H.P. Mansfield – Before the Deluge – Class 1 – A Warning for Today

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This is Idle Oil 1982.
Our second class is conducted by

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our brother Purse Mansfield,
from Adelaide, Australia.

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His general subject is Before
the Deluge and his subject for

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this the first class.
A warning for today, Brother

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Mansfield.
My dear brethren and sisters in

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Christ Jesus, we commence these
addresses on a note of urgency.

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Because of the significant times
in which we’re living, we

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believe that we’re on the very
epoch of the Lord’s return.

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That means for us the epoch of
judgement.

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And far as that is concerned,
the whole world is in that epoch

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of judgement.
It’s going to be the judgement

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of Armageddon.
There’s going to be the

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judgement of the judgement seat
of Jesus Christ.

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And before the judgement of
Armageddon is poured out of from

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an unheeding world, we’re going
to be called to the judgement

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seat of Christ.
Or that is how I understand the

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Scriptures, because Peter tells
us in the first of Peter chapter

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4 and verse 17 that judgement
must begin at the House of God.

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Judgement must begin, he says,
at the House of God.

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And in the 149th Psalm we read,
Let the Saints be joyful in

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glory, let them single out upon
their beds, let the high praises

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of God be in their mouth, and A2
edged sword in their hand, to

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execute vengeance upon the
nations and punishment upon the

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people, to bind their kings with
chains and their nobles with

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fetters of eye.
So part of the work of the

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Saints of the age to come will
be to assist the Lord Jesus

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Christ in subduing the world to
Him.

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And if that is part of our work
of the age to come, then

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obviously the judgement seat of
Christ must precede the

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judgement seat in the judgement
of the world at large.

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So as we look around the world
today and we see these signs

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taking place that speak so
clearly of Christ’s return, as

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we see the growth of Russia and
the divided state of the

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nations, as we see the uprise of
Israel, as we see those dramatic

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events that are taking place in
Persia and in Lebanon and so

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forth, we’re impressed with the
fulfilment of Bible prophecy.

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But let us not be deluded in
that regard.

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That should act as an excitation
to us.

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But Christ returns and we will
be in his presence.

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Now theme, which is of course
before the deluge, will be

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considered.
With that in view, we will take

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the section of Genesis that
we’re going to treat with in two

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ways.
First, of course, it’s

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considered literal, A literal
account of what historically

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happened, there’s no doubt about
that.

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But secondly, it will be
considered as a parabolic

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allegory of the purpose of
Almighty God.

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And we will see in the events
that are recorded in the early

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chapters of Genesis leading to
the flood that both the advents

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of Jesus Christ are foreshadowed
there.

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And in a very remarkable way, we
will see that the events that

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took place in those days leading
to the flood exactly foreshadow

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what we see in the earth today.
In other words, what we are

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witnessing today as we see a
world given over the wind,

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morality and wickedness, we see
the growth of crime and the

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growth of the military exploits.
This sort of thing was there

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before the flood, and the whole
world was sunk of iniquity.

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Then that God looked down upon
heaven and it repented him.

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So he washed it clean with the
waters of the flood, and He must

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look down now upon this earth of
ours, and observing the way in

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which people live, it must
repent him at his heart that we

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are in that state.
I mean the world at large.

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And whilst he washed it clean of
the days of Noah, he’s going to

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purge it with fire.
In the day when the Lord Jesus

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Christ shall return.
We shall see how that the events

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in Noah’s day were recorded
there.

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I believe not only to tell us
what happened, but also to warn

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us what will happen as far as
our day is concerned.

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We commence therefore, in
looking at some places in the

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New Testament.
We commence with the 17th

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chapter of Luke and at verse 26.
And here the Lord Jesus Christ

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says that as it was in the days
of Noah, so shall appear the

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days of the coming of the Son of
Man.

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They did eat, they drank, they
married wives, they were given

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in marriage until the day that
Noah entered into the ark and a

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flood came and destroyed them
all.

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Likewise also as it was in the
days of lot, they ate, they

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drank, they bought, they sold,
they planted, they build it, but

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the same day that lot without of
Sodom, it rained far and

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brimstone from heaven and
destroyed them all.

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And the Lord Jesus Christ in
those words were warning his

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disciples and his warning words
come down to us today because

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we’re living in that time.
And it’s a remarkable thing that

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the Lord Jesus Christ, in
dealing with the days of Noah

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and the days of life, spoke
nothing about the worldwide

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immorality at that time, nothing
about the corruption that was in

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the world, nor of the violence
that was in the world.

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He tweeted with people that did
things that in themselves were

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legitimate.
They ate, they drank, they

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bought, they sold, they planted,
they builded.

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Nothing wrong with any of those
things.

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They are legitimate pursues.
And yet there was those things

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that the Lord emphasizes took
them off their guard.

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So the day of Noah came upon
them unawares, and they were

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taken off their guard by the
pursuit of things that in

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themselves are quite legitimate.
And the Lord Jesus Christ is

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warning us concerning that as
nervous to say to us that the

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main danger of our day and
generation just prior to the

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coming of the Son of God will be
not so much the state of the

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world about us, but the
preoccupation on our part of

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things that in themselves are
legitimate.

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So that we’re giving a first
priority to the world in which

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we live and in which we are
found eating and drinking and

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buying and selling and planting
and building.

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And the danger of this age in
which we’re living is that we do

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give first priority to that, and
the things of God can take

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second place.
That was what happened in the

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days of Noah.
As we will see.

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It’s a danger that could
threaten us in these days in

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which we living.
We’re living in an age of great

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worldly opportunity.
One of the easiest things to do

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in this age in which we live is
to get rich.

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If we like to divert all our
attention to that end, we can

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get rich.
It’s a day of great opportunity

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and that day of opportunity is
open to us all.

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Not only is it a day of
opportunity, it’s an age of

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affluence and that affluence can
blind us to the realities in

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Christ Jesus.
Our mind takes in these things

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that we possess, the houses and
buildings and the businesses and

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the and the mechanical things of
life that are part of life

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today.
And we feel that we’re like

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playing the seer.
We’re rich and increased with

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goods and the need of nothing.
That’s the danger, brethren and

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sisters, not to you, but to me.
It’s the danger that takes

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possession of every one of us
and can take us off our guard.

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It did in the days of Noah.
There was a big ecclesia.

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Then that ecclesia went into the
abyss.

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There was a big ecclesia with
Lot in Sodom.

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He never went down there on his
own, but that when Sodom was

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taken up with the opportunities
of that city and completely

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destroyed.
And the danger is, says Jesus

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Christ, that at the time of his
coming the situation will be so

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much like that that we may be
taken off our guard.

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And I believe that the events
that are recorded in the early

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chapters of Genesis are recorded
there to warn us of what can

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take place.
We must see it in that parabolic

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manner.
We can give to God a second

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class service in which we may
read the Bible and attend

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meetings and do this and do
that, but it is all second

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class.
And, you know, Malachi warned

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about that.
They were sacrificing, all

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right, but it wasn’t the best of
their animals that they

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sacrificed at that time.
They couldn’t pay the ties

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because they said they didn’t
have the money.

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And Malachi voicing the words of
Yahweh, says, offer your

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sacrifices to your governor.
Well, he will be pleased with

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what you’ve given him.
Give it unto me, give it unto

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him.
And As for your ties, you’re

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robbing God.
You’re robbing God.

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We remembered last night the
sacrifice of a man that gave

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everything that he might provide
the means whereby we can attain

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unto life eternal.
What’s life eternal mean to you?

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So you will suddenly realize
that you have a deadly sickness.

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What is your life worth to you?
Is it worth a sacrifice?

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Jesus Christ gave the whole of
his life to his God.

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We can treat the life of Jesus
Christ and the offering of Jesus

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Christ as a substitutionary
offering, which we would say is

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a deadly heresy, or a
representative offering which we

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say is the truth.
But your own brethren and

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sisters, we can speak of the
representative offering of Jesus

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Christ as a doctrinal truth, but
not apply the principles of it.

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Because if it is a
representative offering, then

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that which we remembered last
evening in the offering of the

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Jesus Christ was representative
of our offering.

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Now is it?
And that’s what we need to bear

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in mind.
A second class service to God is

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of no use to him.
It’s an insult to him.

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Only the best is good enough for
him.

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The best of our time, the best
of our energy, the best of our

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thought, the best of our
application of the word of God,

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then that sacrifice comes
acceptable to him.

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And Jesus Christ warned that at
the time of his coming

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conditions would be of such a
nature as to blind us to the

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realities of the need of Jesus
Christ.

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That’s these what those words of
Christ mean.

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He goes on to speak of this.
He says that in that day he

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which shall be upon his house,
stop and his stuff and his

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house.
Let him not take.

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Come down and take it away.
When you see the signs of the

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times and understand what they
mean, treat them with the

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urgency that they deserve.
Don’t put it off.

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Don’t say yes, that’s right, we
should be preparing.

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We’ll do that next week.
It’s urgent.

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Don’t waste time.
That’s what Jesus Christ would

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tell us.
Don’t waste time.

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The matter is urgent and the
urgency is of such a nature that

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we know that we are in the time
of Christ’s return.

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And he says, remember Lot’s
wife, we know what happened.

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As far as Lot’s wife is
concerned, whosoever shall seek

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to save his life shall lose it,
and whosoever shall lose his

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life shall preserve it.
If you want the best out of this

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life, if any of us want the best
out of this life, if we want to

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save that life in that way,
we’re going to lose it.

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Not now.
We may have affluence.

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We may atone under the objective
set before us.

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Now we’re losing in the age to
come.

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That’s what the Lord is warning.
And let let he that loses his

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life, he’s prepared to sacrifice
his life for Christ now he says

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he will preserve it in the age
to come.

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And the issue is as stark as
that.

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He says, I tell you, as they do
emphasize it.

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In that night there shall be two
men in one bed.

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One shall be taken and the other
left.

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He’s Speaking of night time.
Jesus Christ said the night

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cometh when he is away.
A new dawn comes when he returns

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in that night there shall be two
in the bed.

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The idea was not a bed in which
one sleeps.

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The idea is a couch upon which
one reclines.

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And in those days when they
engaged in engaged in a meal,

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they reclined upon a couch.
So here are two men in complete

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fellowship, one with the other,
enjoying a meal together.

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Then he speaks of two who are
grinding together, labeling

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together.
And the picture he is presenting

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as that of the ecclesia, some in
fellowship, one with the other,

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some labeling one with the
other.

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But he says one shall be taken
and the other left.

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And sometimes it is imagined
that he’s Speaking of the

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00:13:32,560 –> 00:13:34,960
judgement seat.
One will be taken to judgement

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00:13:34,960 –> 00:13:37,280
of the other left.
That’s not the idea at all.

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00:13:37,880 –> 00:13:43,600
That word taken in verse 34 is
from a Greek word signifying to

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00:13:43,600 –> 00:13:47,240
take one to oneself as one will
take a bride.

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00:13:47,960 –> 00:13:52,080
It is a word that is found in
the 1st chapter of Matthew and

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00:13:52,080 –> 00:13:56,960
applied to Joseph and Mary,
where Joseph was told to take

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00:13:56,960 –> 00:14:01,920
unto thee Mary thy wife.
And that is the same word again

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00:14:01,920 –> 00:14:07,720
in verse 24, where it says that
that Joseph took unto him his

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00:14:07,720 –> 00:14:11,200
wife.
The same word 1 shall be taken

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00:14:11,440 –> 00:14:15,520
as part of the multitude of this
bride, and the other shall be

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00:14:15,520 –> 00:14:18,320
left.
But the word means driven away.

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00:14:19,120 –> 00:14:23,200
One will be taken as part of the
multitudinous bride, the other

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00:14:23,200 –> 00:14:27,120
will be driven away.
So you see, those men are there

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00:14:27,120 –> 00:14:30,560
at the judgment seat in life.
They’ve enjoyed fellowship

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00:14:30,560 –> 00:14:33,320
together.
They may have laboured together,

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00:14:33,680 –> 00:14:35,960
but perhaps not with the same
motivation.

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00:14:36,360 –> 00:14:39,600
And now at the judgment seat,
all that they have done and all

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00:14:39,600 –> 00:14:43,040
that they have pursued is
brought before the the eyes of

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00:14:43,040 –> 00:14:46,040
that judge.
One is accepted as part of the

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00:14:46,040 –> 00:14:48,920
multitudinous mind, the other is
driven away.

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00:14:50,040 –> 00:14:52,880
And they say, Where, Lord, where
shall he be driven?

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00:14:53,440 –> 00:14:57,040
And the Lord said Wheresoever
the body is, thither will the

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00:14:57,040 –> 00:15:00,440
eagles be gathered together.
And he’s Speaking of a dead body

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00:15:00,440 –> 00:15:03,720
and the boxes are coming down,
and that’s the world at large.

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00:15:04,000 –> 00:15:06,600
So those that have driven away
are driven back into the world

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00:15:06,600 –> 00:15:09,960
that they love so much.
That’s the issue that is facing

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00:15:09,960 –> 00:15:12,440
us, which he builds upon the
days of Noah.

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00:15:13,120 –> 00:15:16,160
And the issue is there.
There’s an urgency about it.

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00:15:16,760 –> 00:15:21,400
So that we notice that urgency,
the unexpected nature of the

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00:15:21,400 –> 00:15:24,960
return.
The verse 30 where He says in

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00:15:24,960 –> 00:15:28,880
that regard, the day when the
Son of Man is revealed and the

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00:15:28,880 –> 00:15:33,600
word is apocalypse unveiled,
when He’s revealed to us and all

250
00:15:33,600 –> 00:15:37,000
His glory and His Majesty, and
He’s in our presence and the

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00:15:37,000 –> 00:15:40,680
judgment seat is set up, then
some shall be taken and the

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00:15:40,720 –> 00:15:44,720
other left in that way.
And we are left with the

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00:15:44,720 –> 00:15:47,960
question, what is to be our
destiny?

254
00:15:48,400 –> 00:15:53,000
What is to be our destiny?
As it was in the days of Noah,

255
00:15:53,280 –> 00:15:56,720
as it was in the days of life,
so shall it be at the coming of

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00:15:56,720 –> 00:16:00,680
the Son of Man.
No one in the days of Noah, no

257
00:16:00,680 –> 00:16:04,120
one in the days of Lot, warned
those people that the time was

258
00:16:04,120 –> 00:16:06,800
at hand.
It come upon them suddenly,

259
00:16:06,960 –> 00:16:09,040
unexpectedly.
They weren’t.

260
00:16:09,040 –> 00:16:11,600
They weren’t conscious of that
matter.

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00:16:11,800 –> 00:16:15,160
When Lot was up the gate and
those angels came to that city,

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00:16:15,320 –> 00:16:18,600
Lot was conscious of the evil
and the wickedness of that city.

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00:16:18,680 –> 00:16:22,000
But he didn’t realize that
within a matter of hours that

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00:16:22,000 –> 00:16:25,320
city would be destroyed by the
greatest Holocaust of those

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00:16:25,320 –> 00:16:28,520
times, a vast earthquake that
would destroy the whole of A and

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00:16:28,520 –> 00:16:30,440
plunge it into the depths of the
Dead Sea.

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00:16:30,480 –> 00:16:33,440
He didn’t understand it.
And in the days of Noah,

268
00:16:33,440 –> 00:16:36,360
brethren and sisters, the world
at large didn’t understand it.

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00:16:36,360 –> 00:16:40,840
But tragedy of tragedies, the
ecclesia existing in the days of

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00:16:40,840 –> 00:16:45,040
Noah didn’t realize it.
And that’s the greatest tragedy

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00:16:45,040 –> 00:16:48,600
of that time.
And that ecclesia was an

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00:16:48,600 –> 00:16:53,080
extensive ecclesia.
But they were found ridiculing

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00:16:53,160 –> 00:16:57,320
the very witness of Noah.
So the day came upon the man of

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00:16:57,320 –> 00:17:00,280
Wares, and they were plunged
also into the abyss, into the

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00:17:00,600 –> 00:17:04,720
flood that destroyed them all.
Now we take another passage of

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00:17:04,720 –> 00:17:07,599
Scripture nearly to emphasize
the importance of the times in

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00:17:07,599 –> 00:17:09,760
which we’re living.
This time we go over to the

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00:17:09,760 –> 00:17:12,800
Epistle of Peter in the second
of Peter chapter 3.

279
00:17:13,599 –> 00:17:17,079
Want to do this is preparatory
to our looking at these passages

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00:17:17,280 –> 00:17:19,119
in the early chapters of
Genesis.

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00:17:19,440 –> 00:17:22,920
And in the Second Epistle of
Peter, chapter 3, we have a

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00:17:22,920 –> 00:17:27,359
chapter of challenge.
It challenges US, number one,

283
00:17:27,359 –> 00:17:30,680
with our standing in Christ,
number 2 with the indifference

284
00:17:30,680 –> 00:17:36,000
of our contemporaries #3 with
the signs of the times #4 with

285
00:17:36,000 –> 00:17:41,120
our reaction thereto, and #5
with the order of our

286
00:17:41,120 –> 00:17:45,520
priorities.
Where do we stand in that

287
00:17:45,520 –> 00:17:49,520
regard?
This chapter, first of all,

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00:17:49,840 –> 00:17:54,120
emphasizes our standing before
our God, and it does so in the

289
00:17:54,120 –> 00:17:58,520
first verse.
This second epistle, beloved, I

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00:17:58,520 –> 00:18:03,320
now write unto you five times in
this chapter.

291
00:18:03,880 –> 00:18:06,680
He directs attention to the
beloved in Christ.

292
00:18:07,120 –> 00:18:12,880
That’s our title, beloved.
God so loved the world that he

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00:18:12,880 –> 00:18:17,240
gave his only begotten Son, and
they have beloved who are

294
00:18:17,240 –> 00:18:20,600
gathered into that Son and are
manifesting the qualities of

295
00:18:20,600 –> 00:18:24,040
that Son.
And five times Peter is

296
00:18:24,040 –> 00:18:28,400
emphasizing his feelings towards
the ecclesia by the use of that

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00:18:28,400 –> 00:18:34,560
term beloved, because he would
save them from the trouble that

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00:18:34,560 –> 00:18:38,400
he knew threaten them in their
day and threatens the ecclesia

299
00:18:38,560 –> 00:18:44,040
today.
This is my beloved son, said

300
00:18:44,160 –> 00:18:47,760
Almighty God in relation to the
Lord Jesus Christ, in whom I am

301
00:18:47,760 –> 00:18:50,760
well pleased.
And he was well pleased because

302
00:18:50,760 –> 00:18:53,640
his beloved son performed the
will of his father.

303
00:18:54,360 –> 00:18:57,640
And the term beloved applies to
us if we’re found in the same

304
00:18:57,640 –> 00:19:00,280
category as obeying the will of
God.

305
00:19:01,240 –> 00:19:05,160
So he goes on to say in verse 2
that he may be mindful of the

306
00:19:05,160 –> 00:19:08,560
words which were spoken before
of the holy prophets and of the

307
00:19:08,560 –> 00:19:12,040
commandment of us, the apostles
of the Lord and Savior.

308
00:19:12,800 –> 00:19:16,480
So when we use this term beloved
or loved in regard to ourselves,

309
00:19:16,680 –> 00:19:20,800
remember that it is based upon
how pleasing of God that we

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00:19:20,800 –> 00:19:25,480
please God by performing his
contempt, his his commandments.

311
00:19:26,200 –> 00:19:29,800
And Peter speaks of the
indifference of our

312
00:19:29,800 –> 00:19:34,240
contemporaries, the scoffing
world about us, in verses 3 and

313
00:19:34,240 –> 00:19:37,120
4.
Know this first, that there

314
00:19:37,120 –> 00:19:40,760
shall come in the last days
scoffers walking after their own

315
00:19:40,760 –> 00:19:43,800
lusts and saying, where is the
promise of his coming?

316
00:19:44,000 –> 00:19:47,680
For since the fathers fell
asleep, all things continue as

317
00:19:47,680 –> 00:19:49,600
they were from the beginning of
creation.

318
00:19:50,240 –> 00:19:53,600
Peter is not dealing with the
world at large, Notice.

319
00:19:54,360 –> 00:19:58,040
He’s dealing with those that
recognize the Fathers of the

320
00:19:58,040 –> 00:20:00,520
Ecclesia.
It’s not the world that are

321
00:20:00,520 –> 00:20:03,320
scoffing here.
They’re the members of the

322
00:20:03,320 –> 00:20:07,040
Ecclesia that were scoffing in
the days of Peter, despite the

323
00:20:07,040 –> 00:20:09,200
warning of Peter of that
particular time.

324
00:20:09,760 –> 00:20:12,400
And they were saying, where is
the promise of his coming?

325
00:20:12,640 –> 00:20:16,960
We’ve heard it so often, it’s
been repeated so much.

326
00:20:17,360 –> 00:20:20,240
Where indeed is the promise of
his coming?

327
00:20:20,680 –> 00:20:23,400
For since the Fathers fell
asleep?

328
00:20:23,880 –> 00:20:27,880
All things continue as they were
from the beginning.

329
00:20:28,440 –> 00:20:31,480
And he’s not Speaking of the
fathers of the Jewish race,

330
00:20:31,480 –> 00:20:37,240
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The apostle Paul said you have

331
00:20:37,240 –> 00:20:41,840
fathers in the ecclesia.
He says I have begotten you.

332
00:20:41,840 –> 00:20:46,400
And he warns them of times of
difficulty that were going to

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00:20:46,400 –> 00:20:50,720
come, but they didn’t come,
according to the believers at

334
00:20:50,720 –> 00:20:54,760
the time that they expected.
So now they are saying, or they

335
00:20:54,760 –> 00:21:00,480
would say, Peter says they will
say when he was gone and he was

336
00:21:00,480 –> 00:21:04,320
on the point of death then and
Paul already had died.

337
00:21:04,920 –> 00:21:09,880
They would say since the fathers
fell asleep, since Paul and

338
00:21:09,880 –> 00:21:13,480
Peter and these others have
fallen to their sleep, all

339
00:21:13,480 –> 00:21:17,480
things continue.
All things continue.

340
00:21:18,040 –> 00:21:21,840
There’s no change whatever.
And you know, brethren and

341
00:21:21,840 –> 00:21:24,800
sisters, that’s a sort of
language that I have heard very,

342
00:21:24,800 –> 00:21:28,680
very frequently since the days
of Doctor Thomas.

343
00:21:28,680 –> 00:21:32,520
He expected the return of Christ
so much sooner than it has

344
00:21:32,520 –> 00:21:34,800
occurred and all things
continue.

345
00:21:35,160 –> 00:21:38,000
Look, I’ve been tired.
I’ve heard all this about Russia

346
00:21:38,000 –> 00:21:40,920
30 years ago.
We’ve heard it all and that

347
00:21:40,920 –> 00:21:42,600
hasn’t happened.
The news say it’s going to

348
00:21:42,600 –> 00:21:48,200
happen shortly, but all since
the days of Doctor Thomas and

349
00:21:48,200 –> 00:21:50,120
Robert Roberts, things have gone
along.

350
00:21:50,280 –> 00:21:53,240
We’ve had crises, right, 30
years ago.

351
00:21:53,400 –> 00:21:55,400
We do have collections for the
Jewish people.

352
00:21:55,400 –> 00:21:57,920
They’re going back to the lab.
And so these things are

353
00:21:57,920 –> 00:22:01,400
happening and they do happen
like that till we take them for

354
00:22:01,400 –> 00:22:05,840
granted and we say within
ourselves that we’re not going

355
00:22:05,840 –> 00:22:07,720
to say it openly to someone
else.

356
00:22:07,800 –> 00:22:09,600
Where is the promise of his
coming?

357
00:22:10,040 –> 00:22:14,080
But we act as though that way.
It’s not so much what we might

358
00:22:14,080 –> 00:22:18,280
say, it’s what we do.
And our reaction to that is that

359
00:22:18,400 –> 00:22:21,200
urgency there.
And I know full well how

360
00:22:21,200 –> 00:22:24,880
difficult it is to maintain that
state of urgency constantly

361
00:22:26,240 –> 00:22:28,680
because I’ve been in the truth
over 50 years.

362
00:22:28,680 –> 00:22:32,000
And I remember right back 30
years ago when we talked about

363
00:22:32,000 –> 00:22:35,200
Israel and Russia and so forth.
And I’ve lectured upon these

364
00:22:35,200 –> 00:22:38,440
things for many, many years.
And of course, I have

365
00:22:38,440 –> 00:22:40,800
anticipated the coming of the
Lord before now.

366
00:22:41,080 –> 00:22:43,920
But do we lose our sense of
urgency and expectancy?

367
00:22:44,200 –> 00:22:48,000
Are we taken away in this way?
That’s the danger that faces us

368
00:22:48,000 –> 00:22:51,840
today, as the Lord Jesus Christ
warned and as we have it warning

369
00:22:52,000 –> 00:22:56,280
in this epistle of Peter here.
And this is the latter day

370
00:22:56,480 –> 00:23:01,520
problem, a latter day problem.
This now also, says Paul, that

371
00:23:01,520 –> 00:23:05,200
in the last days perilous time
shall come, men shall be lovers

372
00:23:05,200 –> 00:23:10,520
of their own selves, boast as
power and and thankful and holy

373
00:23:10,600 –> 00:23:12,760
without natural affection.
Truths break.

374
00:23:13,000 –> 00:23:16,120
And he’s talking about the
ecclesia, not about the world at

375
00:23:16,120 –> 00:23:21,520
large, brethren and sisters.
Paul is there talking about the

376
00:23:21,520 –> 00:23:26,000
brethren the same as Peterhead.
And here is the danger that we

377
00:23:26,000 –> 00:23:28,800
can see in this age in which we
live.

378
00:23:29,120 –> 00:23:32,320
We can walk after our own lusts,
as Peter says.

379
00:23:32,640 –> 00:23:35,760
We can be seeking our own
pleasure and heeding of the

380
00:23:35,760 –> 00:23:39,040
divine purpose or will.
This is an age, as I said

381
00:23:39,040 –> 00:23:43,160
before, a great opportunity and
we might grasp that opportunity

382
00:23:43,360 –> 00:23:48,000
and avoid the the situation as
far as the truth is concerned,

383
00:23:48,560 –> 00:23:52,960
in the in the second of
Corinthians chapter 4, the

384
00:23:52,960 –> 00:23:57,400
apostle Paul says we look not at
the things that are seen, but

385
00:23:57,400 –> 00:24:00,560
the things that are unseen for
the things that are seen at

386
00:24:00,560 –> 00:24:04,360
temple, but the things that are
not seen are eternal.

387
00:24:05,400 –> 00:24:08,040
We look not at the things that
are seen, he said.

388
00:24:08,560 –> 00:24:14,240
We look at the unseen, we see
the invisible things, and those

389
00:24:14,240 –> 00:24:16,760
invisible things are apparent to
our eyes.

390
00:24:16,920 –> 00:24:20,000
They’re apparent to Paul’s eyes.
They weren’t apparent to the

391
00:24:20,000 –> 00:24:23,640
Eccleses eyes at that time.
He was in the city of Corinth.

392
00:24:24,040 –> 00:24:26,960
And the city of Corinth is a
very, very interesting place.

393
00:24:27,320 –> 00:24:30,120
I’ve had the great privilege of
being in the city of Corinth.

394
00:24:30,360 –> 00:24:33,040
I’ve walked along the same Rd.
as Paul walls.

395
00:24:33,120 –> 00:24:36,600
I’ve stood at the same place
where Paul was brought before

396
00:24:36,720 –> 00:24:39,880
the authorities in Corinth.
And I’ve looked about me and

397
00:24:39,880 –> 00:24:43,320
seen it, and I’ve looked up the
Apricon, and I’ve seen where the

398
00:24:43,320 –> 00:24:47,400
temple of Aphrodite was one
situation when Paul was there,

399
00:24:47,560 –> 00:24:50,360
mighty buildings in the ancient
city of Corinth.

400
00:24:50,760 –> 00:24:53,840
But I walk along ruins.
There’s nothing there at all.

401
00:24:53,960 –> 00:24:57,000
No mighty buildings today.
Just ruins.

402
00:24:57,240 –> 00:25:01,840
The delight of archaeologist.
We look not at the things that

403
00:25:01,840 –> 00:25:05,480
are seen, Seth Paul, we look at
the things that are unseen for

404
00:25:05,480 –> 00:25:08,600
the things that are seen at
temple and there they are, they

405
00:25:08,600 –> 00:25:10,920
are temple.
But the things that we see Seth

406
00:25:10,920 –> 00:25:14,360
Paul they are eternal and it’s
all the invisible.

407
00:25:15,360 –> 00:25:18,480
He saw the invisible by the
power of faith and the power of

408
00:25:18,480 –> 00:25:22,040
faith can enable us to say see
the invisible that we’re able to

409
00:25:22,040 –> 00:25:24,160
challenge the times in which
we’re living.

410
00:25:24,680 –> 00:25:29,160
So here in the days of the Peter
when he wrote this epistle, he

411
00:25:29,160 –> 00:25:32,480
warned them of the same thing
that this day is coming upon

412
00:25:32,480 –> 00:25:36,480
them unawares and they need to
occupy their time and thinking

413
00:25:36,480 –> 00:25:39,760
of this verse 9.
The Lord is not slack concerning

414
00:25:39,760 –> 00:25:42,440
his promises.
Some men count slackness, but

415
00:25:42,440 –> 00:25:45,880
it’s long-suffering to us.
Ward not willing to that any

416
00:25:45,880 –> 00:25:49,440
should perish, but that all
should come to repentance.

417
00:25:49,600 –> 00:25:53,240
The day of the Lord will come as
a thief of the night, in which

418
00:25:53,240 –> 00:25:56,120
the heavens shall pass away with
a great noise, and the elements

419
00:25:56,120 –> 00:25:59,160
shall melt with fervent heat,
and the earth also in the works

420
00:25:59,160 –> 00:26:03,520
that are therein shall be buried
up, shall come as a thief of the

421
00:26:03,520 –> 00:26:06,040
night.
The Lord Jesus Christ in the

422
00:26:06,040 –> 00:26:10,120
16th chapter of the Revelation,
in an exhortation that applies

423
00:26:10,120 –> 00:26:13,680
to us particularly because it
can’t apply to any other age.

424
00:26:14,760 –> 00:26:18,120
He says, behold, I come quickly.
He said, Behold, I come as a

425
00:26:18,120 –> 00:26:20,960
thief.
Blessed is he that watcheth and

426
00:26:20,960 –> 00:26:23,720
keepeth his garments, lest he
walk naked and they see he

427
00:26:23,720 –> 00:26:25,680
shines.
Behold, I come as a thief.

428
00:26:26,760 –> 00:26:29,040
Didn’t you know it’s not the
habit of thieves to ring you up

429
00:26:29,040 –> 00:26:30,840
and say, I’ll be there at 3:00
in the morning.

430
00:26:31,720 –> 00:26:34,880
Behold, I come as a thief.
He says, blessed is he that

431
00:26:34,880 –> 00:26:36,800
watcheth.
And that word means, who’s

432
00:26:36,800 –> 00:26:39,360
awake?
It doesn’t mean blessed is he

433
00:26:39,360 –> 00:26:42,400
that’s watching even the signs
of the times you’ll be doing

434
00:26:42,400 –> 00:26:46,160
that, but it means he that is
awake, he that is vigilant,

435
00:26:46,360 –> 00:26:50,000
blessed is he that is vigilant
and awake to the circumstances

436
00:26:50,000 –> 00:26:55,080
of the of the times.
Because of course he says lest

437
00:26:55,200 –> 00:26:58,640
coming suddenly speaking.
And then on another in the 12th

438
00:26:58,640 –> 00:27:01,280
of Hebrew Luke, I find you
sleeping.

439
00:27:02,200 –> 00:27:05,480
And that is the danger that can
come to every one of us.

440
00:27:05,560 –> 00:27:09,360
And so in this epistle to Peter,
we have this principle set

441
00:27:09,360 –> 00:27:11,200
forth.
I come as a thief in the night,

442
00:27:11,920 –> 00:27:14,880
and he says the heavens shall
pass away with great noise.

443
00:27:15,160 –> 00:27:17,440
He’s not speaking, of course, of
the literal heavens.

444
00:27:17,560 –> 00:27:19,520
He’s Speaking of the political
heavens.

445
00:27:19,680 –> 00:27:22,880
They’re going to be dissolved in
the great noise, the noise of

446
00:27:22,960 –> 00:27:26,720
Armageddon, and the element
shall melt with fervent heat.

447
00:27:27,360 –> 00:27:30,240
And in another place, in
Galatians chapter 5 and verse

448
00:27:30,240 –> 00:27:36,080
19, he describes the elements as
the religious systems of things.

449
00:27:36,480 –> 00:27:38,640
So the heavens, the political
heavens, are going to be

450
00:27:38,640 –> 00:27:42,280
dissolved in the elements, the
political and religious

451
00:27:42,280 –> 00:27:45,360
principles that make up life as
we see it today.

452
00:27:45,600 –> 00:27:50,560
They too are to be destroyed.
And the works, they’re in the

453
00:27:50,640 –> 00:27:54,320
manifestation of fleshly
politics and in religion, they

454
00:27:54,320 –> 00:27:57,040
are all to be burned up.
They ought to be completely

455
00:27:57,040 –> 00:28:00,920
destroyed in the days of Noah by
water, in the days that are

456
00:28:01,040 –> 00:28:05,200
immediately coming by fire.
And he says, seeing them, But

457
00:28:05,200 –> 00:28:08,960
these things shall be dissolved.
What manner of persons ought to

458
00:28:08,960 –> 00:28:13,320
be, and all holy living
ungodliness, looking for and

459
00:28:13,320 –> 00:28:17,120
earnestly desiring, rather than,
as you happen here hasting

460
00:28:17,480 –> 00:28:20,640
earnestly desiring the coming of
the day of God.

461
00:28:21,120 –> 00:28:24,600
That should be our anticipation.
Will it be earnestly desiring?

462
00:28:24,600 –> 00:28:29,240
And if our great ambition in
life is our business, we will be

463
00:28:29,240 –> 00:28:31,920
earnestly desiring it if we were
looking for the coming of Jesus

464
00:28:31,920 –> 00:28:35,640
Christ, because our businesses
will go, then there’s no future

465
00:28:35,640 –> 00:28:39,360
to them.
They have a relative importance

466
00:28:40,520 –> 00:28:44,080
and we must recognize them as
that and our first priority to

467
00:28:44,080 –> 00:28:46,800
the things that Peter would
direct our attention to.

468
00:28:47,880 –> 00:28:51,480
And he says, therefore, beloved,
seeing that you look for such

469
00:28:51,480 –> 00:28:55,000
things, be diligent.
It’s not easy.

470
00:28:55,640 –> 00:28:59,000
We may imagine it is we need to
be diligent.

471
00:28:59,160 –> 00:29:02,880
We need to work on this problem,
the work on the problem of our

472
00:29:02,880 –> 00:29:06,000
salvation.
This is vital, says Peter, that

473
00:29:06,000 –> 00:29:08,520
you may be found of him in
peace, without spot and

474
00:29:08,520 –> 00:29:10,560
blameless.
And here is an important

475
00:29:10,560 –> 00:29:14,120
statement in verse 15.
He says, I count that the

476
00:29:14,120 –> 00:29:16,800
long-suffering of our Lord is
salvation.

477
00:29:17,480 –> 00:29:21,440
I count that the long-suffering
of our Lord is salvation.

478
00:29:21,600 –> 00:29:26,280
What does Peter mean?
The long-suffering of our Lord

479
00:29:26,440 –> 00:29:31,400
is the time that God waits
before Jesus Christ, his sin,

480
00:29:32,160 –> 00:29:35,360
his long-suffering.
That is that period of time.

481
00:29:35,360 –> 00:29:39,520
In the first of Peter chapter 3,
he says in verse 20, the

482
00:29:40,080 –> 00:29:44,360
long-suffering of God waited in
the days of Noah.

483
00:29:46,080 –> 00:29:50,920
God’s long-suffering waited
until the crisis developed and

484
00:29:50,920 –> 00:29:53,960
then God moved.
But there was an epoch of time

485
00:29:53,960 –> 00:29:57,000
in the days of Noah, and that
epoch of time is valuable

486
00:29:57,240 –> 00:30:01,440
because it was in that time when
God waited that Noah developed

487
00:30:01,440 –> 00:30:04,800
and his family developed.
If God had moved before, then

488
00:30:04,920 –> 00:30:07,160
the family of Noah would not
have been saved.

489
00:30:07,400 –> 00:30:10,920
So you see, the long-suffering
of God waited and that word

490
00:30:10,920 –> 00:30:12,320
waited.
It’s a beautiful word.

491
00:30:12,520 –> 00:30:15,960
It means to stand with arm
outstretched to help someone.

492
00:30:16,160 –> 00:30:19,800
That’s as though God was there
in the days of Noah with his arm

493
00:30:19,800 –> 00:30:22,720
outstressed for whoever might
like to take hold of that arm.

494
00:30:22,960 –> 00:30:24,800
But it means that he waited in
vain.

495
00:30:25,240 –> 00:30:28,760
Unfortunately, you imagine you
see someone in desperate

496
00:30:28,760 –> 00:30:31,440
trouble.
You know that this desperate

497
00:30:31,440 –> 00:30:33,520
trouble is going to overwhelm
them.

498
00:30:34,160 –> 00:30:36,280
They may be seeking in quick
Sam.

499
00:30:36,280 –> 00:30:38,080
They don’t appreciate their own
danger.

500
00:30:38,280 –> 00:30:41,840
You are on the firm foundation.
You extend your hand to try to

501
00:30:41,840 –> 00:30:43,760
help them.
They ignore you completely.

502
00:30:43,960 –> 00:30:47,160
That’s what the world did, the
religious ecclesial world in the

503
00:30:47,160 –> 00:30:49,840
days of Noah.
The long-suffering of God

504
00:30:49,840 –> 00:30:52,160
waited.
He wanted their salvation the

505
00:30:52,160 –> 00:30:56,120
same as he does our own now.
Peter takes that up as far as we

506
00:30:56,120 –> 00:30:59,560
as concerned and he says that
account that the long-suffering

507
00:30:59,560 –> 00:31:04,840
of God is salvation.
This time that remains is our

508
00:31:04,840 –> 00:31:08,760
day of opportunity to make our
falling and election.

509
00:31:08,760 –> 00:31:11,960
Sure.
It’s a day of opportunity and we

510
00:31:11,960 –> 00:31:16,080
need to recognise it as that.
When we leave this Bible school,

511
00:31:16,360 –> 00:31:20,600
we need to go back to our homes
and to our cliches determine

512
00:31:20,600 –> 00:31:23,800
that as far as we’re concerned
and in face of the growing

513
00:31:23,800 –> 00:31:27,440
crisis and the signs of the
times we’re going to be diligent

514
00:31:27,760 –> 00:31:30,080
to make our falling and election
sure.

515
00:31:30,400 –> 00:31:34,840
We’re going to see this has a
great opportunity that might

516
00:31:34,960 –> 00:31:39,200
that in which we might make our
salvation sure in that day.

517
00:31:39,600 –> 00:31:44,000
So he speaks of these things,
does Peter, in a context with

518
00:31:44,080 –> 00:31:48,200
those of the days of Noah.
The heavens are going to be.

519
00:31:48,200 –> 00:31:50,280
Destroyed.
Look at the state of the world

520
00:31:50,280 –> 00:31:52,760
about us.
See how the political heavens

521
00:31:52,760 –> 00:31:56,520
are already almost on fire?
What about when Russia moves

522
00:31:56,520 –> 00:31:59,600
down into the Middle East?
Look at the situation in Iran

523
00:31:59,840 –> 00:32:02,960
and Iraq at the present moment.
Understand that behind the

524
00:32:02,960 –> 00:32:07,920
attack of Iran there is Russia.
What could happen at any moment

525
00:32:07,920 –> 00:32:10,880
of time?
And yet Christ, I believe from

526
00:32:10,880 –> 00:32:14,640
the power of the Word of God,
returns before Armageddon, not

527
00:32:14,640 –> 00:32:17,040
afterwards.
I believe that the Lord Jesus

528
00:32:17,040 –> 00:32:21,080
Christ will be in this earth
before Russia moves down South.

529
00:32:21,200 –> 00:32:24,680
Then how close is the coming of
Jesus Christ?

530
00:32:25,320 –> 00:32:28,440
We are living in a time of
widespread destruction.

531
00:32:28,960 –> 00:32:32,240
Daniel tells us in the 12th
chapter and verse one that it

532
00:32:32,240 –> 00:32:35,360
will be a time of trouble such
as never lies.

533
00:32:35,680 –> 00:32:41,120
You have the words of Isaiah
chapter 26, verses 20 to 21, in

534
00:32:41,120 –> 00:32:45,440
which he speaks so graphically
of the accumulating trouble.

535
00:32:46,120 –> 00:32:50,360
And Isaiah says this, Come my
people, enter thou into thy

536
00:32:50,360 –> 00:32:53,880
chambers, shut thy doors about
thee, hide thyself, as it were

537
00:32:53,880 –> 00:32:57,520
for a little moment, until the
indignation be overpassed.

538
00:32:57,520 –> 00:33:00,440
For behold, Yahweh cometh out of
his place to punish the

539
00:33:00,440 –> 00:33:02,720
inhabitants of the earth for
their iniquity.

540
00:33:02,920 –> 00:33:06,280
The earth also shall disclose
her blood, and shall no more

541
00:33:06,400 –> 00:33:10,160
cover her slang.
Jeremiah takes the same theme up

542
00:33:10,360 –> 00:33:12,960
in the 25th chapter of his
prophecy.

543
00:33:13,160 –> 00:33:15,720
He shows the extent of the
trouble that’s going to involve

544
00:33:15,720 –> 00:33:20,160
this world at that time.
For he says in verse 23, The

545
00:33:20,160 –> 00:33:23,600
slaying of Yahweh shall be on
that day from one end of the

546
00:33:23,600 –> 00:33:26,600
earth unto the other.
They shall not be lamented,

547
00:33:26,800 –> 00:33:29,720
neither gathered nor buried.
They shall be done upon the

548
00:33:29,720 –> 00:33:32,320
ground.
This will be the extent of

549
00:33:32,320 –> 00:33:37,200
trouble in the days that Jesus
Christ shall be manifested, and

550
00:33:37,200 –> 00:33:41,000
already I believe we’re living
in the time of the fulfillment

551
00:33:41,000 –> 00:33:44,600
of verse 32.
Behold, evil shall go forth from

552
00:33:44,600 –> 00:33:47,800
nation to nation, and a great
whirlwind shall be raised up

553
00:33:47,800 –> 00:33:51,480
from the coast of the earth.
And the very extremities of the

554
00:33:51,480 –> 00:33:54,000
world are being involved in the
trouble today that will

555
00:33:54,000 –> 00:33:57,680
culminate in this time of
trouble such as never was, in

556
00:33:57,680 –> 00:34:00,480
which the slain of the Yahweh
shall be in that day from one

557
00:34:00,480 –> 00:34:02,280
end of the earth until the
earth.

558
00:34:02,960 –> 00:34:05,600
Malachi likewise in the 4th
chapter.

559
00:34:05,840 –> 00:34:09,560
So the day is coming that’s
going to burn as an oven, and

560
00:34:09,560 –> 00:34:13,480
all the proud and all the lusty,
they shall be the stubble, and

561
00:34:13,480 –> 00:34:16,880
they shall be destroyed.
And of course the Lord Jesus

562
00:34:16,880 –> 00:34:20,320
Christ and that very familiar
chapter to us in the 21st

563
00:34:20,320 –> 00:34:24,920
chapter of Luke, when he is
dealing with these times, he

564
00:34:24,920 –> 00:34:30,719
says in verse 26 concerning the
evil that shall afflict the

565
00:34:30,719 –> 00:34:34,480
world, Men’s hearts will fail
them for fear and for looking

566
00:34:34,480 –> 00:34:37,080
after those things that are
coming upon the earth, for the

567
00:34:37,080 –> 00:34:38,840
powers of heaven shall be
shaken.

568
00:34:40,120 –> 00:34:42,120
We’re immune from a lot.
Of what’s going on in the world

569
00:34:42,120 –> 00:34:45,040
today.
But let us be in Lebanon, let us

570
00:34:45,040 –> 00:34:48,360
be in Iran, and we would soon
understand what is meant by

571
00:34:48,360 –> 00:34:50,679
men’s hearts failing them for
fear.

572
00:34:51,760 –> 00:34:53,719
I’ve been in those countries and
I’ve seen it.

573
00:34:53,719 –> 00:34:56,520
I have first sight information
concerning it.

574
00:34:56,840 –> 00:34:58,600
I’ve been in the very midst of
trouble.

575
00:34:58,600 –> 00:35:01,920
I’ve been within the terrorist
camps bound South of side of

576
00:35:02,200 –> 00:35:05,400
I’ve spoken with the leaders of
those camps concerning

577
00:35:05,400 –> 00:35:08,080
conditions there and what
they’re anticipating.

578
00:35:08,280 –> 00:35:10,840
I’ve been in the situation in
the world where I’ve seen men

579
00:35:10,840 –> 00:35:12,920
rolling in blood and no one dare
touch them.

580
00:35:13,280 –> 00:35:16,240
I’ve watched the planes as I’ve
swooped down destroying

581
00:35:16,600 –> 00:35:19,040
villages.
I’ve stood in no man’s land when

582
00:35:19,040 –> 00:35:23,240
I’ve seen armies on both sides.
And I’ve been in inspecting and

583
00:35:23,240 –> 00:35:26,520
taking to places that I might be
in, might inspect them.

584
00:35:27,520 –> 00:35:31,640
And men’s hearts have failed
them for fear in a way that we

585
00:35:31,640 –> 00:35:34,000
don’t understand in Australia
and I don’t suppose you would

586
00:35:34,000 –> 00:35:36,800
understand here either.
But men’s hearts have failed

587
00:35:36,800 –> 00:35:39,120
them for fear because of the
things that they fearing will

588
00:35:39,120 –> 00:35:42,160
come upon them at that time.
This is going to be worldwide.

589
00:35:42,360 –> 00:35:44,880
And thanks be to God that we
have been given the knowledge

590
00:35:45,080 –> 00:35:51,040
that can enable us to escape
these things that that is going

591
00:35:51,040 –> 00:35:54,240
to involve.
So we need to make.

592
00:35:54,320 –> 00:35:57,920
Our Calling and election, Sure.
We need to give our first

593
00:35:57,920 –> 00:36:02,800
priority to the things of God.
They ate, they drank, they did

594
00:36:02,800 –> 00:36:06,240
this, they did that.
Legitimate things, the things of

595
00:36:06,240 –> 00:36:08,760
business, the things of
possessions, the things of

596
00:36:08,760 –> 00:36:11,320
wealth, the things of
reputation, the things of

597
00:36:11,320 –> 00:36:15,040
family, the familiar things of
life gradually absorbed the

598
00:36:15,040 –> 00:36:18,960
whole of their attention, until
gradually the things of God were

599
00:36:18,960 –> 00:36:22,400
given 2nd place.
And that was the great trouble.

600
00:36:23,080 –> 00:36:28,920
We have a exhortation powerful
to that end in the 29th chapter

601
00:36:28,920 –> 00:36:42,320
of Proverbs and Proverbs 29 and
a verse 18 and a verse 18 says

602
00:36:42,320 –> 00:36:45,720
this.
Where there is no.

603
00:36:45,720 –> 00:36:48,960
Vision.
That people.

604
00:36:49,080 –> 00:36:55,160
Perish or are made naked that
happy is he that keepeth the

605
00:36:55,160 –> 00:36:58,320
law.
Where there is no vision, the

606
00:36:58,320 –> 00:37:03,240
people are made naked.
They are susceptible or they

607
00:37:03,280 –> 00:37:04,880
perish.
Whatever way you like to do it,

608
00:37:05,280 –> 00:37:09,600
it’s a case of vision, isn’t it?
Where there is no.

609
00:37:09,600 –> 00:37:11,680
Vision.
The people are made naked.

610
00:37:12,920 –> 00:37:15,480
Jesus Christ.
Spake to the lay of the sins

611
00:37:16,120 –> 00:37:19,440
that they were naked.
And in the 16th chapter of the

612
00:37:19,440 –> 00:37:22,520
Revelation he used the same term
again.

613
00:37:22,960 –> 00:37:25,440
The whole I come as a thief.
Blessed does he that watcheth

614
00:37:25,440 –> 00:37:28,400
the keepeth his garments, lest
he walk naked.

615
00:37:29,440 –> 00:37:33,760
And the word is used twice in
the Revelation, once for the

616
00:37:33,760 –> 00:37:37,800
ecclesia of Laodicea, who said,
We are increased with goods, we

617
00:37:37,800 –> 00:37:39,560
are rich, we’re in need of
nothing.

618
00:37:39,800 –> 00:37:43,160
And you not you not that they
were poor and miserable and

619
00:37:43,160 –> 00:37:46,520
blown and naked.
Their sin was not in what they

620
00:37:46,520 –> 00:37:48,920
possessed.
Their sin was not in that, that

621
00:37:48,920 –> 00:37:51,720
they had these things.
Their sin was in that one

622
00:37:51,720 –> 00:37:54,520
phrase.
They knew not, they knew not

623
00:37:54,520 –> 00:37:57,960
their own state.
They imagined that they were

624
00:37:57,960 –> 00:38:00,360
well.
They would did not realise their

625
00:38:00,360 –> 00:38:02,520
sickness.
They had no vision.

626
00:38:03,080 –> 00:38:05,840
And that’s what we have here
where there is no vision.

627
00:38:05,960 –> 00:38:09,840
The people have made naked, they
made like layer the sins and

628
00:38:09,840 –> 00:38:13,920
they in that state in which
Christ warns against in that

629
00:38:13,920 –> 00:38:17,480
16th chapter of the revelation.
So we must create a vision, a

630
00:38:17,480 –> 00:38:21,320
vision of the future that will
enable us to see so clearly

631
00:38:21,480 –> 00:38:25,240
those things that are set so
vividly before us.

632
00:38:25,800 –> 00:38:29,920
So Peter says that in that that
chapter that we looked at

633
00:38:29,920 –> 00:38:32,880
briefly this morning.
He goes on to speak of that and

634
00:38:32,880 –> 00:38:35,760
what we should do under the
circumstances in which we find

635
00:38:35,760 –> 00:38:39,040
ourselves, because He says this,
and His words are worth

636
00:38:39,040 –> 00:38:42,360
pondering.
Wherefore, beloved, verse 14.

637
00:38:42,680 –> 00:38:45,280
Seeing that she looks at such
things, be diligent, that she

638
00:38:45,280 –> 00:38:48,440
may be found of him in peace,
without spot and blameless, and

639
00:38:48,440 –> 00:38:51,760
account of the long-suffering of
our Lord of salvation, even as

640
00:38:51,760 –> 00:38:54,480
our beloved Pete.
Paul also, according to the

641
00:38:54,480 –> 00:38:56,760
wisdom given unto him, hath
written unto him.

642
00:38:57,480 –> 00:39:02,360
And then he goes on to speak
concerning this, that we should

643
00:39:02,360 –> 00:39:06,560
in that manner build upon the
things of God.

644
00:39:07,080 –> 00:39:12,080
He, by the study of these
epistles of the pool that he has

645
00:39:12,080 –> 00:39:15,640
set forth there, that we should
build upon these things of God

646
00:39:15,640 –> 00:39:19,640
that will enable us to see
completely that which is before

647
00:39:19,640 –> 00:39:23,600
us, that the vision might be
clear and sound before us.

648
00:39:24,080 –> 00:39:27,520
Now that is the challenge that
faces us in these days in which

649
00:39:27,520 –> 00:39:31,960
we see about us the growing
affluence of an age that is

650
00:39:31,960 –> 00:39:34,520
indifferent to the requirements
of God.

651
00:39:35,360 –> 00:39:39,360
A growth in the things of God
are vitally important, vitally

652
00:39:39,360 –> 00:39:42,120
important.
They are important because of

653
00:39:42,120 –> 00:39:45,240
course, without that growth
we’re not going to manifest that

654
00:39:45,400 –> 00:39:50,640
which the Lord Jesus Christ
would see in so he says in verse

655
00:39:50,640 –> 00:39:55,640
17 and 18 of that chapter.
Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye

656
00:39:55,640 –> 00:40:00,400
know these things before, but
where lest me also being LED

657
00:40:00,400 –> 00:40:04,440
away with the error of the
wicked fall from your own

658
00:40:04,440 –> 00:40:10,200
steadfastness, but grow in grace
and in the knowledge of our Lord

659
00:40:10,200 –> 00:40:15,120
and Savior Jesus Christ.
We are to grow in grace.

660
00:40:15,600 –> 00:40:19,120
It doesn’t mean that we are to
grow into grace.

661
00:40:19,920 –> 00:40:23,160
But it means that we’re going to
grow upon the foundation of

662
00:40:23,160 –> 00:40:25,760
grace, having grace and
knowledge.

663
00:40:25,920 –> 00:40:29,520
Let us grow, let us develop in
the things of God.

664
00:40:29,960 –> 00:40:31,200
And that of course, is the
purpose.

665
00:40:31,200 –> 00:40:34,880
Well, our purpose in being, of
course, at the Bible school, our

666
00:40:34,880 –> 00:40:39,120
purpose in studying the things
of God, and our purpose too in

667
00:40:39,120 –> 00:40:42,080
considering the events that lead
towards the damage.

668
00:40:43,000 –> 00:40:45,920
Now we turn to another passage
of Scripture, which is vitally

669
00:40:45,920 –> 00:40:49,280
important and related to our
subject, and that is the 11th

670
00:40:49,280 –> 00:40:53,280
chapter of Hebrews.
Here we have a challenging

671
00:40:53,280 –> 00:40:57,680
statement because the apostle
says that now faith is the

672
00:40:57,680 –> 00:41:00,880
substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen,

673
00:41:01,920 –> 00:41:04,760
and it lists a number of people
here who were motivated by

674
00:41:04,760 –> 00:41:07,360
faith.
He tells us in the sixth verse

675
00:41:07,360 –> 00:41:09,720
that faith is extremely
important.

676
00:41:10,280 –> 00:41:14,040
Without faith it is impossible
to please God, that he that

677
00:41:14,040 –> 00:41:17,360
cometh to God must believe that
God is and that He is a rewarder

678
00:41:17,440 –> 00:41:19,080
of them, the diligently seek
Him.

679
00:41:19,960 –> 00:41:23,120
You notice that the mermaid used
twice that the will of the word

680
00:41:23,120 –> 00:41:25,120
is.
But in the Greek there are two

681
00:41:25,120 –> 00:41:28,440
different words and the
statement should read that he

682
00:41:28,440 –> 00:41:33,280
that cometh to God must believe
that God exists and that he

683
00:41:33,280 –> 00:41:38,280
becomes that he becomes a
rewarder of them that diligently

684
00:41:38,280 –> 00:41:41,720
seek him.
So God exists as the first thing

685
00:41:42,040 –> 00:41:45,640
God is a reality and must be a
reality in our lives.

686
00:41:46,440 –> 00:41:48,760
Yahweh liveth.
We read frequently in the Old

687
00:41:48,760 –> 00:41:52,840
Testament scriptures.
But you see if God lives, we

688
00:41:52,840 –> 00:42:00,680
must recognize him as such.
The statement made to Moses for

689
00:42:01,360 –> 00:42:06,400
in the in the book of Numbers is
very, very significant in that

690
00:42:06,400 –> 00:42:10,280
regard because there this
statement was made to Moses as

691
00:42:10,280 –> 00:42:13,920
the children of Israel were
wandering down towards the Red

692
00:42:13,920 –> 00:42:16,520
Sea, towards the towards the
land of promise.

693
00:42:16,920 –> 00:42:21,040
And God said this to them in
verse 21.

694
00:42:21,040 –> 00:42:25,160
As truly as I live, all the
earth shall be filled with the

695
00:42:25,160 –> 00:42:28,800
glory of Yahweh.
As truly as I live, all the

696
00:42:28,800 –> 00:42:30,720
earth shall be filled with the
glory of Yahweh.

697
00:42:30,960 –> 00:42:35,840
He said that generation would
perish, but as truly as I live,

698
00:42:35,840 –> 00:42:38,240
all the earth shall be filled
with the glory of Yahweh.

699
00:42:38,520 –> 00:42:41,600
Now you notice in that
particular verse that the word

700
00:42:41,600 –> 00:42:43,800
has occurs twice.
It’s in italics.

701
00:42:44,280 –> 00:42:47,440
When a word is in italics in the
Authorized Version, it means

702
00:42:47,440 –> 00:42:49,800
that there is no comparable word
in the Hebrew.

703
00:42:50,120 –> 00:42:53,280
So eliminate them.
Eliminate them in that verse.

704
00:42:53,280 –> 00:42:55,760
And what do you read?
Truly, I live and.

705
00:42:58,080 –> 00:43:01,920
That’s what Israel did.
Not understand they now the name

706
00:43:01,920 –> 00:43:04,240
of God, they attended the
services of God.

707
00:43:04,520 –> 00:43:07,720
They will attend upon the
sacrifices, but God was not a

708
00:43:07,720 –> 00:43:11,640
living reality in their life.
And the statement made to Moses

709
00:43:11,640 –> 00:43:14,920
was truly on live and all the
earth shall be filled with the

710
00:43:14,920 –> 00:43:17,720
glory of Yahweh.
And it’s the living God that we

711
00:43:17,720 –> 00:43:20,840
must recognize not in a matter
of doctrine, but in their own

712
00:43:20,840 –> 00:43:23,520
lives that God lives.
We’re in the presence of God.

713
00:43:23,840 –> 00:43:27,520
Now faith, you see, demands that
here that cometh to God must

714
00:43:27,520 –> 00:43:32,640
believe that God exists, God
lives and will become a rewarder

715
00:43:32,640 –> 00:43:34,080
of them that diligently seek
Him.

716
00:43:34,440 –> 00:43:37,160
Without faith, it is impossible
to please God.

717
00:43:37,560 –> 00:43:39,800
And notice here that faith is a
substance.

718
00:43:40,120 –> 00:43:42,400
Faith is the substance of things
hoped for.

719
00:43:43,000 –> 00:43:45,400
Can you weigh out a pound of
your faith?

720
00:43:45,960 –> 00:43:49,080
Can you measure your faith by a
rule?

721
00:43:49,560 –> 00:43:52,440
Can you put faith in the scales
and see what it weighs?

722
00:43:53,040 –> 00:43:55,280
You care with something that’s
unsubstantial.

723
00:43:55,800 –> 00:43:59,560
This here is substantial.
That’s substance there, but

724
00:43:59,560 –> 00:44:02,400
that’s not substance.
But faith must become

725
00:44:02,400 –> 00:44:05,720
substantial.
Because faith.

726
00:44:05,720 –> 00:44:10,120
Is the substance of things hoped
for, and what Paul means by

727
00:44:10,120 –> 00:44:12,960
that?
Is this that the things that

728
00:44:12,960 –> 00:44:17,560
faith revealed to our mind, the
Kingdom of God in all its glory,

729
00:44:18,200 –> 00:44:21,880
the return of Jesus Christ to
this earth, the setting up of

730
00:44:21,880 –> 00:44:25,680
the judgment seat, all these
things must become substantial

731
00:44:25,680 –> 00:44:28,640
realities to our mind.
They’re not something that we

732
00:44:28,640 –> 00:44:31,600
anticipating without any sort of
reality.

733
00:44:31,800 –> 00:44:34,960
It’s not something we discuss,
not something we read in a

734
00:44:34,960 –> 00:44:37,760
statement of faith.
They become the living realities

735
00:44:37,760 –> 00:44:40,120
of life and we are motivated by
them.

736
00:44:40,720 –> 00:44:43,520
We can see them clearly.
We study the things of the

737
00:44:43,520 –> 00:44:46,880
coming of Jesus Christ and we
see it all clearly before us.

738
00:44:47,160 –> 00:44:49,640
If you were to come to Israel
with me, you would be fully

739
00:44:49,640 –> 00:44:51,760
excited because you would know
where you were going.

740
00:44:51,920 –> 00:44:53,880
You would be anticipating what
you would see.

741
00:44:54,000 –> 00:44:56,640
You’ll be reading up travel
brochures and so forth, and you

742
00:44:56,640 –> 00:44:59,560
would make a reality in your
mind of there when you were

743
00:44:59,560 –> 00:45:02,520
going to go.
It may not be according to what

744
00:45:02,520 –> 00:45:06,040
you see, but you would at least
be motivated by the reality of

745
00:45:06,040 –> 00:45:09,400
that and you would have a sense
of expectancy and excitement as

746
00:45:09,400 –> 00:45:11,640
the time come with you.
But leave on that to it.

747
00:45:11,920 –> 00:45:15,360
So the Kingdom of God must
become a reality to us in that

748
00:45:15,360 –> 00:45:17,320
way.
That’s what faith is.

749
00:45:17,480 –> 00:45:20,560
It makes it substantial.
And so that we read, for

750
00:45:20,560 –> 00:45:24,280
example, the words of Isaiah the
prophet, the prophecy of Isaiah

751
00:45:24,360 –> 00:45:28,080
which he did see.
He saw it.

752
00:45:28,920 –> 00:45:33,080
He saw Jerusalem a glory.
He saw it elevated in all the

753
00:45:33,080 –> 00:45:34,640
earth.
That’s fine.

754
00:45:35,000 –> 00:45:39,720
It becomes a substance, and the
substance of faith enabled men

755
00:45:39,720 –> 00:45:50,920
like Abel and Enoch and Noah to
challenge the growing crescendo

756
00:45:50,920 –> 00:45:54,840
of trouble in their day.
And come forth a.

757
00:45:54,880 –> 00:45:58,080
Shining God.
And that’s what.

758
00:45:58,760 –> 00:46:03,880
Our studies are designed to do
May God grant the increase.