Episode Transcript
So glad that you've joined us today on countdown. Back to the future. We've got a program that lots of people are interested in. That's 666 and the mark of the Beast. You know, many people wonder what this is all about. For some people, it's about a chip implant that's going to go under the right hand. This is what the mark of the beast is. Other people say it seems to be connected with the barcodes on the grocery can. You know, when you go through the checkout counter, this must be what 666 is about. For others, it's some sort of a computer, maybe way over there in Europe somewhere. And then for others, it's got to do with the credit card. They believe, you know, the credit card with those numbers and so on, those barcodes. This must be what the 666 is all about. Many, many ideas. But let me tell you, the Bible's strongest warning is given against receiving the mark of the beast. Because of that, we must be able to understand it. Of course, how would it be that God would allow people to suffer the consequences of receiving the mark of the beast if they haven't got a clue what the mark of the beast is? That's why the third angel's message sounds a warning. Notice what the third angel's message says as it seeks to counter the messages of those three beasts. The Bible says in the third angel's message found in Revelation, then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, if anyone receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which he says is poured out full strength, no mercy in it this time into the cup of his indignation. And they have no rest, day or night, who worship the beast and his image. And whoever receives the mark of his name. So you can see this is a very powerful warning, probably one of the most strongest warnings in the Bible, which means we must be able to understand this thing. We must be able to understand what the mark of the beast is. And we're going to understand that by the time we're finished in this presentation. Now, when we go to the Book of Revelation, you will notice that there are contrasting pairs of symbols all the way through the book. For example, there's a marriage supper of the lamb, and there's a supper of the birds, the vultures. There's a pure woman in Revelation, and there's a prostitute lady, two women. And then we find there's a new Jerusalem City and there's a Babylon, the great city. Two cities. Now on the other hand, or finally we find there is a seal of God or a mark of God and the mark of the beast. Two marks, two seals, if you would. You see, the reason that we can this is good that we have contrasting pairs is because it helps us to understand the opposite in its pair. You see, if you don't perhaps understand what the mark of the beast is, study the seal of God and then you'll be able to easily understand what the mark of the beast is, because it'll be something similar but in opposition to God's seal. Same with the cities. If we want to understand what this Babylon, the prostitute is, have a look at what the beautiful woman's about the new Jerusalem and you'll understand something similar but in opposition to. So this is a great key to understanding the mark of the beast. So what we're going to do for a few moments is look at the seal of God, because if we can understand what the seal of God is, what that's all about, we will easily understand what the mark of the beast is because it'll be something similar but in opposition. Now there are two portraits, two pictures of God's seal or God's mark in the book of Revelation. The first one is found in Revelation chapter 6 and 7. This is where we saw the seven seals and the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. The second portrait is in the final battle, the battle for global worship. That's where we get the second picture of the seal of God. Remember in chapter seven, the seal of God, it says those who can stand before the throne of God and the Lamb who have God's seal in the forehead. Now let's talk about ancient seals for a moment. Ancient seals were outward signs of truths or reality. Something outward that was an indicator of something. So what is God's end times seal a sign of? We actually saw this in a previous presentation, but we're going to review so that we can move on then to the mark of the beast. God's end times seal is a sign of worshiping the Lord God as creator. In the book of Revelation you will notice what it says. I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water. You see, the Bible says there is God's people have his name in their forehead. And the reason they have his name in their forehead is because they worship him as creator God. Remember, the Bible says the Lord God made the Heavens and the earth. So it's a sign of worshiping God as creator. Number two, God's end times seal is a sign of cleansing by the Lord God's redeeming love. Notice what the Bible says. John sees these people. These are the ones who are not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who followed the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed. Why do these people follow the Lamb wherever he goes? Because they're in love with Him. Why are they in love with Him? Because he's paid for their redemption with an enormous price and even his own life. Wouldn't you love somebody if they gave their life for you? Well, that's the picture we have here. They are virgins. They have kept themselves for their one great lover, who is the Lamb, Jesus, because he's paid the price for them. Number three, it's a sign of belonging and allegiance to the Lord God. Notice the Bible is very clear on this. Notice what we see about seals. Seals were signs of ownership and belonging as well. We pick this up right here in the writings of Paul. Paul says, nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands having this seal. And what is it? The Lord knows those who are his, those who belong to Him. And he says, let everyone who names the name of Christ, who takes his name, who says, I belong to him, I'm one of his followers. Let them depart from iniquity. That is, let them be faithful to that great God and Savior. So when John sees these people who are faithful to God, who don't worship the beast and the dragon, but worship the Creator God, notice what he sees about them. Then I looked and behold a lamb standing on Mount Zion. And with him 144,000 having his name. In chapter seven, it was the seal. Now it's the name of God in the forehead because his name is in the seal, having his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. In other words, they belong to God and they are loyal to God. They are faithful to God. You know, cattle branding is an indication of someone owns this cow with that stamp on it. Right? So God's seal is an indication of belonging to him and of commitment to Him. Okay, so what is the outward sign? Something outward that says all those things. Number one, I worship my Creator God. Number two, I've been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, his great love. Number three, I am faithful and I belong to him. What's the outward sign? We saw it before. It's God's Sabbath day. We noticed that in a previous presentation. For example, in number one, the Sabbath is a sign of worshiping the Lord God as Creator. That's what it says in this book when we go to the writings of Moses in Exodus. The Bible says, keep the Sabbath. Why? It is a sign. It is a mark between me and the children of Israel forever. For in six days the Lord made the Lord created the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested. So there it is. The Sabbath is an outward sign that God is our creator. It reminds us of that event. Number two, it's a sign of cleansing by the Lord God's redeeming love. That's what the Sabbath reminds us of. Notice what the Bible says in the Book of Ezekiel. Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths to be a sign, a mark. There it is again between them and me, so that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. That means I am the Lord who cleans up their life and sets them apart for myself. Cause I love them so much. I died for them to do that. The Sabbath is that outward sign of God's seal. That's the outward sign that we belong to God. The Sabbath reminds us we belong to him through his redeeming blood. The Sabbath is a sign of belonging and allegiance to the great God of the universe. But notice what the Bible says back in Ezekiel. Ah, hallow my Sabbath. They will be a mark, a sign between me and you. That you may know that I am the Lord your God. That is, you belong to Me and you are mine. Your allegiance is to me. Now, now, when you think of it, when you think of God's Sabbath day, that it's a sign that we created by God, we're not an accident, the product of time and chance. We're made in his image. When we know that, and the Sabbath reminds us of that. When we realize that the Sabbath reminds us that we're redeemed and sanctified and changed by God, by His mighty love. When we realize that the Sabbath reminds us that we belong to Him. That says we give him our allegiance. The Sabbath brings rest of mind. That's why the Sabbath is called the Sabbath. Because it means rest. It brings rest physically, but rest of mine. To know that I came from the hand of God. I'm made in his image. That's a restful thing. Number two, I'm redeemed. He loved me so much. He paid a price for me. He set me apart as his child. The Sabbath reminding me I belong. I'm the friend of God, I'm one of his children. I give my allegiance to Him. You see, that's why the Bible said these words in the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, talking about the Sabbath. He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way. And God rested on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath. From all his works. God rested. Since therefore it remains that some must enter it. That is God's rest, God's rest of salvation, God's rest of his providence, God's rest of knowing that we are his children. There remains therefore a rest, a Sabbath rest. It says a sabbatismos in the Greek for the people of God, for he who has entered his rest. God's rest has himself also ceased from his works, as God did from His. In other words, the Sabbath says it wasn't because I created myself, albeit from that. It's not because I changed my life. It's not because I belong to God, because I did it my way. No, we're only, we have all those things because God does those things. We can have rest because God has done those things for us when we put our life in his hands. That's why Jesus on the Sabbath said these words to the people. He said, come to me all you who labor got burdens, troubles, worries, anxieties, sins weighing us down. Come to me, you who are labour and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And that's what the Sabbath is all about. It points to those great things that bring rest to the soul. Rest of mind, rest in our great God. Now the question is, which day is the seventh day? Which day is the Sabbath of the Bible? Of course it's the seventh day we saw previously, but I would remind you, the Bible Sundays. But the seventh day is the Sabbath is the rest of the Lord your God in it. In the Sabbath you shall do no work. God is resting on the seventh day and he wants you and I to join him. Because that's when he's taking that whole day off for his kids, with his kids. So which day is the seventh day? Well, we find which day is the seventh day at the cross. You remember when Jesus died on the cross? The Bible says this day it was the. What we call Good Friday, what the Bible calls the Preparation day. Remember, that's the day Jesus died. The preparation day or the sixth day. We read that in a previous presentation. Then the next day, the Sabbath. The Bible says the Sabbath was about to begin. The Sabbath drew on it came on, it was about to start. That's the seventh day. And then the next day was the first day. We call it Easter Sunday, when Jesus rose from the dead. And we can see the day between the sixth and the first day is the seventh day. And that's what the Bible calls the Sabbath day, the seventh day, or the Sabbath, the rest day. No question. So now we can easily understand the beast mark. Now, you see, because we know what God's mark is, the beast mark is going to be something similar, but in opposition, something in contrast, something against God's rest. So that's how we can now move into this much more easily now, because we've looked at one in the pair. Now we're going to have to go to university history as well, and to current events. We're going to see very clearly what the beast mark is and where we are today in this thing. You will see very clearly from both the Bible its prophecies and current events. So let's go there now. Let's reflect on what we've just said. The seal of God means it must come from God because it's his seal. Therefore, the beast mark or the mark of the beast must be something that comes from the beast. The Bible is very plain on that. If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark, so it's the mark from the beast. In other words, it's something that comes from the medieval church, revived in the end of time, it comes from the church of Rome. It must be because it comes from the beast. You see. Now, the mark, of course, is from the medieval church of Rome. In other words, number two, the seal of God is a sign of worship of God. We worship Him. Therefore the mark of the beast must be an indication that we worship the beast. Pretty obvious, isn't it? But that's what the Bible says. The Bible says if anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark. So if you receive his mark, you take the mark, you're really worshiping the beast, because that's how it goes together. Now, the seal of God shows loving obedience to God in the Bible. Therefore, the mark of the beast must show what, Disobedience to God? The opposite. Something in opposition, not obedience, but disobedience. Notice what the Bible says. There is no rest, day or night for anyone who receives this mark of his name. Because of this, the saints, God's friends, they must endure and keep what Keep God's commandments. God's friends must keep enduring and keep his commandments. That means the mark, people who take the mark, they are not keeping God's commandments. They are disobeying God's commandments. The opposite. You see now the seal of God is linked to rest, the day of rest, the Sabbath. Therefore, the mark of the beast must also be linked to rest. And that's exactly what we find in Revelation. What does it say? They have no rest. That's not an accident, that word there. They have no rest day or night. Whoever receives the mark of his name, it may seem to be offering rest, but it's not really rest. Not like God's Sabbath gives rest of mind. Peace of mind. And why no rest? How come no rest? Let's notice why. And again, in this place they shall not enter my rest. God says why? Since those to whom it was first preached did not enter. That is God's rest. Because of disobedience. The Bible is plain here. You only have rest if we are obeying God. We don't have true rest if we're disobeying God. That's what Jesus said. Abide in me, stay in me. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in me, just as I keep my Father's commandments and abide in Him. So it's very easy now to see what the beast mark is when we contrast it with the mark of God, or the seal of God. It is the first day of the week in opposition to God's seventh day. The seventh day of the week, as opposed to the first day, or what we usually call Sunday. And this is what the Church indicates itself. They're not ashamed of this. They feel they have the right to do this. Notice what it says. The Church says. Of course. The Church claims that the change to Sunday was her act. And the act is a mark. It's a sign of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters. Now that comes from CIA Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons. So one of the men who works with the Cardinal, you'll notice that. So it's their mark of authority. And in another piece of work by the Church of Rome, notice what it says. In an abridgement of Christian doctrine, it's in a form of question and answers. Question. Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept. Notice the answer. Had she not had such power, that means authority. She could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week. A change for which there is no. What? There's no scriptural authority. The authority to do this change Says it comes from the church, but it's not in the Bible. It's a sad thing when you stop to think about it. What can happen when we stray from the teachings of the Bible? We end up calling right wrong and wrong right. Let's notice something interesting that we haven't looked at before, but we need to address. What about this 666 number thing, right? The seventh identifying characteristic of the beast. We're going to look at that now. Notice what the Bible says in Revelation 13. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 6, 6, 6. Now 6, 6, 6 is not the mark of the beast. Notice what the Bible says here and that no one could buy or sell except those who have the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. They're different things. You see there. According to that verse. Now, six in the Bible is the number of man. That's man's number. Notice what the Bible says. It is the number of a man. His number is 666. Now, man was created of course, on day six, right? The sixth day of creation. That's when God made Adam and Eve on that sixth day, the day just before the Sabbath. So man's number in The Bible is six because of that very fact, for starters. Now, 666 means man centered religion. In other words, man is stuck on himself. He cannot move on. Now you remember when we went to that seventh chapter of the Book of Daniel, we saw that little horn. It's the same power under a different symbol. But notice what it said of this little horn. And there in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man. There it is again. And a mouth speaking pompous or boastful words. Tragically, when Paul talked about his picture of The Antichrist in 2nd Thessalonians 2, notice what he called him. He called him the man of lawlessness. Human centered religion. That's what the Bible is getting at. This is man centered religion. Man not focused on God and his Word, but man focused on what he does and himself. Notice how Jesus put this in a very succinct way when he talked about what is true worship and what is false worship. Jesus said, and in vain. That means it's a waste of time. It's useless worship. It means nothing. In vain they worship me. Why is that? Because teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. There's that word men again. For laying aside. That means disobeying the commandments of God. You hold the tradition of men. Do you see what vain worship is? Vain worship is putting an idea of man in the place of something that God has given. It's replacing. It's pushing aside God's commandments and putting something man has come up with. That's exactly what's happened with the Sabbath. We just read it from the church itself. It's not scriptural authority that we have for worshiping on the first day. It's the church's authority. They said so. The seven number seven. This is God's number in the Bible. It's God's sign, God's seal, God's number in scripture. The seventh day Sabbath. God, rest in me. Don't stay on yourself. Come to me, rest in me. Go on. From man to God. But six, six, six, my friends, means man is stuck on himself. He refuses to rest in God. He refuses to follow God. That's one of the things this is saying here in Revelation. Notice what the Bible says here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666. Now there is a thing that is from ancient times called gematria. Ancient Gematriya means we have letters and we assign number values to those letters. This is well practiced. I want to share with you about the Donation of Constantine for the moment. Here we have Constantine. You can see him on the steps there. He's giving something to the Bishop of Rome. What's going on here? The Donation of Constantine was actually discovered to be a 9th century AD forgery about 1000 years after Christ. It was a forged document, we know that today. But it was a letter said to be a letter of Emperor Constantine to that was given to the Bishop of Rome at that time was Pope Sylvester. And in this Donation of Constantine, what's going on is Constantine is supposedly transferring authority from ancient Rome, the pagan Rome, to the Western Roman Empire and to the Pope. So he's passing over his authority to the Bishop of Rome. Now we don't want to worry too much about the history and the and Forsa against the forger document. That's not the point. What is important is way back then they were calling the Bishop of Rome as the successor, like they claim Peter was a successor, was the first bishop and his successors, I should say following him. They had the title, they say, of Vicarius Philadei. This is found in the Donation of Constantine right there, that word Vicarius Philadeo. That phrase means the vicar, which means the representative of the Son of God. And this title, this phrase, this title has been taken by popes down through time. This very title. Now you can actually see when we go to this title, Vicarius filidaea. This is in Latin and these Latin letters have number value. For example, V is 5 in Rome, I1, C 100 and so on. This adds up to 112 vicarius. When you come to Philly, notice what this adds up to. You've got F0I1, L50 and so on. You get 53. When we come to the last word, Deid has a value of 500. E has zero value. I1, we have 501. You add those together and you come up with 6, 6, 6. Now, we don't even need this really, because we saw six clear identifying characteristic as who the beast is. But this is just one more that shows this is exactly what John saw. Sadly, the Church, the Christian Church, as it fell away from the teachings of the Bible, John saw that this would be the case. What a tragedy. So how will the mark of the beast be enforced? How's that going to take place? How is Sunday going to be forced on people? Well, the Bible is very specific on how it's going to take place. Notice what the Bible says. He, that's the land beast. Now he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. And that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark of the or the name of the beast or the number of his name. Did you notice it there? It is going to be the land beast, which is apostate Protestant usa. That is Protestantism. That is no longer following what God says in his word as once they did. Do you know, my friends, right on this very point, let me tell you that many of the reformers from back in the 15, 16, 1700s would hardly recognize many of the Protestant denominations today because of what has been lost and what has been put in its place. People like John Wesley would turn over in their grave. Godly men who started various denominations would be shocked if they could see where sadly Protestantism is heading now. Any of us can go down this track. Once we don't follow what the Bible says, we soon call error. Correct, we call error. Right. And we call what is truth, we call it error. That's what happens. That's why Jesus said, walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you. So sadly, apostate Protestant America is going to lead the world in taking this mark in enforcing Rome's mark, which is Sunday worship. Now, let me say right now that no one yet has the beast mark. No one. I hope you hear me clearly now, because we've not yet come to the time when what John is about to say will happen. We're not yet there, but we are moving in that direction. No question about it. But no one yet has the mark of the beast. There are many godly people keeping Sunday who don't know any different, who haven't yet seen what the Bible is saying. God does not judge us on what we don't know, on what we're ignorant of. He judges us on what we do, with what we do know. But there's coming a day when this is going to be a very clear thing. Everyone will notice. If I do this, I'm worshiping the dragon. If I take God's Sabbath, I'm following God and walking with him. So where are we up today in this thing? Is the world moving in this direction? Let me share with you some amazing things that are starting to transpire in our world right now. What about the Church of Rome and Sunday? Is the Church of Rome pushing for Sunday worship a big way? You remember the Pope, John Paul II? Pope John Paul II back in 1998, wrote a mammoth 41 page encyclical called Dies Domini, which means the Lord's day, meaning Sunday, not the Sabbath. Because the Lord's day in the Bible is called the Sabbath, the seventh day. But as after the Bible, people now called it Sunday, the Lord's day. The Bible says in the fourth commandment, seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord. Jesus said the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath and he was talking about the seventh day. So Pope John Paul II wrote this mammoth encyclical, 41 pages, on the importance of keeping Sunday holy for his flock. It even got on the front page on the newspapers in our own country, the Australian newspaper, Papal Bid to Resurrect Sabbath, meaning Sunday. Talking about this event. No question there's agitation been going on for the last 20, 30 years now. Well, that's 40 years, isn't it? What about Pope Benedict XVI? 2009, he made very important statements about how, you know, give Sunday its soul, give the soul its Sunday, urging his people to more faithful Sunday worship. And then we come to climate change and we find that Pope Francis, the Bishop of Rome, who recently passed away, he wrote a mammoth 285 page document called Laudato Si, which means on the care for our common home, the earth, the Planet, looking after our planet. Now, much of what Pope Francis wrote we could agree with. Of course, some very good things that he wrote there, much we could agree with. But there's some things that are clearly against the Bible. Notice what he had to say as we come to part of this document. He said on Sunday, our participation in the Eucharist, that's like the Communion service, the Lord's Supper, has special importance. Sunday, like the Jewish Sabbath. Now notice he's going to compare Sunday to the Jewish Sabbath. He's going to take the words from out of the Sabbath, of the Bible that is, and he's going to put them onto Sunday. Now notice what he says. Sunday, like the Jewish Sabbath, is meant to be a day which heals our relationships with God, with ourselves, with others and with the world, meaning the environment. The law of weekly rest forbade work on the seventh day so that your ox and your donkey may have rest and the son of your maidservant and the stranger may be refreshed. That's what the says about the Sabbath, the seventh day. He's saying rest opens our eyes to the larger picture and it gives us renewed sensitivity to the rights of other people. And so the day of rest. He's not talking of Sabbath now, he's talking of Sunday. And so the day of rest, Sunday, centered on the Eucharist, because that's what he said back earlier, sheds its light on the whole week and motivates us to greater concern for nature and the poor. Wow. Very interesting. Yes, no question. Pope Francis was certainly pushing for Sunday worship and Sunday rest. Now, let me tell you, this document from Pope Francis received global support. Powerful groups were right behind this document. For example, we have the World Council of Churches thought it was a great document. So too did the Evangelical alliance, called We Are the World Evangelical Alliance. 600 million Protestants represented by that group, and then the Salvation army as well, and others, in fact, the European Union. Notice what's happening in the European Union regarding Sunday. I was fascinated to read this document. The alliance is a broad. The alliance is the name of a group, so to speak. The alliance is a broad network of more than 1100 national Sunday alliances. Trade unions, employers, organisations, civil society associations, churches and religious communities in the European Union. The alliance is committed to raise awareness about the unique value of Sunday for our society and on the importance of a common day of rest. Fascinating, isn't it? Even those within the European Union thinking this way. I even noticed that one of our Greens politicians a few years ago had some interesting things to say about Sunday. Worship. It was Rachel Shuart from the Australian Greens. She was a senator back there in 2005. Notice the title of her article, Sunday Work Doesn't Work. Fascinating to read her words. Green Senator Rachel Seward, who released the report, called on Prime Minister John Howard, the Prime Minister back then, to enshrine in law, to put it in the government laws, to enshrine in law the sanctity of Sunday as the day for family life. Fascinating where people are thinking, not just religious people, but even secular people these days. And not only that, I was fascinated to read the Guardian. You know, when Covid was on full swing, people noticed that Covid helped the environment cause lots of things got shut down that were polluting the environment. You might have seen some of the photos. Well, The Guardian in 2020 had an article COVID 19 and Climate Change. And they reproduced an article they had printed back in 2009. They reprinted the thing. Notice the article was called Slow Sunday, the Simple Solution to Global Warming. Let's read it. What they had to say part of it. Not long ago, Sunday used to be a day of rest, a day of spiritual renewal, a day for families to come together. But we have changed Sunday from a day of rest to a day of shopping, flying and driving. However, in the context of excessive carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere which are bringing catastrophic upheavals, we we can and should restore Sunday to a day for Gaia. That is a day for the Earth newspaper, the Guardian printing that amazing. And then we find some have come up with the idea of how to implement what Pope Francis suggested. A day Sunday to help the planet. Notice very interesting article in Ideamensch. This is written by Dr. Menahem David Smadja, author, economist and religious scholar. He article was Sunday Sabbath to address the climate change crisis. Sunday, Sabbath, Sabbath. Not seventh day Sabbath but first day. This is what he wrote. Notice my recent research has focused on how to apply the concept of the Sabbath day of rest, meaning Sunday to address the climate change crisis. He says in brief summary. My proposal calls for an international day of rest comprising of approximately 53 days per year and an additional 15 days off where both individuals and industry would refrain from all creative manufacturing and productive activity. Notice what he goes on to say. These 70 days 53 two Sundays for starters, right? These 70 days, representing approximately 20% of the year, would help achieve the shared goal outlined in the Paris climate conference cop 21 of a 20% reduction of pollution globally by 2050. The impact of a day of rest not only would provide needed relief to our planet and our ecosystem. It will also benefit people if individuals adopt A day away from technology, from work and other pursuits. We will also see improved quality family time. Ah interesting isn't it? Number of things tied up here but climate change. If we take Sundays off the whole 52 in the year and add a few more we will reach COP 2021 goals. Now business people have picked this up. I was fascinated to read this in ceoworld magazine. In other words, this is world's leading business magazine for CEOs, the chief executive officers of companies, CFOs, high level executive professionals, business leaders and high net worth individuals. Notice what they had to say back in 2018. Thinking about what that doctor guy just wrote, Notice the time may be right for Dr. Smadge's proposal of those days off 52 Sundays plus a few more other days. This frantic race to go faster and faster makes us forget essential things such as loving ourselves, others and also our earth, says Smadja. The result is a global disaster whose ecological impact is more and more obvious. A Sabbath for ourselves meaning Sunday, our industry and our environment is a corrective to these failures. It is a transcendence of spiritual over material. It will lead to better sharing of wealth and a measurable improvement to the climate crisis that can bring together populists, progressives and conservatives toward a common cause. Sunday being the common cause to help our environment. Listen my friend, as I said, this is not just religious people. These are business people. These are people in academics thinking this way along with what we saw from the Church of Rome. A modest proposal for a day of rest. That article was called amazing. What about apostate Protestant America? Are Protestants in America thinking similar thoughts? Are they pushing forward to Sunday? We saw it. No question it's coming from the Church of Rome. Last three bishops of Rome been pushing for Sunday. More faithfulness to Sunday. What about in Protestant America? Notice this one from Fox News. Let's make Sunday a day of rest for God's sake. Wow. From Fox News. What about another one? Here's one. An Arizona State Senator. What does she say? Make Sunday church attendance mandatory. We've heard that word before, haven't we? Make Sunday church attendance mandatory. And then finally Sunday as a mark of Christian unity from the Lord's Day Alliance. You see my friend, people are thinking these things. It's not just someone cooking up. John predicted it and we are starting to see it. There's just one more I want to share. I'm sure you've heard of Project 25. Project 25 was a mandate for leadership by conservative Republicans on the eve of the elections that have taken place already. But I want you to notice what they say in this document. They say these words, God ordained the Sabbath. They mean Sunday as a day of rest. And until very recently, the Judeo Christian tradition sought to honor that mandate by moral honor. That mandated legal regulation legislation from the government. In other words, legal regulation of work on that day. Congress should encourage communal rest. Congress should get involved. What did the US Constitution say? Congress shall make no law regarding anything along those lines. But the clock's being turned back here. Congress should encourage communal rest by amending the Fair Labor Standards act to require that workers be paid time and a half for hours worked on the Sabbath, which will mean the business people won't want to give them that much money. My friends, what does this say? It says to us, if we have ears to hear and eyes to see, Jesus is coming soon. Jesus is going to return in all his glory very soon. And we must make a choice. We must choose. Are we going to choose God's rest day, which is in his fourth commandment, or will we choose the first day, which comes not from the Bible, but from human beings, from the Church of Rome? It's more than just a day. A day keeping what God says to keep indicates who we're following. Will we follow God or will we follow our own opinions? Will we follow Christ or will we follow Satan? Will we worship Satan or will we worship Christ? That's the issue, my friend. That's why the Bible says when God looked down through time, he could see what God's faithful people would be doing. People who love God in all denominations. Eventually those people who love God will see this is what I need to do. No question. Because if they love God, they'll follow his commandments. The Bible says, here is the patience of the saints, God's friends. Here are those who keep the commandments of God. And one of those commandments is the Sabbath commandment, the fourth day, fourth commandment, the seventh day, Sabbath. They keep the commandments of God and they have the faith of Jesus. You know, my friends, how would you and I worship God? That's the issue. How will you and I go the right way? Because it's not going to be easy. You won't be able to buy or sell unless you follow the party line, as we say. Well, thank God. In the second third angel's message, it says these words, strong words, let's come back to them. A third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, if anyone receives any his mark on his forehead or on his hand. He himself shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out full strength into the cup of his indignation. He shall be tormented in the presence of the Lamb. And they have no rest, day or night, who worship the beast and his image. And whoever receives the mark of his name. Did you notice some words that crop that jump off the page there? I put. Put them in yellow. These are the words. Drink. What was the next one? Wine, he said, the cup of God's wrath. And then in the presence of the Lamb. Where have you seen those sort of words before? Cup, wine, drink. I'll tell you where you see them in the Bible. You go to Gethsemane, my friend. You go to the upper room. You go to the cross. Jesus said. He said, abba, Father, when he was in the garden of Gethsemane, praying, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Nevertheless. Not what I will, but what you will. What cup did Jesus not want to drink from? What cup? The cup of God's wrath. The seven last plagues which will be poured out upon those who take the beast's mark. He didn't want to drink from that cup, but because of love for. For you and me, he did drink it. Not my will, but your will be done. That's why on the cross Jesus cried out, it is finished. It is finished. What is finished? What he was saying is the cup is empty. I've drunk what the seven last plagues are all about. I've drunk from that cup so my people don't have to have those plagues. What a God Jesus could say the now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, this cross that's coming. But for this purpose I came to this world. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself. This, he said, signifying by what death he would die. You see, Jesus was willing to take our judgment. The seven last plagues. That's what he experienced. God's wrath at the cross. So you and I would not have to have that. And what was the result to us here was the result. For he God the Father made him. Jesus, who knew no sin. He never sinned to be sin for us so that we might become. Which means we might be the very righteousness of God. If we're in him. If we're in Christ. Amazing, Amazing grace. My friend, that Jesus would give up his own eternal destiny so you and I would not have to have those plagues. It happened there in the freezing cold winter of northern Europe. A Roman group, soldiers, was camped beside a frozen lake. And they just received the word from the emperor that nobody could stay in the army. They would have to be killed if they did not worship him as the. As a God. The Emperor as a God. Some emperors had that. Caligula was one of them. So the commanding officer called his men together. He knew he had 40 good Christian men in his outfit, and he knew there's no way they're going to decide to worship the Emperor. But he had to follow orders. So they come together beside the frozen lake and he says, men, we've got this order from the emperor that unless you worship him as a God, you die. You're not going to be part of this army. You die. So he says, take three steps forward. So everyone took three steps forward except 40 men, the very men he knew who wouldn't step forward. He called them forward and he said, now take everything off, right down to your, your baby suit your skin. So they stripped themselves naked. And then he had some soldiers march them out to the middle of that frozen lake and there they were to die. Those men began to sing a song. Out there on the lake, 40 brave soldiers wrestling Lord, for you. That song wafted over the still night air and back to where the commanding officer was sitting around his little fire. And as the. As the evening were on, the song got weaker and weaker as the men became weaker and finally the words changed. 39 brave warriors striving Lord, for you. And in the flickering light of the candle of the fire which he was sitting around, he saw a man crawling on all fours. One man had given up and decided it wasn't worth it. And as the commanding officer looked at that man and listen to those words of that song that was much feebler now, he began slowly to unbuckle parts of his tunic, took off his belt, took off his all his vests and his armor gear and stripped completely naked, raced out on that frozen lake and joined those 39 men. And the song came a little stronger now. 40 brave warriors standing firm for you O Christ, my friend it takes something to stand for Jesus sometimes doesn't takes a stand. Those men gave us a good illustration of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Sometimes it seems we are going to stand alone. But let me tell you, you never stand alone when you take a stand for Jesus. He always stands with You. You know, my friends, we must fall upon Christ and say, oh Jesus, give me your strength, give me your love. Give me such a love for you that I'm willing to do whatever it takes, whatever you want. And when you take a stand, let me tell you, others will follow your example because that's what happens when we follow Jesus. It helps others to follow him. Let's bow together in prayer. Father, thank you for this amazing prophecy that helps us know where we are in time. This is not a game, Lord. We can see the prophecy. John's prophecies pointed this is what would happen and we're seeing it before our very eyes today. Oh God, I just pray that you will help us to throw ourselves on this Jesus. It's the only way we're ever going to follow whatever he asks of us to come to Christ. Because when we come to him, he gives us power and strength to do what is right. Bless those listening, those watching right now. May they take a stand for Jesus right now, in Jesus name. Amen. Well, we're so glad that you were with us in this next this presentation in countdown back to the future. Whatever you do, don't miss anything. Don't miss, I should say the next presentation. You want to miss everything else, but don't miss this. We're going to be talking about ancient mysteries reveal the future. The secret of the sealed scroll which reveals two great prophecies come together in this next presentation. One from Daniel like a hand in a glove. And we see where we are today. We see what God is about to do and what he's doing in the world to help people be ready for Jesus to come. So invite a friend to watch, send them a link. Join in with us next time as we go through countdown back to the future. We look forward to seeing you then.
