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God uses leaders of the world for His purpose and plan,
and the way God's people respond to God becomes the most important thing that we do!
Fred R. Coulter—August 29, 2020
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Greetings, brethren! Welcome to Sabbath services! Today I'm going to talk about three things; in the Bible they're known as:
- the Church
- Israel
- the nations of the world
- The People of the World:
I recently did on Church at Home {churchathome.org} Does God Even Know I Exist? There are so many atheists and people against God that a true voice of God is awfully hard to come by.
Let's see how Paul confronted those at Mars Hill with all of the Greek philosophers, and they had all of their ideas and everything that they thought and actually—I think it is the 600sB.C.—evolution, so evolution is nothing new. What did Solomon say about that? There's nothing new under the sun; that which has been will be and shall be known!
Paul came, and this would be like being called to give a speech today to the combined Congress of the United States in one setting. It's really interesting, because those philosophies come down to us to this day.
Acts 17:22: "Then Paul stood in the center of Mars Hill and said, 'Men, Athenians, I perceive that in all things you are very reverent to deities… [they had many gods, but all of those were demons] …for as I was passing through and observing the objects of your veneration, I also found an altar on which was inscribed, "To an unknown God."….'" (vs 22-23). Imagine that! They didn't want to leave anyone out! So, Paul said:
"…So then, He Whom you worship in ignorance is the One that I proclaim to you. He is the God Who made the world and all things that are in it. Being the Lord of heaven and earth, He does not dwell in temples made by hands; nor is He served by the hands of men, as though He needs anything, for He gives to all life and breath and all things" (vs 23-25)—because made the earth and gave it to mankind! You know the story from the book of Genesis.
Verse 26: "And He made of one blood all the nations of men to dwell upon all the face of the earth, having determined beforehand their appointed times and the boundaries of their dwelling."
We have to understand that God is interested also in all the people of the world. What is the greatest thing that shows His interest in all the people in the world? What is the proof of that? The major proof is the second resurrection! If He didn't love them and care for them, there would be no second resurrection! The other thing is that He provides everything on the earth: air, water, food, etc.
Here's why: He's also given free moral agency and men and women have to choose, and they need to choose what is right. The automatic thing is to choose self and your own ways, and then get together with people that believe the same way that you do so you feel comfortable. When God calls, how does He call? Each individual!
Verse 27: "In order that they might seek the Lord, if perhaps they might feel after Him and might find Him; though truly, He is not far from each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being… [then Paul quotes one of their poets] …as some of the poets among you also have said, 'For we are His offspring'" (vs 27-28). All made in the image of God! That's important to understand!
- The Nations of the World:
Let's come to the next thing that God interest in, and has it closer to Him. All the nations of the world, because of their actions and the way that they live, do, and have gods that they have developed for themselves, from the time of the Tower of Babel were scattered abroad and are where God intended them to be. How God put them in their various places, and God made the determination!
- Descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—Israel:
As we know from the Old Testament, God called Israel, brought them to Mt. Sinai and spoke to them. One of the most fantastic things to happen in the whole history of the world, that that number of people—up to 2-million—were at the base of Mt. Sinai. They saw the fire, smoke, wind and clouds, and everything going on, and God spoke the Ten Commandments to them!
As we know the Ten Commandments are the foundation of everything that God does. The Ten Commandments is the Law by which God judges all nations, all people, Israel and the Church as well!
After God gave the Ten Commandments, Israel came to Moses and said, 'We're scared to death, Moses, you speak to God and tell us what He wants us to do and we'll do it!' God said that He wished…
Here's a key: We have free moral agency we have to choose. We can choose either right or wrong, good or evil. When Israel said to Moses, 'You speak to us and we'll listen, but don't let us hear God anymore,' God said, 'O that there were such a heart in them that they would fear me and keep My commandments always.'
Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O Israel. Our one God is the LORD, the LORD. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (vs 4-5).
That can be done in the letter of the Law. The Church has to do it in the Spirit of the Law. God judges the whole world by the letter of the Law, and when their thoughts become so evil, He judges them by their own thoughts.
So, Israel down through its history shows that through the judges God raises up leaders to save the people of Israel so there is knowledge of God in the earth. God has chosen that through Israel the knowledge of God would be dispensed to the whole world.
He would raise up judges, but what happened? After Joshua died and all the elders died, they went after Ashtaroth, which in Greece is Athena and Baal, which is the sun-god, or Nimrod.
I saw on Discovery Channel, the carvings in the stone in Peru, the Mayan peninsula and Central America are all similar to the ones in India. You look at the face of the main god that they all have and it is Nimrod. So, when Israel goes after the gods of this world then they fall into problems and God has to correct them.
Think about this: Right there in the Sinai peninsula—and it wasn't a wasted desert like it is today—the whole climatology was entirely different. God was there with the pillar of cloud by day, and the fire by night. He got that close to them, but they chose when the Moabites came over and invited them over for a feast right there in the face of God. It's one thing to not know God and be removed way off someplace and you don't know anything about God. But right in the face of God they went out and had a feast, committed adultery and fornication, and that has been remembered down through all the history and even into the Church. Here's what happened:
Psalm 78:31: "The wrath of God came upon them and killed the strongest of them…"
Who were the one involved to lead this? The princes of Israel! Remember Eleazar? What did he do? One of the princes of Israel and one of the princesses of Moab was brought into the camp of Israel into the tent of the Israelite and they were committing adultery! Eleazar took a spear put it right through both of them! That stopped the plague of killing 23,000.
That tells you that when you go the extreme and provoke God, His wrath is going to come! And it did!
"…and struck down the chosen men of Israel. For all this they still sinned and did not believe in His wonderful works. Therefore, He ended their days in vanity and their years in terror" (vs 31-33)—40 years!
Verse 34: "When He slew them…" Just like today, are there people being killed today. What we saw at the Republican National Convention was a return to God in the measure that Israel generally returns to God.
Even President Trump said, 'We do not look to government when we have difficulties. We look to Almighty God!' Have you ever heard a president say that before? No! He always talks about the unborn, made in the image of God. My prayer and hope is that he gets re-elected. We're sitting here with a choice of whether God is going to let Israel be destroyed and become like Venezuela or whether there will be a revival for a time depending on how they return to God.
God knows that they're not going to keep the Sabbath and Holy Days. He would that they would! But if there is justice, equity, love… Have you ever heard a President say that he loves the people except for Donald Trump. There are some people who are going to get mad at me.
One man told me, 'I can't trust anyone who thinks Trump is from God.' Well, we're going to see some characters that God raised up that were far different from Trump. But look at all of them, and the only other one who trusted in God as much—maybe more than—Trump was Abraham Lincoln! He grew up and was educated by reading the Bible. He and Ulysses S. Grant were the two that saved the Union. It's very similar here.
"…then they sought Him; and they turned back and sought after God earnestly" (v 34).
When the camera panned out there when Trump said about Almighty God, all the people stood up and you could see in their eyes and heart that they believed that.
They don't believe like we do in the Church, because the Church is in a different category. We have a greater responsibility!
Verse 35: "And they remembered that God was their Rock, and the Most High God was their Redeemer. Nevertheless, they flattered Him with their mouths, and they lied to Him with their tongues" (vs 35-36)—because they didn't follow through to do what they should do!
Perfect example, Liberty University: The son of Jerry Falwell got all mixed up, he and his wife, in perverted sexual activity. They were stupid enough to let the man who led them in it take pictures of them. So, it was all released. Right there the bastion of Protestant Theology!
Verse 36: "Nevertheless, they flattered Him with their mouths, and they lied to Him with their tongues, for their heart was not steadfast with Him…" (vs 36-37).
Why? Because they weren't converted! Human nature vacillates, it intends to good but does evil. Then when it does evil, it feels bad and wants to good, but keeps going that way.
"…neither were they faithful in His covenant. But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; yea, many times He turned His anger away and did not stir up all His wrath, for He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes away and does not come again" (vs 37-39). That's a good story of Israel down through history.
Let's see that God is interested in the nations, kings, Israel, and let's see what God did. I want you to think about this: In the book of Isaiah, which was in the 800sB.C., God prophesied through Isaiah that they would go into captivity if they sinned. He knew that they would, because He knows the human heart. All you have to do is think of how peaceful it was when David died and gave the kingdom to Solomon.
It was the most peaceful time in the world. How did Solomon start out? Great! Two visions of God! How did he end up? Being punished because of his sins. The ten tribes were removed from him and went into captivity! There are prophecies of it in Isaiah because it happened in 703B.C.
Sidebar: Some people think that this man we're going to read of was the son of Esther, who was a Benjamite Jew, and was selected by Ahasuerus the king of Persia, and that his man:
- Leaders of the World:
Isaiah 45:1: "Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus…" Think about that for a minute! He was never converted and we'll see what he did, but he was call by the LORD "…His anointed…"
In other words, God made him emperor because God wanted him to be emperor. Let's see what he would do:
"…whose right hand I [God] have made strong in order to humble nations before him…." (v 1).
He came from Media-Persia and there were two kings—Cyrus and Darius—and they conquered Babylon. Here is a prophecy of it 150 years in advance by name. How close is God involved with human activity? Very close!
Remember, this is Israel, so God says: "…I have made strong in order to humble nations before him. And I will loosen the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved doors; and the gates shall not be shut" (v 1)—150 years ahead of time!
Here's the city of Babylon, the Euphrates River ran right through the middle of it. They had great gates that they would close, and they had great doors that had steps that were leading down to the edge of the river. The gates would be closed every night and the doors would be locked every night. But Cyrus came to conquer, because he had a mission to do, and we'll see what that was.
He figured the way to conquer Babylon was to divert the waters enough out of the River Euphrates so he had soldiers dig a great trench to bypass so the water would go down. They came in and conquered Babylon without firing a single arrow.
Belshazzar and his great banquet where they had 'mene mene, tekel, upharsin' saying that the Babylonian Empires has come to an end, that very night while drinking out of the goblets that came from the Temple of God, Cyrus' armies came in and walked in took over Babylon!
Notice what God says, v 2: "I will go before you, and make hills level. I will break in pieces the bronze gates, and cut the iron bars in two. And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I am the LORD, Who calls you by your name, the God of Israel" (vs 2-3).
Remember that the Jews came back to the area of Judea and they were building the temple, but everyone was against them. They kept coming there and saying that 'you're not going to build the temple.' But they had the decree of Cyrus the king. What Cyrus did—his main mission in coming to Babylon—was to let the Jews go back to Judea. When you read the books of Ezra and Nehemiah you understand that there were not a lot of Jews who went back. They had a big defugalty over it. The northern area of Samaria didn't want them to build it, so we'll send back to the king back in Babylon, who was Darius at the time, because Cyrus was out busy conquering other areas. But Cyrus was the one who made the decree that the Jews could go.
I'm bringing this all out to show how God gets involved with Israel and history, even using other nations.
Ezra 6:1: "Then Darius the king made a decree, and a search was made in the house of the scrolls where the treasures were laid up in Babylon. And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that was in the province of the Medes, a scroll. And in it was a record thus written: 'In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: "Let the house be built, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations of it be strongly laid. The height of it shall be sixty cubits, and the breadth of it shall be sixty cubits"'" (vs 1-3). So, he even had the measurements that were given in the book of Ezekiel!
Verse 4: "With three rows of great stones and a row of new timber. And let the expenses be given out of the king's house. And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple at Jerusalem, and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought again to the temple which is at Jerusalem, to their place, and put them in the house of God" (vs 4-5). That's quite a thing!
- Does God deal in the nations of men in relationship to Israel? Yes!
- What about the recent peace deal that Trump negotiated between the United Arab Emirates and the Jews?
- Don't you think that God's hand had to be in that to make that happen?
- Why? Because there has yet to be a temple built in Jerusalem!
- Is Trump the man to help lay the foundation of things for the temple? Could be!
- Does there have to come a time when they will say, 'Peace! Peace! And there is no peace!'? Yes, indeed!
I just want you to think about it!
Verse 6: "Now, therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province beyond the River, Shethar-Boznai, and your companions, the officials beyond the River, keep away from there." In other words, don 't you go an invade them again!
Verse 7: "Let the work of this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in its place. Moreover, I make a decree as to what you shall do for the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God, that at once expense be given to these men from the king's goods, from the tax beyond the River, so that they may not be hindered" (vs 7-8) Provide all the finance necessary to build it!
Look! All of these are carnal men in the world that God is dealing with. He doesn't do this all the time, but this happens when there are important things to take place.
Verse 9: "And that which they have need of, both young bulls and rams and lambs, for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the request of the priests at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail." Quite a decree!
Here the enemies who didn't want them to build it now had to support them so they could build it, and give them the supplies that they needed!
Verse 10: "So that they may offer sacrifices of sweet savors to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and of his sons. Also, I have made a decree that whoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house and be lifted up, and let him be hanged on it. And let his house be made a dunghill for this" (vs 1011). That's quite a penalty!
Verse 12: "And may the God who has caused His name to dwell there, overthrow all kings and people who shall put their hand to alter or to destroy this house of God, which is at Jerusalem. I, Darius, have made a decree. Let it be done with all diligence."
They finished it and the first thing they did after the dedication was to keep the Passover.
Let's look at another man, a man that you would have to say was quite a wicked man. But nevertheless, he was king of Babylon. You know abut the vision, that statue of the man with a head of gold, with silver, brass, iron and clay.
Daniel:2:36: "This is the dream. And we will tell the interpretation before the king."
Nebuchadnezzar was carnal, unconverted and ruling over the Jews in Babylon. Through this, God was going to bless the Jews in Babylon. Daniel tells him the interpretation of the dream:
Verse 37: "You, O king, are a king of kings, for the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory."
God had been dealing with Nebuchadnezzar for quite a while. His father Nabopolassar built up their army. Why was their army built up? To come against Judea! They did it in three invasions. If you read the book of Jeremiah you will see that the Jews were given many opportunities to repent, but they didn't.
God calls Nebuchadnezzar My servant (Jer. 43). Think of that! Just dealing with the carnal nations. For what purpose? To fulfill the prophecies that He had given to the Jews! In every one of these cases, God is involved in doing it.
Verse 38: "And wherever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all. You are this head of gold." God has followed that string of prophecy all the way down to today!
Verse 39: "And after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, forasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and beats down all things, and as the iron that crushes all these, shall it break in pieces and crush. And whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters' clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided…." (vs 39-41). Now we're getting down to our day! Are we seeing this today? Yes, indeed!
Remember what I said a few weeks ago: people think they would like to live in Biblical time. You're living in Biblical times right now, because these things are being done!
"…But there shall be in it the strength of the iron, because you saw the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken" (vs 41-42).
Then it comes right down to the return of Christ! An amazing prophecy in one chapter. From that time to our time and the return of Christ! That's quite a chapter!
Verse 44: "And in the days of these kings, the God of heaven shall set up a Kingdom, which shall never be destroyed…. [the Kingdom of God beginning with the Millennium] …And the Kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Because you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. And the dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure" (vs 44-45).
Notice what Nebuchadnezzar did; v 46: "Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and worshiped Daniel, and he commanded to offer an offering and sweet incense to him. The king answered Daniel and said, 'It is true that your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret'" (vs 46-47).
King Nebuchadnezzar put Daniel in charge of Babylon and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were there, and all the Jews had peace in Babylon.
Yes, God is interested in the nations. We'll look at some other things. Is God still doing this today with the leaders of the world, Israel and the Church?
(break)
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*****
Here's a man—King Nebuchadnezzar—not converted, but had a personal run-in with God. Dan. 4 is quite a thing! The head of gold wrote a short epistle:
Daniel 4:1: "Nebuchadnezzar the king… [notice who it's to; this is prophetic as well as real] …to all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth…"
That's quite a message preserved in the Word of God, and God made sure that it was there. The lesson is so important because God is not way off somewhere and just turning the earth over to its own devices. He's involved!
"…'Peace be multiplied to you. It seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. How great are His signs! And how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation'" (vs 1-3).
Then he tells what happened! Here he was resting in his own house and was thinking great things about himself.
Verse 4: "I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream and it terrified me, and my thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head alarmed me" (vs 4-5).
- Who sent this dream?
- Who sent the first dream?
- God did!
Verse 6: "Therefore, I made a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the meaning of the dream. Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in. And I told them the dream, but they could not make its interpretation known to me. But at last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar according to the name of my god… [he was worshipping an idol] …and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. And I told the dream before him, saying, 'O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no secret causes you trouble, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen and its meaning" (vs 6-9).
Then it talks about, v 11: "The tree grew and was strong…" But it was cut off, an there was a band around it so it wouldn't die and the stump was left there.
Verse 15: "Nevertheless, leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field. And let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the animals in the grass of the earth. Let his heart be changed from a man's and a beast's heart be given to him. And let seven times pass over him." (vs 15-16). This shows that a time is a year!
Verse 17: "This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the Holy ones, so that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He will, and sets up over it the basest of men."
Every once in a while you get someone who is not base. But when you compare in America between the two running for President, who is base? and who is looking to God? Think about it! The one who is base had the word 'one nation under God' removed from the Pledge of Allegiance! That should tell you the difference.
Verse 18: "This dream, I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation…" So, he gave the interpretation and said:
Verse 22: "It is you, O king, for you have become great and strong, for your greatness has grown and reached unto heaven, and your dominion to the end of the earth. And as the king saw a watcher and a Holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, 'Cut the tree down and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots of it in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the animals of the field until seven times pass over him.' This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: That you shall be driven from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and you shall be made to eat grass like oxen. And you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He will. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots, your kingdom shall be sure to you after you shall have known that the heavens do rule. Therefore, O king, let my advice be pleasing to you, and break off your sins by righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, so there may be lengthening of your prosperity'" (vs 22-27).
Very interesting! Why does this come? Because God is interested in the little people's suffering! Sound similar to what we have heard? Yes, indeed! All of this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. How long did it take for it to come upon him?
Verse 29: At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spoke and said, 'Is this not great Babylon that I have built for a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?'" (vs 29-30). He got all lifted up!
Verse 31: "While the word was yet in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven, saying, 'O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken. The kingdom has departed from you. And you shall be driven from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like oxen, and seven times shall pass over you until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He wills'" (vs 31-32).
Remember that Nebuchadnezzar is writing this chapter. God preserved it in the Bible so that we understand that God deals in the nations. So, it happened. His hair and nails grew.
Verse 34: "And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored Him Who lives forever, for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His Kingdom is from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing…" (vs 334-35). Look at all the situations that are going on!
"…and He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. And none can stay His hand, or say to Him, 'What are You doing?'" (v 35).
Quite a lesson! Here's the greatest man on the face of the earth up to that time being humbled and writing this. So important was it that God had it preserved in His Word.
Verse 36:At that time my reason returned to me. And the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. And my advisers and my lords sought me out, and I was established in my kingdom, and surpassing greatness was added to me. Now, I Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are Truth and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to abase" (vs 36-37). Quite a thing!
It's been said that as the United States stands, will we continue as a nation? or Will we become like Venezuela? And it wouldn't take very long! I want you to watch the last three episodes that I've done on Church at Home, because I cover those very things. What's going to happen? God is leaving it up to the choice of the people. Which way do you choose? God is basing it on:
- His Word
- the words of the Declaration of Independence
- the words of the Constitution of the United States
Which we said and praised God that He gave that to us! Didn't we? The choice was there, and He's made it clear that:
- one is evil, dictatorial, Godless and perverted
- one is looking to God
- knowing that there are problems to be solved
- wanting to help the helpless in the country and to lift them up
That's the choice!
- The Churches of God
Now, let's see what's the most important thing that yet has to be done by the Churches of God. There may be some others not associated with the Churches of God that may have understanding of certain facets of which their specialty is in that can give warning as well.
Matthew 24:12—this is what we see today: "And because lawlessness shall be multiplied, the love of many shall grow cold."
Think abut that! Lawlessness and the Wuhan plague from China, and add into that a love-killing social distancing! And add into that one other thing,
Sidebar: I warn all of you, if you wear those masks—and I've seen people driving in their cars alone with mask on—you are re-breathing all of your own carbon dioxide!
I tell you and warn you that if you do that, wait until winter comes and you're going to have a lot of difficulties health wise.
We here have not shutdown, we do not wear masks, we trust in God, and the only time that I put a mask on—it's in my car—is when I have to go to the store. Once I get in there, I uncover my nose and mouth.
"…the love of many shall grow cold." That all adds to it combined with the lawlessness! Here's what has to be done, in spite of all of this:
Verse 14: "And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world…"
We know that the two witnesses will do what they will do, but that doesn't relieve the Churches of God from any of its responsibilities from preaching the Gospel to the world and up-building the Church. Those two things are the foremost after looking at what God is doing in the world. The Church and the brethren become the most important thing! The way that the Church responds to God becomes the most important thing that we do!
IF do not preach the Gospel, warn the wicked, warn the Churches, and help the brethren to be able to grow in grace and knowledge, THEN we're going to be held accountable like never before! I hope you understand that! That's why we, all together, have to do these things they way that God wants!
"…for a witness to all nations… [that's a big chore] …and then shall the end come" (v 14).
We need God to open doors to preach the Gospel and reach people; all the Churches of God! Whatever problems and sins there are individually, whatever problems and sins there are collectively—with the ministers, elders and those who are teaching—repent and go forward!
Peter had to go through certain lessons to learn this, but he did learn it. In his old age, while Peter is writing this, he says to all the elders:
1-Peter 5:1: "The elders who are among you I exhort, even as a fellow elder, and an eyewitness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker of the glory that is about to be revealed: Feed the flock of God…" (vs 1-2).
I will have more to say about that next week, but this needs to be said today as a preview.
"…that is among you, exercising oversight… [not rulership] …not by compulsion, but willingly; not in fondness of dishonest gain, but with an eager attitude; not as exercising lordship over your possessions; but by being examples to the flock of God" (vs 2-3).
That's what needs to be! We all need to be stirred up with the Spirit of God to:
- serve the brethren
- teach the brethren
- to understand about the Word of God
To repent of our sins as elders and teachers so that we can have clear conscience to serve God! Don't you think that's essential?
Even when John wrote 1-John he said that 'if we sin—John includes himself—we have to go to Christ for forgiveness.' Let's see that God deals with
- the world
- the leaders
- His Church
That's how it's all structured in the book of Revelation. So, let's look at the seven churches an see the things that occur. Does God know ahead of time that they will happen? Yes, indeed! He knows what human nature is like and that's why we need to be trusting in God all the time.
Revelation 2:1: "To the angel of the Ephesian church, write: 'These things says He Who holds the seven stars in His right hand… [the seven angels to the churches] …Who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands."
God knows everything that we're doing: elders, brethren, every one of us! It's not like fake Christianity, salvation doesn't come because you attend a church. Attending is what we need to do, but salvation comes individually to you from God the Father and Jesus Christ; that's what's important! Let's see what happens here:
Verse 2: "I know your works, and your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot bear those who are evil; and that you did test those who proclaim themselves to be apostles, but are not, and did find them liars."
Doctrine is important, because doctrine in the Greek means teachings! Jesus was called 'Teacher.'
Verse 3: "And that you have borne much and have endured, and for My name's sake have labored and have not grown weary; nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love" (vs 3-4).
What is the first love? Loving God the Father and Jesus Christ with all your heart, mind, soul and being! So, what does Jesus say:
Verse 5: "Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works…" That's why in the daily prayer, after we honor the Father, we say, 'Forgive us our sins!'
Then another little caveat goes with that: As we forgive those who sin against us! We can't let those things interfere and take away the love of God. They also hated the Nicolaitans.
Verse 8: "And to the angel of the Church of the Smyrneans write: These things says the First and the Last, Who was dead but is alive. 'I know your works and tribulation and poverty (but you are rich)…'" (vs 8-9).
Most people look at this way, if you are blessed God is with you. If you are blessed it comes from God, but if you let those blessings become idols then you're in trouble.
But the Smyrneans didn't; they were poor, and yet, Satan came after them. The synagogue of Satan! So, Christ says, 'Don't worry about it!'
Verse 10: "…Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life." That's what God wants to do for every one of us!
Verse 11: "The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches…." All the churches, because today as you look out at all the Churches of God I see all seven, just like there were at the beginning! Then down through history.
Verse 12: "And to the angel of the Church in Pergamos, write…" Pergamos was where Satan's headquarters was at that time!
Imagine that, being in a Church of God today in Rome? You've got a lot things to overcome, and when you look at the thing that they do—because they do some things that are good—do not adopt any of their ways!
Verse 16: "Repent!…." It's interesting that He didn't tell the Smyrneans to repent. But to the Ephesians and those in Pergamos He says to repent!
"…For if you do not repent, I will come to you quickly, and will make war against them with the sword of My mouth" (v 16).
The same thing can happen to the Churches of God that happened to Israel, which is that if you leave God and take God for granted and think that everything is just fine, and you institute things that are contrary to the Word of God, He's going to come and fight against you!That's how important it is to remain faithful!
Verse 18: "And to the angel of the Church in Thyatira write: 'These things says the Son of God, He Who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like fine brass. I know your works, and love, and service, and faith, and your endurance, and your works; and the last are more than the first" (vs 18-19).
{Note DVD: Israel of the Alps done by the Seventh Day Adventists—available at truthofGod.org}
Verse 20: "But I have a few things against you, because you allow the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants into committing… [spiritual] ….fornication… [adopting the ways of the Church of Jezebel] … and eating things sacrificed to idols."
What do we take in remembrance of the sacrifice of Christ? The Passover! One day a year, the only time. The Seventh Day Adventists take communion the first Sabbath of every quarter.
If you don't take the Passover and keep the Sabbath, you're not keeping the bear minimum of God!
{DVDs: Jesuit Agenda for the SDAs, available at truthofGod.org}
You will find out when you watch what happened to the Worldwide Church of God! Exactly the same tactics! Satan is behind the woman Jezebel, and we find here that they seduced God's servants, committed fornication and were eating things sacrificed to idols.
Verse 21: "And I gave her time to repent of her fornication, but she did not repent." Notice repentance all the way through here! That's because we have human nature.
Verse 22: "Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their works. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know… [this is what we are to know because God is dealing with us] …that I am He Who searches the reins and hearts… [God is dealing with each of us individually] …and I will give to each of you according to your works. But to you I say, and to the rest who are in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak…" (vs 22-24).
What are the depths of Satan? We don't want to go there, because that is evil unspeakable! But is known. I'll give you one clue: Why are there so many missing children who are never found? I'll let you figure that out!
Verse 25: "But hold fast what you have until I come. And to the one who overcomes and keeps My works unto the end, I will give authority over the nations" (vs 25-26). The Kingdom of God is going to take over this world!
Revelation 3:1—Sardis: "…you have a name as if you are alive, but are dead." They have a few of the doctrines but are not complete!
I have notice that some of the Churches of God Seventh Day keep all the Holy Days. Some of them only keep Passover and the Sabbath. That's the dividing line with them. But Passover and Sabbath are the minimum!
Verse 5: "The one who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments; and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life…"
Verse 7: "And to the angel of the Church in Philadelphia, write…"
Everyone likes to claim allegiance to the Church of Philadelphia. Unless you love God, love the brethren, and you don't cave in to the synagogue of Satan, you are not a Philadelphian.
So, we can't measure that we are Philadelphians today. Look at all that we have! That's why we need to give thanks to God for everything all the time.
Verse 14: "And to the angel of the Church of the Laodiceans, write…"
Verse 15: "I know your works that you are neither cold nor hot… [Cold is unconverted; hot is zealous and converted] …I would that you be either cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and are neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth" (vs 15-16).
We have seen the separation come in Worldwide! I remember when we were in Pasadena, the campus was like a little Kingdom of God; 'we've got everything we need here.'
Verse 17: "For you say, 'I am rich…' [and increased with goods!] …and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'; and you do not understand that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold purified by fire so that you may be rich; and white garments so that you may be clothed, and the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and to anoint your eyes with eye salve, so that you may see" (vs 17-18).
That's a pretty wretched condition! Think about it! That does apply to some people who are in the Church of God.
Verse 19: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock…." (vs 19-20). There are two meanings to this:
- it's close to the time of Jesus' return
- Jesus is knocking on the door of their mind to let Him in!
In other words, there may be a lot of them who have God's Spirit with them, but not in them!
"…If anyone hears My voice and opens the door… [repentance; Christ is not in them] …I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me" (v 20).
So, the vast majority may be lacking conversion! God's Spirit is with them, but not in them! Quite a thing!
Let's see how Paul looked at the carnal world. The Roman Empire was certainly nothing like America.
1-Timothy 2:1: "I exhort, therefore, first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men… [those in the world that we are connected with] …for kings and all who are in authority… [for what reason] …in order that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all Godliness and respectability. For this is good and acceptable before God our Savior, Who desires all men to be saved… [in His timetable] …and to come to the knowledge of the Truth" (vs 1-4).
This election that is coming up is going to be very important. We'll either have opportunity to preach the Gospel more to the world, or we're going to be chased down and we are going to be hunted animals of the radical left, if they take over the government.
Scriptural References:
- Acts 17:22-28
- Deuteronomy 6:4-5
- Psalm 78:31-39
- Isaiah 45:1-3
- Ezra 6:1-12
- Daniel 2:36-42, 44-47
- Daniel 4:1-9, 11, 15-18, 22-27, 29-37
- Matthew 24:12, 14
- 1 Peter 5:1-3
- Revelation 2:1-5, 8-12, 16, 18-26
- Revelation 3:1, 5, 7, 14-20
- 1 Timothy 2:1-4
Scripture referenced, not quoted: Jeremiah 43
Also referenced:
Church at Home {churchathome.org} Does God Even Know I Exist?
DVDs
- True Fellowship with God
- Israel of the Alps
- Jesuit Agenda for the SDAs
Sermon: Is the Ministry the Government of God?
Booklet:
- Offenses: Ordinances of God by Steven Greene
- Catalog of Christian Biblical Church of God Literature
Transcript Books w/CDs:
- The Love of God
- Keys to Answered Prayer
- Who is Jesus?
FRC:bo
Transcribed: 9/2/20
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