Participants: Jac Colon
Series Code: RNN
Program Code: RNN000011
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00:19 Martin Luther once said,
00:24 "If I declare with the loudest voice 00:28 and clearest exposition every portion of God's word 00:34 except for that one little bit 00:37 which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, 00:42 I would not be confessing Christ." 00:47 Interesting isn't it? Listen again. 00:51 If I declare with the loudest voice 00:53 and the clearest exposition, every portion of God's truth 00:58 except for that one little bit 01:01 which the world and the devil are attacking at the moment, 01:04 I am not confessing Christ, and he is right. 01:10 Either we're with Him or against Him. 01:12 Either we're all the way with Him or against Him, 01:16 so the real question for us in these days is what is, 01:22 what is that one little portion of truth 01:26 that the devil is attacking in the last days? 01:32 What is he attacking now? 01:33 Let's step back and see the big picture once again. 01:37 Genesis 3, we discover God had just created the world 01:44 and he put Adam and Eve in the garden. 01:47 He told them they could eat the fruit 01:49 from any of the trees in the garden, 01:51 except that one tree in the middle. 01:53 If you eat from it God said you are going to die. 01:55 Well, you know, the story, they ate from it. 01:57 Now God had a dilemma how can He save them. 02:02 He doesn't want them to die 02:03 but they choose to step outside of that circle, 02:07 according to the way God made them 02:09 and the consequences if you step outside of that circle 02:12 you are going to die, they did it. 02:14 He doesn't want them to die, He loves them. 02:16 So what could He do? 02:18 How could He unfold a plan that would enable Him 02:21 to be telling the truth and at the same time 02:24 save those whom He loves? 02:28 And then we discover the first prophecy 02:30 right there in the Garden of Eden. 02:32 God said to the serpent Genesis 3:15. 02:35 "I will put enmity between you the serpent and the woman 02:40 and between your offspring and hers, 02:42 he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." 02:45 Now we know that the offspring of the serpent 02:48 the serpent being the devil, his offspring, 02:51 those who choose to follow him. 02:55 The offspring of the woman symbolizing God's people 02:59 is Jesus Christ and those who are in Him. 03:04 The Bible says that He would receive a wound on the heel, 03:08 He did when He died on the cross 03:10 but praise the Lord three days later He rose again, 03:13 ascended to heaven. 03:14 One of these days He is going to come back 03:16 and crush the head of the serpent. 03:21 All the rest of the Bible is unfolding this prophecy. 03:25 How is God going to finally and ultimately 03:30 crush the head of the serpent? 03:32 How is it going to happen? 03:36 Well, we come to climax of that prophecy in Revelation 12, 03:42 in Revelation 12 another bit of background verse 7. 03:45 "There was war in heaven, 03:46 Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, 03:48 and the dragon and his angels fought back. 03:50 But he was not strong enough, 03:52 and they lost their place in heaven. 03:54 Ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, 03:56 who leads the whole world astray was hurled to the earth, 03:59 and his angels with him." 04:00 Bad news for earth, bad news for us. 04:04 What's he doing? 04:05 When he was hurled down to the earth, 04:06 he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 04:09 Now, the woman symbolizes God's people. 04:13 So he peruses the woman who had given birth to the male child. 04:17 Then in verse 13, "When the dragon saw 04:19 he had been hurled to the earth, 04:21 he perused the woman who had given birth to the male child." 04:24 And then verse 17, "The dragon was angry 04:27 at the woman went off to make war against the rest, 04:31 as the King James says, the remnant, 04:33 the last of her offspring--those who obey God's commandments 04:37 and hold to the testimony of Jesus." 04:39 So now we see the climax of that battle, 04:43 that climax of this conflict where the dragon, 04:47 the devil is at war against those 04:50 who are the last of God's people on this earth. 04:54 This is it, this is just before the end, 04:58 so what is the point of attack? 05:02 What is that one little bit of truth as Luther said, 05:06 that if we were not preaching it, 05:08 we would not be preaching Christ at all, what is it? 05:12 And he tells us right here. 05:14 Chapter 13:1, "I saw the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. 05:18 And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. 05:22 So here is the dragon 05:24 and he is standing looking out over the sea 05:28 and he sees a beast coming up out of the sea. 05:33 What is the point of attack? 05:36 The dragon is angry at the woman, 05:38 went to make war against the remnant of her offspring, 05:42 those who obey God's commandments 05:45 and hold to the testimony of Jesus. 05:48 The point of attack is the law of God 05:53 and the gospel of Jesus Christ. 05:56 That is the whole issue in the Book of Revelation. 06:01 That's the issue that's been at the center of this conflict 06:05 ever since it began in the Garden of Eden. 06:08 The commands of God and the grace of God, 06:12 that's the issue, that's the point of attack. 06:16 And he stands on the shore. 06:17 How does this battle unfolds? 06:19 He sees this beast come up out of the water. 06:21 At the end of two, "The dragon gave the beast his power, 06:25 his throne and great authority. 06:27 The dragon is the devil, but he never works as the devil, 06:31 he works through human instruments 06:33 and in Revelation 12 we discovered 06:36 he was the pagan Roman Empire. 06:38 He was working through the Roman Empire 06:40 and it was Rome who gave his authority to the beast 06:45 when Constantine gave the bishop of Rome his power, 06:49 his throne, his great authority. 06:51 We discover that Rome became a nation 06:54 but not just a nation, it was a church, 06:57 joining together of the church and state 06:59 to enforce her doctrines, 07:01 to enforce her particular brand of worship. 07:06 How effective was it in verse 8, 07:09 "All of the inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast, 07:12 except for those whose names are written 07:14 in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb." 07:17 That's all powerful. 07:18 All most every person on earth 07:21 is going to be willing to worship the beast. 07:29 How, how does it happen? 07:32 Verse 11, "Another beast, comes out of the earth. 07:34 Now this one is the false prophet we know that. 07:37 We haven't identifying it, 07:38 that's coming up here quicker than you think, 07:41 but we still don't need to know who he is to see what he does. 07:44 He has two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 07:49 So he looks like a lamb, a Christian power. 07:52 Remember a beast is a nation, so here is a Christian nation, 07:55 a Christian power that looks like the lamb 07:58 but he speaks like the dragon and he made the earth 08:01 and its inhabitance worship the first beast. 08:03 How does he do it? 08:05 Verse 13 two weapons, verse 13, 08:08 "He performed great and miraculous signs, 08:10 and by the power of the miracles 08:12 he deceived the inhabitance of the earth. 08:14 The second weapon and he cause all 08:17 who refused to worship the image to be killed." 08:19 So the false prophet uses deception and he uses force. 08:24 He uses force to try to force with the death decree 08:28 the world into worshiping the beast, 08:30 he is so successful that practically 08:33 the whole world is going to acknowledge Rome's authority 08:39 and demonstrate that by the way they worshiped. 08:43 The whole world except for those whose names are written 08:46 in the Book of Life belonging to the lamb. 08:49 We need our names written in that book. Amen. 08:59 And then in Revelation 14, 09:04 we discover the answer to the question 09:09 that was raised in verse 4 of chapter 13. 09:15 This beast this power, this church state nation 09:21 is so powerful that men worship the beast 09:26 asking in verse 4 who is like the beast, 09:31 who can make war against him? 09:35 Who can stand against him? 09:38 The answer to that question is surprising. 09:43 The beast is portrait as a beast with seven heads, ten horns, 09:48 horrible looking monster. 09:52 Who can stand against him? He is so powerful. 09:55 Who can stand against him? 09:56 The answer Revelation 14:1, 09:59 "I looked in there before me was the Lamb 10:03 standing on Mount Zion, 10:05 and with him 144,000 who had his name 10:09 and his Father's name written on their foreheads." 10:11 Who can stand against the beast? 10:15 The lamb. Don't you loved it, the lamb. 10:23 And he is standing on Mount Zion and with him 144,000. 10:28 Anyone who has ever read the Book of Revelation 10:29 has wondered at one point or another, 10:32 who are the 144,000, what does that mean? 10:35 One person asked me, well, does mean that 10:37 only 144,000 people are going to be saved? 10:40 I'm afraid that leaves me out. 10:43 Not very many will notice one thing. 10:47 Remember our principles, 10:48 our guiding principles interpreting Revelation, 10:51 it has to be centered upon Jesus, no private prophecy, 10:54 we need to let the scripture interpret itself. 10:56 Are you with me now? Amen. 10:58 By comparing scripture with scripture. 10:59 And then the third thing, the Book of Revelation 11:02 quotes the Old Testament over how many times? 11:05 Over good, over 600 times. 11:07 We have to put all these together. 11:09 Number four, that Book of Revelation is a symbolic book. 11:12 He symbolized what is going to happen in the future, 11:15 so we have to interpret the symbols and assume 11:18 that Revelation is symbolic unless it's obviously that, 11:22 obviously clear that it isn't. 11:24 So here is the 144,000 11:26 the lamb standing on Mount Zion with 144,000. 11:29 We know that the lamb is the symbol, isn't it? 11:35 I mean he is not concerned about the real lambs 11:38 standing on the mountain. 11:39 The lamb is Jesus Christ. So the lamb is a symbol. 11:45 Mount Zion, what is mount Zion? 11:48 In the Old Testament and this is very important to see. 11:52 In the Old Testament Mount Zion was the temple mountain, 11:57 that's the place where it was the focal point 12:02 of Israel's worship, 12:04 that's where the sanctuary, the temple was, 12:09 that's where they offer the sacrifices of the lambs. 12:13 So Mount Zion was the center of Israel's worship, 12:16 that's where the temple was. 12:20 But in the New Testament that temple was destroyed, 12:23 the sacrifices are ended. 12:25 Jesus is our Passover, Jesus is our lamb. 12:30 So what is Mount Zion now? 12:32 Hold your place in Revelation. 12:34 Turn to an awesome verse in Hebrews, 12:37 Hebrews 12, Hebrews 12:18, 12:43 "You have not come to a mountain that can be touched. 12:47 Moses went up on the mountain 12:49 that could be real mountain that could be touched, 12:51 it was shaking and lightning strike. 12:54 No, you haven't come to that kind of a mountain. 12:57 What have we come to? 12:59 Verse 22, "You have come to Mount Zion, 13:04 to the heavenly Jerusalem, to the city of the living God. 13:12 You have come to the church verse 23 of the firstborn, 13:17 whose names are written in heaven. 13:20 You have come to God, you have come to Jesus. 13:24 Now notice, he is writing to the church and he is saying, 13:28 you don't go to a mountain that can be touched, a real mountain. 13:33 No, you come to Mount Zion the heavenly mount Zion, 13:38 the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. 13:42 You have come to the church of Jesus Christ, 13:45 you have come to Jesus. 13:46 So all of those in the New Testament times that's us, 13:51 who have come to Jesus, all of us 13:54 who have come to Jesus have come to Mount Zion. 13:59 Mount Zion then is a symbol in the New Testament 14:03 for the church of Jesus Christ. 14:06 You have come to Mount Zion, 14:08 you have come to the church of the firstborn, 14:11 so those who come to Christ are on Mount Zion now. 14:17 You say, well, I don't feel like I am on Mount Zion right now? 14:21 No, but you are citizens of Mount Zion right now. 14:26 You are citizens of the New Jerusalem right now. 14:30 One of these days when Jesus comes, 14:33 He is going to take us and we are going to be there physically 14:38 but in the mean time we are legally 14:41 citizens of the New Jerusalem and we are on Mount Zion, 14:46 because it's a symbol for the church of Jesus Christ. 14:49 It's like adopting a baby, 14:53 you can go through all the paper work, 14:54 you can pay all the fees. 14:55 You can sign on the bottom line 14:57 after months and months of work 14:59 and that baby is yours... already. 15:07 But not until you go to where he is and pick him or her up 15:14 and bring her back into your home and put her in her bed. 15:21 Now, she is, she is finally yours. 15:28 You see, you singed the papers, 15:30 she is there already yours, but not yet. 15:36 Not until you put her in the bed. 15:38 Now you know, she is really yours. 15:40 Well, we come to Christ, we are citizens right now, 15:44 legally we are citizens in the New Jerusalem, 15:47 that is your home, you have the deed, 15:49 you belong there, not yet because not until He comes 15:53 and we are walking on those golden streets. 15:55 Now, we will really be there. 15:58 So Mount Zion then it's a symbol for the church. 16:02 Let's go back to Revelation 14. 16:04 The Lamb is standing on Mount Zion, 16:06 that's Jesus in the center of His church. 16:09 Right exactly where you were expecting to be, isn't it? 16:14 144,000 who are they? 16:17 If Jesus, the Lamb is a symbol for Jesus, 16:20 Mount Zion, a symbol for the church, 16:24 then the 144,000 must be a symbol too. 16:29 You want to know what it symbolizes, we'll keep coming. 16:35 Those you're watching on TV keep watching 16:37 don't have time to do all that now. 16:40 Lamb is a symbol, Mount Zion is a symbol for the church, 16:43 the 144,000 are with him on Mount Zion. 16:49 What else does it say about them? Verse 4. 16:53 Well, actually at the end of verse 3, 16:55 they are singing a song. 16:57 No one could learn that song except the 144,000 17:01 who had been redeemed from the earth. 17:06 So they have already been redeemed form the earth. 17:09 Here is a picture, a snapshot of those 17:13 who are going to be redeemed from the earth 17:16 but it's a picture in advance of them, 17:20 they had been redeemed. 17:21 So John is looking way into the future to the end of time 17:26 and he sees those who have been redeemed 17:28 from the earth standing on Mount Zion with Jesus. 17:36 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, 17:40 for they kept themselves pure. 17:43 Now, that's an interesting one and then they, here is the best. 17:48 Do you want to know who the 144,000 are? 17:50 These is really all you need to know. 17:53 They follow the Lamb where ever He goes. 18:00 They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. 18:03 They were purchased from among men 18:05 and offered as first fruits to God and the Lamb. 18:09 No lie was found in their mouths they are blameless. 18:13 So who are they? 18:15 They are the ones who are ultimately going to be redeemed, 18:18 then John is seeing them in advance on Mount Zion. 18:22 They are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes, 18:25 they are first fruits of the harvest. 18:27 Now in the Old Testament every harvest they had 18:31 they would take the first fruit, the first cutting of grain, 18:35 the cream of the crop the best 18:37 and they would offer that to God, 18:39 where Jesus was the first fruit. 18:44 Now, those who are in Christ are shown as being with Him. 18:49 The first fruit of the final harvest 18:53 when Jesus come to take His people. 18:56 Watch, the end of chapter 14:14, 19:01 "I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, 19:03 and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man." 19:06 Who is that? Right, that's Jesus. 19:09 "And then he had a sharp sickle in his hand. 19:11 An angel came out of the temple 19:12 and said the time to reap has come put in your sickle 19:15 and reap for the harvest of the earth is ripe, 19:17 so he swung his sickle on the earth 19:19 and he harvested the earth, the grain is ripe." 19:23 Jesus said in Mathew 13, 19:25 "The harvest of the wheat, 19:26 the harvest is the end of the world, 19:28 the grain is ripe. 19:30 Jesus comes to take his harvest, 19:34 that's what we are looking forward to, amen. 19:38 And so the 144,000 offered its first fruit to God, 19:43 they are part of the harvest. 19:46 But there is another harvest in Revelation 14:17. 19:52 "Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, 19:55 and he too had a sharp sickle, 19:58 and another voice called in, 20:00 a loud voice called out to him with the sharp sickle, 20:02 Take your sharp sickle, 20:03 gather the clusters of grapes from the earth, 20:07 because the grapes are ripe. 20:10 And verse 19, "The angel swung his sickle on the earth, 20:13 and he gathered the grapes 20:15 and he threw them in the winepress of God's wrath 20:19 and they were trampled in the winepress outside the city, 20:23 so we have two harvests, don't we? 20:25 A harvest of grain and the harvest of grapes. 20:29 The grain is the harvest of those who follow the Lamb, 20:33 Jesus Christ where ever He goes. 20:36 The grapes are those who don't follow the Lamb, 20:41 that righteous, the wicked, the good, the bad, 20:43 however you want to call them. 20:44 God's people, the devil's people, 20:46 those who follow the devil, those who follow Jesus, 20:49 two distinct groups at the harvest time, 20:52 so the harvest is good news for the grain 20:56 and bad news for the grapes. 20:58 I don't want to be a grape, 21:01 I want to be grain, don't you? 21:06 The grain is ripe, the grapes are ripe, 21:13 the harvest time has come. 21:18 Notice the picture when Jesus comes, 21:24 the whole world is divided into two groups, 21:30 the grain and the grapes, the righteous and the wicked. 21:37 There is nothing in between. 21:47 But if Jesus would have come right now, 21:51 He would discover three groups, 21:57 grain, the grapes 22:01 and a massive sea of humanity 22:07 who never even heard anything about God. 22:13 They didn't know the truth about God, 22:18 so if Jesus would have come right now at this instant, 22:22 there would be people who could legitimately say, 22:26 Lord we never heard of you. 22:29 Help us, what we gonna do? 22:31 We never heard of you Lord. 22:35 But it isn't going to be that way when Jesus comes. 22:40 There will be grapes and there will be grain. 22:46 Something has to happen to dry up 22:49 this massive sea of humanity. 22:56 Remember, we learned from the very beginning, 23:00 if there was only one thing preventing God 23:04 or Jesus from coming right now. 23:08 And it was the same thing that prevented him 23:11 from destroying Adam and Eve 23:12 and starting over in the Garden of Eden 23:15 and it was the same thing that prevented Him 23:18 from destroying that serpent in heaven 23:20 when he first rebelled against God, same thing. 23:25 And that was if Jesus would have destroyed 23:27 that serpent right then, 23:30 then all the rest of the angels and other beings 23:33 would be worshiping or obeying God 23:35 out of fear instead of love, 23:39 so God couldn't do that. 23:40 Remember we learned that he had to give Lucifer time 23:44 to demonstrate what it would really be 23:47 like if he was on the throne, if he had his way 23:51 and so God send him down to planet earth. 23:53 We happen to be the stage for this drama 23:56 to unfold and you could say not fair, 23:58 I don't want to be in that drama. 24:00 No, we don't have any choice. 24:02 No, it isn't fair, there is nothing fair about sin 24:05 but the cross more than makes up for the short time 24:09 that we have to go through here 24:10 in order to be a part of God's plan 24:12 to finally and ultimately deliver that death blow 24:16 to the head of the serpent and when it's all over with 24:19 and we look back through what we have been through, 24:22 we will sing hallelujah, we will sing praise God 24:26 just and true are your ways because we will have 24:29 an experience that no other beings in the universe 24:33 will have ever been through. 24:34 I think we will understand and have a love for God 24:37 that no one else can fully understand. 24:42 But in the mean time 24:46 Satan has time to demonstrate 24:51 what his kingdom is like. 24:54 Now the grapes are ripe, Revelation 14. 24:59 Now he has shown at that point in time, 25:01 he will have shown what his kingdom is like. 25:06 What is it that ripens the grapes? 25:11 It's the grain. 25:14 You see the more the grain matures, 25:19 the more God's people follow the Lamb 25:23 and demonstrate what is like to follow the Lamb, 25:29 demonstrate what is like to trust God. 25:34 The more they do that, 25:36 the more it arouses the wrath of the wicked 25:41 and they turned against them demonstrating 25:44 what it's like when you don't have God. 25:49 So now we see in Revelation 14 25:51 the world has come to a point 25:53 where God finally has the people 25:55 that can demonstrate to a sufficient degree 25:59 what it's like to follow the Lamb 26:01 and it bring out the wrath of those who reject the Lamb, 26:05 so that the grapes are ripe, the grain is ripe. 26:08 It doesn't mean that we are no longer in need of a Savior. 26:12 It was so perfect, we never make mistakes. 26:14 It means that we are so close to God 26:17 that we've shown the world that there is 26:19 once and for all shown there is a better way, 26:22 follow the Lamb, it's so much better 26:25 and the wicked are showing out, 26:26 here is what happens if you don't. 26:32 So what is it that brings this point about? 26:36 How do we ultimately get there and that's our topic finally. 26:44 The three angels of Revelation, 26:46 I've gone all around it like a sandwich, 26:48 144,000 and then the harvest scene. 26:51 Now we are at the middle of the two. 26:56 We have to understand this, 26:57 the Book of Revelation is not written in chronological order. 27:03 The Book of Revelation is written by Jews, 27:06 even tough they use Greek to write, 27:08 they were Jews and they thought like Jews, 27:10 and the Jews think in what we call parallel principles 27:14 but in the parallel principles what they will do, 27:16 they will give you the big picture of what happens 27:18 and then they go back 27:20 and fill in the details of how it got there. 27:24 The 144,000 on Mount Zion with the Lamb, 27:27 that's the big picture. 27:28 They are redeem, they have been redeem, 27:31 they are there, that's what John sees 27:32 it's going to be in the future. How do they get there? 27:35 Now he comes back and shows how it happens. 27:39 It's like if I can use the worldly illustration, 27:44 it's like watching a football game on television. 27:47 I mean some of you have done that right? 27:50 So let suppose the quarter back steps back 27:53 and throws a long touch down pass, 27:56 what is the next thing you see on the screen, 28:01 I heard it, instant replay. 28:04 Instantly the cameras go back and show you what happened. 28:08 Usually it's not exactly the same thing you just saw. 28:12 Usually they will go back 28:13 and show you from a different angle or perspective, 28:16 may be they will show the line man blocking 28:19 or the receiver running his route 28:21 or the quarterback getting clobbered 28:23 before he has a chance to finish. 28:28 And when you put all of these instant replays together, 28:31 then you can see the whole picture 28:34 of what happened on that play. 28:36 Well that's the way Revelation is. 28:38 He gives you the big picture, 28:40 the broad sweep and then he comes back 28:42 and saying here is how it happened. 28:44 The Lamb, 144,000 on Mount Zion, 28:46 how did they get there? 28:47 Well, there was a Three Angels' Messages 28:49 and then the harvests scene, 28:51 then they are on Mount Zion. 28:53 See he comes back to fill in the details, so here we are. 28:58 How to they get there? 29:00 In chapter 14:6, "I saw another angel flying in midair, 29:08 and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those 29:11 who live on the earth to every nation, 29:13 tribe, language and people." 29:15 Now here's another point that we need to make. 29:17 Revelation is a symbolic book. Remember its symbols. 29:24 Here he shows an angel 29:25 flying through the air preaching the gospel. 29:30 Jesus never commissioned angels to preach the gospel. 29:36 He told the church, you. 29:40 He said, go and preach the gospel to the whole world, 29:43 teach them all things, baptize them 29:46 and so angel the Greek word angel 29:49 aggelos really means messenger. 29:52 The angel is God's messenger to the world. 29:58 In the last days God's messenger is his church. 30:03 He shows it as an angel flying through heavens to demonstrate, 30:08 to symbolize the importance 30:10 and the urgency of this last message 30:15 that God has entrusted to the church before Jesus comes. 30:23 So let's look at it. What is the message? 30:26 The everlasting gospel to proclaim to those 30:29 who live on the earth. What is the gospel? 30:32 The good news, we are saved by grace 30:34 through faith in Jesus Christ. 30:36 And this message goes to the whole world. 30:38 The fact that God demands perfect obedience to His law 30:42 because if we break the law and step outside of that circle, 30:45 we are going to die, but the problem is 30:47 we can't keep the law Jesus did. 30:49 He lived His whole life inside the circle, 30:52 He died on the cross in your place 30:54 and He rose from the death, He ascended to heaven, 30:57 He is going to come back if we confess our sins, 31:00 if we repent of our sins. 31:02 Jesus forgives us and looks at us 31:05 as though we had never sinned 31:07 and then he gives us the perfect life 31:09 that he lived while he was here on this earth 31:12 and that's our title to heaven, that's the gospel. 31:18 So this angle has a good news about Jesus, 31:21 the everlasting gospel, 31:22 same gospel that was preached in the Old testament. 31:27 It's that gospel that we preach today. 31:29 But there is something unique 31:30 about this gospel not the message, 31:33 the message of the gospel never changes 31:36 and that is that you are saved by grace 31:39 through faith in Jesus Christ, 31:40 that will never change but there is something different 31:44 about this proclamation of the gospel of the first angel, 31:49 what is it? Listen. 31:51 He had eternal gospel to proclaim 31:53 to those who live on the earth, 31:54 who does He preaches to, every nation, 31:55 tribe, language and people. 31:57 Who does that leaves out? 31:59 Every living being on this earth is going to have the opportunity 32:02 to hear the truth of our God before Jesus comes. 32:05 Every living being, no one will be able to say 32:09 God I didn't know, I never heard before. 32:13 No one because every nation, tribe, language and people 32:17 are going to have the opportunity 32:19 to hear the good news about Jesus 32:21 before He comes, no excuses. 32:25 Not everyone is going to listen 32:27 but they will have an opportunity to hear. 32:33 What is the difference about this gospel 32:35 and all the others before, no difference in the gospel. 32:39 Here comes the point that I was trying to make. 32:43 He said in a loud voice did you hear that, 32:48 he said in a loud voice sometimes people ask me 32:51 preacher, why do you preach so loud? 32:57 Well, I don't know if you noticed it or not 33:00 but every place in Revelation 33:01 where God has something important to say, 33:04 He says it in a loud voice. 33:06 Oh, I have something important to say, 33:09 so I have a loud voice. 33:13 He said in a loud voice, Fear God and give Him glory, 33:19 because the hour of His judgment has come, 33:23 that's it, the hour of His judgment has come. 33:27 Up until this time, 33:29 no one could say here is the gospel 33:31 because the hour of God's judgment has come 33:35 but now we are looking at a time 33:38 when those preaching the gospel 33:39 can say the hour of God's judgment has come. 33:42 James in James 2 said, 33:45 "Speak and act as those who are going 33:47 to be judged in the future by the law." 33:51 But John sees the time when the gospel is preached 33:54 in the setting of the hour of God's judgment has come, 33:58 so something happened between what John saw 34:01 and what James wrote 34:03 and that is that it is now the judgment hour. 34:07 So we are looking ahead from John's point of view 34:10 to the judgment hour and I'm going to show you 34:13 we are living in the judgment hour right now. 34:16 So we are looking to our own time 34:18 and the gospel is being preached 34:20 for the hour of God's judgment has come. 34:23 If there was ever a time 34:24 that we need the gospel of Jesus Christ, 34:26 that time is during the judgment hour, amen. 34:31 So if you are God, remember this is the same time 34:36 that the beast is doing his work 34:40 and the whole world is scared of the beast, 34:42 saying who can stand against him so God has a voice, 34:45 God as a people, it says fear God, not the beast. 34:50 May be he can take your life on earth, 34:54 but there is more, there is more. 34:58 Second angel follow and he said, 35:01 well, I'm about to skip the most important part here, 35:03 I don't want to do that. 35:05 He said, he said, "Fear God, give Him glory 35:08 the hour of His judgment has come, 35:10 worship Him who made heaven and earth, 35:13 the sea and springs of water." 35:14 So just at this right time 35:17 and I'm going to show you coming up here, 35:19 it started about the time Darwin published his book 35:21 the Origin of Species, 35:23 God would have a people that would go to the whole world 35:26 and say the everlasting gospel 35:29 announce the hour of Gods judgment has come, 35:31 a sense of urgency worship God, 35:34 the Creator of the heavens and the earth. 35:38 Worship the Creator. The beast is just a creature. 35:43 Don't be afraid of the beast worship the Creator, fear God. 35:47 Now the fear of the Lord is not like, I'm scared of God. 35:53 Fear of the Lord is to stand in awe of God. 35:58 A God who is just who can't allow people, 36:02 who don't trust him to live their lives in a certain way 36:06 that hurts other people, 36:07 He can't allow that to go on and on for ever. 36:09 He is just, He will put an end to sin, 36:13 but He is a God who has demonstrated 36:15 by sending His own Son to die on the cross 36:17 that He loves you and no one needs to be lost. 36:21 We stand in awe of a God like that, not to be afraid. 36:27 But the Bible says that's His strange act, 36:31 when He finally destroys the wicked. 36:32 One day I was visiting out with the pastor, 36:36 he came to pick me up that we gonna visit some people 36:39 and when we are getting in the car, 36:41 I saw my neighbor's dog and he was shaking you know, 36:44 how dogs get something in their mouth 36:46 and they shake their heads hard. 36:48 Here is this black fluffy thing in his mouth 36:50 and he was shaking his head like that, 36:52 so I went over to take a look and it was just 36:55 a tiny little black baby kitty 37:01 and I got angry. 37:04 I had a stick, I grabbed that dog, 37:09 I began betting with the stick, 37:14 and want to beat him until he dropped it. 37:18 If you wouldn't let that kitty go. 37:24 See sometimes God looks down 37:29 and he sees the devil beating up on you. 37:33 He sees him doing everything he can to get you discouraged, 37:39 to give up, to hurt you. 37:44 One of these days God's going to say, devil that's enough. 37:49 I did all that I can do. 37:51 The grain is ripe, the grapes are ripe, I'm coming. 37:57 It isn't because he wants to destroy any one, 38:00 but true love can't allow the suffering to go on for ever. 38:07 Praise God for out, amen. So God is a God of love. 38:13 And then the second angel followed and said, 38:16 "'Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,' 38:18 which made all the nations drink 38:19 the maddening wine of her adulteries." 38:21 Babylon has fallen, that on Mount Zion 38:27 men worship the creator of the heavens and the earth. 38:31 Babylon, since Babylon has fallen, 38:34 in Babylon men worship the creature, who is the beast. 38:41 And that's why the third angel says, 38:44 "If anyone worships the beast and his image 38:46 and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 38:48 he will also drink the wine of God's fury, 38:50 poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. 38:53 He will be tormented with burning sulfur 38:55 in the presence of the angels and the Lamb. 38:56 Smoker of their torment rises for ever and ever. 38:59 There is no rest day or night 39:01 for those who worship the beast." 39:02 Interesting, those who worship the beast, no rest. 39:07 Those who worship God, rest. 39:11 Wonder why He said it that way, 39:14 but now we can see that it isn't enough 39:17 to just proclaim the truth, 39:20 isn't enough to say the gospel Jesus loves you, 39:22 He died for you, it's not enough 39:24 because John and God knew the time was coming, 39:28 the God knew it was going to happen 39:30 when there would be so many false prophets 39:32 proclaiming a false gospel that he needed someone 39:35 to point out the difference between truth and error. 39:38 And it isn't a coincidence that it's happening at a time 39:41 when practically everyone now is saying 39:44 that if you teach that someone is wrong 39:46 especially their religion, their faith, 39:48 then you are hateful. 39:54 But I would rather let somebody know 39:55 that they are being led down the wrong path 39:57 and be called hateful than to just let them go. 40:02 And that's why God said, 40:04 He has three messages and then a warning. 40:07 If you don't listen, if you do worship the beast, 40:11 some bad things are going to happen 40:13 that you really don't want. 40:14 Please worship the Creator, 40:19 because God pouring his heart out. 40:22 You see the Three Angels' Messages force the whole world 40:26 to either one side or the other, follow me. 40:32 The beast is doing miracles, deceiving people 40:35 into acknowledging his authority over God's 40:41 and the whole world is going for it. 40:45 Not just with deceptions but with a death decree we learn. 40:49 Worship the beast or you will die. 40:55 So you see there can be no straddling the fence. 40:59 No, sometimes people say to me, 41:01 pastor, I don't know what to do, 41:03 you know, I have been studying the Bible. 41:04 She is so much different from everything 41:06 that I have been taught and yet it's true, 41:08 I can read it in there but I can't change, 41:11 I have been doing this too long, 41:13 I can't make up my mind, I can't decide, 41:15 can you help me bless your heart. 41:16 If you can't decide, somebody else is going to do it for you 41:19 and it won't be God because He doesn't force, 41:21 only the beast forces. 41:25 So worship the beast or you will die, 41:28 that's going to go to the whole world, 41:30 there will be no straddling the fence anymore. 41:32 Oh, well, I don't know what to do? 41:34 Bang, you are gone. 41:36 Worship the beast or you will die. 41:39 But at the same time third angel says 41:42 but if you worship the beast, 41:46 you are separating yourself forever from the love of God. 41:50 Now they make take our lives here on this earth 41:54 but they can't take our place up there, 41:58 but folks you have to believe that by faith, 42:00 the time is coming when you may see people die 42:02 because of their faith. 42:06 And the only way we can know that, 42:08 hey, if I die here I have a place up there, 42:11 is by faith in Jesus Christ. 42:13 That's why we have to spend time in this book. 42:17 The whole battle is over faith and trust in God. 42:23 And so this is God's way 42:25 of forcing the whole world to decide, 42:28 He will never force you to love Him. 42:30 He will never force you to worship Him, 42:32 but you will be forced to choose 42:35 and that's what the mark of the beast is all about. 42:38 It's all about those who try to straddle the fence. 42:43 Now it's time to, like they say either fish or cut bait. 42:50 It's decision time. 42:53 I just want to go back for a moment 42:56 and review the gospel of Jesus Christ 42:58 because we've talked about some hard things 43:01 and I like to leave on a positive note. 43:03 My favorite place, my favorite text that talks 43:06 about the gospel that's a first angel's message, 43:08 it is by grace, Ephesians 2, 43:10 you know that one verse 8, 43:12 "It's by grace you have been saved, 43:14 through faith not from yourselves, 43:15 it is the gift of God, not by works." 43:18 Praise the Lord, hallelujah, amen. 43:20 You can't be good enough 43:22 that's why it's by grace through faith in Jesus. 43:26 So that no one can boast 43:28 because we are God's workmanship 43:31 created in Christ Jesus to do good works 43:35 which God prepared in advance for us to do. 43:38 We are saved by grace through faith 43:39 everybody knows that verse but what about verse 10. 43:43 You are saved by grace in order to do good works. 43:47 We are not saved because of good works, 43:49 we are saved by grace, 43:50 but we are saved by grace in order to do good works. 43:55 You see in Hebrews 8, he says about it as plainly as he can, 43:58 when he is talking about that temple and the sanctuary. 44:02 He said in Chapter 8:8, God found fault with the people, 44:06 the fault wasn't with the promise 44:08 or the covenant God made in the Old Testament. 44:10 No, the fault was with the people. 44:13 And he said, "The time is coming, 44:14 declares the Lord, when I will make 44:15 a new covenant with the house of Israel." 44:18 Now we know the house of Israel 44:20 is the church of Jesus Christ 44:22 and so he says now in the New Testament times 44:25 so the new covenant is with the church 44:27 is with the house of Israel. That's the church. 44:31 You're beginning to see how all these pieces fit. 44:33 This is the covenant verse 10 44:34 that I will make with the house of Israel 44:36 after that time says the Lord. 44:38 I will put my laws in their minds, 44:39 I'll write them on their hearts. 44:41 In the Old Testament they had them written on stone. 44:43 Now in the New Testament when we come to Christ 44:45 in the New Testament on Mount Zion, 44:47 He puts them in our heart. 44:49 The same law that was written on stone, 44:51 He writes in our heart. 44:53 That means He creates within us 44:55 a new desire to follow the Lamb. 44:58 Then we are saved by grace through faith 45:00 in order to live a life that trusts God 45:04 and stays within the circle. 45:07 We're not saved because we stay in the circle, 45:10 we can't stay and we are already outside. 45:13 He puts us in and we stay in 45:16 because we trust Him because we love Him 45:19 by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. 45:25 So we keep the Sabbath not in order to get saved, 45:29 because it's written in our heart. 45:31 It was on stone, now it's in our heart 45:34 and we have a desire to rest in God 45:40 and enter into His rest. 45:42 Those who worship the beast never get that, we do. 45:50 But the gospel I think is more than that. 45:52 We have learned that the gospel 45:55 when God writes His law in our hearts, 45:57 it's not just the letter of the law, 46:00 the gospel embraces the spirit of the law. 46:04 A person who follows the letter of the law 46:06 thinks they are obedient, they never murdered anyone 46:08 Jesus said, I got news for you. 46:10 If you get angry, you've murdered, 46:12 so that's the spirit of the law. 46:16 And the sprit of the law is far more 46:19 and far more far reaching than the letter of the law. 46:22 Look at Titus and the reason I'm going to do this now 46:25 is because we are looking ahead to a time 46:28 when the deceptions and the force 46:30 will be overwhelming 46:32 for those on this earth to worship the beast, 46:34 the whole world is going to after him except for a few. 46:37 We want to be among the few whose names 46:39 are written in the Book of Life. Amen. 46:42 And so now, I want to talk about 46:44 what it is going to be like 46:45 those who follow the Three Angels' Message, 46:47 what they are going to be like? 46:48 What can they be to strengthen themselves 46:50 and let God strengthen them to be strong enough 46:53 to stand against the beast? 46:55 In verse 11 in the little book of Titus 2:11, 46:59 "For the grace of God that brings salvation 47:03 has appeared to all men." That's Jesus. 47:06 But watch this. 47:08 Here is the gospel, the grace of God verse 12, 47:12 "It teaches us to say no to ungodliness 47:16 and worldly passions, and live self-controlled, 47:18 upright and godly lives in this present age 47:21 while we wait for the blessed hope that is the glorious 47:24 appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ 47:27 who has give himself for us to redeem us 47:30 from all wickedness purify for himself 47:33 a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. 47:37 These, then, are the words you should teach encourage 47:40 and rebuke with all authority 47:42 and don't let anyone despise you." 47:45 So the gospel is more than just a little tickly good feeling 47:49 we get when we accept Jesus. 47:53 The gospel teaches us to say no to ungodliness 47:59 and worldly passion to live upright lives now 48:03 in this present age while we wait for the blessed hope. 48:07 What is the blessed hope of the church? 48:09 He tells us the glorious appearing 48:11 of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. 48:14 So while we the church are waiting 48:16 for the glorious appearing of Jesus, 48:19 the gospel teaches us to say no to ungodliness 48:22 and worldly passion and living upright life. 48:24 What is the ungodliness? What is the worldly passion? 48:27 The gospel teaches us to say no to. 48:29 Well, you don't have to go far, 48:31 just look at the Marquis at the neighborhood theater 48:34 or don't look at them, you don't really need to, 48:36 you know what's there. 48:37 The filth, the immorality, 48:41 the godlessness is portrayed on the movie screens today 48:47 are the things that the Bible is teaching us to say no to. 48:53 The movies portray drugs, crime, violence, 49:01 immorality, homosexuality, unfaithfulness 49:07 as something that's normal, natural. 49:12 And God says flee from it all, 49:17 I want you to know that the Hollywood script writers 49:21 do not have your spiritual wellbeing in mind 49:24 when they plan a movie. 49:28 And I believe that as Christians its time 49:30 that we stand on our guard 49:32 and watch what we put into our minds 49:35 because the devil is trying to do everything that he can 49:39 in order to deceive you into thinking 49:42 that wrong is right and right is wrong. 49:50 Modern music again songs about demons and immorality, cheating. 50:02 Now let me show you, 50:05 I found this news paper article years ago. 50:09 Boy I can image what the guy would be saying now. 50:12 This was about Madonna, you heard of her, right? 50:17 The material girl going to far is the title, 50:21 she just put out a new DVD 50:24 and there was a lot of controversy 50:26 about in fact even MTV wouldn't show it. 50:28 That must have really been bad. 50:31 So it says how far will she go? 50:33 Well, this particular Hollywood critic said 50:37 after talking about the news the TV, 50:41 prime time TV programs going more and more 50:44 towards nudity even in prime time. 50:47 Now he says comparing this to Madonna. 50:52 What is happening on the fringe is influencing the centre, 50:59 this is profound you really need to get this. 51:02 While the public might not want Madonna's antiques 51:05 on prime time television it changes the overall paradigm 51:12 and it paves the way. 51:15 In other words the worse it gets out on the fringe, 51:20 the more acceptable things seen 51:24 that were not seen as acceptable before. 51:29 This is a movie critic writing and this was 15 years ago. 51:35 What would he say today? 51:38 And yet I see Christians going to watch these same movies, 51:42 listening to the same kind of music 51:44 even here sometimes at Christian socials. 51:50 It reminds me of a poem I heard one time, 51:55 "Vice is a monster of so frightful and mean to be hated, 52:02 it need only be seen but seen too often, 52:08 we become familiar with its face, 52:11 first we abhor, then we endure, 52:15 then we embrace. And it's so true. 52:22 Ask yourself you are watching things today 52:24 you never would have watched five years ago. 52:27 I think it's time that we start paying attention 52:29 what we put into our minds. 52:32 What else can we do? How can we be prepared? 52:35 Turn to 1 Corinthians 52:36 and remember keep it in the context. 52:38 We are not trying to figure out what we can do 52:40 to make ourselves acceptable to God, 52:41 that's a done deal, Jesus already did it. 52:44 What we want to know, 52:45 we want to know what can we do to enhance 52:49 and strengthen our walk with God 52:51 to be able to distinguish the difference 52:52 between the counterfeit and the truth? 52:58 In 1 Corinthians 3:16, "Don't you know 53:01 that you yourselves are God's temple 53:03 and that God's Spirit lives in you? 53:04 If anyone destroys God's temple, 53:06 God will destroy him because God's temple is sacred, 53:08 and you are that temple." 53:10 God wants us to watch what we put into our bodies 53:13 because our bodies are the temple of God. 53:16 Here is another one in 1 Corinthians 6 53:19 this time in the last verse of the Chapter 20. 53:23 He says, "You are not your own, you were bought at a price, 53:25 therefore honor God with your bodies." 53:27 Take care of your bodies you are not your own, 53:30 Jesus paid for you. 53:32 And then in Chapter 10:31, 53:33 "Whatever you eat or drink do it all for the glory of God." 53:36 Three times here in this letter he is letting us know 53:39 that our bodies are important, 53:40 they are important part of who we are. 53:42 God made us with the body 53:44 and everything He made was very good. 53:46 One lady said, wow, this isn't anything, 53:47 it's just a sack that holds my soul. 53:50 So what verse is that? 53:53 In Genesis it says that God created 53:55 the man and woman with the body and God said everything 53:57 that He made was very good 54:01 and He wants us to take care of our bodies 54:02 because our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit 54:05 and that means that what we put into our bodies matters to God 54:10 because what we put into our bodies determines 54:12 how much we can understand and commune with God. 54:15 The Holy Spirit lives in me, Jesus lives in me, 54:17 he doesn't want to smoke cigarettes 54:19 so why do I force him to do it. 54:22 He doesn't want to get stoned on drugs 54:23 in marijuana and other so why do I make him do it? 54:26 He lives in me. You see what I'm saying. 54:30 He doesn't want to get boozed up on alcohol 54:33 and pickle his brain and why do you want to do it? 54:38 The time is coming the Bible says 54:39 when we are going to need to determine 54:41 difference between truth and error, 54:42 it's going to take every brain that we have. 54:44 Why do we want to destroy them 54:45 with few fleeting moments of pleasure? 54:51 One day a man roughly came home and said 54:56 Lord I don't want to do anything, 54:57 I just want to go home and sit in my big easy chair, 55:00 put my feet up in the fireplace and read the paper, relax 55:05 but he had two little kids, 55:08 he knew that wasn't going to happen. 55:10 So he got the bright idea on the way home, 55:13 he would stop in at his Wal-Mart or Kmart 55:18 or whatever kind of mart you live in 55:19 wherever you are in the world watching, 55:22 and he bought a puzzle but he checked the age, 55:28 you know every puzzle has a age limit on it. 55:31 So he checked the age group to make sure 55:33 that it was older than his kids. 55:37 So feeling smug he comes home 55:40 and they sure off come running at the door 55:41 daddy, daddy let's play, he said oh, yeah 55:43 fine we are going to play 55:44 but here I brought you a present 55:46 what is it? What is it? 55:47 Here it's a puzzle map of the United States, 55:49 now go upstairs and put it together 55:51 when you finish you come down and we will play. 55:54 So they ran upstairs, he sits in his easy chair 55:56 in front of the fire place, puts his feet up 55:59 and reads the paper all relaxed ready for relaxed evening, 56:02 when just a few minutes later 56:04 they come running down the steps, 56:06 daddy, daddy, daddy we are done. 56:08 Feeling sabotage he said who helped you, your mother? 56:11 No, no, no we did it all by ourselves we did it, we did it. 56:14 Well how did you do it? 56:16 They said well we got that puzzle out and it was a map 56:19 and we don't know where all those pieces went, 56:22 we don't know the states but one of the piece turned over 56:26 and it was a man's ear and we turned another one over 56:31 and it was a nose and another one was a eye and a mouth 56:35 and we kept turning the pieces over 56:37 and putting the man's face together 56:39 when we got that all done, 56:41 turned the puzzle over and it was finished. 56:45 See some people focus on this piece or that piece 56:48 and what they eat, what they drink, 56:49 what they wear, what day they go to church 56:51 and they think that if they do all these things 56:53 that makes them holy and righteous and good 56:57 and then the others say, no, no it doesn't matter 56:59 about those things, eat what you want, 57:01 drink what you want, go where you want, 57:02 do what you want, and any old day would do. 57:09 But those who focus on the man's face 57:13 spend their time thinking about Jesus. 57:16 We'll discover what to do and what not to do 57:22 because they love Him, they trust Him. 57:26 See the whole idea is 57:32 to turn your eyes upon Jesus. 57:38 Look full in His wonderful face 57:42 and the things of earth will grow strangely dim 57:47 in the light of His glory and grace. 57:53 Follow the Lamb. |
Revised 2014-12-17