1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 Happy Sabbath, church family. 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:11,280 Glad you're joining us today, whether you're here in the flesh or I know some of you are 3 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:13,840 tuning in as well. 4 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:22,040 And today's sermon, I just want to set the stage, is not my own, full disclosure. 5 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:30,840 But this is in the spirit of next Sabbath's special observation as religious liberty Sabbath. 6 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:33,020 So that's January 11th, next Sabbath. 7 00:00:33,020 --> 00:00:36,720 And this is, of course, a special theme near and dear to us. 8 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:41,440 And it commonly includes a special offering appeal as well. 9 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:49,280 The Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department usually provides a sermon that we can choose 10 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:53,600 to deliver at the local church level. 11 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:59,860 And as for the source of today's message, it's adapted from a sermon by Pastor Joe Reeves. 12 00:00:59,860 --> 00:01:05,580 He's serving presently at the General Conference as the Assistant Director of Sabbath School 13 00:01:05,580 --> 00:01:07,360 and Personal Ministries. 14 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:11,520 And he's also the editor of the Inverse Bible Study Guide. 15 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:16,280 And now before we do jump in, though, I do want to offer up one more word of prayer. 16 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,720 So please join me as I do that. 17 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:27,640 Dear Lord, please join us today as we dwell on your word, dwell on the state of affairs 18 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:33,040 in the world today and what that means for how the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 19 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:38,700 And let us turn away our focus from maybe some ideas we may have about what that kingdom 20 00:01:38,700 --> 00:01:46,100 should look like and turn us instead to truly the kingdom of heaven that you have in store 21 00:01:46,100 --> 00:01:47,100 and waiting for us. 22 00:01:47,100 --> 00:01:50,680 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 23 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:57,960 So a funny thing has happened in our lifetime, in my lifetime. 24 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:03,840 People have changed their mind a little bit about this idea of religious liberty. 25 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:10,200 Many who used to think religious liberty was maybe a blasé topic have now become very 26 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:15,140 animated and vocal about religious liberty issues. 27 00:02:15,140 --> 00:02:22,880 And this is especially we saw kind of a marked turn in that since the COVID-19 pandemic. 28 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:30,240 Civil and religious liberty has become that much more popular as a topic of debate in 29 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:32,920 the American church and in the wider culture. 30 00:02:32,920 --> 00:02:38,520 A few years ago, COVID-19 mandates, you may remember, and then not too distant past, they 31 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:46,120 made many Christians feel squeezed by secularism, especially in places where perhaps casinos 32 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:52,400 and taverns were still allowed to stay open while churches were ordered to close. 33 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:58,360 Unvaccinated people who were excluded from events or were restricted from travel felt 34 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:03,720 like second class citizens, but they were not the only ones feeling as though their 35 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:06,120 rights were being ignored. 36 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:10,240 There were others who felt as though they were also treated differently. 37 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:15,920 Victims of racial violence, police brutality, or corruption in the criminal justice system 38 00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:20,080 have not always received equal treatment under the law. 39 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:26,000 And today, the ideals of our republic, our being, are under pressure to test whether 40 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:33,780 or not we will truly protect the freedom and the dignity of every individual. 41 00:03:33,780 --> 00:03:39,940 After the upheaval of the past few years, many Christians in America resent the establishment 42 00:03:39,940 --> 00:03:42,440 more than ever before. 43 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:48,000 Pastors and church members across the US feel wounded, maybe even, and angry and ready to 44 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,240 rise up and maybe even take control. 45 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:57,600 During the past couple of years, we've seen large stadiums filled with crowds who are 46 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:02,280 united in their desire for Christians to take power. 47 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:09,360 Meanwhile, Seventh-day Adventists are uniquely positioned not to cave to the demands of radical 48 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:15,100 secularists or to indulge in the clamor of Christian nationalists, but to be a voice 49 00:04:15,100 --> 00:04:19,760 of truth in an age of extremism. 50 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:25,040 Adventists have a rich heritage and a prophetic understanding that is desperately needed for 51 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:32,320 this time, but it does take clear thinking and strong nerves to stand true for principle 52 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:38,000 while crowds, you know, the power of crowds, crowds everywhere are becoming increasingly 53 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:39,000 fanatical. 54 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:46,360 Seventh-day Adventist church members are needed today who will not be easily pulled different 55 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:52,080 directions but will have the clarity, have the strength to stand firm on Scripture, which 56 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,320 is where we're going today. 57 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:59,240 Of course, Seventh-day Adventists are not the only Christians turning to the book of 58 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:04,360 Revelation to find answers about what's happening in America and in the world today. 59 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:10,120 It's very popular these days to hear preachers use the book of Revelation to warn people 60 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:12,720 against government tyranny. 61 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:20,040 One of the verses commonly quoted is Revelation 13, 16, and 17. 62 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:23,360 Anyone who's studied the mark of the beast knows the text well. 63 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:28,880 And that reads, he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, 64 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:34,760 to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or 65 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:43,480 sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. 66 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:45,760 Talk about totalitarian control. 67 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:51,720 These verses describe a time during which the government forces people to go along with 68 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:54,500 the mark of the beast agenda. 69 00:05:54,500 --> 00:06:02,080 In this prophecy, economic pressure is applied in the most extreme sense. 70 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:08,240 A description of economic tyranny is a message that resonates with millions today, which 71 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:13,920 is why these verses have become exceedingly popular during the last few years. 72 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:20,600 But careful Bible students should beware, because while the last verses of Revelation 73 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:30,320 13 have recently skyrocketed in popularity, the preceding verses, hmm, they've been pushed 74 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:32,440 by the wayside. 75 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:37,280 American preachers rarely quote the context, and there's a reason for that. 76 00:06:37,280 --> 00:06:41,120 The context would be devastating to their listeners. 77 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:47,440 Nobody wants to hear about what the Bible says leads up to the final tyranny in this 78 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:48,440 world. 79 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:54,200 The previous verses give a very unpopular message that is typically ignored by prophecy 80 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,760 teachers, sometimes even neglected by Adventists. 81 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:03,120 So let's back up a few verses and carefully consider the context. 82 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:10,960 So verses 13 and 14 give us an onramp of sorts for the mark of the beast action. 83 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:15,960 Adventists have preached a lot of sermons over the years about the mark of the beast, 84 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:22,840 but we sometimes say less about the image to that beast, which that's a problem. 85 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:28,640 You cannot properly comprehend the mark of the beast scenario unless you first understand 86 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:32,860 how the image to the beast sets the stage. 87 00:07:32,860 --> 00:07:38,540 In these verses, the world's final superpower is seen leading the way in a false religious 88 00:07:38,540 --> 00:07:43,280 revival that results in a religious tyranny. 89 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:45,680 And so let's read that onramp. 90 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:48,540 Let's read Revelation 13 verses 13 and 14. 91 00:07:48,540 --> 00:07:54,800 That says, he performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on 92 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:57,380 the earth in the sight of men. 93 00:07:57,380 --> 00:08:02,020 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do 94 00:08:02,020 --> 00:08:06,680 in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the 95 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:12,160 beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 96 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:18,440 These verses are clear that there are going to be very impressive miracles, right? 97 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:24,800 Miracles healing supernatural events leading up to the final deception in this world. 98 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:31,480 The word sign is the same word that the writer John used in his gospel to describe the miracles 99 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:37,960 of Jesus when he healed people, when he fed the multitudes. 100 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:43,640 But in Revelation 13, what we see, it's the wrong side that's working these miracles. 101 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:47,480 The text says that these deceivers even call down fire from heaven. 102 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:51,760 It's an impressive feat, but what does that mean? 103 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:57,240 The last book of the Bible is using a very specific symbol that is not hard to understand 104 00:08:57,240 --> 00:09:00,640 in the wider context of scripture. 105 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:05,480 And to understand the meaning of fire falling from heaven, what story or what image does 106 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,280 that conjure to mind for us? 107 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:09,280 Name a character. 108 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:10,280 Elijah. 109 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:11,560 Elijah, yeah. 110 00:09:11,560 --> 00:09:15,520 We first think of the prophet Elijah on top of Mount Carmel. 111 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:20,160 Elijah was locked in a national contest of worship. 112 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:25,640 The whole nation was gathered at the top of Mount Carmel for an epic showdown between competing 113 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:26,800 religions. 114 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:31,240 After a disastrous and embarrassing day of prayer and demonstrations by the false prophets 115 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:39,200 of Baal, the prophet Elijah offered a humble prayer and was answered promptly by fire from 116 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:41,280 heaven. 117 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:44,880 And that, of course, is the story we find in first Kings. 118 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:52,200 So the same type of contest over worship will happen again, according to Revelation 13. 119 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:56,200 And that's got an absolutely astonishing difference. 120 00:09:56,200 --> 00:10:00,640 In Revelation 13, it's the wrong side calling fire down from heaven. 121 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:03,480 It's kind of stunning when you think about it. 122 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:09,000 And this results in a mass religious deception on a scale that far exceeds anything we've 123 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:12,080 experienced before. 124 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:15,960 So to better understand the symbol of fire falling from heaven, we also need the New 125 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:19,320 Testament story of Pentecost. 126 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:24,000 When flames of fire descended from heaven and they appeared on the head of each person 127 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,040 in the upper room. 128 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:30,880 This fire from heaven symbolized any takers? 129 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:33,960 The Holy Spirit, absolutely. 130 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:40,760 And it was a token of Holy Spirit power and revival that came in answer to also to a prayer. 131 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:46,600 So in Revelation, though, this fire from heaven is not the genuine thing. 132 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:48,640 It's the counterfeit. 133 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:54,200 It represents a false outpouring of the Holy Spirit that comes in answer to compromised 134 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:55,840 prayers. 135 00:10:55,840 --> 00:11:01,240 This prophecy is describing a false religious revival that will sweep the nation and lead 136 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:08,920 to the image of the beast that we read of later in the more often quoted parts of Revelation 137 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:11,360 13. 138 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:19,360 So do we want to know why so many prophecy teachers avoid Revelation 13 verses 14 and 139 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:22,680 15, the earlier part of that passage? 140 00:11:22,680 --> 00:11:27,200 It's because these verses make one thing certain. 141 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:31,680 The image to the beast is not formed by atheists. 142 00:11:31,680 --> 00:11:40,760 It's not some secular power as a lot of people envision in popular Christianity today. 143 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:42,000 There are miracles. 144 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:43,600 There are prayers. 145 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:47,800 There are there is a religious revival. 146 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:51,640 The image to the beast is not a secular program. 147 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:57,040 The image to the beast is not going to come from global elites who are hostile to Christian 148 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:58,040 values. 149 00:11:58,040 --> 00:12:01,720 It's just the opposite. 150 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:05,360 It will come from where it's least expected. 151 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:11,000 The image to the beast is made possible by a group of pastors, revivalists in America 152 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:16,640 who are working together with lawmakers to bring America back to God. 153 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:22,800 Out of an effort to restore, so to speak, restore Christianity in this nation, Revelation 154 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:28,960 13 clearly describes a religious tyranny that emerges. 155 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:33,960 And so this is why it's called the image to the beast. 156 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:35,440 What's an image usually? 157 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:41,400 It's like a replica, a copy, a reflection. 158 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:44,440 And in this case, what is it a reflection of? 159 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:53,160 This image to the beast is an image of the beast from the sea described in earlier, yet 160 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:58,840 earlier in Revelation 13, symbolizing the religious tyranny of the dark ages when the 161 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:04,960 church controlled the state, when the church controlled the state, the repetition for the 162 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:09,800 cheap seats there. 163 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:14,920 Christianity is clear that the religious tyranny of the dark ages will be revived in the last 164 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:16,680 days. 165 00:13:16,680 --> 00:13:24,120 So now, that may be a little hard to take, a little hard to believe after communist dictators 166 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:30,800 may have exercised a secular tyranny and made it such a dominant threat to Christians in 167 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:32,800 the past centuries. 168 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:39,360 Beginning even with the French Revolution, much blood has been shed by secular dictators 169 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:41,760 who are hostile to Christianity. 170 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:44,920 It's not that it doesn't happen. 171 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:50,920 Revelation 11 speaks powerfully to the reality of secular persecution against Christians. 172 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:59,680 However, in the full sweep of the last 2,000 or so years, secular tyranny has killed its 173 00:13:59,680 --> 00:14:08,480 thousands, while religious tyranny has killed its 10,000s. 174 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:15,160 In the 1700s, people fled to America to escape the religious persecution that had been happening 175 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:19,360 in Europe for more than 1,000 years prior. 176 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:25,720 While there has been a spike in secular persecution during the past 200 or so years, Revelation 177 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:32,560 13 is clear that the final persecution in this world will be religious in nature, in 178 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:41,880 which churches gain the upper hand again and enforce their version of Christianity. 179 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:48,560 Revelation 17 also depicts a religious power that has gained power over the state. 180 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:55,600 In Revelation 17, there's a woman with mystery Babylon written on her forehead. 181 00:14:55,600 --> 00:15:01,100 This woman is riding the beast, riding the beast, meaning that the religious power holds 182 00:15:01,100 --> 00:15:05,540 a position of dominance over state power. 183 00:15:05,540 --> 00:15:10,460 Many people today think that the beast is riding the woman when we can be certain from 184 00:15:10,460 --> 00:15:15,360 prophecy that the religious power will come out on top. 185 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:17,080 And that's nothing new. 186 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:23,640 For 173 years, Adventists have not deviated in what we teach about America in prophecy. 187 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:28,480 Beginning in 1851, Adventists have been clear about what we believe will cause the final 188 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:31,680 demise of liberty in America. 189 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:39,080 And dating back to May 19, 1851, the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald published an article 190 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:41,080 about the United States in prophecy. 191 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:50,020 And that article was written by the then 21-year-old J.N. Andrews, the namesake of our flagship 192 00:15:50,020 --> 00:15:52,000 seminary. 193 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:58,600 And this article reads in part, an image to the beast that received the deadly wound must 194 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:00,040 be made. 195 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:06,480 That beast was, in truth, a church clothed with civil power and authority by which it 196 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:11,480 put to death the saints of God. 197 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:18,700 And he cites Revelation 13 verses 5 through 8 and Daniel 7, 23 through 26. 198 00:16:18,700 --> 00:16:23,240 An image to the beast then must be another church, Andrews continues, an image to the 199 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:30,940 beast then must be another church clothed with civil power and authority to put the 200 00:16:30,940 --> 00:16:33,580 saints of God to death. 201 00:16:33,580 --> 00:16:38,280 This can be nothing else but the corrupt and fallen Protestant church. 202 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:41,880 A little chilling. 203 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:48,400 In 1851, 21-year-old J.N. Andrews saw clearly that according to Bible prophecy, the final 204 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:54,960 threat to religious liberty would be coming from the Protestant churches of America. 205 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:58,840 That's not to say that the only threat to religious liberty will come from religious 206 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:00,200 leaders. 207 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:05,560 To the contrary, we've experienced religious liberty threats from all sides. 208 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:10,860 But the final threat, though, that final threat to religious liberty will come from the churches 209 00:17:10,860 --> 00:17:11,860 of America. 210 00:17:11,860 --> 00:17:18,720 Ellen White, one of the most translated authors in the world and one we hold near and dear 211 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:27,160 to our hearts, she emphasized this point even more strongly 38 years later when she published 212 00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:30,120 The Great Controversy in 1888. 213 00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:35,440 In The Great Controversy, there's a passage clear and unwavering both in its explanation 214 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:40,200 of the mark of the beast and the image to the beast. 215 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:45,640 Controlling the image to the beast, it says, in order for the United States to form an 216 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:52,680 image of the beast, the religious power must so control the civil government that the authority 217 00:17:52,680 --> 00:18:00,040 of the state will also be employed by the church to accomplish her own ends. 218 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:05,960 In this quote, who is controlling whom? 219 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:09,240 It's not the government controlling the religious power. 220 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:11,880 It's the church controlling the government. 221 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:13,200 There's a big difference. 222 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:16,900 The image to the beast will be accomplished when the religious power in America takes 223 00:18:16,900 --> 00:18:23,000 control of civil government for the enforcement of a religious agenda. 224 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:30,360 That's our future, an America in which Protestant Christianity becomes dominant and overbearing. 225 00:18:30,360 --> 00:18:34,000 Can we see this in development? 226 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:39,400 Ellen White explained that if you want to track the early progress of the image to the 227 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:43,800 beast, don't just listen to what the judges are saying in the Supreme Court. 228 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:49,100 Don't just listen to your legislators and what is being discussed in Congress. 229 00:18:49,100 --> 00:18:53,720 Listen to what the pastors are saying from American pulpits. 230 00:18:53,720 --> 00:19:00,300 On page 445, Ellen White continues, when the leading churches of the United States, uniting 231 00:19:00,300 --> 00:19:07,760 upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state 232 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:13,840 to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will 233 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:19,200 have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy and the infliction of civil penalties upon 234 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:26,200 dissenters will inevitably result. 235 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:30,840 How do we measure progress on the image to the beast? 236 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:32,520 Who do we watch? 237 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:36,120 The leading power brokers in this world? 238 00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:42,100 The leading business tycoons, the global elites, the World Economic Forum or some such? 239 00:19:42,100 --> 00:19:49,760 According to Ellen White, according to biblical prophecy, the best place to track early progress 240 00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:55,120 of the image to the beast is watching the leading churches of America. 241 00:19:55,120 --> 00:19:58,060 In 2025, it's happening. 242 00:19:58,060 --> 00:20:04,040 If you tune into popular pastors in America today, you'll notice that the tone is changing. 243 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:09,360 Today Christian leaders in America are feeling hurt, wounded, angry even about how things 244 00:20:09,360 --> 00:20:10,760 have gone in this country. 245 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:18,600 That is not to say they're all going hunky-dory, but what are we doing with that? 246 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:24,600 And so again today, Christian leaders in America feeling hurt, wounded, angry, they sense it's 247 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:33,000 time to take a more aggressive approach and get this nation back to God. 248 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:39,320 Continuing on page 445 in great controversy, the image to the beast presents that form 249 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:45,040 of apostate Protestantism, which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the 250 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:51,040 aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas. 251 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:57,200 The image to the beast prophecy, we can draw from this passage, that the image to the beast 252 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:04,200 prophecy predicts that church dogma will again gain the upper hand over secular dogma. 253 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:12,200 Friends, this seeking of power to enforce a belief system's dogma through a state upon 254 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:20,640 its people echoes the same misunderstanding by the Israelites in Christ's day. 255 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:26,440 Their idea of the Messiah's mission on earth was less about seeking and saving the lost 256 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:34,720 and more about overthrowing an empire to restore God's chosen to earthly power. 257 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:40,400 We see this confusion persisted among even Jesus' own followers, closest followers at 258 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:42,960 the end of his earthly ministry. 259 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:49,800 In Acts 1, today's key text, after Jesus was resurrected, we're told he spent 40 days 260 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:51,680 with his disciples. 261 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:59,600 If we read in early Acts 1, that first chapter of Acts, verse 3 puts it, he spoke about the 262 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:01,920 kingdom of God. 263 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:05,940 That's how that 40 days spent is described. 264 00:22:05,940 --> 00:22:12,760 He spoke of the kingdom of God for 40 days with his followers, and at the end of that 265 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:18,520 40 days, just before Jesus ascended to heaven, we see today's key text. 266 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:24,080 They gathered around him and asked, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the 267 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:30,280 kingdom to Israel? 268 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:33,560 Imagine that question. 269 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:38,680 Imagine that question after 40 days with his disciples talking about the kingdom of God 270 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:43,160 and overlooking all that. 271 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:48,800 They were still focused on a restored earthly power. 272 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:54,920 And today, I'm afraid we run the same, the risk of the same misunderstanding, the same 273 00:22:54,920 --> 00:23:01,800 foolishness if we focus on some sort of worldly dominance instead of the kingdom Jesus spoke 274 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:07,000 of, the kingdom not of this world. 275 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:13,400 Revelation 13 reminds us how easy it is for the persecuted to become the persecutor when 276 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:19,000 earthly power comes to the hands of the fallen misguided man. 277 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:23,140 Revelation 12, the earth provided a haven for the persecuted church. 278 00:23:23,140 --> 00:23:28,620 It says in Revelation 12, 16, but the earth helped the woman and the earth opened its 279 00:23:28,620 --> 00:23:33,120 mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of its mouth. 280 00:23:33,120 --> 00:23:40,680 But in Revelation 13, those who fled from persecution, the tables turned. 281 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:43,760 They became the persecutors. 282 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:49,440 It says in Revelation 13, 11 and 12, then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth 283 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:54,840 and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 284 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:59,800 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence and causes the 285 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:09,000 earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed. 286 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:14,440 Whereas the earth is associated with the persecuted in Revelation 12, the earth is associated 287 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:19,120 with the persecutors in Revelation 13. 288 00:24:19,120 --> 00:24:24,440 The persecuted becomes the persecutor. 289 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:31,480 Unfortunately, church history is full of such examples, beginning with persecuted Christians 290 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:37,460 in the fourth century who with the help of Constantine eventually became persecutors. 291 00:24:37,460 --> 00:24:42,080 This transition from persecuted to persecutor happened not only to Catholics but also to 292 00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:43,520 Protestants. 293 00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:48,400 In Germany, the Lutherans who fought hard for their own religious liberties were not 294 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:52,140 willing to extend those liberties to the Anabaptists. 295 00:24:52,140 --> 00:25:01,080 The one thing that both Catholic and Lutheran princes agreed on at the time of 1529, and 296 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:09,120 I'm going to slaughter this, the diet of spire, heard it either way, what the Catholic 297 00:25:09,120 --> 00:25:15,760 and Lutheran princes could agree upon in that diet, that meeting of sorts, was that Anabaptists 298 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:19,160 could not be tolerated in Germany. 299 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:26,080 And many Anabaptists then died at the hands of both Lutherans and Catholics in the following 300 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:28,680 years. 301 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:36,360 In 16th century Germany, the persecuted Protestants became the persecuting Protestants. 302 00:25:36,360 --> 00:25:41,680 In Geneva, Switzerland, after John Calvin gained independence from Rome and secured religious 303 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:48,480 liberty for himself and his church, he burned Michael Servetus at the stake for holding 304 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:52,400 dissident beliefs about the Trinity. 305 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:58,160 In Geneva, the persecuted again became the persecutor. 306 00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:02,600 And finally, in the American colonies, Puritans fled to the New World to escape persecution 307 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:05,840 from the King of England and the Church of England. 308 00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:12,400 But when arriving in America, Puritans established religious liberty for themselves, not really 309 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:14,360 for anyone else. 310 00:26:14,360 --> 00:26:18,520 And that's not religious liberty at all, is it? 311 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:24,880 They fined, imprisoned, and even executed people who did not conform to their beliefs, 312 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:27,640 their Puritan beliefs and practices. 313 00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:38,840 And so in America, colonial America too, we see the persecuted become the persecutor. 314 00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:45,200 Roger Williams broke that cycle when he envisioned a new colony that would protect religious 315 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:52,480 liberty, not only for the Baptists, but for all religious minorities, including atheists, 316 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:55,080 Jews, and Muslims. 317 00:26:55,080 --> 00:27:00,760 Because of his commitment to the separation of church and state, Rhode Island became a 318 00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:05,200 shelter for persecuted peoples of all persuasions. 319 00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:10,160 Today, Seventh-day Adventists follow in the tradition of Roger Williams in advocating 320 00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:16,680 a robust separation, keyword there, separation of church and state. 321 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:21,760 We believe in protecting human dignity and the religious convictions of all, including 322 00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:25,920 those who believe differently than we do. 323 00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:31,400 Today, the doctrine of separation of church and state is fiercely debated though. 324 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:36,840 This sermon's author, Pastor Joe Reeves, I named him before, he felt this tension keenly 325 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:41,200 a few years back as a pastor in Spokane, Washington. 326 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:48,680 At that time, he was actually invited to represent Seventh-day Adventists on an interfaith religious 327 00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:54,040 liberty panel that was organized by the area's Church of Latter-day Saints. 328 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:59,200 And at this religious liberty event, he sat between a Roman Catholic priest and a Buddhist 329 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:00,700 guru. 330 00:28:00,700 --> 00:28:04,720 People with very different beliefs from his own. 331 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:10,080 And he was also joined at the table by a non-denominational pastor and a conference president from the 332 00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:11,560 Mormon church. 333 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:14,000 So a bit of the meeting of the minds. 334 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:18,580 All walks of faith, or several walks of faith represented here. 335 00:28:18,580 --> 00:28:23,460 And the panel was moderated by a pastor from the Salvation Army. 336 00:28:23,460 --> 00:28:26,480 He considered it a privilege to have that opportunity. 337 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:29,800 This is the author here. 338 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:34,120 He considered it a privilege to have that opportunity to share a few Seventh-day Adventist 339 00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:37,640 perspectives with this diverse audience. 340 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:42,560 At one point during the panel discussion, Pastor Reeves shared how Seventh-day Adventists 341 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:48,180 have a strong history of advocating for the separation of church and state, an ethic brought 342 00:28:48,180 --> 00:28:53,420 to America by Baptist pastor and founder of Rhode Island, Roger Williams. 343 00:28:53,420 --> 00:28:58,080 When he spoke about the separation of church and state, the moderator of the panel immediately 344 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:05,280 questioned him, saying, when you say separation of church and state, you mean the state being 345 00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:13,040 out of the church, not the church being out of the state, right? 346 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:21,160 So when the Salvation Army pastor asked that question, Pastor Reeves believes he spoke 347 00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:26,560 for millions of Americans who believe that the separation of church and state is a one-way 348 00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:28,200 street. 349 00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:34,160 They believe the government should stay out of the church, but the church doesn't necessarily 350 00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:36,360 stay out of the government. 351 00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:40,440 And this is where the real rubbed is today, isn't it? 352 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:44,120 This is where Adventists better know our position. 353 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:48,800 When you study the history of Rome, there were times that the emperor controlled the 354 00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:54,560 pope, and there were times that the pope controlled the emperor. 355 00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:56,520 How did those go? 356 00:29:56,520 --> 00:29:59,680 Was there any contrast or much contrast? 357 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:03,540 Both of those situations were a problem. 358 00:30:03,540 --> 00:30:09,720 So Adventists believe the separation of church and state goes both directions. 359 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:14,640 We're against both the church controlling the state and the state controlling the church. 360 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:21,600 Our understanding of Revelation 11, the French Revolution, examples of communist dictatorships 361 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:28,320 around the world, all of this makes it impossible for us to be apathetic toward any state that 362 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:30,920 seeks to control the church. 363 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:35,680 Our understanding of Revelation 13 and the history of fourth century Catholics in Rome, 364 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:41,860 the example of Lutherans in Germany, Calvinists in Geneva, Puritans in America, makes this 365 00:30:41,860 --> 00:30:49,480 impossible to be neutral towards churches that use the state to enforce their agenda. 366 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:56,920 So today, Seventh-day Adamists belong to a diminishing class of Christians who believe 367 00:30:56,920 --> 00:31:02,520 that the separation of church and state is a two-way street, where both church and state 368 00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:08,880 hold mutual respect for each other and where neither is used to implement the agenda of 369 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:11,280 the other. 370 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:17,500 So God has given us biblical prophecy so that we can be awake, so that we can be watchful 371 00:31:17,500 --> 00:31:20,500 before the second coming of Jesus. 372 00:31:20,500 --> 00:31:28,240 For Adventists to neglect, for us to neglect Revelation 13 and the image to the beast prophecy 373 00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:34,720 would be just as catastrophic as it was for the Jewish leaders to neglect Isaiah 53 and 374 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:39,760 Daniel 9 at the time of Christ. 375 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:45,040 When religious leaders neglected certain Messianic prophecies 2,000 years ago, it led them to 376 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:51,920 reject the Messiah who stood right in front of them. 377 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:58,480 If Bible students today, if we neglect Revelation 13 and the image to the beast prophecy, there's 378 00:31:58,480 --> 00:32:08,160 no doubt we'll be swept in by the deception and left unprepared to recognize Christ in 379 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:10,160 front of us. 380 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:15,240 Today there's a strong temptation for Adventist Christians to compromise our principles for 381 00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:17,560 the sake of politics. 382 00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:21,780 Today many Christians are intoxicated by the politics of Babylon. 383 00:32:21,780 --> 00:32:29,320 And while we reject the doctrines of Babylon, let's not get drunk on the politics of Babylon. 384 00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:35,040 It's easy to sip a little of the wine of Babylon once in a while until we start feeling relaxed 385 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:36,540 with it. 386 00:32:36,540 --> 00:32:43,200 No doubt that the image to the beast will be a very attractive moral project in the 387 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:44,360 beginning. 388 00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:48,520 It will be something that will unite Christians everywhere. 389 00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:52,000 And yet it will end terribly. 390 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:57,760 God has called Seventh-day Analysts to the stage for such a time as this. 391 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:03,600 We have the prophecies of Revelation to help us navigate the complexities of today's world. 392 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:09,960 Let us not now neglect our religious liberty heritage, but step forward with more courage 393 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:11,720 than ever. 394 00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:16,640 This isn't the time for Adventists to change our interpretation of prophecy. 395 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:20,760 We need our prophetic heritage today more than ever. 396 00:33:20,760 --> 00:33:26,480 And so will you please join me in seeking the Lord through deeper prayer, more diligent 397 00:33:26,480 --> 00:33:27,760 study. 398 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:33,080 Do you sense a need for God to guide us and strengthen us for the complex challenges that 399 00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:35,120 we face today? 400 00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:40,880 May God do something very special in each of us to soften our hearts and open our eyes. 401 00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:46,240 May we not get pulled into various directions, but stand firm right where God has called 402 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:48,800 us to be. 403 00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:53,640 Maybe God's calling you to strengthen the relationships you have in our community or 404 00:33:53,640 --> 00:33:56,040 to build some new friendships. 405 00:33:56,040 --> 00:34:00,600 Now's the time to make friends before we need friends. 406 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:06,860 Maybe God is calling you to host an event, calling us here perhaps to level up and raise 407 00:34:06,860 --> 00:34:11,040 awareness about religious liberty or Bible prophecy. 408 00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:19,480 And maybe he's calling us to share the Liberty Magazine, the Great Controversy, or some other 409 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:21,360 literature on this important topic. 410 00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:24,720 Whatever you feel called to do, don't wait. 411 00:34:24,720 --> 00:34:25,720 It's 2025. 412 00:34:25,720 --> 00:34:29,840 That's a year closer to God's return. 413 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:31,560 So is a year for action. 414 00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:34,880 Bow your heads with me, please. 415 00:34:34,880 --> 00:34:40,720 Heavenly Father, as we part from your house today, let us remember to trust in you, obey 416 00:34:40,720 --> 00:34:48,400 you and seek not the kingdom of this world, but the kingdom of heaven. 417 00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:57,200 Help us continue to dive deep into our devotion with you, perhaps reinforcing and restoring 418 00:34:57,200 --> 00:35:04,160 resolutions for the new year to dwell with you more every day and allow you to dwell 419 00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:11,680 in us, that we may better recognize the sound of the Master's voice, to better recognize 420 00:35:11,680 --> 00:35:18,800 your face when you present yourself to us, and so that we may also better help others 421 00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:20,520 learn more about you. 422 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:22,120 In Jesus' name we pray. 423 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:29,120 Amen.