Sermon
Living Waters of Grace for May 8th, 2026
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark
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Waffer, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland, County
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of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he
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continues teaching through God's Word.
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Today doctrine is out and emotional experience is in.
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Signs and wonders are so alluring that doctrine no longer
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matters. And Jesus says to those who
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profess these signs and wonders, we cast out devils in your name.
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We did many wonderful works. We prophesized in your name.
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And Jesus says to them, I never knew you depart from me you that
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work iniquity. Matthew 7, verse 22 and 23.
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Who doesn't love a good thrill? Just look at how many people
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pack out the theme parks looking for some excitement, or the
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movie theaters, or even just check out the news headlines and
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notice how sensational they are. Why?
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Because that's what sells. It's what people want.
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In today's message, Pastor Clark warned you about the dangers of
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emotionalism over substance. It's a great thing to experience
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feelings, but are those feelings grounded in truth?
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Are they anchored in the Word of God?
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Now here's Pastor Clark in the Book of Revelation chapter 17
Revelation 17 chapter mention
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with today's edition of Living Waters of Grace.
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Revelation chapter 17, verse 7. But the Angel said to me, why
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did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of
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the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has seven
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heads and 10 horns. We spoke of the issue of this
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scarlet woman who rides the scarlet beast in the 1st 6
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verses of Revelation chapter 17 this week.
Revelation 17 chapter mention
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The apostle is telling us that the Angel is going to describe
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in a more clear way what some of the symbolism means.
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And even with the Angel explaining this, believe me,
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this is still tough to understand and comprehend.
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It's not something that is is very, very easy.
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Matter of fact, a lot of commentators talk about this
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chapter and some of the things it discusses as being very, very
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difficult to get a handle on. These things are futuristic.
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So as a result, we have to be careful in how we discuss these
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things and teach these things. Certain things in the scriptures
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you can be dogmatic on and very sure and precise.
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But when it comes to prophecy, these things are futuristic.
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So I would not want you to think that somehow I've figured all
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this stuff out. Something things are clear.
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Some things are a little bit obscure, and the reason they're
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obscure is that they're still yet to be determined and
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revealed. But the Angel is explaining to
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John the mystery of this harlot, focusing on this speech.
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This beast is the false religious system that will rise
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up, the religion of Antichrist. It'll be a very spiritual
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movement. It's not going to be something
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that people aren't going to look at and say, wow, this looks
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really spiritual and this is good.
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And it's going to be something that's very, very attractive to
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people. In verse 8, it says the beast
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that you saw was and is not and will ascend out of the
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bottomless pit and go to perdition or hell.
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And those who dwell on the earth will marvel whose names are not
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written in the book of life from the foundation of the world,
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when they see the beast that was and is not and yet is.
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This beast is carrying the harlot again is the false
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religious system and we talked about this in Revelation 13 as
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well. Verse 4, it says they worship
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the dragon who gave authority to the beast, saying who is like
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the beast who is able to make war with him, and the Antichrist
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will use this false religion as a tool to accomplish his
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deceptions. It says those who dwell on the
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earth will marvel whose names are not written in the book of
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life from the foundation of the world.
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So the majority of the people that will be on the earth after
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the rapture obviously are people and the Lord.
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The mystery of election and predestination, these things
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that are taught through the scriptures is a mystery because
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God knows before the foundation of the earth those who will be
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His. And that's something that's hard
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to even begin to comprehend. So God has created a people for
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his name. We can't earn that place of
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relationship. We don't deserve it.
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It's only because of his grace that we receive eternal life and
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salvation. But it says these names in this
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particular verse are not written in the book of life from the
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foundation of the world. And so those who are lost and
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those who are hell bound and those who have no interest in
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believing in Christ will receive this world religion and be
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excited about it. They'll embrace it.
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They'll think it's the best thing that's ever happened to
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the world and they'll be very, very easily deceived.
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In verse 9 it says, and here is the mind which has wisdom.
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The seven heads are 7 mountains on which the woman sits.
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The seven mountains are associated with the beast.
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A lot of commentators believe that this is a figure of the
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governments that are seen in Daniel chapter 2.
Daniel 2 chapter mention
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Verse 35, seven mountains representing the seven world
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leaders and nations. Verse 10 it says these are also
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the seven kings that are 7 leaders. 5 have fallen, one is
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and the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he must
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continue a short time. So these seven mountains are
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representing the seven world leaders and nations.
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And there's a connection with these seven mountains between
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the religious Babylon and the current move of the apostate
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Protestant Catholic Church that we're living in right now.
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The movement away from sound doctrine is escalating at a
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speed quicker and faster than anything I've ever seen in my
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years as being a follower of Jesus Christ.
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It says the approval, the anti Christian beliefs will be at an
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all time high impacted by the new age.
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It's interesting, I don't know if you remember years ago there
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was a worldwide broadcast of Pope John Paul and he had a lot
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of people sitting on the stage of the Vatican outside the
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church there. And there was Christians and
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Jews and Muslims and Buddhists and Indian spiritists.
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They were all sitting around just trying to have this
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spiritual meeting. He told the participants that
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their effects, this whole group of people were and quote,
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unleashing profound spiritual energies in the world, bringing
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about a new climate of peace. The Pope pledged that the
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Catholic Church intends to share and promote such ecumenical and
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inner religious cooperation. This is approved by both the
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Pope and the Dalai Lama. Not a goal to be achieved
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immediately, the Dalai Lama said, and the Pope.
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But a day may come when the love and compassion which both Buddha
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and Christ preach so eloquently will unite the world in a common
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effort to save humanity from senseless destruction and
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leading toward the light in which we all believe.
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Isn't that amazing? The light in which we all
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believe. There's only one true light, and
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that's the light of Jesus Christ.
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All the other lights are counterfeit, it says in Second
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Corinthians Chapter 11 verse 13 through 15.
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For such are false prophets, apostles, deceitful workers
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transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
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And no wonder, for Satan himself transforms himself into an Angel
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of light. Therefore, it is no great thing
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if his ministers also transform themselves and the ministers of
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righteousness whose end will be according to their works.
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I sat in shock and awe whenever I saw this meeting.
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They were chanting. They were integrating all these
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different spiritual beliefs or energies under this common
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umbrella of what would bring peace to the earth.
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There was only one individual that had the guts to stand up
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and proclaim that there is only one truth.
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Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life.
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And it was an Orthodox monk somewhere from Greece who ended
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up on that stage that actually spoke out against what the Pope
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was saying. I was just shocked at how many
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people are embracing these kind of things in these last days.
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Jude verse 3 says ungodly men who turn the grace of God into
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lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
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That's what the Pope was doing in essence right and those who
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are on the stage with him. These are sensual persons who
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cause divisions, not having the spirit.
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Second Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 3 says let no man deceive
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you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there
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come a falling away. 1st and that the man of sin be revealed,
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the son of perdition, a turning away from the truth within the
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professing church. It's second Timothy 43 says for
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the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.
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Today doctrine is out and emotional experience is in.
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Signs and wonders are so alluring that doctrine no longer
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matters. And Jesus says to those who
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profess these signs and wonders, We cast out devils in your name.
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We did many wonderful works. We prophesize in your name and
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Jesus says to them, I never knew you depart from me you that work
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in equity. Matthew 7, verse 22 and 23,
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There's a form of godliness, but it denies the power thereof.
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People will wear robes. There'll be symbols in the
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church. There still may be a cross, but
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a lot of the newer churches that are being built have no cross
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because the pastors say that the cross is something that will
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stumble people. And you know, we don't want to
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offend the seekers. Well, the Bible clearly says the
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cross is to them that perish. Foolishness.
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It's a stumbling stone to them that perish.
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The majority of the churches out there nowadays do not believe
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that Jesus is God Incarnate. They don't believe in the virgin
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birth. They don't believe in the
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resurrection. The Barnab organization took a
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poll of the percentage of people that claim to be evangelicals.
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And evangelicals were always known as people that believed in
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the importance of being born again, the inerrancy of
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Scripture, the infallibility of God's Word, the faithfulness of
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the truths of the gospel. That Christ came to die for our
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sins, according to the Scriptures, they was buried.
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He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and
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he rose, and he shall come again with glory to judge the quick
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and the dead. His Kingdom shall have no end.
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One of the statements in the Nicene Creed that was one time
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proclaimed by all Christian churches, and that's another
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document that's no longer even affirmed by most churches.
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The number of people that go to church without their Bibles.
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I was driving up here, I had to run back home to get something.
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I'm riding by a church and and I see people going, looks like
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nice people just sort of walking in, you know, just do my thing,
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you know, no Bible. Why would anybody go to a Bible
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teaching church without a Bible? I don't understand.
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I mean, whenever we don't need the Bible, we don't need the
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church anymore. It's a waste of time going to a
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church. If you don't have a Bible, you
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need to carry your Bible to church.
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If you don't take your Bible to church, do you believe the
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Bible? Now we have Bibles here, in case
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you forget. I'm not trying to condemn
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anybody or anything like that. The point I'm trying to make is
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whenever churches do not have the focus on the Bible anymore,
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the people that come to church or the pastors, it's obvious
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that the church has moved toward this movement of hypostasy and
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the One World church. They'll be sucked in very easily
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by this integration of all these different religious systems.
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The greatest contributor to apostasy today, an apostasy, and
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you read about it in Hebrews and other sections of the Scripture.
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Apostate person is someone who at one time claimed to believe
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and know the truth, and they moved completely away from it.
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It's amazing how some scholars of the Bible and people who once
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proclaimed the authority of the Scriptures will be on their
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deathbed and they'll be refuting the Scriptures.
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They'll be saying, well, I don't believe this stuff anymore.
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It was a hoax. It's not important.
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I mean people at one time who were supposedly sound in their
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Bible teaching. The greatest contributor to
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apostasy today is this self-centered religious movement
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called the faith movement and it's run by faith teachers and
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faith movement. Another name for it is a
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positive confession movement. It promotes a faith devoid of
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moral and doctrinal content and which promises that whatever one
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truly believes and confesses with one's lips will come to
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pass. You ever hear that?
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It's like a mind power visualization, the faith in
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yourself, not faith in God. Your faith is more upon what you
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affirm and what you say, and somehow through that power you
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develop these energies to be able to receive all these
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manifest blessings of heaven. Eastern mysticism and the mind.
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Science cults like Christian Science and the positive
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thinking of Norman and Vincent Peale, the possibility thinking
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of Robert Schuller, the positive confession teachings of Hagen
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and Copeland and Price and David Cho and Osteen and others.
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Man, by thinking he can bring into his experience whatever he
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desires, becomes little gods. I remember one time years ago
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when I was a follower of Kenneth Copeland and when I was involved
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in bad doctrine many years ago, he said, you're going to become
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like little gods. Well, this is exactly what these
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faith teachers say. We create our own world.
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We're partners with the infinite, a universal creative
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mind which receives the impress of our thought upon it.
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Go to Second Timothy 4, three and four, for the time will come
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when they will not endorse sound doctrine.
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You think that's come yet, but according to their own desires
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because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves
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teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth
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and be turned aside the fables. But it says exhorting us, but
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you be watchful in all things and door afflictions do the
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working of evangelists fulfill your ministry and verse 2 it
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says preach the word. Be ready in season and out of
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season, convince, rebuke, exhort.
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With all long-suffering and teaching, we need to in love,
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point these errors out to people because if they don't repent and
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see the errors they're in, they're going to be sucked in.
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To this apostate world, One world church movement, this
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beautiful building that the Lord bless us with at one time was a
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Swedish Lutheran Church. It came over over 100 years ago
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with godly people that taught the Word of God, that believed
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in the importance of the Lord's Supper weekly, that believed in
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the importance of repentance, that taught the Word of God
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faithfully. The Church of the Lutheran
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Evangelical Synod, and I don't know how many years it happened,
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they no longer began to have the emphasis on the Word, but
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started looking at social programs.
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They began to do such things as ordination of women pastors,
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which the Bible clearly deep affirms.
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And nothing against women, and women are just as spiritual as
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men, if not more so many times. But the role of a pastor in the
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church is a male role. It says in First Timothy chapter
1 Timothy 3 chapter mention
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3 that he desires the office of the Bishop or pastor.
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Elder Shepherd desires a good thing.
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It's not a female role, but it doesn't mean that females can't
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serve in a church and minister in the church.
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But they're not to be the pastor.
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Well, this church, this movement became ordaining women, and then
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it began to be open to the homosexuality movement and
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ordaining homosexuals. And this is not any happening in
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the Lutheran Church, but in the Methodist Church and the
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Presbyterian churches. It's appalling what's happening
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in these last days that we live. It says in the last days, First
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Timothy 41 people will give heed the seducing spirits and
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doctrines of demons. Second Timothy 32 says for men
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shall be lovers of their own selves rather than lovers of
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God. Robert Schuller wrote a book
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called Self Love, the Dynamic Force of Success, and he is
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impacted very deeply. Billy Hybels of Willow Creek as
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well as Rick Warren in Saddleback.
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I mean, why in the world that these guys wanting to hang out
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and their conferences and that kind of stuff.
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It's scary because it just goes to show that any of us,
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including myself and pastors in Calvary Chapel and other
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churches that are endeavoring to be faithful in these last days
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can be sucked in by compromising and listening to the teachings
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of false teachers. It says there is a new concept
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in practice today. Peter Wagner, a famous teacher
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on revivals. This is interesting.
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Wagner has the audacity to say Jesus and Paul in the early
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church fathers didn't know about this stuff.
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In other words, there's new insight.
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There's new revelation now. OK.
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He says they now hold the key to spiritual breakthroughs and
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worldwide revival. What they talk about is like
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praying against territorial spirits, spiritual mapping,
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ground level spiritual warfare, occult prayer warfare, strategic
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level sin warfare, cosmic sin warfare, and praying through
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windows. Now where in the world did you
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ever see Jesus talking about this stuff or the apostles?
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The Bible verily clearly says resist the devil and he'll flee
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from you. Jude again tells us, and this is
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Michael the Archangel, one of the highest created angels in
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the Kingdom of heaven. He's having this discussion.
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He says yet Michael the Archangel and contending with
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the devil when he disputed about the body of Moses dared not to
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bring against him a rebelling accusation, but said the Lord
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rebuke you. How many times you've heard
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people like thinking that they got some authority to twist the
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devil around in their own authority in their own name?
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I mean, if Michael the Archangel who's on the outside of the
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throne room of God's heaven has fear and also a healthy respect
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of the Prince of darkness, realizing he doesn't have the
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authority. He doesn't have the power.
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But the Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who has the authority
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over the power of the enemy. And we have authority over that
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enemy through the power of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy
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Spirit who lives us. It says resist the devil and
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he'll flee from you. So these delusions from the
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counterfeit revival are becoming very, very big in the sense of
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impacting the evangelical community.
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It's just unbelievable what has happened and occurred.
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They called it the Holy Laughter movement and people were barking
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and acting like animals. And I mean, this stuff that had
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nothing to do with any kind of biblical premises or teachings
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of what real repentance is and what real Holy Spirit revival
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is. You know, the counterfeit, it
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looks so close, it looks so good that the Bible says it can
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deceive the very elect if possible.
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You know, one time I remember leaving at Kenneth Copeland
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conference and I was high but. Wasn't high on the Holy Spirit.
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I was so out of my mind in the sense of what was reality that I
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drove through a red light and it was a miracle I didn't kill
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someone. And the counterfeit, the
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delusion. And if any of you are involved
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in any of these false teachings, if you're embracing any of these
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counterfeit revivals, I would ask you before the Lord to
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repent. Throw the books away, burn them,
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get rid of them. Turn your back on anything that
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is not the truth. You can't mess around with light
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and darkness if you can't mess around with leaven.
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The Bible says a little leaven, a little sin will destroy the
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whole body. So John talks about these
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nations in verse 10. He says that there are 7 kings,
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5 have fallen, and one is the five that have fallen in John's
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day was Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo, Persia, and Greece.
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And the one it was at that particular time was Rome.
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The other is yet to come, the one world empire to come, a
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revival of the Roman Empire. Verse 11 he says the beast that
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was and is not is himself also the 8th and is also of the seven
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and is going to perdition. So we see the manifestation of
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this individual called Antichrist who will have control
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over this one world religion, one world government, one world
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financial and banking system. As we talked last week, the 10
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horns which you saw are 10 kings who have received no, no Kingdom
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as yet, that they receive authority for one hour as kings
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with the beast. These are of one mind and they
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will give their power and authority to the beast.
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So in other words, the beast is going to use this false
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religious system to accomplish his goals up until a certain
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time. Once he accomplishes what he
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wants to accomplish, he could care less about that group of
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people and their religion. Matter of fact, he's going to
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come against it and destroy it. These will make war with the
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Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of Lords
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and King of kings, and those who are with him are called chosen
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and faithful. So the Lord Jesus Christ, when
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he comes back at that final battle of Armageddon, will come
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against all these false religious movements as well as
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the authority of the One World Government and the Kingdom of
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the Antichrist. And then he said to me, the
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waters which you saw where the harlot sits are peoples,
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multitudes, nations and tongues. So there's going to be a
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tremendous amount of people that are in this deception where this
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one world religious ruler and government will rule and reign
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for a period of time. And it says in verse 16, and the
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10 horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the
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harlot, make her desolation naked, eat her flesh and burn
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with fire. So we see all the sudden the
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uptight feelings of all these nations that thought that they
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were in good with this world ruler.
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He commits treason against them. He doesn't want them and said
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now they're angry and they're going to try to come after him
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to destroy his system. And this is what's interesting
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here again with God's sovereignty and Providence in
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verse 17. For God has put it into their
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hearts to fulfill His purpose to be of one mind and to give their
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Kingdom to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled.
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So everything's under control. Whenever you see all this crazy
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stuff happening in the world, don't panic, don't worry, don't
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get upset, don't get fearful. Get closer to the Lord.
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Deal with your own heart, but look up.
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Your redemption's drawing nigh because God has everything under
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control. Aren't you glad?
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You don't have to worry. You don't have to fear what's
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going to come upon the world. Doesn't mean there won't be some
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difficulty, perhaps for us, our persecution or trial, some
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degree of tribulation in the world.
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You will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, he says.
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I have overcome the world. Thanks for being with us today
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here on Living Waters of Grace. We're in the Book of Revelation,
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and we find it fascinating how influential and involved the
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angels are in this book. They bring about whatever it is
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that God has instructed them to do, but it's through their
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actions that much of the judgements come on the earth.
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The angels are in submission to God as their authority, but He
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utilizes them in unique ways throughout this book.
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Like angels have a specific purpose from God, you have a
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unique purpose and plan too. God wants to use you in your
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life as a testimony to others and to bring others who are
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currently lost into the fold of God.
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God would love more than anything for all who are willing
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to come to Him for salvation, but He wants it to be their
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choice, not a forced situation. This is the way God works, not
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forcing himself on anyone, but giving each person free will.
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If you're interested in learning about this choice that's free
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and that it's a gift, go to calvarychapelonline.com and
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click on the About Us tab and then find the link for what we
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believe. We'd love to be a help and a
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resource for you as you walk through what it means to be a
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follower of Jesus. If you find the contact tab on
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our website, you can get in touch with us or submit a prayer
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request. We'd love to hear from you.
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That's all for today's edition and Revelation, but there's much
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more that Pastor Clark plans to share with us from this
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culminating book of the Bible. Stay tuned for that and make
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sure to mention this radio program to others.
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Invite them to tune into Grace FM 91.7 FM.
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They can stream worldwide at Grace Radio dot FM.
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This has been Living Waters of Grace.