liquid sent the specimen to a police
14:14 laboratory for analysis, it was real human tears.
14:19 Hardly anytime passed before the crippled,
14:21 the lame and the ill from all over Italy were soon
14:25 gathering before the weeping Madonna.
14:28 The tears, listen to this.
14:30 The tears were caught on a cloth and wiped
14:33 on the bodies of the afflicted.
14:35 A middle-aged man recovered the
14:37 use of a crippled arm.
14:39 A three-year-old girl stricken with polio
14:41 was able to discard the stainless steel braces
14:43 that encased her twisted legs.
14:46 An 18-year-old girl who had struck,
14:48 been struck dumb 11 years began to speak,
14:51 hundreds of others claimed to have
14:54 received a healing blessing from the tears
14:56 of the little Madonna.
14:58 The Madonna's tears ceased to flow
15:00 on the fourth day,
15:02 but exactly one month later,
15:04 the statue was carried through
15:05 the streets of Syracuse, Italy
15:07 at the head of a procession
15:10 of thirty thousand people.
15:14 And there are documented,
15:17 marine operations that have been
15:19 taking place for centuries.
15:23 I'm Korean by decent and there was one that
15:27 caught my attention, it was of Julia Kim,
15:30 she was in South Korea, a Catholic nun.
15:33 And the story goes that they were taking part
15:36 in the Eucharist. And the priest was going
15:38 around placing the Eucharist,
15:40 the wafer in the mouth of different individuals
15:42 and when they came to Julia Kim.
15:44 The priest placed the wafer in the mouth
15:48 and it became a piece of flesh.
15:50 Amen. And, you remember the Catholic
15:54 theology of transubstantiation.
15:56 They believe when the priest blesses
15:58 the Eucharist that it literally becomes
16:00 the body of Jesus and they are saying that
16:02 this is evidence of the doctrine
16:04 of transubstantiation. Amen.
16:09 There is another phenomenon
16:10 that has been taking place
16:11 and it's called out of body experiences.
16:15 One statistic states that as many
16:17 seven million Americans to have claimed
16:19 to have out of body experiences.
16:22 And I would like to read to you this account.
16:24 Grace was shaking with fever and terrible pain.
16:27 Her body was just trembling
16:28 as she was rushed to the hospital.
16:30 And she immediately was ushered
16:32 into the emergency room.
16:33 The physician gave her very, very, little hope.
16:37 Her blood pressure was dropping.
16:39 Grace described their experience later,
16:40 she said that as her blood pressure dropped
16:43 and as she was very near death
16:45 it appeared that she was slipping out of her body.
16:48 It appeared to her that something unusual
16:50 and strange was happening.
16:52 It appeared that she was ascending to the ceiling.
16:54 She seemed to be floating up to the ceiling.
16:56 She seemed to be looking back at the physicians
16:58 and the nurses who were attending her.
17:01 She described her experience
17:02 as a journey to the light.
17:04 In fact Grace said I began to feel
17:07 the most incredible warm loving feeling.
17:11 I was in the light and there was
17:13 a presence in the light.
17:17 Now, this morning I have just talked about
17:19 a variety of different supernatural experiences
17:22 and these are many times scientifically verifiable,
17:28 eye witnessed experiences.
17:32 And this morning,
17:33 this afternoon it's not my intention to do
17:40 a analysis of each one of these experiences,
17:43 but rather to ask the fundamental question as
17:46 to what is the final authority between
17:48 experience and scripture.
17:51 Let's say we've a real experience,
17:54 it is scientifically verifiable,
17:56 accurate from an experiential
17:58 stand point of view. Does that in fact show us
18:01 that it is the truth? No.
18:04 As we're approach the end of time,
18:06 there was gonna be a lot of people that say,
18:07 I've seen it, I've heard it,
18:10 I've experienced it, therefore it is the truth.
18:15 And, so this afternoon for the seminar,
18:18 I would like for us to look at a Bible
18:20 study from a Biblical stand point
18:22 of view to look at,
18:24 what is to be the final authority
18:27 for the Christian? Now, I would like to say,
18:30 first and foremost,
18:31 do we as Bible believing Christians
18:34 believe in miracles. Yes. Yes, we do.
18:37 We look in the Bible. You see, plenty of miracles.
18:39 You see, the dead being raised.
18:42 You see, the lame being healed
18:44 and all types of beautiful things
18:46 happening in the name of Jesus in the New
18:49 and the Old Testament. So, we believe in miracles,
18:54 but miracles are they to be our final authority?
18:58 Amen. So, with this background
19:01 I would like to go to two passages
19:02 in the Bible in our study as we lay this
19:05 foundation as to what is to be our final
19:08 authority as we delve into this topic of
19:11 the last and final deception.
19:13 And, I like to invite you to, to turn with me
19:16 in your Bibles to Second Peter chapter 1,
19:19 verse 18. Second Peter chapter 1, verse 18.
19:23 What is to be the final authority
19:26 for the Christian especially
19:29 as we approach the end of time?
19:31 Second Peter chapter 3 and verse 18,
19:34 Peter is writing to this to the New Testament
19:37 church and he makes a very profound
19:41 point as to this question that we've opened up
19:45 this afternoon.
19:47 Second Peter let's go back to verse 16.
19:50 Get a little bit of a background here.
19:53 For we have not followed cunningly devised.
19:57 What is your Bible say? Fables. Fables,
19:59 in other words Peter is saying,
20:01 what I'm telling you is not a myth,
20:03 it's not a fable, it's not something
20:06 that has been made up.
20:07 It is the truth and he bases this on the
20:10 following statements. For we have not followed
20:12 cunningly devised fables, when we made known
20:15 unto you the power and coming of our Lord
20:18 Jesus Christ, but we were, what? Eyewitnesses.
20:22 But we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. So, Peter
20:26 from the beginning is making his point that
20:28 this is not a fable, this is not a myth, this is not
20:30 something that a bunch of individuals had made
20:31 up because we have, what? We've seen it.
20:38 We were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
20:39 Now, Peter came to us today and said,
20:41 believe me, Jesus is the son of God because
20:43 I was there; I saw it, that would be credible
20:46 evidence. That would stand up in a court of
20:48 law. I saw it with my own eyes. I was an
20:52 eyewitness. And he goes on in verse 17 for he
20:56 received from God the Father honor and glory
20:59 when such a voice came to him from the excellent
21:03 glory. This is my beloved son, in whom I am
21:07 well pleased. Notice that he goes to the next
21:10 sensory perception in establishing the reality,
21:13 the truth, the fact of Jesus. And he says,
21:16 first of all I saw it. I was an eyewitness
21:19 and he says the second sensory perception is
21:21 what? I heard it; I heard the voice from heaven
21:25 saying. This is my beloved son. Now, there
21:28 is two instances in the Bible where that voice
21:33 was heard and he clarifies that in verse
21:34 18. And we heard this voice which came
21:37 from heaven when we are with him on the
21:40 holy mount. One instance was that.
21:42 That was the mount of transfiguration.
21:45 That was arguably in Peter's experience the
21:49 greatest manifestation of the son of God.
21:52 He saw Moses and Elijah. And I like to
21:56 read to you this statement from the
21:58 Desire of Ages. It says, His prayer is heard,
22:00 while He is bowed in loneliness upon the
22:03 the stony ground suddenly the heaven's opened.
22:06 The golden gates of the city of God are thrown
22:09 wide and holy radiance descends from the mount.
22:14 And shrouding the saviors form, Divinity
22:17 from within flashes through humanity.
22:21 And meets the glory coming from above,
22:24 arising from his prostrate position Christ stands in
22:28 God light majesty. The soul agony is gone.
22:32 His countenance now shines as the Sun.
22:35 And his garments are as a white as light.
22:39 The disciples are wakening behold the
22:40 flood of glory that emanates from the mount,
22:44 I wish I was there. Amen.
22:46 So, Peter is basing the reality of Christ as the
22:50 son of God on the fact that he was there on
22:54 the mount of transfiguration.
22:56 He heard the voice, he saw the glory,
22:59 he saw Moses and Elijah transfigure before his
23:02 very eyes. Now, if Peter had just stopped there.
23:06 It would have been enough, amen. Amen.
23:09 He was an eyewitness, he heard, he was
23:11 experiencing the excellent glory and was
23:13 it the truth, amen, it was. Amen.
23:16 Right, now this next statement is revolutionary
23:20 in verse 19. Notice what Peter says, and now
23:23 we have a more sure word of prophecy.
23:29 That is earth shattering up to this point.
23:32 He has just said, what I'm saying to you,
23:34 it's not a myth, it's not fable, it's a reality
23:36 because I was there on mount of transfiguration.
23:39 It's a fact. Amen. But I want to tell you
23:41 something that is more sure than the mount of
23:44 transfiguration experience as true as
23:46 it was. And that is the word of God. Amen.
23:51 Are you hearing, what he is saying. Yeah.
23:53 He is saying, I was there on the mount of
23:55 transfiguration more sure than that is the
23:59 word of God. Amen.
24:01 So, if you were to put in Peter's estimation
24:03 something that is more verifiable. Something
24:06 that is more authoritative than the
24:08 mount of transfiguration, he had placed the word
24:10 of God up here. Even greater than an authentic
24:14 experience is to be the word of God.
24:18 The word of God is to be our final authority.
24:21 Amen. Amen. Amen. So, we've just seen Peter
24:25 establish the reality of the authoritative nature
24:29 of God's word. This is dripping with
24:33 implications. Number one, personal experience
24:35 does not supersede scripture. Amen.
24:39 Therefore we're to test our experience with the
24:42 Bible and not the other way around.
24:46 And if our experience contradicts the Bible.
24:49 We're to trust the Bible instead of our experience.
24:53 Amen. It's a difficult thing to do.
24:56 Great controversy, but God would have a people
24:59 upon the earth maintain the Bible and the Bible
25:02 only as the standard of all of doctrines and
25:05 the basis of all reforms. Amen.
25:08 The opinions of learned men, the deductions
25:11 of science, the creeds or decisions of
25:14 ecclesiastical counsels as numerous and
25:17 discordance as are the churches which they
25:20 represent. Listen to this, the voice of the
25:23 majority, not one nor all of these should be
25:26 regarded as evidence for or against any point
25:30 of religious faith. Before accepting any
25:33 doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain,
25:37 thus saith the Lord in its support.
25:39 Amen, that's right. You know, we're living
25:43 an age where people are doubting the Bible.
25:50 And I believe that inside the church as well as
25:53 without. We're going through this period that
25:56 Ellen White described as the shaking period.
25:59 That's right. Amen, amen.
26:00 Where every wind of doctrine has been blowing
26:05 and our 28 fundamental beliefs had been
26:07 under attack. Amen.
26:09 And we need to be a people that are
26:13 consumed with the book, amen.
26:14 Amen, amen. I like to go to our
26:17 second example. Let's go to the example of Jesus.
26:21 What did Jesus hold as the final authority?
26:23 Let's go to Luke chapter 24. As we continue
26:26 in our study this afternoon. We've just
26:29 seen, in Second Peter chapter 1 that Peter says
26:32 that more than the experience on the mount
26:34 of transfiguration. The Bible is to be our final
26:37 authority, that it is the more sure word of
26:41 prophecy. And, I'd like to go to Luke
26:43 chapter 24, and this is a phenomenal example
26:48 where Jesus shows by his own life what he
26:52 holds? Dear as the final authority. It's known as
26:57 the walk to Emmaus. Matthew chapter 24 and
27:01 verse 13. Now, behold, two of them were
27:06 traveling the same day, this is right after the
27:07 crucifixion to a village called Emmaus, which was
27:11 seven miles from Jerusalem. Incidentally
27:14 these two disciples are very obscure. We don't
27:16 know a lot about them. One of them,
27:17 we don't even know the name. The other one's
27:19 name is Cleopas. As we'll find out later and
27:21 they're, they're depressed, they're
27:23 downtrodden because Jesus has died the hopes
27:26 of the messiah being Jesus Christ, Jesus of
27:29 Nazareth has been dashed over the weekend.
27:32 And, they're going down to Emmaus and the
27:34 Jesus meets them along the way. And they talked
27:38 together of all the things which had happened.
27:39 So, it was while they conversed and reasoned
27:42 that Jesus himself drew near and went with them.
27:46 And, notice this, but their eyes were
27:48 restrained, so that they did not know him.
27:50 And he sent to them what kind of conversation
27:53 is this, that you have would one another,
27:54 as you walk and are sad. Now, this is a
27:58 curious story because Jesus knew the problem.
28:03 What was the problem? They, they thought
28:05 that Jesus was dead. And they were depressed.
28:09 So, there was a very easy efficient way
28:12 of getting them out of their depression.
28:14 Amen. He could have just walked up to them,
28:17 light emanating from heaven and said I'm
28:20 Jesus. Look at my hands; look at my feet,
28:23 end of story, right. Amen.
28:25 But this is so curious because he walks up to
28:28 them; he knows why they are depressed?
28:31 And he asked them this question. He says what
28:33 kind of communication or conversation is this
28:36 that you had with one another as you walk and
28:38 are sad. The question is why is Jesus doing this?
28:43 It seems almost, almost cruel. Now, we know
28:46 that's not the case, but why doesn't he just step
28:49 up and reveal himself. He goes on, then the
28:54 one whose name was Cleopas answered and
28:56 said to him. Are you are the only stranger in
28:59 Jerusalem and have you not known the things
29:02 that have happened in these days. And he said
29:05 to them Jesus goes on. What things, this is
29:08 getting painful? So, they said to him the things
29:11 concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was the
29:13 prophet, mighty indeed and word before God
29:15 and all the people and how the chief priests and
29:17 our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death
29:19 and crucified him, but we were hoping that it was
29:21 he who was going to redeem Israel.
29:24 Indeed besides all this, today is the third day
29:26 since these things happened. Yes,
29:28 and certain women of our company, who arrived
29:30 at the tomb early, astonished us. When they
29:32 did not find His body, they came saying that
29:35 they had seen a vision of angels, who said that
29:37 he was alive and a certain of those who
29:39 are with us went to the tomb, and found it just
29:42 as the women had said, but him they did not see.
29:47 And here is why Jesus was holding out.
29:52 It's in the next verse, verse 25. And he said to
29:55 them, Oh foolish ones, and slow of heart
30:01 to believe all that the, what? Prophets.
30:04 All that the prophets have spoken?
30:06 "Ought not Christ to have suffered these things,
30:09 and to enter into His glory?" And, notice what
30:11 Jesus said in verse 27. And beginning at Moses
30:14 and all the prophets, he expounded to them all
30:17 the scriptures the things concerning himself.
30:21 He gave them a Bible study that must have
30:23 been a phenomenal Bible study on the walk to
30:25 Emmaus. He says, all the things concerning
30:28 himself. In other words Jesus wanted them to
30:33 base their faith on scripture not an
30:37 experience. That's right. Amen.
30:39 So, by example in the mind of Christ, what
30:42 had the higher priority, a real authentic
30:45 manifestation of Jesus Christ himself or the
30:48 Bible? You see, by precedence Jesus did not
30:51 even reveal himself. You know, he was about
30:53 to walk off. In other words, he had done his
30:55 job. And, if they had not held on to them to
30:58 stay they would not have, he would not have
31:00 revealed himself. So, you see in the mind
31:02 of Christ scripture is to take precedence.
31:06 Amen. Scripture is to be the final authority even
31:11 above a real authentic supernatural experience.
31:15 Amen. Now, I'd like to with that back drop,
31:25 go to Matthew chapter 24. As we go into the
31:30 nature of the final deception.
31:34 We see from a Biblical stand point of view.
31:36 The Bible always says, trust the Bible even
31:39 above experience, not that we're to verify
31:42 our experiences, but in the final realm of
31:44 things, if our experience contradicts the word
31:47 of God. The Bible says the Bible is to be
31:50 trusted. Amen. The question is why?
31:53 Why is it that the Bible points out that the
31:57 scriptures are to be our final authority.
32:01 Now, in Matthew chapter 24, we have an
32:03 interesting perspective as to the nature of what
32:08 is going to be happening in the last days.
32:11 Matthew chapter 24 and verse 3. Now, as he sat
32:13 on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to
32:16 him privately saying. "Tell us, when will these
32:19 things be and what will be the sign of your
32:21 coming and of the end of the age?"
32:25 Now, Matthew chapter 24 is known as the great
32:27 end time chapter. Some theologians know it,
32:30 it's know as the eschatological chapter of
32:33 the Gospels. Jesus is illustrating the things
32:37 that are going to happen right before the final
32:39 moments of earth's history. Now, there is a
32:40 lot of things, that he could have said,
32:42 but notice the first words that come out of
32:45 the mouth of Jesus in verse 4. And Jesus
32:49 answered and said to them. "Take heed that
32:51 no one deceives you." Amen.
32:55 Isn't it interesting that Christ looking down
32:57 to the end of time his first concern is not the
33:01 time of trouble; he goes into that a little bit
33:03 later. His first concern is not the moon turning
33:06 to blood or the sun fading or the stars
33:09 falling, but his first concern looking down
33:11 through the end of time for Christ's people is
33:14 this notion of end time deception. Now, there is
33:19 a fascinating thing about deception, as we talk
33:22 about the anatomy of deception. You can be
33:27 deceived right now and not even know it.
33:31 That's right. That's the nature of
33:32 deception. No one goes through Thomsonville
33:34 saying I'm deceived, I'm deceived.
33:37 Because once you know that you're deceived,
33:39 you're no longer deceived that's the nature of
33:41 deception. Also another factor of deception
33:44 is that, it is always a mixture of truth and
33:48 error. That's right. In other words,
33:50 if I bring a glass of water in, not me someone
33:53 else, it's a heinous illustration for me to do
33:56 but anyways you'll say you bring a glass of
33:57 water and it's 100 percent pure distilled
34:01 water. And, someone drops, just a drop of
34:05 cyanide in it. Is that a deception, yes or no?
34:08 Amen. That's a deception. Now, someone else
34:10 brings something and says, it's black,
34:13 it's got a skull on it, and it says cyanide.
34:16 You know, that's not a deception.
34:18 The nature of deception is always a mixture
34:21 of truth and error. Also there is a cost to
34:26 deception. I think of Jim Jones, many of you
34:31 remember that time. And this is a statement
34:33 from Jim Jones. And he says, what you need
34:35 to believe is more than what you can see,
34:38 if you see me as your friend, I will be your
34:40 friend. If you see me as your father,
34:43 I will be your father. If you see me
34:46 as your savior, I will be your savior.
34:48 If you see me as your God, I will be your God.
34:51 Amen. We know the story later that same day
34:54 909 inhabitants of Jones town, 276 of them
34:58 children died of apparent cyanide poisoning
35:01 mostly in around that pavilion. And this is the
35:05 other nature of deception. Deception always has
35:09 a cost. The question is what is the cost of
35:13 deception in the end of time. Now, I want to ask
35:16 you this, this question as we're going in our
35:19 study this afternoon. Let's say, there is a
35:22 Baptist out there, we have our Baptist friends
35:26 and they believe and accept Jesus as their
35:28 Lord and savior. They don't know about the
35:30 Sabbath, but they have a dynamic relationship
35:33 with him. If they die today, will they be
35:37 saved. Yes, yes. So, you see that the nature
35:41 of deception right now is not that high, you could
35:45 not know the truth about the Sabbath and die in
35:48 the Lord, have a relationship with him.
35:50 And still be saved. Now, the question is what is
35:54 the cost of deception in the end of time.
35:59 When you read the Bible according to Revelation
36:00 chapter 14, The Three Angels message.
36:03 The Bible says that if anyone worships the beast
36:05 or his image or receives his Mark in his forehead
36:07 or in his hand. He shall drink of the wine of the
36:11 wrath of the God. In other words, the cost of
36:13 deception in the end of time is that it will
36:17 cost us our eternal salvation. That's right.
36:20 In other words, there is going to be a poll arising
36:23 of the ranks between those that have the seal
36:25 of God and those that have the mark of the
36:27 beast. And the price of deception in the end of
36:30 time is that, if your name is written in the lamb's
36:33 book of life, it will be removed. So, Christ
36:38 looking down through the end of time.
36:40 He knows the cost of deception. The cost of
36:42 deception in the end of time is our salvation.
36:45 Amen. And, so he says, let no man deceive
36:49 you. That's his primary concern as he goes
36:51 down through the end of time. I want to read
36:56 to you the statement from great controversy.
37:00 It's a little bit of a long quote, but I want to get
37:02 it in it's entirety about the last final deception.
37:06 It says, as the crowning act in the
37:09 drama of deception, Satan himself will
37:12 personate Christ. The long, the church has
37:17 long professed to look to the Savior's advent
37:19 as the consummation our hopes. Now,
37:22 the great deceiver will make it appear that
37:24 Christ has come in different parts of the
37:27 earth Satan will manifest himself among men as a
37:30 majestic being of dazzling brightness.
37:33 Resembling the description of the son
37:34 of God given by John in Revelation.
37:38 Listen to this, the glory that surrounds him is
37:41 unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have
37:45 yet be held. The shout of triumph rings out upon
37:49 the ear. Christ has come, Christ has come.
37:53 The people prostrate themselves in adoration
37:55 before him while he lifts up his hands and
37:57 pronounces a blessing upon them as Christ
38:00 blessed his disciples when he was upon the
38:02 earth. His voice is soft and subdued, yet full
38:06 of melody. In gentle compassionate tones he
38:10 presents some of the same gracious heavenly
38:12 truths, which the savior uttered. He heals the
38:15 disease of the people and then in the assumed
38:18 character of Christ, he claims to have changed
38:21 the Sabbath to Sunday and commands all to
38:24 hallow the day which he has blessed.
38:26 He declares that those who persist in keeping
38:29 holy the seventh day are blaspheming his name
38:32 by refusing to listen to the angel sent to them
38:36 with light and truth. This is a strong almost over
38:39 mastering delusion. So, I want you to
38:43 notice this, it looks like Jesus, it sounds like
38:47 Jesus, performs miracles like Jesus, even quotes
38:51 scripture like Jesus. But at the end he puts in the
38:55 hook. He claims to have changed the Sabbath
38:59 to Sunday. That's right.
39:01 And the great controversy tells us that, this is a
39:03 strong almost over mastering delusion.
39:09 She goes on to say that none but those that
39:11 have fortified their minds with the truth of
39:14 the Bible would be able to stand through
39:16 the last great conflict. That's right. Amen.
39:20 She says, so closely will the counterfeit resemble
39:23 the true that it'll be impossible to distinguish
39:26 between them except by the Holy Scriptures.
39:29 That's right. Only those who have been diligent
39:32 students of the scriptures, who have
39:33 received the love of the truth, will be shielded
39:36 from the powerful delusions that take the
39:38 world captive. And so, this afternoon I just
39:44 wanted to paint for you the reality that we need
39:47 to be people of the Bible as never before.
39:50 Yes. You know, there is two spirits and one
39:54 Bible. Amen. And the only way that we can
39:56 decide for which spirit it is, is through the
39:59 Holy Scriptures. And we need to have an
40:01 experiential walk with the word of God as
40:05 never before. Amen.
40:06 And, so I would like to go and ask this question.
40:09 How do we get to the place before we trust the
40:11 word implicitly, where it becomes our final
40:14 authority. And the Bible is a phenomenal book.
40:17 I remember this statement by Voltaire that says,
40:20 in a hundred years this book, the Bible will be
40:22 forgotten and eliminated. It's ironic that today;
40:27 the house of Voltaire is inhabited by the Bible
40:31 society. You know, Voltaire is dead,
40:34 but the Bible is very alive. Another
40:38 interesting notion about the Bible is that
40:41 Dr. Nelson Glueck, arguably the greatest
40:44 modern authority on Israeli archeology has
40:47 said, no archaeological discovery has ever
40:50 controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of
40:53 archaeological findings haven't been made
40:56 which confirm in clear outline or in exact
40:58 detail historical statements in the Bible.
41:01 And by the same token proper evaluation of
41:03 Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing
41:06 discoveries. Not one archaeological discovery
41:10 has controverted a single aorta of the scripture.
41:14 And it's fascinating when archaeological
41:17 discoveries are taking place and archaeologists
41:19 are going overseas. You know what they take
41:21 with them, they take with them a map and a
41:24 Bible. Amen. Because the Bible has proven
41:26 to be accurate and tested. And, so I would
41:29 like to go through some different points about
41:31 how we can practically make the word of God
41:34 a dynamic portion of our lives. Number one,
41:39 we're told that we must pray before reading
41:41 the Bible. This is a foundational point,
41:44 we cannot approach the Holy Scriptures the
41:47 same way that we approach science or
41:50 mathematics or any other intellectual discovery.
41:55 And the Bible should never be studied without
41:58 prayer. This is from great controversy,
41:59 page 600. The Holy Spirit alone can cause us
42:02 to feel the importance of those things, easy to
42:05 be understood or to prevent us from wrestling
42:08 trues difficult of comprehension.
42:12 Number one, we must pray before reading
42:13 the Bible. Number two and this is foundational
42:15 as well. I must make time for the word.
42:19 Did you know that, five minutes a day and you
42:21 could read the Bible through in less than
42:24 3 years? 15 minutes a day and you can read
42:27 through the Bible in less than a year. My wife
42:30 and I have on a daily basis over the past year
42:33 spend 15 minutes a day reading through the
42:35 Bible and there is the one year Bible, some of
42:37 you have seen that and it's just a beautiful
42:39 thing to read through the Bible in one year.
42:42 The last one is read the Bible non-stop and you
42:44 can finish the Bible in 72 hours.
42:47 Now, I don't recommend you do that in one
42:48 sitting. Yeah. But it just shows you that,
42:51 you know, this is possible. It's, it's very
42:53 possible. Another thing that you can do with
42:55 the technology today is that, you can download
42:57 the Bible for free online. As, on your Mp3 player
43:01 and you can listen to the Bible as you go
43:04 about your day. This is a quotation from a
43:09 preacher. He says, surely we've to be realistic and
43:12 honest with ourselves to know how regularly
43:15 we need to turn to the Bible. How often do we
43:18 face problems, temptation, and pressure,
43:20 everyday then how often do we need instruction,
43:24 guidance and greater encouragement, everyday.
43:27 To catch all of these, felt needs up into an
43:29 even greater issue. How often do we need to
43:32 see God's face? Hear his voice, feel his touch,
43:35 know his power. The answer to all these
43:38 questions is the same everyday. As the American
43:41 Evangelist D.L. Moody put it, "a man can no more
43:43 take in a supply of grace for the future than he
43:46 can eat enough for the next six months or take
43:48 in sufficient air into his lungs at one time to
43:51 sustain life for a week. We must draw upon
43:54 God's down the store of grace from
43:56 day-to-day as we need it." Amen.
44:00 Christianity today said in 1980 that there is no
44:04 factor more influential in shaping a person's
44:07 moral and social behavior than regular Bible
44:11 reading. So, number one, make time or pray
44:16 before reading the Bible. And number two,
44:18 make time for the word. And, number three,
44:20 I must meditate upon the word of God.
44:23 We must go over it and again and again.
44:25 Joshua chapter 1, verse 8 says, this Book of the
44:28 law shall not depart from your mouth, but you
44:31 shall meditate on it day and night.
44:34 And, so this is an important portion of
44:37 thinking about God's word over-and-over again.
44:42 And the last and final point is that I must live
44:46 God's word. I'd like to spend a little bit more
44:48 time on this and I would like to invite you to
44:51 turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 7,
44:54 verse 17. And this is a portion that is not often
44:58 highlighted; when it comes in regard to
45:01 interpreting scripture. John chapter 7:17,
45:05 and this statement is, is so revolutionary when
45:09 we think about Biblical interpretation.
45:14 John chapter 7, verse 17, Jesus says if anyone
45:19 wills to do his will, he shall know concerning
45:23 the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether
45:26 I speak of my own authority. Notice that
45:30 Jesus says he that has an IQ of a 130 or above
45:35 shall know concerning in the doctrine.
45:36 I praise the Lord he didn't say that, amen.
45:37 Amen. He said, he that wills to do his will,
45:40 shall know concerning the doctrine.
45:42 In other words, your intention, your
45:45 motivation, your desire to know and follow the
45:47 truth is the foundational factor in being able
45:52 to interpret scripture. Amen.
45:55 Now, I will be the first to admit that there are
46:00 certain subjects that certain people have an
46:03 advantage of, I remember sitting in
46:05 school, don't you just enjoy this. There is
46:08 someone sitting next to you that looks at the
46:11 board has an IQ of a 150 and just gets it like
46:14 that and you're still scratching your head
46:16 wondering how in the world, are you gonna
46:18 make sense of what's on the board. I had this
46:20 gentleman that got a full scholarship to MIT,
46:23 he was a mathematical genius. And he would
46:25 sit in calculus class and fall asleep. And then he
46:29 would come to the final and get over a
46:31 hundred percent. Oh! And, it just, it just made
46:34 me sick. And I think of individuals like Daniel
46:38 Tammet, he is known as a savant.
46:41 A type of genius and he holds the world record;
46:45 I saw this on a video tape of be able to recite
46:48 Pi to the 22,514 digit. He memorized it.
46:55 It took him over 5 hours, brilliant. And on this
47:00 video tape, they would show them doing these
47:03 incredible mathematical equations and he would
47:06 go off the calculator of the decimal points.
47:10 Amen. Incredible, he speaks 11 languages,
47:13 English, French, Finnish, German, Spanish,
47:17 Lithuanian, Romanian, Estonian and Icelandic.
47:20 He learned in one week. Oh!
47:23 And went on national television in an
47:26 interview, genius. I will there say,
47:31 that when it comes to mathematics Daniel
47:33 Tammet has an advantage. That, that's exactly.
47:38 What about the Bible. When it comes to
47:41 scriptures, God has made it fair. That's right.
47:47 So, whether you've an IQ of a 170 or an IQ of
47:52 70, if you come to the word of God and say,
47:55 Lord I desire to follow your will. I want to
47:58 follow truth, I want to know truth. You can come
48:01 to scripture and be able to unlock the mysteries
48:04 of the Bible, whether you've a third grade
48:06 educational or a PhD, and ironically enough
48:09 there are many individuals that have
48:10 very little education and read the Bible and say,
48:12 I see Jesus, amen. Amen.
48:15 And then you have another individual that has
48:16 a very high education, a PhD, and sees the
48:19 Bible and says, I see not, noting but
48:22 contradictions. That's because your intention
48:27 makes a difference in what content you get out
48:30 of scripture. That's right. That's right.
48:32 Truthfulness in the heart precedes truth in the
48:37 objective world. Amen. So, when you come to
48:40 scripture, this is the most important thing,
48:43 your education does not matter, what really
48:47 matters is the intents of your heart, your desire
48:51 to know, and to follow the truth. Amen.
48:58 There is a statement that Ellen White makes,
49:02 and she says many a portion of the scripture,
49:06 which learned man pronounce a mystery or
49:10 pass over as un-important is full of
49:13 comfort and instruction to him who has been
49:16 taught in the school of Christ. Listen to this
49:19 part. One reason why many theologians,
49:24 now don't get me wrong, I believe that we need
49:26 good and Godly theologians, but notice
49:29 what she is making, she is not saying that we
49:30 don't need theologians, but in this statement
49:32 she says, one reason why many theologians
49:35 have no clear understanding of God's
49:38 word is. Because they close their eyes to the
49:42 truths they do not wish to practice.
49:45 That's right. Isn't that a fascinating statement?
49:47 In other words, the reason why theologians,
49:49 some of them do not have a clear understanding
49:52 of Biblical truth is not because of intellect.
49:55 It's not because they do not have a PhD or
49:57 understand Greek or Hebrew, it's really moral.
50:01 In other words it says, she says, that they close
50:03 their eyes to the trues, they do not wish to
50:05 practice and thus blinding them
50:07 intellectually. Amen. We cannot approach
50:10 scripture like any other book and live a
50:13 dichotomous life, where we live one way in
50:16 public and another way in private, that will
50:19 taint our Biblical interpretation.
50:21 That's right. Yeah, that's true, yeah that is
50:23 true. As understanding of Biblical truth
50:26 depends not so much on the power of intellect
50:30 brought to the search as on singleness of purpose,
50:34 the earnest longing after righteousness.
50:37 Amen. Amen. The Psalms makes an interesting
50:40 point. It says, the fool has said in his heart,
50:44 there is no God. Amen. Notice that the
50:48 scriptures did not say the fool has said
50:49 intellectually. The Bible says that, it's really an
50:52 issue of the heart. So, many people say,
50:54 I do not believe in God for intellectual reasons.
50:57 The Bible points out that it's really moral.
50:59 Amen. So, as we approach scripture,
51:03 it's important that we live the word of God.
51:06 Amen. Amen. Amen. Apply the same test
51:11 to the Bible and it's power, men and women
51:15 have broken the chains of sinful habits.
51:18 They have renounced selfishness.
51:20 The profane have become reverent,
51:23 the drunken sober, the profligate pure,
51:27 souls that are born the likeliness of Satan have
51:29 been transformed into the image of God.
51:31 This change is rocked by the word, it is one
51:34 of the deepest mysteries of the word,
51:36 we cannot understand it. We can only believe.
51:43 You never hear a testimony of someone
51:45 getting up front and saying, geometry has
51:49 changed my life. You never hear it you know,
51:54 I love geometry, if, if two sides of a triangle
51:57 are equal the opposite interior angles are equal
52:00 and I meditated on that theorem and these
52:02 postulates and it cleaned up my language.
52:05 I stopped stealing; I become a better person
52:08 in society because of geometry. You know,
52:11 you never hear that or about biology or physics
52:14 or any other subject in the world. None of them
52:18 you never hear a testimony like that.
52:20 And yet millions of people have read this
52:24 book and have testified for centuries and said,
52:29 I've read this book and its changed my life.
52:32 Amen. It's made me a better person. Amen.
52:35 It's made me a better husband and a father,
52:38 a better person in society. It's uplifted me
52:41 and brought me closer-and-closer to the
52:43 character of Christ. Amen. There is something
52:46 divinely special about this book. Amen.
52:50 I want to read to you, as we ramp up our
52:54 presentation this afternoon.
52:58 And this is from the General Conference
53:01 Bulletin of 1909, Ellen White was still alive.
53:05 Amen. And, it would just been so beautiful to
53:08 have been there to hear the last words from this
53:11 prophet. She was 82 years of age, and there
53:13 was a sense at this General Conference Session
53:16 that this was perhaps the last time that they were
53:19 going to able to hear the aged prophet speak.
53:24 The year was 1909, when the General Conference
53:26 Session took place in Tacoma Park, Maryland.
53:30 Ellen White being 82 years of age was in
53:33 attendance. And there was a feeling among all
53:37 that were present there that this might be the
53:39 last time for the aged messenger of the Lord.
53:42 It was the last day of the session, Sunday
53:44 afternoon June 6, around 3:30 pm, the delegates
53:48 were anxiously gathered to listen to her speak
53:51 perhaps for the last time. The General Conference
53:55 Bulletin summarized her speech as such.
53:58 As the aged speaker spoke, the congregation
54:02 responded with many hearty Amens.
54:05 And with trembling lips and with a voice touched
54:08 with deep emotion Ellen White assured the
54:11 ministers and other workers that God loves
54:13 them. And Jesus delights to make intersession
54:17 in their behalf. Amen. She then closed her
54:20 address with these words. Brethren we shall
54:24 separate for a little while, but let us not
54:27 forget what we've heard at this meeting.
54:30 Let us go forward in the strength of the mighty
54:32 one, consider the joy that is set before us of
54:35 seeing his face in the kingdom of God and going
54:37 out forever more. I pray God that this might be
54:41 the experience of each one and in the great day
54:44 of God, we may all be glorified together.
54:48 Amen. Having thus concluded at the last
54:51 sermon, she was to preach at the General
54:54 Conference Session. The 82 year old messenger
54:58 of the Lord moved away from the desk and
55:02 headed toward her seat. Suddenly she stopped,
55:07 turned and came back to the pulpit, picking up
55:11 the Bible from which she had earlier read and she
55:14 opened it and held it out with extended hands
55:17 that trembled with age and she said brethren and
55:21 sisters I commend unto you this book. Amen.
55:26 Amen. Without another word, she closed the
55:30 book and walked away from the platform.
55:36 What a legacy to leave, amen? Amen.
55:40 Friends, I believe that we're living in a very
55:44 exciting and perhaps terrifying time.
55:49 That's right. But we've nothing to fear for the
55:51 future except we shall forget how God has led
55:53 us in the past. That's right.
55:56 You know, we don't have to worry about those
55:58 final moments of earth's history because if we're
56:00 faithful day-by-day experiencing, reading,
56:03 delving into and studying the word of God,
56:06 when the final test comes, we will be
56:07 prepared, amen. Amen. And, so, it's, it's my
56:11 appeal to you this afternoon to be people
56:15 of the book, amen. Amen. You know, when Jesus
56:18 comes the second time. And he is coming in the
56:19 clouds of glory and, and the sky splits open like a
56:23 scroll. It's going to be surreal. I'm going to be
56:25 pinching myself to say. You know, I'm,
56:27 I'm here, I'm there you know, it's we no longer
56:31 need faith because we will have seen the actual
56:33 Jesus Christ face-to-face coming in the clouds of
56:37 glory. And there is going to be many things that
56:39 we have, we will have wished, but one of them
56:42 will not be I wish I had spend more time on
56:44 the Internet. I wish I had spent more time
56:48 watching television unless its 3ABN and I got
56:51 to put that in. You know, I, I wish I had spend
56:55 more time doing all these other things, but heaven
56:58 forbid you may just wish I had spend more time in
57:04 the word of God. Amen. Amen.
57:07 Bible study, prayer and ministry from an eternal
57:10 perspective takes a very high priority.
57:16 And so, it's my appeal to you this afternoon to
57:19 make scripture first. Amen.
57:21 If there ever comes a situation in your life,
57:25 when you have an experience,
57:27 a supernatural experience or whatever maybe,
57:29 make it your point to test it with scripture.
57:34 Amen. Is that your desire today? Amen.
57:35 I would like to invite you to raise your hands,
57:38 today as we see that now. Let's bow your
57:40 heads together as we pray. Father in heaven,
57:45 we want to make scripture first.


Home

Revised 2014-12-17