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Series Code: RAD
Program Code: RAD170023A
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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 00:08 for today, tomorrow and forever. 00:11 Join Mark Finley, 00:12 author and world renowned speaker 00:14 on a journey into the future 00:16 with Revelation's Ancient Discoveries. 00:23 Welcome to Revelation's Ancient Discoveries. 00:26 As we've journeyed together through the Book of Revelation, 00:30 we've discovered that God will ultimately triumph 00:35 in the controversy between good and evil. 00:37 The theme of Revelation is Christ wins and Satan loses. 00:42 A question is often asked, 00:44 does God have a people today 00:47 that will take the gospel to the world? 00:49 Will the gospel lighten the earth with the glory of God 00:53 just before the coming of Christ? 00:55 Does God have a church today? 00:57 Are churches manmade or are they God made? 01:01 Are churches human, bureaucratic, 01:04 authoritarian institutions 01:06 or the dynamic movements raised up by God 01:10 to foster and further His work on earth? 01:13 We're gonna discover answers 01:15 to those questions in our program today. 01:17 But let's pray. 01:19 Father in heaven, thank You so much for the fact 01:23 that You have guided Your church 01:25 down through the centuries, 01:27 and as we explore the movement of God, 01:30 a movement of destiny, a last day movement, 01:34 as we've explored the characteristics of that 01:36 and its work, 01:38 we pray that You'd give us wisdom, and strength, 01:43 and the courage to follow You, in Christ name, amen. 01:48 Our topic is Revelation's Movement of Destiny. 01:52 As men and women around the world look at scripture, 01:55 they wonder if there's one God and one faith, 01:59 why are there so many different denominations? 02:03 And how can I work my way 02:04 through that maze of denominations 02:06 to discover God's truth for today? 02:09 Some actually wonder if God has a people today, 02:15 but yet there is a hunger for genuine Christianity. 02:19 As we look out over our world, one thing is for certain, 02:22 materialism does not satisfy. 02:26 You know in 1986, 02:27 Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos fled the Philippines. 02:32 When they did and their mansion was examined, 02:36 it was found that Imelda Marcos had 1220 pairs of shoes. 02:43 She had many, many accessories, of course, 02:47 purses and pocketbooks and fine gowns, 02:50 just tens of thousands of dollars, 02:52 hundreds of thousands tied up in that clothing. 02:55 Where's all that today, 20 some odd years later? 02:59 Recently, an article came out in the Philippine newspapers 03:03 that was reported by the National Archives 03:08 where those shoes are 03:10 and those gowns and accessories are. 03:12 Water from a monsoon got into the section 03:15 where her things were 03:17 and her things are wet, damp, mildewing, termites 03:22 eating some of them 03:23 and the article said they are of no value. 03:26 Materialism does not satisfy. 03:29 The new pair of shoes 03:30 we have today is gonna get old tomorrow. 03:31 The new suit, the new dress 03:33 is going to be out of style tomorrow. 03:34 Materialism doesn't satisfy. 03:36 There must be something far deeper than that. 03:39 Pleasure is not satisfied. 03:41 You know, you have one party, 03:42 one fun fling but yet the next morning 03:46 you wake up and it leaves you empty. 03:48 The tingling sensation of pleasure tonight 03:51 is tomorrow's disappointment or discouragement. 03:55 Technology has not satisfied. 03:58 You know, you look at the latest iPad, iPhone, 04:02 latest computer gadgets, latest material 04:06 that is written about the best camera 04:10 and you look at that stuff on the best camera today 04:13 and then you read six months later, 04:15 a year later, two years later 04:16 and your best camera is now your oldest camera. 04:18 You know, you look at technology, 04:20 it just does not satisfy. 04:24 What does satisfy? 04:26 What are human beings really looking for? 04:28 Most human beings are looking for something 04:30 bigger than themself, 04:32 something grander than themself, 04:34 something nobler themself. 04:37 They're looking for a purpose to live for. 04:39 They're looking for something to give their life for, 04:42 something that will give them direction and guidance, 04:46 something that will bring them satisfaction, 04:49 something that fulfills the meaning of their existence. 04:52 There's only one thing like that 04:54 and that's Jesus Christ. 04:56 He fills the deepest longing of our hearts, 04:59 but in addition to that Christ leads us to His people. 05:03 He leads us to purpose, 05:05 He leads us to a movement 05:07 that's to lighten the earth with the glory of God. 05:10 There is nothing more satisfying, 05:12 nothing more enriching, 05:14 nothing more fulfilling 05:17 than to be part of a movement of destiny, 05:21 that you know it has been raised up by God 05:24 to do something significant, 05:26 something meaningful in this world. 05:30 In every generation, God has had a people. 05:35 In every generation, God has had a movement. 05:38 When you look down through history, 05:41 God has always had a church. 05:43 Well, does God call the people on earth today His church? 05:47 It would be strange 05:48 if God did not have a people on earth today 05:51 when He has had a people in every generation. 05:54 Let's go back to the days of Noah. 05:57 God was going to destroy this world with a flood. 06:00 But before the waters fell and before the flood came, 06:04 God raised up Noah, 06:07 and Noah had a purpose to live for, 06:10 to prepare people for the coming destruction. 06:13 Does God have a people today that He has called His church 06:18 that calls men and women 06:20 to prepare for the coming fiery holocaust 06:23 when Jesus comes again? 06:25 Jesus will soon return. 06:27 In loving arms, He's reaching out now 06:29 to prepare men and women for His soon return. 06:32 In the days of Noah, 06:34 the majority rejected God's call, 06:37 but His faithful people entered into the ark. 06:40 If God had a message in the days of Noah, 06:44 would it be not surprising 06:46 if He didn't have a message today? 06:48 In every generation, God has sent a message 06:52 to prepare for the crisis. 06:54 God has always had a people. 06:55 Think about the days of Abraham. 06:58 God called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees. 07:02 He called him to be His faithful leader 07:06 of a new movement. 07:08 Genesis 26:2 says, 07:10 "Then the Lord appeared to him," 07:11 that's Abraham "and said, 07:13 'Don't go down to Egypt, 07:14 live in the land of which I shall tell you.'" 07:17 Then the scripture goes on to say, 07:19 "Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, 07:23 My commandments, My statutes, and My laws." 07:26 Now here is a key to understanding God's people. 07:32 God calls them out of the majority. 07:34 God's people are never the majority. 07:37 He calls them out of the majority, 07:39 but He calls them to be faithful, obedient 07:43 to His commandments and His laws. 07:45 Here are two characteristics of God's people. 07:48 First, like Abraham, within their heart. 07:51 They listen to the voice of God. 07:53 They decided to follow the voice of God, 07:55 and more than anything else they want to please God. 07:58 Secondly, in their lifestyle, they live godly obedient lives. 08:03 When you come to the days of Israel, 08:07 God has a people. 08:08 He had people in the days of Noah, 08:10 had a people in the days of Abraham. 08:12 And in the days of Moses, God had a people. 08:16 He called Moses and the Israelites 08:19 out of Egypt, 08:20 the scripture says in Deuteronomy 11:1, 08:24 "Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, 08:26 and keep His charge, His statutes, 08:29 His judgments, and His commandments always." 08:32 Now notice the text, first, there is love to God. 08:36 Obedience is not some legalistic requirement. 08:41 It is not some external formalism. 08:44 It comes and springs from the heart of love, 08:47 but you notice the text, 08:48 "You love the Lord your God 08:50 and you'll keep His commandments." 08:52 So down through the ages, 08:54 God has always had a people that have loved Him. 08:57 He's always had a people 08:58 that have been committed to Him, 08:59 always had a people that were desirous of doing His will 09:02 that have kept His commandments. 09:05 God's chosen people through the Old Testament 09:08 also are found in the New Testament. 09:11 When Israel, as a nation, 09:14 as a corporate whole through its leadership 09:18 drifted from the purposes of God. 09:21 God raised up the New Testament Christian church, 09:24 they were called His chosen people. 09:27 In the day of Pentecost, 09:28 3,000 were baptized to form God's new spiritual community. 09:35 They came and they were called "God's chosen people". 09:40 In the Book of Peter, we read this. 09:42 In 1 Peter 2:9, 09:45 "But you are a chosen generation, 09:48 a royal priesthood, 09:49 a holy nation, His own special people." 09:54 Did God in the days 09:55 of the New Testament have a chosen generation, 09:58 a royal priesthood, a holy nation? 10:01 Israel previously was God's holy nation, 10:05 but when the leadership of Israel 10:07 turned their back on the Messiah, 10:09 many individual Jews were baptized, 10:11 they became Christians following Jesus 10:13 and this new Christian community of Jew and Gentile 10:18 became God's church or His chosen people. 10:22 The Bible says, "That you may proclaim the praises of Him 10:25 who called you out of darkness into this marvelous light." 10:29 God always calls His people for a purpose. 10:32 God called Noah to proclaim His message to a dying world. 10:36 God called Abraham to proclaim His message to a dying world. 10:41 God called Moses to proclaim His message 10:44 to lead people out of Egyptian bondage 10:48 into the Promised Land. 10:50 God called the New Testament Christian church 10:54 to lead His people into a movement 10:58 that would impact the world 10:59 and enlighten it with the glory of God. 11:02 If in every generation, God has had a people. 11:06 Would it not be surprising 11:08 if God did not have a people today? 11:11 You see, when you take a step to follow truth 11:14 and become part of God's commandment keeping people, 11:17 you're not denying any truth that you believed in the past. 11:21 Well, God always leads His people progressively 11:24 just like He lead Abraham and Moses, 11:28 just like He lead 11:29 the New Testament Christian believers. 11:31 When those New Testament believers, 11:34 who were Jews followed Christ, 11:37 they were not denying the Old Testament, 11:40 they were rather accepting the larger, brighter truth 11:45 that God led them into. 11:47 So God is always leading us to take another step. 11:50 Could it be that you've not turned into, 11:53 tuned into this program by accident? 11:55 Could it be that God wants 11:58 you personally to take another step? 12:01 That He's revealing His light to you. 12:03 You've been a faithful Christian 12:05 down through these years. 12:07 You've loved Christ 12:08 and to the best of your knowledge you obeyed Him, 12:11 but God's inviting you to take another step. 12:14 He's inviting you to follow 12:17 His ways, and His will, and His commands. 12:20 He's inviting you to walk with the people 12:22 that He's outlined in the Book of Revelation. 12:25 You see, while we may appreciate our past, 12:28 we commit ourselves to following 12:30 all the truth that God has for us today. 12:33 There's never a stopping place in the Christian life, 12:35 where we say, "Now I know everything, 12:37 therefore, I can be comfortable 12:40 with the knowledge that I have." 12:42 God is always leading us to take another step. 12:45 He's always leading us to follow further truth. 12:50 When you find the truth, 12:51 you look for a church that teaches the truth. 12:53 You see, we don't go to the church 12:55 to find out what truth is. 12:57 We go to the Bible to find out what truth is, 12:59 and then we find a people 13:02 that God has raised up in harmony 13:05 with the truth of Scripture. 13:07 In 1 Timothy 3:15, 13:10 the Bible describes what defines the church. 13:13 It says, "I write so that you may know 13:16 how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God," 13:18 that's the church, 13:20 "which is the church of the living God, 13:22 the pillar and the ground of truth." 13:25 Did you notice how the Bible defines the church? 13:27 What is it? 13:29 It's the pillar and ground of truth. 13:32 So the church is the foundation 13:35 of the very truth of God's Word. 13:37 In fact, in John 17:17, it says, 13:40 "Sanctify them by your truth..." 13:43 What's the rest of it? 13:44 "Your word is truth." 13:48 So God's word reveals what truth is. 13:50 If you want to know the truth, you go to the very Word of God. 13:55 And what did Jesus Himself say? 13:57 John 8:32, "And you shall know the truth, 14:00 and the truth shall" do what? 14:02 "The truth shall set you free." Free from what? 14:04 Free from falsehood, free from error, 14:07 free from deception, free from fables. 14:10 So the truth of God's word sets us free. 14:14 Where do we find or discover that truth 14:18 about the last days of earth's history? 14:21 What's this book that we've been studying? 14:23 It is the book of what? Revelation. 14:26 So in Revelation, 14:28 we find a description of God's end time people. 14:33 Now if we approach God's word 14:35 only desiring to prove our position, 14:38 we will not discover His will, 14:40 our own thoughts will influence 14:42 what we read in the very Word of God. 14:45 But if we come to the Bible with humble hearts, 14:48 if we come to the Bible with a prayer, 14:51 desiring to do God's will, in fact, Jesus put it this way. 14:55 If any man will do His will, 14:58 he shall know the doctrine. 15:00 So we come to the Bible, 15:01 praying, seeking God with humble hearts, 15:05 desiring to follow Him and do His will. 15:08 The Book of Revelation outlines 15:12 the characteristics of God's last day people. 15:16 So let's go to Revelation 15:17 and discover that just as God has 15:20 a people down through the centuries, 15:22 He has a people today. 15:23 We go to Revelation 15:25 and we're looking there at Revelation the 12th chapter. 15:30 You'll recall from previous studies 15:32 in the Book of Revelation 15:33 that we've done here on 3ABN 15:35 in this series Revelation's Ancient Discoveries, 15:37 that we've talked about Revelation chapter 12, 15:40 and there in verse one, it describes a woman. 15:43 A woman that rises up and if we look at this woman, 15:48 she has a crown on her head of 12 stars. 15:51 She is decked in white, 15:53 iridescent with the glory of God 15:55 and standing on the moon. 15:57 We've discovered in the Bible 15:58 that a pure chaste woman represents the church. 16:02 You find that here in 2 Corinthians 11:2 16:06 as well as in many other verses, 16:08 "For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. 16:11 For I have betrothed you to one husband, 16:15 that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." 16:19 What's this talking about? The church. 16:22 Here the Apostle Paul says that the church is a chaste virgin, 16:27 she's pure, radiating the glory of heaven. 16:32 She is pure with true doctrine, unadulterated, no falsehood, 16:38 so she is the bride of Christ. 16:41 So we look in Revelation 12, 16:44 we see the New Testament church, 16:46 the glory of the Old Testament people of God is fading away, 16:50 just like the moon reflects the glory of the sun, 16:54 so the Old Testament reflected dimly the glory of Christ, 16:59 the Old Testament movement was fading away. 17:02 God would raise up His bride, His church, 17:05 the New Testament church. 17:06 She would have a crown of stars 17:08 upon her head guided by the 12 apostles 17:11 or divine authority of the administration of heaven. 17:15 She would be based on the very Word of God, 17:17 clothed with white righteousness, 17:20 no defilement there, 17:22 iridescent with the glory of God. 17:25 As the Bible describes this people in Revelation 12, 17:30 it describes a titanic struggle, 17:32 a struggle between good and evil, 17:34 a struggle that began in heaven 17:36 but would focus on the church on earth. 17:38 Revelation 12:9, 17:40 "So the great dragon was cast out, 17:43 that serpent of old, 17:44 called the Devil and Satan, 17:46 who deceives the whole world." 17:49 Now notice, there is this battle in heaven, 17:51 there is this war in heaven. 17:54 Satan is a deceiver. 17:56 He deceives the whole world with falsehood. 17:58 "He was cast to the earth 18:00 and his angels were cast out with him." 18:03 So Revelation 12 begins with a battle. 18:06 Satan rebels against God in heaven. 18:09 This is episode number one, 18:11 but who wins that battle in heaven, 18:13 who wins in this first episode in the battle? 18:17 Christ wins and Satan loses. 18:20 So in the first episode, 18:21 you have four episodes here in Revelation 12, 18:25 four snapshots, four video pictures, 18:29 four fast moving scenes. 18:32 Scene number one, 18:33 Satan rebels against God in heaven, 18:36 an angel of dazzling brightness rebels against his creator. 18:42 The creature exalts his authority 18:44 above the creator. 18:46 Satan leads one third of the angels 18:49 to battle against Christ in heaven 18:51 and those angels are cast out of heaven. 18:54 The Bible then says that this pure woman, 18:58 Revelation 12:4 and 5, 19:00 "The dragon stood before the woman 19:02 who was ready to give birth, 19:04 to devour her child as soon as it was born." 19:07 Who's this woman? The New Testament church. 19:10 Who's the child that's to be born 19:12 to lead out in the New Testament church, 19:15 to raise up a new generation, a new movement? 19:18 It's Jesus Christ. 19:20 So Revelation has these four episodes, 19:22 the first episode, Satan rebels against God in heaven 19:26 and he is cast out. 19:27 Then millenniums pass 19:29 and the camera focuses on the next scene 19:33 and that's the birth of Jesus Christ. 19:36 And it tells us that the devil would try to destroy Jesus, 19:40 so she bore a male child. 19:42 Who is that again? 19:43 Jesus, who is to rule all nations 19:45 with the rod of iron. 19:46 Who is that? Jesus. 19:47 And what does the devil try to do. 19:49 He tries in every way to destroy Jesus. 19:52 Jesus comes and He's born. 19:55 He lives the life we should have lived, 19:58 dies the death we should have died is resurrected 20:02 and what does Scripture say, 20:03 "Her Child, Christ would be eventually 20:05 caught up to God and His throne." 20:07 In, of course, the ascension, and so here is a description 20:12 and two short verses of the birth of Christ. 20:16 Jesus, the divine Son of God, tabernacled in human flesh. 20:22 He was faithful to the Father. 20:25 John 8:29, Jesus says, 20:27 "I always do those things that please Him." 20:31 In the Book of Hebrews, it says, 20:33 "I come in the volume of the book 20:34 it's written of me to do Thy will, oh God." 20:38 Jesus focused on one thing 20:40 and that's doing the will of the Father, 20:43 as Christ lived that life facing temptations of Satan, 20:49 He depended on the Father's strength 20:51 and was victorious and an overcomer. 20:54 He came then, Satan tries to destroy Him at birth, 20:59 Mary and Joseph left, went to Egypt. 21:01 Satan followed Jesus 21:03 into the wilderness of temptation 21:05 and there tried to break his faith in Christ 21:09 but could not accomplish that. 21:10 Satan tried to destroy Jesus on the cross, 21:13 but yet Jesus was victorious over Satan on the cross, 21:18 and eventually after his death and resurrection 21:21 "Her child is caught up to God and His throne." 21:23 Jesus wins and Satan loses. 21:26 Satan tries to destroy Christ from Jesus' birth to His death, 21:30 but he does not accomplish that. 21:33 The resurrected Christ is triumphant over death 21:37 and Satan, the resurrected Christ triumphs. 21:42 Satan turns now after the resurrection 21:45 and ascension of Jesus, 21:46 he turns his wrath on the woman, 21:48 the Christian church, 21:51 all but one of the disciples died a martyr's death. 21:56 Satan wants to stamp out the church 21:58 and has tried to do that down through the ages. 22:02 As centuries passed, in the days of Constantine, 22:05 in the fourth century church and state unite, 22:09 eventually there is a period of darkness 22:13 called the Dark Ages 22:14 where tradition comes in to the church. 22:18 The Bible says, in Revelation 12:6, 22:21 "Then the woman..." 22:22 Who's the woman, everybody who is that? 22:24 "Then the woman did" what? 22:26 "Fled into the wilderness, 22:28 where she has a place prepared by God." 22:32 There is persecution, 22:33 the church flees into the wilderness 22:35 but notice what it says, 22:36 there is a place prepared by God. 22:39 In the wilderness experience of your life, 22:42 there is always a place prepared by God. 22:46 In the darkest moments of your life, 22:48 there is always a place prepared by God, 22:52 whatever you're going through, right now, 22:54 God has a place prepared for you. 22:57 He will be your security, your refuge, your safety. 23:00 It says, "That they should feed her there 23:02 one thousand two hundred and sixty days." 23:05 So in this third episode, episode number one, 23:10 the devil battles against God in heaven. 23:13 Christ wins, Satan loses, the devil's cast out. 23:15 Episode number two, centuries, millenniums past 23:19 and the devil tries to destroy Jesus. 23:21 He's born, but Christ is victorious in His death 23:25 and resurrection and ascension. 23:27 Christ wins, Satan loses. 23:29 In episode number three, 23:31 the devil focus his attention upon the church 23:34 and there's this long period of Dark Ages, 23:37 where the devil tries to stamp out the church. 23:40 Now, what about this 1260 days, 1260 days? 23:46 In Bible prophecy, 23:48 one prophetic day equals a literal year. 23:52 Now that doesn't mean that every time in the Bible 23:54 you mention a day, it's a year, not at all. 23:57 When the Bible says a day, it's a day, 23:58 but when you have prophetic symbolism, 24:00 particular in Daniel and Revelation, 24:02 one prophetic day equals one literal year. 24:04 You find that in Ezekiel 4:6, Numbers 14:34. 24:09 I've appointed you, the Bible says, 24:11 in those passages a day, 24:13 that is a prophetic day for a year. 24:15 So 1260 days would be 1260 what? 24:18 1260 years. 24:21 History tells us that this Dark Ages period 24:25 went from about AD 538 to AD 1798. 24:31 The papal power began to rule 24:34 in its Roman authority in AD 538 24:38 and it ruled for 1260, 24:41 the last of the barbarian tribes 24:43 was finally driven out of Rome, 24:45 a little earlier than that. 24:47 But Roman authority, 24:49 the Roman church authority of the union of church 24:52 and state began in that year, and then in 1798, 24:57 the Pope of Rome was taken captive. 25:00 During this wilderness period, 25:03 God's church, God's true people were in the wilderness. 25:07 We find oppression taking place. 25:10 We find persecution taking place. 25:13 Many of the people of God, particularly in the 1300s, 25:18 the Waldensians fled 25:20 into the mountains of northern Italy, 25:23 fled into the mountains of southern France 25:25 and they were faithful to God there. 25:29 The reformers were raised up by God 25:32 but still persecuted for their faith. 25:34 John Huss, the Czechoslovakian reformer 25:37 was burned at the stake. 25:39 You look at the persecution 25:41 that took place of Martin Luther 25:43 for example, his trials. 25:46 These reformers who said, 25:48 "Our mind is captive to the Word of God." 25:51 Luther said, "Here I stand and I can't do no other. 25:56 If it can be shown to me that my writings are in error 26:00 and not in harmony with the Word, 26:02 I will yield, 26:03 but I, my conscience is bound by the Word of God." 26:07 I think of Hugh Latimer, 26:10 Thomas Cranmer and Ridley 26:13 who were called the Oxford martyrs, 26:16 who in England were burned at the stake for their faith. 26:21 Down through the centuries, 26:23 God has always had a faithful people. 26:25 A people who have courageously stood for him 26:29 and they've stood for His Word. 26:32 In this period of Dark Ages, 26:35 Satan tried to destroy the church 26:37 from the first century, second century, third century. 26:41 First century, they're thrown to lions in the Coliseum, 26:44 down through the Dark Ages, 26:45 they're persecuted, burned at the stake, 26:48 they are killed with the sword. 26:52 But yet, in that Dark Ages period, 26:55 light although and truth although it burned dimly, 27:00 Christ won, Satan lost, 27:02 because truth was not stamped out. 27:05 At the end of this period, 1798, 27:09 the wilderness period would end. 27:10 How? 27:11 Berthier, French general was sent 27:14 by Napoleon down to Rome. 27:16 He took the pope captive, the pope dies in captivity. 27:19 And according to the Bible, 27:21 that's the end of the 1260 years 27:23 and the period of wilderness time for the church ends. 27:29 What then would we expect? What then would we expect? 27:34 We would expect out of the wilderness. 27:36 Out of this period of darkness, 27:39 just before the coming of Jesus. 27:41 Sometime after 1798, 27:44 God would raise up an end time movement, 27:47 that would be faithful to Him 27:49 in the great panorama of history, 27:52 in the divine drama of destiny, 27:55 God would raise up an end time people. 27:58 Sometime after the Dark Ages, 28:00 sometime after 1798, 28:03 that just like He had a chosen people 28:05 in the days of Noah, 28:07 just like He had a chosen people in the days of Abraham, 28:10 just like He had a chosen people 28:11 in the days of the Old Testament, Israel. 28:13 People that loved Him, 28:15 people that would keep His commandments, 28:17 at end time God would have a people. 28:20 The Book of Revelation 28:22 describes the identifying 28:23 characteristics of God's last day people. 28:26 Four episodes, Satan tries to destroy Christ in heaven. 28:30 He fails, Christ wins, Satan loses. 28:33 Satan tries to destroy Jesus, he fails. 28:35 Christ wins, Satan loses. 28:37 Satan tries to destroy the church 28:39 in the wilderness period. 28:40 He fails, Christ wins, Satan loses. 28:43 In the last days of earth's history, 28:45 the Bible says Revelation 12:17, 28:47 "And the dragon..." 28:48 Who's the dragon? Satan. 28:50 "Was enraged..." What does that mean? 28:52 Angry. "With the woman..." 28:53 Who is that? The church. 28:55 Here is the last day church, 28:56 "Went to make war with the rest of her offspring." 28:59 King James Version says the remnant of her seed, 29:02 those that remain loyal, 29:04 those that remain faithful, 29:06 those that remain true to God 29:09 who keep the commandments of God 29:11 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 29:13 How then are God's faithful people described? 29:17 If you're looking for the people of God, 29:20 if you looking for the Church of Jesus Christ 29:23 in the last days of earth's history. 29:25 If you are a truth seeker, 29:28 you're not looking for any church, 29:30 you're not looking for any movement 29:32 that claims to teach the Bible. 29:34 You're looking for the remnant. 29:35 You're looking for the rest of her seed. 29:38 Those who remained loyal and faithful to Christ. 29:41 One of their characteristics. 29:42 They have this passionate love for Christ in His Word, 29:46 and they do what? 29:47 They keep the commandments of God 29:50 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 29:53 Any movement that does not keep the commandments of God, 29:57 including the Bible Sabbath 29:59 could not be the remnant of Revelation. 30:03 They could not be the true movement of God, 30:05 they may have some truth, 30:07 there may be love there, 30:09 there may be warmth there, 30:10 their pastor may preach wonderful sermons, 30:13 but if you're looking for the remnant, 30:15 you're looking for the true people of God, 30:17 you're looking for the rest of the offspring 30:20 of the seed of Christ, 30:21 they must according to the Book of Revelation 30:24 keep the commandments of God. 30:26 They must also have the testimony of Jesus. 30:30 Now one of those commandments, of course, is the Sabbath. 30:33 Exodus 20:8-10, "Remember the Sabbath..." 30:37 I wonder, did God say remember? 30:39 Because He knew that most of the world would forget. 30:42 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 30:45 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: 30:48 but the seventh day 30:49 is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God..." 30:51 So if we're looking for the remnant, 30:54 the people of God, the movement of God 30:58 that would be raised up to prepare a world 31:00 for the coming of Christ. 31:02 We must look for a Sabbath keeping movement. 31:07 We must look for a people 31:09 who because of their love for Christ 31:12 keep all of His commandments. 31:15 Notice Hebrews 10:16, the new covenant, 31:18 the new covenant doesn't do away with the law it is. 31:21 "I'll put My laws into their hearts" 31:23 that so they love them, 31:24 "I put them in their minds, I will write them" 31:27 there that is so they know them. 31:28 So the new covenant promise 31:30 is that Christ will have a people, 31:32 whose law is written in their mind. 31:35 All they want to do is please Jesus. 31:37 It is written in their heart and they love to please Jesus. 31:41 They love Him so they want to serve Him, 31:44 and they serve Him because they love Him. 31:46 They love Him, so they want to obey Him, 31:49 and they obey Him because they love Him. 31:52 They keep His commandments. 31:54 But secondly, the Bible says 31:56 they have the testimony of Jesus. 31:58 What is the testimony of Jesus? 32:01 What's that all about? 32:02 What's another word for testimony? 32:04 It's witness. 32:06 So that means, 32:07 but they have a witness from Jesus. 32:10 In Revelation 12:17, identifying the true church, 32:13 it says, "They have the testimony of Jesus Christ." 32:16 Revelation 12:17. 32:18 And in Revelation 19:10, 32:21 it says, "The testimony of Jesus is" what? 32:24 "The Spirit of Prophecy." 32:25 So God would have an end time movement based on the Bible. 32:29 An end time movement of men and women 32:31 that were so in love with Christ 32:32 because He saved them with His grace. 32:35 An end time movement that was obedient to Christ 32:38 and kept the Sabbath, 32:39 but He would send to that movement a special divine gift 32:44 called the gift of prophecy. 32:46 Were the church waiting 32:47 for the Advent be blessed with the gift of prophecy, 32:51 not to take the place of the Bible 32:53 but to give special insight 32:55 to guide God's people at end time. 32:58 1 Corinthians 1:7, 33:00 "So that you come short in no gift..." 33:02 Come short in what? No gift. 33:04 "Eagerly waiting for the revelation 33:06 of our Lord Jesus Christ." 33:08 Or for the coming of the Lord Jesus. 33:10 So the church that was waiting for the coming of Jesus 33:14 would be blessed by the gift of prophecy. 33:17 If Jesus has a gift, 33:19 I want to receive it, don't you? 33:21 Somebody says, oh, I go by the Bible 33:22 and the Bible only, 33:24 we don't need to give to prophecy, 33:25 but if the gift of prophecy is part of what Scripture 33:29 teaches about the last days of earth's history 33:32 to reject the gift of prophecy 33:35 is to reject that portion of Scripture 33:38 that reveals the gift of prophecy. 33:40 If Jesus has a gift for me, 33:42 I want to receive it, don't you, my friend? 33:45 God's church would be a Spirit filled church. 33:49 God's church would be a global movement. 33:51 God's church would be an international movement 33:55 that would impact the world. 33:57 The true church is not some 33:59 non denominational mega church on the corner. 34:03 The true church will be a worldwide body 34:05 committed to Christ and obedient to His Word. 34:09 Revelation 12 describes this epic controversy 34:14 down through the ages. 34:15 And Revelation 12 describes 34:19 the rise of God's true church after 1798, 34:24 and it's identifying characteristics says, 34:26 keeping the commandments of God 34:28 and having the testimony of Jesus, 34:31 the gift of prophecy. 34:33 Revelation 14 expands on that 34:37 and tells us the message of the true church. 34:40 It tells us what God's true church 34:42 would be preaching around the world 34:45 in fulfillment to Christ's command. 34:47 Now you remember, 34:48 Jesus in Matthew 28:19 and 20 says, 34:51 "Go therefore and make disciples of" what? 34:53 "All nations, all nations, baptizing them 34:56 in the name of the Father and of the Son 34:58 and of the Holy Spirit, and lo I am with you always." 35:01 It says, "Teaching them to do all things 35:04 whatever I have commanded you, 35:06 and lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age." 35:09 So Jesus go, teach all nations. 35:12 So His message would be an international one, 35:14 that's exactly what Revelation 14 is all about. 35:19 Revelation 14:6 says, 35:20 "I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 35:23 having the everlasting gospel 35:24 to go to the ends of the earth, 35:26 to every nation, kindred, tongue and people." 35:28 Revelation 14 describes this people 35:32 that would be going forth 35:33 proclaiming God's end time message. 35:35 Men and women accepting that message 35:37 would enter into the watery grave of baptism 35:40 and follow Jesus Christ there. 35:42 Revelation describes an urgent end time movement. 35:45 Here is something that's bigger than any individual. 35:50 Here is something that is larger than you and I are. 35:54 Here is something worth giving our all to. 35:56 Here is something worth giving our energies to. 35:59 Here is a movement of destiny to be raised up by God 36:03 to go to the ends of the earth 36:05 looking for purpose in your life, 36:07 looking for meaning in your life, 36:08 looking for fulfillment in your life. 36:11 Technology has not satisfied, materialism has not satisfied, 36:16 your gadgets have not satisfied, 36:19 pleasure has not satisfied, 36:22 but God in broad strokes in the Book of Revelation 36:25 describes a movement that's worth identifying with 36:29 you can do something worthwhile with your life. 36:31 The Bible describes this end time movement, 36:34 I saw another angel flying, 36:36 it's urgent in the midst of heaven. 36:38 He has the everlasting gospel. 36:40 The good news that Christ has redeemed you and me 36:43 to preach to those that dwell on the earth, 36:45 to every nation, every tribe, 36:48 every tongue, every people. 36:50 Here is something broad and great, 36:52 worth giving your life to, 36:54 but notice, "Saying with a loud voice..." 36:57 There is part of God's biblical Christ centered message 37:01 that's not been emphasized. 37:03 Fear God, that's reverence, respect, obey Him. 37:06 Give glory to Him. 37:08 This is the message of God's last day church. 37:11 This is the message of God's end time people, 37:14 give glory to Him. 37:16 Why? For the hour of His judgment has come. 37:19 We're living on the knife edge of eternity, 37:22 living just before, my friend, 37:24 the coming of Jesus Christ, 37:26 and the Bible says, worship Him 37:29 that made heaven, earth, the sea 37:31 and the fountains of waters. 37:32 Now, what does it mean to give glory to God? 37:33 And how do we give glory to God? 37:35 Fear God or obey Him. 37:36 Give glory to Him. 37:37 It means we honor Him 37:39 in how we live, in our diet, in our lifestyle. 37:43 It means in the things we eat or drink, 37:46 we give glory to God in the way we treat our body. 37:49 What about the judgment? 37:50 What does that say? 37:51 In an age of irresponsibility, 37:53 God is calling us to moral responsibility. 37:57 God is calling us to account ability for our actions. 38:02 God's final message declares, 38:05 "The hour of God's judgment has indeed come." 38:09 God's message says "Worship Him 38:11 that made heaven, earth, the sea 38:13 and the fountains of waters." 38:14 In an age of evolution, 38:17 God is calling us back to worship the Creator 38:20 and what's the sign of His creative authority? 38:22 The Bible Sabbath. 38:25 The Sabbath is part of God's last day message. 38:29 The Sabbath was not simply given 38:31 for an ancient Jewish people, 38:34 it is part of a last day message, 38:37 calling all men and women everywhere 38:40 to worship the Creator, 38:43 calling them back to their roots, 38:45 calling them to the sense that they have worth in God's sight, 38:49 calling them back to acknowledge 38:51 the one that created heaven and earth. 38:53 God invites us to be part of that last day movement. 38:58 Now let's summarize the Biblical teachings 39:03 of Revelation 14. 39:05 Let's go back and look at Revelation 12 39:08 and summarize everything we've gone over 39:10 in the presentation so far. 39:11 And let's try to put that together 39:13 and ask this simple question. 39:16 Is there a movement on earth today 39:19 that has the characteristics outlined 39:22 in Revelation 12 and Revelation 14? 39:27 Let's suppose that we had never studied the Bible before 39:30 and we say all I want dear Jesus 39:33 is to know if you have a people. 39:36 And once I've identified those people, 39:38 I want to follow them. 39:40 What are those identifying characteristics 39:42 that we've gone over? 39:43 First, God's true message today 39:46 will recapture the pure faith of the disciples. 39:51 It will be a Bible based Christ centered movement. 39:56 Any movement not based on Scripture, 39:59 any movement not based on the Word of God, 40:02 but it's based on the teachings of man 40:04 we want to turn away from it immediately. 40:06 It must be a Christ centered movement. 40:10 It must be a movement 40:12 that is committed to the living Christ 40:14 and leads men and women 40:15 to know that they are saved by grace 40:18 and not by their works. 40:19 It will have the dual characteristics 40:22 of keeping God's commandments. 40:24 Jesus said, "If you love Me," do what? 40:28 "If you love Me," do what? "Keep My commandments." 40:31 1 John says this, "He that saith, 40:33 'I know Him and doesn't keep His commandments is a liar 40:37 and the truth is not in him.'" 40:39 So when God reveals truth to us, 40:41 He invites us to follow it. 40:44 God will have a people 40:45 that will be keeping His commandments. 40:47 You want to find God's people, you say where are they. 40:50 Revelation 14:12, 40:52 "Here is the patience 40:54 or the endurance of the saints, the believers, 40:56 here are they that keep the commandments of God 40:58 and have the faith of Jesus." 41:00 So God's people will keep His commandments 41:03 and they also will be guided by the gift of prophecy. 41:07 So that leads us to raise a question. 41:09 Is there a movement on earth today 41:12 that is based on Scripture? 41:13 A movement that is Christ centered 41:16 that believes we're saved only by grace. 41:18 Is there a movement 41:19 that leads people to keep God's commandments, 41:22 including the seventh day Sabbath? 41:24 Is there a movement that's been guided 41:26 by the gift of prophecy raised up 41:28 some time after 1798 in the early 1800s. 41:34 Is this movement a fulfillment of Revelation 14:6, 41:38 that says the gospel go to every nation, 41:41 kindred, tongue and people. 41:42 It must be a worldwide mission driven movement. 41:46 You know, ladies and gentlemen, tonight, 41:48 the reason I am a Seventh-day Adventist 41:51 is not because I was born an Adventist. 41:54 I was born in a lovely Roman Catholic home 41:56 but when I was about 17 years old, 41:58 I began seeking. 42:00 My desire was to follow Jesus. 42:02 I didn't know much about the Bible 42:04 but I began to study, 42:05 and as I began to study I found a group of people, 42:08 Seventh-day Adventists, 42:09 who lived in harmony, 42:12 made a commitment to follow the teachings of the Bible, 42:15 who desired to be free 42:17 from the falsehoods of this world. 42:19 And as I began to study the Bible, 42:21 I found Jesus or should I say Jesus found me. 42:24 And the Bible says by grace, 42:26 or if you'd say, through faith it's the gift of God, 42:28 not of works lest anyone should boast. 42:31 And there as I came to Jesus, 42:33 it was life transformational for me, 42:34 His grace provided pardon, 42:37 His grace provided freedom from guilt, 42:40 His grace provided new power in my life. 42:43 And I saw that grace lead to obedience. 42:45 I found a people that were teaching 42:47 the commandments of God just like Scripture said. 42:51 This people is a worldwide, mission-driven movement, 42:55 Seventh-day Adventists have missionaries in work 42:59 and believers in over 216 countries in the world. 43:05 The Book of Revelation, in Revelation 14:7 43:08 calls us and cause a people 43:11 to a total commitment to Jesus Christ. 43:13 This movement would lead people 43:16 to keep the Bible Sabbath by worshipping the Creator. 43:19 It would encourage people 43:21 to give their bodies to Christ by giving glory to Him. 43:24 The only people in the world today 43:28 that are a Bible believing, 43:29 Christ centered, commandment keeping, 43:32 guided by the gift of prophecy, 43:34 worldwide movement, 43:36 leading people to the back to worship 43:38 the Creator and the Bible Sabbath, 43:40 an end time movement, 43:42 leading them to be ready for the coming of Jesus, 43:45 calling them to give their bodies to Him, 43:46 to give up alcohol, and tobacco, 43:48 and the unclean foods. 43:49 All of these characteristics are found 43:52 within the Seventh-day Adventist movement. 43:56 This movement would make 43:57 a final appeal for men and women, 44:00 boys and girls everywhere to know 44:02 and find to discover truth. 44:04 Are Adventists a perfect people? 44:05 They are not. They are not. 44:07 But they are a movement that God has raised up, 44:10 a movement of destiny, 44:12 not simply another denomination, 44:15 not simply another church 44:17 but a movement that God has raised up of Baptists, 44:20 of Catholics, of Pentecostals, of Church of Christ, 44:25 of Jehovah's Witness. 44:26 God has raised up this movement, 44:29 He's brought people from varying dominations 44:31 and various religious persuasions, 44:33 Hindus and Muslims, He has brought Buddhists, 44:37 He has brought secularists, 44:39 He has brought communists into His last day movement 44:43 to impact the world. 44:44 They have come together not simply as a denomination, 44:48 not simply as another church 44:50 but they have come together as the body of Christ. 44:54 The body of Christ 44:55 that believes the great truths of God's Word 44:58 that are to go to the ends of the earth. 45:00 They are composed of men and women 45:03 of varying religious backgrounds, 45:06 varying ethnicities, varying languages 45:10 and varying cultures, 45:12 they have one desire in their heart, 45:14 one goal in their heart, one passion in their mind... 45:18 No, they are not perfect. 45:20 Yes, they fail, 45:21 but they are committed to Christ, 45:23 committed to His Word, committed to following Jesus. 45:27 They are a people, 45:30 a movement raised up from the Book of Revelation 45:34 and around the world men and women 45:36 are responding to God's call, 45:39 around the world men and women are saying, 45:42 yes, we see that just like God had a people 45:45 in the days of Abraham, 45:46 just like God had a people in the days of Moses, 45:49 just like God had a people in Israel, 45:52 just like God had a New Testament movement, 45:54 God has a people today, 45:56 every day 3,000 people are baptized 46:01 in the name of the Father, the Son, 46:03 and the Holy Spirit into the Sabbath 46:05 keeping Adventist movement. 46:08 I remember going to the Ukraine 46:10 and there in the Ukraine preaching 46:12 in what was the former communist cultural center 46:16 that was built over a KGB prison, 46:19 and their former communist came to Christ 46:22 in the Olympic swimming pool. 46:24 We baptized 300 or 400 on a single day, 46:29 God is moving around the world. 46:31 I think of South Africa 46:34 and standing there on that Sabbath 46:36 with over 12,000 people 46:39 and watching God moved by His Holy Spirit 46:42 where 1,000 were baptized into the Bible 46:45 believing Christ centered Adventist movement. 46:49 I think of the joy on their faces, 46:51 the smile in their lives. 46:53 I remember Mexico, Monterrey, and as we went to Monterrey, 46:59 I was preaching in a stadium, 10,000 were there. 47:02 I did not know there was a man standing 47:05 in the entryway listening to the sermon. 47:08 He got up that morning with a gun in his hand 47:09 and he said, "I want to blow my brains out, 47:12 there is no reason to live, there is no hope for me." 47:15 The series of our meetings was titled, "There is hope." 47:19 He walked out of his home. 47:21 He said, "I don't want to kill myself in my house 47:22 because the blood will be all over. 47:24 I don't want my wife to find my body." 47:26 So he took the gun. 47:27 He was gonna walk to a park. 47:29 As he was crossing the street, 47:30 a bus went by and it had one of our placards on it, 47:33 and the placard said, 47:34 "There is hope at the National Stadium. 47:37 He said, "Hope? No hope for me." 47:38 He kept walking. 47:40 Saw a billboard, "There is hope." 47:42 He said, "No hope for me." 47:43 He walked by the stadium, it said, "There is hope." 47:45 He said, "Maybe God's trying to tell me something." 47:48 Walked into that stadium that night, 47:50 heard about Jesus Christ, 47:52 the one who could take away our shame and our guilt 47:54 and give us new life. 47:56 He, as he listened, heard about God 47:59 having a people at end time. 48:02 He heard about the message of Jesus. 48:05 And he said, "I want to follow Christ." 48:06 He made a decision for Christ that day. 48:09 Over the subsequent weeks and months, 48:11 he studied the Word of God 48:13 and found that Jesus had 48:14 an international world wide movement, 48:18 a movement of Bible believing Christians, 48:20 a movement of men and women 48:22 that love Christ so much, 48:23 they were going to obey Him. 48:24 A movement of people 48:26 that were keeping the Bible Sabbath 48:27 who treated their bodies not like a funhouse 48:30 but the temple of God. 48:32 A movement of people getting ready 48:33 for the second coming of Christ. 48:35 This hopeless man now has hope and joy in his life. 48:39 I remember Cuba, that former communist country 48:43 where God moved so powerfully 48:45 and the Cuban government by the grace of God 48:48 let us preached the Word 48:49 and 300 were baptized in the swimming pool. 48:52 Around the world, God's message is going forth, 48:56 around the world God has a movement. 48:58 God's church is not in the majority. 49:00 You can never base truth on a majority vote. 49:04 Around the world, God's church does not need 49:06 the approval of popular religious leaders 49:09 because truth is truth 49:10 whether religious leaders accept truth or not. 49:14 Some people say to me, 49:15 "I'm not gonna make a decision till my pastor agrees. 49:18 I'm not going to make a decision 49:19 until my priest agrees." 49:21 Truth is truth, my friend, and when you hear truth, 49:25 God convicts your heart. 49:27 When you hear truth, God invites you to take a step. 49:30 When you hear truth, 49:31 there is only one thing to do and that is to follow it. 49:35 You may be a truth seeker. 49:39 Some time ago, I was holding meetings 49:41 in one of the large Midwestern cities of America 49:44 and a woman alcoholic came 49:47 and she was coming to the meetings each evening, 49:49 and I noticed her in the meetings 49:51 but hadn't gotten acquainted with her. 49:53 And one day I was greeting people at the door 49:56 as they were leaving the meetings. 49:58 And I reached through the crowd 50:00 and so Cleve and I grabbed her hand and greeted her, 50:03 and I said, "So delighted that you're here. 50:06 How did you learn about the meetings?" 50:08 And she said, "Pastor Mark, I have a story." 50:11 I said, "I really want to know your story." 50:13 And she said, "Pastor Mark, 50:15 can we just visit a little bit?" 50:17 So we sat down and visited 50:18 and this is the story she told me. 50:20 "She said, "A couple weeks ago before your meeting started, 50:25 I took my Bible and I opened it." 50:29 And I never understood Revelation, 50:31 "I was so confused with Revelation 50:34 and so I knelt down and I said, 50:36 'Jesus, I really want to understand Revelation 50:40 and particularly I want to understand, 50:43 do You have an end time message for today.'" 50:46 She wondered, is there a Christ centered Bible 50:49 believing people that she could identify with. 50:52 She said, "I prayed that prayer." 50:55 And in the next day, 50:57 a brochure came to my house inviting me to your meetings, 51:03 and I knew this was the answer to my prayer, 51:06 I was a truth seeker." 51:09 My friend, this telecast may be the answer to your prayers. 51:16 You have been seeking, you have been looking 51:19 and God reveals truth to you. 51:23 God's been speaking to your heart. 51:26 Will you say, "Jesus, I give my all to you. 51:30 Jesus, all that I have I give to you. 51:33 Jesus, I want to follow You. 51:36 Listen as CA comes to sing, and why not open your heart? 51:41 Why not make that decision right now? 51:55 I give all my service to You 52:03 I give all my service 52:08 To You 52:11 No matter the cost 52:15 Or what others do 52:20 I give all my service to You 52:27 I give all my problems to You 52:35 I give all my problems 52:41 To You 52:44 No matter the cost 52:48 Or what others do 52:52 I give all my problems to You 53:00 I give all my family to You 53:07 I give all my family 53:12 To You 53:15 No matter the cost 53:19 Or what others do 53:23 I give all my family 53:29 To You 53:36 And I give all my future to You 53:43 I give all my future 53:49 To You 53:52 No matter the cost 53:55 Or what others do 54:00 I give all my future 54:06 To You 54:09 I give all my worship to You 54:16 I give all my worship 54:21 To You 54:24 No matter the cost 54:27 Or what others do 54:31 I give all my worship 54:38 To You 54:41 I give 54:43 All my worship 54:49 To You 55:00 God is speaking to your heart. 55:05 Do you resonate with the words of the song? 55:08 Did they touch your heart? 55:10 I give all my worship to You. 55:15 Jesus is leading a people. 55:17 He's reaching out 55:19 and touching a man here, a woman there, 55:21 touching a teenager there, touching a young couple here. 55:26 He's moving by His Spirit, touching people's lives 55:30 and they're making eternal decisions for Him. 55:34 Before this program we gathered 55:37 our staff, our crew, our camera crew 55:39 and our production crew around to pray 55:42 and we prayed that God would prepare people 55:47 to turn on the television to watch this broadcast. 55:51 God's prepared you. 55:53 You like that woman in Denver 55:55 that I talked about in the Midwest of America. 55:59 You may have been wondering about the Book of Revelation. 56:02 You may have been studying the Bible, 56:04 and this message resonates with you. 56:08 You see, maybe for the first time in your life 56:12 that God has a Bible based, 56:16 Christ centered, commandment keeping, 56:20 Sabbath keeping church, 56:21 calling people in the light of the second coming of Christ 56:25 to give their bodies, their minds 56:28 and their spirits to Him, to give everything to Him. 56:31 And you want to say, 56:34 Lord, I hear the call of Your heart. 56:38 I sense the moving of Your Spirit. 56:41 Lord, I want to make that decision. 56:45 Why not make it right now as we pray. 56:48 Father in heaven, thank You so much 56:52 for the call of the Spirit. 56:53 Thank You that down through the ages 56:55 You have had a people in every generation, 56:58 in the days of Abraham, in the days of Moses, 57:02 in the days of the Old Testament, 57:03 New Testament that You have a people today. 57:06 Father, thank You for speaking to our hearts 57:08 and leading us to something bigger, 57:10 greater than we are not a church or a denomination, 57:13 but a movement, 57:14 your final movement of destiny in this world. 57:17 Jesus, give us the strength and courage 57:20 to follow You in Christ's name. 57:22 Amen. 57:24 Thank you for joining us 57:25 for Revelation's Ancient Discoveries. |
Revised 2018-06-18