Loopholes In the Great Controversy? Part 7
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We continue series
Great Controversy.
Summary of what
we covered so far:
Part 1: Can God be Trusted
The Beginning of Sin
Rebellion of Lucifer
Fall of Adam and Eve
Accusations against God
Satan attacked foundation of God’s government:
God’s character
God’s law
The concept of righteousness
Why God did not destroy Satan Immediately
Satan allowed to model his ideal government
Part 2: Rules of Engagement
There are things God cannot do.
God does not always get His ideal will now.
Freedom of choice
Satan given power for time.
Part 3: Prayer in the Great Controversy
Why doesn’t God seem to answer good prayers?
Why are some healed and not others?
Part 4: The Process of Redemption
Seven Feast Days.
Where are we on the prophetic timeline?
Part 5: Historical Overview of Satan’s Attacks
The early church.
The Dark ages
The Reformation
Our Time
The last Days.
Part 6: Perfection
Does God really expect us to be perfect?
What is the biblical definition of perfection?
How can I personally experience perfection?
Justification.
Sanctification.
The Judgement.
Part 7: The Beginning of the End
These events set stage for final events.
Ecumenism
Restoration of the Deadly Wound
The Image of the Beast
False Latter Rain
3-Fold Union
Shaking and Sifting
As an archery deer hunter I walk a lot out in nature. Yesterday as I was walking across a corn field I found a small branch of pretty colored leaves. My wife loves collecting leaves and doing crafts with them. I looked around and there were no trees with in a great distance from the leaves. How could they have gotten there? I picked them up and carried them carefully to my truck. When I got home I presented them to her expecting her to be greatful. She said they are not real then she proceeded to show me the branch was plastic.
- by Rick Palmer
Ecumenism
Ecumenism
In order for
the final events to
take place,
the earth appears to have
great final revival
“false latter rain”.
Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.
It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
As we can see,
from the passage,
there is great spiritual unity.
There is unity between
the 1st Beast
ans the 2nd Beast.
There is spiritual unity
in the whole world.
This is a time of
great religious excitement.
“Miracles” are occuring.
The world is worshipping.
Most are doing so willingly.
The are caught up in
spiritual unity, excitement
of the time.
But in order for
there to be a great
final revival,
there must be a sense of
spiritual unity among
differing faith groups.
There is already a movement
to bring differing faith groups
together in unity.
This is called: “Ecumenism.”
The Ecumenical Movement
has been happening for
quite a long time.
The reasoning behind it
actually sound very good.
They reason:
there is only one God
there is only 1 Bible
why are there so many denominations?
We all love Jesus,
lets bring everyone
back together again.
One of the big goals
has been to bring
Catholic Church and
protestant denominations
back together.
This has been pretty successful
in many ways.
The Ecumenical Movement
sounds great but,
are there any
problems with it?
The Age of Non-denominationalism
The Age of Non-denominationalism
We live during a time
where there is a strong push
toward non-denominationalism.
Why are the non-denominational
churches growing so fast?
What is the movement behind it?
Basically, the same idea
as ecumenism...
They say:
“We are all Christians.”
“Let’s not focus on our differences.”
Again...
Sounds good on face value.
But what are
the dangers?
A decade ago, while in Germany, Raluca and I had a chance to look at holocaust history. We even visited a concentration camp. It is a scene that still haunts me.
This is a picture from Auschwitz. Above the entryway to the concentration camp were the words, Arbeit macht frei. The same thing stood above the camp at Dachau. It means, "work makes free"—work will liberate you and give you freedom.
It was a lie—a false hope. The Nazis made the people believe hard work would equal liberation, but the promised "liberation" was horrifying suffering and even death.
It is not work that sets you free.
Jesus said:
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Here Jesus says,
“It is the truth, that sets us free.”
But I must ask,
whose truth?
My truth?
You truth?
Muslim truth?
Jewish truth?
Hindu truth?
Baha'i truth?
Christian denominations:
Catholic truth?
Presbyterian truth?
Reformed Calvinistic truth?
Baptist truth?
Methodist truth?
Lutheran truth?
Pentecostal truth?
Non-denominational truth?
Each of these groups
were formed because
they have their own
version of truth...
On the one hand,
we should not focus
only on differences.
In many ways,
we can
support
encourage
prayer for
fellowship
with each other.
The foundation of
Ecumenism
Non-denominationalism
only focus on similarities
ignore differences.
These different denominations
don’t even agree on basics:
How to be saved.
Process of salvation.
Process of Atonement.
What can we
unify on?
There is a God.
He loves us.
He wants to save us.
(Not all denominations believe these!)
Ecumenism requires compromise.
So what do we compromise?
Law
Sabbath
State of Dead
Experience of 2nd Coming
Sanctuary
Health Message
Sanctification
Judgement
Righteousness
Almost everything.
The truth of Non-denominationalism
is very shallow truth.
It has to be,
if it get beyond the
superficial level
people will disagree.
But Ecumenism
and Non-denominationalism
is exactly what
Satan wants.
He needs to unite everyone
great religious movement
in the last days.
The “revival” is
not based on truth but
emotion
excitement
passionate worship...
What is missing?
Truth.
Jesus said:
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
We need both.
Spirit = passion.
Truth = accurate teachings.
Worship missing either
is bankrupt.
Mitchell Dillon said:
Years ago, when I lived just outside of NYC, my wife and I received a lot of visitors. One of our favorite things to do was to take our guests into the city to see the sites. Usually, included in this tour was a trip to Chinatown. The food was great and our guests always enjoyed the unique gift shops we found there.
Without a doubt, the most popular gift item was always the ten-dollar Rolex watch. Virtually all of our guests went home with at least one. They looked real, so long as you didn’t look too closely. But you couldn’t rely on one to keep accurate time. Not even close. As far as watches go, they weren’t worth the ten dollars.
Setting the Table
Setting the Table
Revelation 13 speaks of
great religious awakening.
Ecumenism and Nondenominationalism
set the sate perfectly.
One other element is involved.
For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.
I mentioned the
spiritual
passion
excitment
miracles
joy
energy
(no truth).
What Christian movement
is setting the ground
for this?
Answer:
Charismatic Movement
This is what I call
Modern Pentecostalism.
Traditional Pentecostal Churches
were very focused on
teachings of Jesus
Christian values
Modesty
Prayer
etc.
Much modern Pentecostal Movement
focuses more on the
christian experience.
Miracles
Speaking in Tongues
Slain in Spirit
Deliverance Ministry
Mostly excitement based
Experience Based.
If you mixed
Spiritualism
Christianity
Modern Charismatic Movement.
The Huffington Post reports:
A Zimbabwean pastor has reportedly convinced his congregants his holy pens can make students pass their exams - and the more you pay for one, the better grades you'll get.
Prophet Sham Hungwe of House of Grace International Church in Harare is selling the pens, which cost from $1 up to $20.
According to News24Zim, the prophet told his congregation those sitting exams only needed faith and one of the special pens to pass.
"They are anointed and I declare passes when your children sit for exams. They are said to work for anyone who is sitting for any test," he said.
According to Nigerian Watch, one parishioner testified: "My son is not very bright and I think this will help him. With the knowledge he has acquired and this pen from the man of God, I think it is going to work."
One student said he scored highly in his A-levels last year after using the pen he was given by the prophet, reports Amebo Book.
These are the things
that set the stage for
the final false religious revival.
Ecumenism
Non-denominationalism
Modern Charismatic Movement
Put them together
what do you get?
United everyone together
Passionate and emotional worship
that lacks true biblical teaching.
This is exactly what
the final revival is based on.
And this is
majority of
Christianity today.
Restoration of the Deadly Wound
Restoration of the Deadly Wound
Revelation talks about
Mark of the beast.
For the sake of time
I will not cover
identification of
the beast.
I covered that in
a previous sermon.
If you want to
see that sermon.
God to YouTube
auburn SDA
Playlists
Signs of Second Coming series.
For sake of time,
just tell you.
The 1st Beast is
Catholic Church.
Interesting verse about beast:
One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.
Beast would receive
deadly wound.
This happened 1798
Pope put in jail
died there.
Papacy goes from
world dominance to
losing all political power.
Hundreds of years
Catholic church was
no world significance.
But verse says,
deadly would would be healed.
Remember,
it is a union between
1st Beast
2nd Beast
that bring great final fast revival.
1st Beast = Catholic Church.
2nd Beast = United States of America.
(See that YouTube Series for more details).
The US was founded by
mostly protestants
running away from
religious persecution
from Catholic Church.
US was traditionally
mostly protestant
mostly Christian
somewhat anti-Catholic
somewhat anti European dominance.
The deadly wound
of the Catholic Church occured
when they lost position as
world political power.
Deadly would is healed when
re-establish their
world political power.
This is in the process of happening.
Examples:
look how interested
everyone is in
death of pope.
new pope.
When the leader of the
Southern Baptist Convention changed
you never heard about it.
It didn’t make the news!
Why?
Not world political power.
Catholic Church
62 Million in the US
Southern Baptist Convention
16 Million in the US.
2nd largest Christian group.
Baptist Leadership
never on the new
in the US.
Why?
No political value.
The wound is healing.
Catholic church is
regaining world prominence
establishing strong union with USA.
The next step is:
The Image of the Beast
The Image of the Beast
And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.
Before the Mark o the Beast
there is an image to the beast.
What is this image to the beast?
The passage gives
us some clues.
It says that the image
speaks...
Through this speaking
if forces people to worship
according to a
prescribed manner.
If they don’t do it
they are killed.
What is it that “speaks”
forcing people to behave
in a prescribed manner.
under force of penalty?
We would call that a law?
It is laws that
force us to behave
or threaten the death penatly.
Simple.
The image to the beast
is a law.
But what is the law about?
It is a law
requiring worship.
This is a law,
that is made
to the beast
(the catholic church).
And it is about worship.
It is also clear,
that this imposed worship
is against God’s law.
To obey this law
would be to disobey God.
But if you don’t obey
you are sentenced
to death penalty.
So,
What worship
promoted by the
Catholic Church
is contrary to
the Law of God?
That is simple.
There are 2 commandments
about worship.
One says not to
worship any images.
(which the catholic church does).
The other commandment
about worship is
the 4th commandment.
It command worship on the 7th day.
The Catholic church is proud
of the fact that they changed
the day of worship from
Saturday to Sunday.
Quote Catechism
The Image to the Beast
is a law that forces us to
worship on Sunday
instead off the biblical Sabbath.
Before the final visitation of God’s judgments upon the earth there will be among the people of the Lord such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times.
The Spirit and power of God will be poured out upon His children. At that time many will separate themselves from those churches in which the love of this world has supplanted love for God and His Word.
Many, both of ministers and people, will gladly accept those great truths which God has caused to be proclaimed at this time to prepare a people for the Lord’s second coming.
The enemy of souls desires to hinder this work; and before the time for such a movement shall come, he will endeavor to prevent it by introducing a counterfeit.
In those churches which he can bring under his deceptive power he will make it appear that God’s special blessing is poured out; there will be manifest what is thought to be great religious interest.
Multitudes will exult that God is working marvelously for them, when the work is that of another spirit. Under a religious guise, Satan will seek to extend his influence over the Christian world.
True Revival Chap. 2
This leads to:
The Mark of the Beast
The Mark of the Beast
Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.
Everyone who
obeys the law
receives the mark of the best.
The bible is clear,
those that receive the mark
go to hell.
And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
The beast is thrown
into the lake of fire.
Rev 14 is clear
those who worship
received the mark
also cast into
the lake of fire (hell).
Why?
Why?
Biggest question,
Why!?!
What is the purpose
of all of this?
Why does God
bring the final climax
in this way?
What does all of this
have to do with
the great controversy?
To answer this,
must review.
What started the GC?
Questions about God.
doubts about:
God’s character.
Government
God’s law.
God’s Judgments.
How does the last day vents
help answer those questions?
You will have to wait until next sermon!!!
No doubt you’ve heard of Baal worship, ancestor worship, nature worship, even demon worship, but I bet you’ve never heard of this one—Prince Philip Worship!
Yes, the one and the same Prince Philip who was husband to Elizabeth, Queen of England. Just ask Albi Nagia of Island of Tanna in Yakel, Vanuatu, who regularly prays to the British royal, awaiting his “return” to establish a new world order in which “fish will leap from the sea and life will become eternal.”
Albi is not the only Vanuatu to worship him. Several hundred others on the small, primitive island of Tanna in the archipelago of Vanuatu in the South Pacific do, as well. "Here in Tanna, we believe that Prince Philip is the son of our God, our ancestral God who lives up in the mountain," says islander Nako Nikien.
Albi and Nako are both members of an active cult known as the Prince Philip movement, which began the 1960s, gaining a real boost in popularity in 1974 when Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth visited the island aboard their royal yacht.
In 2007 the two men were among a small group from Tanna who were flown to England by the British reality show Meet the Natives, during which time they were personally introduced to the prince. ”Meeting him was just wonderful," says Joseph. "It's just like being in a spiritual world."
Though the prince died in 2021, the movement’s followers have not lost hope in his return, saying, he can still return in spirit and grant them eternal life.
It seems incredible that anyone could be so simple-minded as to embrace such off the wall theology. Lamont Lindstrom, an anthropology professor at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma agrees, saying, "The [Tanna] people believe in everything and nothing,” explaining that storytelling and prophesying are key to advancing one’s stature in their society.
APPLICATION
Many of the Tanna are devotedly following a baseless, ludicrous, utterly fabricated belief system.
Perhaps you might think they are simply gullible, having never had exposure to the truth of the Gospel.
No so.
Christian missionaries have been on the island for decades. In fact, it is thought that the growth of this cult, and others like it, was a backlash against Christianity, as tribal elders fought to maintain tribal customs and spiritual autonomy from the church.
In other words, the Tanna would rather believe what they know to be fully fabricated fantasy rather than submit themselves to the authority of the Gospel.
Appeal
Appeal
Pursue True Revival
(Next Sermon).
Spirit
Truth.
