Are you ready to embark on a thought provoking journey of discovery? Curious to explore an alternative narrative that challenges the theory of evolution? What impact has the war in heaven had on our planet? And what are the implications for humanity? What can we learn from this epic battle that is unfolding between good and evil? Here is your opportunity to unlock a treasure trove of spiritual insights from the Bible that will answer these and many other pressing questions, illuminating the path to eternal life which lies just a choice away. Here is Bill Gates presenting the last night on planet Earth. The subject the last night on planet Earth is good news for some and bad news for others.
And the choice of message arises as a result of an intelligent question that some people ask. Which is this question? If God is a God of love, then why do we have sickness, suffering, pain and death? That's a good question, isn't it? I have got good news for us. God is going to do something about it.
And we shall see this in our scripture reading for today. Found in two Peter, chapter three, verses nine to 13. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness.
So this has to be great news for the commandment keeping christians and bad news for those who do not choose to obey God or even belong to God's family here on earth. Hard as we may try, it is hard to imagine what it will be like when the last night on planet Earth comes. But we will look at a couple of historic times to get a glimpse of what it must have been like.
So we will take an imaginary trip to the city of Pompeii in Italy. The people had been warned that the volcano called Vesuvius was about to blow up. Some took the warning seriously and left in boats and stayed out on the ocean for two days.
After two days, as nothing seemed to be happening, they came ashore and went back to their homes. But that night, the mountain blew up. Mount Vesuvius was erupting violently.
Years later, the ruins of Pompeii were excavated and we can even see the street numbers and the names of the people who lived in these houses. But then we realise that we're walking down the streets of the dead. Here is a picture of petrified human bodies that have been found by the archaeologists.
They found a girl clutching pearl earrings. They also found a man clutching a chest of gold and silver. But that which meant the most to them.
Their treasure could not save them and they could not save their treasure. For it was the last night on planet Earth for those people. I know what it's like to experience volcanic eruptions.
In August 1996, the Mount Ruapehu volcano in New Zealand erupted. I have a picture showing the ash about to drop on the city of Telpo. I was living there at the time.
I was in a shop when a courier driver arrived at the shop wearing a gas mask. Realising that things were getting rather serious, I hastened home, washed the ash off my car and stayed indoors all day. Although the mountain became peaceful later, many a person wondered in August 1996 whether that day was going to be their last night on planet Earth.
The Bible tells us that there will be a last night on planet Earth. And it commences when God makes a declaration in heaven, which is found in the last book of the Bible called revelation, chapter 22, verse eleven. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still.
He who is holy, let him be holy still. This decree is uttered in the courts of heaven. It pictures a time when God's door of mercy is forever closed, and none thereafter shall slip away from the ranks of the family of God.
For they shall be removed from planet Earth and away from God's enemy, Satan. He is the one who brought onto planet Earth all the sin, sickness, suffering, pain and death, not God. But neither can anyone choose to be saved after that decree is uttered, for it will be too late, as the next verse twelve reveals.
Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be. And what a spectacle it will be when the true second coming of Jesus happens, surrounded by 10,000 times 10,000 holy angels. Let us now consider our subject a little further.
When the last night on planet earth comes, all earthly treasure will lose its value. This upsets some people, and they can accuse the preacher of being fanatical just because he talked about the last night on planet Earth. But Jesus talked about it a lot.
Let us note what the Bible says about our earthly treasure, as recorded in Ezekiel, chapter seven, verse 19. They shall cast their silver in the streets and their gold shall be removed. Their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord.
So to get a real understanding of what this is, all about. We need to note what the Bible book called Joel says in chapter two and verse 28. And it shall come to pass that your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and shall see visions.
So in the last days, God has already revealed, through an inspired Bible commentator, understanding on these final day events and notice what was shown by God in a book called great controversy, page six, five, three. The gain of a lifetime is swept away in a moment. The rich bemoan the destruction of their grand houses, the scattering of their gold and silver.
But their lamentations are silenced by the fear that they themselves are to perish with their treasure and their idols. Speaking of destruction, Jesus on one occasion was talking to his disciples about the destiny of Jerusalem and the sacred Temple. And in Matthew 24, verse two, this is what Jesus said.
Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not 1 st shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down. The disciples were stunned. They could only think of this destruction as happening at the end of the world.
And so Matthew 24, verse three tells us that they came to Jesus and said, tell us, when shall these things be and what shall be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world? So Jesus sat with his disciples and began to give them a reply to their question. His reply is found in Matthew 24, verse 14. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Notice that this verse does not say when all the world has become christian. No, it says, when all the world has heard the gospel. With the advent of satellite ministries such as hope, channel three, abn, amazing discoveries, amazing facts.
It is written and first light. We are getting very close to the day when all the world shall have heard the true gospel, and that will mark the end of sickness, suffering, pain and death. So the end of this world is good news for those who have made an effort to understand God's plan for them and for this planet.
But it is bad news for those who stubbornly refuse to become wise on these matters or still resist joining God's church family. For God will respect their decision and not take them to a place they have no desire to enter. We will learn much from what Jesus had to say about a previous occasion when the world almost came to an end.
As Jesus said in Matthew 24, verses 37 to 39. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the son of man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark and did not know until the flood came and took them all away.
So also will the coming of the son of man be. So. In Noah's time, we had Noah warning the people about the end of the world via a flood.
And in our day, we have the Bible warning us via the teachings of Jesus to prepare for the last night on planet earth. In our day, this also means that the end of the world ahead of us will happen just as suddenly as it did in Noah's day. Now, I'm shortly going to create a parable about a carpenter living in those days when Noah was building the ark.
And we'll be able to draw some valuable lessons from this new parable. But I first need to alert the audience to the potential problem many have today, and that is blind prejudice. What is blind prejudice? Well, prejudice is an emotional commitment to ignorance.
We can ill afford to approach the subject of the last night on planet Earth with an attitude of blind prejudice. Can we? As indicated, I'm going to create a new parable from which we can hopefully learn some important lessons about making right decisions. This new parable about Noah and his ark will help us to identify issues that are preventing people in the 21st century from discovering the way to peace and happiness now and how to prepare for the last night on planet Earth.
I'm going to talk about a husband and wife, John and Mary. John is working out in his workshop near where Noah is building a big boat. It has been designed to save the willing people from a massive worldwide flood.
John finishes for the day and he decides to have a look at what Noah is doing. As John approaches, he notices that Noah has taken off his carpenter's apron and now begins to preach. John is stirred within himself and decides he'd like to have his wife and family join him on that boat.
John also notices the scoffers, but he's convicted that he and his family need to be on that boat. So John goes home. He's happy to talk to his wife about this and told her that he wanted the whole family to get ready to go on Noah's ark.
But Mary is not at all impressed with the plan. In fact, she says, john, I do not intend getting tangled up with any of that kind of fanaticism. I believe in religion, all right, but I do not believe in carrying it too far.
If you insist on going on that boat, I'll be going back to mum and dad's place along with the children. John is devastated. He was not ready for that response from his wife, Mary.
So the next day, he goes back to work, but he's feeling quite down and dreary. His life is now a treadmill experience and consists of eating, sleeping and working, nothing more. Time passes by.
A few months later, he sets off to work again and finishing work, he decides to have another look at Noah's Ark. And John is surprised to find the ark nearly finished. So he stays for the meeting and listens to Noah's preaching.
Once again, John is stirred within and wants to be on that boat with his family. He goes home and he tells his wife, Mary, that he still wants the whole family to go aboard the ark and be saved. This time, Mary's response is a little different.
She says, john, I was a little rash before, and I have some queries about all of this. For example, what do we as ordinary people know about theology? Why not go uptown and get the opinion of some of the smart men? Surely the scholars have some explanation about this flood scare, so why not get their point of view? So off goes John to speak to four people. And the four people that he chose to talk to were a sociologist, a philosopher, a scientist, and an antediluvian pastor.
And the first one he visited was the sociologist. The sociologist, upon hearing of John's concern about a coming flood, said, that's not the way to save the world. If Noah really wanted to save the world, he should put his money into housing projects and get rid of the city slums.
That way, if he did that, many people would have a heaven on earth. No, no, that man Noah, take no notice of him. He is just a calamity howler.
So what are my objections to the comments of the sociologist? Well, he was evading the issue, wasn't he? Because no amount of building of houses would escape the coming flood and the last night on planet Earth for the anti Diluvians. Next, John goes and talks to the philosopher. John tells the philosopher about his concerns regarding the coming flood and the end of the world.
And the philosopher says, well, john, I'm glad you've come to see me. This matter of the end of the world has intrigued me. As a matter of fact, I did my doctor's thesis on this subject.
Many tribes and nations have legends about the world coming to an end. Some say it will freeze up, others that it will be destroyed by a flood. Others say it will burn up, and still others say it'll blow up.
No, John, these legends are not to be taken literally. When it speaks of waters covering the earth, it does not mean literal water, or h 20, as the scientists say. In the laboratory.
It refers to the flood tides of iniquity that at times sweep across society only to recede with the outgoing tide. No, John, you and Mary do not need to worry about Noah and his strange teachings. There will be no flood.
What are my objections to the comments of the philosopher? His theories, like so many today, are built on a false supposition that the creature knows better than the creator. Their humanistic theories lead people away from the creator God, and thus the people can never find the answer to the questions, why am I born? Why am I here? And where am I going? In other words, what is life all about? Humanism, macroevolution, secularism, and universities do not have the answer to these vital questions. But the true Bible does have the answers.
Commenting on God's model for living, I read from an inspired Bible commentator's book called education, page 13 the following. True education is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come.
In other words, the secret to happiness is not found in get get, but in give give, as Jesus so amply demonstrated. And it is also found big time when we seek to know God. This is also beautifully portrayed in a book entitled the desire of ages, page two nine one.
The more we know of God, the more intense will be our happiness. No wonder the world has got so many unhappy people when they follow down the track of secularism. So the issue for us living in today's society is that we need to stop listening to the so called secular experts if their views cut across or ignore the plain teachings of the creator God who made us.
And nor should John have accepted the so called secular experts'views back in anti diluvian times. But unfortunately, John doesn't think along these lines. Today we have a huge problem in our education system whereby the judeo christian message on the origins of life is no longer allowed to be taught as part of the official education curriculum.
But in today's official education curriculum, they are allowed to teach theory of human philosophy and the now debunked macroevolution theory, none of which prepares our boys and girls for the heavenly university. Eventually people will realise that mistakes are meant for learning, not repeating. And it is a mistake to ignore the events of Jesus Christ, creating instantly and witnessed by so many people.
Now we've reached a stage in this message where we can learn from the mistake that John and Mary made. And what was that mistake? Consulting secular people for advice on spiritual matters. Now, as a result of the false theories of origins of life called macroevolution being taught in our schools as a fact when it is not, and the true theory on origins of life being excluded from the official school and university curriculum, I will need to illustrate the superiority of God's theory on the origins of life.
And to do this, I will demonstrate why it is important that people become aware of the two models for living. Firstly, the secular three sided model is taught in state schools and universities, which is incomplete. And secondly, Jesus Christ as God the creator, who gave us his four sided model, which brings great happiness and which gives us a more complete lifestyle.
The secular model of living has people following the three aspects of life, which is the mental, the physical and the social aspects of life. These produce satisfying but nonlasting emotional reactions which can never give a person total fulfilment. Why not? Because there is something missing with the secular model for living.
And it is this missing part of life that always leaves a big hole in the heart, which then leads to feelings of emptiness and life being pointless. That is because the secular model for living can never give us the answer to the question, why am I born? Why am I here? And where am I going? When we follow this three sided model. As a result, people seek to find fulfilment in life by gambling, boozing, illicit sex, excessive work, drugs and violence.
Sport as exercise is excellent, but when sport becomes like a God to so many people, that leads to an unbalanced lifestyle. But make no mistake, whilst participating in this secular lifestyle, great but temporary enjoyment can be obtained when one is involved. But once they stop, then there is that feeling of emptiness again, that hole in the heart experience, I guess you would call it intermittent times of happiness, but no answers to life's basic questions that we are addressing today.
So what is the missing piece? And will the missing piece answer the above three vital questions? Why am I born? Why am I here? And where am I going? The answer is yes, it will. It'll give a person greater pleasure instead of temporary pleasure. You see, God's model for living is so different.
God's model is not a three sided triangle. Instead, it is a four sided rectangle. And the missing dimension in people's lives today is the fourth dimension, which is the judaic christian spiritual dimension that God set up 6000 years ago and which was taught in homes, schools and churches up until the end of the second World War.
And then it gradually diminished. This dimension of life that God set up takes away the need to pursue all of the harmful activities that are destroying society today, which, I might add, are portrayed in the tv and theatres as entertainment. And it's not just a matter of a personal opinion.
When we hear people say, if I was to marry today, I would not want to bring children into this world, then we can know that something is terribly wrong. Of course, you can still suffer from a sense of emptiness, but there was a hole in my heart. Something was missing, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
But when I studied the Holy Bible with the 7th day Adventists, they taught me the difference between reading the Bible devotionally and reading it topically. So once I switched from just devotional reading of any page in the Bible, I chose and began to read the Bible topic study guides that drew on the topics found amongst the 66 books of the Bible. That is when the scales began to fall off my eyes and I began to see wonderful things in the Bible that answered my questions.
There was an answer to the question, why was I born? Why am I here and where am I going? And I found it in the judaic christian religion, set up by God, who was the creator of life and the sustainer of the universe. So enjoy the God given four aspects of life, not man's inadequate three aspects of life. When I did this, the hole in my heart disappeared altogether.
And in its place came a peace and happiness that money simply cannot buy. And that happiness has been with me now for over 50 years. But you might challenge me and say, prove to me from the Bible that God's model for living consists of a rectangle and not a triangle, and I will gladly accept your challenge.
Let us look at Luke, chapter two, verse 52, which says, jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man. Four aspects of life, not three aspects. Let us look now at that rectangle again.
So we've got the mental. This is speaking about Jesus and his humanity. We find that his parents ensured that he took care of the mental aspects of life, which gave him wisdom.
He took care of the physical aspects of life, which gave him health and fitness. His parents made sure that Jesus and his child as a human, had a good spiritual upbringing, and that upbringing was based on the judaic christian model, that Emmanuel, being Jesus Christ's name, as God, had set up in the first place, and that he had a well rounded life by taking care of the social aspect of life. Four aspects of life, not three, as in the secular model.
And so Luke two, verse 52, are the inspired words about Jesus as the role model for living a happier human life. And Jesus, who was also God but concealed in a human body, was the one who created this world. So he should know what he's talking about.
And as our maker, Jesus has every right to inform us of how to have optimum health and happiness. And it certainly does not come to us when we ignore his manual for living, which is the true holy Bible, based on the Antioch manuscripts. As our maker, Jesus has warned us of the last night on planet Earth, and this is so that we can make sure we are prepared and ready.
Firstly, he wants us to join his first kingdom of grace here on Earth now and then he wants us to allow him to prepare us as the new citizens for living in his new second kingdom of glory. That is coming soon. That is why the 7th day adventist church is warning people today to get ready.
And that is also what Noah was doing in warning the citizens of his time about the last night on planet Earth. And John was interested in Noah's message. So John now goes to visit Dr.
Brilliant, a local scientist. He tells the scientist about his concerns regarding the coming flood and the end of the world. And this was Dr.
Brilliant's comments to John. He said, john, the scientific world has agreed that there can be no flood. There just isn't enough water.
We also think it is queer that Noah has built his boat high up on that mountain. It would have made more sense if he'd built it on the seaside at least. No, John, rest assured, there will be no flood that can inundate the entire earth's surface.
So what are my objections to the comments of the scientist? Proof that the so called expert scientist didn't know very much lies in the fact that near the summit of Mount Koziosco, in the australian Snowy Mountains, there is a circle of seashells surrounding that mountain. Some have suggested that this is possible because the local aboriginal people used to hold picnics up there. And these seashells are the remnants of those picnics.
Well, we can be charitable towards that idea, but then we have a problem when we look at another mountain. Seashells can also be found 5000 metres, or 15,000ft up on Mount Ararat in Turkey, where Noah's ark is believed to have settled. How did those seashells get there, except there had been a flood, followed by receding waters to put them there.
This must mean, then, that Noah's flood did indeed cover the highest mountains at the height they existed at the time of Noah. So now John goes to see the fourth expert, the anti diluvian pastor. The pastor knows John and Mary, for he officiated at their wedding.
John tells the pastor about his concerns regarding the coming flood and the end of the world. And the pastor says, john, you do indeed look troubled, man, but you do not need to be troubled. This flood scare of Noah's is just the ravings of a deluded man.
John, I want you to remember that it is a loving God who tints the beautiful flowers with their colours and then paints the expanse of sunsets in the western sky. All nature testifies that God is love, and such a God would never think to destroy sincere men, women and children. This is unthinkable, John.
And by the way, what denomination is Noah? I do not know, says John. I had not thought of that. I was simply concerned with the message he is giving about the coming flood and the end of the world.
So that's it, says the pastor. You know, John, none of the other churches believe in Noah's message. The ministerial association have discussed his views, and not one of the scholars among the clergy attaches the slightest credence to Noah's message.
He is just a peculiar alarmist. If God was planning such a catastrophe, surely God would declare it to the big churches of the world. Moreover, John, do you really believe that one man up there in the boat could be right and all of the rest of us be wrong? John cannot answer that question.
And because God is always right, we need to be ready for what is coming. Well, we've drawn some lessons from this sermon today, and now it's time to see what happened to John and Mary. He races home and he tells Mary.
And after a little discussion, they decide that it's time to take the children and get up to the ark. But at the same time, Mary sees her parents and wants to change her mind. Noah says to him, get into the ark now, while you can.
But John, pulling Mary to his side, says to Noah these ill fated words, not today, noah. Not today. As John, Mary and their family turn and leave to go back home, Genesis seven, verse 16, tells us that the Lord then closed the door of the ark.
After a few days, John and Mary had just retired to their bed. When Mary said, aren't you glad you're not up there amongst all those smelly animals? John says, yes, you are right. You are always right.
It must be a woman's intuition. But suddenly, the dark night is lit up with a flash of lightning, something they've never seen before. It's very dark outside now, and there are huge flashes of lightning everywhere.
And then they hear a tremendous noise, a noise they've never heard of before. We know it as thunder, but they didn't know what it was. Grabbing the children, they rush to the ark.
John calls out to Noah, open up, Noah. Mary's ready to come now. But nobody can open the door of mercy once God has shut it.
John and Mary have no choice now but to climb as high as they can. But they struggle as the swirling waters are swift and powerful. But without warning, Aguiser thrusts Mary into the air, and she falls back into the raging sea.
She cries out to John, help me, John. Help me. However, nobody could help anybody when the last night on planet Earth came for the anti diluvians, now alone, John considers his position.
All that he hoped to save, he had lost. He'd lost his wife, he'd lost his children, he had lost his wealth, but most importantly, he had lost his chance to be saved. But what about the so called experts? Noah was right.
The flood did happen. And the sociologist, the philosopher, the scientist, and the anti diluvian pastor were all wrong. All these so called experts were wrong.
So it is a smart person who takes God at his word and trusts him. The truths of God's holy bible were once again vindicated, for God did destroy the anti Diluvians. Smart people take God's holy word to heart.
Believe in it and trust it. Abraham Lincoln was just such a man. He said, my concern is not whether God is on our side.
My greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right. We have looked at the time of Noah in the hope that we can learn lessons from what happened in the past. This is because we have the battle of Armageddon just around the corner.
This is the last battle between God and Satan, between good and evil. And so we need to make our right choices today or as soon as we can. After all, we do not know if we'll even be alive tomorrow.
This hit home to me a while ago when a malaysian airline plane was shot down in 2014 over the Ukraine by an alleged russian missile. My son in law is Peter, and he flew for Etihad Airlines. He was flying over the Ukraine on the same day as the malaysian plane.
He was at the same elevation, and he was just 1 hour in front of the malaysian plane. Peter could have been blasted out of the sky not knowing that that would be his last night on planet Earth. But I want to give a balanced presentation.
So now I'll spend a little time sharing with us the good things that God wants to do to those who love him and keep his commandments. We shall see this as we read Jeremiah 29, verse eleven. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
And what a future awaits the faithful saints. Isaiah 65, verse 17 tells us, behold, I'll create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mine. So that verse tells us that those who go to the new heaven will not remember the former things.
The exception will be that we will recognise our loved ones and friends as one. Corinthians 13, verse twelve states, for now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as I am known.
So the good news is that God will not only save us from our sins if we let him and from the last night on planet earth, but he plans to create a new heaven and a new earth where only righteousness dwells, and he will be our king. And by choosing to accept Christ as our redeemer from sin, and by choosing to become citizens of the new earth, we can eventually be removed entirely from the problems of sin, sickness, suffering, pain, and death, all caused by God's enemy, Satan, and not caused by God. But all these blessings will only ever be ours if we make a conscious decision to allow God to be a part of our lives.
And that will only happen when one decides to switch from the secular three sided approach to life and embrace God's four sided rectangle for life. However you might be thinking, will it be worth the effort? Yes. A thousand times yes.
As John 14, verse two tells us, in my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
But do you know that we will own and occupy two homes? The first one is our city home in the new Jerusalem, which God is building for us. And according to Isaiah 65, verse 21, we will have a country mansion that we will build. They will build houses and live in them, and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruitage.
But both homes will be made of jewels, not weatherboards or bricks. For the book of revelation tells us in chapter 21, verses 19 and 20 that the walls of the city, let alone the houses we occupy, are comprised of the following jewels. Here we go.
Revelation 20 119 and 20. And the wall shall be a mixture of jewels, as follows. Jasper, Sapphire, Chalcedoni, Emerald, Sadonics Sardius, Chrysalite, Beryl, Topaz, Chrysoprasis, Jasinth, and my favourite, the amethyst.
And in Isaiah 65, verse 25, the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock, and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountains, says the Lord. So let me reassure you that the third heaven, where God dwells, is a beautiful place.
When inspired writers saw heaven in a vision, they did not want to come back to this dark world. Jesus said that the way to heaven is via the narrow way. We should be focusing today on staying on the narrow pathway that leads to heaven.
And one way we can do that is to follow the example of Moses, as we shall now read in Hebrews, chapter eleven, verses 24 to 26. By faith, Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. Why? Because he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
So Moses put a right value on the rewards of eternity and valued the riches of heaven, which would be permanent and eternal over and above the riches of Egypt, because he knew that these earthly riches would cease to be his the moment he died. Moses also valued the crown in heaven superior to the crown of Egypt. So what do we value today? Do we put an obsessive value on the material things that will cease to be ours when we die? Or do we like the idea of being given gifts from God that will last forever and ever, gifts such as perfect health and great travel opportunities throughout the universe.
And yes, even the wearing of a crown. Here is an actual and beautiful crown made on earth. Yet the heavenly crowns to be given to the saints will be much better than this.
But I've heard people say, I am happy to just live life to the full now and then die, and that is the end of me. No, no, a thousand times, no. You see, there are two resurrections humans will be involved in.
The first one is for the saved christians and is the one we should try and make sure we are in. The second one is for the rejectors of salvation and is the one we should try and avoid. So let us notice what revelation 20, verses five and six teaches.
But the rest of the dead, that is, the wicked dead, live not again until the thousand years were finished. So the rest of the dead can only be those wicked ones who were left behind at the second coming of Christ when he took the saints back to heaven. This is the first resurrection referred to in revelation 20, verse six, which I shall now read.
Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection. On such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him for a thousand years in heaven. But the unrepentant ones, being the lost ones, come up in the second resurrection a thousand years after the first resurrection of the saints.
And that is for a particular reason. What is that reason? Those who choose to ignore or constantly disobey God come up in the second resurrection, so that before the exterminating fires fall upon them, they must acknowledge the justice of God in leaving them out of heaven. For all God will be doing is honouring the bad decision that the lost people had previously made in rejecting God, when they could have chosen instead to be saved into paradise.
Therefore, all must acknowledge the perfect justice of God. Then those who've made the wrong decision will die the second time, never to exist again. So that would not be a very smart choice, would it? This biblical information should be enough to help people rethink the idea that they can just live their 70 or 80 years on this planet and that is the end of them.
No, it is not. Our next Bible reading in two corinthians five, verse ten proves the point. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each 1 may receive the things done in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Knowing that we are to be judged by an all knowing and loving God before Jesus returns, the second time does not strike fear into the hearts of his followers, but it surely does strike fear into the hearts of those who spurn God's invitation to repent of their sins, and also those who reject God's offer to become a part of his family of believers here on earth. Because when the seven last plagues fall, indicating that the door of salvation has been closed by God, then it is too late to change their minds. That is when the lost ones will realise what really mattered.
But we need to come to that realisation today, while we're alive and still have time to join God's family here on earth. And we do not have a lot of time to choose which side we'll be on. You see, as we look through the curtain of prophecy, it's pretty clear to me that the history of planet earth is about to wrap up.
So the answer to the question where will I spend eternity? Will become a lot easier to answer as we consider our final comments. When God shuts the door of salvation forever, then Jesus prepares to come back to earth with his army of angels. At that time, there will just be two groups of people when Jesus returns.
So the first group will be those who are rejoicing at being saved, as they see Jesus, surrounded by thousands of angels, come to take them back to the heavenly mansions he's prepared for them. The second group will be those who will be afraid. And they cry out for the rocks and mountains to hide them from the face of Christ.
Returned the very christ they refuse to love, honour and obey. Now they realise that their lack of faith in God's teachings and promises has shut them out of eternity and they are to be lost forever. As I mentioned before, the first group are excited when they see the Lord coming.
And Isaiah 25, verse nine tells us what they say, and it shall be said in that day. Lo, this is our God. We have waited for him and he will save us.
So the whole point of this presentation is to help people see that their destiny beyond the grave is determined by the decisions they now make in regard to their personal relationship with God. For we must never lose sight of the fact that there is a heaven to win and a hellfire to shun. I repeat, it is our choice that determines our destiny.
And the good thing today is that at least you now know that there is indeed a heaven to win and a hellfire to shun. If you have no relationship with God, that means no protection during the battle of Armageddon and no heavenly home to enjoy. Once that battle is over, tragically, these people will find themselves in the second group.
And what happens to the people in the second group? The answer is recorded in revelation, chapter six, verses 14 to 17. The heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the mighty men hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne.
For the great day of his wrath has come. And who shall be able to stand? Today's presentation will bring joy to our hearts as we realise that part of God's solution to get rid of sin, sickness, suffering, pain and death permanently is to be found in the new heavens and the new earth that we have been invited to live in. But I want to reiterate what I said earlier the last night on planet earth is good news for the saved ones who come to God on his terms, but bad news for the lost ones who expect to go to heaven, but have either ignored or rejected God's terms for getting there.
So let us determine to make the right decision today for a second Peter, chapter three, verses ten to twelve states, but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heaven shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also, and the works therein shall be burned up, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness? This will bring contentment as one Timothy six, verse six states, but godliness with contentment is great gain in verse seven, for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. Instead, as two Peter three, verse twelve states, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. This describes the fiery scene that is scheduled to happen to this earth in the future.
But before it happens, notice something important. Notice the justice of God's judgments against sin. When sinners have pushed the boundaries too far, God always warns humans of coming judgments.
First, those who had faith in God's messages for their time, and who acted out their faith in obedience to his commandments, escaped the judgments that fell upon the disobedient and unbelieving people. Here are two examples that prove the point. Genesis seven, verse one states that God's word came to Noah as follows.
Come, you and all your house into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous before me. Noah obeyed and was saved. The rest of the world perished because they would not believe that God says what he means, and he means what he says.
Here is another example. In Genesis 19, verse 15, a message came to Lot, who was Abraham's nephew, as follows, and when the morning arose, then the angels hastened lot, saying, arise, take your wife and your two daughters, which are here, lest you be consumed. Once Lot and his two daughters were safe.
Then, according to Genesis 19, verses 24 and 25, God rained fire and brimstone down on the disobedient and sinful inhabitants of the four towns called Sodom, Gomorrah, Admir, and Zeboam. But Lot and his two daughters obeyed God, and by placing themselves under the guardianship of the heavenly angels, they were saved. The angels directed them to a small town called Zor.
Now what is so special about a rainbow? God said to nah that he would never destroy planet earth again with a flood, and the rainbow would be God's perpetual sign in support of his promise. And since about 2300 years before Christ, God has kept that promise of not destroying the whole world by water again. That promise God has honoured now for around 3700 years.
But God has said in several Bible passages that he will destroy this planet with fire instead of water in order to get rid of sin, sickness, suffering, pain and death permanently. Let us see one of these Bible verses now and found in two Thessalonians chapter one, verse seven. And to you who are troubled, rest with us when the Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.
So there's the context when the real Jesus Christ and his holy angels appear in the sky, notice what happens in verse eight, inflaming fire, taking vengeance on them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The important thing to notice, however, is that those who do obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ will not be affected by this fire, for they will have been saved from these fires by being taken to heaven by the same Lord Jesus Christ. This happens at the second coming of Christ and not at death.
But in all of the examples I showed you, God warned the people first. Now the part of an evangelist's role is to warn people about the end of this world at the second coming of the genuine Jesus Christ and to reveal God's solutions for your benefit. Therefore, this is not a doom and gloom presentation.
Those who heed the warning will be saved into God's new heaven and new earth, wherein dwells only righteousness for eternity. And that has to be good news, not bad news. So what is our decision today? Which group will we end up being in? The choice is ours.
So let us make a wise decision to get to know God personally by choosing to do topical Bible studies as soon as possible. This can be done either visually using dvds, USB hard drives or using the printed paid studies. You can contact either your local 7th day adventist pastor in your area or you can email me for usb hard drive or dvd bible lessons at my email address which is
[email protected]
then, after increasing your understanding of God's plans for your life, make a definite decision to follow Jesus all the way and be a new resident in the new world that is coming. You will be glad to experience the inner peace that comes with knowing you have made the correct choice also, knowing that there's now a reason for your life can bring you great comfort and joy. It only remains for you to turn your decision into a positive action plan and I recommend that to you today.
May God bless us all and our loved ones today and forevermore. Amen.
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