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Bro. Bill Nichols
You ready to go? Okay, we probably need to get started because we have, I think, a guest pastor today, don't we? And I don't want to take even a second of his time. Brother David will forgive me if I take some of his, but I think we need to begin with a prayer.
Most gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us this time that we might come together to worship you and to study your Holy Word. Thank you for giving us this place. Thank you for giving us this, your Holy Spirit to guide us, and thank you for giving us your everlasting gospel.
Jesus who died for us, was buried for us, and rose again for us, that we may receive eternal life. Thank you, protect us, go with us through this service and the ones to come. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
We are still in Revelation chapter 14, verse 6. I think we almost got to this verse, in fact we did get to this verse last week, I believe. And I saw another angel, and it just occurred to me that that seems like it's a different angel than another one that was seen earlier.
So I went back and looked, even though it says another, this is the first angel that John has seen since the seventh angel sounded the seventh trump. It's the first angel mentioned since chapter 12 when it talked about Michael and his angels involved in a war with Satan and his angels, the result being Satan and his angels cast out to the earth, where the great tribulation begins in earnest, and with no longer having access to heaven.
This angel, this other angel, is certainly not one of those angels that are with Satan and his minions, because it says, I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel, to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people.
That was the verse that we spent all of last week on. We posed three questions last week. We addressed two of them. The first one was, what is this everlasting gospel? Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 a nice, clear, concise definition of the gospel.
I just began at verse 1, and it says, Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel, which I have preached unto you, and which also you have received, wherein you stand, by which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain.
And by the way, you can't believe in vain if you have God's belief in you. If you have God's faith, you cannot possibly believe in vain. But if you have just your own faith, you will always believe in vain.
You can search and search and search all you want, and you will never be saved unless you have Christ's faith within you. So he goes on to say, By which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how Christ died for our sins, according to the scripture. And he was buried, and then he rose again on the third day, according to the scripture.
Well that was the question that we dealt with last week. What is this eternal, everlasting gospel? The next thing we dealt with last week, and we dealt with it kind of on the fly, is who hears that eternal gospel?
And the answer is everyone. That was answered in Revelation 14. Every nation and kindred and tongue and people. That's who hears it. This morning, I'd like to address the third question. What will those who hear this gospel do with it?
And there will be two answers. Some, both Jews and Gentiles, will receive it. In Romans 1, 16, Paul says this,. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Now that was a big news maker to the Greeks. I'm sorry, to the Jews. They didn't think a Gentile could be saved. They thought a Gentile had to become a Jew in order to be saved. But that's not what Paul tells us.
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, The just shall live by faith. So that's some of them. Some of them, Jews and Gentiles, will receive it. And some, also both Jews and Gentiles, will reject it.
This morning, we're going to look a little bit at those that reject it. Go if you will, please, to Romans 1, verse 18. All of a sudden, my voice is a little squeaky. I don't know what that's all about.
Maybe I haven't talked much this morning. Verse 18,. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them.
For God hath showed it unto them, for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so they are without excuse.
Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened, professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, to birds, and to four-footed animals, and to creeping things.
Wherefore, God also gave them up to uncleanliness through the lust of their own hearts. Then going down to verse 28,. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.
And then down to 32,. Who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. It's not enough that we engage in unrighteousness.
We take pleasure in doing things that are right and watching others do the same thing. It's a whole different world that we're living in now. Yes, sir. I think we take it very lightly too. It's not just that we refrain from doing it.
There are many things that I will not do that I kind of take pleasure in watching other people do them, knowing that they're going to get their just rewards. Well, we maybe ought not do that. Knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same things, but have pleasure in them that do it.
And then we want to go to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and we'll pick it up at verse 3 and we'll kind of wind our way back toward Revelation. Revelation. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come except there be a falling away first, that the man of sin be revealed the son of perdition, who opposes and exalteth himself above all that is called God, not just above God, above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
Now who in the world is this? Who is that man that opposes and exalteth himself above all that is called God, that sits in the temple of God showing himself that he is God? That's Antichrist. We know that this is Antichrist and we know that Antichrist has a covenant with the Jews in which he allows them to worship in the temple.
And he allows them to do this for three and a half years until he decides it's no longer convenient for him to allow that to happen and he just violates his covenant, showing himself. Now Antichrist has been revealed.
Three and a half years into the seven years prophesied by Daniel. Then Paul goes on to say, remember ye not that when I was yet with you I told you these things? It's interesting. Paul assumed that the Thessalonians would still remember everything he told them.
And you know what? They did. And now ye know that which withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time, for the mystery of iniquity doth already work. Only he that now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way.
Now that word let is inconvenient. It doesn't mean allow. It means prevent. It's a whole different way of looking at the word. The word let means to prevent something from happening. So he that is now preventing the Antichrist from being revealed will take himself out of the way and Antichrist will be revealed.
And then that wicked one shall be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions, that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. I could go off on a tangent here and say this is one of the passages that people use in trying to time out when the rapture of the saints occur.
And some say it happens before tribulation begins altogether. Some say in the midpoint and some say on to the end. But here's what we know for sure. This is the last chance anyone has to repent and believe before God's wrath is poured out.
The last right now in the middle of the three and a half year period, what has happened up until now will be child's play in terms of tribulation. But the question is, is this the last chance to believe?
Do you think anyone will be redeemed after this three and a half year mark? Well, I do. I believe so, but I know this, not to those to whom God sends the strong delusion. If he sends you the strong delusion, you won't believe.
You will believe the lie. What lie? The lie, Paul said a lie. I said the lie. I think it is a specific lie. I think it's the lie that Antichrist is the Messiah. That's what they'll believe. They'll be told by the Antichrist, I am God.
I am sitting in the temple of God. I am portraying myself as God. And he'll have the false prophet doing signs and wonders at his power, at his behest, saying this is the Messiah, him you should believe.
He's the one that Jesus referred to when he said, I come in my own name and you receive me not. Another will come in his name and him you will receive. I don't think so. I don't think the sin of nature is ever gone.
We're condemned already when we don't believe, yes. He sends the strong delusion so that the ones who are condemned are not elect, will not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, but instead they will believe that Antichrist is the Messiah.
I think the only difference,.
Yes, they can think they know it. But if they think they knew it, it is, yes. We're exactly three and a half years in. And you'll have the two witnesses at the temple, at the wailing.
Wall preaching and all the minions, all the powers of Antichrist trying to destroy them and they can't until they do. And then they rise from the dead. They'll see all of that, but they'll also see the miracles and wonders done by Antichrist and his demons.
So they'll be two competing arguments. And you might say the most persuasive one would win, except God won't allow that. God will ensure that all of his believe Jesus and all of Antichrist believe him.
And I think that's what this is all about. Yes, a different way. Man's way. We're going to get to that today, I think. I think we'll get to that today. But yes, there are two compelling arguments at this point.
And the most persuasive person could conceivably convince a particular person, but the Lord won't allow that. He will allow his to believe his and those to believe theirs. And I think that's what the delusion is all about.
I'm pretty sure of that because let's look on a little bit further. Not to those to whom God sends the strong delusion. They will believe the lie. The lie they will believe is that Antichrist is the Messiah.
As a result of this belief, false religion will flourish as never before. And unbelievers will make what seems to them to be a prudent decision. What have they been faced with? They have been charged with taking the mark of the beast on their forehead or on their hand in order to be able to engage in commerce.
But that decision, the decision to take that mark, will not be prudent like they think it will be, but it will be disastrous. Unlike those who overcame in chapter 12, I'm going to read just the first layer, and they overcame him, the Antichrist, with the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death.
We talked about that earlier. When you are in a position that you have to choose to do something or die, and you choose to do it rather than die, you may be choosing not to do it. You may be loving your life unto death.
These that made this decision did love their life unto death, so as a result, they will obey the false prophet's command to take the mark of the beast. When they take the mark of the beast, then, you said, no longer neutral.
Either you have it or you don't have it. If you have it, you can trade. You can take place in humanity, and you can be the brunt of these future judgments to come that you don't know about yet, but you can't trade.
You can't live life in the world. You are either his or your Christ's. Yes, absolutely. It's nothing new. It was always there, but you can convince a person by logic of anything you wish. Whenever you convince a person by logic of something, that is good, and he'll believe it until somebody comes along with better logic, with a better argument, and convinces him to be something different.
It's always temporary, but these decisions are final. The decision to take the mark of the beast is final, and the decision to refuse it is final. Now their fate is sealed, and now comes the wrath of God.
So let's go back to verse 8. And there followed another angel, now this is the second angel mentioned in chapter 14, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Now before we go on a little bit about Babylon, from the beginning Babylon has symbolized rebellion against God. Nimrod, whose name literally means, let us rebel, founded the city. In Genesis 10 verse 8 we read, And Cush begat Nimrod, and he began to be a mighty man, a mighty one in the earth.
He was a mighty hunter before the Lord, wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod, the mighty hunter, before God. Now, I looked that word up, paneum, before. Many times translated before, 17 times translated against.
You might read this if you were a 2018 basketball player, he was a mighty hunter in the face of God, in your face, against you. He was a mighty hunter against the Lord. It turned out he was the first mentioned slave merchant.
And interestingly enough, one of the commodities sold in the new Babylon will be men. Slavery will be back in vogue. Even as Nimrod, the mighty hunter against the Lord. And in the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Eric, and Achaia, and Kalani, in the land of Shinar.
Babel, or Babel, was the site of the first organized system of idolatrous false religion. Oh, we had false religion before. Cain had a false way of worshiping God. He wanted to worship God the way he wanted to worship it.
But there was nothing organized about what Cain did. In Babel, this was the first organized false religion. The Tower of Babel, the expression of that false religion, was a building designed to facilitate that idolatrous worship.
God judged the people, judged their idolatry and the rebellion, confused their language, and scattered them all over the globe. Before, the whole world was of one language and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and dwelt there.
And they said to one another, Go to, let us make brick and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone and slime they had for mortar. And they said, Go to, let us build a tower, a city and a tower, whose top may reach heaven.
And let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And what are they saying? Are they doing something wrong? They're trying to reach God, aren't they? What's wrong with trying to reach God?
You've got to do it His way. Cain didn't do it His way. Nimrod didn't do it His way. Babel didn't do it His way. Antichrist doesn't do it His way. They're confused and they're scattered. Humanity, which was once united in an idolatrous false religion, in a false religion, I'll just do it that way, at Babel, will once again be united in the end times under the authority of Antichrist as the final Babylon.
And history once again will have come full circle. We were united in rebellion in a false religion in the beginning at Babel, at the first Babylon, and we'll be united again under the Antichrist in the final Babylon.
John Carpac was here yesterday. There was something that came up yesterday. He said, Wow, it just has come a full circle. We're right back where we began. And here we are again, right back where we began, in a false religion.
The final Babylon is personified as a harlot and is described as she that made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. The world will be intoxicated, deceived, and seduced by the Babylonian false religion headed by the Antichrist.
The word tumos, passion, describes strong consuming lusts and desires. As a result of their passion, sinners will engage in an orgy of rebellion, idolatry, and hatred of God. While sexual sin will be rampant, the real sin here is the immorality spoken of, which is the spiritual prostitution to Antichrist's false religion.
Taking Antichrist's false religion rather than the true religion presented by Jesus Christ, the everlasting gospel that this angel is flying through the heavens preaching. It pictures unfaithfulness to God.
Having drunk the wine of the harlot, the nations of the world will continue on their course of spiritual defection from God and end up drinking the wine of the wrath of God. And here's what happens. Verse 9,.
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into a 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. Now we've had three angels thus far in chapter 14. They appear in a logical order.
Not necessarily chronological. I think chronological, but not necessarily. The first angel preached the gospel, the everlasting gospel. The rejection of the gospel preached by the first angel is followed by judgment proclaimed by the second angel, the one we just read.
That judgment includes judgment of the elect, the ones that fail to take the mark of the beast. That will result in blessing. And the judgment of the non-elect, which will be carried out in the damnation described by the third angel.
Let's go back to chapter verse 10. And the same shall drink 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 God.
The fatal choice to drink of the wrath of God, to worship the beast, does not involve the elect. They didn't make that choice. They have been and will continue to be redeemed right on up through the entire tribulation period.
Indeed, it will go on throughout the millennial kingdom to those born in the millennial kingdom. Not to all of them, but to some of them. A lot of children born to those that go into the millennial kingdom will believe and be redeemed.
But not all. Those that the elect, they are addressed in Matthew 24 verse 3. We'll begin. And as he said upon the Mount of Olives, this is Jesus, the disciples came unto him privately saying, Tell us, when shall these things be?
And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many.
And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you not be troubled. For all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
And there shall be famines and pestilence and earthquakes in diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. And now here. Then shall they deliver you up. That's the elect. The elect is going to be delivered up to be afflicted.
And they shall kill you. And you shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. You will be hated because you belong to me. And then many shall be offended and shall betray one another and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure until the end, the same shall be saved. Now how many of those that are elect endure to the end?
No. Not almost every one of them. Every one of them. Now John, that doesn't mean that almost, that doesn't mean that every one of them, not even most of them will reach the end of the three and a half year period alive.
Most of them will be dead. But they will all endure until forever. Because they're elect and the Lord already said, of those that are his, he will lose not a single one. But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved.
And this gospel shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto the nations. And then shall the end come. Now I said preach to all the world. Does that mean, Raj, preached in India? Does that mean preached in Africa?
Does that mean preached in Los Angeles? It says preached in all the world. Preached by whom? At least by, I believe, the first angel mentioned in chapter 14. And I saw another angel in the midst of heaven having everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth.
To every nation and kindred and tongue and people. They'll hear it from him if nobody else. Saying with a loud voice, fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his judgment has come. Now let me ask you another question.
If you happen to live in India and you belong to him, does he know it? He knows it. He knows where you live. He knows to whom you belong. And he will make sure that you hear it. He may lay a Bible on the floor somewhere and you pick it up and read it.
You may hear somebody speak on the street. You may have a compulsion to go somewhere different and hear something. He may send a missionary just for you. But if you're his, he won't have to find you. He knows where you are.
I started to say he'll find you. But he won't have to find you. He knows where you are. And you can't possibly escape him because you're his. Then Matthew goes on to say, When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel in the prophet, stand in the holy place.
Whosoever readeth, let him understand. That's Antichrist sitting on the temple of God claiming that he is God. Worshipping the slaughtering the pig and sacrificing it on the altar. That's what he's talking about.
Let them that be in Judea flee unto the mountains. Let them which are on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house. Neither let him which is on the field return to take his clothes.
And woe be unto them that were of a child, and to them that give suck in those days. But pray that your flight not be in winter, neither on the Sabbath. For then shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor ever shall be.
And except those days should be shortened, there should be no flesh to be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened. And that is a mouthful, isn't it? Well, that's what it says. The elect will certainly experience wrath.
Okay, now I got it. The elect will certainly experience wrath, but it will be the wrath of man, or it will be the wrath of Satan. It will not be the wrath of God, and it will only be for a short period of time.
No, those that drink the wrath of God are those who reject all calls for repentance. They're consigned to hell because they chose hell. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever. And they have no rest day or night that worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark in his name.
Yes, there are two groups of people, and only two, those that believe and those that don't. And those that believe will be blessed, and those that don't believe will be consigned to hell because they chose to go to hell.
They will experience the wrath of God, and they will experience it forever. And next time, we will look at those that did receive the word of the Holy Gospel and did believe. And it will be a much more pleasant Sunday.
Not necessarily more pleasant for the elect. How can it be more pleasant for.
The elect? Any questions or any comments? Yes, there was one. Yes. Yes, there was one. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.