Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: RJC
Program Code: RJC000004
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00:21 Good evening. Welcome to The Revelation of Jesus Christ.
00:25 Tonight we are continuing with 00:28 our fourth session. 00:31 And tonight we're taking a look at the church of Pergamos 00:35 and the letter that Christ wrote to that church 00:39 telling them of certain things that were taking place... 00:42 giving them counsel. And that's what we're going to be 00:44 looking at. And we hope it will be helpful to you 00:47 as you follow along. 00:49 And so those of you that have been watching 00:52 and joining us by television 00:54 or by radio or on the Internet we welcome you. 00:57 If you're joining us tonight for the first time, 01:01 we would encourage you - as we do every evening - 01:04 get your Bible... because this is a study 01:08 of the book of Revelation chapter by chapter. 01:12 And so we're going through it step by step. 01:15 So get your Bible. Get you a highlighter, 01:19 a piece of paper for some notes because we're going to look 01:22 at what God had to say to this church. 01:25 And hopefully that by the time we're through 01:30 with our study - this seminar - 01:34 you'll be able to pick up the book of Revelation and read it. 01:37 As I told you the first night, 01:40 as far as I'm concerned this is the most important 01:45 book of the Bible for people that are living today. 01:49 There's just not one more important 01:51 because it talks about our day - the time we are living in. 01:55 It talks about the things that you and I will face. 01:58 Also talks about the victories that we can have in Christ. 02:02 So you need to understand this book of Revelation. 02:05 God meant for you to understand it 02:08 because it's called what? Revelation... 02:13 which means a revealing. That's what it is. 02:16 And He said clearly... He said: "Don't shut this book up. 02:19 Don't seal it. " 02:21 Said: "I want you to understand it. " 02:23 And He promises a blessing to each of us if you do. 02:27 "If you read it, listen, keep those things, " 02:30 He said: "I'll bless you in a special way. " 02:33 So follow along as we study God's Word together. 02:37 All right. 02:38 Uh, our next session - our next presentation I should say - 02:43 our next presentation will be the church of Thyatira. 02:50 This church Christ wrote more to 02:56 and said more to them than any of the other churches. 02:59 He has more to say to the church of Thyatira 03:03 than any other. So you'll want to be sure and follow it 03:07 as we study about the church of Thyatira 03:10 and what was happening there 03:12 and why Christ had so much to say to them. 03:16 But tonight we're looking at Pergamos. 03:22 So we hope it will bless you in a special way 03:25 as we study God's Word together. 03:28 As I told you before, it's very, very pleasing 03:33 and always a great, great privilege to me 03:36 to have Joe Pearles with us. 03:38 We're thankful that he's been able to be here 03:40 and to join us during this first session. 03:43 And we hope you've been blessed by his music 03:46 from night to night. Tonight he's going to sing 03:49 a song titled When the Storm Passes By. 03:53 But before he does, Chuck Allgaier is going to come out 03:57 and he's going to read to you what Christ had to say 04:01 to the church of Pergamos. 04:10 Again if you have your Bibles tonight 04:12 please turn in them to the book of Revelation. 04:15 Revelation the 2nd chapter verses 12 through 17. 04:20 Revelation chapter 2 04:25 12 through 17. 05:42 May the Lord add His blessing to His Word. 06:01 In the dark of the midnight 06:06 I have oft hid my face 06:11 while the storm howls above me 06:16 and there's no hiding place. 06:21 Mid the crash of the thunder 06:26 precious Lord, hear my cry... 06:31 Keep me safe till the storm 06:36 passes by. 06:40 Till the storm passes over, 06:46 till the thunder sounds no more. 06:50 Till the clouds roll forever 06:55 from the sky. 07:00 Hold me fast, 07:03 help me stand 07:06 in the shadow of Thy hand. 07:10 Keep me safe 07:13 till the storm 07:16 passes by. 07:30 Many times Satan whispers 07:37 "there's just no need to try. 07:41 For there's no end to the sorrow 07:44 and for you... there's just no hope bye and bye. " 07:50 But I know Thou art with me 07:55 and tomorrow I'll rise 08:00 where the clouds 08:02 never darken the skies. 08:10 Till the storm passes over, 08:15 till the thunder sounds no more. 08:20 Till the clouds roll forever 08:25 from the sky. 08:30 Hold me fast, 08:32 let me stand 08:35 in the hollow 08:37 of Thy hand. 08:39 Keep me safe 08:42 till the storm 08:45 passes by. 08:49 Oh, keep me safe 08:52 till the storm 08:54 passes by. 09:19 Father, we come to You tonight 09:24 simply inviting Your Holy Spirit to be present. 09:30 Asking, Lord, that we might be given insight. 09:35 That our minds may be open. 09:39 That the Holy Spirit may be able to guide and lead us. 09:45 That we will understand what You had to say 09:49 to the church of Pergamos. 09:51 That we may apply it to our own lives 09:54 and might walk with You in all that we do. 09:57 For this we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 10:08 We've had some people say 10:10 that this is upside down. 10:13 They say this is the legs... 10:15 but this is the altar of incense. 10:18 And that's not the legs. 10:21 Those are what's called the horns of the altar. 10:25 And if you've ever spent any time in scripture, 10:28 you'll find that this is where they came when they brought 10:32 blood from the lamb... touched it to the horns of the altar. 10:36 Also if you'll remember when Solomon became king 10:41 uh, Adonijah... who had tried to take the kingdom... 10:45 and when they were going to execute him 10:48 he went to the temple and grabbed the horns of the altar. 10:51 Also, remember when they were going to put Joab to death 10:55 he also went in and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. 10:58 That's what these are. 11:00 So it's not the legs... it's the horns of the altar. 11:04 Anyhow, tonight we're into the 11:08 church of Pergamos 11:10 and we want to take a look and see what the scripture 11:12 has to say about it as Christ walks among 11:16 the seven golden candlesticks. 11:19 Those candlesticks represent churches. 11:22 That's what they stand for. 11:24 And He's walking among them... 11:26 and it depicts His care and His concern. 11:31 And I'm so glad that He walks among the candlesticks 11:35 and that Christ does not turn that over to man. 11:40 It says that He is the head of the church. 11:44 And He doesn't turn that over to man... He's in charge. 11:47 And that's talking about His care of the churches. 11:50 And we've looked at Ephesus; we've looked at Smyrna; 11:54 and now we're going to take a look at Pergamos. 11:58 And He starts out by speaking to that church... 12:01 addressing that church... saying: 12:06 So He's speaking to that church. 12:08 This word Pergamos actually means 12:12 height or elevation... is what it stands for. 12:17 Height or elevation. And there's another part to that word 12:21 that I'll come to as we get a little farther in 12:24 because it's very, very important 12:27 and that word has great, great significance to this church. 12:32 As you can see... uh, we studied about Ephesus 12:36 and we found that if you went up about 40 miles 12:38 north of Ephesus you came to Smyrna. 12:42 Both these are on the sea coast 12:46 along the Aegean Sea. 12:48 You go about 50 miles farther and a little to the east 12:51 and you come to Pergamos. 12:53 This is where Pergamos... not far from the coast either. 12:57 That's where Pergamos is. 12:58 But all of a sudden when you get up to Pergamos 13:01 and you're going across the country there and it's flat 13:05 all of a sudden there's a mountain that rises 1,300 ft. 13:08 straight up. And it's just almost perpendicular. 13:13 And on top of that mountain was where the city of Pergamos was. 13:19 This is the ruins of Pergamos. 13:23 Uh, this great theatre they had there... 13:26 you can see it down here... 13:27 a lot of it has fallen off and is not there now... 13:31 but you can imagine the view that they had there 13:35 of that theatre looking out from that mountain 13:38 1,300 ft. out across that plains and all. 13:41 But this was the city of Pergamos. 13:45 Uh, in the city of Pergamos they worshiped 13:49 Rome also as many of them did. 13:53 But also they worshiped Greek gods 13:56 and they had a temple there for the god Zeus 14:00 which they worshiped. 14:02 In that temple of Zeus 14:04 they also worshiped the god Asclepius... 14:09 the serpent god... 14:12 snake... that they kept there. 14:15 Asclepius was the god of the serpent they worshiped. 14:20 And they had connected with this a school, 14:24 and they also practiced a medicine... 14:27 taught medicine here. 14:29 And... and this is where you get the emblem 14:35 that medicine uses today of the serpent wrapped around 14:39 the pole. That's where this comes from is right here 14:42 in Pergamos. And that's part of the god Asclepius 14:46 that they worshiped and it's been handed down 14:49 through the years to us. 14:51 Uh, in this city... uh... 14:56 was one of the greatest libraries. 14:59 The library here had over 200,000 manuscripts in it 15:04 and it rivaled the library in Alexandria, Egypt. 15:09 And it rivaled it so much that Ptolemy V 15:14 was afraid that it was going to outdo the one in Alexandria. 15:20 And so since that time people used papyrus to write on 15:26 and it came from the papyrus reeds in Egypt, 15:29 he decided that he would not let them export any of it. 15:33 That way would stop them from being a rivalry to the library 15:40 in Alexandria. And the people here in Pergamos - 15:43 since they couldn't get papyrus to write on - 15:46 they took and began to develop animal skins to write on. 15:52 And they developed a very fine animal skin to write on. 15:57 It was called Pergamos... but as time went along 16:00 it became known as parchment. 16:03 One of the best writing materials there is today 16:05 is parchment. And so that's where parchment came from. 16:09 And these two libraries were rivals 16:13 and it went back and forth for years 16:15 until along came a fellow by the name of Mark Antony. 16:20 And Mark Antony took the library at Pergamos 16:24 and gave it to Cleopatra in Egypt... 16:30 and it went to Alexandria. 16:32 And that's what happened to the library here in Pergamos. 16:35 So you find there's a lot of history 16:38 that's connected with this as they worshiped. 16:41 The temple of Zeus was here. 16:44 Maybe I should say something about this at this point 16:48 and then we'll talk about it as we go on in. 16:50 And that is... uh, 16:52 this temple of Zeus and the worship that all went on here 16:56 and particularly of the serpent god 16:58 you'll find back when Babylon was in... 17:03 going and all... and the Persians came down - 17:06 the Medes and Persians - and they overthrew 17:09 the city of Babylon. 17:11 Well when the Persians overthrew it 17:14 the priests in Babylon fled 17:18 and they came to Pergamos. 17:21 That's where they came; set up the school. 17:24 And so you have the doctrines of the pagans in Babylon 17:30 being transferred to Pergamos 17:33 which carried it right on in to the Romans. 17:36 And so this is where this all comes through 17:39 and follows through that line of thought, 17:42 and they worshiped many of the pagan gods here. 17:46 So it's an interesting situation that you find here. 17:51 That was the greeting to the church there at Pergamos. 17:55 He goes on... identifies Himself now... and He says this: 18:05 Christ, who has the sharp, two-edged sword. 18:10 As we read about Christ there in the first chapter 18:14 it said: "out of His mouth went a sharp, two-edge sword. " 18:19 The two-edged sword is for thrusting and cutting. 18:24 That's what it's used for. 18:27 And it speaks of God's Word being that. 18:36 And, you know, the Bible is that way. 18:40 Have you ever found it to be that way? 18:43 You know? Like a preacher who was preaching 18:46 and as he was preaching, this lady about... 18:49 out in the congregation every once in a while 18:52 he would hit something that really touched her heart 18:54 and she would say "Amen! " 18:56 You know, I mean she was really right with him 19:00 and just every so often she was saying "Amen! " 19:03 And all of a sudden as he was preaching 19:06 he got on something that just cut her. I mean 19:09 went right to the heart and cut her and she said: 19:12 "Ooh-wee, he's stopped preaching and started meddling. " 19:15 See? And some people feel that way. 19:17 But that's what the Word of God does. 19:20 It cuts... and sometimes it's not very pleasant 19:24 because it requires that you and I must get rid of some things. 19:31 Cuts it out of us. This has to be. 19:41 Listen: 19:53 That's what the Word of God does. 19:55 Have you ever considered that the Word of God? 20:01 It says it's powerful. 20:05 I mentioned this the other night. 20:07 In this, folks, in this book 20:10 is contained the same energy 20:15 that was used to create the world... 20:20 in this book. 20:22 That's why this book - like no other book - 20:25 can change our hearts. 20:28 Can make us different. 20:29 Not that you and I have that within ourselves... 20:32 we don't! 20:34 But the Word of God does... it's powerful. 20:36 And that's the reason it cuts. That's the reason it requires 20:40 of you and me to change... 20:43 to leave things off that we were doing. 20:47 This is what God's Word does for us. 20:57 No, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. 21:06 Now let's see what it says here: 21:24 Have you found it that way in your life 21:28 that as you read the Word of God... 21:33 You know, one thing I found out when I became a Christian 21:37 and read the Word of God it always says the same thing. 21:41 You know, I'd read something and it didn't set well with me. 21:45 And some while later I read it again 21:48 and it still said the same thing. 21:50 You know, it just tells you you've got to change. 21:55 You've got to... casting down every thought that's contrary 21:59 to the Word of God. 22:01 I bring my life into conformity 22:04 to the Word of God and what it has to say. 22:07 That's what He's telling us here. 22:09 Sharp, two-edged sword. 22:11 Let's take a look at what the condition 22:14 of the church in Pergamos was, 22:18 what the Bible has to say about it. 22:24 I told you that in every one of these churches 22:27 He says that: "I know your works. " 22:31 OK. "and where you dwell, " Where what? 22:42 He said: "I know where you dwell. 22:44 You dwell where Satan's throne is. " 22:47 You see, He's making reference to the temple of Zeus 22:52 and to where the Satan god is. 22:55 That's what He's talking about. 22:56 These people, folks... these Christians here 22:59 in Pergamos and all these churches 23:01 they're living in a time in which they are 23:05 faced with severe persecution. 23:08 This is a time in which Rome 23:11 has vowed that it will destroy Christianity... get rid of it. 23:16 And so they're not only living at that time 23:20 but they're also in the midst of it. 23:24 They're where Satan's throne is. 23:26 They're right in the heart of it. 23:27 And there's all kinds of things going on there 23:31 that is contrary to Christianity. 23:37 Heathenism... 23:39 Heathenism or paganism, folks, is immoral. 23:45 I don't know if you understand that, 23:47 but the whole principles of it is immoral 23:50 and the practice of it involves immorality. 23:53 So there's all kinds of things going on here, 23:56 and this is what Christ is referring to when He says: 23:59 "You're in the very heart of it. 24:01 You're where Satan's throne is. That's where you are. " 24:04 He said: "I know that... I know where you dwell. " 24:07 OK? And He said: "But you hold fast to My name, 24:12 did not deny My faith. " 24:24 See, Antipas was martyred for his faith there. 24:31 And these... many, many - as I have told you - 24:35 of the church of Smyrna... thousands of them died 24:39 for their faith. Stood up and said "No, 24:42 we will not worship the Emperor, 24:44 we will not worship a pagan god. " 24:46 And they gave their lives to keep from doing that. 24:50 This represents a church age - 24:54 and as I told you before, don't try to tie down 24:58 these dates very tight - but I'm going to tell you 25:01 some important things that happened here. 25:03 Because you remember last night as we talked about Smyrna 25:06 it said you would have persecution ten days. 25:09 And we found out that that covered the period of time 25:12 in which Diocletian persecuted the church for ten years 25:16 terribly. Well, when Diocletian died in 331 AD... 25:23 See right here? 331 AD... 25:27 then Constantine came to the throne 25:31 and all of a sudden Constantine could see. 25:35 Constantine could understand that the Roman Empire 25:40 was going Christian 25:42 because by this time almost half of the Roman Empire 25:47 was Christian in belief. 25:49 And he could see that there was no use in continuing 25:52 the persecution that they were doing 25:54 and he stopped it right there. 25:56 313 AD... that was it... persecution stopped. 26:01 OK? 26:05 Let me just say this: 26:08 if you can't win them by persecution 26:14 or you can't succeed by persecution, 26:19 then you can always 26:23 beat them by popularity. 26:28 Don't forget it. 26:30 You'll see what I'm talking about... 26:33 because this was a hard, hard time. 26:36 Antipas, all them gave their lives for their faith. 26:41 They stood up... took their lives. 26:44 But all of a sudden with Constantine 26:46 now the church was in favor. 26:49 It was no longer persecuted... 26:52 now it became popular. 26:55 Constantine said that he had seen a cross in a vision, 27:02 in a dream, and that he was going to become a Christian. 27:05 Don't know that he ever did... 27:08 but he said he was going to be one. 27:10 Took his army out and marched them through the river 27:13 and told them they had all been baptized 27:14 and were Christians now. 27:17 Also as you can see here in 321 AD 27:22 he signed the Edict of Constantine 27:25 in which he took the day of worship for the pagans, 27:29 Sunday, and transferred it as to a day of worship 27:34 for the Christians - 321 AD - 27:37 and all of a sudden you found that all the paganism 27:41 and many of the rites and beliefs that they had 27:44 now began to infiltrate the church. 27:48 And all of a sudden you had baptized paganism. 27:56 And the church before who wouldn't tolerate any of this 28:02 and was persecuted for it 28:04 and stood up and said: "No, we won't go along, " 28:07 now all of a sudden they just... paganism reached out 28:10 her arms and took them into the fold 28:13 and Christianity now was the state religion. 28:20 What a difference it made. 28:30 Put it down, folks: we don't war according to the flesh. 28:35 That's not the way God wants it. 28:44 We don't use guns; we don't use swords. 28:48 Our warfare is not carnal, OK? 29:10 This is how you and I as Christians 29:15 are to live. 29:18 And this is what we're to face. 29:20 The Word of God is to be our sword. 29:24 This is our sword. 29:26 This is our weapon. 29:28 Not... not guns, not cannons, not bombs... 29:34 but the Word of God. 29:35 And this - by this - you and I 29:38 are to live and walk and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. 29:42 This is what He wants us to do. 29:44 OK, what problems does the church here face? 30:00 "My, " He said: "there's some of you here that hold 30:02 the doctrine of Balaam. " 30:03 Now folks, this is not talking about Balaam in flesh and blood. 30:07 Balaam's been dead for years, OK? 30:21 Now you remember the story, don't you, of Balaam? 30:26 You remember Balak had hired him to come 30:29 and to curse Israel. 30:33 Took him up on the mountain. 30:35 Let him look out over the camp of Israel... 30:37 all the camp of Israel... and said: 30:39 "Curse these people. " 30:41 And you remember Balaam had him offer sacrifices 30:46 and Balaam prayed. And came back and instead of 30:49 cursing them he blessed them. 30:52 And Balak said: "That's not what I hired you to do. " 30:56 Took him to another place... 30:59 again showed him the camp of Israel 31:01 and again offered sacrifices 31:04 and said: "Curse these people. " 31:07 And when Balaam spoke, he blessed them. 31:12 What happened. 31:14 Took him to a place where he could not see 31:17 the children of Israel 31:19 and offered sacrifices and said: "Now curse these people. " 31:23 But the third time he blessed them... he didn't curse them. 31:38 Now he couldn't curse them - Balaam couldn't... 31:42 but he told Balak... He said: "Just go down 31:48 and mingle with them. " 31:50 "Invite them into your tents 31:54 and let them eat with you. 31:58 And let them dance, and let them have a good time. 32:02 That's all you need to do. 32:04 And if you'll just do that and have them there 32:07 and let them mix and mingle with you, 32:10 then you will be able to undo. " 32:25 Said: "You know... just come on. 32:31 You can sacrifice to our gods. 32:33 You can have a good time with us... enjoy it. " 32:39 Church of Pergamos... that's what it's saying. 32:44 He said: "You have the doctrine of Balaam, " see? 32:47 Inviting you in to be part of the pagan worship 32:52 and all the things that's going on here. 32:54 This is what He's talking about. 32:56 Exactly what Balaam did. 32:58 And so He says you and I today 33:03 find ourselves in that same place. 33:05 I find so much, folks, 33:08 that if you stand and say: "Here's where I stand, 33:14 I won't be moved... this is what I believe, " 33:18 people say: "Well you're intolerant. " 33:23 You just are... you know, "you're bigoted. 33:28 You're not sociable. 33:33 You are legalistic, fanatical. " 33:37 All those terms they want to say concerning 33:41 the fact that you want to stand for what the Bible says. 33:45 What I'm trying to tell you 33:47 is God says: "Stand... don't give up your faith. 33:53 Follow what the Word of God says. " Don't misunderstand me. 34:01 I'm to stand, and I'm to stand firmly. 34:05 But I need to do it in a kind, 34:09 gentle, compassionate way. 34:14 That I need to do. 34:16 But I shouldn't let things move me or change me... 34:21 I need to stand by the Word of God. 34:25 This is the same problem they had in the church at that time. 34:31 This is what the problem in Jerusalem 34:33 at the Council of Jerusalem was all over 34:35 was the fact that there were people that were willing to say 34:39 uh, "this is where we stand" 34:41 and there were people arguing against it. 34:44 You had some of the Jewish converts 34:48 that were arguing for certain things and others 34:51 and they had the Council at Jerusalem. 34:53 And when that Council was through 34:55 this was the advice they gave to the churches back then - 34:59 and Pergamos was involved in this. 35:20 See they were just saying: "Come on, doesn't hurt. 35:23 You can take part of this. " OK? 35:34 This was their problem. 35:36 They were trying to involve the people 35:38 into all their pagan rites and sacrifices, and they said: "No! 35:43 Don't be involved in this. " 35:47 Dear friends, you and I are in the world. 35:53 There's nothing wrong with that. 35:58 God expects us to be. 36:00 We're to bear a witness in the world. 36:02 The problem that you and I must be very careful of 36:06 is we must not let the world be in us. 36:09 God has called us out, and we must walk with the Lord 36:14 in what we do in a kind, gentle way. 36:27 Now we've run onto this before in the churches. 36:31 In the church of Ephesus we were faced with this doctrine 36:34 of the Nicolatians. Here it is again. 36:36 That had invaded the whole country. 36:40 These were people that were followers of the deacon Nicolas. 36:45 And the deacon Nicolas said 36:48 that spirituality and physical part 36:54 really didn't have any relationship to one another. 36:57 What you did physically had no effect upon your spiritual. 37:03 This came much from the teachings of Gnosticism 37:06 and out of Alexandria, Egypt, a lot of this came 37:11 and out of Rome 37:12 they taught this, and it was invading the whole country. 37:16 And He said: "Thus you also have those who hold 37:19 the doctrine of the Nicolatians. " 37:21 And there were people in the church there at Pergamos 37:25 that were going along with this. 37:28 This also involved the belief 37:32 that we talked about which was antinomianism. 37:36 Antinomianism takes the law of God 37:42 and says that the gospel of Jesus Christ 37:47 frees me from the law 37:50 and I don't have to pay any attention to it 37:52 or worry about it. I'm not concerned about keeping it. 37:56 I am under grace... I'm not under law. 38:00 That's what it says. 38:02 And it says that I don't have to worry about that. 38:05 That is not something that I need to be concerned with. 38:09 And yet God... Christ said: "I HATE this. " 38:12 "Hate this... " because He, Himself, 38:15 is the embodiment of God's law. 38:18 And you and I must be willing to walk in accordance 38:24 with God's law. I cannot tread it underfoot. 38:30 Just can't do that. 38:32 God makes it clear that the law 38:34 is something that you and I are to keep. 38:38 That we are to walk in His law, follow it. 38:42 Also, it simply taught that since the 38:48 physical had no relationship to the spiritual 38:52 that I could do anything I wanted 38:54 and it didn't affect my salvation. 38:57 Therefore if I just accepted Christ 39:00 I could live like the devil and that was still all right. 39:06 But no... that's not what the scripture teaches. 39:09 In fact, unless Christ comes into your heart and changes you, 39:14 then there's something wrong... there's no change there. 39:19 So God simply says antinomianism was contrary to that. 39:24 Now... back to Pergamos. 39:26 Purgos meant castle or tower or exalted, 39:32 lifted up. The city was on this mountain 39:37 and the temple and all, and it was looked upon 39:40 as being impregnable. 39:42 Couldn't be taken. 39:44 And the only times it was ever taken was by strategism 39:48 and someone getting there 39:50 because it was easily guarded and cared for. 39:53 But gamos - that word part of Pergamos - 39:58 gamos stood for marriage. 40:03 And so it says exalted or lifted up through marriage. 40:09 What it talks about. 40:10 And so what you have here is you have union 40:14 of church and state, see? 40:20 This is where the state reached out and took the church in 40:25 and they became married. 40:28 Paganism has always been that way, folks. 40:30 Paganism had always been that the 40:34 leader, the Emperor, or whoever was in charge 40:39 was not only in charge of the state 40:41 but he was also in charge of the religion. 40:44 That's always been the case. 40:46 So now all of a sudden here the state has reached out 40:51 and has taken in the church. 40:53 And the state now is not only the political head 40:57 but it becomes the religious head as well. 41:02 It's always the case. 41:04 And here it opened up its doors and invited in, 41:09 and the church and the state became married 41:12 and you had unification of church and state. 41:17 This was a major, major problem 41:21 because now you find that the state 41:27 is interested in doing what it can 41:31 to make religion more popular. 41:35 More people accept it and invite them in. 41:38 And so you get the church infiltrated with all kinds 41:43 of pagan customs. And even to this day 41:46 many, many of the things that is practiced 41:50 comes about as the result of paganism. 41:54 You just went through a period. 41:57 Have you ever heard of 40 days of Lent? 42:04 If you wanted to go back and look at it 42:07 and study it, you'll find those 40 days 42:11 were 40 days of weeping for the god Tammuz... 42:15 what they were doing. And so they just took a pagan custom 42:20 and Christianized it and brought it into the church. 42:24 Also tell me - if you would... what does Easter bunnies 42:31 have to do with the resurrection of Christ? 42:33 Where did that come from? 42:36 Because they were gods of fertility. 42:39 They worshiped them as such. 42:42 This is where all this infiltrated into the church 42:45 and came... And today it's handed out and people accept it 42:49 as part of the Christian religion 42:52 which really in reality it's not. 42:55 And you and I need to follow what the Word of God says. 43:08 He said: "Change, repent. If you don't, 43:12 I'll come against you and fight with you 43:16 with the sword of My mouth. " And the sword of His mouth 43:19 is sharp... a sharp, two-edge sword. 43:24 And He said: "I'll fight with you on this. " 43:27 The Word of God... powerful. 43:37 This book and the teachings of this book 43:43 has captured nations. 43:49 It has changed entire countries. 43:57 This book is not just a history book, 44:02 not just a book of literature. 44:05 It's not just a book of literature or grammar. 44:12 This book is divine... 44:14 it's the Word of God, OK? 44:21 This is what you and I must be willing to follow. 44:43 In other words, He's saying that you and I 44:45 are going to be judged by this book. 44:49 That's how we're going to be judged is by this book. 44:52 "It will judge them in the last days. " 44:54 And therefore, if I have opened my heart and accepted it 44:59 and followed it, 45:02 you're going to be in good shape. 45:04 Because if you do that, 45:07 then Jesus Christ is going to represent you. 45:11 And if Christ represents you, you can't lose. 45:16 OK? So the Word of God will judge the people 45:22 in the last days. 45:24 Well, let's look at what He says here: 45:34 You and I need to listen carefully to what it has to say. 45:40 We need to make sure that we understand 45:44 what God is saying to you and to me. 45:47 The promise... the promise that's given: 46:07 OK. He said: "I will give him some of the hidden manna. " 46:12 Ah, there's something to be learned about the hidden manna. 46:16 Very much so. 46:18 Speaking of the children of Israel it says here 46:21 in I Corinthians 10:3,4: 46:35 OK. Now it says feed them "with the hidden manna. " 46:41 What is that talking about... 46:45 the hidden manna? 46:47 Bread. Angel's food as it was called. 46:52 I want to share something with you. 46:55 When the manna fell, when did it fall? 46:59 Yeah, early in the morning. 47:02 When they woke up, it was on the ground, right? 47:07 How long did it stay there? 47:12 What does the scripture say? 47:14 It says that when the sun came up 47:19 it melted is what it says. 47:22 Now what I'm trying to get across to you 47:28 is this is manna... this is the Word of God. 47:32 It's manna. Much, much better 47:36 if you eat of it early in the morning. 47:42 If you eat of it early in the morning it's much, much better. 47:46 And a little secret: 47:51 Five minutes with that... and the Lord help you 47:55 if that's all you spend with it... 47:57 but five minutes with that 47:59 will save a half hour of confession at night. 48:03 Spend time with the Lord in the morning. 48:07 Listen to the words of Jesus here: 48:14 HE is the Bread of Life. 48:15 Do you want life? 48:17 Huh? Do you want life? 48:19 Jesus said: "I am the Bread of Life. " 48:27 See, that's what... that's 48:31 what these Jewish people after He had fed the 5,000 48:34 they all came down there and they said... 48:36 "You know, this miracle... " they said to Him... 48:40 They said: "This miracle You did; that wasn't so great. " 48:44 They said: "Moses gave our fathers bread 48:47 in the wilderness. " 48:49 And Jesus said: "Yeah, your fathers ate manna 48:54 in the wilderness. They're dead. " 49:07 That's a promise: one may eat of this and not die. 49:13 Learn to eat the Word of God. 49:18 And I can tell you right now, there was for years 49:22 that the devil saw to it in my own life 49:25 that I didn't spend the time with the Word of God 49:28 that I should. 49:30 I mean, I was doing good things and I was busy, 49:35 but I wasn't spending time with the Word of God. 49:38 And finally one day I woke up 49:41 and I said: "Listen, if you have time to eat physically 49:48 then you have time to read God's Word. " 49:51 And I made a pact that if I didn't have time 49:56 to read God's Word, I didn't have time to eat. 50:03 Since that day, I've always found time for both. 50:06 So... make it part of your life 50:11 to spend time with the Word of God. 50:34 Take time, friends, 50:37 to read God's Word. Take it into your heart. 50:40 This is the hidden manna 50:44 that He's willing to give to you and me. 50:59 OK. 51:11 He said: "I'm going to give him a white stone, 51:14 and on that I'm going to write a new name. " 51:19 OK. "And the only one that knows that 51:22 will be that person. " 51:24 A new name. You see, back then 51:28 that's the way judges made decisions. 51:33 If you were acquitted, 51:35 they put out a white stone. 51:38 If you were condemned, it was a black stone. 51:44 Given a new stone... white stone. 51:48 Also, that's something that they gave to athletes. 51:51 Tessera or something like that 51:55 was the name of it. I can't remember exactly. 51:57 But the stone they gave them if they had won a victory 52:01 they gave them this white stone with their name 52:06 inscribed in that white stone. 52:08 And that stone gave them privileges because they had won. 52:13 This was done. This is what He's referring to. 52:16 He's going to give you and I a white stone. 52:35 You see, you and I don't even know our own hearts... 52:41 but God does. 52:43 He knows us 52:46 better than we know ourselves. 52:49 And to those people who follow Him and walk with Him 52:53 and obey Him and open up their hearts to Him 52:56 and accept Him, to them He's going to give a white stone, 53:00 and on that He's going to write a name 53:03 that has to do with you that nobody else will know 53:08 except only you because that fits your character 53:13 like nothing else you ever knew. 53:15 That is what He's going to write on that stone 53:18 and give you a new name 53:20 that will be especially meaningful to you. 53:40 Going to give you a new name, 53:42 and that will represent your character. 53:46 And so dear friend I would say 53:48 place your life in His hands. 53:51 Let Him change you. Let Him make you different. 53:56 Let Him speak to your soul 53:59 and change you that you may be a new person 54:03 in Christ Jesus. 54:05 This is what He wants to do for you and for me. 54:08 And He'll bless you in a special way as you do so. 54:13 Let us pray. 54:14 Heavenly Father, 54:16 We thank you... thank you that You are willing 54:20 to give us a new name. That we can feast, 54:25 that we can eat of the hidden manna... 54:29 the Bread of Life... that as we take it into our lives 54:36 that we each might know and understand 54:40 that in You is life 54:43 and in Christ Jesus we can find hope, 54:47 we can find peace, and we can find joy. 54:51 Bless each one here and those that are listening tonight. 54:54 For this we pray in the name of our Lord and Savior 54:59 Jesus Christ. Amen. 55:03 Our next presentation will be on the church of Thyatira 55:09 and we hope it will bless you in a special way 55:13 as we continue to study together. 55:17 Hello, folks. 55:18 One of my favorite things to do in the springtime 55:21 is to take a walk and look at all the new growth. 55:24 The earth seems so fresh, 55:26 and each tree bursts forth with buds and flowers. 55:29 That reminds me of a parable that Jesus told His followers 55:33 in Luke 21. 55:35 You see, He had just described the events which will happen 55:39 immediately before His second coming. 55:55 But in verse 29 Jesus turns their attention 55:59 to the fig tree. 56:00 And ever since then, the budding trees have served as a permanent 56:04 reminder that our time here is very short 56:07 and the second coming is very near. 56:25 Folks, many of these signs are already upon us. 56:29 The earth groans from the greed of those who have 56:32 exploited her resources, ravaged her land 56:36 and destroyed plants and animals and atmosphere alike 56:39 in a selfish pursuit of wealth. 56:42 Have you seen the signs? 56:44 Have you seen men's hearts failing with fear? 56:46 If you haven't, then I'm afraid you're not watching 56:50 very closely. However, the Holy Spirit is hard at work 56:54 and so are many Christians who long for an end to sin 56:57 and look forward to their soon-coming Savior. 57:01 And that's why we continue to preach the gospel 57:04 to as many as we can through any means that we can 57:08 as often as we can. 57:10 Our ministry team is supported solely 57:12 by your contributions... and we thank you for your 57:16 faithful prayers and financial support. 57:19 May God richly bless you. 57:22 Please consider what you can do for those who still don't know 57:25 about Jesus. As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:28 please send your tax-deductible gifts to: 57:42 Thank you for helping us spread the light of God's Word 57:45 through television and radio. 57:47 Your gifts help bring the blessed hope of salvation 57:49 to millions around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17