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Fred R. Coulter—January 30, 2016
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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services. We'll sort of back up and catch up with a couple of things here that we need to and go ahead from there.
- IV. Mark of the Beast
We have that at about seven. For Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, put it at 9 (on a scale of 1-10). They are the most fully digital economies in the world. The last step is the digital, as long as you have a card in your hand, not on your hand, if you hold the card in your hand. But if you have it on your right hand or in your forehead, in Sweden there are companies experimenting with that.
One of the biggest problems that we have today is to identify people.
- Who are they?
- Where did they come from?
Also, just on the news last night, those nations are sending back any—or let's put it this way, not any, but up to two-thirds or higher of the refugees coming from the Middle East. So, there's already a backlash.
There's a backlash in Germany, beginning right now, which is pretty strong. As we mentioned last week, the book that was just recently republished, banned for 70 years, because of the copyright is Mein Kampf by Adolph Hitler. So, we'll have to see how that goes.
In India the government is in the process of identifying everyone. They're doing fingerprints and eye-prints, from what I understand. For the poor, they are issuing cards so they can get food and necessities.
Many of the things that we have to cover are big dramatic things that will affect everyone. The things we are talking about, some way or another, it's going to affect everyone on earth! Right now there's a lot of economic unrest.
There's a time to speak nice words, encouraging words, and there's a time when we have to cover the things that are not so nice. If you're really, really sensitive to things that may trouble you, and you don't like to hear of them, then I think what you need to do is fortify your emotions so you're not carried away with it.
Remember the second resurrection! God will take care of all of the problems at that time, with most of the people. It's going to be with what is going to go on in the world, and with the return of Christ coming back to the earth, it is going to be disaster upon disaster upon disaster. So, we need to speak about it.
It may be a year down the road, two years down the road, five years down the road. We don't know how far down the road it will be with some of these things. But nevertheless, they're going to take place, because the Word of God is true.
Ezekiel 33:1: "And the Word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them, "When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman"'" (vs 1-2).
One mistake too many Churches of God have made is this. Either the leader of the Church or a minister says, 'I am Ezekiel's watchman on the wall.' No! Ezekiel is the watchman on the wall and his message we all need to carry, because these are the words of God, which apply at the time of Ezekiel and apply anytime down through history.
Because He said here, "…When I bring the sword upon a land…" Not only Israel, but did He bring it upon Babylon, upon Persia, upon Greece and upon Rome? Look at WWII!
Verse 3: "If, when he sees the sword come upon the land, he blows the ram's horn and warns the people." God wants people warned. Also, what is another benefit that comes with that, for those who really pay attention? It's an opportunity to repent! That's what God wants. We will see. Even though God has to bring all of these things because He is righteous, because of sin and because of Satan the devil, He would rather not have it be that way and He says so.
Verse 4: "Then whoever hears the sound of the ram's horn… [anyone] …and does not take warning…" Isn't that true? Most people wait for the last minute for everything.
I was thinking that the other day when I was driving my car. I had to go over to Gilroy and back, and my tank was really low on gas. So, I thought, 'I have enough to get over and back.' On the way back, guess what happened? The red light came on! I didn't run out of gas, but the red light came on. I thought, 'Isn't that the way all of us are?' We put everything off to the last minute.
What does the Proverbs tell us? 'Go to the ant, sluggard.' I had a little conversation with myself; if you're low on gas, don't risk it. 'Go to the ant, sluggard,' because they store up for the winter in the summer.
For us today, with all of our supermarkets and everything here, how many have gardens that they live 50% off their own garden? Not a hand raised. If you had to make a garden, would you know what to do? No! Some would!
The next time you have a nice cut of meat, regardless of what it is, fish, fowl, beef, lamb, whatever, think about what it would take if you had to grow that and breed it. Think what that would take. So, let's not leave everything to the last minute and especially financially. How many times through the years have you heard me say, 'Get out of debt, get out of debt. Don't go into debt.' If you go into debt, make sure that you have a way to get out of it. Look at everybody today.
Right here in Hollister there's a new subdivision they've built just south of us. Nice big homes. Wonderful homes, up to 4,000 square feet, two stories. The people are commuting to San Jose or Santa Clara to go to work. Now, between three and six pm, the turnoff from the main highway to the Hollister highway is one long line of cars, because people are moving down here, buying these homes.
They pay $500,000 for them. Maybe they sold a home in San Jose and were able to pay it down. But what are you going to do with a $200,000 mortgage? And the taxes? Then buying the food, living there, and all of that?
I bring this up for this reason. We're going to talk first about some financial things. Did you know there is widespread inflation in Canada because of the downturn in the sands oil? Did you know that there is wild inflation in Venezuela? Almost runaway inflation in Brazil? Argentina's gone this way with changing currencies and inflation in the last fifty years, probably six or eight times.
- How about Greece?
- Inflation in Ukraine?
- How about here in America?
I'm sure none of you have seen any of the prices of anything go up (said facetiously). They've doubled, over a period of time.
Give you an example; a simple thing: wheat bran. At Nob Hill it used to sell for 79 cents a pound and you'd get a lot of wheat bran. Guess what it is now? $1.49 a pound! Steaks that used to cost $8.00 a pound, they are $14-15. So, we're going to hit a time when it's going to really explode everywhere.
There's inflation going on right now, starting in Japan. It's been deflation for a while. China is going to have great problems, because financially the magnitude of the problems in China are something. India has runaway inflation. It's going to hit here.
So, we all need to take the lesson from the ant and have some things stored, have some things on hand. As we're going to see, when it reaches a certain point, the banks shut down. Remember Cyprus! Remember what happened? They shut the banks down for about ten days and they had what is called a 'bail-in,' instead of a bail out.
Everybody who had more 100,000 Euros, the bank confiscated it. That law is in place in Europe right now. Why do they need that? Because they've been charging zero interest rates! How's a bank going to make money on zero interest rate? Can't do it! Going to happen here. There's already a plan on the books that if a financial crunch comes in America, which it eventually will, that all of those who have the retirement plans, 401k's, Keoghs, etc., will be forced to take government bonds and the government will take the money.
We're in such a position now, who can stop it? Who can resist it? We have to take the warning! If you don't, God says:
"'…his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the ram's horn and did not take warning. His blood shall be on himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming, and does not blow the ram's horn and the people are not warned; if the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity. But I will require his blood at the watchman's hand.' And you, son of man, I have set you as watchman to the house of Israel…." (vs 4-7).
Every elder and minister is an overseer of the flock of God (Acts 20). So, wherever they are, whoever the minister is. You can't say, 'Let him do it, let him do it.' No! 'I can't speak harsh to the people in my congregation, they're such a loving group.' What does God say?
"…Therefore, you shall hear the Word from My mouth, and warn them from Me" (v 7). What is the simplest thing in the Bible? Obey My voice!Now it's all written down, so this is from God, at any time that affects the children of Israel.
Verse 8: "When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked one, you shall surely die'; if you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked one shall die in his iniquity; but I will require his blood at your hand. But, if you warn the wicked of his way, to turn from it; if he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul" (vs 8-9).
In other words, all who are ministers and teachers in the Churches of God have a responsibility to warn of coming problems and disasters that are going to take place, especially now at the end-time.
Verse 10: "And you, son of man, speak to the house of Israel. Thus shall you speak, saying, 'When our transgressions and our sins are on us, and we are wasting away in them, how then shall we live?'" That's precisely where we are today.
I've got a book, The Snapping of the American Mind, by the fellow who did How Evil Works (David Kupelian). He's doing a good job of warning.
Look at what is happening in America today; one little clue: Guess how many people have sexually-transmitted diseases, out of the entire population of the United States? 110-million—one third! That tells you what they're doing. So we have to tell them whether they like it or not. It's not a matter of pleasing people.
Let's see what most people want, Isaiah 30:1: "'Woe to the rebellious children,' says the LORD, 'Who carry out a plan, but not of Me…'" Isn't that true? Isn't that what the debate was the other night? Who's got the best plan? If it's not according to God, it doesn't matter!
"…and who form an alliance, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin" (v 1).
Verse 8: "Now go, write it before them in a tablet, and note it in a book, so that it may be for the time to come forever and ever… [through all generations of the house of Israel] …that this is a rebellious people, lying children. They are children who will not hear the Law of the LORD; who say to the seers, 'See not,' and to the prophets, 'Do not prophesy to us right things, speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions'" (vs 8-10).
The majority of the Protestants believe there's going to be a rapture and they're going to be whisked off and they're not going to suffer anything. They're going to be greatly mistaken.
Verse 11: "Go out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us." We don't want to hear that. Increase in agnostics and atheists, and so forth.
Verse 12:" Therefore, thus says the Holy One of Israel, 'Because you have despised this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and rely on them; therefore, this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant. And He shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is smashed in pieces. He shall not spare, so that there shall not be found in the fragments a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water out of the pit.' For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, 'In returning and rest you shall be saved; and in quietness and hope shall be your strength.' But you were not willing" (vs 12-15). The choice!
Now come back here to Ezek. 33 again. Here's what God wants us all to know:
- though we have to speak of these things
- though there has to be warning
- though there are difficulties and problems that take place
Notice what God says to say to them first, Ezekiel 33:11: "Say to them, 'As I live'… [He's swearing by Himself] …says the Lord GOD, 'I have no delight in the death of the wicked, except that the wicked turn from his way, and live. Turn you, turn you from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?'" God doesn't like to see that. Some of these messages are hard to hear.
If you read through and study the book of Jeremiah, that's a pretty heavy book. Ezekiel is whole lot heavier.
Then He says to tell the righteous, 'If you sin, your past righteousness isn't going to save you. And tell the sinner that if you repent, your sins will not be remembered.' God is fair.
I want to cover some things concerning economics, because we're going to be in for some big surprises. I have two partial reports here. Have you been following the stock markets in China? China had $6-trillion in reserves, because in order to rescue their stock market, they had to use $3-trillion in the last three months. They're not done with it, yet. It's still sitting there. What did they do to get the $3-trillion? They had to sell their reserves! What were most of their reserves? U.S. Treasury bonds!
Have you ever heard of the Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF)? Ever heard of that? Neither did I. What is it? It worked like this: they know $1-trillion of those bonds were sold to the Fed and were not put on the books. They're not on the books in any account, anywhere in the world.
The answer is: the Exchange Stabilization Fund, guess when it was founded? In 1933! When did FDR confiscate all the gold? 1933-34 and revalued gold after he got it all. I forget the exact figures, but it went from $20 to like about $23 or whatever. Later, it got up to $42. They had to get out of that.
A lot of people don't remember that in 1930 one of the major things of the worldwide depression was that England went off the gold standard; it affected worldwide trade.
Where did the trillion dollars worth of bonds go? May have gone to the Exchange Stabilization Fund, an unaccounted mass fund controlled by the Federal Reserve. I don't care how many resolutions that Congress wants to make, they are never going to audit the Fed.
What did this result in? It resulted in keeping the stock market in America from going down and from devaluing the dollar! They want to keep the dollar as high as they can, for as long as they can. All of the other currencies in the world are experiencing mass inflation and they're having to sell their T-bills in order to have liquidity to cover their deficits.
So, the only ones who are going to buy them will be the Fed. Through the years, with this Exchange Stabilization Fund, how many trillions of dollars have they put in there? Don't you think they knew this point would come when they were doing the things that they were doing?
I remember one of the first things that Bernanke said that he wanted to read, he wanted to read the history of what happened in Germany with the Weimar Republic when they had that absolutely horrendous, runaway inflation. They couldn't print money fast enough. It took up to a wheelbarrow full of paper marks in order to buy a loaf of bread. Mass unemployment. Europe was in terrible shape.
When they finally decided to back Hitler, what did they do? They wiped it all out and started with a new currency! Guess what's going to happen? There will be a massive devaluation of the dollar! They predict 40%—maybe more—just for a start.
Remember how I have said that there must be a world currency. That has to come first before the mark of the beast. Here's a magazine, January 8, 1988, The Economist. It says right on the front of it: Get Ready for a World Currency (cbcg.org) They show the phoenix rising up on the burning dollars. Of course, that will be every currency in the world. There's a coin around the neck of the phoenix that gives the year 2018. Amazing, isn't it?
What they have to do—and so we see this happening right now, all the currencies are just wild, especially with oil going down. Some predict that it will go below $20 a barrel. Even the oil of Alberta Sands, raw, right out of the ground, is only worth $8 a barrel. Think what's going to happen.
Why do they have to do this? Because the monetary system of every nation stands for the sovereignty of that nation! So, all nations have to give up the power of creating money and turn it over to a world body.
How do you do that? How do you get nations to do that? By the very thing we're seeing going on right now and it will increase and multiply even more!
The extraction of the sands oil is so expensive that at $8 a barrel, they're not even going to put a shovel in the ground. Also all the oil-producing nations: Saudi Arabia and all of the gulf states, are pumping oil like there's no tomorrow. So is Russia. There are huge tankers just sitting full of oil. No one is buying it! They only have so many ships. Now what are you going to do after that? Russia's in trouble. Saudi Arabia is in trouble. The other Arab emirates down there are in trouble. They're all doing this to try and prevent Iran from selling oil. All they're going to do is bankrupt themselves, and Iran is just going to sit there and turn around and sell oil.
In order to get the governments to surrender economic sovereignty you must make their currencies worthless all at the same time.
I read another report, hurray for California. You know the communists are in charge of California? The big pension funds, since you can't earn interest on investments in America—or very little—they bought $250,000—I don't think it was million—as a start of Russian bonds valued in rubles. That pays the pension fund 7.5%. Whereas, U.S. Treasuries you get nothing. So you see how topsy-turvy it is.
Russia is going to be in such a position that I don't think that Russia will be able to ever make it good. They might be able to make some payments on that 7.5%. But look at where that puts all the pension funds. Everything! This is what is coming about. At the time this is written it says:
The Economist, Jan. 8, 1988:
Governments are far from ready to subordinate their domestic objectives to the goal of international stability.
The thing that it is causing right now with these money wars is the exchange rate: how much of one currency can you get with the currency you have, if you want to buy another. Right now the Chinese yuan is at about 6.35. They tried keeping up with the strengthening of the dollar. The only reason that the dollar is strong is because of the Exchange Stabilization Fund.
So, they can buy these things back and POOF! Disappear! I think I made the comment last week that if Trump gets in as President next year, what he ought to do is tell the Fed, 'Look, you created all this money out of nothing, so it's worth nothing, so you don't get anything.' I don't think he would live very much longer if he did that. I just want you to be aware that these financial things are coming.
Let's see what God says of Israel. Remember, God promised to make Israel the head. He did do it—didn't He? The richest. He did do—didn't He? Yes! God kept all of His promises that He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Here we find the same thing. All the way through—and that's what needs to be given all the way through—God offers repentance. 'If you repent, I'll pull back My hand.'
You get further into the book of Isaiah from chapters 5 thru 10, God says, 'My hand is stretched out still.' That means the hand of His correction is still stretched out, because there is no repentance!
Isaiah 1:15, God says: "And when you spread forth your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood." They come to God and want the smooth things. They don't want to repent.
Verse 16: "'Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do good; seek judgment, reprove the oppressor. Judge the orphan; plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together,' says the LORD. 'Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land... [God always promises that] …but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with the sword'; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it"(vs 16-20). So, it's going to come.
Verse 21: "How has the faithful city become a harlot? It was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it—but now murderers. Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water; your rulers are rebellious, and companions of thieves… [Wonder how the Clinton Foundation was raised up?] …everyone loves a bribe..." (vs 21-23).
As Hillary said when asked why she would charge $250,000 for one speech of 40 minutes long? Calculate how much that is for every minute. 'Oh, they wanted to hear these things' For $250,000? You could buy a $2 paperback and learn more!
"…and is pursuing rewards; they do not judge the orphan, nor does the cause of the widow come before them. And the Lord, the LORD of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel says, 'Alas! I Myself will vent My wrath upon My foes, and avenge Myself of My enemies'" (vs 23-24). That's what's going to be coming.
When God says the land is full of adulterers and 110-million have sexually-transmitted diseases, is that not a true statement? Yes, indeed! God knows!
Let's look at a couple of things here, Isaiah 32:5: "The vile one shall no more be called liberal, nor the miser said to be bountiful. For the vile will speak folly, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy and to speak error against the LORD, to make the soul of the hungry empty, and he will take away the drink of the thirsty" (vs 5-6). You can apply this spiritually and physically.
Verse 7: "Also the weapons of the vile are evil; he thinks of wicked ways to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaks right. But the liberal thinks liberal things; and by liberal things he shall stand" (vs 7-8). We can add there: and fall!
Let's look at a couple of Proverbs concerning money. Today this is surely going to be true.
Proverbs 22:7: "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender." Isn't that true?
What happens when you have everything digital, you go buy something digital? Let's just say you pay $100 for it, just to keep the math easy and simple. The person that you bought it from takes this digital entry and sends it to the bank. The bank deducts from 2-1/2-3% as a fee on every transaction. So, the banks are going to make the money coming and going.
Then they give you the 'privilege' of paying the minimum amount. Have you ever read on your credit card how long it would take you to pay something back if you just paid the minimum amount? Read it carefully, especially if you have one of those 'low' interest cards at 22.9% interest. Some of the cards go up to 29.9% interest, if you just paid the minimum. On that $100 you charged, if you paid $5.00, your card is still in good standing, but think of the interest you are going to pay. Think of how many years it would take to pay it off. 'The borrower is slave to the lender.'
Proverbs 23:4: "Do not weary yourself to be rich; cease from your own wisdom. When your eyes look upon it, it is gone!...." (vs 4-5). That's what's going to happen to a lot of these digital accounts. People are going to think, 'I've got so much money in the bank.' When the axe falls and the computers suck it out, there's going to be nothing left.
Even if you have real money, what are you going to do with inflation at 40%? Think about it. Remember that everyone made fun of Jeremiah Wright. Do you know who Jeremiah Wright is? Barak Hussein Obama's so-called Christian pastor.
He wouldn't bless America. He said, 'Damn America. And the chickens will come home to roost.' Remember that? They're coming home to roost! And how many blessings do you see out there? Not very many blessings, so that's why we need the warning, so
- we can be alert
- we can pay attention
- we can be on guard
- we can do some things to keep ourselves from getting in deeper and deeper trouble
It's going to be tough enough as it is when it comes.
I remember when we could buy Oroweat Bread, the best bread at the time, made with the best ingredients. It was $1.79 a loaf, which at that time, years and years ago, that was pretty cheap. I said, 'What are we going to do when it gets over $2.00?' Now, that same loaf of bread costs $4.99.
If there is rampant inflation, it's going to be $4.99 today, $5.99 tomorrow, $6.99 in three days. Yet, your money is worth 40% less. And they won't sell it by the slice.
Verse 5: "When your eyes look upon it, it is gone! For surely riches make wings for themselves, and they fly into heaven like an eagle." POOF! It is gone.
Let me just say this. We don't know how much time there is in the current economy, how long it will hold together. Maybe this Exchange Stability Fund will act like a big black hole that the Fed will buy these, put them into the black hole and not carry them on the books.
How long will that work? We don't know. The only saving grace out of the whole thing is that if the Churches of God really tend to business the way they ought to and do the work of God, the way that He wants, maybe there will be some time extended to us. But God only knows that.
- the Gospel has to be preached
- the people have to be warned
There are many, many others who are warning! Different ones are warning about:
- the finances
- the government
- crime
- drugs
- different ones are warning about immigration
- are fighting against abortion
There are some people trying to take a stand for some things. But will that be enough? We don't know! We just do not know! For 'the stranger rising up above you' I have:
- the U.K. at 7
- Europe at 7
- the United States at 5
(go to the next track)
I was asked to give a summary of the 14 things up to where we are:
- I. A Coming Time of Peace and Security
- II. King of the North and King of the South
- the King of the North at 5
- the King of the South at 7
because there is one King of South right now, Al Bagdadi, head of ISIS.
Also in the research that we're doing on Dan. 11, the first two things of the King of the North and King of the South, turned out there were four additional kings, not accounted for. Because it is the King of the North with this action and the King of the South with this action, and there are other kings in between. That's why you cannot read it and think, 'King of the North did this and then the King of South immediately did this.' No, there are a number of years in between.
- III. World Trade—I have that at 7 to 8
- IV. Mark of the Beast
We can put at 7, generally speaking, but in the countries that we mentioned: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, you can put them at about 8-9, because they are already going cashless.
- V. Rise of the Kings of the North and the East/Opening the Seals
- China at about 7
- Russia and India at about 6
Where they are as a power right now it's hard to tell.
- VI. The Fall of Israel
That's the ten tribes; actually all twelve will be involved, because the Jews will be involved, too.
U.K. at about 8
United States at about 6
the rest of Europe would be about 7
- VII. False Prophet on the Rise—about 6
All these things are leading up to it.
- VIII. The Temple—about 6 or 7
It's going to require, as I mentioned in part 4, with the Jews understanding where the temple actually was. It wasn't where the Mosque of Omar currently is.
- IX. The Two Witnesses—2-3
We covered the two witnesses. They will come suddenly. We don't know who they are. I'm sure their preparation is being made for the coming high priest at the temple. For the governor, we'll have to wait and see who that will be. But it will immediately come, BAM! like this. With the two witnesses, let's add on this:
The Bible shows there was the prophet Elijah. You find that in the book of Kings.
- Elijah the actual prophet
- John the Baptist—who was to come and prepare the way for the Lord. Jesus said that he was Elijah.
- Another Elijah at the end-time (Mal. 4).
We need to plug that in with the two witnesses. Why? Because the two witnesses are not going to be able to deal with the thousands and thousands of Jews that repent! When the two witnesses come on the scene, the Jews, there are going to be mass repentance with the Jews. That's why there is the third Elijah. Again, that will be suddenly on the scene.
Malachi 4:4: "Remember the Law of Moses My servant, which I commanded to him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the LORD" (vs 4-5). So, there is yet a third one to come.
Mal. 3 talks about the one who was John the Baptist. So let's go back there. Malachi 3:1: "'Behold, I will send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, Whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in Whom you delight. Behold, He comes,' says the LORD of hosts."
The messenger to prepare the way was John the Baptist. John the Baptist is the second Elijah. The Day of the Lord has not yet arrived, but it says:
Malachi 4:5: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the LORD. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the sons, and the heart of the sons to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with utter destruction" (vs 5-6). That means destroy it.
He will deal with those. Will he be the one to be baptizing them, like John the Baptist was? Don't know, probably so! So, that ties in with the two witnesses.
- X. The Church of Philadelphia
- XI. The Church of Laodicea
Let's see how God deals with them. Let's start first with the Church of Philadelphia. This is the goal and the standard that all the Churches of God need to aim for, right here. The Churches of God have been scattered into the many different organizations for a very good purpose. That is so there will be many voices:
- preaching the warning
- preaching the Gospel
- teaching the brethren
As we get to more and more difficult times, then they're going to have to be small groups, like we have here. No longer great large groups. We'll cover that in #12: hating Christians. Here is what we need to do as far as how a church needs to operate:
Revelation 3:7: "And to the angel of the Church in Philadelphia, write…" Philadelphia means lover of brethren. That's one thing that we really need in the churches today. That's why we have the Love Series. When you're done with the Love series, send for the Grace of God series. We have three of those:
- God's Grace and Commandment-Keeping
- Grace of God
- Grace Upon Grace
We also have study packs for new people. We need to get those online, so that people can just download them. We have need for them right now in the U.K. We're working on getting #1 up, #2 is just about done.
How that started out was this. After about ten years with the Church and we were just a very small group for almost ten years, we recorded and kept the messages, and everything. But when you're small, you can get to know each other and you get to love each other. God has brought us together as different people from different backgrounds so that we're not kind of in groups that are homogeneous, of the same thinking, of the same background, and so forth. We have a different background. All of us come from different families and so forth.
Therefore, loving the brethren becomes a very important thing. Steve Durham gave a very good sermon: The Value of Forbearance. Forbearance is the first step in loving someone you wouldn't naturally love. That's why you need the Spirit of God to love; lover of brethren.
Verse 7: "…These things says the Holy One, the One Who is true; the One Who has the key of David…'" The key of David, I believe, has to do with understanding the Scriptures more than anything else.
"'…Who opens and no one shuts, and Who shuts and no one opens. I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, and no one has the power to shut it because you have a little strength, and have kept My Word, and have not denied My name'" (vs 7-8). This means you have to be true to Jesus Christ at all times,
- everywhere you go
- everything that you do
- loving Him
- loving the Father
- trusting Christ
- believing Him
- knowing that every word of God is true
- that you believe it
- you live it
- you follow it
All of that is involved with the Philadelphian.
Verse 9: "Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan…" Who is the synagogue of Satan? That is the super-elite of the world, who worship Satan the devil secretly. He rewards them with all the power and control in the world.
"…who proclaim themselves to be Jews… [saviors of the world] …and are not, but do lie. Behold, I will cause them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you" (v 9).
How God's going to work that out, I don't know, but that's going to be sometime way in the future. Because none of them are going to be in the first resurrection. The best it will be in the second resurrection. So that also shows how God is going to deal with us down through the Millennium, as well.
Verse 10: "Because you have kept the Word of My patience … [or patiently kept My Word] …I also will keep you from the time of temptation… [this is different than the time of tribulation] …which is about to come upon the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth."
{Note sermon: The Temptation to Try the Whole World}
Then He says, v 11: "Behold, I am coming quickly; hold fast that which you have so that no one may take away your crown." There are a lot of people coming around with a lot of false doctrines, a lot of good-sounding things, but they are wrong.
The worst and most malicious and most deceitful of all is what is called 'the lunar-Sabbath calendar,' which means this. Doesn't start from day one, as God did. It starts from day four, when God set the sun and moon in position for the Calculated Hebrew Calendar for calculating time. They say, whenever there's a new moon, that's day one of that month. Then you count seven days and you come to Sabbath. Then you count seven more days and you come to Sabbath. And you count seven more days and you come to Sabbath. And you count seven more days and you come to Sabbath—that's 28 days.
Now then, they don't tell you what do with day 29 and 30, because the Hebrew calendar has 29 days and 30 days, alternating.
When the next new moon comes, that's day one for the first week. So, they completely ignore two days as if they didn't exist. Yet, they think they're keeping the Sabbath, when the Sabbath is the seventh day, counted by days from the beginning, not from the new moon. You see the difference there?
So what it does, it puts people in a worse position than Sunday-keepers, because Sabbath one month will come on Tuesday. The next month it may come on Wednesday. The next month it may come on Monday. The next month it may come on Thursday. You talk about chaos and confusion. "…hold fast that which you have…"
- the Truth of God
- the love of God
- the Word of God
- the understanding of God
- don't let anyone take that from you
- don't believe any of the false doctrines
- prove everything by Scripture
- be willing to admit there are some things we just don't know
We have to take it from there.
Verse 12: "The one who overcomes… [we all have to overcome. He says that to every Church] …will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall not go out anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which will come down out of heaven from My God; and I will write upon him My new name." Very interesting, isn't it?
That appears to be the highest reward of all of those who are in the Churches of God. Lest we get exalted in vanity and start proclaiming ourselves Philadelphians, consider this: Maybe we ought to be repenting Laodiceans, rather than in our conceit claim that we are Philadelphians, because of what happened with the Church of God. Would you not say what happened in Pasadena was a spewing out of the mouth? Yes, indeed! So we need to take to heart the message to the Laodiceans.
Verse 13: "'The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. And to the angel of the Church of the Laodiceans, write: These things says the Amen… [we're down to the final thing] …the faithful and true Witness, the Beginner of the creation of God" (vs 13-14). As it should read, not the beginning, it is the Beginner.
Verse 15: "I know your works that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you be either cold or hot." If you're cold, you're unconverted. 'I'll take care of you in the second resurrection.' If you're hot, then you're zealous for God. You're doing the things that God wants.
Verse 16: "So then, because you are lukewarm, and are neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth. For you say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy…'" (vs 16-17). Meaning they didn't start out that way, but they became that way.
Sometimes it doesn't pay to go to the grocery store. I think about that when I go to the grocery store. Dolores being gone, she'll back on the 15th of February. She's having such a good time down in Texas, she decided to stay a little longer. So I have to do the buying, do the grocery shopping. It's even worse when she does all the buying of the groceries, because it's all right there. If I want something, all I have to do is open the cupboard, open a package, open a bottle, open whatever. Or she's done the cooking, all I have to do is dish it up.
Now, I've got to do it all. I walk into the store and here's everything there. I want a salad, I just get a little package, take it home, open it up and eat. I thought to myself the other night as I was doing that, 'Fred, there's a backyard out here. What if you had to grow all of that food with everything that is in here? And it's fresh.' You couldn't get it every day of the year. I thought: Are we not spoiled? Yes, indeed! We have it all at our fingertips.
Now then, technologically, look at what we have. No discredit to your digital Bible. We have it all right there. Talk about being at your fingertip. Jonathan has got the whole Bible on his smart phone, and he was showing me how quickly to do it. It's going to be so much better than turning the pages, if your battery is charged up. That's why you need the physical Bible—no batteries required.
But he helped me out this morning. I called him because I couldn't find a certain verse with a certain word. He got his phone, called me right back, and said it's here in Ezekiel 7. So, I said, 'Thank you.' He's got a word search on there.
Talk about having everything, but we should never take it all for granted and say, 'We have these things because we are so good. We have these because we deserve them.' No! It's the age we're living in. If you think that that's not true, just send for the DVD, Israel of the Alps, and watch that. I've seen it a couple times.
Every time I see it, I think of this. You ever talk to yourself? Yeah, you talk to yourself all the time. I say to myself: Fred, what would you do if you were there? What would you do? How would you live? It's amazing! So, there are ways that we can get away from the complacency that is pervasive everywhere, and that is to understand the Word of God and not look to the physical things.
Verse 17: "For you say, 'I am rich, 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."
Look at all the things that we have. If all of those things take us away from:
- God
- prayer
- study
- Sabbath-keeping
- Holy Day keeping
- tithing
- loving the brethren
—that's why the Laodiceans are then counseled that you can change, because there's always repentance. Didn't we read that all the way through? There's repentance.
Verse 18: "I counsel you to buy from Me gold purified by fire so that you may be rich…"
That's the highest spiritual standard. Like it says there in 1-Cor. 3, Christ is the foundation. We are to build on it with gold, silver, precious stone. Some build with wood, hay, and stubble. The wood, hay and stubble get all burned up. Gold, silver, and precious stone become pure, better, worth more, when they go through fire to purify them. This is what Christ is saying.
"…and white garments…" (v 18). The white garments are the righteousness. Righteousness is
- loving God
- keeping His commandments
- all of that
"…so that you may be clothed, and the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed… [spiritually or physically] …and to anoint your eyes with eye salve, so that you may see" (v 18).
Laodiceans are #11, and 11 is the number of judgment. Isn't that interesting? I didn't plan it that way, but that's the way it turned out.
"…and to anoint your eyes with eye salve, so that you may see" (v 18). Eye salve is to get rid of the carnal excuses that cause you
- not to study
- not to pray
- take things for granted
- be willing to accept false doctrines
You can tie this in with Matt.13, where Jesus says that 'you've been given to know the things of the Kingdom of Heaven; and blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. For even many prophets and wise men wanted to know what you know and have not known.' The masses are blind because they won't listen; because they won't obey.
When it says 'anoint your eyes with eye salve so that you may see,' that's like say, taking spiritually the Word of God and opening up your eyes. How then can you apply this? You apply it this way. When you read and study the Bible, apply the Scriptures to yourself, as well. Remember, ask yourself: Who is yet perfect? Nobody! We all have things to work on.
Is your mind perfectly converted? No! You have things in there you need to have changed and removed and replaced? Yes! Those are the things to work on.
Verse 19: "As many as I love… [Christ loves the Laodiceans] …I rebuke and chasten…."
- let the Word of God correct you
- let these things in your life correct you
- learn from the difficulties and problems you experience
"…Therefore, be zealous and repent" (v 19).
I'll just tell you one thing. Going through and writing the book, and getting it ready for publication now, From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God: Why Were You Born? that has really etched in my mind how important it is that whenever you get to thinking how great this or that is, or you are, do the pinpoint.
Put a dot on a piece of paper and look at it, and remember, tell yourself when you talk to yourself, because you all talk to yourself. I talk to myself, too. Many times it's 'dumb, dumb, stupid, stupid, why did you do that?' I look at that little dot, which is barely visible and I remind myself, 'Fred, that's how you started. The only reason that you are what you are now is because of God. No other reason.'
God has provided everything. God has given everything. Yes, we have to work. Yes, we have to do all those things. Yes, we have to do all that and God has given us free moral agency. Yes, that's true and we have to choose. We have to choose to love God and choose to love each other.
"…Therefore, be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock…" (vs 19-20). You can take it this way: Christ is close to returning. Maybe He's knocking at the door of your mind—wake up, repent. That's why prayer and study every day is so important, because God deals with you then. God deals with us every Sabbath.
Just think what your life would be in six months if you quit keeping the Sabbath. Just think of what it would be! You'd be out there in the world. You'd justify everything you do. 'I'm a good person. I'm not doing this, doing that, doing the other thing.' But God in His mercy hasn't come down and squashed you because of your sin. He wants you to repent.
"…If anyone hears My voice… [Doesn't that go right back to obey the voice of God? Yes!] …and opens the door… [the door of your mind] …I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me" (v 20). You have fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. That's what it's talking about. That's quite a thing. That's quite a message here for the Laodiceans.
Verse 21: "To the one who overcomes will I give authority to sit with Me in My throne… [You talk about a high reward. Isn't that something?] …even as I also overcame…" Christ had to overcome:
- Satan the devil
- the flesh
- men
- the religious authorities
"…and sat down with My Father in His throne. The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (vs 21-22).
I hope no one feels that because we have to bring about the Laodiceans that I'm picking on anybody. If you feel picked on, then go to God; take it to God. What you need to do is pick on yourself. That would be the best way.
- Philadelphians at about 8
- Laodiceans at 10
Let's come back here to Matt. 24. That's sure something out there today, yes, indeed. I read an account of a young 12-year old boy who belongs to some church in the world, Christian church. He had on a necklace with a little cross. He was going through the checkout stand and here's a female, Muslim, with a headscarf on. She said, 'Why don't you tuck away the cross under your shirt. It offends me.' He said, 'Why don't you take off your headscarf. It offends me.' We will be hated, all forms of it. Remember, there are two classes of martyrs (Rev. 17):
- saints
- those who are the martyrs for Jesus
Let's just review Matt. 24, all of it down through the time of the tribulation, just for the sake of knowing it.
- XII. Hating Christians
- XIII. Preaching the Gospel to the World
Matthew 24:1: "And after going out, Jesus departed from the temple; and His disciples came to Him to point out the buildings of the temple."
You have to have in mind the temple area.. You come down into the Valley of Kidron, and you come up east to the Mt. of Olives. Jesus and the disciples had a special place on the Mt. of Olives they would go. Jesus was probably there, and sitting down, and they came to Him:
Verse 2: "But Jesus said to them, 'Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, there shall not be left here even a stone upon a stone that shall not be thrown down.' And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives… [across from the temple, that's why they could see it] … His disciples came to Him alone, saying, 'Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the completion of the age?'" (vs 2-3).
That's the question that Christians have been asking from that day till now. And it still isn't here. How much longer do we have? We don't know. We'll have to stay faithful and stick around, because if there are many years left, they're going to be a lot of us who will find the place of safety in the grave. Don't take that as some form of punishment. Remember, everyone who has ever been a Christian and faithful to the end died. They'll be resurrected.
Verse 4: "Then Jesus answered and said to them, 'Be on guard, so that no one deceives you.'" Hasn't that been a struggle even in the Churches of God? Also in the world?
Verse 5: "For many shall come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ'; and they shall deceive many…. [started out immediately] …And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars…." (vs 5-6).
Turn on your news tonight after the Sabbath is over and watch the news. They're fighting in Yemen, Syria and Iraq.
"…See that you do not let these things disturb you. For it is necessary that all these things take place, but the end is not yet" (v 6).
Think about the disciples in the first century, the apostles at that time. As things were going through and Matt. 24 was being fulfilled in many different ways, but not completely, leading up to the destruction of the temple:
- there were wars
- there were rumors of wars
- there was persecution
- there was hatred
- there were false prophets
These things have come in cycles down through the ages. But as it says there a little later, 'When you see allof these things, know that it is at the door.' The major thing that didn't happen in 70A.D., there was no abomination of desolation. The Gospel hadn't been preached to the whole world, and other things.
Verse 7: "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in different places." That's been going on. It's continuing to go on now.
Everyone is worried about Yellowstone National Park. They didn't realize it until they had airplanes to look down on it, and Yellowstone National Park is one huge caldera. What is a caldera? A caldera is the remains of a mammoth volcano that blew everything up and then fell back in on itself! Now they know magma is always moving in Yellowstone National Park. There are some parts that it gets so hot that the water will not allow anything to grow. The magma is only 1,500 feet below the surface of the land. One giant earthquake and that goes. If that happens, the United States is history—period! It is over! Even the winds would affect us down here. But just think of what it would be with the winds going east. So, there are many, many different things.
Verse 8: "Now, all these things are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to affliction…" (vs 8-9). That's happened in the past. It has happened today for those people over in the Middle East, though they didn't have a pure form of Christianity, they were martyrs for Christ.
"…and shall kill you; and you shall be hated by all nations for My name's sake" (v 9). How's that for an organization to belong to? And it's going to intensify even more.
Verse 10: "And then shall many be led into sin, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another." Isn't that where we are today? Everybody fighting each other, everybody against each other.
Verse 11: "And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many." Go on the Trinity Broadcasting channel. Go on some of the other channels on Sunday and see what it is. Go on the Internet, look at it. It's all multiplied, over and over again.
Verse 12: "And because lawlessness shall be multiplied… [that's what we see today] …the love of many shall grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, that one shall be saved" (vs 12-13).
- you think about when you have troubles, think about what Christ went through
- you think about what you've had to give up, think about what Christ gave up
- you think about how difficult a time you've had, think about a difficult time that Jesus had
He had to overcome the flesh. He gave up being God and He did all of this to save us.
Verse 13: "But the one who endures to the end, that one shall be saved. And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world for a witness to all nations; and then shall the end come" (vs 13-14).
That's where we are. We are waiting for the temple to be built; it will be built. Why is God letting the Jews build the temple? So that the Jews will learn forever their works will not compel God to do one single thing! Not our works, not our righteousness, but it all comes from God. Also to show that Christ is coming, not because they built the temple, but because it was according to the plan of God.
Think of what a thing it's going to be. Because here the Gospel is in the Bible. Counting all digital devices, all published Bibles. You talk about a witness. God has done His part. He's got it out there, but we have to follow through and:
- preach the Gospel
- teach the brethren
- love each other
- get all of these things done in a world that is upside down
That's quite a challenge!
How would you like to be in Syria today? Yemen? Nigeria? or Mexico with the drug wars going on down there. We can't take anything for granted.
- Gospel in the whole world, about 7
There are other warnings from other people. There are financial warnings, health warnings, all of those from different people, but we have to preaching the Kingdom of God.
- XIV. No Truth, No Faith
Luke 18:8: "I tell you that He will execute vengeance for them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, shall He find the true faith on the earth?" The answer is: very little!
In the midst of all of this, we are going to see some catastrophic things take place. That's why we need to pray for the brethren. We need to pray for each other.
Isaiah 3:10: "Say to the righteous…" Our righteousness comes from Christ. That means we have to be in right standing with Him.
"…that it shall be well with him…" (v 10)—regardless of your circumstances. Jesus said, 'Don't fear those who can kill the body, but can't take away the life.' So it's still well with us, regardless of the circumstances.
"…for they shall eat the fruit of their doings" (v 10). When will that take place? At the resurrection! Then we can add a little more to it: Jesus tells us to watch. There are many things to watch:
- world news
- different events
- watch ourselves
- watch the doctrine
- care for each other
Don't get lulled to sleep, because it doesn't happen in the timeframe you thought it would.
Look at what happened. There were many people who were attending church. When things didn't work out the way that they did, they just said, 'I'm out of here.' That's not faithful to the end!
Matthew 24:33: "'In like manner also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Truly I say to you, this generation…" (vs 33-34)—in which all these things can be seen. That's the generation! Some people have thought that the generation was the generation of 70A.D. Many of the things happened, just like it's listed here, but not all the things happened. He makes it clear; this is the distinction.
Jesus didn't say, 'When you see some of these things and you see other of these things, then you know it's near.' No! He said, "…when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."
Verse 34: "Truly I say to you, this generation shall in no wise pass away until all these things have taken place. The heaven and the earth shall pass away… [they're still here] …but My words shall never pass away. But concerning that day, and the hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (vs 34-36). Then He talks about the days of Noah, eating and drinking, and all of this sort of thing.
Verse 42: "Watch, therefore, because you do not know in what hour your Lord is coming." Let's look at this:
- His literal return to the earth with all the saints
- when He comes to correct you of a fault or difficulty He wants you to overcome
- when you come to the end of your life
He has come upon you. Your judgment is set. Your last breath, that finalizes the judgment.
Verse 43: "But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have been watching, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready. For the Son of man is coming at a time that you do not think" (vs 43-44).
Then He says, 'Who is faithful and wise, but the one is doing the will of God.' The one who says, 'He delays,' and of course, every generation, down to our time, they could be guilty of saying, 'He delays.' No! He's not delaying anything. It's all on time—His schedule. Thing is, we don't know His schedule completely.
Those are the 14 things that have to take place in prophecy! It's an awful lot of information, but we live in the age of information, so I guess we'll take it that way.
Scriptural References:
- Ezekiel 33:1-10
- Isaiah 30:1, 8-15
- Ezekiel 33:11
- Isaiah 1:15-24
- Isaiah 32:5-8
- Proverbs 22:7
- Proverbs 23:4-5
- Malachi 4:4-5
- Malachi 3:1
- Malachi 4:5-6
- Revelation 3:7-22
- Matthew 24:1-14
- Luke 18:8
- Isaiah 3:10
- Matthew 24:33-36, 42-44
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Acts 20
- Daniel 11
- 1-Corinthians 3
- Matthew 13
- Revelation 17
Also referenced:
Books:
- Mein Kampf by Adolph Hitler
- The Snapping of the American Mind by David Kupelian
- How Evil Works by David Kupelian
- From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God: Why Were You Born? (coming soon)
Article: Get Ready for a World Currency (from The Economist, Jan. 8, 1988 (cbcg.org)
Sermon Series:
- Love of God
- God's Grace and Commandment-Keeping
- Grace of God
- Grace Upon Grace
Sermons:
- The Value of Forbearance by Steve Durham
- The Temptation to Try the Whole World
DVD: Israel of the Alps (produced by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church)
FRC:lp
Transcribed: 2-21-16
Formatted: bo—2-23-16
Copyright 2016—All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. This includes electronic and mechanical photocopying or recording, as well as the use of information storage and retrieval systems.
