Saturday, February 28, 2009

THE BEAST OF REVELATION 13(Part 1)by: Elder Lawrence Nelson
Welcome to "Keep the Faith Tape Ministry." This is Evangelist Lawrence Nelson bringing to you undeniable facts that will prepare you to live forever with Christ your Savior and never die. You are about to hear some of the most dire predictions ever given by God regarding this mystery beast of Revelation 13.
Now for a warning concerning the New World Order in which every nation of our world is becoming strangely involved. In this series we are going to give you some alarming facts that you have never heard before that will lead you to understand the final battle of Armageddon. I wish this message to be preached in every church in the world, for this beast of Revelation 13 is going to completely change our lives so that the freedoms we now enjoy will be gone forever. This is why God has given us the Bible to prepare. In Daniel the twelfth chapter and the first verse it tells us that this will be a time of trouble such as never was. How few of the people living in the world today are aware of what is taking place and what is about to happen.
We will discover in the book of Revelation that Jesus has given us a clear picture of what is soon to take place. It reads, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass." Revelation 1:1. I like that, don't you? This is all summed up in Revelation chapter fourteen which tells of three angels flying through the midst of heaven with the last message of mercy to a doomed world. We are told in these verses that anyone who worships this beast, or anyone who obeys it, God is going to cast into hell fire. That is why this alarming truth must be given.
My dear friends, I believe that the Lord is coming very, very soon. I want you to be ready because I love you. I don't want you to come to me in the near future and say, "Why didn't you tell me about this beast? You knew these things, but you didn't inform us and now we are lost." This is why you are going to hear some things you have never heard before in your life, so you can be ready.
First of all we must seek divine aid in prayer. Father, please send us Thy Holy Spirit to guide us that we may hear all about this beast and become aware of its great danger. In Jesus' name we ask, Amen.
I trust that you have placed the visual aid before you. Locate beast #6 that God describes in Revelation 13:1 – 3 and notice the details as I read. "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast."
Let us now take a closer look at this beast which the Lord has described. It is a strange looking creature, isn't it? Notice that it has ten horns and each of them are crowned. It is a peculiar-looking beast because it has a head like a lion, the feet of a bear, and a body like a leopard. Whoever heard of anything like this? No wonder some evangelists don't want to preach about it because it seems too difficult to understand. But we are going to make these symbols so clear that it will be as easy as learning to count.
God warns that if any man worships this beast which has a mark, a name, and a number and even makes an image to this beast that God's wrath will be upon him. We had better know beyond a doubt what this beast is. But where are we going to find the definitions that will help us to understand? We may guess, but this means nothing. Only God's Word will tell us exactly what each of these symbols represents – the horns, the head like a lion, feet like a bear, or the body of a leopard. I want you to know that God has an answer, a "Thus said the Word of God" for every one of these characteristics.
Perhaps it would be good to pause here and tell you that our God is a God of love. Just to think that He would take time from running the universe to show us what this power is so that we can know what to expect. Christ describes these things as a cartoonist does for He wanted to make it simple. I recall some years ago looking in a newspaper and there was a picture of a lion. It was nibbling at the tail of a bear. There wasn't a word on it, but I knew what it meant. It was a cartoon of England trying to start a fight with Russia.
Now we could understand these deep truths if He made them simple. Those of us who have studied the Bible with much prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit have discovered a secret. If there is anything that we don't understand in the book of Revelation we can turn to the book of Daniel and it will give us the answer. Both of these books were written by God through the Holy Spirit and He knows what this beast represents.
Let us turn in our Bibles to Daniel 7:2. We read, "Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea." Now you will recall that we read in Revelation 13 that this beast arose out of the sea. Both Daniel and John the Revelator were looking upon the same great body of water. The Bible is very clear in Revelation 17:15, "The waters which thou sawest, …are people, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." We are not guessing for God's Word has told us. The waters from which these beasts were emerging represent the nations of the world.
What happens when a great wind blows upon the waters of the ocean? – The waves often reach forty to fifty feet tall and clash against one another. The wind is a symbol of what happens when there is strife among the people as representing war and bloodshed. The result – one nation goes down into destruction and another nation comes up and takes its place. I am reading this from Jeremiah 51:1 – 4. "Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, … a destroying wind. …Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, …destroy ye utterly all her host." Winds stand for war. This is God's way to picture wars as kingdoms are destroyed and new kingdoms arise.
Now back to Daniel 7:3. "And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another." What are these? – I am reading now from verse 17, "These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth." Isn't it marvelous that God explains every detail. We don't have to guess.
Another wonder that is almost unbelievable, but true, is that as we read Bible history God tells the future before it happens. God knows what is going to take place tomorrow and He knows what is going to happen a year from now. He knows the end from the beginning so He tells Daniel what is going to happen before it actually takes place.
Now let's look at your visual aid. Note the #2 beast as I read from Daniel 7:4, "The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it." First, what does this lion represent? Let me read it to you from the Bible. We are not going to guess. It says in Jeremiah 50:43, 44, "The king of Babylon … shall come up like a lion." It is God who explains; we don't have to interpret by ourselves. We don't have to guess if we will turn to the Bible and compare scripture with scripture.
Look closely at this lion that is #2 on the chart. You will notice that it had wings. I have been in the British Museum in England. Those in charge decided that they would go down to the Euphrates River in Iraq where the old kingdom of Babylon used to be to see if they could find anything. They dug in the ruins and they noticed that by every entrance to that city there was a winged lion. God used the same symbol to illustrate Babylon, isn't that interesting? I have stood before that great winged lion some seventeen feet tall made out of stone by the Babylonians. God knew what He was talking about when He told us that it was a winged lion. God also said that a man's heart would be given it. How strong is a lion when it has the strength of a man's heart? It is no longer the king of beasts. Something was going to happen to this great kingdom of Babylon that came into existence in 606 BC as the first universal kingdom of this world.
Look again at your beast chart and locate beast #3. Daniel 7:5 tells us, "And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh." Now those of you who have studied ancient history know the next great kingdom that came on the scene of action arose in the year 538 BC. It was called the kingdom of Medo-Persia. Notice how God is so particular in telling us what would happen. God is revealing the future. He says that the bear would have three ribs in its mouth.
The kingdom of Babylon was composed of three provinces – Babylon, Lydia and Egypt. History reveals that Medo-Persia did exactly as prophecy predicted. It destroyed, or devoured, the three provinces of Babylon. But notice, it tells something else – the bear is lifted up on one side. When the Medo-Persia government overthrew Babylon then the Medes warred with the Persians and the Persians overthrew the Medes so Persia finally rules the world. Doesn't God make it simple? God makes it so clear.
Then God said something else would happen. On your beast chart find beast #4. I am reading verse six, "After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it." History records that in the year 331 BC another power arose in the world. Now notice, first arose the kingdom of Babylon, then came Persia and next followed Greece. The scripture states this leopard beast had four wings. This made it possible to quickly conquer the then-known world. It is amazing as you look at the maps of how Alexander the Great conquered the world. He had no airplanes, no tanks, no modern ships – just a few wooden vessels and some camels and horses. But, in twelve short years he conquered the world. It's amazing. That's why God said it would have four wings; it would be done so quickly.
But this great emperor could not conquer his own appetite and he died a drunkard at 33 years of age. God also pictured this for us, for scripture says it would have four heads – not five heads or three, but four as pictured on your beast chart #4. Alexander had exactly four generals. Their names were Cassander, Lysimachos, Seleucus, and Ptolemy. When Alexander died these four generals got together and said, "Let's not fight among ourselves; let's rule concurrently." So in the next year the world was ruled by four heads, or generals. Isn't it marvelous that God told Daniel three hundred years before this took place exactly what would happen? The Bible is filled with such wonders.
Now look at beast #5 as I read Daniel 7:7. "After this I saw in the night vision, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns." Are you looking at beast #5? You will notice that this beast looks like a monster. It had great iron teeth. It was dreadful.
We all know the next great kingdom to rule this world was Rome in 168 BC. Those of you who have studied about the Roman Empire under the Caesars know that pagan Rome was ruthless. The whole world trembled under this power. In fact when you read history from Edward Gibbons' book The History, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire you will discover that he uses these words, "the iron monarchy of Rome." God said it simply, "It had great iron teeth." How marvelous that God could predict these details.
This was the time when Jesus came into this world and died on a cross. It was a Roman cross. It was Pilate, under the authority of Caesar, who crucified our Lord using Roman soldiers. Isn't it wonderful that the entire world was under bondage to Rome but that Jesus is born to bring salvation, hope and courage? Isn't that just like our Savior? Our Lord knew when the world was in need and He came to this earth to die on a pagan, Roman cross for you and me; giving His life as payment for our sins. He died in our place that we might live. What a Savior!
Pagan Rome, like all these other kingdoms, had its problems. We find in the year 476 AD that the Roman Empire broke apart. Look again at your visual aid. Remember there was one Babylon, one Persia, one Greece and one Rome ruling the entire world. But now something different happens. The Bible says that this beast had ten horns. What do horns represent? – I am reading Daniel 7:24, "And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise." History verifies that the Roman Empire divided into exactly ten kingdoms. How amazing that God can see the future and knows what is going to happen.
Now perhaps you are saying, "You promised that you would talk about the beast of Revelation 13 and explain all about the details, but all you have told us is about ancient history." My friend, you have been learning more than you think. Let me show you something. Look at your chart at beast #6. God wanted to show you that this beast of Revelation 13 contains all the characteristics of the past beasts of history and so our heavenly Cartoonist took the horns from pagan Rome (beast #5), He took the body from the leopard of Greece (beast #4), He took the feet from the bear Medo-Persia (beast #3), and He took the head from the lion of old Babylon (beast #2) and He put them all together. Why? – Because He wants to show you that this beast of Revelation 13 is a composite beast containing the beliefs and the teachings of paganism found in those empire of past history. This is why God hates it. I believe you are beginning to have some understanding now about the beast of Revelation 13 (beast #6).
Let me show you something else. Look at the beast chart at beasts #2 – 5. The prophet Daniel was looking forward in time and he saw a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a monster. But the prophet John as he received the revelation of Jesus Christ he was pointed back in history. This is why these beasts are in reverse order starting with the horns of the monster (#5), then the body of a leopard (#4), the feet of a bear (#3), and the head of the lion (#2). I want to tell you that these two books of Daniel and Revelation embrace each other.
Now we are ready to hear some tremendous facts that will open your understanding of Bible history. Look on your visual aid at beast #5, the monster. In Daniel the seventh chapter and verse eight it reads, "I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things."
Perhaps we should pause here for a moment. Maybe there are some Catholics listening with you to this tape, or perhaps some Protestants. I wouldn't be surprised even some Jews or Mohammedans and maybe some atheists are listening. No matter who you are, God loves you and so do we.
Now the question: What is this power? - It is the little horn beast (#5 on your chart). We will let God's Holy Scripture describe the little horn and what it does. Then we will turn to history and see if it actually happened. Since the little horn of this beast represents a church we will then read from the teachings of the church to see if she agrees.
What church are we talking about? – God has given us seven undeniable facts proving the little horn to be the papal power in the world today. He wants us be absolutely positive, and believe me He has not left any doubt. Listen carefully. I am reading from Daniel 7:24, "And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them." Remember pagan Rome ruled the world from 168 BC to 476 AD as you see on your chart (beast #5). But, God foretold that pagan Rome would be divided into ten separate kingdoms.
Here comes fact #1: Pagan Rome became so corrupt that a revolution developed in which the Roman Empire was divided into ten separate kingdoms. But not for long, because God prophesied by Daniel that another power would arise which would be of a diverse nature.
Fact #2: The papacy, claiming to be a diverse spiritual power, destroyed three of the kingdoms – the Heroli in 493 AD, the Vandals in 534 AD, and finally the Ostrogoths in 538 AD. When the seven remaining kingdoms saw what had happened to the three kingdoms by this papal power, they capitulated, making it possible for the papal power of the little horn to rule over them also.
I am reading from the book The Question Box, written by Reverend Conway, a Roman Catholic. Papal Rome has given three seals of approval on this book which means that they have checked the writings and they are correct. I read on p. 166, "The difference from Constantinople, the interrupted communications with the Exter of Vereena, the constant fighting against the Goths, the Huns and the Hunbars [these are the common names for the Heroli, the Vandals and the Ostrogoths] tended to turn the pope willingly or unwillingly into a temporal sovereign." Isn't that amazing? God said when the little horn came into power it would destroy three of the ten kingdoms and the church says that is exactly what she did. We are not guessing here, this is a life and death issue; we must know the truth.
Seven of these nations are still in existence in our world today. I will read the names of them for you. They are: Germany, England, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Switzerland. The other three are gone – they have disappeared. You see, God doesn't want you to have any questions.
He doesn't want you to have any doubt in your mind for He tells us more. Fact #3: It says in the scripture that this little horn had eyes. How interesting. Every person in this world today knows that this organization, the papacy, is headed up by a man called the pope. This is something that God has made so clear that there can be no doubt. But He adds more…
Fact #4: I am reading from Daniel 7:25, "And he shall speak great words against the most High." How revealing! I am reading from The Authority of the Councils, Volume 2, Book 2, Chapter 17, p. 266 which says, "All names which in the scripture are applied to Christ, by virtue of which it is established that He is over the church, all the same names are applied to the pope." You may call the pope the Savior, or the Good Shepherd. Listen, I am quoting from another Catholic source. "The pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but is as it were God and the vicar of God." The Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Dictionary, the article on the pope.
When you turn on your television, as I have done, and see the pope, who claims that he is not a mere man, but is as it were God, is it any wonder when he came to America that thousands were kneeling before him? I saw it with my own eyes. But I read in John 10:30 that Jesus said, "I and my Father are one." He was, for He was the Son of God, but the Jewish priests said that they were going to stone Him. Why? – "Because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God." (verse 33). According to the Bible this is blasphemy.
What did the scriptures say? – "That he shall speak great words against the most High." (Daniel 7:25). I am reading from The Catholic National, July, 1905. "The pope is not only a representative of Jesus Christ, but Jesus Christ Himself." What's that? I read in the scriptures that in the last days false christs would come. These are undeniable facts. Paul told us that this would happen. I am reading from 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come (speaking of the second coming of Christ), except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself about all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."
Fact #5: The Bible tells us in Luke 5:20 that Jesus, when he was healing a poor, sick man said, "Thy sins are forgiven thee." Isn't it wonderful that we have a Savior who not only can heal us, but can forgive us of our sins! What a God. But did you know that this man of Rome also claims to forgive sin? I am quoting, "The pope is the vicar of Christ, or the visible head of the church on earth. The claims of the pope are the same as the claims of Christ. Christ wanted all souls saved, so does the pope. Christ can forgive all sin, so can the pope." That is taken by a sermon by Reverend Jeremiah Prendergast preached in The Church of St. John the Baptist Syracuse, NY on March 13, 1912 as reported in The Syracuse Post Standard March 14, 1912.
Now comes Fact #6: Daniel 7:25, "And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High." If you will look back in history you will find that this great power has destroyed more people in this world than any other institution that has ever existed. Let me read this to you from William Edward Hartpole Lecky in his book The History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe, Volume 2, p. 32. "The Church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has ever existed among mankind."
God has revealed these facts and the church admits it. I am reading from The Western Watchman, a Roman Catholic magazine of December 24, 1908. The church says, "The Church has persecuted. Only a tyro in church history will deny that. 150 years after Constantine the Donatists were persecuted and sometimes put to death. Protestants were persecuted in France and Spain with the full approval of Church authorities. We have always defended the persecution of the Huguenots and the Spanish Inquisition." The facts are that thousands and tens of thousands were destroyed by the papal power.
Here is something else to really think about. I continue to quote, "But will the Catholic Church give bond that she will not persecute at all? Will she guarantee absolute freedom and equality of all church and all faiths? The Catholic Church gives no bond of her good behavior."
Here is Fact #7: Daniel 7:25, "And he shall … think to change times and laws." If you pick up any Catholic Catechism you will find that the second commandment is missing which reads, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image." I have been in St. Peter's Basilica of Rome and I have looked at the statues and the people kneeling before them. God says, "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them."
But I hear someone say, "Doesn't the church teach ten commandments?" – Why of course they do. They took the last one and divided it into two so that they could tell the world that they keep the ten commandments, but they don't.
Now let me summarize what we have discovered. We have found undeniable proof that the beast of Revelation 13 and the little horn of Daniel 7 are one and the same. Let me review this for you. Both will blaspheme (Revelation 13:5; Daniel 7:25). Both would hold universal rulership (Revelation 13:7; Daniel 7:23). Both were a religious power (Revelation 13:8; Daniel 7:24). Both were to rule for 1260 years (Revelation 13:5; Daniel 7:25). Both would try to change God's law (Revelation 13:5, 16, 17; Daniel 7:25). Both would persecute (Revelation 13:7; Daniel 7:25). Therefore the beast of Revelation 13 and the little horn are one and the same.
This is becoming exciting, isn't it? Now the question: "Where did this beast get such power?" This is what our next tape is all about. This is why God warns us in Revelation 14:9, 10, "If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb."
In this tape you have heard some alarming facts, but the next tape will bring you some astonishing facts so that you can see, without a doubt, what God is trying to tell us about this beast. Don't miss it!
Let us pray. Loving Father, we thank Thee that Thou hast made things so clear in Thy Word so that we can decide not to have anything to do with this beast of Revelation 13. Grant us retentive memories so we will be ready for tape #2 entitled "The Beast, The Dragon and the Woman." This we ask in the name of Jesus, Amen."
www.ElderNelson.com

Friday, February 27, 2009

"IT IS FINISHED"by: Elder Lawrence Nelson
For many years I have been intrigued with a verse of scripture which I believe is one of the most sublime of all in inspiration. It is found in Psalm 85:10 and will be our text for this study. "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." When one reads this text for the first time he is captured by its poetic nature and aroused by its romantic thought. But when one gives himself to prayerful study of this text he is filled with amazement as he begins to realize the very thoughts of God in achieving victory in the great controversy between Christ and Satan.
Today mankind is faced with many unsolved questions. Each differs widely, depending on where one lives, but our subject is of more importance than any problem found in this world today. We are dealing with a question of how to find permanent peace and I am not talking about the present war with terrorists around the world, nor the present peace movements on foot.
Yet in a way these world efforts to obtain peace are connected with Satan's ambition to destroy the peace of the universe. Perhaps we should first question, "How can this be?" And the answer is, "Because Satan had attempted to prove that the righteousness of God's law is the enemy of peace." This is why the Son of God came to live on this earth to reveal His Father's eternal "peace plan," proving that His law and His everlasting peace are inseparably joined together; that mercy and truth cannot exist without each other.
Before we continue, this is a good place to pause and invite the Holy Spirit to guide us in our search for divine understanding that we may realize the meaning of Christ's final words on the cross when He cried, "It is finished," that forever ended any doubt throughout the universe as to the final outcome of the war with Satan. Let us pray. Our Loving Father, we ask in the blessed name of Jesus that the third person of the Godhead activate our minds with divine guidance that we may comprehend the depths of salvation's plan for eternal peace. Amen.
As we dig into this important subject we should take time to identify the spiritual meaning of each word in our text – "truth," "mercy," "righteousness," and "peace." Let us begin with the word "truth." The scripture declares without question in Psalm 119:142, "Thy law is the truth."
The word "mercy" is best understood in the light of the sanctuary for the Bible tells us, "Sin is the transgression of the law." Within the sanctuary God placed the mercy seat above the law which was centered in the Ark of the Covenant. Therefore, according to Jude 21, we read, "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." As one studies the heavenly sanctuary we find that Jesus Christ, our High Priest, sprinkles His precious blood upon the mercy seat of God that we may obtain forgiveness and receive the peace of eternal life.
The word "righteousness" means "sinlessness." Since Christ never sinned only His righteousness is acceptable to God the Father. Christ has promised to cover us with the robe of His righteousness.
Our last word is "peace." This beautiful word is best explained by another word – "heaven." In Revelation 21:1-4 we read, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." What a wonderful picture of eternal peace! Thus the word is best understood by what takes place in heaven.
Now with these inspired meanings of mercy, truth, righteousness and peace, let us once again read our text, "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." Since "mercy" is best expressed by the word "love," and the "law" is "truth," and "sinlessness" is "righteousness," and "heaven" is "peace," permit me to read our text with these spiritual meanings: "Love and law are met together; sinlessness and heaven have kissed each other." How beautiful!
The life of Christ on this earth proved beyond a doubt that God's law is righteous and can be perfectly obeyed with divine help. By the death of Christ on the cross He proved that Satan's charges were utterly false; that justice did not destroy mercy in forgiving sin; that heaven's peace will extend through all eternity and can be realized only on God's terms.
I trust by now that we are starting to comprehend a small portion of those dramatic words that Christ uttered on the cross when He cried, "It is finished." It is no wonder that when these words were uttered from His dying lips that all heaven broke forth in a mighty shout of victory. Usually when death comes in this life it brings great anguish for all hope has finally vanished. Death is a state of hopelessness. But this was not so when Christ died. Those dying words of Christ, "It is finished," were a cry of victory; the battle had been won. It was a time for rejoicing for Christ has accomplished the task He had come to do. In dying, He became a conqueror. All heaven participated in the Savior's victory. Shouts of triumph echoed from one unfallen world to another through the vast universe. Do you question why? - Because heaven's peace had now become a reality.
Satan, who for ages had harassed the angels of God and the inhabitants of sinless worlds, was no longer permitted to disrupt heaven's harmony. Satan had become a defeated foe and what's more, he knew it. This is why his hatred for God has now turned to revenge. This is why he is going about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Those divine words, "It is finished," mean that redemption was no longer a possibility, but was now an accomplished fact - not only for us, but for the peace of the unfallen worlds.
Let me explain further. It was not until the moment of Christ's death on the cross that the character of Satan was clearly revealed to the angels of God and to the unfallen worlds. The archapostate had so clothed himself with deception that even the remaining holy angels did not fully understand the principles of Satan's kingdom.
I can hear some of you asking, "How could this be?" You must realize Satan was a created being so wonderful, so powerful and so great in his glory that he was above all created beings. He was actually next to the divine Godhead. Inspiration speaks of him as, "Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty." Ezekiel 28:12. Lucifer was of the highest order of all creation. He was used by God to carry out the purposes of the Godhead to the universe. Angels trusted him. They never questioned any of his commands, but after Satan made the decision to take the place of Christ, God could no longer use him. The power and wisdom that he had used to achieve God's purposes he now used to deceive.
It was a most difficult task for God to unveil Satan's character. One often wonders why God didn't immediately destroy Satan in his decision to overthrow God's throne, but at that time only God, in His divine wisdom, knew that rebellion is never overcome by force. Therefore, God rightly chose to resist such evil by revealing His goodness, His mercy, His truth and His love. Henceforth Satan would try to prove his false claims by using the power of force, while God chose His divine principles as the only means to prove that truth and love can achieve a peaceful kingdom.
In heaven's council God takes action with eternity in mind. It was decided that time should be given Satan to develop his government so that the universe might see the final results. Thus, during the next four thousand years Christ worked by truth and love to uplift men while Satan worked with his deception to ruin men.
Finally the time came for Jesus to be born as a babe in Bethlehem. Satan immediately attempted to kill the babe. No child has ever been tried as the Christ-child. Satan used every possible means within his power to keep Christ from developing a perfect childhood and to prevent Christ from maintaining a faultless manhood. The devil did everything possible to disrupt Christ's three years of holy ministry which was dedicated to provide an unblemished sacrifice. Satan's storm of wrath continually beat upon Him, but the more Satan attempted to force Him to sin, the more firmly Christ clung to His Father.
Permit me to emphasize this great controversy in which every detail was witnessed by the entire universe. This can be easily explained by our satellite system around this world which makes it possible for us to see any event that takes place in the world. Just so, God has an infinite television system that revealed every detail of Christ's life from His birth to Calvary which was made visible to every created being in the universe.
I suggest that we plug into heaven's satellite system at the very moment when Christ cried, "Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." Matthew 26:39. The universe was watching as the Father's presence was being withdrawn from His precious Son. Unnumbered created beings were absolutely captivated as they beheld Christ's struggle with death in the Garden of Gethsemane – a death which exceeded that of the cross – forcing bloody sweat out of His pours that fell to the ground. These sinless creatures watched and wondered. Three times they heard Him pray for deliverance until heaven could no longer endure the sight and the angel Gabriel was sent to strengthen Jesus. All heaven beheld as Christ was betrayed into murderous hands. They watched the violence with which He was treated and hurried from one tribunal to another. They heard the sneers spoken of His lowly birth. The angels were amazed at the denial and cursing of his beloved disciple Peter. They beheld thousands of demons turning the hearts of men against their Creator.
What a picture heaven's satellite system revealed! Jesus seized at midnight in the garden and mistreated from palace to judgment hall. Two times arraigned before priests, twice before the Sanhedrin, by mob violence He is taken before Pilate who chastised Him and then sent Him to King Herod who cruelly handled Him. Finally He is brought back to Pilate who condemned and scourged Him. All heaven was watching as that whip, with sharp metal attached to the many strands, dug deep into the Savior's back removing the last ounces of strength from the Savior's body making it impossible for Him to carry the cross and He falls to the ground. Surely your heart is touched as we have joined with the universe in watching the nails driven through His hands and feet. We can actually sense the pain as the cross is lifted and dropped into the hole. Our eyes fill with tears as we watch His labored breath grow quick and shallow. All this and more because the sins of the world have been heaped upon Him.
We cannot help but marvel with heaven that Jesus prays amid such suffering, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34. Watch the contempt as we see the devil's legions of demons inspiring the mob with the words, "If you be Christ, save thyself." Luke 23:39. But in all this Satan gained absolutely nothing. Not one sin could be found in Jesus Christ. Suddenly Jesus gives that astonishing cry, "It is finished," as His head falls forward in death.
John tells us what happened in heaven at that very moment. I am reading Revelation 12:10, "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." At last Satan's disguise is torn away. His administration is laid wide open before the unfallen angels and the universe. Satan had revealed himself a murderer. How true the words of Christ, "He was a murderer from the beginning." John 8:44. Never again would the angels of God in heaven have to listen to Satan's accusations as he would taunt them at Jerusalem's pearly gates.
The last link of sympathy with Satan was forever broken. Yet, the angels of God did not know the depth of the great controversy between Christ and Satan. This mystery of iniquity must be fully revealed so Satan's existence must continue a little longer. For some two thousands years more they must see the full contrast between the Prince of Life and the prince of darkness. Satan had declared that God's law could not be obeyed, that God's justice was inconsistent with His mercy, that it was impossible for a sinner to be pardoned for sin. He must be punished. If sin should be forgiven God could no longer be a God of justice because Satan himself had been banished from heaven and refused pardon.
But beloved, let us pause for a moment and think this thing through clearly. Lucifer had been the covering cherub next to God for millions of years. No one in the universe knew more fully and understood more clearly God's government of love, yet he openly rebelled knowing full well that God was a God of love. But man was deceived by Satan's sophistry. Man at creation had lived but a very short time and did not know the heights and the breadths or depths of God's love. There was hope for fallen man when given time to realize God's love and thus be drawn back to God by beholding His character. God's mercy and justice must be made manifest to sinful man. He must understand that mercy did not set aside God's justice; that God's law revealed the attributes of His character and in heaven's sanctuary not one jot or tittle could be changed in that divine law. So, wonder of wonders, what does the Godhead do? In order to prove to man that God is filled with love and mercy Christ sacrifices Himself.
We read of this in 2 Corinthians 5:19, "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself." Since the law requires righteousness, no man of himself can become righteous but, praise God, Christ can embrace men with God's attributes. Jesus can give to us His character, thus the righteousness of the law can be fulfilled in the believer as we read in Romans 3:26, God can be "the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Thus Jesus revealed the way to God. Since the law is truth Christ revealed that mercy and His law were insolvably joined together; that one can not exist without the other. This is why our text states, "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other."
Now this brings us to the most important truth for those living in this end time. It is here that we discover Satan's final deception. Since the cross reveals the unquestionable love of divinity Satan now declares that Christ's love has destroyed the law. Let's think this thing through. If it had been possible for God to alter or to change His law Christ need not have died. Amen? So Satan in this end time has decided to use the love of God to immortalize transgression. Since Jesus' love was so great that He died for mankind Satan now uses God's mercy as the means to do away with the requirements of the law. "Today we need only to love God and not obey Him." This is the final deception of Satan in this end time.
Satan is working through the fallen Protestant churches and the papacy to lead man to disobey one precept of God's law knowing full well that God has stated, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." James 2:10. Thus in our world today most have swallowed Satan's lie hook, line and sinker which is his masterly deception in keeping Sunday holy instead of the seventh-day Sabbath. By doing this they are making it possible for Satan to be worshipped as the god of this world.
I am sorry to say this deception is gaining ground in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Never in the last ten years has there been so much "love" preaching. Never in the last ten years has there been so little preached on obedience. The result is very obvious. Since God loves you so much you do not have to obey Him anymore; you may sin until Jesus comes. The results are very evident. Two separate classes are being developed within God's true church - those that love Jesus so much that they would rather die than sin, and on the other hand are those who only want to hear of love and no obedience, believing that God's mercy is so great that they can continue to sin and still be saved.
Beloved, Jesus is soon coming and will vindicate His law with the seven-last plagues, while at the same time He will deliver those who keep the commandments of God. Sin and sinners will be punished both root and branch - Satan the root and those who accept his last deception, the branches. God's Word will be fulfilled of Satan and his followers as you read in Ezekiel 28:6 – 19, Psalms 37:10, and Obadiah 16. I quote, "I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. … Thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more." "For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be." "They shall be as though they had not been."
To those individuals who choose to believe Satan's final deception that God's love is so great that He will save them even in their sins, such will discover that they have actually cut themselves off from the peace of eternal life. Proverbs 8:36 states, "All they that hate me love death." The glory of God's love will destroy them.
Let us never forget that at the beginning of the great controversy one-third of the angels in heaven were deceived. The unfallen worlds did not comprehend what you and I have discovered in this study. If Satan and his angels had been destroyed by God the moment they had rebelled, the universe would never have known the results of sin, and they may also have produced the deadly roots of rebellion. But praise God, this will not be so when this controversy ends for God's character will be fully vindicated. Every created intelligency of heaven and on earth will fully understand the character of God and they will know His precepts are perfect and immutable. Every created being will delight to do God's will, for in their heart God's love has been fully understood. Love has not destroyed His law, but established His law. Peace, perfect peace, will eternally reign for "mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other."
The years of eternity as they roll will bring richer and still more glorious revelations of God and of Christ. As knowledge is progressive, so will love, reverence and happiness increase. The more men learn of God the greater will be their admiration of His character. As Jesus opens before them the riches of redemption and the amazing achievements of the great controversy with Satan the hearts of the ransomed thrill with more fervent devotion and with more rapturous joy. They sweep the harps of gold and ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of voices unite to swell the mighty chorus of praise. "Every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be onto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Revelation 5:13.
"The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of unlimited space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love." Great Controversy p. 678.
Let us pray. Loving Father, we praise Thy dear Son, Jesus, for making it possible for us to someday live in heaven where eternal peace will reign forever. Please grant us Thy mighty power that we might overcome every sin and be worthy to live with Thee. Amen.
www.ElderNelson.com

Thursday, February 26, 2009

GETHSEMANEby: Elder Lawrence Nelson
Our subject is Gethsemane. The spiritual nature of this subject is so filled with divine wonder that we dare not approach such thoughts without first asking for heavenly guidance. Will you please join with me in prayer? Our Father which art in heaven, because of our sinful, human nature we often find it difficult to understand what the Godhead has experienced to make possible our salvation. We therefore plead that Thou wilt send Thy Holy Spirit to us so that He may guide us to comprehend the breadth and the length, and the depth and the height of the love of God which passeth knowledge, enabling us to taste the fullness of God. In Jesus' name we ask, Amen.
Let us begin by refreshing our minds with a familiar text found in Matthew 16:24, "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." May these words of Christ lead us into a deeper meaning of what is expected of each of us.
I invite you to come with me and join our Lord with His disciples as they walk through the streets of old Jerusalem on their way to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus has just instituted the Lord's Supper in the upper room, and as we join with them we notice that Christ is continuing to teach these profound truths. He explains that the blood that He is about to shed for everyone is to be remembered by the juice of the vine and the bread is to represent His broken body.
As we near the eastern gate of the city He sums these eternal truths with the words, "I am the bread of life." With His disciples our hearts thrill within us to hear these living words from the lips of the Master. Shining above us is the Passover moon in all its fullness. The sky is cloudless and around us in every nook and cranny are the pilgrims' tents now hushed in silence as we pass through Jerusalem's gate. We and the disciples soon discover that prophetic time is running out for something tremendous is about to happen.
Arriving at the entrance to the garden Christ suddenly becomes strangely silent. He has been here many times to pray, sometimes all night long, but this time we notice that something is different. Jesus is beginning to experience an unheard of agony. Why? What has happened? Up to this moment He has continually walked with God, His Father. He could always say, "He that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone." John 8:29.
Something strange is taking place. God, His Father, is beginning to separate Himself from His Son. Christ is being numbered with the transgressors. He is to bear the guilt of all humanity. Jesus, who had never sinned, is to bear the guilt of all. He is to bear the weight of the sins of all the world. As these sins are being placed upon Jesus He finds Himself being shut out from the presence of His Father. As a man He is now beginning to experience the dreadfulness of sin. He now sees and feels that these sins that He is now bearing are so great that they are completely separating Him from His Father.
Furthermore, He feels the wrath of God against these sins and His human nature is forced to cry out aloud, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death." The disciples are amazed to hear such words from the Master. They look at Him and behold a marked change. His face has always been filled with joy, but now it is filled with sadness. The "teaching" Christ has suddenly become the "silent" Christ. We notice that each step He takes has become difficult. His body sways as if about to fall, and He groans aloud because of the sins of the world which are being thrust upon Him. Twice His disciples reach out to support Him or He would have fallen to the ground.
Finally we reach the inner garden. Here Jesus stops to choose three of His closest disciples, Peter, James and John. He especially chooses these because they had witnessed His transfiguration. As a man, now in such a terrifying position, Jesus longs for friendship and help. These disciples had seen the glory that He had shared with His Father. They had heard the Father's voice when He said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 17:5. Now He longs for His close friends to repeat these words revealing again the Father's love for Him. He longs for their companionship with Him in prayer. He pleads, "Spend a night with Me in prayer. Tarry ye here. Watch with Me."
Now the struggle begins in earnest as Satan tries to overwhelm Him. He feels so alone, for God has completely separated Himself from His Son because of the sins Christ now bears. Jesus is faced with a horrible situation. He is surrounded by legions of evil angels. You and I would be frightened if we were suddenly confronted with one of the devil's angels, but Christ is overwhelmed. Thousands of demons are causing Jesus to experience the very same condition that the lost will face when they come up in the second resurrection and find that they are completely in the power of the devil and his angels.
As a man it is more than Christ can handle. He falls prostrate to the ground as He realizes that the separation from His Father is like a mighty gulf so broad, so deep it terrifies Him. His body actually shakes with fear. Although Jesus has never sinned He is now in a different position than during His entire life for Satan is thrusting every sin of the world upon Him. Prophecy describes His suffering in these words, "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd." Zechariah 13:7.
My brother and sister, our minds cannot begin to comprehend a fraction of the suffering of Jesus Christ. If in any way you should possibly doubt this may I remind you that in heaven to come we shall never exhaust the study of what Christ experienced in Gethsemane that you and I might live. Christ has now become the surety for sinful man; He has become our substitute. In other words the penalty which we should suffer for our sins He must now suffer.
Up to this moment He has always been an intercessor for others, pleading in their behalf, giving them courage and strength – a living example of the love of God. But now, He Himself longs for an intercessor. The condition that He now faces is like a man having a terrible dream, who when he awakes discovers that it is not a dream but it is for real. It is like watching a loved one waiting to die on their deathbed. The anticipation of such an event is heartrending, but when death actually occurs the separation is overwhelming. Christ feels that He can not endure such separation from His Father.
Jesus now remembers that some three years before while in the wilderness He had met Satan face to face. Although He was weak and emaciated from forty days of fasting and was about to die, He had no fear for God, His Father, was with Him. With God's power He had conquered the devil, but now Christ is alone. God has completely separated Himself from Him. He now understands fully that sin and God cannot exist together. Oh friend, would to God that we would realize this tremendous fact.
Jesus now realized that if He fails in this encounter with Satan all will be lost. Every believing saint since creation will be without hope, and He Himself will be lost forever if He should lose this battle. Never again would He be able to say, "He was able to save to the uttermost," and most important He Himself would be eternally separated from the Father.
It is now that the demons press the battle. Legions of these spirits surround Him, and with all the satanic power that the devil and his angels can invent they scream at Him saying, "What is to be gained by this sacrifice? Don't you realize that the sins that you now carry are so great that God will never accept you again? Just look at the ingratitude of the people you love; they have rejected you. They are even now seeking to destroy you. Within an hour all will forsake you."
These intimate facts pierced His soul like a sword while the devil continued to press the point. "Look, those whom you have created with your own hands are demanding your blood. The weight of the sins that you now carry is crushing your heart causing this terrible pain." As Christ hears these demon words He clings to the cold ground as if it will help Him. Alone, the chilling dew falls upon His prostrate form and from His lips comes the cry, "Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." Matthew 26:39.
Christ in His humanity longs for sympathy. In the supreme moment He gropes for comfort. If only His disciples are praying for Him as the malignancy of sin is crushing out His very life. Terrible is the temptation to let the sinner bear his own sins. Where can He go for help? What can He do? He remembers His disciples; perhaps they can help Him. He arises painfully and staggers a few feet only to find them all asleep. Listen as He calls to Peter, "Sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?" Mark 14:37.
At this point permit me to pause for a few moments in this description of Christ's agony for I must ask you a question. Have you by any chance discovered in your imagination of what our coming "Gethsemane" will be like? Could it be that some of us are asleep today when the most evil of all storms is to burst upon us? Let me read from Inspiration – Testimonies for the Church, Volume 2, p. 205, "By these sleeping disciples is represented a sleeping church, when the day of God's visitation is nigh. It is a time of clouds and thick darkness, when to be found asleep is most perilous."
But praise God we are told in Early Writings p. 269 – 270 that not all will be sleeping. "I saw some with strong faith and agonizing cries, pleading with God. …As the praying ones continued their earnest cries, at times a ray of light from Jesus comes to them, to encourage their hearts and light up their countenance. Some, I saw, did not participate in this work of agonizing and pleading. They seemed indifferent and careless. They were not resisting the darkness and it shut them in like a thick cloud." Could it be that you and I are failing to take advantage of this little time of peace that God is giving us to prepare? Are we like the disciples of old?
Now let me take you back again to the moment when Jesus called to Peter and awakened him with the words, "Sleepest thou? Couldest not thou watch one hour?" At these words all of the disciples were awakened and could hardly recognize the face of Jesus because it had become so utterly changed by His anguish. Yet in such agony Jesus tries to excuse them, "The spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is weak." Mark 14:38.
Amazingly this is only the beginning of this dreadful ordeal. Inspiration now states that Christ is seized with a superhuman agony. Fainting and exhausted He staggers back to His spot of prayer only to discover that His suffering has intensified and there is no one to help Him. Alone, His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground. No other man in the entire world has ever experienced such constrained agony.
What a change. Just a few days before He had cleansed the temple, unafraid of the soldiers and church rulers filled with malice and hatred who were planning to kill Him. He was unafraid. Why? – Because His Father was with Him. But now He is like a battered reed bent in an angry storm. He is now in the hour of the power of darkness. For the second time He cries out loud, "O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, Thy will be done." Matthew 28:42.
Once again as a human He turns to His disciples for help only to find them sleeping. They had permitted Satan to stupefy them with his devilish power, putting them to sleep. Christ now awakens them trusting that they will help Him, but instead the disciples are terrified. Never have they beheld such a face. Never have they seen anyone so marked with blood and agony. Rather than helping Jesus, the disciples are themselves filled with fear. Prophecy has stated, "His visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of man." Isaiah 52:14. Sad to say, for the second time His disciples had failed Him.
Once again He staggers back to His retreat and falls prostrate to the cold ground. The awful moment has now finally come. He is overcome by Satan's darkness. Yet in this awful moment His love for His disciples is so strong that He prays not for Himself but that their faith fail not. What a Savior!
Christ now faces the final test. It is not too late. He can go back to heaven and to His Father's open arms and feel the peace, the comfort, and the love that He longs for. He can let the transgressor perish. Why should He suffer? For the third time Jesus cries aloud, "Oh my Father, if this cup may not pass from me except I drink it, Thy will be done."
Christ now understands the full depth of sin. He sees the transgressor before the law as helpless and perishing. For the first time as a man, He fully senses the power of sin. The woes of a doomed world arouse His love for the lost. Alone He makes the final decision; He will save man at any cost to Himself. He will accept the baptism of blood. He will make possible eternal life to all who will take up their cross and follow Him. He will die even to save just one soul. Such is His love for the individual. He will become the Lamb of God and take away the sins of the world.
Immediately He experiences death for you and for me and falls dying to the ground. "Where now were His disciples, to bathe that brow, marred indeed more than the sons of man?" Desire of Ages p. 693. But this is not all, He must be tested beyond death. This might be incomprehensible for you and for me to understand because the devil must never be able to claim that if he could have tempted Jesus a few minutes longer the Savior would have given up.
For a moment let us turn from this tremendous decision to save us and go up to heaven and see what is happening there. Inspiration states that God suffered with His Son. This means that every pain and every anguish, every piercing depth of agony, has also been suffered by the Father. As the angels surround the throne they behold the agony of God the Father. There is silence in heaven. Not a harp is touched. In amazement the angels watch as the Father separates Himself from His Son, permitting Christ to become the sin bearer. The angels are filled with wonder. They now see that Jesus, with our sins, has become offensive to God. No wonder the scripture says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son." John 3:16.
Now let us go back to the garden. Thousands of demons have converged upon Christ as He falls to the ground. But watch: God in heaven now commands the angel Gabriel, who was given the place of Lucifer, to immediately go to Jesus and give Him added strength so that He does not die. He must be tempted beyond death. This angel comes not to take away the cup of death, but to strengthen Him that He may drink it. Watch as Gabriel brings assurance to Jesus of His Father's love and tells Him, "God Your Father is more powerful than Satan," and tells Him that because of the decision that Jesus has made to die as the Lamb of God, He has gained the victory over Satan and the kingdoms of this world will eventually be given to the saints. The redeemed will shine in the universe as the stars of heaven. Praise God.
Christ believes the angel. He believes by faith that God still loves Him. Instantly He becomes calm and serene as a God-like peace captures His blood-stained face. Christ has now tasted death for every sinner. Jesus has gained the victory by faith. The angel lifts Christ's head to his bosom and points Him to the open heavens. Jesus hears the sweet music of heaven and knows that His Father loves Him. Hope and comfort once more fill His heart. By faith He knows that His Father loves Him.
Beloved, are we ready for our Gethsemane to come? Do we really understand what it means by those words, "Take up thy cross and follow me?" Believe me, each of us who by God's grace are determined to gain victory over sin will soon personally experience our own Gethsemane. We too shall soon live without an Intercessor. Our past sins will overwhelm us. We shall feel forsaken of God and surrounded by devils. We will personally experience what it means to be alone. Our friends will forsake us and flee from us like the disciples fled from Christ. Religious forces will unite against us as the arm of the state joins in a confederacy with the church to do away with us. We will be betrayed by loved ones just as Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
Some of us will be in prison, bound as Christ was; falsely accused, abused and abjured before God to admit that we are His commandment keepers, knowing full well that in standing up for Jesus this will be our death warrant. Many will hear the verdict, "Execute." Inspiration has stated, "Those who apostatize in time of trial will do so to secure their own safety, bear false witness and betray their brethren. Christ has warned us of this that we might not be surprised at the unnatural, cruel course of those who reject the light." Desire of Ages p. 630.
"Those who are true to God will be menaced, denounced, proscribed. They will be 'betrayed by both parent, and brethren, and kinfolk, and friends,' even unto death. Luke 21:16." Prophets and Kings p. 588. We read, "Some who profess righteousness will, like Judas, betray their Lord into the hands of His bitterest enemies." Testimonies for the Church, Volume 5, p. 690. We are warned, "As the trials thicken around us, both separation and unity will be seen in our ranks. Some who are now ready to take up weapons of warfare will in times of real peril make it manifest that they have not built upon the solid rock; they will yield to temptation. Those who have had great light and precious privileges, but have not improved them, will, under one pretext or another, go out from us. Not having received the love of the truth, they will be taken in the delusions of the enemy; they will give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, and will depart from the faith." Testimonies for the Church, Volume 6, p. 400, 401.
Now beloved, if you think I have over emphasized what our coming Gethsemane will mean to us then listen to this: "'The time of trouble such as never was,' is soon to open upon us; and we shall need an experience which we do not now possess and in which many are too indolent to obtain. It is often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than reality; but this is not true of the crisis before us. The most vivid presentation cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal. In that time of trial, every soul must stand for himself before God." Great Controversy p. 622.
Unlike Christ, who in the garden made the final decision to die on Calvary's cross to save you and me, we who have also make the decision to die rather than sin God will intervene and save us. Praise the Lord. The living saints will be translated without seeing death. God has promised in Revelation 15:2, 3, "I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints." Beloved, by God's grace I plan to sing that song of Moses and of the Lamb on the sea of glass – a song which the angels can never sing. What about you? Will you determine now before God to join me, that together we can sing the song of victory over sin?
Let us pray. Dear God, we are determined by Thy mighty power to overcome every sin now so that we may so live ready for Jesus to come and stand with Him on that sea of glass and sing the song of victory. Amen.
www.ElderNelson.com

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

THE TERRORIST, REVELATION 13, AND THE DEMISE OFRELIGIOUS LIBERTYby Hal Mayer
Dear Friends, Elder Nelson asked me to do the sermon this month in order to give him a short vacation break. As you can imagine, he has much correspondence concerning the monthly messages that he sends out, and is often very heavily loaded indeed. By doing this message for him, he will have an opportunity to visit his wonderful family. I believe that you will find the message this month very compelling and relevant to the close of time and the soon coming time of trouble. God bless you as you listen.
The morning of September 11, 2001 was bright and clear, the nation was quiet for a few hours until four aircraft were highjacked and three of them flown into significant buildings. America went into panic and has never been the same.
As the plans were being laid by those terrorists they likely had no idea that the angels of God were involved. Sometime before September 11 those angels holding back the winds of strife, had to step back a little to allow their plans to succeed. September 11 was critical to the development of the final movements of earth's history. God's people needed to be awakened; the world needed to be awakened and sensitized to ask deeper spiritual questions.
Before we proceed further, let us bow our heads and ask God's guidance. Dear Father in heaven; We are living in dramatic times. Satan is working hard to bring the world under his control so that he can persecute God's people. We need your protection. We need your Spirit. Help us to grasp the significance of the important time in which we live and the important events about to break upon the world. As we look at the effects of the Terrorist attacks on our religious liberties, we pray that you will give us wisdom to understand, and know our duty in these powerful times. In Jesus' name, Amen.
As the world conducts its daily round of toil and labor, most people cannot see beyond the immediate events, and are unaware, and unprepared for the real crisis that is coming upon the world as an almost "overwhelming surprise." Even many, many of God's precious people don't have the mindset to see the deeper issues in the daily news that comes their way because they are not studying God's Word, and the Spirit of Prophecy. Yet God has given us in prophecy all that we need to know. If we really want to understand the amazing events taking place before our eyes, we must develop a prayerful and studious spiritual orientation that will help us discern the important things taking places. Many do not discern rightly. They make things of little prophetic consequence of major importance, and the things that are key to fulfilling prophecy, they almost completely overlook. Let us not be in that category.
Turn with me in your Bibles to Revelation 13. We will read vs. 11-17. "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by the sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."
As Seventh-day Adventist students of prophecy know, these verses point out that the United States, the lamb-like beast, will become the most powerful nation on earth. It will lead the way to the loss of those precious religious liberties that it was so instrumental in developing. But how? - September 11 was a powerful force, giving America the opportunity to flex its global muscle, and lead a coalition in efforts designed to ultimately effect the personal lives of every Seventh-day Adventist, world-wide. America is going to lead the way in enforcing the Sunday Law and the economic boycott against those who are determined to be obedient to God's law.
Satan's plan was to create an environment in which he can establish the mechanisms to enforce the "no buy, no sell" decree of Revelation 13:17 on all true believers. On September 24, 2001, President Bush made a radio speech in which he announced an executive order freezing the assets (that is: no buy, no sell) of certain organizations connected with the terrorists. In that speech he made it clear that he was establishing global networks and controls to search out and destroy terrorist organizations, and that the US was going to pressure other nations to join in this effort.
I'm quoting now from the President's speech: "This executive order means that the United States banks that have assets of these groups or individuals must freeze their accounts. And United States businesses are prohibited from doing business with them… We're putting banks and financial institutions around the world on notice… If they fail to help us by sharing information or freezing accounts, the Department of the Treasury now has the authority to freeze their bank assets and transactions in the United States… If you do business with the terrorists, if you sponsor or support them, you will not do business with the United States of America… I want to assure the world that we will exercise this power responsibly. But make no mistake about it. We intend to, and we will disrupt terrorist networks… We've established a foreign terrorist asset tracking center at the Department of the Treasury to identify and investigate the financial infrastructure of international terrorist networks… Money is the life blood of terrorist organizations, and today we are asking the world to stop payment."
President Bush also made it clear that he was going to implement other global strategies to crush the terrorists. That speech is all about the terrorists – on the surface. But the devil has a larger plan; he wants to bring the whole world under his control and use the United States to do it. His plan is to prevent the truth from being heard by those that would not otherwise yield to his control. President Bush may be unaware of it, but the real agenda behind the terrorist attacks was to establish the international systems and mechanisms to be able to eventually enforce similar decrees against God's people. This could not happen without global systems in place, fine tuned and well practiced, with the bugs and kinks worked out of them. The terrorists provided a seemingly genuine excuse to destroy civil liberties with popular support in a prelude to destroying the religious liberties of God's people.
A similar speech has no doubt been made by Satan in the unseen world about God's people. The President's speech sounds like Revelation 13 in modern parlance – though for the moment directed at another target. For a shocking insight into the future for God's people, ask me to send you a free copy of the President's speech and insert the word "Adventist" wherever President Bush uses the word "terrorist." You may get your free copy of the speech by sending me a note requesting it to; Hal Mayer, Hartland, P. O. Box 1, Rapidan, VA 22733.
The attacks and subsequent changes have struck at the heart of the US Constitution. "By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when under the influence of this three-fold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of it's Constitution, as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time is come for the marvelous working of Satan." Testimonies for the Church, Volume 5, p. 456.
Every Principle Repudiated.
The September 11 attacks were so horrific that a long-term environment of fear was created that reduced concerns about constitutional rights. Fear of new attacks will keep those concerns from becoming significant. Assurances in the press about maintaining the balance between civil liberties and security, in effect, puts opposition to constitutional overrides to rest. In spite of these assurances, there has been a dramatic shift away from personal liberties. Americans willingly allow the President to assume unprecedented powers over their lives. Every week the media brings news of more and more breath-taking changes in the name of security, but at the expense of civil rights and privacy. Many of them may well be the only thing a human government can do to try to protect its people. But America is now willingly repudiating the principles of its Constitution by leaps and bounds all in the name of defending it?
A Global Infrastructure
The "no buy, no sell" law could not be fulfilled before September 11 on a global scale. The mindset of the people had to be changed about their liberties. Nor could it happen without developing and maturing a global infrastructure to regulate, control and enforce it. President Bush, in his own statement about freezing terrorist assets said that he is developing a global system with the ability to pressure other nations. That's not easy… But they are all getting used to it, and they will ultimately cooperate even though they may not like American attitudes and behavior at times.
Banks worldwide are cooperating. Secure banking places such as the Caribbean islands will no longer be as private. The Germans have cooperated and arrested a number of people with connections to the terrorists. Other nations are cooperating on a new system of global communication now being developed between the CIA, the FBI and their equivalent organizations in other countries to gather and share information. A new TIPS program in America proposed by President Bush will recruit 1 million common people to spy and report on their fellow citizens in a modern version of Nazi Germany. Though that did not get support, it was nevertheless on the agenda, and may return. This will link up with similar international programs. A new total information data base is being developed which is designed to collect all sorts of information on regular citizens to make it easier to spy on people suspected of participating in, or planning a crime. All of this takes time to organize, refine and implement, but Satan cannot enforce the Sunday law, and the "no buy, no sell" decree on Jesus' faithful followers without a well developed global control system.
Law Enforcement Cooperation
International law enforcement cooperation is essential to enforcing the global Sunday Law. Since the attacks, international law enforcement operations are developing and cooperating together. Wiretap rules have been liberalized. Cell phones, the internet, and traditional communications are all subject to new governmental rules effecting private citizens. For example, in November of last year, the council of Europe approved a new section to the computer crime law that criminalizes publishing online anything that, and I quote "advocates, promotes, or incites hatred or discrimination." It also unveiled a special project designed to continuously update a list of "harmful" web sites, and will require search engines, and host ISPs to remove them from the web. It is a safe bet that the online purge will be expanded to include other viewpoints. While it is designed to stop racism, what is to prevent these cyber-cops from using the hate laws against those that teach that the pope is the antichrist, for example? Prior to the terrorists, these things would have been considered extremely offensive and unconstitutional. But now they are not being resisted significantly. But they are all very, very important to making a global system that will ultimately work against God's people.
A Global "Justice" System
Based in the Netherlands, but run by an increasingly powerful and demanding UN, an International Criminal Court (ICC) has been established. The ICC is now open for business and is ready to assume control, or at least supercede the court systems of the world. Even though the US has not joined in the ICC treaty, it does not object to the court in principle, but only as it would be applied to US soldiers on peacekeeping missions. And it is evident from media reports that the US will quietly cooperate with, if not eventually join the ICC system.
The ICC is founded on the principle of a secret tribunal, not a jury of peers open and public such as we have in America and many other countries. The public will only know what the court or the UN wants them to know. If you are convicted of a crime you can be sent anywhere to prison, not necessarily in your home country. Appeals are made to the same body that originally convicted you. How easy do you think it would be to extradite and arraign people before the ICC for violating blasphemy laws of Great Britain, Europe or the Vatican though the "crime" was committed in America? The ICC is being modeled on nearly the same principles as the old Inquisition. The treaty, interestingly enough, was originally signed in Rome with many countries signing on later. Once 60 nations signed on (which was achieved last July), the court claims jurisdiction over all countries, not just the signers.
Military tribunals are also secret; they do not have the same restrictions as do civil courts. These courts are being restructured to be used whenever prisoners need to be construed as part of a military operation. The original intention is to arraign those involved in international terrorism. But governments are expanding definitions dramatically, and it isn't impossible to imagine that some of God's people at least, could be tried in some of these courts. Military tribunals now have a loosened attorney-client privilege. Conversations between alleged "enemy combatants" and their lawyers can now be monitored. These prisoners, whether foreigners or Americans, are not given the same rights given to criminals, or even the limited rights permitted in military courts. This is not planned for civil courts – yet – at least not publicly. Nor is it planned for American citizens – yet. First the American public must be tested to see if they will tolerate it, at least at some level, before it is tried it on citizens, or in the civil courts. On August 8, 2002 the Wall Street Journal reported on a comment by a "senior Bush administration official," that, and I quote: "there's a different legal regime we're developing" to deal with the war on terrorism. The Journal commented that the new regime would blend, quote "the once-separate realms of civilian law and the law of war," which gives the government wide latitude to detain people it thinks, or imagines are a threat to national security.
Suppose that national security interests began to include church activities. Certain church groups and their members could potentially be defined as military combatants even though they are merely church members. Does that sound far-fetched? - Not in the wake of the use of Mosques to organize terrorist cells. When military policy and domestic criminal definitions are expanded making certain religious ideas or practices illegal, these tribunals are likely to be used in ways originally thought impossible. The system being established can be easily manipulated and eventually transformed and used against God's faithful people.
Homeland Security
Last July, President Bush and Tom Ridge, the chief of the new Homeland Security Department of the Federal Government, argued in favor of reviewing and revising a law known as "posse comitatus," that prevents the U.S. Military from assisting in domestic law enforcement. If this law is changed it could lead to unprecedented use of military power against U. S. citizens, a typical tactic used in military dictatorships. This would greatly assist in dealing with the chaos of a huge disaster. But it would also greatly assist the government in pressing the "no buy, no sell" law of Revelation 13 on God's people.
Immigration
Immigration law in America is dramatically changing to adjust the way immigration issues are handled, including student visas. A tracking system is being developed, because many students drop out of school and remain in America illegally. Some of them were part of the Al-Qaeda. That will probably affect the liberty of Hartland College to train students from other countries. It already has in some ways by restricting student visas from certain countries.
Security of Major Target Areas.
Major "target" areas such as large cities are the subject of "anti-terror" measures. The terrorist attacks have created the "need" to be able to "lock down" cities. Imagine what New York City or San Francisco are like when in lock down. There are only so many ways to access them or leave them. During lock down, every vehicle is observed as it leaves or enters the city. The National Guard or Reserves have the authority to search any vehicle. It is very easy for the government to lock down a city or a community so that everyone coming in and going out is searched or their IDs checked. Sound ominous? Recently I was in NY City during a lock down. The police and bomb squads were everywhere, including bridges major buildings, and other target areas. Some vehicles were not allowed over bridges, or through tunnels unless they were checked first.
National Identification Cards
Recently the airlines have been required to provide very detailed information to the authorities about passengers leaving and arriving in the country. This can easily be expanded to include domestic passengers as well when opportunity presents itself. Also, all baggage is now being searched by one of several methods. What happens when certain books are banned, like Great Controversy, or other important message books?
Technology is even available for a national ID card, or a coordinated driver's license program. President Bush is proposing an obligatory system. The ID system could be used to authorize (or deny) any and all banking transactions, including supermarket and gasoline sales. It is only a matter of getting the people to accept the idea. Early this year, a "no fly order" was imposed on certain individuals who were suspected of terrorism, but not actually accused or charged of any criminal act. Do you think that travel for God's people could well be very difficult one day? A national ID system could easily be implemented over time without much protest from the people. Just scare them enough, and then implement the new measures.
Food sources
There has also been talk about the vulnerability of food sources. Is it possible that food will become so controlled that it will be possible to prevent God's people from obtaining it? Certainly it will be difficult for them to obtain food from the usual sources. Is Ellen White's counsel concerning country living relevant for us today? The last 18 months of national and global events are a serious warning to God's people.
Religious Extremists
Did you notice that most of the military action in Afghanistan has been focused on a few isolated religious "extremists." The Taliban is considered to be extremist. Osama bin Laden is considered to be an extremist. Hamas is considered to be an extremist organization. And there are many others. Regardless of the fact that the Koran advocates the violent destruction of anyone that refuses to become Muslim, a media distinction is being made between "tolerant moderates" and "extremists." Islam we are told, is peace-loving except for these extremists. But the military has been spending time practicing their skills in hunting down people considered to be religious extremists from cave to cave. When you have to flee to the rocks and the mountains, the military will have the skills and the equipment to rout you out. Although Osama's been a little elusive, the military is developing systems, probably unknowingly, so that they can be used against God's people. You and I are going to be more helpless than Bin Laden, unless you have the angels of God to make you invisible.
Consider this interesting statement from Maranatha p. 270. "During the night a very impressive scene passed before me. There seemed to be great confusion and the conflict of armies. A messenger from the Lord stood before me, and said, 'Call your household. I will lead you; follow me.' He led me down a dark passage, through a forest, then through the clefts of the mountains, and said, 'here you are safe.' There were others who had been led to this retreat. The heavenly messenger said, "The time of trouble has come as a thief in the night, as the Lord warned it would come." Manuscript 153, 1905.
"In the time of trouble just before the coming of Christ, the righteous will be preserved through the ministration of heavenly angels…" Prophets and Kings p. 513. Remember that the scriptures teach that of the faithful, their bread and water shall be sure. God is going to do some miracles for His people isn't He? We have no need to fear if we are overcomers and learn to live like Jesus.
But we are to be watching, as the scripture says. Think about how things could develop under the new models of government. At first there will be attempts to curtail the operation of extremist groups operating under cover of religion. Do you think it is possible that Adventists will be divided into "mainline" and "extreme" groups? Mainline Adventists will be considered balanced and acceptable, like most Muslims. Those who love the truth enough to die for it; those who have high standards and are unwilling to compromise; those are the kind of people that will get profiled as extreme. If you are faithful to Christ you will be painted into the extremist camp, and treated differently then mainline Adventists.
Police agencies have admitted that they are carefully monitoring and gathering intelligence on what they perceive to be extremist Islamic groups. What is an extremist group? Isn't that a group that has beliefs that are not within the normal mainstream of their religion or society?
Americans are being cultivated to fear those labeled as religious extremists which are generally those with deep religious convictions. In the past Americans were willing to tolerate more religious diversity and even religious exclusivity. But not any more! The Taliban, and other religious extremists of the Islamic world are giving the US plenty opportunity to develop public hostility to religious extremism. Just being labeled extremist makes people cringe these days.
Religious Profiling
In Germany dramatic changes are talking place beneath the surface. Germans are quietly acquiescing to government intrusion and restrictions on their lives that previously would have been un-thinkable. Many of Germany's colleges and universities for example, have begun to open their file cabinets and computer hard drives to criminal investigators, who are seeking financial, educational and travel information that fit a profile they have developed of the typical terrorist. Profiles of religious extremists are being developed in America too.
Suppose a profile of an Seventh-day Adventist extremist is developed. What would it include? Home schooled children; belief that the end of the world is at hand; belief in extreme religious views, such as the Pope as the Biblical Antichrist, willingness to be martyred over keeping the Sabbath, etc? An Seventh-day Adventist extremist knows his Bible very well. He subscribes to certain kinds of magazines and literature? He goes to certain types of places. He buys only certain kinds of foods. It's not that difficult to develop a profile. Just follow credit card transactions. The concept of profiling coupled with other surveillance and control systems will make it easy for faithful Seventh-day Adventists to be tracked and eventually hunted down.
"Detainees"
Notice also how Taliban captives are treated. They were given a unique legal description. They are not Prisoners of War, but "detainees." Under the Geneva Convention POWs have certain rights. But detainees have no rights. American leaders tried to assure the people that these detainees are being treated with rights compatible with the Geneva Convention. Using the term "detainees" however, gives the government much more latitude. There is no legal reason why they can't be pressured, or tortured, in ways forbidden under the Geneva Convention. Think how faithful souls, "detained" on one pretext or another, are likely to be treated. The American people are getting familiar with and used to the idea. Who is going to question the treatment of Adventist "detainees" under the chaos and awesome conflict over which the coming Sunday Laws will be enacted? The Taliban are being used to condition Americans to not question matters of "national security." Incidentally, being "detained" was a much dreaded feature of the Nazi regime.
How Soon?
I had a friend of mine who said to me; "Yeah, but this all can't happen very fast, it's gonna take a while." How long did it take America to react to the spectacular terrorist attacks? In just a year and a half, dramatic changes revolutionized America and the free western world, and is opening the way for oppression of God's people eventually. The terrorist attacks were obviously a humanly orchestrated event. It's easy to point the finger. What happens when natural disasters of gargantuan magnitude wreak devastation on the cities of the earth by earthquakes, hurricanes, huge tornadoes, etc? To whom then do you point the finger?
Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson pointed the finger. They said that the reason for the terrorist attacks was the homosexuals, the pornography purveyors and the abortionists. There was a media outcry against this supposedly illogical conclusion and these men withdrew their statement. In actuality they are right. "Righteousness exalteth a nation," (Proverbs 14:34) and when the nation separates itself from righteousness, the angels of God withdraw their protection. So when there is one successive natural disaster after another, who's then going to get the blame?
"We got to get America back to God," will be the cry. And the conclusion will be that there are a few people that are preventing it from happening. "They are not going along with the new Sunday law and they are jeopardizing national security. We've got to freeze their assets. We've got to prevent them from doing what they are doing." How easy will it be for Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders to distance themselves from anything that might be considered extreme instead of defending the religious liberty of all? It will be quite a temptation. All it takes is fear. It can happen very quickly, as did the national changes after the terrorist attacks.
The Terrorists and the Papacy
Many wonder how the September 11 attacks fit into the prophetic role of the Papacy. The greatest terrorist organization in history is the Papacy. Think how the Waldenses, Huguenots, and other religious dissenters were assaulted by the Roman Popes. Their treatment was nothing short of terrorism. And Satan is planning it again. While the Pope is apologizing for the atrocities that the "sons of the church" committed, it is apparently only political. Rome is even courting Islam. Consider the Pope's May 2001 visit to one of Islam's holiest sites, the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria. Here he worshipped and led in Christian prayers, while his Moslem counterpart led in Moslem Prayers. The Pope however, has never repudiated the dogma that justified the inquisition, the crusades and the extermination of heretics and infidels. And there is still intolerance where ever Rome can get away with it. Half a world away from Damascus, Protestant Evangelicals are persecuted in Mexico by their Catholic neighbors. Ultimately, it will only be a small group of Sabbath keepers that are the real objects of all these political, economic and ecumenical preparations.
Even the term "religious intolerance" is being redefined. It no longer refers to the intolerance of Rome. In this age of ecumenism, in which even Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders participate, it now refers to anyone who speaks the truth about apostate churches, including Rome. The new concept of intolerance is labeled "bigotry" or "religious extremism," and is as bad as the terrorists.
God has told us in His Word that the United States and the Papacy will, "causes all, both great and small, rich and poor, free and bond to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads that no man might buy or sell, save he that hath the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name." Revelation 13:17. Do you think we are getting close to that time? The September 11 attacks created the environment for a giant step forward in the fulfillment of prophecy. But future terrorist attacks will make the controls, surveillance and restrictions even more compelling while Satan does a parallel maneuver to isolate and restrict God's people.
How soon will these new global systems be expanded from their original purpose and oppress God's remnant people? No one can really say, but how easy would it be, once America is used to the new systems, and once people are familiar with how they work, to make the shift, and start using it on United-Stated citizens accused of a crime.
Advance Knowledge of 9-11
Mounting evidence continues to come in that the highest echelons of the United States government knew that a terror attack involving passenger airplanes was likely. A year ago (spring 2002), a special FBI agent testified before a congressional committee that FBI headquarters repeatedly tried to prevent her Minnesota field office from investigating Zacarias Moussaoui who is now being detained and is alleged to be part of the terrorist conspiracy. Another FBI agent testified before congress recently that he begged his superiors to authorize the arrest of one of the hijackers two weeks before the attacks, but was ignored. Even the day before the attack, an Arabic language message authorizing the attack was passed on to intelligence agencies but wasn't even translated until September 12. Why were the efforts hindered and the warnings ignored? Could it have been that it was seen as a necessary step to allow the attacks in order to have an excuse to take control of the lives of freedom loving Americans and others in the name of protecting them? Let us remember that the real target is not the terrorists. That is only the excuse to develop the systems needed to enforce the "no buy, no sell" decree that supports the Sunday law of Revelation 13.
War with Iraq
Before we close, I want to share with you something that I think is very important but has had little if any media coverage. Yet it is full of prophetic significance. Revelation 13:12 says that the lamb-like beast, exercises all the power of the first beast (the Papacy). What power did the papacy wield for 1000 years? The papacy enforced her dogmas on the consciences of millions by developing a coalition of nations to use their military power and collective legislative power to support her goals and aims. I want to point out that this is exactly what the United States is attempting to do today through the UN.
The UN was established in order to work for peace among nations to prevent another world war. But in the last 20 years we have seen a dramatic gradual change in the role and function of the UN. At the end of the cold war, there was a dramatic shift in military and political influence. America was the only super power left. And it had all the weapons, and the economy to support it. But also after the end of the cold war, the UN has more peacekeeping missions than ever, and America has led out in coordinating those efforts. Actually the last two decades have been dedicated to increasing the power of the UN (not the US), and establishing the UN as a global government. Ultimately, the UN will serve the interests of the United States as the main driving force in the coalition of nations that the UN represents. Of course there are those that don't appreciate the American use of power (often called hegemony), but Revelation 13 tells us that America will rise to great and DISPROPORTIONATE power. And the UN is simply the tool of the US in developing this type of power globally through its member nations.
In order for a government to function properly, there has to be three legs of power - legislative, military and judicial systems. The UN cannot enforce legislative action without a military, and it cannot enforce its will on the rest of the world without a court system to administer its version of justice.
For nearly the first decade after the end of the cold war, the emphasis of the US and the UN was on building UN legislative systems with global reach. The United States worked multi-laterally to cooperate with other nations to strengthen the UN power. Toward the beginning of the second decade of the post-cold war era, the UN constructed a military, made up of personnel from member nations, and used it for peacekeeping missions here and there. This was a giant step in strengthening the UN. Then last year, July 1 the ICC court was opened for business (as I've already described) giving the UN the final leg of authority and power it needs. Now America is in a position to take the next step in exercising its own power. You see, America intends to use the UN to enforce its dictates on the rest of the world. Remember "He exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him." That means that America will have much more power than it does now. Why? - Because America will be able to cause "the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast." Without a coalition of nations doing its will (similar to what the papacy did in the Dark Ages), America will never be able to be the force that it is destined to be – able to force the world to worship the beast (the Papacy).
But as we think about this more deeply, we can see that there is a spiritual element here. America is going to change its agenda, dramatically, and surprisingly. Why?- Revelation 13:11 tells us that the lamb becomes a dragon. Christ is the Lamb, Satan is the dragon. Here a "Christ-like nation" as America started out to be, that will end up acting like Satan and instead of guaranteeing religious liberty to its citizens, will remove it from them and also force the whole world to worship Satan through the Papacy.
Up until the UN had established its three main legs of government, the United States worked cooperatively with many nations to coordinate UN efforts to deal with issues in various parts of the world.
But consider this: eleven years ago, there was a dramatic effort to establish an international coalition to deal with Iraq and liberate Kuwait. When the first President Bush floated the idea of getting Saddam Hussein out of power, it failed to gain support of the other coalition members and Saddam Hussein remained in power. All through the Clinton Presidency, the emphasis was on building UN power, so the US continued its cooperative approach with other nations. When the UN systems were all in place as they are since 2002, the United States has no further need of working so dedicatedly to cooperate with other nations.
The second President Bush has a new tactic now that it will not ultimately endanger the UN. Now America is willing to begin to dictate to the world what is going to happen. And it is doing so unashamedly. Just listen to Bush as he talks about Saddam Hussein. Essentially he says "We are going after him, whether you other nations are willing to help or not." Of course America will use any nation that wants to help, such as Britain. But America will go it alone if it has now. This unilateralism is really going to eventually give America the kind of dictatorial power that Revelation 13 describes.
Of course America wants to have more political influence in the Gulf. So, if America would get rid of Saddam Hussein, Bush and future presidents would likely send US troops to occupy that country indefinitely, giving the United States significant and potentially permanent influence in the oil-rich region. Accusations against Iran and other countries (as already floated in the media) will dramatically increase America's influence in the region, and may eventually give the President an excuse to occupy other nations.
This influence could also then be used to further the ends of the world powers seeking to bring the whole world under the control of the prophetic beasts of Revelation 13 (the United States and the Papacy) and ultimately oppress God's faithful people. Though President Bush's war on terror may be seen as necessary now, it is clear if you are a student of prophecy, that it is part of a general escalation of the tension between huge portions of the human race, eventually dragging the nations into a cataclysmic war. "Wars and rumors of wars" as predicted in scripture, will lead to great destruction on the earth before the end of time as predicted in prophecy. The general chaos will open the way no doubt, for global Sunday laws and enforced worship of the Beast and his image.
But remember that Revelation 13 tells us that America causes "the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the beast." How are the non-Christian nations of the world, like Hindus, Bhuddists, and especially Islam going to come into line with American power and authority? Many nations controlled by Islam, for example, are hostile to American interests and principles. These will have to come into line in order for this prophecy to be fulfilled.
Here is a very interesting statement by Malachi Martin in his book called The Keys of This Blood. I quote "There will come a day, John Paul believes, when the heart of Islam—already attuned to the figures of Christ and of Christ's mother Mary—will receive the illumination it needs." p. 285.
Notice Revelation 13:13. "And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men." Some people think this refers to smart bombs and missiles, and other military weapons. But to my mind that is no great wonder. Many nations have bombs, even nuclear bombs. And that wouldn't be amazing to anyone for America to drop smart bombs or fire satellite guided precision missiles around. It seems to me that it has to be more spiritualistic in nature. Notice vs. 14. "And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth." Notice that there is an element of deception. Smart weapons don't spiritually deceive anyone. They are clearly powerful, but not deceptive. Even Stealth technology isn't very deceptive in its power to do damage.
What is being discussed here is a spiritual deception. Read on: The deception is "by the means of those MIRACLES which he had power to do in the sight of the beast." What is a miracle? A miracle is a supernatural event that cannot be explained by science or human reason. America at some time in the future is going to have amazing spiritual power to deceive the whole world, based on supernatural power to do miracles given to it by Satan.
Suppose for instance, that in the chaos of some cataclysmic terrorist attack, America makes decisions to use the nuclear bomb against its enemies. Suppose this decision was buttressed by Apparitions of Mary in Mecca and other Holy Islamic sites telling the Islamic world that America is right and that they should listen to the Pope and seek peace with America. Of course this is one of a 1000 possible scenarios, but it isn't difficult to see how supernaturally, Islam could be "illuminated" giving America considerable influence even with its enemies, at a time when the whole world is on the brink of destruction.
Right now is the time for America to take the next step to increase its power. The conditions are right for it. The elements are in place that are necessary for it to happen. Isn't wonderful how God has given us prophecy so that we can see more deeply into the daily news. Isn't it wonderful how God has given us His word to guide His people through the times ahead, and so we can watch and be ready?
Are you ready my friend? The future is ominous. Satan is going through very large and expensive maneuvers just so he can control and oppress a small group of God's true people. He is building a global economic, police, and justice system just for you and me. He's pretty serious. As you contemplate the news in the future, pay attention to the underlying principles behind it. Develop a prophetic mindset. Realize that there are unseen agencies with an agenda that are beneath the surface. Because of prophecy we can understand the long-range purpose of God and we can foresee those things that tell us the end is near. God is bigger than all these systems of the world. He can, and will protect His people according to His purpose. Now is the time to get ready. Now is the time to move to the country. Now is the time to win souls, for the night is coming when no man can work.
How is it with you friend? Has Jesus become so much the center of your life, that you will have the angels to protect and guide you in the time of trouble? Are you in such a relationship with Christ that you will be ready for the crisis that is approaching? Can you hear the distant thunder? Oh, now is the time to get ready. Don't brush off the terrorist attacks as if they had no significance in prophecy like some are doing. Let us watch, for the end is near. Let us be on our knees and learn from Christ what changes we need to do in order to get ready.
Just before we pray; if you would like a free copy of President Bush's speech please mail a request to me. My address again is Hal Mayer, Hartland, P. O. Box 1 Rapidan, VA 22733. You may also contact me by email at the following email address: Hmayer@hartland.edu. Also, if you would like a copy of the book called "The Pope's Letters" which reviews Pope John Paul II's encyclical letter calling for Sunday legislation, or if you would like the brand new book called The Lord's Day which is designed to show how faulty the arguments are against the seventh day Sabbath, both of which are by Colin and Russell Standish, just contact Hartland Publications at the same address.
Now let us pray together. Dear Heavenly Father; how thankful we are for the wonderful truth you have given us. Thank you for Bible prophecy that tells us what is coming upon the world. And thank you for the Spirit of Prophecy that tells us more detail about the future. Please give us discernment. Let us watch the events in our world with understanding of the times. And most of all help us get ready for the crisis… the time of trouble and the close of probation. Thank you for Jesus who is pleading for us in the Most Holy Place in the heavenly sanctuary. And thank you for the Holy Spirit that is working to reach us with the truth. May we help others, under His guidance to be ready. In Jesus name, Amen.
God bless you my friends, as we enter near the greatest crisis in history.
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