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Series Code: RAD
Program Code: RAD170008A
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00:01 What does the future hold?
00:02 Where can we find certainty in a world of uncertainty? 00:05 The book of Revelation provides hopeful answers for today, 00:09 tomorrow, and forever. 00:11 Join Mark Finley, author and world renowned speaker 00:14 on a journey into the future with 00:21 Welcome back, and thank you for joining us for 00:23 Revelation's Ancient Discoveries. 00:25 There are really two ways you can study the 00:27 book of Revelation. 00:28 You can take it chapter by chapter, verse by verse, 00:30 and that's a very valuable way to study the book. 00:33 The other way you can study it is look at the big pictures; 00:37 look at the large themes in the book of Revelation. 00:40 And that's what we're doing in this series, 00:42 Revelation's Ancient Discoveries. 00:44 We're looking at the big picture, looking at the huge 00:47 themes of the great controversy between good and evil. 00:51 You'll be thrilled at this presentation. 00:53 But let's pray. Father in Heaven, thank You so much for 00:58 the opportunity to study Your book. 01:01 Thank You so much for the privilege of opening the pages 01:06 of Scripture, and seeing Jesus Christ revealed 01:09 there in Revelation. 01:11 As we study, give us a sense of Your presence. 01:15 Move within us and help us to see light penetrating the 01:22 darkness of our world with the glory of Your soon return. 01:26 In Christ's name, Amen. 01:28 My topic this presentation is Revelation's 01:34 Most Amazing Discovery. 01:37 Have you ever had a secret dream, a secret wish, 01:43 something you've really wanted to do? 01:45 Maybe it was to go sky diving. You say, Not me! 01:50 You know, not long ago I talked to a friend, and my friend said, 01:54 I just went skydiving this week. 01:56 It was the most awesome experience, the most wonderful 02:00 experience I've ever had. 02:01 He did not tempt me with his skydiving experience at all. 02:07 And it kind of reminded me of a story that I read some time ago. 02:11 Debbie was a skydiver; very experienced skydiver. 02:17 And she went with a group on a Sunday afternoon far above 02:25 the deserts of Arizona skydiving. 02:28 It was a beautiful day. 02:30 The sky was blue, not much wind blowing, one of those 02:34 perfect days for skydiving. 02:36 She went with her instructor, and about five other people. 02:40 The instructor, knowing Debbie was very experienced at 02:43 skydiving said, Debbie look, I'm going to jump out first. 02:46 I want to watch the others jump out of the plane. 02:50 And then you jump out last. 02:52 Debbie made her jump. 02:55 When she went to pull her rip cord for the parachute, 02:59 for some reason the parachute didn't open. 03:01 She began going faster, and faster, and faster in her dive. 03:06 She hit another diver; knocked her unconscious, 03:11 blood was running down her face. 03:13 She streamed past her instructor. 03:16 And as she plummeted toward earth, her instructor knew 03:21 that something was wrong. 03:23 He saw the blood running down her face. 03:25 He knew that she would hit the ground in just a few 03:29 seconds in sudden death. 03:31 Her instructor, Greg, recognizing there was a disaster 03:35 in the making, tucked in his arms, folded his legs, 03:40 and he made a rapid dive, 186 miles an hour. 03:48 As he sped past Debbie, he reached out and 03:52 pulled her reserve cord. 03:54 Her parachute opened. 03:56 And as it did she floated down to earth. 04:01 Now she was injured, but she would never forget 04:05 this instructor who saved her life. 04:08 It was a mid-air rescue. 04:11 As I think of planet earth, we too, 04:15 are hurtling toward disaster. 04:17 We, too, are hurtling toward the last days of earth's history, 04:23 hurtling to our death. 04:25 And as you look at what's going on in our world 04:28 you see terrorism, you see death on every hand, 04:33 a world in serious trouble, a world that is 04:37 hurtling toward disaster. 04:39 The moral fabric of society is falling apart: divorce, 04:45 immorality, sexual perversion. 04:48 We're living in a world hurtling toward disaster: 04:53 famine, fire, flood, hurricanes, earthquakes, 04:58 natural disasters on every hand. 05:01 Would you agree with me that this world 05:04 needs a mid-air rescue? 05:06 We need intervention that we cannot find humanly. 05:11 God has a message, a message to prepare men and women 05:16 for the last days of Earth's history. 05:19 Of all the books of the Bible, where do you think you would 05:22 find God's last day message? 05:26 What book of the Bible do you think you'd find that in? 05:28 If you were looking for it, if you were searching for it 05:30 you'd look at the last book of the Bible, Revelation, 05:35 that's written for the last generation of men and women 05:38 to live on planet earth. 05:40 Revelation has an end time message, a message to prepare 05:44 people for the coming of our Lord. 05:47 Here in the book of Revelation we discover 05:55 Just like Greg rescued Debbie as she was plummeting 06:01 to disaster after that dive from the plane, 06:05 so God is getting ready for a mid-air rescue, to rescue His 06:10 children on planet earth. 06:12 The book of Revelation speaks of hope. 06:15 The book of Revelation speaks of a bright glorious tomorrow. 06:19 Yes, there is trouble ahead. 06:21 We can't minimize that. 06:23 Certainly there's a time of trouble coming that this world 06:27 has never known before. 06:29 Certainly there'll be natural disasters, 06:31 rising crime, and violence. 06:34 Certainly the Bible teaches about a mark called 06:37 the mark of the beast, a time when no man can buy or sell. 06:42 The Bible talks about a universal death decree. 06:45 It talks about the economic powers, and the religious 06:48 powers and the civil powers uniting. 06:51 In this series on Revelation, we will study about 06:55 those varying events. 06:56 But beyond that trauma, beyond that tragedy, 07:00 beyond that difficulty, beyond all of those attempts by Satan 07:06 to destroy goodness and righteousness on Planet Earth, 07:09 beyond all of that we will see God has a plan; that's there's 07:14 a bright, glorious tomorrow that God has 07:17 planned for you and me. 07:26 That's true down through history. 07:28 And it would be surprising if God did not have a message 07:32 for His people today. 07:34 Down through history God has sent a message. 07:45 Let's think about some of those times when crises were facing 07:50 the world, and God sent a message. 07:52 Think of the of the days of Noah. 07:55 The Bible says, in Genesis 6, that the earth was corrupt 07:59 before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 08:03 The Bible says, that's in verse 5, in Genesis 6:11 the 08:07 Bible says that the thoughts of their heart were only evil, 08:10 ind the imaginations of their heart continually. 08:15 God saw the wickedness, the sin of the world 08:19 in the days of Noah. 08:20 And so God was going to destroy the world by water. 08:23 But He sent a man, Noah. 08:25 Now it was not God's plan that there was the only one ark. 08:29 You know, I think a loving God would have liked to have seen 08:31 a hundred arks, a thousand arks, don't you? 08:34 Wasn't it God's intent to save all of humanity? 08:37 The reason they weren't saved is not because God didn't 08:39 send a message to prepare them. 08:41 The reason they weren't saved is because they didn't heed 08:45 the message that God sent. 08:46 God sent a man, Noah, to prepare the world for the 08:50 flood; a coming disaster. 08:52 Only a few accepted that message 08:56 and entered into the ark. 08:58 The great majority rejected that message. 09:02 God had a message to prepare for the flood. 09:06 In the days of Joseph, Pharaoh was going to experience, 09:12 and all of Egypt in fact, and experience famine. 09:15 But God sent Joseph with his dream. 09:18 There would be seven years of plenty, seven years of famine, 09:20 before the great crisis that was to hit. 09:23 God was preparing the world, preparing Egypt, Israel, 09:29 the Middle East, to face that crisis. 09:32 God sent a message before the first coming of Christ. 09:36 Did God raise up a messenger before the 09:38 first coming of Christ? Did He? 09:40 Who was that? John the Baptist. 09:42 And John the Baptist preached a message to prepare men and 09:45 women for the first coming of Christ. 09:47 Now let me ask you this question. 09:49 Wouldn't it be surprising that God would prepare the world 09:53 in the time of the flood, with a message from Noah, 09:56 that God would send Joseph to prepare for that great famine, 10:00 that God would raise up John the Baptist for the 10:02 first coming of Christ, and God would not have a message to 10:07 prepare a people for the second coming of Christ? 10:09 Wouldn't that not be surprising? 10:11 Would that not be shocking? 10:13 Would that not be certainly something that 10:16 would be unbelievable? 10:17 But I have good news for you. 10:19 God has sent a message to prepare a world 10:24 for His soon return, and that message is found in the 10:29 last book of the Bible. 10:30 That message is found in the book of Revelation. 10:33 If God has sent a message to prepare a world for the coming 10:36 of Jesus, do you think it's important to study Revelation? 10:39 Do you think it's important to look into these prophecies, 10:42 and understand God's message to prepare the world 10:47 for His soon return? 10:48 Here in Revelation we find God's end-time message. 10:54 That message is in the heart of the book of Revelation. 10:59 It's found here in Revelation 14. 11:02 Everything before Revelation 14 leads up to this message, 11:07 and everything after Revelation 14 grows out of this message. 11:12 So Revelation 14 is really the summary of the entire 11:15 book of Revelation. 11:21 Now notice the angel doesn't float, he flies. 11:23 Here's an urgent message. 11:29 The eternal gospel that is spoken to the hearts of men and 11:32 women down through the centuries. 11:40 Here is a message that leaps across geographical boundaries. 11:45 Here is a message that bridges all cultures. 11:49 Here is a message that goes to the ends of the earth. 11:52 This is not something done in a corner. 11:55 This is not a message for one denomination. 11:57 This is a message rather that goes worldwide; a message that 12:02 covers every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. 12:05 It's beyond denominations. 12:07 This message is for all humanity everywhere. 12:10 It's a message for Muslims. 12:12 It's a message for Hindus. 12:13 It's a message for Buddhists. 12:15 It's a message for athiests. 12:16 It's a message for Christians. 12:18 It is God's final message to all men and women on earth 12:22 in earth's last hour. 12:24 And men and women who accept that message, whoever they are, 12:27 wherever they are, will be prepared 12:29 for the coming of Jesus. 12:31 It is as important a message for our day as Noah's 12:34 message was for his day. 12:36 Was anybody saved from the floodwaters who did not 12:40 accept Noah's message, and get into the ark? 12:43 Not at all. And does God have an urgent, vital, significant, 12:49 end-time message for today? 12:51 Indeed He does. It's 12:54 that's to go around the globe rapidly. 12:59 We would expect then, just before the coming of Jesus, 13:02 that God would send His message around the globe. 13:05 It's exciting to me that I can stand here in a little place 13:11 in Illinois, in Southern Illinois, and speak to the 13:14 world from this place. 13:16 It's exciting to see that God is using television 13:20 around the world to share His message. 13:22 That through Internet God is sharing His message. 13:25 Through radio God is sharing His message. 13:27 Through literature God is sharing His message. 13:29 Totalitarian regimes cannot keep that message from going 13:33 to the ends of the earth. 13:34 Repressive governments can't keep that message from going 13:37 to the ends of the earth. 13:39 God's message is penetrating the deepest jungles. 13:42 God's message is penetrating the largest cities. 13:46 God's message is penetrating the most closed countries. 13:50 Because Jesus said that He would send a last day message, 13:54 pictured by angels flying in midheaven, 13:57 to go to the ends of the earth. 13:59 And those prophecies are being fulfilled today. 14:02 We are living in the time when those prophecies 14:06 are being fulfilled. 14:13 What event does it prepare them for? 14:16 Revelation 14 is divided into three parts. 14:20 First there is a people that are redeemed by Christ, 14:24 and stand on the sea of glass. 14:26 Secondly, there is a message that prepares those people. 14:31 That's from Revelation 6 to about Revelation 12. 14:34 Then there's an event for which they're prepared. 14:37 Did you get those three things? 14:39 A people... A what? message and an event. 14:43 Once again, what are they? a people, 14:45 a message, and an event. 14:47 So let's look at the event. 14:49 We find it in Revelation 14. 14:51 We see it there in Revelation 14:14-16. 14:55 John says, I looked... 14:56 I gazed in prophetic vision. 15:13 And notice what the angel says when he comes out of the temple. 15:16 The angel cries with a loud voice. 15:19 What kind of voice everybody? a loud voice. 15:22 Why a loud voice? So all humanity can hear it. 15:25 The angel says with a 15:43 Now when the Bible uses the symbol of harvest, 15:46 what does that mean? 15:48 In the book of Revelation, we don't have to guess what 15:52 symbolism means, because as we look at Revelation, 15:56 in other parts of the Bible the symbols are explained. 16:00 And so when the Bible uses the term harvest, 16:04 how is that explained? 16:05 You remember Jesus told a parable about the harvest, 16:10 and this explains the meaning of 16:12 Revelation's symbol of harvest. 16:15 Remember Jesus said there was a field, and the farmer sowed 16:18 good seed, and there were wheat and tares in the field? 16:21 And then Jesus taught that the harvest would come? 16:24 And then Christ puts it this way: 16:31 Who's the enemy? That's the devil. 16:41 Now how do you know the harvest is the end of the age? 16:44 You know that because I told you, right? 16:45 No, you know that because of what? the Bible says it. 16:49 Jesus says, The harvest is the end of the age. 16:51 So when the book of Revelation 14, talks about the final 16:55 harvest, it's talking about the end of the age. 16:58 It's talking about the time that Jesus Christ will come. 17:02 The time that the destiny's of all humanity would be settled. 17:06 The time that Christ would come, and the righteous 17:10 would be resurrected. 17:11 The righteous living would be changed, and along with the 17:15 righteous who are resurrected and changed, will be caught up 17:17 to meet Christ in the sky. 17:19 The time that Christ would come, when the wicked would be 17:22 destroyed by the brightness of His coming. 17:24 There is a message, an eternal message, a universal message, 17:29 a global message that would prepare men and women for that 17:34 event of the coming of Christ. 17:36 The reign of sin will come to an end. 17:40 Jesus will be victorious, and glorious. 17:44 He will reign forever and ever. 17:46 But what is that message? 17:49 That message that must go to all of humanity? 17:52 That message that must go to the ends of the earth? 17:55 That unique message, like Noah's day, to prepare a world 17:59 for the coming of Christ. 18:00 Let's study that message phrase by phrase. 18:03 Understanding that message means eternal life. 18:14 Let's pause for a moment. 18:16 Let's not pass over that phrase, everlasting gospel, quickly. 18:20 What is the everlasting gospel? 18:23 The everlasting gospel is defined for us in Scripture. 18:29 It is about the death, the resurrection, 18:34 the priestly ministry, and the coming of our Lord. 18:37 The Apostle Paul talks about the everlasting gospel in 19:06 The fact that through Jesus Christ and His shed blood, 19:10 and because of His grace, you and I can find peace. 19:14 Just last evening I got a message from my webpage. 19:20 It was a short message; message from a young man, and he said 19:25 something like this: He said, life for me is not worth living. 19:32 Can you call me, Pastor? 19:35 Because I want to know how do I find Jesus Christ? 19:38 I don't have any peace in my life, 19:41 and any purpose in my life. 19:44 There is one way that we can have peace. 19:47 One of the reasons we don't have peace often is because 19:50 guilt strangles that peace. 19:53 One of the reasons we don't have peace is because the 19:55 condemning voices in our head say, You've failed. 19:58 You're not worth very much. 20:00 There's no hope for you. 20:02 One of the reasons we don't have peace is because we don't 20:04 have purpose and meaning in our lives. 20:06 But coming to Jesus we find One who forgives us, One whose arms 20:11 are wide open for us, One who gives us grace, One who died 20:15 for us so that our guilt could be gone, One who assures us 20:18 of the gift of eternal life. 20:20 In 1 John 5, the Bible says this: it says, This is the 20:24 confidence that we have in Him. 20:26 In the book of John it says, And I've written these things that 20:31 you may know that you have eternal life, because His, 20:34 this life is in His Son. 20:35 When we accept Jesus He gives us the gift of eternal life. 20:40 We can find peace again. 20:42 What is the gospel? 20:49 You see, it's not that we can do enough good works to be saved. 20:53 It's not, look how righteous and great that I am. 20:57 It's rather, this is what Christ has done for me. 21:00 And what's the essence of Christianity? 21:02 It's kneeling at Jesus' feet. 21:04 It's saying, Lord, I am Yours. 21:05 I accept Your sacrifice for me. 21:08 I accept Your death on my behalf. 21:11 I accept Your perfect life makes up for my imperfection. 21:15 I want to live for Christ. 21:17 For me to live is Christ. 21:20 Remember what Jesus said in John 3:16, when He's talking to 21:24 Nicodemus, and Nicodemus has no peace. 21:26 He has all the external trappings of religion, 21:29 the formal, ritualistic religion, 21:31 that Jewish background. 21:34 And Jesus says to Nicodemus, 21:50 Here is the good news! 21:52 Here is Christ's message for a final generation. 21:54 You need not perish. 21:56 You can live, and live forever. 21:58 The grave need not be a dark hole in the ground. 22:01 Death need not be a long night without a morning. 22:04 You need not perish, Jesus says. 22:06 You can have everlasting life. 22:08 What is the gospel? 22:10 The gospel is the good news that Christ died, but it's also 22:14 the good news that He lived a perfect life. 22:19 Jesus resisted every temptation of the Devil, 22:23 by the strength of the Father. 22:25 Jesus resisted every temptation of the evil one. 22:29 Everything that was thrown at Christ by 22:36 the Devil, Jesus resisted. 22:37 He lived a perfect life. 22:39 What difference does that make? 22:41 It really makes two differences. 22:42 1. That the perfect life that He lived atones for, makes up for 22:48 our imperfect lives. 22:50 But secondly, it also makes this difference: if Jesus, through 22:55 dependence on the Father, if Jesus through divine strength 23:01 could be an overcomer, Revelation says you and I 23:05 can also be overcomers. 23:06 In the message to the seven churches, they all end with 23:10 the same phrase: To him that overcomes, 23:12 to him that overcomes, to him that overcomes. 23:15 You and I need not be strangled by sin anymore. 23:28 We come to Jesus just as we are. 23:31 We don't have to wait until we have some 23:33 kind of super perfection. 23:35 We come to Jesus just as we are, but we don't stay as we are. 23:39 He comes into our lives by His grace. 23:42 By His Divine power He changes us, makes us new again. 23:49 Christ died for us. 23:50 Christ lives for us. 23:52 Christ rose from the dead for us. 23:54 Christ, indeed, is alive! 23:58 And because He is alive, we can come, and His power 24:02 can change our lives. 24:04 He can make us over again. 24:06 He can give us new purpose and meaning in life. 24:12 He is there before the throne of God. 24:15 The Bible says in Hebrews 4:15, Let us come boldly, 24:20 or confidently to the throne of grace that we may find mercy 24:24 and grace in time of need. 24:26 Do you have some time of need? 24:28 Going through some challenge in your life? 24:30 Revelation's end time message is you're not alone, 24:34 that through Jesus' power, and by His grace you can be a 24:37 changed man, you can be a changed woman, 24:39 you can be a new person. 24:41 The great leaders of this world have lived, and died, 24:46 and they're in their grave: Stalin in his grave, 24:49 Chairman Mao in his grave, Napoleon in his grave. 24:53 You look at the great leaders of the world; they live, 24:57 they're on the world's screen for a blip, and they're gone, 25:02 but the living Christ is alive. 25:06 This is the message of Revelation, that we serve a 25:10 risen Savior, and His power can be yours, 25:14 His power can be mine. 25:15 Because He lives for us, the Jesus that died for us, 25:20 is the Jesus that lives for us. 25:22 What is the message, this special message that's to go to 25:25 the ends of the earth? It's the gospel. 25:27 You remember what Matthew 24:14 says? 25:30 This gospel of the kingdom shall go to the ends of the earth, 25:34 as a witness to all nations. 25:36 Then the end will come. 25:40 I think of a young woman, a young attorney in Bulgaria. 25:46 Came to our meetings; accepted Christ. 25:49 She found peace. I think of a thief in Moscow, scarred down 25:54 his face, in and out of court twenty-seven times. 25:57 He came to our meetings; listened to messages like this. 26:00 He found peace. I think of a young motorcycle gang leader 26:06 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts came in with his motorcycle 26:10 gang to the meetings, and he found peace. 26:12 I think of a young up and coming rock star came to our meetings, 26:17 New Haven, Connecticut. 26:18 He found peace. Yes, as we come to Jesus Christ there is a new 26:24 peace that flows into our life, because the everlasting gospel, 26:28 Revelation 14:6, is the answer to the great 26:32 problems of humanity. 26:34 This message, according to the Bible, is to go to 26:37 the ends of the earth. 26:38 It's a message that's to move this world with the 26:42 Holy Spirit's power. 26:43 It will lighten the earth with the glory of God. 26:47 The Holy Spirit, in the last days of earth's history, will be 26:51 poured out like it was in the book of Acts. 26:54 Now this message will reveal 27:02 It will reveal truths that have been hidden 27:04 down through the ages. 27:07 The message in Revelation goes on, and it reveals an 27:14 of the gospel. Parts of that Biblical message that 27:19 have been neglected. 27:21 It's a message to call men and women to receive God's grace 27:26 so powerfully in their lives that they obey God. 27:30 The Bible says in Revelation14:7 27:47 Now some people say that that's a little frightening. 27:51 The Bible says fear God. 27:55 The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. 27:58 The New Testament was written in Greek. 28:01 And there's an interesting word. 28:03 Do you see where it says there, fear God? 28:05 Their word is theou in Greek. 28:08 And that means, have the deepest respect, have the deepest awe, 28:15 a respect for God that leads me to desire to do 28:20 whatever He asks me to do. 28:22 To fear God means not to tremble in fear, in the sense 28:28 of being afraid of an authoritarian dictator, but 28:37 That I have such respect for Him that all I want to do is what 28:41 God wants me to do. 28:42 That I have such reverence for Him, such awe for Him, 28:46 such a sense that He will never ask me to do something that's 28:51 not in harmony with my best good, that I fall at His feet 28:54 and I say, God, all I want to do is what You want me to do. 28:58 So fearing God and obedience are a link. 29:00 They're linked through Scripture. 29:07 Now if you come to the wrong conclusion, 29:10 you missed the whole point, right? So, 29:15 That's reverence and respect Him. 29:18 And how do I do that? 29:23 So there's a message in the book of Revelation that calls 29:27 us who are saved by grace. 29:28 Calls all humanity everwhere to fear, or respect God, 29:33 and live obedient Godly lives. 29:40 Are people forgetting God's law today? 29:42 Are we living in a society where men and women at times, 29:46 have turned their back on God's law, because they feel God's 29:49 law is restrictive? 29:51 But yet, God's law is the essence of freedom. 30:00 It's not only your head. 30:01 What's the difference between having the law in our mind, 30:04 and the law in our heart? 30:05 You can have the law of God in your head, and simply try to 30:08 keep it legalistically, and ritually, 30:11 and fail again and again. 30:12 You can know what God wants you to do, but when He puts it in 30:16 your heart, you love to do it. 30:17 When He puts it in your heart you desire to do it. 30:19 When He puts it in your heart that's what you want. 30:22 And so God says, My son, don't forget my law. 30:25 In other words, don't forget it out of your mind, 30:27 but let your heart know that I'll do nothing that is not 30:33 for your best good. 30:34 Know, my children, that just like a father wants the best 30:39 for his children, just like a father would never harm his 30:43 children, because he loves them, God says to you, 30:46 Let your heart keep My law. 30:49 Recognize the beauty of My law, and by My Spirit, 30:54 I will give you the strength to follow Me. 30:56 Revelation 14:12 describes a people, a people that live in 31:00 the last days of earth's history. 31:04 Another word for patience is endurance of the saints. 31:07 Saints are believers. 31:08 Here are the endurance of my end time people. 31:11 Say, where are God's people today? 31:13 They have heard God's message. 31:15 They have responded to the gospel. 31:17 They've accepted His grace. 31:19 They are redeemed by His love. 31:21 They have reverential awe for Him. 31:23 They want to obey Him. 31:30 Somebody said, I thought if you were saved by grace 31:33 through faith, you didn't have to keep the law. 31:35 Grace does not lead you to disobey God, 31:40 grace leads you to obey God. 31:42 Love does not lead you to be disobedient, 31:45 love leads you to be obedient. 31:47 Here is an end time message; a message for all humanity, 31:51 a message for every man, woman, and child living on the 31:54 face of planet earth. 31:55 Here is a call for those who have faith... 31:58 Now notice it doesn't say faith in Jesus, 32:01 it says the faith of what? faith of Jesus. 32:04 They've accepted His grace, so the same quality of faith 32:09 that was in Christ, the same quality of faith that guided His 32:15 life, the same quality of faith that led Him to be dependent 32:19 on the Father, that is living in end time believers. 32:22 And that faith is dynamic, that faith is powerful, 32:25 and that faith leads them to keep the commandments of God. 32:29 And they long to obey Him; not because it is some 32:33 legalistic requirement, but because the living faith of 32:36 Christ is in their life. 32:38 And when you know Christ, you want to obey Christ. 32:41 Now notice, Fear God... 32:43 Here's an end time message. 32:44 Reverence God, respect God, let the faith of 32:47 Christ live in your life. 32:53 What does it mean to give glory to God? 32:57 How do we give glory to God? 33:13 Let's ask the Bible to define what that means. 33:16 Let's go to the Apostle Paul. 33:22 It means to honor Him in the things we take into our bodies. 33:26 It means to honor Him in the things we look at and see. 33:30 It means to honor Him, or give glory to Him in the things we 33:33 hear, the music we listen to. 33:35 It means to give glory to Him in the things that we watch on 33:39 television, the places we go, the lifestyle that we have. 33:54 Is everything you do to the glory of God? 33:56 Can you take a cigarette and put it in your mouth and smoke it, 34:00 and destroy your body to the glory of God? 34:03 Can you take alcohol and just imbibe of it 34:06 to the glory of God? 34:08 Can you treat your body like a fun house, and eat whatever 34:11 you want, and say that's to the glory of God? Certainly not! 34:14 What does the Bible say? 34:23 We desire to keep this created habitation that God has 34:28 given us to His glory. 34:30 I remember one time I was helping a lady quit smoking. 34:33 She was an older grandma, and she had been smoking for about 34:37 forty years, and she could not quit. 34:40 Everything we did... 34:41 One day I went to visit her and she said, 34:43 Pastor Mark, guess what? I quit smoking! she said. 34:46 I said, How did you quit smoking? 34:48 She said, Well, I had this one thought, every time I took a 34:52 puff of cigarette... 34:53 I'm a Christian! I committed my life to Jesus! 34:55 But I never could quit smoking. 34:57 But then I had this thought, If I'm a Christian, 34:59 the Holy Spirit lives within me. 35:01 If I'm a Christian, I'm the temple of God. 35:05 If I'm a Christian, and I take a drag on a cigarette, 35:08 Pastor Mark, I might be choking the Holy Spirit. 35:10 I don't want to do that! I quit! 35:12 Once you recognize your body is the temple of God, 35:16 what do you want to do? 35:17 You want to give glory to God. 35:19 And so here's a message, an end time message, 35:21 a message of the gospel of God's grace, 35:24 a message of His love and mercy, 35:27 a message that goes to the ends of the earth. 35:29 Here's an end time message that calls those of us who were saved 35:33 by grace to obey God and keep His commandments. 35:35 Here's an end time message, a message that echoes the message 35:40 of the New Testament, that has been lost sight of 35:42 down through the ages. 35:46 I urge you, I appeal to you. 35:54 Notice you present, that is you choose. 36:04 You see where it says, your reasonable service? 36:06 The Phillips translation of the Bible puts it this way, 36:09 which is an act of worship. 36:12 So when we come to God and say, God, I'm not going to take 36:15 anything into my body that defiles it. 36:18 We really enter into an act of worship, because we're 36:21 presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to God; 36:25 holy and acceptable to Him. 36:27 This is not salvation by diet. 36:31 It is not salvation by works. 36:34 It is rather the response of a heart of love that wants only 36:39 to glorify God in the bodies that He's given us. 36:43 Can you see why, in the last days of earth's history, 36:45 that God is sending a message to a final generation 36:49 on planet earth, because this world often is defiling their 36:54 bodies with the things they take in, defiling their minds with 36:59 the things that they watch, defiling their whole beings 37:04 by the places of entertainment that they go. 37:07 So here is an end time message that says, Fear God. 37:12 Give glory to Him. Live in harmony with the marvelous laws 37:16 of health that He has given you. 37:19 An end time message of physical, mental, spiritual, emotional 37:24 health to prepare a people for the coming of Jesus. Now notice: 37:35 Of all the things that God has made or created, 37:38 what's the most marvelous? 37:39 What's the most amazing of all the things God has made? 37:42 What is it? The human body. 37:44 Can I worship Him, worship the Creator, 37:49 by tearing down what He has made? 37:52 If I want to worship the Creator, I want to work in 37:56 harmony with what Jesus Christ has made, 37:59 I don't want to tear down what He's made. 38:01 But notice what it says: 38:07 In other words, worship the Creator. 38:09 Now who is this, a message calling us to worship? 38:12 It's a message calling us to worship the Creator. 38:17 Throughout the book of Revelation, there is this appeal 38:22 to worship the Creator. 38:23 Can there be anything more meaningful than worshipping 38:27 the Creator in an age of evolution? 38:30 In an age where people believe that through fortuitous chance 38:35 that some kind of inanimate substance in the ocean came 38:41 together, and over millions of years, they understand that that 38:45 formed some kind of life form, and then that life form, 38:49 over millions of years, began to progress. 38:52 And down through those millenniums, it eventually 38:55 evolved into humanity? 38:57 That's what many people believe. 39:00 They believe given enough time, and given the right 39:03 circumstances, through some kind of biological accident 39:08 here the majority of the world today, and the majority of the 39:13 scientific community, and in the majority of the Universities 39:16 of the world today, the evolutionary 39:19 hypothesis is taught. 39:21 And in end time God has a message in the Bible calling 39:26 men and women back to the Creator. 39:29 We are not merely a random collection of genes and 39:34 chromosomes that came together. 39:37 We are created by a living God. 39:39 That's why we have purpose. 39:41 That's why we have meaning. 39:43 When God created you He threw away the pattern. 39:46 There's nobody else like you in the Universe. 39:49 That's why you have meaning and purpose in God's sight. 39:53 In an age of evolution, God has a message, an end time message 39:58 to call men and women back to 40:03 the sea, and the fountains of waters. 40:19 We did not evolve. We're not skin covering bones. 40:23 We're not some genetic accident. 40:41 God has left an eternal sign of His creative authority. 40:48 It's called the Bible Sabbath. 40:50 And in a future presentation here in 40:53 Revelation's Ancient Discoveries we're going to study that. 40:56 God has an end time message. 40:58 It's to go to the ends of the earth. 40:59 People saved by grace will be led to obey God. 41:04 They will be led to desire one thing: 41:07 to glorify God in their bodies. 41:09 God is getting a people ready for His soon return. 41:13 Now in the book of Revelation there are two worships: 41:23 We will, in this study, of course, eventually study about, 41:27 Who is the beast? What is the mark? and What is the way 41:32 to avoid receiving the mark of the beast? 41:34 But it's critically important in this telecast, 41:38 this presentation, to understand that the essence of the book of 41:42 Revelation, and the conflict in the book of Revelation, 41:46 is about worship; worshipping the Creator, 41:49 or worshipping the beast. 41:51 The Bible says, Here's an urgent end time message. 41:59 Now the first angel's message tells us: 42:03 It tells us that the gospel's going to go to 42:05 the end of the earth, and that we are to worship God. 42:09 It tells us why we are supposed to do it. 42:12 He created us. He made us. He shaped us. 42:15 And it also tells us why it's so vitally important. 42:27 Does it say they will come some time in the future? 42:30 No, it says the hour of God's judgment has come. 42:33 In other words, the clock has struck the hour. 42:35 In other words, this is no longer business as usual. 42:37 This is no longer pleasures as usual. 42:40 This is no longer common business. 42:42 We are living on the knife edge of eternity. 42:45 Before Jesus returns to this world, there must be a judgment 42:50 to determine who receives what rewards when He comes. 42:54 Remember, Jesus says in Revelation 22:12, 42:58 Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is what? with Me. 43:03 Where is His reward? with Me, He says. 43:06 If Jesus is coming to give out the rewards, there must be a 43:10 judgment before He comes to determine who receives what 43:13 rewards when He comes. 43:15 So Revelation's message stimulates us 43:18 out of our complacency. 43:19 Revelation's message shakes us up. 43:22 It says we're living in the judgment hour. 43:24 This is time to get ready for the coming of Jesus. 43:30 The sands in the hour glass of time indeed are running out. 43:39 Revelation is a book about eternal destiny. 43:43 Revelation is a book that compels us 43:47 to make eternal decisions. 43:49 We no longer can be neutral. 43:51 Revelation gets us off the fence and moves us to 43:55 decision for Christ. Jesus says in 44:09 Jesus says, I'm coming to give out the rewards. 44:13 This is the judgment hour right now. 44:23 In this world often, very, very often, 44:28 things that that are unjust happen. 44:30 But one day Christ is going to come, and in the final judgment 44:35 before His coming, He will set all things right. 44:38 And Jesus will triumph in the Universe. 44:42 He is the righteous judge. 44:45 Sometimes in this life we experience 44:48 things that are unfair. 44:50 Sometimes in this life we experience 44:53 things that are unjust. 44:54 But the good news is He will set everything right. 45:00 In that final judgment He'll explain to us in fact, just why 45:04 certain things happened to us in life. 45:06 He'll explain to us all of our heartache, and every tear. 45:09 But He'll explain to us how He was with us during 45:13 those periods of time. 45:14 When Christ comes, according to 45:27 Now, in this judgment hour, Christ gives us the 45:31 opportunity to make a choice. 45:33 Because when He comes again there is no second opportunity. 45:38 When Jesus comes again the destiny's of all human 45:42 beings are settled. 45:43 This is the time to make eternal decisions for Christ. 45:48 This is the time when God's final urgent message is going 45:53 to the ends of the earth to make decisions for Christ. 45:56 Now there are three angels that bring their messages. 46:11 And say, Jesus, all I want to know is what You want me to do. 46:29 and live in harmony with the commands of that Creator. 46:41 But a second angel flies, and the second angel flies and 46:50 This world is filled with religious falsehood. 47:01 Notice the first four letters in the word Babylon. 47:04 They are baby. Why do you call a baby a baby? 47:07 You call a baby a baby because it's speech is 47:11 garbled or confused. 47:12 So Babylon in Revelation... 47:15 And we'll study more about this in this series. 47:17 ...Babylon in Revelation represents a confused religious 47:22 system based on the traditions of man, rather than the clear 47:27 teachings of God's Word. 47:29 God, in His Word, gives us the truth of Scripture. 47:35 Now notice what Babylon, this false religious system has done. 47:45 In other words, she's passed around the wine cup 47:49 of her false doctrines. 47:50 The world has become drunk with the false doctrines of Babylon. 47:54 And what does Jesus say? 47:56 He says, I want to sober you up with the truth of My Word. 48:06 So in the last days of earth's history the errors of Babylon, 48:10 the false teachings, the deceptive teachings will be 48:13 exposed by the truth of God's word, as the message of the 48:17 three angels' goes to the ends of the earth. 48:20 But then the third angel flies. 48:32 Before that third angel flies, I want to review the 48:35 first angel's message again. 48:42 This message shakes up Babylon; a message of the gospel, 48:46 a message of dependence on Christ, 48:48 a message to obey God reverently, 48:51 a message to give glory to God, a message that the hour of 48:54 God's judgment is come, a message to 48:56 worship Him as Creator. 48:58 Now notice, true worship is mentioned in Revelation 14:6, 7. 49:03 Worship the Creator that made heaven, earth, sea, 49:06 and the fountains of waters. 49:08 Now we go to the third angel. 49:09 Look, here's false worship. 49:13 What kind of voice? 49:14 If the Bible says it with a loud voice, why? 49:17 Because God wants you to hear it. 49:19 God wants you to hear it. 49:20 If anyone worships the what? beast. 49:22 What did we read about in Revelation 14:7? 49:25 Worship the what? Creator. 49:27 Revelation 14:9. Don't worship the beast. 49:31 See, here's the conflict in Revelation between 49:34 true and false worship. 49:44 The wrath of God are the judgments of God. 49:45 So two worships in Revelation. 49:49 Now what about those that don't receive the mark of the beast, 49:52 but do worship the Creator? 50:02 We could summarize it this way: 50:17 Is there one commandment of the ten that talks about 50:22 worshipping the Creator? 50:23 Is there one? The Sabbath commandment. 50:26 So here true and false worship contrasted, and a message to 50:31 all humanity to worship the Creator by worshipping 50:34 on the true Bible Sabbath. 50:42 It calls us to true worship. 50:45 It's an appeal to surrender completely our lives to God, 50:49 and to commit our lives to following Him. 50:52 Some time ago a young boy was hit by a car, and there crossing 51:01 the street he was dying, losing blood, rushed to the hospital. 51:06 They looked for a blood donor, and they found the father 51:11 had the same blood type as the boy. 51:14 These were the days of direct blood transfusions. 51:18 They took a needle, pressed it in the arm of the father, 51:22 blood began to flow from the father directly to the boy. 51:28 The father looked at the lifeless form of his son, 51:30 and he looked at the doctor and he said, Doctor, 51:34 if you need to, take it all! 51:37 Take every drop of my blood. 51:40 That father was willing to give his all for his son. 51:43 On Calvary's cross, Jesus, gave His all for you, 51:48 because He wants you to be ready for His soon return. 51:52 There's nothing more that He wants than you to be ready. 51:56 Jesus gave His all for me. 51:58 I want to give my all to Him. 52:00 What do you say? Because one day soon He will come. 52:03 One day soon the earth will quake. 52:05 One day soon Jesus will return. 52:07 I think I hear the sound of a mighty rushing wind. 52:12 Listen as Celestine sings. 52:23 I hear the sound of a mighty rushing wind, 52:34 and it's closer now than it's ever been. 52:44 I can almost hear the trumpet as Gabriel sounds the call. 52:58 At the midnight cry we'll be going home. 53:08 When Jesus steps out on a cloud to call His children, 53:20 the dead in Christ shall rise to meet Him in the air. 53:32 And then those that remain will be quickly changed, 53:46 at the midnight cry, when Jesus comes again. 53:59 I look around me, and I see prophecies fulfilling, 54:10 and signs of the times, they're appearing everywhere. 54:20 I can almost hear the Father say, Son, 54:28 go get all My children. 54:34 At the midnight cry the bride of Christ will rise. 54:46 When Jesus steps out on a cloud to call His children, 54:58 the dead in Christ shall rise, to meet Him in the air. 55:09 And then those that remain, will be quickly changed, 55:22 at the midnight cry, when Jesus comes again. 55:34 When Jesus steps out on a cloud to call His children, 55:47 the dead in Christ shall rise to meet Him in the air. 55:59 And then us that remain will be quickly changed. 56:12 At the midnight cry, the Lord will come again! 56:32 And He will! At the midnight cry Jesus will come again. 56:37 The only response is to say, Jesus, I'm Yours. 56:43 Jesus, I give You my life. 56:46 Jesus, I want to serve You forever. 56:50 Let's pray together, and in your heart let the Spirit of God 56:54 touch you to make that decision right now. 56:57 Father in heaven, we thank You so much that Jesus is coming, 57:02 that through His grace, and by His power we can 57:05 live in His kingdom. 57:07 Grant to us Your strength to live godly obedient lives, 57:11 and to follow Your truth now and through all eternity. 57:14 In Christ's name, Amen. 57:17 Thank you for joining us for Revelation's 57:21 Ancient Discoveries. 57:22 We'll continue in this series in our next presentation. |
Revised 2018-03-29