Auburn SDA Church
Loopholes in the Great Controversy - Part 5
  • Watch, Ye Saints
  • We Are Living, We Are Dwelling
  • Hover O'er Me, Holy Spirit
  • And Can It Be?

      • Revelation 13.8NKJV

  • Summary of Previous Sermons in Series
    Why does God allow suffering.
    The Fall of Satan
    The accusations of Satan
    ???
    Rules of engagement (why doesn’t God....)
    ie: God won’t destroy free will.
    Healing and Prayer
    Why does God heal / answer
    certain prayers (affirmatively)
    but not others?
    The Sanctuary System
    How does God explain the plain
    for the Great Controversy
    in types and symbols
    in the sanctuary system?
    What was accomplished at the cross?
    What was not?
    Today's’ Sermon
    Earth’s Last Days
    The Image of the Beast
    The Final Events
    Little Time of Trouble
    The Shaking
    The Latter Rain
    The Loud Cry
    The Seal of God
    The Close of Probation
    Seven Last Plagues
    Final Sermon
    The 2nd Coming
    The Millennium
    Hell
    The New Earth
    My sermons are
    normally packed full
    of scriupture.
    Today,
    I’m trying to explain
    broad concepts
    theological progression
    historical trends.
    Today,
    I”ll be painting with
    a broad brush.

    Winning By a Technicality

    I would like to start
    with this illustration:
    As some of you may remember,
    during the 2024 Paris Olympics
    an American Athlete named Jordan Chiles
    had a confusing turn of event occur.
    She was initially judged
    in 4th place.
    The team is allowed to challenge the
    score on a particular area.
    They did so.
    After review
    the judged awarded Chiles
    with 10th of a point increase.
    This pushed her from 4th
    into bronze metal position.
    The Romanian Gymnast
    who was previously
    in bronze metal position
    was heartbroken.
    The Romanian team
    later made a challenge of their own.
    As it turned out,
    the American team was
    required to state their challenge
    within 1 minute.
    In review,
    the American team was
    4 seconds too late to challenge.
    For this reason,
    the Romanian Gymnast
    wore the bronze during
    the Olympics final ceremony.
    We are in
    ongoing battle between
    Christ and Satan.
    In reality,
    Satan knows that
    he is not stronger than
    the Creator Himself.
    Satan must win
    on a technicality.
    Satan greatest tools are:
    deception
    manipulation
    or false accusations.
    Focus on Accusations:
    God’s reign is autocratic and selfish.
    God is despotic and controlling.
    God is demanding and untrustworthy and should not require obedience and worship.
    We don’t need to obey God’s law strictly because all creatures are holy and we need to just follow our own holy inclinations.
    It is not necessary to obey the law of God.
    or
    It is impossible for a human to obey the law of God after being degraded by sin.
    The first detail
    we notice is
    Satan’s accusations against God
    are actually a description
    of himself.
    The second detail we notice is,
    Satan’s accusations focus around:
    God’s Law
    God’s Authority
    God’s Creatorship
    God’s Right to Worship
    How can Satan undermine all of them?
    Destroy Creation
    Destroy the Law
    Destroy God’s Holy Worship
    That became Satan’s plan:
    Deny Creation
    Theologically Annul the Law
    Create False Worship
    How could Satan
    best accomplish
    he means?
    How could he best
    deceive
    manipulate
    and destroy?
    Winning through technicality?
    (In minds of other beings.)

    The Sabbath

    Genesis 2:1–3 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
    The Sabbath is:
    a memorial of creation.
    one of the 10 commandments (the law of God)
    The commandment that specifically describes
    the time and way of worshiping God.
    Satan wanted to
    Erase Creation
    Annul the Law
    Usurp the Worship of God.
    That would be impossible
    so long as
    the Sabbath was honored.
    Therefore
    Satan’s most studied agenda has been to remove the Sabbath.
    Let’s evaluate
    a few verses
    that make this clear:
    Ezekiel 20:12 Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
    According to this passage
    the Sabbath is about
    obedience and righteousness.
    4th Commandment:
    Exodus 20:8–11 ESV
    “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
    This verse,
    from the 10 Commandments
    explains that the
    reason and authority of God
    to institute the Sabbath
    is based in His creatorship.
    Ezekiel 20:20 and keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’
    According to this passage,
    the Sabbath is about
    Lordship
    and therefore worship
    of God.
    Satan’s rebellion would fail
    so long as
    the Sabbath persisted.
    Throughout the OT
    Satan had many
    short-lived victories.
    Judges
    everyone does right
    in their own eyes.
    Apostasy of Northern Kingdom
    Apostasy of Southern Kingdom
    Babylonian Captivity
    (foiled by Ezra and Nehemiah)
    By the NT,
    Satan changes approach...
    Destroy Sabbath not by
    debauchery
    but rather
    legalism.
    Make the Sabbath
    null and void by
    through an extremely
    legalistic religion.
    Unfortunately for Satan,
    Christ came bodily and
    was a living example of
    both righteousness and grace.
    This put too many holes in
    Satan’s legalism approach.
    So, he abandoned it.
    Not long after,
    Satan swung the pendulum
    the other direction.
    Fanaticism becomes Formalism.
    The young Christian church
    becomes the state religion.
    Church leaders are paid
    through tax money.
    Religious/Political positions are gained
    through fraud or briber.
    Unsurprisingly
    preaches stop preaching
    the Word of God.
    Through formalism
    Satan reign supreme.
    Nobody cared
    God’s law
    God’s Creatorship
    God’s True Worship
    Formalism of the young church
    degraded even more
    into the tyranny of the dark ages.
    During this period
    religion (so called)
    was strictly enforced.
    False worship
    was legislated.
    Religious power was
    retained through force.

    Accidental Hero

    Satan once again
    “pulled a Bradbury”
    Steven Bradbury's victory in the 1000m short track speed skating at the 2002
    Bradbury was well off the pace in the 1,000-meter race when all four of his competitors crashed out at the final corner while jostling for the gold medal. That allowed Bradbury, who was about 15 meters behind, to avoid the pile-up and glide through to win the final.
    Bradbury's became an
    "Accidental Hero".
    During the dark ages
    Satan had
    “pulled a Bradbury”.
    Satan was seemingly winning
    the Great Controversy
    by default.
    He had effectively
    stamped out true religion,
    erased the Sabbath,
    ended biblical worship.
    That was until
    the protestant reformation.
    The truth was accidentally
    discovered in God’s word.
    When the few realized
    their entire profession
    was a farce
    they could not keep silent.
    God timed this rediscovery
    to perfectly coincide with
    the invention of the
    printing press.
    No longer could
    win the debate through
    the argument from silence.
    The truth was out!
    Bibles were printed
    far and wide.
    Truth was restored.
    Formalism, Fascism , and Fiendishness
    now crumble as the
    simple Words of God
    are read by the entire world.
    Everything that the Dark Ages
    stole from religion
    were restored:
    Theology and Science are reintroduced.
    Biblical Creationism is re-established.
    The Sabbath is rediscovered.
    And true worship was re-initiated.
    How would Satan respond
    in the cosmic chess match?
    Back through a round
    of his favorites.
    Fanaticism
    Formalism
    Facism.
    Satan would
    attack the Reformation by
    leading people to
    extremes on either side.
    Some protestants
    nearly destroyed the reformation
    first through legalism.
    others responded by
    “free-gracism”.
    Satan keeps throwing
    the theological pendulum
    back and forth
    back and forth.
    We see it today
    in politics and news publications.
    Where will the dial
    finally land?
    Back to Satan’s favorite.
    The bible describes
    the final events of earth
    as religio-political fascism.
    Revelation 13:11–12 ESV
    Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.
    To understand this passage
    we must remind ourselves of
    the keys to unlock
    they symbols of apocalyptic prophecy.
    According to Dan 7:23
    Daniel 7:23 ESV
    “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth...
    A beast = kingdom on earth.
    In Rev 13 there are
    2 Beasts.
    both are religio-political
    state powers.
    Revelation 13:11–12 ESV
    Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.
    The 2nd Beast is
    described as 2 animals
    lamb
    dragon.
    One could hardly imagine
    two animals more
    unlike each other.
    That is because they are
    unlike each other.
    How could the 2nd Beast
    be represented as both?
    Because they each describe
    they 2nd religio-political kingdom
    in different eras of
    its existence.
    The nation begins
    lamb-like.
    It starts of Christ-like
    during the height of
    protestant reformation.
    The United States founded
    as a haven for
    Christians fleeing
    religious persecution.
    They were looking for
    a place they could worship
    according to Bible in peace.
    This nations was founded upon
    ideals of
    freedom of worship
    freedom of conscience
    respect for God’s word.
    There were still
    extremes and failures.
    Satan and his deceit
    was alive and well.
    Early settlers often
    mimicked the atrocities
    occuring world-wide
    colonialism
    genocide of native population
    and abusive slavery
    and of course
    strains of
    legalism
    licentiousness.
    This fledgling nations was
    far from perfect.
    But it was also much
    closer than most others
    in restoring
    God’s principles of government:
    freedom of choice
    biblical religion.
    But, of course,
    Satan would make his moves
    fanaticism
    formalism
    finally
    fascism.

    The Lamb is Becoming a Dragon

    Our precious nation,
    is well into the journey
    transition to dragonhood.
    Political extremes are rife.
    The sleepy dragon
    is awakening in its lair.
    When does it become a dragon in
    the fullest sense ?
    Revelation 13:12 ESV
    It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.
    When unbiblical worship
    is enforce politically.
    The dark ages all over again.
    What sets the stage?
    What makes it possible?
    Revelation 13:13–14 ESV
    It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
    There ends up being
    great religious awakening.
    People are tired
    worldliness of the world.
    The reactionary swing
    of the pendulum never
    stops in the middle.
    It swing right on by,
    to the other extreme:
    from religious anarchy
    forced religion.
    Imagine the French Revolution
    but in reverse.
    The onlooking universe
    watches as the characters
    of both God and Satan
    are modeled
    through the lives
    of their adherents.
    The last days is the
    culmination of the Great Controversy.
    It proves
    beyond the shadow of a doubt.
    God’s:
    government
    law
    worship
    vs.
    Satan’s:
    government
    law
    worship.
    In the near future,
    worship will
    again be forced.
    Revelation 13:15 ESV
    And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.
    Worship will be forced
    the world over,
    staring with our dear nation.
    But not just any worship
    will be forced.
    Satan will endeavor
    once again to
    destroy the Biblical Sabbath.
    It stands in the way
    of his plans:
    the erasal of creation,
    destruction of God’s law,
    usurpation of God’s worship.
    The sabbath becomes
    the central issue.
    Last Day Events The Sabbath the Great Point at Issue

    In the warfare to be waged in the last days there will be united, in opposition to God’s people, all the corrupt powers that have apostatized from allegiance to the law of Jehovah. In this warfare the Sabbath of the fourth commandment will be the great point at issue, for in the Sabbath commandment the great Lawgiver identifies Himself as the Creator of the heavens and the earth.—Selected Messages 3:392 (1891).

    But...
    How is it enforced?
    How do God’s people fare?
    How does God purify His final church?
    What leads to the final judgments on mankind?
    All of this,
    next sermon...
    Resurrection Program
    Men’s Ministry Sabbath
    Part 6

    Appeal

    Do you want to
    be ready to
    meet final conflict?
    stand for truth?
    stand with Christ
    in fainal battle?

      • Exodus 20:8–11NKJV

      • Revelation 13:11–12NKJV

      • Daniel 7:23NKJV

      • Revelation 13:11–12NKJV

      • Revelation 13:12NKJV

      • Revelation 13:13–14NKJV

      • Revelation 13:15NKJV

  • O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
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  • The Gift I'll Give
Auburn SDA Church
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