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Doug Batchelor: Hello friends, welcome back to "Prophecy Odyssey." In our previous episode, we saw how Satan furiously persecuted God's church after Jesus ascended to heaven. If you've ever wondered which church you should attend, then today's study is for you. We're going to discover the seven identifying marks of God's true church, and three vital messages it will proclaim to the world. Remember, if you'd like to know more about how to pick a church, then check out the "Prophecy Odyssey" Bible lessons and our free offer. I'll tell you more about how you can get those resources later in the program. So, thank you for watching, and God bless as you continue your "Prophecy Odyssey" adventure.
Doug: Where did the woman go during this terrifying period of persecution--and how long did it last? Now, let me tell you what happened, and then we'll get to the answer. So, with the conversion of Constantine and Christianity being legalized--and suddenly it's very popular--all over Rome they had all these pagan priests. Constantine said, "Christianity is legalized." His mother became a Christian, and the pagan priest said, "Well, I'd like to stay on the government payroll, I'll be a Christian," and all of these pagans began to join the church before they were converted or even taught.
In fact, when Constantine was fighting the battle of Maximilian and he came to the Tiber River, he claimed to see a vision where he was to conquer under the sign of the cross, and they began to paint red crosses on their shields, and he ordered his army for good luck to march through the Tiber River, and he says, "I'm going to baptize the whole lot of you, march through the river." Well, they had not been taught, and so you got all of these dry pagans that go through the river, and they come up wet pagans, but they're being told, "You're Christians now."
They have no idea what that means, and they have all these idols all over Rome. They had more idols than tiles on the rooftop in Rome, and they said, "What do we do with our idols?" And they said, "Well, let's change their names, give them Christian names. And Diana, we'll call her Mary; and Jupiter, Apollo, Mercury: Peter, James, and John." And all of a sudden, idolatry just swept into the church. And the priests, instead of being like the people--you know, Jesus did not dress in special vestments, he dressed like a carpenter--but now they started to priest for an upper class. And they said, "You know, we better not give the Bibles to the people, if you give the Bibles to the people, they're going to find out salvation is a gift and we've been selling it. And if they want forgiveness, they've got to pay indulgences to the church." And all of a sudden, the priests became a special class, and they were living in palaces, and the people were being ground down, and the religion became a government institution.
That's how the capital of Christianity moved from Jerusalem to Rome. You still with me? This is history, friends. I mean, anybody can look this up. And all of a sudden, there was tremendous compromise, and what you had is there are still many sincere Christians that were in Rome, and they were fighting against the compromise, but all of a sudden you had the co-mingling of Christianity and paganism. They started saying "Hell burns forever" because they got that from Greek mythology with Pluto, and they started saying you have to--you can pay for your sins, salvation by works; everything began to change.
True Christians began to get persecuted. By the time of Justinian--about 538 AD--Justinian, the Roman Emperor, he said, "I'm moving the capital of Constantinople. I'm going to give--the bishop of Rome is now going to be the head of the church. We're going to call him the supreme papa, the father, the Pope. That happened years after Jesus. Jesus never said Peter was the leader of the church. Jesus is the leader of the church. In fact, right after Jesus says, "Peter--yeah, you--because of your declaration that I'm the Messiah, on that rock of your declaration I'm going to build my church. The gates of hell will not prevail against it, and I'm going to go to Jerusalem where I'm going to die," and Peter said, "No, no, Lord, don't do that." Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan." In the same passage where people say he's the first pope, Jesus calls him Satan. Totally misunderstood. So Christians had to flee into the wilderness.
Notice: "The woman"--now, we're still in Revelation 12, you tracking with me? "The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days." A time of great persecution happened because the church in Rome became a government institution that not only ruled over Rome, they began to rule over all of the empires under the Roman Empire. And with the conversion of Clovis, the king of the Franks, you had the Holy Roman Empire.
And how many of you have played chess? You got the king and the queen, and who's on the right of the king and the queen? Bishop, bishop. You look at the churches all through Europe during that time of history, and you had the king and the queen, and then you had the Church, and they had to clear everything with the Church, and if the king and the queen did not clear it with the church, then the whole nation could be excommunicated. And the reason that you got the Church of England is because Henry kept killing his wives because they couldn't have children, and the church said, "Look, enough is enough. You've killed five or six wives, you know. We can't approve your divorce." He said, "Well then, I'm just going to start my own church," and the Church of England broke away because they're--and the whole nation was excommunicated at that time. And so, the Church had tremendous power over Europe during this time.
True Christians that read the Bible for themselves had to flee into the mountains. They went into the Italian and the Swiss Alps, and they kept the purity of the faith, and they would copy out the scriptures by hand, and they'd send their merchants and their children into town to give little sections of Scripture to people to spread the faith and keep it alive, but the Church--"clothed in the sackcloth" is what Revelation says. You know what sackcloth is? When I was a kid, we had potato bags. You don't have them anymore, they're plastic now. How many remember burlap bags? Kind of cloth, but it's cheap cloth, and light can still get through it, but it's obscured. And the church, the light of the church was obscured during that time, had to go underground. You know how long it lasted? From 538 when the Pope became the supreme ruler, it was given an army, and Christianity was enforced by an army--Jesus never told us to force people to be Christians--until Napoleon came along in 1798. The Pope was arrested, they lost their universal power, and he died in captivity.
From 538 to 1798, you've got 1260 years. It says "for 1260 days," 42 months, a time, a time, and the dividing of time; that time period is in prophecy many times. By the way, what is God's number in the Bible, God's number? Seven, what is half of seven? Three and a half. It usually represents a time of persecution. How long did Jesus preach? Three and a half years, and then He died. And then the apostles preached for 3.5 years, and then Stephen was killed exactly 3.5 years later.
And you look at the story in the Old Testament of Elijah. For 3.5 years, Elijah preached, and the prophets had to go underground. They were hidden in caves until he had his Mount Carmel experience, and even then he had great persecution. Elijah had to run from his life from Jezebel, a woman. I'm talking about a woman representing the church. She was a pagan woman that married a Jewish king. The combination of paganism and the truth was persecuting the prophets of God. What happened in the Old Testament was repeated in history, and it's going to happen again in the last days. You--is it making sense? All right, so she flees into the wilderness.
Number 6: what are two other identifying marks of God's true church? You get down to the end of chapter 12, it says, "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest," that means the remnant, "of her offspring," who do what? "Keeps the Commandments of God, and has the testimony of Jesus." If you read in Isaiah, chapter 8, says, "Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples," the law and the testimony.
Read in Revelation 19, verse 10. John is talking to an angel, he falls down to worship the angel. The angel says, "Don't worship me, don't worship anyone but God--we're not to pray to angels, we're not to pray to statues," say amen? Said, "Pray to God." You don't even pray to angels. And the angel said, "Fear God, I am of your fellow servants who keep the testimony of God, for the testimony of God is the spirit of prophecy." The law and the testimony, the law and the prophets, two characteristics. Read in Isaiah chapter 8, verse 20; according to the law and the testimony, the Word of God, "If they speak not according to this Word, there's no light in them."
The Word of God is dual in nature: Ten Commandments, two tables of stone. You've got the Bible, the New and the Old Testament. These are the two witnesses in Revelation 11--we'll get to that another time--symbolized by Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets, and God's people will have the Word of God.
Now, you might say, "Well, yeah, every church keeps the Commandments, some of them." Oh, no, no friends, God's looking for people that will believe in all ten. God does not call them the ten suggestions. They are not called the ten good ideas, they're not God's ten recommendations, they are the Ten Commandments of God, amen? Everybody in jail keeps some of them some of the time. You keep them when you're sleeping for a few hours each night, and even then, you might be dubious. God is looking for people that believe in all ten, amen? Keeping not just the letter, but keeping the spirit of the law as well, amen? So, the dragon especially hates that group of people.
Number 7: how did Jesus say that we're to demonstrate our love for Him? He said what? "If you love Me, honk your horn." I heard about a woman that--she was stuck in traffic and she began to honk her horn and shake her fist; didn't know that the policeman was behind her. He jumped out of his car and he pulled his gun and he said, "Get out of your car, hands up, up against the car." He searched her, checked her ID. She said, "What's all that about?" He said, "Well, I saw the way that you were gesturing to the driver in front of you, and I heard you honking your horn, and I saw your bumper sticker. It said, 'Honk if you love Jesus.' I just figured you stole the car." We need to be living it too, amen? Bible says, "This is the love of God, that we keep His Commandments." Isn't it all about love, friends, amen?
Number 8: what three angelic messages will God's end-time church be preaching to the world? Answer--and you read about this in Revelation 14, go to your Bible real quick. In Revelation 14, you're going to notice that something unique happens here. It tells us that Jesus comes in Revelation 14, verse 14. You can see here where it says, "Then I looked, behold a white cloud, and on the cloud one sat like the son of man." Remember, He had been caught up chapter 12, now He's coming back. "On His head, a golden crown; in His hand, a sharp sickle." He's coming to harvest the earth. It's the great Judgment Day.
What message goes to the world before Jesus comes? Look in chapter 14; starts with verse 6, gives three angel messages. "I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth--to every nation." It's going to be international: "every nation, every tongue, tribe, people. With a loud voice"--it's going to go by radio and television, by internet. "'Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come.'" We have a lesson on that coming tomorrow night. "'Worship Him that made,'" calling us back to the Creator and the Sabbath truth, "'the springs and the earth and the sea and the waters.'
And another angel followed, saying, 'Babylon has fallen, has fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication.' And a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on his forehead or his hand, the same will drink the wine of the wrath of God that has poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation.'" You don't want to get the mark of the beast. We've got a lesson coming on that, friends. You don't want to make that mistake.
So, let's look at those three angels' messages quickly. Number 1: "Fear God," and you'll see them on the screen, say the answer with me. "Fear God, give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come." Do you realize that's the end of time? Do you know that part of God's judgment happens before He even gets here? How do you know that? Says, "Behold, I come; My reward is with Me to give to every man." Does God know who's going up and who's not when He comes? Some judgment happens. "Judgment must begin at the house of God. If judgment begins at us, what will be the end of them that obey not the gospel?" I'm quoting the Bible. Judgment has come.
Second angel's message: "And worship Him who made the heaven and the earth, and the sea," and that means worship Him the right way, the right day; true worship of God. Is there a lot of counterfeit worship today? There's some people, bless their hearts, they go to church and these pastors deceive them. They say, "Send me your money and God's going to get you a new pickup truck," right? Just say--they take advantage of people, the counterfeit worship.
Answer the next one, and it says: "Another angel followed, saying, 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication.'" There'll be a judgment on the people that are in Babylon, but God wants to save Babylon. He's got His people in Babylon.
Now, why does it talk about that? During the time of Jeremiah, King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, conquered Jerusalem, brought the Jews to Babylon, and they were there for 70 years. How comfortable would you be for 70 years? We're only here for three weeks in New York City, and Karen and I have gotten real comfortable in our hotel room. We just may stay. But after 70 years, when God said, "You're free now to go back," they said, "Well, we kind of like it in Babylon. We've learned the language, we've learned the customs, we're a little Babylon-ish ourselves," and He couldn't get His people out of Babylon. He said, "But judgment's coming on Babylon. The Persians are going to destroy them. You don't want to be there, go home." And God is telling His people in Babylon, "Today they're mixed up in false religions, false churches. Babylon is going to fall, the plagues will fall on Babylon, the seven last plagues. Come out of her, My people."
Jesus has His people in Babylon, He's calling them out. "And a third angel followed them, saying, 'If anyone worships the beast in his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he will drink the wine of the wrath of God,'" and that's that same wine--Babylon has made people drunk with her wine.
Number 9: to whom will God's church preach these messages in the last days? Where does it go, the everlasting gospel? "Having the everlasting gospel to preach to," who? "Every nation." Jesus said the gospel will be preached in all the world, then the end will come.
Friends, you're living in the generation that will see that fulfillment, I believe. Are you ready for Jesus to come? What specifications has God given in His Word to help us identify His end-time church? Well, let's look at what some of the criteria are. Answer A, let's reevaluate what we just read in our study. "It's going to appear and do its visible work after it emerges from the wilderness in 1798."
Now, I just got to stop here and just say something to you. I believe that God's got a remnant. You know what a remnant is? It's the remainder. How many of you ladies have ever done any sewing? You go to the store and you buy a remnant. When I take my wallet out, everyone gets real quiet for some reason. Okay, I've got--what do I got here? I got a $10 bill, all right. When they make cloth at the factory on the loom, they get the bolt--you know, the cardboard tube--and they begin to roll the cloth onto the cardboard tube, right? What goes on first? And they roll it all up, and then they--people come to the store and they say, "I'd like to buy some," and they buy little pieces and they cut it off, and they buy what they need for their pillows and their curtains, they cut off the cloth, and finally someone will say, "Well, I only need so much, and I got this little piece left over," and what's it called? It's a remnant. It's what's at the end, but you know what's at the end? It's what went on first. What comes off at the end is what went on first.
God's church in the last days is going to be following the scriptures the way the church did in the beginning. The Bible says, "We are going to return to the faith that was once delivered to the saints." The Bible tells us that "there'll be a remnant." God saved a remnant in the days of Noah, right? He saved a remnant called Abraham from Babel. Ur of the Chaldees, He saved a remnant out of Babylon. And after the persecution of 1260 years and the church went underground, there was a great revival movement that took place about 150 years ago where Christians from all different backgrounds said, "Let's find out what the Bible really says. Jesus does not want us divided by our denominations. Let's pray for the Spirit and open the Word, and kneel and spend nights in prayer and get back to the Bible." That was the birth of the movement that's bringing you this seminar.
Now, you say, "Well, what church is that?" I don't like to call it a denomination, but we're called Seventh-day Adventists. I don't often say it because I don't like to brag about it, but I'm a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. It's very simple, it means we believe in keeping all the Commandments, including the 7th, and we believe Christ is coming back. It's the blessed hope, and we're telling people, "Get ready, get ready, get ready." And we are--do you know, North America, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is voted as the most diverse church ethnically in that we have people from all different backgrounds, and it is the fastest growing Protestant church in the world today, and they have the biggest educational system, second to the Catholic Church. They have the biggest medical system, second to the Catholic Church, and they're spreading everywhere because people are saying, "Hey, if you're going to be a Bible Christian, where else are you going to go?" What does your church believe? "Well, my church believes like my pastor." What does your pastor believe? "Like my church." What does your pastor and your church believe? "Same thing I believe."
People don't know what they believe, do they? We got to go by the Bible, friends, amen? This church began during that time period. It's following the 798 year time period. It says, answer B, "It'll teach the same truths the apostles taught," we mentioned that. Answer C: "It will keep the Ten Commandments, including the Sabbath," amen? Answer D: "It will have the spirit of prophecy." It goes by the law and the prophets, and believes in all the gifts of the Spirit, friends, amen? I believe the power of God is still alive today. "It'll proclaim God's three-time end-time message with a loud voice." It'll be a global international church. It's not a local corner fellowship; it is an international movement. We meet that criteria. "It'll teach the everlasting gospel, which is salvation through Christ alone," which is what we teach and believe.
Now Jesus, number 11: He gives us these seven prophetic identifying points. He said, "Go find My church." What is the promise of Jesus if we seek? "Seek, and you will find." Where do we search? In the Word, you run to and fro through the Word of God. How many church organizations in the world will fit these seven points? The Bible says, there is "One Lord, one faith," how many? One faith; God wants His people united on truth, "one baptism."
Since there's so many different churches in the world today and so many different denominations call themselves the truth, does that make them God's true church? No, read Isaiah chapter 4, verse 1: "And in that day seven women," what's a woman represent? congregation: The church. Doug: "Will take hold of one man," Jesus, the son of man, "saying, 'We'll eat our own bread," our own Word of God. "We'll wear our own apparel," our own righteousness. "Only let us call ourselves by your name," we're going to call ourselves Christian, "to take away our reproach."
There are more different churches that call themselves Christians that don't follow the Bible than any other religion. Christianity is the most divided because it's the genuine and the devil is fighting it; but there is a truth, friends, based on God's Word. Jesus said in the last days, wolves would come in not sparing the flock. So once a person discovers God's true end-time church, is it necessary to become a member? "And the Lord added to the"--who added to the church? "The Lord added to the church," His body, "daily those who were being saved." Jesus had the 12 apostles, and then later He numbered 70 disciples, and then they went, and the counts when they joined: 3000, then 5000. God has His people.
Number 15: How many ways of escape were there in Noah's day? Jesus said it'll be like it was in the days of Noah. "By faith, Noah built a fleet of arks." No: "He prepared an ark," one. One Lord, one faith, "for the saving of his household." Christ has an ark in the last days, friends. There's a boat, and He wants you to be part of His people. Since there are many sincere Christians in other churches, and there's one remnant church, what is God going to do in the last days? He says, "Other sheep I have that are not of this fold." See, I believe there are sincere Christians in different churches. "Them also I must bring." What does Christ say He's doing in the last days? "I must bring them. They will hear My voice," how? Through his Word, and there will be how many? There's going to be "one foal, one shepherd." "All men," Jesus said, "will know you're My disciples by your love for one another."
Before God pours out the Spirit on His people in the last days, there's going to be a coming together of His people on the Word of God. Do you believe that? How can we witness to this lost world when Christians are so divided? But we're not to unite for the sake of unity, that's what the beast is going to do. We're to unite based on truth.
Doug: Friends, I hope you've been blessed by today's message, but really, the reason we do this is so that people might know Christ. You know, information is not going to save us. It's a relationship with Jesus, the one who died on the cross for your sins. You must personally accept Him, and that's the most important thing, and why we do these programs. If you've not asked Him into your heart before, then I'd encourage you to do it right now. His arms are open wide, just come to Him as you are and ask Him.
Doug: Hi friends, I trust you're being blessed by what you're watching. If you want to be doubly blessed, then you're going to want to get the "Prophecy Odyssey" study guides that go along with these presentations. There's 15 study guides, they're beautifully illustrated, and they will greatly enhance your Bible comprehension, so if you'd like to get them, simply follow the instructions that you see on the screen. You will be glad you did.
Doug: You ever wondered, "Why are there so many different church denominations?" You might be surprised to learn that God foretold this would happen in prophecy. To learn more about it, make sure and request your free copy of "The Bride of Christ." This fascinating study guide is going to show you the Bible prophecies that answer this important question. To get your free copy, simply follow the instructions on your screen.
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