Participants: Dwayne Lemon, Lance Wilbur
Series Code: TKS
Program Code: TKS000049A
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00:28 Hello, I am Dwayne. And I am Lance.
00:29 And we would like to welcome you 00:31 to another episode of TKS, 00:32 A True Knowledge of Self, 00:34 where we get to know ourselves from a biblical perspective. 00:37 As we begin in this episode continuing our conversation 00:40 in trying to figure out what is the nature of the war 00:44 that we are in. 00:45 We have identified clearly and plainly 00:47 that we are involved in spiritual warfare. 00:50 That's why we are talking about the effects of hip-hop culture, 00:54 pop-culture and all these things, 00:55 because we are involved in a war 00:57 and this war is over our minds who we are to worship 01:01 and it has eternal ramifications, 01:03 so it does matter what we listen to, 01:06 what music we consume. 01:08 It does matter how we worship. 01:09 It does matter what we eat, and how we dress, 01:13 and how we conduct ourselves, 01:14 because every area of our lifestyle speaks 01:17 to whether or not we serve Christ or Satan. 01:20 And Revelation 12 introduced us to this warfare 01:22 and it showed that there is a battle going on 01:25 that started in heaven going on between Michael and the Dragon. 01:29 We know and we looked at verses that highlight 01:31 the fact that Michael is, in fact, Jesus Christ our Lord, 01:34 and that the Dragon is Satan according to Revelation 12:9. 01:39 And we saw the exposure that Satan, 01:41 the influence that Satan had on this earth 01:43 right there in the garden in Genesis 3 01:46 and how sin was introduced. 01:48 And we identified something that was very important. 01:51 Dwayne, when we were looking at Revelation 12, 01:54 we noticed that 01:55 there was a promise in verse 11. 01:58 It says that they, referring to God's people, 02:00 that they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, 02:03 and by the word of their testimony, 02:05 and they love not their lives even unto their death, 02:07 so there is an overcoming that needs to take place. 02:11 We are not left in a situation where God's solution 02:14 for the sin problem is partial. 02:16 It's complete. 02:17 Yes. It's full. 02:19 That is why Jesus had to come and live the life 02:20 and die the death and do what He did 02:23 because sin has cost so much. 02:27 And so Jesus couldn't have come and done a little bit of sin 02:32 and been a perfect sacrifice. 02:35 He had to come and not sin. 02:37 He had to come and be free from sin in order to be 02:40 a legitimate, pure, and acceptable holy sacrifice. 02:43 And He did that so that we don't have to, 02:45 because we can't, we couldn't, we failed, 02:47 all have sinned and fall short. 02:48 And you're gonna help us understand some things, 02:51 but we were shown that the devil in this warfare 02:55 that started in heaven, 02:57 the devil was cast down to the earth. 02:59 And when he was cast down to the earth, 03:01 because he was not restricted as to how he could impact God, 03:06 he directed all of his focus, all of his anger 03:08 and his wrath to God's people, 03:10 because we looked at Isaiah 63, 03:12 and we saw that if God, if God's people are hurt, 03:15 it hurts the very heart of God Himself. 03:17 That's right. 03:18 So Satan now is directing his energy and his efforts 03:20 to hurt those according to Revelation 12:17, 03:24 "Those that keep the commandments of God 03:26 and have the faith of Jesus." 03:28 So if he can hurt them, he knows he can hurt God, 03:30 so this warfare didn't stop. 03:31 That's right. 03:33 This warfare is going to come to an end very soon, 03:34 and we might talk about that, but this war is still going on. 03:37 And the battle now that is waging for the minds 03:41 of all humanity is intense, it's impacting, 03:46 it's getting an access to every area of human existence, 03:51 and we want to go back, 03:52 we talked about it a little bit, 03:53 but we want to talk more about God's solution. 03:57 Even tough all this stuff is happening 03:59 and Satan has real supernatural power, 04:02 but his power has limitations, 04:03 just like there are human limitations. 04:05 All created beings have limitations, God does not. 04:08 So does God have a solution for the problem of sin, 04:12 and does God have even a practical solution that leads 04:16 to and affects humanity, so that we can be overcomers 04:20 as Christ overcame. 04:22 Absolutely. 04:23 Now, one of the things you stated earlier 04:25 is that you said the controversy continues 04:27 between Christ and Satan 04:29 and it's over the human mind, and you said that. 04:31 I believe that for our viewers' sake 04:33 that would require some biblical substantiation, 04:36 so what I wanted to do was go to 1 Peter 5. 04:38 All right. 04:39 Because we saw in Revelation 12:12, 04:42 "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea 04:45 because the devil has come down unto you, having great wrath, 04:47 because he knows that he has but a short time." 04:49 So what is God's counsel to us knowing 04:51 that we are in this warfare now? 04:53 It says in 1 Peter 5:8, "Be sober, be vigilant 04:58 because your adversary, the devil, 05:00 as a roaring lion, walketh about, 05:02 seeking whom he may devour." 05:04 So the Bible is very rationale. 05:05 It's letting you know, "Listen we know 05:07 you didn't do anything to start this war, 05:09 but because of the fact that Christ loves you, 05:12 because of the fact that He was willing to die for you, 05:15 because of the fact that you were made 05:17 in the image of God, 05:18 this has merited Satan's hatred, 05:20 and therefore he comes after us, 05:22 not so much that he is satisfied 05:24 when he takes us down, but he's satisfied 05:26 as we mentioned in the previous episode, 05:28 that he is hurting the heart of Christ 05:30 because that's his aim. 05:31 So the Bible says, "Be sober, you know, 05:33 be clear in your mind, be vigilant. 05:34 Don't be lazy, you know, be very forthright, 05:38 in knowing that I have an enemy 05:40 and I have to conduct myself accordingly." 05:42 So the question is, well how? 05:43 How can I be vigilant? How can I be sober? 05:48 And the Bible does not leave us aloof to this question. 05:50 In 1 Peter 1:13, "Wherefore gird up 05:57 the loins of your mind..." 05:59 And then the next two words, "Be sober, 06:02 and hope to the end for the grace 06:04 that is to be brought unto you 06:06 at the Revelation of Jesus Christ." 06:08 So the Bible lets us know that a way 06:10 that we can be sober is that 06:12 we must gird up the loins of our minds, 06:14 or another term would be 06:15 to guard well the avenues of the soul. 06:18 Be careful what you watch, be careful what you taste, 06:21 be careful what you smell, be careful what you listen to, 06:25 and be careful of what you touch. 06:26 These are all the avenues by which things can get access 06:29 to our minds, so God wants us to understand, 06:33 do not just indulge in something 06:35 just because it appeals to senses. 06:37 That's what happened in the beginning. 06:40 Satan appealed to the senses of Eve, 06:42 and as he appealed to her senses, 06:44 he was able to deceive her. 06:45 That was a lesson for us. 06:47 So Satan wants access to our mind 06:49 because whoever has the mind has the man. 06:52 This is why Proverbs 23:7 says, "As a man thinks in his mind, 06:55 his heart, so is he." 06:57 So what does God really want? 06:58 He says, "My son..." 06:59 Proverbs 23:26, He says, "My son, 07:03 give me thine heart or mind 07:05 and let your eyes observe my ways." 07:07 Now we can understand why the Bible is so replete 07:10 about this idea of give me your mind, 07:12 give me your mind. 07:13 What is the reason for this? 07:15 It is because what God wants to do 07:17 is enable us to have victory over the thing 07:23 that broke up the relationship 07:24 between himself and humanity and that is sin. 07:25 Yes. 07:27 Sin is the breaking of God's law. 07:29 So God wants to have our mind 07:31 so that He can enable us to keep His law, 07:35 and this is why Romans 7:25 says, 07:38 "We serve the law of God with our minds." 07:41 Yes. 07:42 So Satan knows this, God knows this. 07:44 Humanity is typically the one that's ignorant, 07:46 and that's the reason why God has to give education. 07:49 The solution that He provided to humanity that could bring 07:52 about this education is called the gospel. 07:55 The gospel is designed to teach 07:58 all of the wonderful blessed truths of God's word, 08:01 so that an individual can know what God requires 08:04 and then know how to access it, and ultimately access it, 08:08 and this is why the gospel is imperative. 08:11 This is why Jesus gave the commission. 08:13 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached 08:15 in all the world for a witness unto all nations 08:17 and then the end shall come." 08:18 Christ knows once My people can receive the gospel, 08:21 He says, "I know that they can be a people 08:24 prepared to meet their God." 08:25 So everything is hinging upon the gospel, 08:28 and this is why we had to put these programs together 08:30 because there is a true gospel 08:33 that leads to the salvation God wants to give, 08:35 but then there is false gospels and we've been studying 08:38 about the so called gospel of hip-hop, 08:41 as termed by KRS-One and many others. 08:43 We've been looking at the gospels of hip-hop 08:45 and we can truly say according to Galatians 1:7, 08:48 it is a perverted gospel. 08:51 It is a false gospel. It is deceptive. 08:53 And this is why we had to go through all these, 08:56 you know, episodes and lessons, 08:57 and going back and forth over the scripture. 09:00 Now in the very last moments of earth's history, 09:05 God knew that prophetically there were going to be events 09:09 that were going to take place and we looked at it in brief 09:12 in the previous episode dealing with the mark of the beast 09:15 and all of these different things, it's real. 09:17 We don't have time in this episode 09:19 to succinctly identify as I would have loved to, 09:23 but I am thankful that there are many, many ways 09:25 that our viewers can come in contact with this information 09:27 as they continue to watch the network, 09:29 but what we can do is we can highlight some points, 09:32 and let's go to Revelation 14 to do it. 09:35 In Revelation 14, it's the last gospel proclamation 09:40 to be given to the world before the Lord comes 09:42 and I can prove that. 09:43 In Revelation 14:6-12, it gives a gospel message 09:50 that is going to go before all the world, 09:52 and I am gonna show you, 09:53 that this is the last gospel message 09:55 that is to be given. 09:56 Here's what it says. 09:57 It says in verse 6, "And I saw another angel 09:59 fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel 10:02 to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, 10:04 to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 10:06 saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to Him, 10:09 for the hour of His judgment has come and worship Him 10:12 that made heaven and earth, and the sea, 10:13 and the fountains of waters. 10:14 And there followed another angel, saying, 10:16 Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, 10:19 because she made all nations drink of the wine 10:21 of the wrath of her fornication. 10:22 And the third angel followed them, 10:24 saying with a loud voice, 10:25 if any man worship the beast and his image 10:27 and receive his mark in his forehead, 10:29 or in his hand, 10:30 the same shall drink of the wine 10:32 of the wrath of God, 10:33 which is poured out without mixture into the cup 10:35 of His indignation, 10:36 and he shall be tormented with fire 10:38 and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, 10:40 and in the presence of the Lamb: 10:41 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever, 10:44 and they have no rest day or night who worship the beast 10:46 and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 10:50 Here is the patience of the saints: 10:52 Here are they that keep the commandments of God, 10:55 and the faith of Jesus." 10:56 And so the Bible is revealing 10:58 what is termed the three angels' messages. 11:00 It is the everlasting gospel. 11:02 It is articulated through these three messages, 11:05 and it is through these three angels' messages 11:08 that God wants to bring humanity, 11:10 number one, a message, number two, 11:12 into an experience as a result of that message, 11:15 that will prepare us to stay faithful 11:17 when the rest of the world would become unfaithful. 11:19 So it's a warning? 11:20 It's a warning, but it's also a call, 11:23 because in verses 9-11 of the third angel, 11:26 it warns if you receive the mark of the beast, 11:28 this will happen to you, but in verse 12 it says, 11:31 well, here is the patience of the saints. 11:33 Here are they that keep the commandments of God 11:35 and the faith of Jesus. 11:36 So we need both, we need to pay attention 11:38 to the warning, but we also have to make sure 11:41 that we embrace the experience, the call. 11:44 Well, how do we know that this is the last gospel message 11:47 to be proclaimed before the Lord comes? 11:49 It's in verses 14 and 15 11:52 right after these three angels' messages 11:55 are given to all the world, to every nation, 11:57 kindred, tongue and people, as verse 6 showed, 11:59 notice what happens next. 12:01 In verse 14, it says, "And I looked, 12:03 and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like 12:08 unto the Son of man, 12:10 having on his head a golden crown, 12:12 and in his hand a sharp sickle. 12:15 And another angel came out of the temple, 12:17 crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, 12:20 thrust in thy sickle, and reap: 12:22 for the time is come for thee to reap, 12:25 for the harvest of the earth is ripe." 12:28 So notice that the three angels' messages, 12:32 when it is faithfully given and faithfully received, 12:36 it prepares a harvest, and whenever you think 12:38 of a harvest, you don't think 12:40 of the beginning of a planting season, 12:41 you think of the end of it. 12:42 Yeah. That was my kind of question. 12:44 What is the harvest? 12:45 Exactly, so then if we think really what is the harvest, 12:47 remember what we stated earlier Matthew 24:14, 12:50 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached 12:52 in all the world for a witness unto all nations, 12:54 and then the end shall come." 12:56 Well, when you look at this term harvest here, 12:59 if you would have compared with Matthew 13:39, 13:02 here's what the Bible says about it. 13:04 It says in Matthew 13:39, 13:07 it tells us exactly what the harvest represents. 13:10 Jesus was unfolding this parabolic language 13:13 that He was teaching His people, 13:15 as He was talking about the wheat and the tares. 13:18 And Jesus got to a point where He was unfolding 13:20 or decoding some of this symbolic language in verse 39 13:24 and here's what He says. 13:25 "The enemy that sowed them is the devil, 13:28 the harvest is the end of the world 13:32 and the reapers are the angels." 13:34 So the Bible shows that the last gospel message 13:39 to be proclaimed before the world comes to an end 13:44 is none other the three angels' messages, 13:46 and this is why God wants us 13:48 to give this message to the people, 13:51 and as you saw in that third angel, 13:52 it's a warning not to receive the mark of the beast. 13:56 Now this is where it's gonna take some serious looking 13:59 at Bible prophecy, and again because of time 14:01 we can only do it in very, very brief, 14:03 but I think we can establish a point. 14:04 Let's go to Revelation 13 and watch this 14:06 because where does hip-hop culture play a role 14:12 and possibly preparing people 14:15 to receive the mark of the beast? 14:16 Let's take a look. All right. 14:18 Matthew, I'm sorry, Revelation 13, 14:20 the Bible says in Revelation 13, 14:22 I'm gonna start at verse 11 14:23 and then we're gonna take it down. 14:25 It says, "And I beheld another beast coming up 14:27 out of the earth, 14:28 and he had two horns like a lamb 14:29 and he spake as a dragon. 14:31 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, 14:33 and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship 14:36 the first beast whose deadly wound was healed. 14:39 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire 14:42 come down from heaven on the earth 14:44 in the sight of men, and deceiveth them 14:46 that dwell in the earth by the means of those miracles 14:49 which he had power to do in the sight of the beast..." 14:51 Now watch this, "Saying to them that dwell on the earth, 14:54 that they should make an image to the beast 14:58 which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15:00 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, 15:03 that the image of the beast should both speak, 15:05 and cause that as many as would not worship 15:08 the image of the beast should be killed. 15:11 And he causeth all, both small and great, 15:13 rich and poor, free and bond, 15:15 to receive a mark in their right hand, 15:17 or in their foreheads, 15:19 and that no man might buy or sell, 15:20 save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, 15:22 or the number of his name." 15:24 Question. Which one takes place first? 15:29 The image of the beast, or the mark of the beast? 15:31 Ah, the image. 15:33 So notice, the image of the beast is set up first, 15:36 and the image of the beast is instrumental 15:39 in getting people to receive the mark of the beast. 15:42 Correct. 15:43 The three angels' messages, 15:44 specifically the third angel warns the people 15:46 not to receive the mark of the beast. 15:49 So if the third angel's message is gonna warn people, 15:51 not to receive the mark, then obviously these message 15:54 also should warn people about the things 15:57 that lead to receiving the mark. 15:58 Is that right? Right. 16:00 So watch this. 16:01 The image of the beast is set up 16:03 and then the image of the beast is used 16:05 to push people to receive the mark of the beast, 16:08 and whoever gets the mark of the beast 16:09 will receive the wrath of God. 16:12 Now if I love you, 16:13 I don't want you to receive that. 16:14 So I'm obviously going sound an alarm and warn you, right? 16:16 Yes. 16:18 Well, the Bible gives us a picture of how we can know 16:20 how these things are gonna be played out. 16:22 It's in Daniel 3. 16:24 In Daniel 3, the Bible shows something that prepare 16:28 the people to bow to the image of the beast 16:32 in the days of Daniel. 16:33 And I think we need to pay a good close attention 16:36 to this text of scripture. 16:38 So notice what the Bible says now as we look at Daniel 3, 16:42 and we certainly can't study all the verses, 16:43 but we're gonna take a look at a few verses here 16:45 just for context. 16:47 And here is what the Bible says. 16:48 We're looking at Daniel 3. 16:51 And now we've gonna go ahead and start at Daniel 3, 16:56 and let's go ahead and start at verse 1. 16:58 "Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, 17:02 whose height was threescore cubits, 17:04 and the breadth thereof six cubits: 17:05 He set it up in the plain of Dura, 17:07 in the province of Babylon." 17:09 Well, let's pause right here. 17:11 Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, right? 17:13 Yes. 17:15 In Daniel 2 if you look at verse 38, 17:17 Daniel was speaking to Nebuchadnezzar 17:20 and he said, "Thou art this head of gold." 17:22 Okay? 17:23 So Daniel was letting Nebuchadnezzar know 17:25 that you're at the head of gold, 17:26 you're this nation, this power, 17:28 so Nebuchadnezzar is now making an image of gold. 17:30 This is an image that's in dedication to himself, 17:33 but we would do to well to understand 17:35 what this image is that's being set up. 17:38 In order to do it successfully, 17:40 let's take a real quick look at Daniel 7. 17:42 Real quick. 17:43 Keep your finger on Daniel 3, and viewers you keep 17:45 your fingers on Daniel 3 as well, 17:47 and let's go to Daniel 7. 17:48 Just take a look real quick, and let's notice something 17:51 in Daniel 7. 17:53 In Daniel 7, Daniel had a vision of these beasts, 17:57 you know, all these beasts, he saw a lion, he saw a bear, 18:00 he saw a leopard, then he saw this beast that was so ugly, 18:02 he couldn't even associate it to any animal on earth. 18:05 Well, here it is that when you get to these visions 18:08 that Daniel saw, they were actually in harmony 18:12 with the same visions Daniel saw in Daniel 2. 18:14 You know, Daniel saw these elements, 18:16 now he is seeing beasts, 18:17 but they represent the same thing. 18:18 Well, here it is that in Daniel 7, 18:20 if you look at verse 24, 18:24 here is what, I am sorry verse 17 actually, 18:26 in verse 17, here's what the Bible says, 18:29 "These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, 18:34 which shall arise out of the earth." 18:37 And the first beast representing 18:39 none other than Babylon, 18:40 the second beast was Medo-Persia, 18:42 the third beast was Greece, 18:43 and the fourth beast was none other than Rome. 18:44 Okay, so when you think of Babylon, 18:47 can we associate it to a beast? 18:48 Yes. Yes. 18:50 Who was the king of Babylon? His name was? 18:51 Nebuchadnezzar. 18:53 All right, and Nebuchadnezzar, going back to Daniel 3 now, 18:55 let's look at it again in Daniel 3:1. 18:58 It says, "Nebuchadnezzar, the king, 18:59 made an image of gold, 19:02 whose height was threescore cubits 19:05 and the breadth thereof six cubits, 19:06 he set it up in the plain of Dura, 19:08 in the province of Babylon." 19:09 Nebuchadnezzar made an image that represented himself, 19:12 "Thou art the head of gold." 19:14 Babylon is also referred to as a beast, 19:17 so what Nebuchadnezzar was erecting 19:19 was an image of the beast. 19:21 Yes. You follow? 19:23 So notice this. 19:24 There is an image of the beast that's being set up. 19:25 The goal was to get everybody to bow down 19:28 to the image of the beast, 19:30 but let's notice what was instrumental 19:34 in playing a part to prepare the people to bow down 19:38 to the image of the beast. 19:40 Notice what it says in verse 2 and onward. 19:42 "Then Nebuchadnezzar, the king, sent to gather together 19:45 the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, 19:48 the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, 19:50 and all the rulers of the provinces, 19:52 to come to the dedication of the image 19:55 which Nebuchadnezzar the king, had set up." 19:56 So notice, he is trying to bring everybody 19:58 in from all over. 19:59 "Then the princes, the governors, and captains, 20:02 the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, 20:04 and all the rulers of the provinces, 20:06 were gathered together unto the dedication of the image 20:09 that Nebuchadnezzar the king, had set up and they stood 20:12 before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up." 20:15 Now watch verses 4 and 5. 20:17 "Then an herald cried aloud, 'To you it is commanded, 20:22 O people, nations, and languages, 20:25 that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, 20:30 harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, 20:34 and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship 20:39 the golden image 20:40 that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath setup. 20:43 And whoso falleth not down and worship shall the same hour 20:49 be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace."' 20:52 Notice, whoever did not bow down 20:55 to the image of the beast would be killed. 20:56 Yes. 20:58 The Bible said in Revelation 13, 20:59 whosoever would not take or acknowledge or pay homage 21:02 to the image of the beast should be killed. 21:05 What was it that medicated the mind of the people 21:08 and prepared their mind to bow down? 21:09 It was music, and the same way that Satan used music 21:16 to prepare the people's minds to bow down 21:18 to the image of the beast. 21:20 So it is that Satan is going to use music 21:22 to prepare people's minds to bow down 21:25 to the image of the beasts in these last days. 21:27 It is in this context that we can see that 21:30 hip-hop culture and hip-hop music 21:32 can play a role in preparing people 21:36 to bow down to the image of the beast shall be set up 21:40 because hip-hop culture is a culture of lawlessness. 21:44 Yes. We've studied that. 21:45 We've looked at that. 21:47 It's a culture that promotes and advocates 21:48 and makes look good sin. 21:51 It is for these reasons that God wanted us 21:53 to prophetically deal with this issue. 21:55 It is not that hip-hop solely is encased in prophecy, 21:59 but it fits as one of the tools that the devil will use 22:03 in Bible prophecy to prepare the people 22:06 to turn their backs on God 22:07 and to bow down to the image of the beast. 22:10 So what we are not saying 22:11 is that hip-hop is the image of the beast. 22:14 Definitely not. 22:15 But it does play a role and is going to continue 22:17 to play role as we near the close. 22:19 That's right. 22:20 And we've to understand as we associated 22:22 all these things historically that hip-hop is not isolated. 22:25 It's not something, you know, any secular music, 22:30 whether it's hip-hop, or whether it's jazz, 22:32 or whether it's rock 'n' roll, or whether, whatever it is 22:34 Even classical. 22:35 Classical, if it is not holding up to the standard 22:39 that God outlines, and if it is exalting 22:42 the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, 22:44 the pride of life, 22:45 if it is exalting self or exalting anything above God, 22:49 it is going to be used as a medium, 22:54 it is going to be used as a tool as you stated, 22:57 to gather people from every nation 22:59 because, you know, there are so many statements, 23:02 and we don't have time to put up these video clips, 23:05 but people can go out and research, 23:07 that principle of unity that exists in hip-hop culture. 23:10 There is a belief that hip-hop culture rising up 23:16 was a divine institution that was brought 23:18 about cosmically to bring this universal unity, 23:24 this idea of out of many one university, 23:27 and so they look at it as a solution 23:30 to the world's problems where, you know, 23:33 hip-hop is the only place where you can have people 23:35 from every nation, kindred, ethnicity, 23:37 people, tongue come together 23:39 in an environment of nonviolence 23:42 and sharing this expression and all this, 23:44 so they see it as something more than it is, however, 23:47 there is a little bit of truth to what they are saying 23:49 because it is going to feed in, 23:51 and it is going to be used as a tool, 23:53 to gather together people from every nation, kindred, 23:55 tongue, and people to instead of worshipping the true God, 24:00 they're going to be worshipping the beast and his image. 24:02 That's right. 24:04 And it's because of this that we need the call. 24:06 You see in the three angels' messages, 24:08 you don't just see warnings, but you see a call. 24:10 There is an institute called Babylon, 24:12 that people need to come out of 24:14 because it's a place of confusion. 24:15 When I looked at all these several churches 24:17 that were up there, 24:19 and they are actually from the leadership, 24:21 from the heads of the church, encouraging people 24:23 to participate in a culture and in a form of music 24:27 and lifestyle that is totally adverse 24:30 to the Word of God. 24:31 This clearly is something that can be applicable 24:33 to the idea of Babylon, a place of confusion, 24:36 where there is not the truth being lifted up, 24:38 but it is the points and the characteristics 24:40 and even the very music 24:42 that is inspired of satanic origin. 24:44 It's for these reasons that that second angel's message 24:47 has to be given with the clarion cry 24:49 to let the people know come out of that, 24:50 you got to come out of that confusion, 24:52 but you have to enter into a place, a remnant, 24:55 a church, an environment, a group and body of people, 24:58 that are preaching the truth as it is in Jesus, 25:01 and letting the Word of God get the final say 25:03 rather than our own feelings. 25:04 And this is why the call of the third angel, 25:07 here is the patience of the saints, 25:09 here are they that keep the commandments of God 25:13 and the faith of Jesus. 25:15 Well, the commandments of the God is clear. 25:17 We've been looking all throughout the Bible 25:18 and we see the sin problem started 25:20 when mankind violated the very commandments of God, 25:23 the Ten Commandments, and when that was violated, 25:26 this is how sin came into the world, 25:28 and it is only those who are empowered 25:30 through the indwelling Christ 25:32 that as they keep God's commandments, 25:34 they can get sin out of this world, 25:36 out of their lives, 25:38 and they can be reunited with the Lord. 25:40 But they need something called the faith of Jesus, 25:42 and the question is what is it? 25:44 And it says in Galatians 2:16 "Knowing that a man 25:48 is not justified by the works of the law, 25:50 but by the faith of Jesus Christ, 25:53 even we have believed in Jesus Christ, 25:55 that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, 25:58 and not by the works of the law: 26:00 for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." 26:03 God wants to make it clear, it is not our understanding 26:07 of right doing that can make us right. 26:09 We are saved by grace through faith. 26:11 But what happens when a man and when a woman is saved 26:14 by grace through faith? 26:16 The Bible goes on to tell us in Ephesians 2, 26:18 "Unto good works." 26:20 So it is not that I work to merit salvation, 26:23 which is the false theology. 26:25 The true theology is, is that I recognize 26:28 there is something that I need 26:30 that I can't do in and of myself, 26:31 that only God can do in me, for me, and through me. 26:35 And it is through this concept that when I receive 26:38 Christ my righteousness, I can be justified, 26:41 and I can be empowered now to live a sanctified life, 26:44 the holy life that Christ Himself lived. 26:46 And this is what is available to you, 26:48 to me and to our viewers, 26:51 My brothers and my sisters, my hope and my prayer is that 26:54 we will take heed, that you will study 26:56 those blessed heralds of the first, second, 26:58 and third angel's message. 26:59 That you will look at it carefully, 27:01 decode the symbols and understand 27:03 what God requires of us and may our lives be found 27:06 to be in harmony with these truths. 27:09 Because the gospel that is not practical 27:12 is a worthless gospel. 27:14 You don't want lip service, the world is filled with that. 27:17 What we want is power, real power, gospel power, 27:21 the kind of power that ultimately brings salvation 27:23 as the Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:16, 27:26 "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, 27:28 for it is the power of God unto salvation." 27:32 And with Jesus, you can have victory over anything 27:35 that is holding you down. 27:37 You can have victory over the most debasing sins, 27:40 and God can do it because it's no longer 27:42 you seeking to do it of yourself, 27:44 but now it is Christ in you. 27:46 The hope of glory that it not only bids you, 27:48 but he also enables you to do it 27:51 whatever he has called you to do. 27:52 My hope and my prayer is that you will find the blessings 27:55 that the Lord has given unto us today 27:56 through deeper study and prayer. 27:58 And until the next time we meet, 28:00 remember Proverbs 2:6 that says, 28:02 "It is the Lord that gives wisdom, 28:04 and out of His mouth comes knowledge 28:06 and understanding." 28:07 God bless you. |
Revised 2017-08-03