Participants:
Series Code: WHO
Program Code: WHO200022S
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00:01 [intro music]
00:27 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Worship Hour. 00:29 We are glad that you have decided to join 00:31 us for this hour of Bible study. This hour, 00:34 where we dig into God's Word, and we are going 00:37 to ask Him to bless each and every one 00:40 of us. Many of you may be joining via the internet 00:43 on some of the platforms. Praise the Lord. We 00:47 encourage you to leave your comments or contact 00:49 3ABN about the message you will hear. And, of 00:53 course, I invite you to pray for me, and 00:56 we are going to pray and ask God to bless 00:57 each and every one of us. We all face trials 00:59 and difficulties, and we are in a war between 01:02 good and evil-and we need the Lord. So, 01:06 let's go to Lord in prayer right now and ask for 01:08 His blessing. Our loving Heavenly Father, we do 01:15 thank You for Your kindness and mercy to us. We thank 01:18 You that the door of mercy is still open. We 01:21 call upon You to bless each and every one that 01:24 is sincerely looking for a message of hope- 01:29 a message that will help them during this 01:31 time that we are living in. So Lord, we pray 01:34 and ask for Your Holy Spirit to be poured out. 01:37 I put myself aside, Lord, and ask You to 01:40 take over. I ask that every word will come 01:43 from Your throne of grace. I ask that You will pour 01:46 out Your Holy Spirit, not only upon me but 01:49 upon those that need to understand the message 01:53 You have for them. We ask You, Lord, for a 01:55 message and a blessing for all, and we ask for 01:58 this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus 02:01 Christ. Amen. Amen. The title of the message 02:06 is, "A Question of Life and Death". In looking 02:12 for, perhaps, a subtitle, you may want to call 02:16 it, "Are you a candidate for the mark of the beast?" 02:20 We are going to be looking at several 02:23 chapters in the book of Revelation. Revelation 02:25 12, 13, and 14, and so I encourage you to write 02:29 information down to continue studying this 02:32 topic. Let's go to Revelation 13:15-17. 02:37 [reads text on-screen] 03:15 So, this is a passage of Scripture that, for 03:22 people, has been a source of study for many, many 03:25 years. As you read these scriptures, many 03:30 people have come up with theories as to what 666 03:32 is, and all these types of things... We're not 03:34 gonna look at 666 during this Bible study. But I 03:37 want you to look at this question that we 03:40 have for you right now, because everyone will 03:42 have to ask themselves this question: "What will 03:45 I decide?" Here is the question for you: 03:48 Are you a candidate for the mark of the beast? 03:53 Are you a candidate for the mark of the beast? 03:57 And so, everyone has to make a decision in 04:02 this great challenge between good and 04:05 evil. And so, I want you to consider prayerfully 04:10 everything that we're going to be looking at 04:12 so that you can make the best decision possible. 04:17 I can tell you right from this moment that the 04:19 best decision is for you to follow Jesus- 04:23 for you to follow Jesus. Let's go to Revelation 04:26 chapter 12. In Revelation chapter 12, I'll begin 04:29 reading in verse 1. [reads text on-screen] 05:00 Now, here we see a passage of Scripture 05:03 that, perhaps some people may wonder, "What does all 05:06 this mean?" This is symbolism. To help 05:11 us understand something in the Bible, keep following 05:13 along, and you will see some of these 05:16 things clearing up for you. I cannot go through each 05:20 and every detail of this, because we have limited 05:22 time together. But this woman that is clothed 05:26 with the sun becomes a symbol, not only of 05:29 Mary, but also of the Church. And when you 05:33 talk about, "clothed with the sun," clothed 05:36 with the Sun of Righteousness, S - U - N of Righteousness, 05:40 that's clothed with Jesus Christ. Now, 05:43 notice that it says, "Being with child, she 05:46 cried out in labor and in pain to give birth." 05:49 Now notice what happens as we continue reading 05:52 in Revelation chapter 4, verses 4 and 5. 05:55 This is what the Bible says. [reads text on-screen] 06:24 Now, looking at this scripture, of course, 06:26 you began to see that, "Wait a minute, this 06:28 must be Jesus that it's talking about here!" 06:31 And yes. Satan works through people, and 06:34 he worked through Herod to try to destroy the 06:37 Child Jesus. So it says here, "And the dragon"- 06:40 because the dragon was behind the work of trying 06:44 to destroy Jesus when He was a child, and I want 06:47 you to know that God is in control. So the 06:51 Lord helped Jesus during the time He was a helpless 06:54 babe! So, He instructed Joseph and Mary that 06:59 they should leave so that Jesus would not 07:02 be killed, according to what we see in the 07:04 book of Matthew, and you can see this very 07:07 clearly. Just begin to read in Matthew chapter 07:09 1, and you'll see all this information very 07:11 clearly. Now let's go to Revelation chapter 07:13 12:7. Like I said, I can't spend much time 07:18 in detail about these things, because we 07:19 have to reach a certain point in this, because 07:22 we want to know the issues of the great 07:25 controversy between good and evil. We are 07:27 talking about the great controversy between good 07:29 and evil. Revelation chapter 12:7-8. The Bible says, 07:33 [reads text on-screen] 07:51 This scripture tells us that this war that 07:54 broke out in heaven broke out in such a 07:57 way, and the angels and Satan - he was 08:02 able to convince a third of the angels to join 08:06 him in his rebellion. These angels lost their 08:10 place in heaven. Now, when you read Job chapter 08:13 1, you can see that, apparently, Satan was 08:16 able to come and visit. He was able to come and 08:20 visit, but not to stay. Likewise, like you see 08:25 him visiting in heaven, when he was cast out 08:28 of heaven there was a time that he could 08:31 visit other places, and he came to visit this 08:34 earth. I want you to understand something 08:37 as we continue reading, because some people 08:39 read Revelation 12 and they think, "Oh, no! 08:42 God cast the devil right to the earth when He 08:45 cast him out of heaven!" It was not that way. 08:48 He was first cast out of heaven after he 08:51 deceived Adam and Eve, then he could be cast 08:55 down to the earth, because God is love; 08:58 He's not willing that any should perish. 09:00 And He, like you read in the book of Jeremiah, 09:03 He has thoughts of peace and hope for us. 09:06 He wouldn't send the devil down here to do 09:09 us harm without first Adam and Eve falling 09:12 into sin. Let's continue reading, then, in Revelation 09:16 chapter 12...and verse 9. [reads text on-screen] 09:38 So you see here, the context of Satan being 09:43 cast down to the earth is in the context of 09:47 deceiving the world. The world at that time 09:49 was Adam and Eve. In the context of deceiving 09:54 Adam and Eve, he is cast down to the earth. 09:57 Then, he could stay. He could set up tent 10:00 here; he could set up his headquarters here. 10:02 And that's why when you read in the book of 10:03 Job chapter 1, God asks him, "Where are you 10:06 coming from?" He says, "From going to and fro 10:08 on the earth," showing that he has a place 10:11 here. He belongs here because he overcame. 10:15 The Bible plainly says that of whom you 10:17 overcome- you become a slave by whom you 10:21 are overcome. Let's move quickly to Revelation 10:24 chapter 12, and we're going to read Revelation 10:26 12, verses 10 through 12. Revelation 12:10-12. 10:32 [reads text on-screen] 11:14 So we see here in this scripture a message for 11:17 us. Now notice that it's in the context of 11:19 Jesus dying on the cross. That's why it 11:22 says, "Now, salvation and strength and the 11:25 kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ 11:27 have come." Why? Because prior to Jesus dying on 11:31 the cross, the promise of salvation was based 11:35 on a promise. The fact of giving new salvation 11:39 was based on the promise of Jesus dying on the 11:42 cross! When Jesus dies on the cross, now comes 11:44 salvation. And then it says, "The accuser 11:47 of our brethren is cast down." That's a decisive 11:51 determining time, when Satan can no longer 11:54 start going around visiting other places-not even 11:57 going to heaven. He was cast down and 12:00 limited to this earth. We don't have much 12:03 time to talk about that. Let's continue. But 12:06 notice that he says that he has great 12:08 wrath, and he has a short time! So, what 12:11 is he going to do now? The Bible reveals what 12:15 he does next in Revelation chapter 12, verse 13-16. 12:20 [reads text on-screen] 13:03 Notice how this scripture tells us of the experience 13:08 of the great dragon that went after the woman. 13:12 Notice that the woman is carried away into 13:14 the wilderness from the face of the serpent. 13:17 In other words, God protected her, no 13:21 longer to be harassed by him to the degree 13:24 that he was persecuting her. Notice that it says- 13:29 it starts with the dragon, but then it 13:31 uses the word 'serpent', because he was bringing 13:35 in the deception of water as a flood. 13:38 Doctrines coming to the woman to deceive 13:43 her-with the doctrines. But the Lord protected 13:46 her from these evil influences that were 13:49 coming upon her. And the woman, the church, 13:52 the people, the members of the church, fled to 13:55 the wilderness to avoid the persecution. In the 14:00 wilderness, God protected His people. Time, times, 14:04 and half a time. This is equal to 1,260 years. 14:09 We don't have time to dedicate to all this, 14:13 but this is time repeated in Daniel and repeated in 14:16 Revelation three times. This is equal to 1,260 14:19 years. This time from 538 A.D. to 1798-during 14:26 this time-the woman, the true church, the 14:29 true followers of Christ, were hidden. They were 14:32 not visible; they were in the wilderness, and 14:35 they would come to the town not to live there, 14:38 but to spread the gospel to others, and then retreat 14:41 back to the wilderness. During those 1,260 14:47 years, the visible church was not the 14:51 true followers of Christ, but a church that departed 14:55 from the faith once delivered to the saints, 14:58 and brought in paganism and other things into 15:02 the church. Why? Because a lot of deception by 15:06 Satan came in, and the visible church was 15:10 spreading deception. Now, let's continue 15:15 by reading from a book called Evangelism by 15:18 Ellen G. White, page 589. Notice what it says: 15:24 [reads text on-screen] 16:46 ...from Evangelism page 589. So, we see here 16:52 that Satan brings in lies and deception and 16:57 tries to deceive the Christian faith. Why? 17:01 Because he wants to destroy! He wants to 17:04 cause confusion! He wants to lead people astray. 17:09 Let's go to Revelation chapter 12, verse 17, 17:14 to end this chapter-and this is what the Bible says. 17:17 [reads text on-screen] 17:25 (This is New King James I'm reading.) The King James says, 17:27 "The remnant of her seed who keep the 17:31 commandments of God and have the testimony 17:35 of Jesus Christ." I wish we had time to 17:38 dig more into this particular verse 17:40 [where we] could spent the rest of the time 17:42 talking about just this verse. But notice that 17:45 the dragon that's enraged with the woman went to 17:50 make war with her. And so, I bring to you 17:54 this question that will be going on the screen, 17:57 and those that are listening by radio can 18:00 listen to the question. It says, "Who is the 18:03 devil making war with?" Who is the devil making 18:07 war with? Revelation chapter 12, verse 17- 18:12 notice again. "And the dragon was enraged with 18:17 the woman," that's the church, "and he went to 18:20 make war with the rest of her offspring." Who are 18:25 they? Those "who keep the commandments of 18:28 God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." This is 18:33 a very revealing scripture, because it tells us 18:36 who the devil is after. He's after those that 18:40 choose to be faithful to God. He's after those 18:43 that want to follow the Lord with all of his 18:45 heart. The devil is after those who choose 18:49 to keep the commandments of God-all the commandments 18:53 of God. And in Exodus chapter 20 from beginning 18:58 in verse 1, you see the Ten Commandments 19:02 of God. The devil doesn't want you to keep the 19:05 Ten Commandments of God, because the Ten 19:07 Commandments of God are a transcript of His 19:11 character. They reveal [what] God is like, and 19:13 God wants you to love Him with all of your 19:16 heart, and He wants you and I to also love 19:19 our neighbor as ourselves. This is what the Ten 19:22 Commandments are about. This is the way God's 19:24 universe runs! Loving God and loving His 19:29 other created beings- and loving His creatures, 19:33 as well. I encourage you to consider God's 19:37 Ten Commandments. The Bible identifies who 19:41 His followers are. You can read Revelation 19:44 chapter 12. We just read verse 17; it has 19:47 the characteristics of those who follow 19:49 God. They keep the commandments of God 19:51 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Now, 19:53 somebody may say, "Wait a minute, now. We can't 19:57 keep the commandments of God! We just can't 20:00 do it." And I agree with you! It is plainly 20:05 taught in the Bible Jesus Himself said, 20:07 "Without Me, you can do nothing," in John 20:10 chapter 15. But the opposite of that is 20:14 true. With Jesus, all things are possible. 20:17 This is why you hear the apostle Paul saying 20:20 in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things 20:23 through Christ who strengthens me." And 20:27 my brother and sister, with Jesus, all things 20:30 are possible. There are stories after stories, 20:33 testimony after testimony, people that have been 20:37 in wicked practices, God delivered them 20:41 and God gave them victory. You have 20:45 millions of people that can tell you throughout 20:47 history, "Oh, yes! I can keep God's commandments, 20:50 because He gives me the power to do so." 20:55 Now, please remember that we talked about 20:58 1,260 years. We talked about time, times, and 21:01 half a time. This is 1,260 years. During 21:06 that time, the visible church united with 21:09 civil powers and became corrupt. They departed 21:12 from the faith that was delivered to the 21:13 saints. The Bible calls the visible church-that 21:18 people saw-Babylon. This is what we're 21:22 gonna look into now as we continue reading. 21:25 Let's go first to 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 1 and 2. 21:29 2 Timothy 4:1-2. [reads text on-screen] 21:56 So, we see here that the Bible reveals that 21:58 some will depart from the faith, giving heed to 22:03 seducing spirits. That's the devil working behind 22:07 the scenes, deceiving people [to come] to 22:11 erroneous conclusions, and not only doing this 22:15 but teaching these things to others. As 22:20 we continue reading in the Bible, we are going 22:22 to bring to you that which the world has 22:26 wondered about for years. We have only 22:29 a brief time to talk about it. We go now 22:31 to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verses 3 22:35 and 4. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4. 22:39 The Bible says... [reads text on-screen] 23:10 What great deception the devil can bring to 23:14 people that a human being can sit in a temple, 23:18 and he is worshiped as God. A terrible 23:22 deception-but notice that the apostle Paul 23:26 begins, "Let no one deceive you." And 23:30 brothers and sisters, Jesus warned us about 23:32 being deceived in Matthew chapter 24! He warned 23:37 over and over again that false apostles and 23:40 false christs would come and would deceive 23:43 many! And as a matter of fact, Jesus says that 23:46 some would work miracles. So, miracles are not a 23:51 criteria by which you determine about what 23:54 is true. So, I encourage you to also consider 23:58 what we're going to read, because in Revelation 13, 24:02 it says that this beast power can do wonders 24:06 and deceive many. Let's continue in 2 Thessalonians 24:11 chapter 2. We're gonna read verse 9 and 10. 24:16 It says... [reads text on-screen] 24:38 Brothers and sisters, friends, we see [in] 24:41 the scriptures that these people are deceived 24:43 because they did not receive the love of 24:46 the truth. God presents to them the truth; God 24:50 shows them the truth, but they prefer the lie. 24:53 The lie is more appealing to them. So, the devil, 24:57 the lawless one, works wonders, works deceptions, 25:01 and these people are captivated by these 25:03 things, because they don't prefer the truth. 25:07 They don't love the truth; they prefer 25:08 the deception, and they go, following the 25:11 devil. They say, "Ooh, it's more fun. It's more 25:14 entertaining. We enjoy this better than that." 25:18 They are deceived. Satan has them in 25:20 his grasp and uses them to do his bidding, and 25:26 that's what we are facing today as the 25:28 great controversy between good and evil 25:31 grows-expands. The Bible says in Revelation 25:38 13 that the whole world will have to decide 25:42 between God and Satan. Let's go into Revelation 25:47 13. Unfortunately, we cannot read the 25:50 whole chapter. In Revelation 13 beginning 25:53 in verse 1... [reads text on-screen] 26:10 So we see in Revelation chapter 13:1 that we're 26:13 talking about a beast power that is blasphemous, 26:18 claims to be God- you remember that Jesus 26:20 Christ, when He was talking to the scribes 26:22 and Pharisees, He says, "You speak blasphemy, 26:25 because you being a man make yourself God!" 26:29 And this beast makes claims- even makes 26:33 claim of being God. We don't have time 26:35 to show all these details, but there 26:37 are historical declarations that say that the Roman 26:41 Catholic Church even says that they are 26:43 God on earth! A declaration that is blasphemous. 26:50 Let's continue in Revelation 13, verses 26:52 6 through 8. This is what the Bible says. 26:56 [reads text on-screen] 27:32 You see, the Bible tells us that the beast- 27:38 that Satan-desires worship. But the Bible 27:41 also tells us that God is asking for our 27:44 worship. And so, the question is whom will 27:49 you choose? Will you choose God, or will 27:52 you choose the beast- will you choose the 27:54 devil who opposes and exalts himself above 27:59 that is called God? Or through his representatives, 28:02 they say that he, as God, sits in the temple 28:04 of God! This is what the Bible says. We 28:06 will have to make a choice. It's a question 28:09 of life and death. Who will you serve? In 28:14 Revelation chapter 13, beginning in verse 11- 28:20 13:11-through 14. This is what the Bible says. 28:26 [reads text on-screen] 29:10 These scriptures tell us about another power 29:14 that comes, as it says here, out of the earth- 29:17 like a lamb! This is a picture of the United 29:20 States of America that rose and grew like a 29:24 mighty giant, unlike any other nation in 29:28 the sense that other nations became great 29:31 by conquering and defeating other nations. 29:35 And the next thing, those other nations, 29:37 the United States, became a mighty nation 29:40 like a little seed grew to a huge empire, 29:45 if you wanna call it, without all these wars. 29:51 It purchased- you may remember the Louisiana 29:53 Purchase. It purchased land and became a mighty 29:57 nation. But this nation that is as a lamb 30:02 eventually speaks as a dragon. This is what 30:04 the Bible says, "And causes all to worship 30:09 the first beast." A terrible thing that 30:13 will take place in the United States of 30:15 America. This is a question of life and 30:18 death. What will you choose? Life in God, 30:25 or death by following the beast and his image? 30:29 Let's continue in Matthew chapter 24, 30:32 verse 24 and 25. Jesus says... [reads text on-screen] 30:50 So, in this scripture, Jesus talks to us about 30:54 beasts and false christs and false prophets, showing 30:58 great signs and wonders. Notice that it says to 31:01 deceive if possible the very elect. The deceptions 31:03 will be so great to deceive, if possible, the 31:08 very elect. So, we must be students of God's 31:11 Word, we must read the scriptures and ask 31:14 God to help us understand them, so when these 31:17 deceptions come to us, we will understand that 31:21 they are deceptions, that they are not the 31:23 truth. And I encourage you to read the scriptures, 31:26 asking God to help you understand them, because 31:29 the Bible tells us that God is willing to lead 31:33 us into all truth. Let's go quickly to Revelation 31:38 chapter 13, verses 15 through 18. This is what the Bible says. 31:44 [reads text on-screen] 32:25 666. Now, we see here that great deceptions 32:33 come, and worship is again brought to us. 32:37 If you don't worship, you will be in serious 32:42 trouble, according to this. The Bible says 32:45 that if you don't receive the mark, you cannot 32:49 buy or sell. This is coming right upon us! 32:51 And you can see today, in these times that we 32:54 live in, that the mechanism to control buying and 32:58 selling is already in place. Many people use these... 33:01 [shwoop]...debit cards, credit cards, to pay for 33:05 things. These things were in place. If you 33:08 talk about 100 years ago, it was not as easy 33:11 to control buying and selling. Today, you 33:14 can go to the store, and if a message is 33:18 sent by the bank or the government that 33:20 says, "Don't allow that credit card to process 33:24 and retrieve funds from the account," your 33:28 account can be frozen instantaneously. In fact, 33:31 one of the cards I have says that I can 33:33 just go in there and freeze my card so that 33:35 I cannot even buy or sell! This scripture 33:40 tells us that we are living in a time foretold 33:45 hundreds of years before, but now the mechanism 33:48 is there to control buying and selling. 33:50 I'm sure that many that are listening to me right 33:52 now have gone to the store and put a little 33:56 card in, [and] for some reason, it didn't go through. 33:58 "Can you please try again?" I remember being in 34:00 Chicago, and we didn't have any coins, and 34:04 these machines, to park in the street, 34:07 all they took were cards! So I began to swipe 34:11 the card. We were going from one place to another 34:12 because we were recording some things, and some 34:15 places, we were there 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 34:17 and we parked in several places and had to keep 34:19 swiping the card. By the time it was like 34:21 the fourth or fifth time, when I tried 34:23 it, it would not work. I had to call the bank! 34:28 They said, "We saw some activity that was suspicious, 34:33 so we put a hold on your card." That's 34:36 what they called it: "We put a hold on 34:37 your card." I could not buy during that 34:39 time, because they were controlling me. 34:44 The mechanism is there to control buying and 34:47 selling. And according to the scripture, he 34:53 who does not have the mark 666 will not be 34:57 able to buy or sell. Now, there are many theories 34:59 about what 666 is; like I said we don't have time 35:02 to go into this. The other day, I heard 35:04 some people say that the coronavirus is 666. 35:08 That is a complete mistake. You have to 35:11 look at all the characteristics of the beast in order 35:14 for you to put all these together. It's not just 35:16 one thing that will identify the beast; 35:19 you have to find all the characteristics. 35:20 The only one that matches all the characteristics- 35:24 we don't have time to detail all of this; it 35:25 has been done in many other programs here on 35:27 3ABN-is the Roman Catholic Church, the 35:31 system. Now, let's continue reading, 35:34 because time is escaping from us. In Luke chapter 35:41 4, verses 6 through 8, the Bible says... 35:46 [reads text on-screen] 36:16 You may remember this temptation in the book 36:19 of Luke where the devil took Jesus to a high 36:21 mountain, showing Him all the kingdoms of 36:24 the world, and said, "All this," like we just 36:26 read, "I can give you if you will worship me." 36:29 Satan is seeking worship. Through the beast, he 36:33 is seeking worship. The Bible says the 36:36 only One we shall serve and worship is God. Let's 36:41 move quickly. Revelation 14:6-7. Revelation 14:6-7, 36:50 and this is what the Bible says. [reads text on-screen] 37:19 This is Revelation; this is the first angel. 37:21 There are three angels that have a message for 37:23 us living in the end time, the time of 37:26 the end. Notice this first angel states 37:30 that the hour of God's judgment has come and 37:33 that we should worship Him who made the heaven 37:36 and the earth. You see, our Creator, God, 37:40 Jehovah, Yahweh, however it is that you pronounce 37:43 it, the pronunciation has been lost, He's 37:49 the only one worthy of worship. He's the only 37:53 one worthy of our praise. The Bible says that we 37:58 should worship Him who made the heaven and 38:00 the earth, identifying the Creator. Now, when 38:02 you look at the Ten Commandments, remember 38:05 that the devil is after those who keep the 38:07 commandments of God. When you look at the 38:09 Ten Commandments, there is one commandment that 38:12 identifies the Creator. You can go down the 38:15 list of all ten commandments. One commandment identifies 38:18 the Creator. This commandment, the fourth 38:21 commandment, registered in Exodus chapter 20:8-11, 38:26 this is the commandment that people want to 38:28 cut out and put something else there. Now, most 38:38 people, most religious groups, instead of doing 38:41 according to what it says in Exodus chapter 38:43 20:8-11 that says, "Remember the Sabbath 38:46 day to keep it holy," a substitution has been 38:50 made. Now, people believe that it is Sunday instead 38:55 of Saturday! This is one of the sneaky 38:58 ways that the devil has brought in to 39:01 deceive people. I encourage you to look 39:05 at the Bible, because God wants us to understand 39:12 that the message that we live in this time, 39:15 there's gonna be a great controversy-there IS 39:17 a great controversy between good and evil- 39:18 but the issues are there for us to face. 39:22 And soon, very soon, you will have to make 39:25 a decision. Be faithful to God and all Ten 39:27 Commandments, the commandments of God, 39:30 or the commandments of men. The commandments 39:32 of men- they have modified the Ten Commandments. 39:37 We should look at the Bible. Exodus chapter 20, 39:40 verses 1-17. All the Ten Commandments 39:45 are registered there. Now, let's go quickly 39:47 to Daniel chapter 7 verse 25. This was 39:50 prophesied. In Daniel chapter 7 verse 25, 39:52 the Bible says... [reads on-screen text] 40:11 Once again, we see here the time, times, and 40:15 half a time. 1,260 years. Daniel and 40:18 Revelation complement one another. This is the 40:21 1,260 years. It says that this power, the 40:27 little horn which is the same as the beast power 40:30 in Revelation 13, the Roman Catholic system 40:35 speaks pompous words against the Most High 40:39 and persecutes the saints of the Most High. 40:41 History has revealed that this has happened, 40:43 and the prophecies tell us that it will happen 40:46 again. Persecution will come, and we have to 40:51 be aware that these things are going to take 40:54 place. Notice that it says, "...shall think to 40:57 change times and law." When you look at the 40:59 Ten Commandments, the fourth commandment 41:02 speaks of time. God says, "Remember the Sabbath 41:06 day to keep it holy." This is a reference of 41:09 time. The fourth commandment identifies God as our 41:13 Creator. Notice these powerful words in Ezekiel 41:19 chapter 20, verse 12. Ezekiel 20:12. The Bible 41:23 says... [reads text on-screen] 41:36 In Ezekiel chapter 20:12, the Bible calls that- 41:40 God's speaking really says that the Sabbath 41:42 is a sign between Him and us, His people! 41:47 And this is the one that people want to 41:48 do away with! A very dangerous thing. Now, 41:53 I want to read to you from a book called 41:55 History of the Sabbath, page 510 by J. N. Andrews. 42:00 History of the Sabbath, page 510. [reads on-screen text] 42:55 So, my friend, this commandment identifies 42:59 the Creator, and the Creator is who we 43:02 should worship, and no other. I keep reading 43:06 now from Great Controversy, page 437. Complementing 43:12 this that I just read, notice concerning the 43:15 fourth commandment how this book helps us to 43:18 understand what would've happened if everyone 43:20 kept the Ten Commandments, including the fourth 43:25 commandment. [reads text on-screen] 44:26 This is a message that the world needs to hear. 44:29 It is a message that brings a question of 44:32 life and death. What will you do? Let's move 44:35 quickly to Revelation chapter 14 and verse 8. 44:39 The second angel. [reads text on-screen] 44:50 This power, Babylon, not only... Well. 44:56 It tends to do the same thing that God wants 44:59 to do. God wants to bring the message of 45:01 salvation to every kindred, tongue, and 45:04 people. Babylon-Satan working through Babylon- 45:09 tries to bring their message to the whole 45:11 world, as well, and makes all nations 45:15 drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 45:18 In other words, practically every nation under heaven 45:21 has taken in the deceptions that Satan has brought 45:25 to them through this power. The time comes 45:29 when God makes a declaration that Babylon is fallen. 45:32 That time is not yet, but soon will be. 45:36 Notice then as we continue reading in Revelation 14:9-11. 45:42 Quickly, Revelation 14:9-11. This is what 45:45 the Bible says. [reads text on-screen] 46:21 So we see here in the scriptures revealed to 46:24 us... "Now, I'm speaking," this third angel, "about 46:28 the people! A warning, that whoever received 46:31 this mark in their right hand or in their forehead 46:35 will have to experience the wrath of God, poured 46:40 out without mixture." In other words, God 46:42 has been merciful, and all of His judgments 46:48 and punishments have been mingled with mercy. 46:51 But this is unmingled with mercy! And this 46:55 angel talks to us about the horrible things that 47:00 will happen to those that receive the mark. 47:03 Notice that it says "in the forehead." 47:05 What do you do- what's in your forehead? 47:07 Your brain. It's the thought processes' 47:10 center. This is where you make your decision. 47:13 What about your right hand? Your right hand 47:15 is power; your right hand is going along 47:17 with things. "Well, I'll go along with it." 47:20 And see, there are some people that will receive 47:22 the mark of the beast; they'll think about this 47:24 and they say, "Oh, well, yes! I'm gonna do this. 47:26 This makes sense to me. I like this." They are 47:31 deceived because they don't love the truth. 47:33 They are deceived, and they follow this! They 47:36 receive the mark because of this. And other people: 47:38 "Well, if I don't do this thing, then I can't 47:41 buy or sell!" Because of convenience, they 47:45 go along with it. They follow because of convenience. 47:49 No dedication to God, no love for God, and 47:51 they follow the beast and receive the mark. 47:57 Notice the difference between the mark of 48:01 the beast and where it's placed and the seal 48:05 of God. In Revelation chapter 7, verse 2 and 3- 48:09 Revelation 7:2-3... [reads text on-screen] 48:32 Praise the Lord. Notice that there's no mention 48:34 of the right hand or the left hand. Only 48:37 in the forehead is the seal of God placed, 48:40 because God wants you to make a decision based on thought, a 48:47 decision based on intellectual consideration, a decision based 48:50 on your heart responding and your brain looking 48:54 at this and saying, "Yes! This is what I 48:56 want to do." You are not forced; you make 49:01 a personal decision, and that is what God 49:05 wants for you. Because only those that worship 49:07 God in spirit and in truth... That is the 49:11 worship that will be accepted. Revelation 49:14 chapter 14 and verse 12. This is what the 49:18 Bible tells us in Revelation 14:12. 49:20 [reads text on-screen] 49:30 Notice, now, that as we have been talking 49:33 about Revelation 12, Revelation 13, that 49:37 there is a contrast 49:39 made between those who worship the 49:42 beast and those who worship God. Those who 49:46 worship God, it says here, "Here's the patience 49:49 of the saints. Here are those who keep the 49:51 commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." 49:54 Making a contrast between those that receive the 49:57 mark of the beast. Those that receive the mark of 50:00 the beast do not choose to keep the commandments 50:03 of God; they choose to keep the commandments 50:05 of men. That's why they follow the beast! 50:14 Jesus tells us, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 50:21 "If you love Me"... The reason these people 50:25 that we read about in Revelation 14:12 and 50:28 in Revelation 12:17, they keep the commandments 50:31 of God, it's because they love God and 50:33 they want to please God, and they want to love 50:36 their neighbor as themselves. God gives 50:38 them the power to keep His commandments. And 50:43 while brother Tim Parton plays, I want you to 50:46 consider Revelation 15:10, and then brother Tim 50:51 will sing a song for you to consider the 50:54 message you have heard and consider God's 50:56 invitation to you. The Bible tells us... [text on-screen] 51:13 My brother and my sister, my friend, if you keep 51:16 God's commandment, you will abide in God's love. 51:21 This is what Jesus did. He kept His Father's 51:22 commandments, and I encourage you to do 51:25 that, as well. Let's listen as Tim sings, 51:30 "I Surrender All". 51:33 All to Jesus I surrender 51:41 All to Thee I freely give 51:49 I will ever love and trust Him 51:57 In His presence daily live 52:08 I surrender all 52:15 I surrender all 52:24 All to Thee, my blessed Savior 52:32 I surrender all 52:42 All to Jesus, I surrender 52:50 Make me, Savior, wholly Thine 52:57 Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit 53:04 Truly know that Thou art mine 53:17 All to Jesus, I surrender 53:24 Lord I give myself to Thee 53:32 Fill me with Thy love and power 53:39 Let Thy blessings fall on me 53:47 I surrender all 53:55 I surrender all 54:03 All to Thee, my blessed Savior 54:12 I surrender all 54:20 I surrender all 54:33 Amen. Amen. Thank you, brother Tim Parton. 54:36 I hope that you, too, like me, would choose- 54:43 and even brother Tim Parton as he sang- 54:45 choose to surrender all. God is making a call 54:50 upon us to surrender all to Him. I want to 54:55 read to you from John chapter 14 verse 21. 55:00 In John 14:21, Jesus has a message for us. 55:04 Notice... [reads text on-screen] 55:23 Do you want Jesus to manifest Himself to you? 55:29 I want to encourage you to surrender all 55:31 to Jesus. I want to encourage you to give 55:35 your all to Him. He is calling upon you to 55:40 consider the many times He has invited you to 55:44 come. Come! "Come to Me, and leave all that 55:50 evil, all that wickedness... All that that is doing you 55:53 harm, leave that and follow Me." Jesus gives 55:57 us to power to leave all that behind. 56:00 I encourage you to surrender all to Jesus, even now. 56:05 Let's go to the Lord in prayer, and I encourage 56:08 you to surrender all to Him as we pray. 56:12 Our loving Heavenly Father, we want to thank You. 56:17 Thank You, because the door of mercy is still 56:19 open. And today, we can surrender all. 56:25 We thank You, Lord, that You are willing to take 56:27 all, and that You, Lord, still keep Your promise 56:34 that he that comes to me, You will in no wise? 56:38 cast out. We thank You, Heavenly Father, that 56:41 the invitation is for every single person; 56:44 no one is excluded, and Your loving call 56:47 is made to everyone that is hearing me, 56:52 even now. Lord, we ask You to help us to surrender 56:56 all. We ask for these blessings in Jesus' 56:58 name. Amen. Amen. I hope you have made 57:04 that decision to surrender all to Jesus. When you 57:09 do this, He comes near you, He will manifest 57:15 Himself to you, and you will begin to experience 57:18 joy and happiness that begins in this world 57:21 and continues forever. God bless you. |
Revised 2020-10-22