Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: RJC
Program Code: RJC000013
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00:22 Well, we're very happy to welcome you
00:25 to the study of the book of Revelation 00:28 which we have entitled The Revelation of Jesus Christ 00:31 because IT IS about Jesus Christ and His ministry... 00:36 what He has to say to you and to me today. 00:40 And so in this particular series 00:42 we're covering Revelation 4 through 12. 00:48 That's what we're taking a look at. 00:49 And if you have been following us as we have been taking 00:53 these subjects step by step, you know that we have just 00:56 finished talking about the trumpets in the 01:00 8th and 9th chapter of Revelation... 01:04 but the trumpets continue on 01:06 through the 10th and 11th chapter. 01:08 And so today we're taking a look at the 10th chapter 01:12 in a subject that is entitled: 01:18 And so we'd like to welcome all of you that are here today 01:22 and also those of you that are joining us by television 01:26 or by radio or on the Internet. 01:29 We're very, very happy to welcome you and we hope 01:31 that today's subject will help you understand 01:35 God's message particularly to you and I 01:39 that are living today because it's very, very important 01:43 that we know where we are, where we're headed, 01:46 what's going on. 01:47 And then our next presentation will be entitled 01:51 The Two Witnesses and we're going to be looking at 01:54 Revelation the 11th chapter. 01:57 And in that 11th chapter are Two Witnesses. 02:00 There's also a beast there, and it's necessary for you and I 02:05 to understand what took place during that period of time. 02:09 And that's what we're looking at in our next presentation 02:13 on the Two Witnesses. 02:15 But today we're taking a look at the Time of the End. 02:19 I consider this to be an extremely important chapter 02:22 because it talks about the coming of Jesus Christ. 02:28 That's what it deals with: the coming of Jesus Christ 02:31 and also the time factor that's involved in that. 02:35 So we hope that as we pick up God's Word and go through it 02:39 verse by verse that you'll understand it, 02:41 you'll see where we are, 02:43 and above all, dear friend, I'd invite you... 02:45 prepare your heart for the coming of Jesus Christ. 02:49 It's very, very vital. 02:51 We've taken a look at some very serious subjects 02:56 and what happens to those that do not follow the Lord. 03:02 And sometimes as we read that people have some trepidation 03:06 about their own lives and what's going on. 03:10 But God is more than capable of taking care of you and of me. 03:16 And we're happy to have Jim and Pam Rhodes with us. 03:21 And Pam is going to sing a song that's entitled 03:26 On Eagle's Wings. 03:28 And this song gets its inspiration from Psalm 91 03:33 and it brings assurance and comfort to you and me. 03:37 And so I know you'll be blessed 03:39 as they share this song with you. 03:42 But before they do, Chuck Allgaier is going to come 03:45 and he's going to read with you the 10th chapter 03:48 of the book of Revelation. 03:50 Good morning. Good morning. 03:53 If you have your Bibles this morning, we're going to turn 03:56 to Revelation chapter 10 03:58 and we're going to read that chapter. 04:00 So if you have your Bibles with you, 04:01 please open them to the book of Revelation chapter 10. 04:05 Let's read together: 06:22 And He will raise you up 06:26 on eagle's wings. 06:31 Bear you on the breath of dawn. 06:36 Make you to shine like the sun 06:42 and hold you 06:44 in the palm 06:50 of His hand. 06:58 You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord 07:03 will abide in His presence 07:07 for life. Say to the Lord 07:13 "My refuge, my rock 07:17 in whom I trust. " 07:23 And He will raise you up 07:28 on eagle's wings. 07:31 Bear you on the breath of dawn. 07:37 Make you to shine like the sun 07:42 and hold you 07:45 in the palm 07:50 of His hand. 07:58 You need not fear 08:01 the terror of the night 08:03 nor the arrow that flies by day. 08:09 Under His wings... your refuge. 08:14 His faithfulness... 08:18 your shield. 08:23 And He will raise you up 08:28 on eagle's wings. 08:32 Bear you on the breath of dawn. 08:38 Make you to shine like the sun 08:43 and hold you 08:46 in the palm 08:51 of His hand. 08:58 For to His angels He's given the command 09:04 to guard you in all of your ways. 09:09 Upon their hands they will bear you up 09:15 lest you dash your foot upon a stone. 09:24 And He will raise you up 09:29 on eagle's wings. 09:33 Bear you on the breath of dawn. 09:38 Make you to shine like the sun 09:45 and hold you... 09:49 and hold you... 09:52 and hold you in the 09:56 palm 10:01 of His 10:06 hand. 10:10 In the palm 10:15 of 10:17 His 10:20 hand. 10:53 Our heavenly Father, 10:56 we come to You today 10:59 first, Lord, to thank you. 11:01 Thank you for sheltering us. 11:04 Holding us in the palm of Your hand. 11:08 To know... have the assurance 11:12 that we're safe and that You care and love each one of us. 11:19 Bless us, Lord, as we study Your word now. 11:23 We pray that the Holy Spirit may give us insight, 11:27 enlightenment. 11:29 We ask, Lord, that our hearts may be soft... 11:33 they may be tender that the Holy Spirit can guide and direct 11:38 and Your Word can be understood. 11:42 Bless, guide, and direct as we study 11:48 Your Word together this morning we pray in Your name, 11:51 Amen. 11:59 The seven trumpets in the 8th and 9th chapter 12:04 of Revelation are judgments of God 12:09 against those who do not have the seal of God. 12:14 Makes that very clear. 12:16 Says that it's judgments against those 12:19 that do not have the seal of God. 12:21 But you find that the Lord doesn't intend just to do that 12:25 and not make His people aware of where they stand. 12:30 And so John here inserts or puts an interlude 12:35 between the 6th and 7th trumpet and shows you 12:40 what God has to say about His people 12:43 and what He's expecting of them. 12:44 Does the same thing with the seals, folks. 12:47 Remember there He has an interlude or an insert 12:50 between the 6th and 7th seal 12:53 where He talks about His people and where they stand 12:56 as far as the 144,000 are concerned and so forth. 12:59 So He does the same thing here with the trumpets. 13:03 And that's basically what we're looking at today 13:06 is this 10th chapter and what God is saying about 13:10 His people and what He expects from them. 13:13 In that chapter is what the scripture says 13:17 "a mighty angel. " 13:19 Now this angel is the very same one as you find 13:23 in the 5th chapter in verse 2 13:25 where it talks about "a mighty angel" or a strong angel. 13:28 So this angel has come to John and he has certain things 13:32 to tell him concerning his people. 13:51 This description of these angels, folks, is mighty. 13:57 Angels can be as strong 14:02 as a wintery blast. 14:05 But they can also be as gentle as a summer breeze. 14:09 But these angels are mighty and they have great, great power. 14:16 Very, very important: he has a little book. 14:19 It's what? Open. 14:21 Actually in the original it would say 14:23 "He had a little scroll open in his hand. " 14:25 And since it's talking about a little scroll, 14:28 it's probably part of the scroll that the Lamb 14:32 took out of the Father's hand. 14:35 That the Lamb loosed the seven seals and so forth. 14:39 So he has a little book or a little scroll in his hand 14:42 and it is open. 14:54 When it says his right foot is on the sea, 14:57 left foot is on the land, 14:59 it represents that that message has a world-wide part 15:03 that's to be proclaimed to every man, woman, and child 15:07 on the face of the earth. That's why he's standing 15:09 on the land and the sea. 15:29 God simply takes angels 15:32 and uses angels to represent a message 15:37 that's to be given to the world. 15:39 That's what this angel here in Revelation 10 is doing. 15:42 He has a message that the whole world is to hear, 15:46 and you're involved 15:49 because it is speaking about your day... my day. 15:53 You're involved... this message is to go to the whole world. 15:57 Uh, same thing is concerning the message of the 3 angels. 16:01 Revelation 14: each one of those 16:05 had a particular message that the whole world was to hear, 16:09 proclaim. Same thing with the angel in Revelation 18 16:14 where it says the earth was lightened 16:16 with the glory of this angel. 16:17 It meant that he had a message that the whole word 16:20 was also to hear. So that's what God uses angels for: 16:25 to represent messages that the whole world is to hear. 16:35 Here he is standing on the earth and the sea. 16:38 He now has his hand raised to heaven 16:42 and he's about to shout something... proclaim something. 17:00 Now folks, we talked about the souls under the altar 17:04 that cried for judgment and they said: "How long is this 17:07 going to go on? " We talked about the trumpets 17:09 and we're wondering... that were there 17:12 to try to get men to repent. 17:14 But now this angel is proclaiming there shall be 17:18 "delay no longer. " 17:20 Now that's the way the New King James version reads. 17:23 I prefer the old King James here much better, 17:26 and it says that "time should be no longer. " 17:31 It means that time has run out. 17:35 It's come to its end. 17:36 "Time shall be no longer. " So this angel 17:39 is proclaiming to the whole earth: "Time's run out! 17:43 It's over; come to an end. " 17:46 He continues on: 17:58 It says here that he's saying: 18:00 "Time shall be no longer; that the mystery of God 18:04 is finished. " 18:06 You know the Bible speaks of the mystery of iniquity? 18:11 It speaks of the mystery of godliness. 18:14 Both of those things are mysteries. 18:17 If you try to understand or reason 18:21 or find an excuse for sin... 18:24 there is none. 18:28 You can't... if you can find an excuse for sin, 18:30 it ceases to be sin. 18:32 There just is none. 18:37 So when you start talking about the mystery of iniquity, 18:40 why? Why would Lucifer - 18:45 created by God, in heaven, 18:49 holding the position next to Christ, 18:52 above all the angelic host and all those things - 18:56 why he would turn upon his own Creator? 19:02 No... you can't logically make that work. 19:07 It's a mystery. 19:09 Sin is a mystery and always will be. 19:12 But so is godliness. 19:15 You try to think out a rational reason 19:20 why Jesus Christ would leave the side of His Father, 19:25 the adoration of all of the angels, 19:27 the joy of all God's created universe, 19:32 and come down here to this earth 19:35 to be abused by mankind 19:40 who didn't appreciate Him or care for Him. 19:42 You try and think up a rational reason for that. 19:44 There is none. 19:46 But when it talks about here 19:48 the "mystery of God" should be finished, 19:51 the mystery of God is the gospel. 19:55 The gospel of Jesus Christ that's preached to mankind 19:58 for salvation... that is the mystery of God. 20:01 And what he's saying here is: 20:03 "The gospel has come to an end. 20:05 That time has run out for mankind. 20:08 That the mystery of God has come to an end. " 20:29 Now John is told: "Go to the angel. 20:35 Take this scroll from his hand. " 20:51 "So John, OK... here, take it and eat it... 20:57 and when you do it's going to be sweet in your mouth; 21:00 it's going to be bitter in your stomach. " 21:18 Something about this message, 21:22 something about what is contained in that scroll, 21:26 something about what that angel is proclaiming 21:29 that was going to be sweet in his mouth 21:32 and bitter in his stomach. 21:35 There's something about that... that message 21:37 that would have that effect upon John. 21:40 That it would be sweet in his mouth 21:41 and bitter in his stomach. 21:44 Well, you find that there are books of the Bible 21:47 that - How should I say? - go together. 21:50 And the books of the Bible that, as far as prophecy is concerned, 21:55 that go together are the books of Daniel and Revelation. 22:00 All the prophecies in the book of Daniel 22:04 are repeated in the book of Revelation. 22:07 In fact, I doubt very well - 22:11 very much - that anyone could really understand 22:15 the prophecies of Revelation 22:17 if he didn't understand the prophecies of Daniel. 22:20 They're... they're that close together. 22:23 They're like a hand in a glove. 22:26 You have to put them together; you have to understand them. 22:30 This little book - this little scroll - that we're talking 22:32 about here that was in the angel's hand... 22:35 that little book is also mentioned in Daniel. 22:39 We read about it in Daniel the 12th chapter 22:42 in verse 4, and it says this: 22:53 He said: "Now Daniel, shut up the words, 22:55 seal the book, until the time of the end. " 23:01 Well, this little book that Daniel has here 23:06 is in the hand of the angel but it's what? 23:12 Is it closed or is it open 23:15 in the hand of the angel? 23:17 It's open. 23:19 The little book was open in the hand of the angel. 23:22 But Daniel sees it and it's sealed. 23:24 He said: "Daniel, seal it up unto the time of the end. " 23:29 Now when you and I begin to talk about the time 23:32 of the end... the Bible speaks of the time of the end. 23:36 Do you understand the difference between the time of the end 23:40 and the end of time? 23:43 'Cause those are both phrases used in the Bible. 23:45 It talks about the time of the end and the end of time. 23:49 Well, when I was a boy 23:52 uh, my father would go to town in September... 23:57 usually we'd buy a turkey. 24:00 And he would bring that turkey back home, 24:02 and we had a large cage there. 24:04 And he would put the turkey in that cage. 24:06 And he would give me instructions about feeding it 24:09 and watering it and making sure that it was well taken care of 24:13 and all. And that was my job: I was to look after that turkey. 24:18 When my father put that turkey in that cage, 24:22 that began the time of the end. 24:28 OK? That began the time of the end. 24:32 Said: "Shut it up, seal it unto the time of the end. " 24:37 But when Thanksgiving Day rolled around, 24:40 that was the end of time. OK. 24:44 So that's the difference between those two. 24:46 "Shut it up, seal it unto the time of the end. " 24:51 Well when you pick up your Bible and you begin to read 24:54 about the time of the end, 24:56 God is very explicit. 25:01 Over and over He will tell you exactly when 25:04 that time of the end began. 25:06 And all you have to do is begin to study the prophecies 25:08 like Daniel 7:25, and it mentions the time of the end. 25:13 Revelation 11 verse 2 will talk about the time of the end. 25:18 Revelation 12 verse 6 will talk about the time of the end. 25:21 Revelation 13 verse 5 will talk about the end. 25:25 And all of those point to the time of 1798 AD 25:30 as beginning the time of the end. 25:33 So when he told Daniel: "Shut up the words, 25:36 seal the book unto the time of the end, " 25:39 very very clear when the time of the end begins: in 1798 AD. 25:45 Up until 1798 AD 25:50 people tried to understand the books of 25:53 of Daniel and Revelation 25:54 but they just couldn't seem to break through. 25:58 In fact you can still go back and read the writings 26:01 of some of those theologians and those Bible students 26:04 and you can see as they try to understand what it's 26:07 talking about... but they just can't seem to get through 26:12 and understand what it's talking about. 26:14 But in the late 1700s there was a Jewish boy. 26:20 His name was Joseph Wolf. 26:24 Joseph Wolf as a boy accepted Jesus Christ 26:29 as his Savior. 26:31 As he got older, he went away to school and the seminary. 26:35 Studied... became a minister 26:37 and had a great, great burden on his heart 26:41 for the Jewish people. 26:43 And so he went over to Palestine and he began to preach 26:47 to the Jewish people there. 26:49 But while he was there, he also 26:51 carried a burden to understand 26:53 the books of Daniel and Revelation. 26:55 And he was trying to understand them, 26:57 and he had come to the 8th chapter of Daniel 27:01 and trying to understand that prophecy... what it was talking 27:05 about like verse 14 that said "Unto 2,300 days and then 27:10 shall the sanctuary be cleansed. " 27:12 And he was trying to get that in his mind 27:15 and understand what it was about. 27:17 And he continued to read and he moved over into the 9th chapter 27:22 and he came to that text in Daniel 9 27:25 where the angel told him a definite period of time. 27:30 He told him that there would be seven weeks 27:34 threescore and two weeks 27:37 unto the Messiah, the Prince. 27:39 But it also said that when the Jewish people were to go back 27:44 that would begin a time - set time - for it to start. 27:50 And so he began to get his Bible and every history book 27:53 he could find and he began to study it. 27:55 And he began to trace that prophecy. 27:57 Found out the decree of Artaxerxes was given in 457 BC 28:01 and tracing it, it brought him to the date of 1843 AD. 28:08 And Joseph Wolf began to preach all across the Middle East 28:12 that Jesus was coming in 1843 AD because, you see, 28:17 they believed that text in Daniel 8:14 that spoke of 28:20 the cleansing of the sanctuary... they believed 28:23 that that meant the cleansing of this earth by fire. 28:26 And therefore they said: "Jesus is coming back. " 28:30 And he began to preach that all across Palestine 28:33 that Jesus was coming. 28:34 At the same time - I mean, during the same period of time - 28:40 there is a minister over in England by the name 28:44 of Edward Irving. 28:46 Edward Irving has been studying the very same prophecies. 28:50 And as he has studied those prophecies 28:53 they too have carried him step by step 28:56 down to the date of 1843 AD. 29:00 And Edward Irving began to preach in England 29:03 that Jesus was coming in 1843 AD. 29:06 He was joined, folks, by 500 other Episcopal ministers 29:11 and that swept across the British Isles like wildfire 29:14 that Jesus was coming in 1843 AD. 29:19 Uh, you want to say this is coincidental? 29:22 That it just happened? 29:23 At the very same time... 29:27 at the very same time there's a Roman Catholic priest 29:33 in South America by the name of Manuel de Lacunza 29:37 that is preaching the very same prophecies. 29:40 And they, too, as he has studied them, 29:42 have brought him to 1843 AD. 29:44 He's written a book called The Coming King. 29:47 It has circulated all across South America and literally 29:50 thousands of people have accepted and believed 29:52 that Jesus is coming in 1843 AD. 29:59 Just happened? 30:02 At the same time, there's a Baptist minister here 30:07 in the United States by the name of William Miller 30:09 who has been studying these prophecies now for 9 years. 30:15 And as he has studied those prophecies, 30:19 he too has come under the same conviction 30:22 that Jesus Christ is coming back in 1843 AD. 30:27 Began to preach it around his church 30:30 in the area where he was, and he was invited 30:33 to preach at a Congregational church up in Boston. 30:37 He took his charts and everything and went up there 30:41 and preached a series at that church 30:44 about these prophecies. 30:46 And when he finished, the young pastor of that church 30:51 by the name of Joshua V. Hines stood up and said: 30:54 "Mr. Miller, do you believe what you're preaching? " 30:57 And William Miller said: "I wouldn't be preaching it 31:00 if I didn't believe it. " 31:01 And then he said: "Well, why don't you 31:03 do something about it? " 31:05 And under the guidance and help of that young preacher 31:09 they began to make one large city after another 31:12 across this country. 31:13 They would go in and pitch tents, folks, 31:16 that would seat five, six, seven thousand people. 31:20 And the people would come out. 31:22 And so many would come out that the railroad companies 31:25 would have to run tracks out to the tent 31:28 just to take care of the people that came by railcar. 31:31 That... those places would be packed with thousands of people 31:34 as William Miller preached night after night 31:37 about the coming of the Lord. 31:39 A young Methodist minister by the name of S. S. Snow 31:45 went to hear William Miller. 31:47 He heard William Miller preach it 31:51 and left that tent under great conviction. 31:54 Went back home and got his Bible and got every history book 31:58 he could get, and he began to search it out. 32:00 And he found out that that decree of Artaxerxes was 32:04 given in the fall of the year. 32:06 And so as he began to trace it step by step 32:09 it brought him not to 1843 AD but it brought him 32:14 to the Fall of 1844 AD. 32:17 And he went to see William Miller, and they sat down 32:21 and they studied that together. 32:22 And William Miller could see that he was right. 32:26 And they called a Bible conference. 32:29 People came in from all over the United States. 32:33 In fact, some people even came from Europe. 32:36 And S. S. Snow stood up there and presented that paper. 32:41 And when he was through, that Bible conference voted 32:46 that Jesus Christ was coming back on October 22, 1844. 32:53 They voted! 32:55 That... that became known as the Midnight Cry. 33:00 They said: "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; 33:03 go out to meet Him. " 33:04 They went out and they talked to everybody they could find. 33:08 They told them Jesus Christ was coming back. 33:10 They got on their knees; they confessed their sins. 33:13 They got their hearts right for the coming of the Lord. 33:16 They looked for it; they longed for it. 33:18 It was in their mouths as sweet as honey. 33:21 Time should be no longer. 33:25 That the mystery of God was finished! 33:29 October 22, 1844, came... 33:35 and they went out to meet Him. 33:38 Some of them stood out in the yard. 33:43 Some stood in vacant fields. 33:46 Some sat in their house like William Miller 33:49 and they waited for the Lord to come. 33:52 All day long they waited 33:55 until the sun began to set that evening. 34:00 And they encouraged one another 34:02 and they said: "He'll come at midnight. " 34:04 And on into the night they waited 34:07 until the sun rose the next morning. 34:12 And that which had been as sweet as honey 34:15 in their mouths became bitter in their stomachs. 34:21 They longed for it; they hoped for it; they believed it. 34:24 Now let me tell you something: 34:25 if you take this prophecy in Daniel 9 34:29 and you trace it, it will take you to 1844 AD every time 34:33 if you're intelectually honest. 34:35 They were wrong about what was to happen. 34:38 It was talking about Christ coming to His Father 34:42 in the sanctuary and for the judgment to begin. 34:44 They were wrong in the application, but the scripture 34:47 had foretold that they would be wrong. 34:49 Had said that it would be a bitter experience for them. 34:52 But out of that was to grow a movement of God's people. 35:00 Did you hear me? 35:03 Out of that was to grow a movement 35:06 of God's people that had a specific purpose 35:11 and plan and a commission to fulfill 35:14 up to the coming of Jesus Christ. Amen! 35:17 That's where you and I stand today. 35:23 I read to you all the verses in the 10th chapter 35:27 of Revelation except the last one. 35:29 Verse 11 says: 35:43 "Thou must prophesy again. " Prophesy again about what? 35:48 About the coming of Jesus Christ. 35:51 When it uses that word "thou" there, 35:54 who's it talking about? 35:59 Yeah, it's talking about you. 36:02 You have a responsibility. 36:06 You have been called; you have been chosen. 36:11 You have a responsibility to proclaim 36:14 that Jesus Christ is coming back! 36:18 That is your calling; that is what you're to do. 36:21 That should become the foremost thing in your life: 36:25 to tell others about Jesus Christ. 36:29 Well I know, when you talk about the coming of Jesus Christ 36:34 people get excited and they'll say: 36:37 "Oh, we don't know when Jesus is coming. 36:39 Why it could be 1,000 years from now. 36:42 We... we don't know when that will take place. " 36:47 In fact, I hear some dear saint say: 36:51 "Oh, He's going to come as a thief in the night, 36:53 so we don't know when He's going to come. " 36:57 Well, let me tell you something: 36:59 if Jesus Christ comes as a thief in the night to you, 37:05 you're lost. 37:10 At least that's what the scripture says. 37:12 Listen: 37:27 And some people say: "See, right there it says 37:30 He's coming as a thief in the night. " 37:31 The problem is: most people quit reading right there. 37:33 If you'll just read on, it makes it very clear. 37:46 "But you brethren... but YOU brethren... " 37:50 Who's that talking to? OK. 37:58 "You're not in darkness. 38:11 If I know a thief's coming to my house, 38:14 you'd better believe I'm going to be watching and waiting. 38:17 And you and I ought to be also! 38:20 So how can I know... how can I know 38:26 that Christ is coming? 38:29 How... how can I know that is taking place? 38:34 Well, the scripture gives us some insights. 38:58 He said: "You've got the prophetic Word... 39:01 you've got the prophecies. " 39:03 And he says those prophecies are clear enough that 39:06 "you shall not be in darkness but that you have light 39:10 and you should walk in the light of the Word. " 39:12 How can you and I - who know what the book says 39:17 and we know what God's Word says - 39:19 how can you stand there and not open your mouth 39:23 and tell somebody Jesus Christ is coming? 39:25 How can we do that? 39:29 We are children of the light, not of darkness. 39:33 Therefore, you and I have a responsibility laid upon us 39:37 to tell men and women Jesus Christ is coming back. 39:44 You ever been there? 39:53 The light should have dawned upon you. 39:56 You should have woke up! 39:58 You should see the day... not the darkness. 40:05 That's how we're to be 40:08 in preparing for the coming of Jesus. 40:13 I'm going to share a few things with you 40:15 that I believe are clear indications 40:20 of the coming of Jesus Christ. 40:23 Where you and I are today. 40:28 And I hope that it will help you to prepare your heart. 40:33 And if you're slumbering and sleeping, 40:36 I hope you'll wake up. 40:41 The first is the loss of liberty. 40:44 The Bible clearly says that in the last days 40:50 one of the signs of Christ's return 40:52 is the loss of liberty. 40:55 You can look for that... you can expect it. 40:57 It says this: 41:22 There are certain things that have happened 41:26 that should tell you and I that things have changed. 41:32 There has been a marked change in the way 41:36 we live and operate in this country. 41:39 I want you to listen. 41:42 This is a statement by Michael Connelly. 41:48 He's an attorney; he's an instructor... 41:51 teacher of constitutional law 41:53 in Carrollton, Texas. 41:56 I want you to listen to what he has to say 41:59 because it's vital to what we're talking about: 42:08 Now he's talking about the health care bill, OK, 42:12 and he wrote this before it was passed. 42:15 We're now talking about the health care bill 42:17 that has passed, OK? 42:43 He said: "Now what this bill is actually doing 42:46 and if you read the bill, it is transferring 42:50 the power from that of the legislative 42:53 branch of our government to the executive branch 42:56 of our government. 43:02 And it was adopted... 43:11 I think we have a statement in the writings of Ellen G. White 43:18 where she says the principles of the Constitution will be 43:22 done away with. 43:50 Which it has. 44:14 They can call it a tax and get by with it. 44:20 Dear friend, I don't know whether you're aware of it 44:22 but your liberty has greatly been curtailed. 44:27 And there are steps that are being taken 44:31 and you and I need to understand what's happening. 44:36 Secondly, financial bankruptcy. 44:40 Uh, we never thought this day would ever come 44:44 when as a country - the United States of America 44:50 that has been the leader in so many things - 44:53 today finds itself financially bankrupt. 44:58 The scripture prophesies that that would happen 45:02 at the end of time. 45:24 Talking about Babylon, and we'll talk more about Babylon 45:27 in future nights. 45:29 But it talks about how it would crumble 45:32 and it would be financially bankrupt. 45:35 Where do we stand today financially? 45:41 Well, we owe China 45:44 894.8 billion dollars. 45:49 We owe Japan 766.7 billion dollars. 45:55 We're in debt to those two countries that much. 46:02 What does our national debt look like? 46:06 As of July 9, 2010, 46:11 we owed 13 trillion, 46:16 189 billion, 46:18 193 million, 46:21 996 thousand 46:25 eight hundred seventy-four dollars and 56 cents. 46:29 Now do you understand, folks, 46:34 that the only asset... the only asset the United States 46:38 government has... 46:40 Do you know what the only asset they have is? 46:43 The only asset they have is YOU. 46:47 That's the only asset they have: you're the one 46:50 that makes the money. You're the one that does this. 46:53 You're the only asset they have. 46:55 That simply means if we've got a national debt like that 46:59 that every one of you and your children included 47:02 are in hock for $42,000. 47:08 Every one of you. 47:11 And so what's happening? 47:14 What's going on? 47:15 Very quickly - I don't know if you can see this - 47:19 Folks, in 2008- in 2008- 47:25 our national debt which was high enough at that point 47:28 was 5.6 trillion dollars. 47:32 2008! 47:35 Two years it has risen to 13 trillion. 47:42 You and I face some real problems, and I'm talking about 47:45 financially bankrupt we are. 47:47 Total revenue. Total revenue... that means all the money that 47:52 you and I pour into the government through taxes 47:55 and all that kind of stuff... 47:57 the total revenue that they got 47:59 was 14.8 trillion dollars. 48:02 In 2009, they spent 48:07 24 trillion 700 dollars. 48:11 When you take a look at all of it, that means 48:15 that they went into debt to a total of 9.9 trillion dollars. 48:21 I... I don't know about you, 48:24 but there's no way on earth 48:26 to continue that kind of spending and survive. 48:31 You can't do it! 48:34 So you and I need to understand where we stand financially. 48:43 As a nation, we have become morally corrupt. 49:05 They were morally corrupt... they were destroyed! 49:09 So it will be in the day that God comes back. 49:13 Paul talked about it. He said: 50:02 Exactly where we are today. 50:06 Where are we? 50:10 Look. This is our situation today, folks. 50:15 There's a murder in this country every 30 minutes. 50:21 I'm not talking about killed... 50:25 I'm talking about murdered. 50:27 Every 30 minutes someone is murdered. 50:30 A woman is raped in this country 50:35 every two minutes. 50:40 Morally corrupt. 50:44 Burglary. Every 15 seconds 50:50 there's a burglary that takes place. 50:56 Theft every 5 seconds. 51:00 And I'm not talking about things... little things. 51:05 When I'm talking about theft... I'm talking about major things 51:08 every 5 seconds. 51:09 We have become a nation that has no morals. 51:14 A nation that even nations that do not know 51:20 the Lord Jesus Christ look upon us as Satanic 51:27 because we've lost our concept of morals. 51:32 One other point I'd like to mention. 51:34 And I'll just say this... it bothers me greatly. 51:38 I would never invite somebody into my home, folks, 51:41 that would use profanity all the time 51:43 and would teach my children it was all right to lie 51:46 and to kill and to steal. 51:48 I would never permit that. 51:50 But yet we all invite someone into our home 51:54 and they sit there in the corner of our house 51:56 and they use profanity and they teach lying 51:59 and stealing and killing... 52:01 and we seem to think that's all right. 52:06 I think we need to stop and take a good look 52:08 at how we control that TV set. Amen! 52:17 Listen to this: 52:31 Have you ever heard? I had never heard 52:34 of tornadoes. I grew up in part of the world that 52:38 has tornadoes. I've seen them all my life. 52:41 I've never heard of tornadoes that were a mile and a half wide 52:46 and a hundred miles in length. 52:49 But that's what we've had this year. 52:52 Went right across Alabama and Georgia and that way. 52:55 We have today storms like we have never seen. 53:02 Floods? Almost constantly there's some place that's 53:08 being flooded. This is pictures of Nashville. 53:12 That's where I live: not far from there. 53:15 You can see... this is Opryland. 53:19 This was the worst disaster that they've ever had 53:23 since the Civil War. 53:25 They still... you can't go to some of these places. 53:29 They're still trying to rebuild it 53:31 because we've had such terrible floods. 53:37 Earthquakes? We have had 99 53:41 earthquakes 6.0 or greater 53:44 since the first of the year this year 53:47 to say nothing of China, Spain, Solomon Islands, 53:50 Indonesia, Baja, Mexico, Chile, and Haiti. 54:10 Folks, when I say we had 99 earthquakes... 54:15 that's since the first of the year to now. 54:19 Last year we had twenty eight 6.0 or greater. 54:23 Uh, 2004 was the worst year for earthquakes 54:28 in 500 years. 54:30 276,000 people lost their lives. 54:35 We had one earthquake this year that took that many. 54:40 You can look at their dead bodies 54:43 strung across the streets of Haiti 54:47 where they died literally by the thousands. 54:59 I hope... I hope by the grace of God 55:06 that you understand where we are. 55:10 That you and I will prepare our hearts 55:14 and look for the coming of Jesus Christ. 55:17 Dear friend, don't let that friend, that neighbor, 55:20 that loved one of yours go into eternity without salvation 55:26 or at least without it being offered to them. 55:28 God bless you; have a great day. 55:36 Every day thousands risk their lives to protect and serve 55:41 their fellow man. 55:42 They have a deep commitment to excellency in teamwork 55:45 and when others run from danger, they run to it... 55:49 even if it means personal sacrifice. 55:52 Even if it means making the supreme sacrifice for another. 55:56 They're always on call, ready to serve no matter what. 56:01 Friends, you and I can learn a lot from firefighters. 56:04 In the United States, the majority of them are volunteers. 56:08 That's right... volunteers. 56:10 But even for those who are paid it's more than a job... 56:14 it's a calling. 56:15 Jesus said in John 15 verses 12 and 13: 56:19 "This is My commandment: 56:21 that you love one another as I have loved you. 56:24 Greater love has no one than this: 56:27 than to lay down one's life for his friends. " 56:30 Those who follow the words of Jesus are His friends. 56:34 But Romans 5:8 says that "God demonstrated His own love 56:37 towards us in that while we were still sinners 56:40 Christ died for us. " 56:42 What an amazing thought! 56:44 Christ laid down His life for us 56:46 even though we were not His friends. 56:50 A firefighter is willing to do the same. 56:53 He's constantly preparing for his next mission 56:55 because his own life and the life of others 56:58 depends on his training and qualifications. 57:01 My friends, that's what we're doing right now 57:05 with this series: we are preparing you 57:08 for what is to come. 57:09 Our goal is to make you skilled in the Word 57:12 so that by the power of God you can bring others to safety - 57:16 the safety that can be found only 57:18 in the arms of a loving Savior. 57:20 Won't you help us to train and prepare others 57:23 to fulfill this mission? 57:25 Please consider what you can for for those who 57:28 still don't know about Jesus. 57:30 As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:31 please send your tax-deductible gifts to: 57:47 Thank you for helping us spread the light of God's Word 57:50 through television. Your gifts bring the blessed hope 57:53 of salvation to millions around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17