Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP230021S
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00:01 Hello Friends, welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
00:03 I'm John Lomacang 00:04 and we thank you for taking the time to continue to join us 00:07 from week to week through this wonderful Quarterly entitled: 00:10 Three Cosmic Messages. 00:12 Today we're entering on Lesson Number 9: 00:15 A City Called Confusion. 00:17 What is there about the Christian world today 00:19 that's confusing? 00:20 How does Revelation reveal what confusion exists today? 00:24 Well, join us for this study to find out what the answer is. 00:27 If you want the copy of the Lesson, 00:29 go to 3abnsabbathschoolpanel. com 00:31 and download a digital copy 00:34 but better yet, go to a local Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:36 and tell them: 3ABN sent you 00:38 but whatever you do, 00:40 join us for this continued walk through: Three Cosmic Messages. 00:44 Music... 01:15 Lomacang: Welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel, 01:17 I'm John Lomacang. 01:19 Thank you for taking the time every week... 01:21 whatever day of the week it is... 01:23 to join us here on 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:25 We enjoyed and this Quarter has been a dynamic... 01:29 dynamic journey through three cosmic messages. 01:31 The first, second, and third angels' message 01:34 and today, we're going to be bridging on the 01:36 second angel's message. 01:37 We spent a lot of time on fear God and give glory to Him 01:40 for the hour of His judgment is come. 01:41 We talked about true worship compared to preferred worship 01:45 and we are going to be diving in. 01:48 Continue to pray for us because this is a delicate topic 01:50 on any given day 01:52 and we want to handle it with the love of God 01:55 but with the veracity and the truth of God's Word. 01:57 But before we go any further, 01:59 let me introduce our Panel. 02:00 To my immediate left is Jill Morikone 02:02 Vice President of 3ABN, 02:03 good to have you here, Jill, all the time. 02:05 Jill: Thank you, Pastor John, 02:06 I have Monday's Lesson: The Wine of the Wrath. 02:09 Lomacang: Okay, on my other hand, I'm John... this is James 02:12 the Sons of Thunder, good to have you here, James. 02:14 Rafferty: Good to be here John, 02:15 I have Tuesday's Lesson which is entitled: 02:17 Mystery, Babylon the Great. 02:19 Lomacang: Oh, wow... wow...! 02:21 That's... that's thick grape juice right there. 02:23 Shelley Quinn. 02:24 Shelley: Yeah, mine is Wednesday: 02:26 A Call to Commitment. 02:27 Lomacang: Okay, and all the way down, 02:29 Daniel... Dare to be a Daniel Perrin, 02:31 good to have you here, Daniel. 02:32 Perrin: That's right, I have Thursday's Lesson: 02:34 Babylon: The Center of Idolatry. 02:36 Lomacang: Wow! So, you see why we're going to be talking about 02:39 this city called confusion. 02:41 Before we go any further, I'm going to ask Daniel, 02:43 could you have our prayer for us today? 02:44 Perrin: "Dear Father in heaven, 02:47 Lord, we come to Your Word because we know that 02:50 any other place we go, will lead us astray 02:53 but we can trust what You have said 02:55 and we can trust Jesus who is the Word made flesh. 02:58 So, as we study today... as we present, 03:00 as we come into Your presence, Lord, lift us up by Your truth 03:04 and help us to walk according to it, 03:06 I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. " 03:08 Panel: Amen... amen. 03:10 Lomacang: I'll begin with a statement that doesn't come 03:13 from the book of Revelation. 03:14 We find it in 1st Corinthians chapter 14 verse 33, 03:18 this is a powerful statement and the Apostle Paul 03:22 after he talked about the need for love 03:26 in all aspects of our lives. 03:28 Without love, prophecy... our abilities... our gifts 03:32 are of no value, 03:33 but he says something in verse 33 03:35 of chapter 14 of 1st Corinthians, 03:37 these words, "For God is not the author of confusion. " 03:42 So, if God is not the author of confusion, 03:45 what's wrong in the Christian world today? 03:48 The question is... 03:49 is God involved in the confusion 03:51 that exists in the Christian world today? 03:54 And the answer is: Obviously not 03:56 because God is not the author of confusion. 03:58 He is the author of salvation to those who obey Him 04:01 not the author of confusion. 04:03 He is the author and finisher of our faith 04:05 but not the author of confusion. 04:08 So, can we just worship God anyhow 04:10 and God accepts it no matter what? 04:12 Is God a God who's a God of specificity 04:16 or is God just this general God 04:18 that meanders in the maze of mediocrity? 04:20 God is not a God who accepts mediocre. 04:22 He made it clear in the days of Elijah, 04:25 "If the Lord be God... then serve Him 04:27 but if Baal... then serve him. 04:29 How long halt you between two opinions?" 04:33 And so, today, we're going to talk about that. 04:34 These two contrasting systems... one based on opinion... 04:39 obviously, the other based on God's Word. 04:41 But how long do we falter between those two ideologies 04:44 and today... the Apostle Paul makes it very clear, 04:47 we're living in the... 04:49 in the atmosphere where we have a form of Godliness 04:51 but something's missing. 04:53 How can confusion prevail denying the power thereof... 04:56 the Holy Spirit is missing 04:58 because the Holy Spirit never leads us 05:01 into a form of godliness. 05:03 The Holy Spirit always leads us into a place of obedience 05:07 and for some reason, obedience is seen as minimal today 05:10 and a style of worship or an experience of worship 05:15 or an atmosphere of worship 05:16 or worship music... or some kind of worship 05:18 is touted over obedience to the truth of God's Word. 05:22 So, let's look at the two systems introduced... 05:25 at the two contrasting systems. 05:26 Let's begin with Revelation chapter 12 and verse 17, 05:29 we know this one very well. 05:31 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 17, 05:34 Jill, read that for us. 05:35 Jill: Sure, "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, 05:38 and went to make war with the rest of her offspring, 05:41 or the remnant of her seed, 05:42 who keep the commandments of God 05:44 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. " 05:46 Now, that's one of the Systems introduced right there 05:48 and recently, somebody asked me, 05:50 and somebody said, "Well, you can't keep commandments, 05:52 it's impossible to keep the commandments... " 05:53 and the Lord gave me this phrase, 05:55 "Not even the devil believes that. " 05:57 Not even the devil believes that the commandments cannot be kept. 06:00 If he believed that it couldn't be kept, 06:02 he would not be warring with those who keep it. 06:05 Revelation 14:12, "Here is the patience of the saints; 06:08 here are they that keep the commandments of God. " 06:10 Revelation 22 verse 14, 06:12 "Blessed are they that keep His commandments... " 06:14 the devil knows that that by the power of God, 06:17 by the indwelling Holy Spirit, 06:19 Philippians 4 verse 13, 06:22 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. " 06:26 So, why would the Lord say, 06:27 "If you love me, keep my commandments... " 06:29 but you can't do it... no... 06:31 He empowers us for it is God who works in us 06:34 both to will and to do of His good pleasure. 06:36 Philippians 2 and verse 13, 06:38 so, if your Pastor tells you the commandments can't be kept, 06:40 say, "Pastor, not even the devil will lie to me that way, 06:43 be honest with me. " 06:44 You see, Friends, we're living in the day and age 06:46 where confusion exists. 06:48 It prevails everywhere. 06:49 So, one of the first systems 06:51 are those who keep the commandments of God 06:52 which the devil is angry with. 06:55 He wouldn't be angry if it was impossible by God's strength 06:59 to honor and keep the commandments. 07:01 Let's look at the second system. 07:03 Revelation 17 verses 1 and 2, 07:05 Revelation 17, verses 1 and 2, 07:06 who can read that one for me, 07:08 the first one to get to that. 07:09 Rafferty: "And there came one of the seven angels 07:11 which had the seven vials, 07:12 and talked with me, saying unto me, 07:14 'Come hither; and I will show thee 07:16 the judgment of the great whore which sitteth upon many waters: 07:19 with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, 07:21 and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk 07:23 with the wine of her fornication. " 07:25 Lomacang: That's the other System. 07:27 Two contrasting Systems... notice, 07:29 the devil is angry with one of those 07:31 and then the other one... 07:32 he has caused them to go into harlotry. 07:35 The judgment of the great harlot 07:37 who sits on many waters, Revelation 17:15, 07:39 waters represents peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues, 07:43 so the entire earth is affected by this religious System. 07:46 It would not be considered fornication 07:50 unless there was some kind of relationship 07:53 that was adulterated. 07:55 So, you see this dishonest relationship. 07:57 Revelation talks about this to one of the seven churches 07:59 that Jezebel... the kings of the earth... 08:02 they went to bed with her. 08:03 and what is that saying today? 08:04 The political leaders of our earth, 08:06 are in bed with religious falsity in our world. 08:09 There's a system of religion 08:11 that has caused the political leaders of the world 08:14 to become enamored by her 08:16 and, therefore, she holds sway 08:18 over the inhabitants of the earth. 08:20 What happened to them? 08:21 The inhabitants of the earth were made drunk 08:24 with the wine of her fornication. 08:25 What does wine do? 08:27 Look at Jeremiah 51 verse 7, 08:29 Shelley read that for us. 08:30 Shelley: Sure, Jeremiah 51:7, 08:32 "Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD's hand, 08:36 that made all the earth drunk. 08:39 The nations drank her wine; 08:41 therefore the nations are deranged. " 08:45 Lomacang: That's amazing. 08:46 So, what's happening today is... there is a... 08:49 there is an intoxication. 08:51 Now, let's think about that for a brief moment, 08:53 intoxication... 08:54 one of the reasons why a police officer that pulls a person over 08:57 that he suspects is... maybe intoxicated... 08:59 what does he ask them to do? 09:01 Walk a straight line. 09:02 Now, this is powerful. 09:04 You can't walk a straight line doctrinally 09:06 if you're intoxicated. 09:08 You can't walk a straight line spiritually if you're intoxicated 09:10 by the wine of Babylon. 09:12 You see, one of the reasons why people can't preach 09:14 a straight message is because they are intoxicated 09:17 by the doctrines of Babylon. 09:19 That's why they preach crooked messages 09:20 like, Sunday is a new day of worship 09:22 or... people die and go to heaven... 09:23 or... the Secret Rapture... 09:25 these are doctrines that have intoxicated people 09:28 to drink wine from a different cup... 09:30 not from the cup of the Lord. 09:32 So, when you hear these messages, 09:35 don't say, "Well, that's just the way they believe... " 09:37 no, say... "Wait, they're deranged. " 09:39 Why does the Bible use the word "deranged"? 09:42 Because they can't get that from the wine of God's Word. 09:46 So, you can't put new wine... the truth of God's Word 09:49 in old wine skins. 09:51 You got to be made new... 09:52 2nd Corinthians 5 verse 17, 09:54 "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation... " 09:55 you got to come out of that old way of belief 09:58 but the only way that can happen 09:59 is if you are new in Christ. 10:01 So, the Lord doesn't seek to put new wine... 10:04 the truth of His Word... in old wine skins. 10:07 Panel: That's right. 10:08 Lomacang: He seeks to make that wine skin brand new. 10:10 So, that's why he said to Nicodemus, 10:12 "You must be born again. " 10:14 The born-again message 10:15 is followed by the born-again person 10:18 or the born-again person accepts the born-again message. 10:21 When you are in the System of Babylon... deranged by her wine, 10:25 you know, drunk people... you can tell them anything 10:29 and they'll believe it. 10:30 Honestly... 10:32 people that are drunk... when they finally are sober, 10:34 they are... they are shocked at their behavior... 10:38 "Did I do that?" 10:39 "Did I say that?" 10:41 "Did I really go there?" 10:42 And what happens when a person is deranged? 10:45 They go where the alcohol is in control... 10:48 where the inebriation is continued. 10:50 That's why they say, "Give me another drink... " 10:52 What does a drunk person want? Another drink. 10:54 What do intoxicated people want? 10:56 Another drink 10:57 until they're at a point where they pass out 10:59 and... watch this... 11:01 when the Bible talks about intoxication, 11:04 it says, "Your eyes will behold strange women... " 11:07 now, watch this... 11:09 you can't see a church for what it is 11:11 because you're intoxicated. 11:12 The Bible uses the phrase "Woman" as a church. 11:15 Your eyes behold strange women. 11:18 You can't see a real pure woman... 11:20 you can't find the truth because you're intoxicated. 11:23 So, what has to happen? 11:24 There needs to be a spiritual detoxification 11:28 taking place in Christianity today 11:30 and to give a person alcohol... 11:32 to get them off of alcohol 11:33 is something that could be done medically 11:36 and the doctors do that 11:37 but you don't give a person another drink 11:40 to get them to be freed from drinking. 11:43 You have to give them the purity of God's Word... 11:45 the water of life. 11:47 Jesus is not referred to as the wine of life... 11:48 He is the water of life. 11:49 His blood is referred to as wine because it's pure, 11:54 it's unadulterated. 11:55 So, today, one of the reasons why it talks about Babylon, 11:58 Revelation 14 verse 8, it says, 11:59 "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, 12:02 because she made all nations 12:04 drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. " 12:06 This is... this is international. 12:09 every Continent... every System... 12:11 both political and religious is in some way 12:16 adhering to the wine of this woman 12:19 who's causing the kings of the earth... 12:21 even political leaders... 12:23 to be partakers of her fornication. 12:26 Why fornication? 12:27 She has departed from her husband 12:29 and James says, "Do you not know that friendship of the world 12:33 is adultery. " 12:34 Panel: Yes. 12:35 Lomacang: So when you are either by social behavior, 12:38 political behavior, 12:39 economic behavior or religious behavior, 12:41 and any relationship that does not include truth, 12:44 it's spiritual adultery. 12:46 The Lord is saying, "Come out of that... 12:48 come out of her... " 12:49 Notice that come out of her my people... 12:51 He knows that... John 10:16 12:53 there are people that love Him 12:55 are in all these different Movements 12:56 but amazingly... 12:57 amazingly enough, He doesn't want them to stay there, 13:00 He says, "Come out of her My people... 13:02 don't stay in that harlot system, 13:04 come out of her... 13:05 come out of her My people 13:07 that you be not partakers of her sin. " 13:08 That's why when the Bible describes this woman, 13:11 she has purple and scarlet 13:13 but what color is missing? 13:15 The color blue 13:16 because blue is synonymous with the commandments of God. 13:20 So, she is a substitute system. 13:22 She has earthly priests. 13:24 What are they a substitute of? 13:25 Our High Priest. 13:27 Panel: That's right. 13:28 Lomacang: So, you see all these substitutes... 13:29 and the reason why people don't protest that is because 13:31 they are drunk... 13:33 they are deranged. 13:35 They see absolutely nothing wrong with it. 13:37 Why would a deranged person see something wrong 13:40 with the wrong day of worship? 13:41 Panel: Hmmm... 13:43 Lomacang: Why would a deranged person see something wrong 13:44 with the wrong belief of what happens when you die? 13:46 They can't because they are deranged... 13:49 they are intoxicated. 13:50 So, what's the answer? 13:52 Come away from the form of godliness 13:53 and accept the truth of God's Word. 13:55 Don't be in a religious system that is based on works. 13:59 Be in a religious system that is based on the truth of God's Word 14:03 and the faith by which we are saved. 14:05 Be willing to accept the truth of God's Word 14:08 and then you begin to see that the more pure water comes in, 14:11 the detoxification begins 14:13 and then you'll see the unadulterated truth 14:16 of God's Word. 14:17 Panel: Amen... thank you so much Pastor John, 14:20 I love to hear you teach the Word of God. 14:22 That was powerful. 14:23 I'm Jill Morikone, I have Monday's Lesson: 14:26 The Wine of the Wrath 14:27 and we pick up on a lot of the same themes 14:30 that Pastor John just explained so eloquently. 14:32 We know in Revelation chapter 12, we have the pure woman 14:36 representing the pure church. 14:39 In Jeremiah it says, 14:40 "I've likened the daughter of Zion 14:42 to a lovely and delicate woman. " 14:44 We know in Revelation 17 as Pastor John just talked about, 14:48 we have this harlot woman representing the apostate church. 14:53 We know that the harlot you referenced 14:55 Revelation 17:15... she sits on many waters. 14:59 You know, if you look at Jeremiah chapter 50:1 15:02 and that reference to ancient Babylon, 15:04 it talks about the waters of Babylon... River Euphrates. 15:08 We have Jeremiah 51:13, 15:10 "O you who dwell by many waters, 15:13 abundant in treasures, your end has come, 15:16 the measure of your covetousness. " 15:18 The Euphrates... its tributaries... its canals 15:21 dominated the ancient Babylon scenery. 15:25 The harlot is resting on the waters 15:28 representing as you already talked about, 15:31 the multitudes, nations, and tongues. 15:33 This apostate system of worship influences the world. 15:38 It has reached the world with her wine... 15:41 with her deception 15:43 and she commits fornication as you talked about 15:46 with the kings of the earth 15:49 meaning, the political system... the kings of the earth 15:54 and then we have the church system... 15:56 or the religious system which is the harlot 15:59 and when they intermarry... when they intertwine... 16:03 when there is this illicit relationship, 16:07 we have this false uniting. 16:09 You know, the true church 16:11 is supposed to be united to Jesus Christ... 16:13 she's the bride of Jesus Christ. 16:16 This false church system receives its power and authority 16:21 from the political leaders of the world. 16:24 The State will enforce the church's doctrine. 16:29 We saw this during the dark ages from 538 to 1798. 16:34 What happened when the Roman Catholic Church 16:36 reigned supreme? 16:39 In Revelation 17:6, it says, 16:42 "I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints 16:45 and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. " 16:48 So, the Roman Catholic Church killed many people 16:51 for their faith in Jesus... 16:53 for their clinging to the unadulterated truth 16:59 of the Word of God. 17:01 So, let's talk about this fermented grape juice... 17:04 this wine of the wrath of her fornication. 17:07 These false doctrines. 17:09 The apostate church will think to change times and laws. 17:13 We see that in Daniel 7 verse 25 17:16 speaking of the little horn power. 17:18 "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, 17:22 shall persecute the saints of the Most High, 17:24 and shall intend to change times and laws. " 17:27 We see that this wine is fermented by teaching tradition 17:31 or false doctrines instead of the pure Word of God. 17:37 Matthew 15 verse 9, 17:39 Jesus says, "In vain they worship Me, 17:41 teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. " 17:45 So, I'm going to talk about seven dangerous wines 17:49 that emerge from Babylon. 17:51 Now, there's probably more 17:52 and you all could come up with more 17:54 but we're just going to limit it to seven. 17:55 Dangerous Wine Number 1 is that salvation is earned. 18:00 It's earned by works... 18:02 it's earned by merit... 18:04 it's earned by effort... 18:06 forgiveness of sins somehow obtained through 18:09 even indulgences. 18:11 The pure grape juice... the truth of the Word of God, 18:15 Jesus... the living waters says what? 18:18 Salvation is freely offered by the perfect life 18:21 and the sacrifice of Jesus the Son of God. 18:25 It's 1st John 1:7, "The blood of Jesus Christ 18:28 cleanses us from all sin. " 18:31 You see, our works don't save us. 18:33 It's the blood of Jesus that cleanses us. 18:36 Ephesians 2... we've referenced this many times on this Set. 18:39 Ephesians 2:8 and 9, 18:41 "For by grace, we have been through faith, 18:44 it's not of ourselves, 18:45 if is the gift of God, 18:47 not of works, lest anyone should boast. " 18:51 Wine Number 2: Sabbath rest is on Sunday. 18:54 We already referenced Daniel 7:25. 18:59 The Roman Catholic Church thought to change times and laws. 19:04 Now, they didn't change God's law 19:06 but they thought to change God's law. 19:09 Well, Jesus was resurrected on Sunday. 19:11 "We have authority and we're going to change 19:15 the day that was set apart and consecrated and made holy 19:18 from the seventh day of the week to the first day of the week. " 19:22 What does the Word of God say? 19:24 We've studied this and if you missed it, 19:27 you missed a great lesson last week. 19:29 Make sure you tune in and catch that 19:31 on the sanctity of the seventh-day Sabbath. 19:35 The fourth commandment, 19:36 Exodus 20:8 through 11, 19:38 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 19:40 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 19:42 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. " 19:46 What a gift! 19:48 Wine Number 3: The Immortality of the Soul. 19:52 That lie began all the way back in Eden 19:55 when the serpent said to Eve, "You shall not surely die... " 20:00 and it has been perpetuated 20:02 through this entire history of this earth 20:05 that the body dies and returns to dust 20:09 but the soul or the spirit somehow lives on 20:12 whether it's in purgatory 20:13 or in some disembodied spirit in heaven 20:16 and we know the truth of the Word of God 20:19 that the dead know nothing. 20:21 They are in an unconscious-state-like sleep 20:25 awaiting the resurrection by Jesus 20:28 or final judgment. 20:29 Ecclesiastes 9:5 and 6, 20:32 "For the living know that they shall die; 20:33 but the dead... they know nothing, 20:35 neither have they any reward, 20:37 for the memory of them is forgotten. 20:39 Also, their love, their hatred, 20:41 and their envy have now perished. " 20:43 Wine Number 4 is that images 20:46 are to be venerated and worshipped. 20:49 This is why statues are placed in churches. 20:52 This idolatry of putting the image before the Maker 20:56 or the Creator. 20:57 What does the truth of God's Word say? 20:59 This is the second commandment. 21:02 Exodus 20 verse 4, 21:04 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image... " 21:07 or a graven image... King James says. 21:10 "Or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, 21:12 or that is in the earth beneath, 21:13 or that is in the water under the earth; 21:16 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. 21:18 For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, 21:20 visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children 21:23 to the third and fourth generations 21:24 of those who hate Me, 21:26 but showing mercy to thousands, 21:27 and to those who love Me and keep My commandments... " 21:32 as the pure church does, 21:33 Pastor John brought out in Revelation 12 verse 17. 21:38 Wine Number 5 is that the priests are the mediators 21:42 between God and men. 21:45 In other words, "I can't go directly to God with my sins. 21:49 I need a person between God who stands in place of God 21:53 and I confess my sins to them. " 21:56 And yet, the truth of the Word of God... 21:58 1st Timothy 2:5, I love this Scripture, Shelley. 22:00 "There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, 22:06 the Man Christ Jesus. " 22:08 You and I don't have to go to priests, 22:10 you and I don't have to go to other people. 22:12 We go directly to Jesus 22:16 and we say, "We confess our sins. " 22:18 Hebrews 9:15, 22:19 "For this reason... " for the blood of Christ, 22:21 "He is the Mediator of the new covenant, 22:24 by means of death, 22:25 for the redemption of the transgressions 22:27 under the first covenant. " 22:29 Wine Number 6: Transubstantiation. 22:33 Did I say that word right? 22:34 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm. 22:35 Jill: That is the belief that when you partake of communion 22:38 the... the grape juice and the bread actually changes 22:42 into the blood and the body of Jesus. 22:45 Now, we could use many Scriptures to counteract that 22:49 but we're not going to talk about the literal or the figurative 22:52 and all of those types of things. 22:53 But I like just reading on. 22:55 If you continue reading in Matthew 26 verse 29, 22:58 Jesus clarifies it because He says, 23:00 "I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine... " 23:02 He's not referring to Himself... 23:04 He refers to it as the grape juice... 23:06 as the fruit of the vine. 23:08 Dangerous Wine Number 7: Immaculate Conception. 23:12 The belief that Mary was free from original sin 23:16 from her conception 23:18 therefore, Jesus somehow had an advantage 23:23 over you and I because Mary was without sin. 23:27 But the truth is, Jesus was conceived 23:30 by the Holy Spirit, yes 23:32 but Mary had predisposition and tendencies to sin 23:37 like the rest of us. 23:38 Therefore, Jesus has no advantage over us. 23:41 He was born with hereditary tendencies to sin 23:44 and yet, He did not sin. 23:46 In Hebrews 4:15, "We do not have a High Priest 23:49 who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, 23:52 but was in all points tempted as we are, 23:54 yet without sin. " 23:56 There's more dangerous wines from Babylon 23:59 but the point is, when we look at the Word of God, 24:03 and we study the unadulterated truth found therein... 24:08 to me... when I study the wine versus the truth, 24:10 there is freedom in truth. 24:12 Panel: Amen. 24:13 Jill: There is peace in truth... 24:15 there is deliverance in truth... 24:17 there is victory in truth. 24:19 So, I just want to invite you 24:21 to choose the truth of the Word of God 24:24 in the pure church 24:25 over the adulterated wine of the harlot system of Revelation 17. 24:30 Panel: Amen. 24:31 Lomacang: Thank you, Jill, thank you so much... wow! 24:33 You know as you can tell this is a concentrated lesson 24:36 but the purpose of it is to counteract the counterfeit. 24:39 There is a city called confusion 24:42 and God has called us to make sure 24:44 that we can tell you what that is 24:46 and how you can avoid it. 24:47 So, don't go away, there's much more to come. 24:49 Music... 24:56 Ever wish you could watch a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again 24:59 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 25:02 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel. com 25:07 A clean design makes it easy 25:10 to find the Program you are looking for. 25:12 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 25:16 so you can follow along. 25:17 Sharing is easy... 25:19 just click "Share" and choose your favorite Social Media. 25:22 Share a Link... 25:23 Save a Life... for Eternity. 25:26 Lomacang: Well Friends, we're going to continue our study 25:29 on a city called confusion 25:30 and James is going to deal with Mystery Babylon the Great. 25:33 Rafferty: Mystery Babylon the Great... 25:34 that's Tuesday's Lesson. 25:35 We're in Revelation chapter 17, 25:37 we're picking up off just where we... 25:39 picking up just where we left off 25:40 but we're going to pick up in verse 4 25:41 of Revelation chapter 17. 25:43 My name is James Rafferty, let's get into the Word 25:46 "And the woman... " 25:48 talking about this corrupt church, 25:49 "was arrayed in purple and scarlet color... " 25:52 we talked about that a little bit, 25:53 "decked with gold and precious stones... " 25:55 she's a wealthy church... "and pearls, 25:56 having a golden cup in her hand 25:58 full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. " 26:00 She's an immoral church and we'll talk about that... 26:03 about those abominations here in a bit. 26:05 "And upon her forehead was a name written: 26:08 Mystery Babylon the Great, 26:10 the mother of harlots 26:12 and the abominations of the earth. " 26:13 So, this is a mother church... 26:15 that means she has daughter churches, 26:16 that means, there are other churches... 26:17 other Systems... religious Systems 26:19 that teach what she teaches... 26:20 that... that teach doctrines that come from her 26:23 and then it says in verse 6, 26:25 "I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints 26:27 and with the blood of martyrs of Jesus. 26:30 And when I saw her, 26:31 I wondered with great admiration. " 26:33 So, we got a religious system here 26:35 and it's teaching spiritual lies. 26:38 Now, I just want to give you some verses here 26:39 in Proverbs chapter 6 26:41 because the word that is used in Revelation 17 is "abominations. " 26:45 This is how God defines abominations 26:48 in Proverbs chapter 6 beginning with verse 16, 26:51 "These six things doth the Lord hate: 26:54 yea, seven are an abomination unto Him. " 26:56 Oh, what is an abomination unto the Lord? 26:58 Verse 17, "A proud look, 27:00 a lying tongue, 27:02 and he that sheds innocent blood. " 27:04 Well, we check all of those lists 27:07 when we go back to Revelation 17 and identify this woman. 27:10 It goes on... 27:11 "An heart... " verse 18, 27:12 "that deviseth wicked imaginations, 27:14 feet that be swift in running to blood... 27:18 or running to mischief... " 27:19 and then in verse 19, 27:20 "A false witness that speaks lies, 27:23 and he that soweth discord among brethren. " 27:27 Now, we were talking about this between our... 27:30 our sessions during our break 27:31 and we were trying to... 27:32 to... not trying... we were just simply saying that 27:35 we are not teaching here anything outside of what this church 27:40 actually admits to. 27:41 So, when we look at the teachings of this church, 27:44 this church admits to the very things 27:46 that we're pointing out, for example, 27:48 Daniel chapter 7 verse 25, 27:50 the Roman Catholic Church admits to changing times and laws. 27:52 They just... "Yes, we got the authority to do that... 27:55 we're doing that. " 27:57 So, sometimes, we can come across as critical 27:58 but really... what we're doing here 28:00 is we're pointing out 28:01 exactly what the church has determined to do 28:05 in violating the morality of God's Laws 28:08 and the morality of God's teachings 28:10 and that's why she's called the harlot 28:12 and that's why she's teaching these lies or abominations. 28:15 She's got a cup full of wine of abominations or lies... 28:18 they're spiritual lies. 28:19 The church is lying to the people that support it 28:23 about what the word of God teaches. 28:25 How so? 28:27 Well, let's take a closer look here. 28:28 It says, "She's intoxicated 28:30 with the persecuting of God's people. " 28:32 In other words, she's intoxicated with the blood of God's people. 28:35 Now, Pastor John brought out 28:37 that that means she's not thinking clearly. 28:39 When you're intoxicated, you're not thinking clearly... 28:40 you're not walking that straight line. 28:42 Let me just share this with you. 28:43 Jill brought out the idea of the natural immortality of the soul. 28:47 Now, this is the reasoning of the church, 28:49 not my reasoning... not the way we think 28:51 but this is the way the church thinks back in the dark ages 28:54 specifically, you can look at the history books and find this. 28:57 "If people live for eternity, 28:59 either in heaven or hell, 29:02 and people who are going to hell 29:05 are going to be burning eternally for eternity. 29:07 If they don't believe what we believe... 29:09 if they don't accept the teachings of our church, 29:11 it would be better for us to do whatever we need to do 29:14 persecution... torture... whatever it takes 29:16 to get them to believe 29:18 because it would be better for them to suffer in our hands 29:19 for a little while 29:21 and turn those heretics into believers 29:23 than for them to suffer for all eternity. " 29:25 Now, I don't want you to miss this point 29:27 because this point is prevalent in our world today. 29:31 "We are going to make people suffer. 29:34 We are going to strip them of the ability to buy and sell 29:37 to feed their families... to have a job... 29:38 to do the things they need to do 29:40 because we know better than them 29:41 and it would be better for them to do what we want them to do 29:43 even though they don't want to do what we want them to do... 29:45 to do what we want them to do for the good of Society. " 29:49 That's the principle that has come through the dark ages 29:52 and we are returning to the dark ages 29:54 when we look at and follow that principle. 29:56 So, this is the principle... 29:57 so, the point we're trying to make here is 29:59 this church becomes convinced that what they're doing is right 30:03 and others who support it are convinced because 30:06 deranged... mad... intoxicated... they're not seeing things right 30:10 and we got to get into the water of life... 30:13 we've got to get into the Word of God 30:14 in order to be clear on this... 30:16 in order to be able to see things correctly 30:17 otherwise, we're going to go along, 30:19 if we're drunk with the same toxic intoxication 30:22 that's gone through all the nations, 30:24 we're not going to see things right either... 30:26 not the way... 30:27 we're not going to see things the way that God sees them. 30:29 So, as we've gone through this three angels' messages, 30:32 we've learned some things about what God is teaching 30:34 and it contrasts with what Babylon is teaching. 30:37 For example, "Fear God" is the first announcement 30:40 of the everlasting gospel. 30:41 Now, to fear God means to be in awe of God... 30:44 not to be afraid of Him. 30:45 It means to... to reverence God 30:47 and it comes from the Bible, for example, 30:48 Psalm 130:3-4 it says, 30:50 "If thou, LORD, should mark iniquities, 30:52 O LORD, who should stand? 30:54 But there is forgiveness with Thee, 30:55 that Thou mayest be feared. " 30:56 Another verse, Psalm 147 verse 11, 30:59 "The LORD takes pleasure in them that fear Him, 31:01 in those that hope in His mercy. " 31:03 So, to fear God is to hope in the mercy of God. 31:05 It's to realize that God doesn't hold our sins against us... 31:07 He held them against Jesus Christ. 31:09 It's to recognize the everlasting gospel. 31:12 Christ on the cross... crying out to the Father, 31:14 "Forgive them for they know not what they do. " 31:16 Now, in sharp contrast to this teaching, 31:19 over one million Christians today are taught 31:21 that they can earn salvation by their works. 31:24 Jill touched on this... 31:25 it's the idea of indulgences... 31:26 of deeds of charity... 31:28 of self-denial... 31:29 of... of purchasing grace... 31:31 purgatory is another option for those 31:32 who are not quite as faithful. 31:34 They can suffer in purgatory 31:36 or they can be prayed through purgatory... 31:38 suffer for a while until they are "good enough" 31:40 to go to heaven. 31:41 Let me just give you a quotation 31:43 so that you know that we're not speaking on our own here, 31:45 this is found in the Catholic Catechism of the Church, 31:48 1995 edition, 31:50 "All who die in God's grace and friendship, 31:52 but still imperfectly purified, 31:57 are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; 32:00 but after they undergo purification, 32:03 so as to achieve holiness... 32:04 the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. " 32:08 Did you catch that? 32:09 Another statement from the same book, page 269... 32:11 and that one was page 268... 32:13 "The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, 32:16 and works of penance 32:17 undertaken on behalf of the dead. " 32:18 So, you see, the doctrine of purgatory 32:20 undermines the everlasting gospel. 32:22 It undermines the call to fear God... or trust in His mercy. 32:25 To believe He hasn't counted our sins against us 32:27 but He's counted them against Jesus so that we can go free 32:30 if we would just put our faith in Jesus Christ. 32:32 It distorts the atonement of Christ. 32:35 It distorts the atonement that Christ has made 32:38 and it distorts the character of God. 32:39 It shows that we can somehow earn our salvation 32:42 in this Babylonian System, again, being set up on the... 32:46 on the Plains of Shinar. 32:48 What about the phrase "give glory to Him"? 32:50 We know that "Give glory to God" 32:52 means that we're saved by grace through faith 32:54 and that's not of ourselves, it's the gift of God 32:56 lest anyone should boast or glory. 32:58 We know that we are... that's Ephesians 2:8-9, 33:01 we know that we are... 33:02 according to 1st Corinthians chapters... 33:04 chapter 1 verses 30 and 31, 33:06 we are made in Christ... 33:08 Christ is made our wisdom, our righteousness, 33:11 our sanctification, our redemption, 33:12 that as... according as it's written, 33:14 he that glory, let him glory in the Lord. 33:15 We know, according to 1st Corinthians 10:31, 33:17 that whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, 33:19 we do it all for the glory of God. 33:22 God gets all the glory for salvation. 33:24 We cannot save ourselves. 33:25 Here's what the Catholic Church teaches, 33:28 again, from the Catholic Catechism, 33:30 and we're looking here on page 487 33:34 of the 1995 edition, 33:35 "Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, 33:37 no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification, 33:41 at the beginning of conversion. 33:43 But... moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, 33:45 we can then merit for ourselves and for others 33:47 the graces needed for our sanctification, 33:49 for the increase of grace and charity, 33:51 and for the attainment of eternal life. " 33:53 Jill, you mentioned the... in an earlier session, 33:56 that there are some Adventists who are leaning toward 33:59 this idea of evolution. 34:00 Well, there are some Adventists that are leaning toward this 34:02 Catholic idea of salvation... merit in our salvation. 34:06 "Even temporal goods like health and friendship 34:08 can be merited in accordance with God's wisdom. 34:11 These graces and goods are the object of Christian prayer. 34:13 Prayer attends to the grace we need for meritorious actions. " 34:16 Ah ah... no, there are no meritorious actions 34:19 when it comes to salvation. 34:20 We cannot merit our salvation in any way, shape, and form. 34:23 It's either by grace or it's by works. 34:25 If it's by grace, then it's no longer works... 34:27 otherwise, grace is no longer grace. 34:29 But if it's works, it's no longer grace: 34:31 otherwise, works are no longer works. 34:33 That's Romans chapter 11 and verse 6, I'm almost out of time, 34:36 so, we see here another message, 34:39 "The hour of His judgment is come... " 34:40 Jesus Christ is our Advocate in the heavenly sanctuary. 34:43 We have a Mediator that... that pleads in our behalf 34:46 and we can go directly to Him as you just said, 34:48 there's one Mediator between God and man. 34:50 What does the Catholic Church say? 34:52 This is Los Angeles Times, December 12, 1984, 34:54 "Rebutting a belief shared by Protestants 34:56 and a growing number of Roman Catholics, 34:58 Pope John Paul the Second on Tuesday dismissed the idea 35:02 that one can obtain forgiveness directly from God 35:05 and exhorted Catholics to confess more often to their priests. " 35:08 These aren't some antiquated... 35:11 antiquated... tiqui... tiquiate... 35:13 Perrin: Antiquated. 35:14 Rafferty: Antiquated statements 35:16 taken from the... the archives of... 35:17 of history and blow the dust off and the cobwebs off... 35:19 these are statements from the 21st century... 35:22 1995... 1984... 35:24 Friends, we are dealing with a message 35:26 that is vital... the three cosmic angels... 35:28 the three cosmic messages of Revelation chapter 14 35:31 because they need to bring down the system of confusion, 35:34 the system of Babylon 35:36 and they need to give us a clarion call 35:38 to worship God and trust in Jesus Christ. 35:40 Panel: Amen... phew... amen. 35:42 Shelley: Well, I'll tell you, you guys... that's on fire! 35:44 My name is Shelley Quinn 35:46 and I will be giving Wednesday's Lesson: A Call to Commitment. 35:52 I just want to make a point right up close. 35:54 We are looking at Revelation's appeal 35:58 in the three angels' messages 36:00 that are a call to commit to Christ 36:05 but it's summarized in these two women of Revelation. 36:10 The pure church that's following the commandments of God 36:15 and the spiritual Babylon 36:18 that is the Apostate Church 36:21 and it is not... we're talking about systems, not people. 36:25 God's got a people in every church 36:27 but this system of apostate Babylon is... 36:32 or spiritual Babylon 36:34 includes more than the Roman Papal System, 36:38 it is the Apostate Protest... 36:41 Protestantism as well. 36:44 Let's look at this. 36:46 When... when Jesus... 36:48 Simon Peter... he asked Jesus... 36:51 or Jesus asked him, "Who do you say I am?" 36:55 He says, "You are the Christ... You the Son of the Living God. " 37:00 And in Matthew 16:17, Jesus says, 37:04 "Blessed are you, Simon, 37:05 for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, 37:09 but My Father who is in heaven. 37:11 And I say to you you're Peter, 37:13 and on this rock I will build My church. " 37:16 What rock? 37:17 It wasn't the rock... Peter... he was a little pebble, 37:21 Jesus Christ is the Rock... 37:24 the solid foundation of His Church. 37:27 He was the Rock from the Old Testament... 37:30 that's a word for the Lord. 37:32 1st Corinthians 10:4, Paul says, 37:35 "they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, 37:39 that Rock was Christ. " 37:40 And we know, as many as received Christ, 37:43 we become children of God. 37:46 Now, Christ's church is built on His teaching. 37:51 He said in Matthew 4:4, 37:52 "Man shall not live by bread alone, 37:54 but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. " 37:58 It is guided by the Holy Spirit. 38:01 In Romans 8:14, it says, 38:03 "As many as are led by the Holy Spirit, 38:08 are children of God. " 38:10 Now, if you're not led by the Spirit, 38:13 what does that mean? 38:15 You're not a covenant child of God. 38:17 Babylon is not following the Spirit of truth. 38:24 Babylon is not following every word. 38:27 There's spiritual confusion and it is man-made teachings 38:33 and traditions. 38:34 The Word of God is inspired by the Holy Spirit. 38:39 Man can't take these words, "Nyaa... Let's say this... 38:42 let's do that... " 38:43 In Mark 7:13, Jesus told the Jews, 38:47 "You make void the Word of God, 38:50 you make it... you invalidate it... 38:52 it's null and void. " 38:53 And how is he saying you do that? 38:55 "Through your traditions, you're nullifying God's Word. " 38:59 Our Study Guide says, 39:01 "Any religious leader who substitutes human opinions 39:05 or traditions in the place of 39:08 or above the revealed will of God in the Scriptures, 39:12 is simply fostering 39:15 Babylonian confusion. " 39:18 In Revelation 17:14, 39:21 it's talking about these... the beasts 39:26 that are going to make war with the Lamb... 39:28 the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world. 39:32 "And the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of Lords 39:36 and King of kings; 39:38 and those who are with the Lamb... " 39:41 listen to this, 39:42 they are called... 39:43 "they with Him are called, chosen... " 39:48 oh, people like to say, "I'm called... I'm chosen... " 39:51 but you can't leave out the third word... 39:54 "they are called chosen, and faithful. " 39:57 Panel: Amen. 39:58 Shelley: You know, in Daniel 3... 40:00 ancient Babylon... 40:01 we see combined Church and State. 40:04 King Nebuchadnezzar represented the pagan idols 40:09 and what he did was... set up an idol to himself, really, 40:14 and he passed a universal decree of worship. 40:18 If you didn't fall down and worship his idol, 40:22 kkkkk... into the fire, you went. 40:25 So, what happens with spiritual Babylon? 40:29 Revelation tells us, history is going to repeat itself... 40:34 that the Church and State are going to combined and rise 40:38 and spiritual leader will claim to speak as God a decree... 40:42 worship of the false image of the beast. 40:46 In 2nd Thessalonians 2:4, this religious leader... 40:51 listen how Paul describes him... 40:54 "who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God 40:58 or that is worshiped, 41:00 so that he sits as God in the temple of God, 41:04 showing himself that he is God. " 41:08 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm. 41:09 Shelley: Now, listen to what Mark Finley wrote 41:11 in our Study Guide: 41:13 Throughout the centuries, 41:14 the Roman Pontiffs have declared 41:17 that they stand in the place of God on earth. 41:21 In his encyclical letter of June 20th, 1894, 41:26 Pope Leo the Eighth stated... 41:28 this is the Pope speaking about Popery. 41:33 Leo the thirteenth... yes, 41:36 "We hold upon this earth the place of Almighty God. " 41:42 Panel: Hmmm... 41:43 Shelley: That's what he's saying about being the Pope 41:45 and then in the Ferraris Ecclesiastical Dictionary, 41:48 it adds: The Pope is of so great dignity, 41:53 and so exalted that he is not a mere man, 41:59 but as it were God, and the vicar of God. " 42:04 He is saying that vicariously 42:08 the Pope is taking the place of God. 42:12 So, as I said, the spiritual Babylon is more than just 42:17 Papal Rome... it includes the apostate Protes... 42:20 I can't say that word... Protestantism 42:24 and... and... you know what? 42:26 Here's the truth... 42:28 many of God's faithful people are in the spiritual confusion. 42:33 God's got a people with all churches. 42:36 We're not judging people. 42:38 In Revelation 18:4, 42:42 God is making a final appeal to His people 42:45 who had been caught up... they're deceived... 42:49 they're blinded by this intoxicating system 42:52 that hasn't shared the Word of God 42:55 and He says, "Come out of her my people 42:57 lest you receive of her plagues. " 43:00 So, God wants His people to come out 43:03 and what Revelation... the three angels' messages 43:05 are calling us to make a commitment. 43:09 They proclaim the eternal gospel 43:12 of righteousness by faith in Christ. 43:14 In Revelation 13:8, it talks about Jesus being the Lamb 43:18 slain before the foundation of the world. 43:21 Revelation 1:5 says, 43:23 "He's the One who loves us and releases us of our sins 43:27 by His blood. " 43:29 Revelation 5:9, 43:31 "Jesus is worthy because He redeemed us to God 43:35 by His blood 43:36 out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. " 43:40 So, the first angel 43:41 is proclaiming this everlasting gospel 43:44 and it is calling us to enter into covenant relationship 43:51 with the Lord who has the power to save us 43:54 and He... He's going to bring this cosmic conflict to an end. 43:59 but He's calling us... "Confess your sins before Me... 44:03 repent to be cleansed. " 44:06 Even repentance is a gift of God. 44:08 He will cleanse us of all unrighteousness. 44:11 He is calling us in the first angel 44:13 to worship the Creator alone... 44:16 to bow down only to the One who is your source of life 44:21 not to the dragon of spiritual Babylon 44:24 and let me tell you something, 44:25 the highest expression of worship is obedience 44:30 motivated by love. 44:32 So, this is an urgent warning... the first angel's message. 44:35 There's a judgment in process. 44:37 He's calling us in the first angel's message 44:41 to commit to preparation for the second coming of Jesus. 44:45 The second angel proclaims 44:48 the collapse of this false gospel of Babylon 44:51 saying, "Babylon is fallen... " 44:53 and there's an underlying call to commit to Sola Scriptura... 44:58 the Bible alone. 44:59 Commit to studying the Bible so that you won't be deceived 45:02 by the miraculous works that are false. 45:05 The third angel proclaims God's judgment on the beast 45:09 and the Mark of the Beast 45:11 while still referencing the Lamb of God 45:13 and he's saying, "Come into the knowledge of God 45:16 as our loving righteous Creator. 45:19 and since worship is the key issue of the cosmic conflict, 45:24 this is a commitment to be loyal to Christ... 45:28 to accept God's Seal... His true Sabbath 45:33 and not the false Mark of the Beast which we're going to see 45:37 is the false Sabbath. 45:39 Let me tell you something, 45:40 the victory of the Lamb... He's already won it all. 45:44 Christ has defeated the forces of evil 45:48 and He's coming back to completely annihilate them 45:52 but 1st Corinthians 15:57, 45:54 we can claim, "Thanks be to God, 45:57 who gives us the victory through Christ Jesus our Lord. " 46:01 Panel: Amen... 46:03 Perrin: Thank you very much Shelley. 46:04 I'm Daniel Perrin and I have Thursday's Lesson 46:07 which is: Babylon: The Center of Idolatry 46:10 and as we know, there is no nation or kingdom 46:13 of Babylon today which reminds us 46:15 that in order to identify it, we've got to go back 46:18 and find the features of Babylon from Scripture 46:21 because nothing in the world today 46:22 is going to come labeled saying, 46:24 "Hey, I am Babylon... avoid me... " 46:26 and so, we go to the Word of God 46:28 and it gives us some defining features 46:30 and one of them is the idolatry or the worship of images. 46:34 Taking you back to Jeremiah 50 where we've been before already, 46:38 verse 38 46:40 and this is a description of why Babylon... 46:42 the ancient empire fell by God's hand. 46:45 It says, "For it is the land of carved images, 46:49 and they are insane with their idols. " 46:51 We've already heard the word "mad... " 46:53 we've already heard the word "deranged... " 46:56 and now, "insane. " 46:57 In other words, their minds have been taken over, 47:00 they're not thinking straight. 47:02 Something has polluted and confused the way that they think. 47:05 The next chapter, 51 verse 47, 47:08 it says, "Therefore behold, the days are coming 47:11 that I will bring judgment on the carved images of Babylon; 47:16 her whole land shall be ashamed, 47:18 and all her slain shall fall in her midst. " 47:20 In other words, the statement is clear... 47:22 Babylon is fallen. 47:25 It may look okay right now, it still may be prosperous 47:28 but the results are already certain 47:31 and so, we see that back in Daniel chapter 3, 47:34 Babylon erecting this image that we've already mentioned 47:37 but it comes right after chapter 2 47:39 where Nebuchadnezzar receives a vision 47:42 and a clear interpretation of the vision and what it means... 47:45 Babylon will not last forever 47:47 and Daniel says, at the end of that, 47:49 the vision is certain and the interpretation is true 47:53 and Nebuchadnezzar accepts it. 47:54 He cannot plead insanity in the courts of God. 47:57 You can plead insanity in the courts of men 48:00 but to say to God, "No, I just... 48:03 I wasn't thinking straight. " 48:04 That doesn't work. 48:06 Babylonian idolatry though is not limited just to Babylon. 48:11 We find that even God's people, Israel and Judah 48:15 in 1st Kings... 2nd Kings 17 and 21, 48:18 that's listed as the reason that those in God's church... 48:22 the reason that Israel and Judah are both defeated by Assyria 48:25 and Babylon. 48:27 We find God's clear command regarding idols in Exodus 20, 48:31 right there, the fourth verse, 48:33 that says, "You shall not make a carved image... 48:36 any likeness of anything in the heavens above, 48:39 or in the earth beneath, 48:41 or that is in the waters under the earth; 48:44 you shall not bow yourselves down to them 48:46 nor serve them. " 48:47 And here it says, 48:48 "For the Lord your God is a jealous God. " 48:51 We tend to think that that's not a positive trait. 48:54 When you think about any husband whose wife walks away 48:57 and has adultery with somebody else, 49:00 jealousy is an appropriate response there 49:03 saying, "No, there is... this is an exclusive relationship 49:06 me and you only, don't mix with other people. " 49:09 All right, a jealous God 49:10 visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children 49:13 unto the third and fourth generation 49:15 of those who hate Me 49:17 but showing mercy to thousands of those who love Me 49:21 and keep My commandments. " 49:22 And so, when we take God's Word firmly and clearly here, 49:27 we can recognize that in spiritual practice 49:30 when we erect images and statues 49:33 and believe that there is some power when we stand before them 49:36 and pray to them or through them, 49:39 that that goes against the law of God... 49:41 that's just that clear. 49:43 And in one sense, idolatry is really easy to recognize 49:46 because it's visible. 49:48 It's something we can see with our eyes. 49:50 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 49:51 Perrin: But in another sense, 49:53 idolatry can be extremely subtle. 49:54 It doesn't have to be gold... 49:56 it doesn't have to be big 49:57 and it doesn't have to be expensive 49:59 or in the shape of a living creature. 50:01 Any time we use our own human strength 50:04 or ingenuity to exalt something 50:06 to a position of honor, 50:07 or the ability to save us through our own power, 50:11 it's taking the place 50:12 and occupying the spot that God alone takes. 50:15 So, we can call ourselves sophisticated... 50:18 now we don't do things that primitive people did in the past 50:21 but I guarantee you that the gods the ancients worshipped 50:24 or so-called gods... 50:25 are still worshipped today. 50:27 And what's wrong with idolatry? 50:29 Go with me to Psalm 115 verse 3 to 8 50:34 and we'll read through it really quickly here 50:36 starting in verse 3 of Psalm 115, 50:38 "But our God is in heaven; 50:40 He does whatever He pleases. 50:42 Their idols are silver and gold... " 50:44 quickly... "They have mouths and don't speak; 50:47 ears... and don't hear, 50:48 they have eyes that don't see, ears... 50:50 noses but they don't smell; 50:51 they have hands, but nothing to handle; 50:54 feet but they can't walk; 50:55 they do not mutter with their throats... " 50:57 and then verse 8, here is the tragedy of idolatry. 51:01 "Those who make them are like them; 51:04 so is everyone who trusts in them. " 51:07 And so, here's what happens, 51:09 we become a victim of our own creation 51:12 because we honor something 51:14 that has no life-giving power. 51:16 And we take this thing that looks okay 51:19 but it has no life in it. 51:20 And so, we receive life from God 51:22 and that's where we should seek it 51:24 but imagine me hooking up a hose to myself somehow 51:27 and trying to turn on a faucet 51:29 and pour water from myself into a glass for me to drink, 51:33 I have no life in myself. 51:35 I can't get it from the things that I make. 51:38 And this is why Jesus says in John 5:39 and 40, 51:41 "You search the Scriptures... " 51:43 so, here's people who even have the words of God, 51:46 "You search the Scriptures 51:47 because you think that in them" 51:49 in the words on a page, 51:51 "you have life, but they testify of Me 51:54 and yet you refuse... you're unwilling to come to Me 51:57 that you can have life. " 51:59 And so, we cut ourselves off from life from God 52:02 when we put anything else in its place. 52:04 Idolatry is spiritual adultery... 52:07 a substitute for God 52:09 putting something else in His place. 52:11 In... in marriage we would say, "I would never commit adultery. " 52:14 But people still look with lust. 52:17 They linger over things with their eyes. 52:19 They meditate on and count the failures of their spouse. 52:23 We do that and we do the same thing with God. 52:26 I would never worship idols 52:29 but we've got all sorts of god substitutes out there. 52:32 Other teachers... "I'll listen to anything he says... 52:35 anything she says... " 52:37 We turn to a website... 52:38 an e-mail list 52:40 because I love the feelings that that list gives to me. 52:43 We go to our phones so often. 52:45 And sure, the phone tells us the weather 52:48 but when we get up in the morning, where do we turn first? 52:50 And if your first turn is to that device, 52:53 you've got a God substitute. 52:55 And I hate to say it but it needs to be said, 52:58 we go to Christ first... first in time... 53:01 first in importance... first in everything 53:04 because a divided loyalty to God is no loyalty at all. 53:08 Idols do not demand spiritual purity like God does. 53:13 An idols says, "Make it your way... 53:15 make it the way you want to, 53:17 use your strength... use your skill... 53:19 not your feelings though. " 53:21 All right, spiritual... sorry, what is this? 53:24 Spiritual purity does not exist with idolatry. 53:28 And idolatry shrinks God down to a human-size box. 53:31 "You want to find God? He's right here... 53:34 I've got control over Him... 53:35 you come through me... 53:37 you come through this spot. " 53:38 Solomon said it well there in 1st Kings 8:27, 53:42 "But will God indeed dwell on earth? 53:44 The heavens... the highest heavens 53:46 cannot contain You. 53:47 How much less this temple that I have built!" 53:50 We can't contain God in any one place... 53:53 any one thing. 53:54 And so, when we try to divide our secular and spiritual life 53:57 saying, "This is my space... my time... 54:00 this is where I do what I want to do. " 54:01 That's idolatry. 54:03 Putting God over here in the shrunk-down spot. 54:06 And we find behind idolatry... behind false idols are demons. 54:12 Psalm 106:36 and 37, 54:14 "They served their idols, which became a snare to them. 54:17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. " 54:21 Behind everything that dilutes our loyalty to God 54:24 or convinces us not to follow Him in obedience, 54:26 stands the devil and his lies. 54:29 So, is there a cure for idolatry? 54:32 Absolutely. 54:34 Daniel 3 takes us to that cure. 54:37 Here you got three guys Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah... 54:42 learn their real names, 54:43 and they would not bow down to this idol. 54:46 Why not? 54:47 Well, they knew something. 54:49 They knew that... yes, they knew... 54:51 they got thrown into the fire 54:53 and what was in the fire there with them? 54:55 Or who was in the fire? Jesus was with them. 54:57 But you know, that wasn't the first time Jesus was with them. 55:00 Jesus was with them while they were standing... as well. 55:03 Nobody else saw it 55:04 and they may not have seen anything physical 55:06 but He was there. 55:07 As they were summoned to that place, 55:09 on the day before... or however long before 55:12 and as they walked there, 55:13 Jesus walked beside them 55:14 and in the days... weeks... months and years, 55:18 Jesus had been their close friend 55:20 and so, what's the cure for idolatry? 55:23 It is to experience the real God... 55:26 the everlasting gospel. 55:28 Why would you want a substitute? 55:30 Why would you want a counterfeit 55:32 when you have something so good... so real? 55:34 And so, these three angels' messages make it clear, 55:38 here's the... the clear choice... 55:39 you have the everlasting gospel 55:41 so clearly demonstrated and proclaimed 55:43 and you have Babylon which is the complete antithesis 55:47 and opposite. 55:48 Don't make a choice without knowing the facts. 55:51 You cannot plead insanity in the courts of God. 55:54 And so, the choice is this: 55:56 Honor God or serve His opposite. 55:58 Serve yourself... 55:59 we don't want to put anything else in the place of God. 56:02 Panel: Amen... 56:03 Lomacang: Wow! well, thank you, Daniel... 56:04 thank you, Shelley, James, Jill... 56:06 give me your closing thoughts. 56:09 Jill: We talked about the wine of Babylon 56:11 and I just want to encourage you, 56:13 maybe some of these truths are new to you, 56:15 maybe you're not familiar 56:16 with everything that we've discussed here today, 56:18 the key is to have an open heart... 56:21 to hear what God has... and study His Word. 56:24 Rafferty: Just along those veins, 56:26 we are looking at a cup full of abominations 56:30 and the nations have drunk of this cup 56:32 and we could spend a lot of time 56:34 trying to identify all of the abominations in that cup 56:36 but it would be better for us to focus on the everlasting gospel 56:40 because when the everlasting gospel is preached, 56:42 Babylon falls. 56:43 Shelley: Amen and amen 56:45 and the everlasting gospel is quite simple. 56:48 God determined... before He even created us 56:51 that He was going to come down and become a man and die for us 56:56 and do you realize how much He loves you? 56:58 Do you realize that He looks to you 57:01 for relationship of reciprocal love. 57:05 Obedience should be motivated by love 57:08 and when you understand what God has done, 57:10 you'll love Him. 57:12 Perrin: When you have Jesus as your close friend, 57:15 just like John did there in chapter 1 of Revelation, 57:19 He shines with the brightness of the sun. 57:22 There's no idol you can build 57:24 that could possibly outshine Jesus. 57:27 Lomacang: That's right and thank you Friends, 57:29 the purpose why we have been so intense today 57:31 I believe is found in John 10:16, 57:33 Jesus says lovingly, 57:35 "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; 57:37 them also I must bring... " 57:40 and get this... 57:41 "and they will hear My voice, 57:42 and there will be one fold and one shepherd. " 57:45 Not this multiplicity of a city of confusion. 57:48 We proclaim this message out of love 57:51 and a desire for people to know and understand 57:53 that true love is obeying the commandments of God 57:56 but we're not done yet, we're just getting started 57:59 so, join us for Lesson Number 10: Satan's Final Deceptions. 58:03 We look forward to seeing you then. |
Revised 2023-08-14