Prelude to the Last Seven Plagues: full transcript and answers

▶ 0:00 In Revelation 15:1: “I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.” And so all the other things before are also plagues. These are the seven last plagues, and, uh, he says there are seven angels with seven bowls of the seven last plagues, filled with God’s wrath, God’s anger, God’s punishment. So we have a nice little picture there for you to see, these angels coming out of the temple in heaven with the seven last plagues. It’s important for us to understand they’re coming out of the temple in heaven. It’s important for you to understand that there is a temple in heaven, and the natural temples that God gave us on earth was just so we could understand how the heavenly temple works. Are you with me? You know, we don’t want to worship natural temples like the Jews wound up doing. Uh, the temple that God gave them, He only gave them to show them how the heavenly temple worked, and even today we got to be careful of not getting so into a natural building.

▶ 1:31 The way we like it and so forth, and getting away from the fact that there is a spiritual temple in heaven, and that is the pattern to follow. Are you with me? Uh, I want to give you some Scriptures on that, if I can. Here it says in Hebrews chapter 8:4, “the earthly priests offer gifts, who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.” See, God never intended for those priests in the Old Testament, uh, and the sacrifices and the rituals they went through, to be the end result. They were an example of the end result. And that’s why the Catholic Church today, you know, they beautified a dead pope. You don’t beautify dead popes or dead people. That stuff is nonsense. What we need is to hear from God and meet with God. Can I hear an amen?

▶ 2:32 Amen. And over a million people come out to see some dead person beautified. Listen, we need to come out to see Jesus glorified. Isn’t that true? Isn’t that what the Bible’s all about? Uh, you know, we get so wrapped up (and I’m not just picking on the Catholic Church, they were doing something this weekend along with the royalty and all this junk that we get into). What we need to do is just humble ourself and touch God. Could that be true? Yeah. Not get distracted. He says all these things “serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.” See, that heavenly temple. Hebrews 9:23: “the patterns of heavenly things should be purified with these,” animal bloods, “but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than” God gave for the natural temple. And the natural sacrifices pointed to the real sacrifice, Jesus Christ. Amen. And that’s why they’re there. That’s when I go to third world countries and they’re still offering animals and shedding blood, I go, “Whoa, you guys are missing this thing that was only an example.” And, uh, the normal churches wouldn’t have anything to do with these churches. Well, how you going to help them if you won’t have anything to do with them? You know, they’re ignorantly still, you know, slicing animals’ throats and shedding blood, thinking they’re doing God a favor, and they don’t get that that was just an example of Christ’s coming and dying on the cross, and now we don’t do that anymore.

▶ 4:14 “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands,” that natural Jewish temple, “which are the figures of the true,” the true temple, where? In heaven. Okay. “But into heaven itself, Christ ascended, into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” See, Jesus is up there right now, interceding and mediating for you personally, you, me. See, that’s why I can get up in the morning with confidence. I have someone in the heavenly temple saying, “God, he believes in me. Father, he believes in me, you know, he’s pursuing me. You’ve got to be merciful, you’ve got to strengthen him, you’ve got to help this boy.” Hallelujah. I mean, Him up there praying for me and interceding for me is the big difference in you praying for me. Amen. You know, it’s nice that we pray one for another, but I tell you, when Jesus goes to the Father, the Father hears. And, I, you know, Mary is another thing. You don’t go to Mary, you don’t go to, uh, Joseph Smith, and none of these distractions. You go to Jesus. Why? He’s in the temple of God in heaven interceding, talking to God for you. Amen. Hallelujah. That’s powerful. So do we, we don’t want to get distracted. We got to understand there is a temple in heaven. Now it goes on to say that in this sea of glass.

▶ 6:07 Standing on the sea of glass up there in heaven, mingled with fire, this sea of glass, there’s a group of people that got victory over the beast. Now, I don’t know about you, but I, as a young Christian, I got sick and tired of hearing about the beast and the antichrist and the son of perdition and how bad things were going to be and everything else. When I read the Bible, there’s another slant to this whole thing. I don’t care what the beast is, you can call it what you want to, but there are some people that got victory over it. They conquered the beast. The beast didn’t conquer them. Are you there? Isn’t that what it says in Revelation 15? Yes. See, Christians aren’t wimps. I sent out a weekly Bible study this week. If you’re not on that and you’d like to be, just let one of us know and we’ll get you on it. I mean, Paul just plainly said we’re not wimps. He plainly said we could attain things, and in our generation in America there are so many books and tapes just make us out to be wimps, and we are a powerful people because Jesus is a powerful King. Amen.

▶ 7:24 Look at this: these people got victory over the beast, over his image (they didn’t worship it), over the mark (they didn’t take the mark so they could buy and sell). If God has to, He’ll bring the ravens to feed you. God will take care of His people, folks. Amen. We don’t have to be afraid, we don’t have to be raptured out to conquer this beast. And how do you conquer something that you’re not around? I mean, we conquered Germany because we confronted Germany and had war with them and won, ain’t that right? We didn’t conquer them by, you know, digging a hole in the ground and sheltering us from their bombs. And so these people, they conquered the beast, they conquered the mark, they conquered the image. Why? Right here, while it was going on. Hallelujah. And this is a problem they got, the [unclear] people have got a real problem here. I submit to you that the cross, the blood of Christ, is the most powerful thing. It’s the basic thing, and it’s the most powerful thing for the Christian, because it not only forgives us, it delivers us. It makes us, and the number of his name, 666. These people stood on the glass mingled with fire.

▶ 9:08 Now, Romans 8:35 says, “Who shall separate us from Christ’s love? Shall tribulation, distress, famine, persecution, nakedness, peril, or sword?” No. “And in all these things we are more than conquerors.” See, it’s all through the Bible. You know, we’re going through an economic time. Does that depress the Christian? No way. We have a [unclear] way beyond that. We got promises higher than that. People mistreat us, and robbers want to rob us, and all the rest, and people want to threaten us, persecution comes, or whatever, that doesn’t move us. Why? We have a fellowship with Jesus that’s above all that, and that’s what these people were. “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature.” Any other what? Creature. That includes the beast, beast numero uno and beast numero dos, both of them. The little bit of Spanish I know. “Shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So why am I afraid of this beast and this mark? The Bible promises me that nothing’s going to separate me. When it comes, I’m going to stand for Christ. I don’t need to be taken out of this world. God will empower me at that time to be victorious. Amen.

▶ 10:50 It’s powerful. This is powerful, as you’ve seen in the book of Revelation. The church is approached as a very powerful people. Revelation 5:10: “He has made us kings and priests, and we shall rule.” Where? Now, how are you going to rule on earth if you got to be raptured out? Rule means you have power over. You’re the one in control. So we are in control of the beast when he comes. We are in control of whether we worship his image or not, and here it says that we are a people that conquered it. So obviously we have to be here when it happens, and obviously we showed you these things have been happening for 2,000 years, and we showed you that Revelation, twice, at the beginning and at the end, says these things will happen “shortly.” See, people are being persecuted, been persecuted for 2,000 years. They’ve been going through economic problems and famine and plagues and sicknesses for 2,000 years. What’s the big deal here? Why do we got to have some super duper thing up here at the end time to get all egotistical about? I submit to you that Christians since Christ came have overcame these things.

▶ 12:28 And I’ll tell you, I’ve preached all over the world. I preached in South America, Africa, Europe, and, uh, over in Asia and all, and I found people of all denominations and walks of life, because I cross over borders. It doesn’t bother me what people do. I just go in and worship God with them. I found people in those groups that are conquerors. They love Jesus, they live right, they are beautiful people. That includes Catholics and Presbyterians and Baptists. It’s not the group you belong to, it’s the King that you believe in. Hallelujah. So I found people in all these denominations that are more than conquerors. The Bible says in Matthew 16:18, He says, “I will build My church, and the gates of hell will not” what? “Prevail against it.” Gates are the entry to a fortress.

▶ 13:29 Okay, so who’s on the defense here? Huh? Hell is the gates of hell. See, the entrance to hell. Who is on the defense? Hell is not us. Hallelujah. Gosh. See, we’re a powerful people. People, why are we, you know, so the homosexuals and the sinners and everybody out there is promoting it, what do we care? Why are we so shaky? We prevail against it by living for Christ and preaching the Word. We can bring people out of that fortress, isn’t that right? We can bring people out of the captivity of hell by preaching the Word and bringing them Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. And we can be around the forces of hell, the sin and the kingdom of darkness, without being affected by it. Why? Because we’re more than conquerors. Man, we’re those people that stand on the sea of glass that overcome, and not only we overcome, we are conquering. There it is, that verse, Matthew 16:18: “I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail,” overpower or succeed “against it.” The kingdom of darkness cannot succeed against the kingdom of Christ. Amen. The people of darkness cannot have success over the people of Christ. That’s the Bible, and we see in Revelation that it worked. Amen. Isn’t that powerful?

▶ 15:21 And listen to this: “They sang the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.” Now, just like you need to know that there’s a temple on the earth, then there’s a temple in heaven, you need to know that there’s a song that God gave Moses, and there’s a song about the Lamb, and we’re going to look into these two songs and show you the difference. Are you ready? See, most of us don’t even know there was a song of Moses. There literally is a song of Moses, and there literally is a song of the Lamb, and if we know these, then we can understand what’s going on. Are you ready? All right. Deuteronomy 31:19, God told Moses, “Write this song and teach it” as a witness to Israel, okay, as evidence. And this song says they will serve other gods, they will break My covenant, and they’ll turn aside from My commandment. Wow. Did you hear that? Before they ever did it, God said this is what they’re going to do. They’re going to turn aside, they’re going to break My covenant, and they’re going to serve other gods. Well, they were already serving other gods, if you know your Bible. Even when they were there in the wilderness, they were serving other gods, and I don’t have time to go into that.

▶ 16:55 So in verse 21 God says this song will testify against them. This song will be evidence against them when they do these things that I told them what they’re going to do. “Their hearts were this way. I know their imagination, their fantasies and their thinking. I know their rebellion. I know that they’re void of counsel and understanding.” I mean, how would you like God to bring you that song? Huh? You’re void of understanding, you’re void of counsel, you’re a dumb, stupid people. “Oh, that they were wise, that they would consider their latter end.” Famines, plagues, and the sword, or wars, will destroy them. Deuteronomy 32:43, “God will provide atonement for them.” He’s going to bring them back, but they are going to go away. Are you there? That’s the song of Moses. How many know that’s not a very edifying song? I’ll bet you Israel didn’t sing that very often. I bet they didn’t come in, you know, with this song on their lips.

▶ 18:21 Huh. But it happened. It came to pass, didn’t it? Everything in here came to pass. Plagues came, wars came, they went into captivity, and God, what? Atoned for them and brought them out of captivity, showing us the example that if we go into captivity, the blood of Christ can bring us out. And all they had to do was admit they were wrong in captivity and ask for forgiveness, and God said, “I will turn their captivity and bring them back.” Hallelujah. So that’s all for an example, but that’s the song of Moses. I don’t know about you, but he can keep that song. Here’s the song of the Lamb. Now look at this big difference. The elders fell down before the Lamb singing a what? New song. “You are worthy.” Who is worthy? The Lamb, Jesus. This is the song of the Lamb: “You are worthy to open the seals of the book. You were slain, and You redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kind and tribe, tongue, people, and nations, and You have made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign.”

▶ 19:37 Where? Where? Nothing about backsliding. Amen. Nothing about going astray. Nothing about turning away. Nothing about breaking the covenant. He says, “Man, you’re going to rule on earth.” Hallelujah. I mean, which one would you rather be, a weak [unclear] people, or you would like to be this people? This is the promise to us. It isn’t the promise that we’re going to backslide, and we’ve got to hang on to the rapture, and, you know, we just got to go through life sinning and all the rest. This is a song of victory. This is a song of accomplishment, a song of strength, a song of power, where? Right now, in this earth. Hebrews 8:6: “Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry as a Mediator of a better covenant, established on better promises.” See, why can this be? Why is the Moses song so not victorious, and the song of the Lamb is? Because the old covenant wasn’t the final covenant. The Old Testament was not the final. It only pointed to the final one, and all the saints of old who were looking forward to the final one lived victorious. Are you there? But now we’re in the new covenant, and Jesus is a Mediator of what? A better covenant. That’s why the song is better. Does that make sense to you? Yes. “Established on better promises.” So we have better things than the Old Testament, uh, covenant.

▶ 21:35 John 17:21: “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name, and none of them is lost.” How many? Wow. Wow. See, and people that I know, these people where I go to visit all over the world and meet, that are conquerors, they actually met with Christ, they actually got born again, they actually are living for Christ, regardless of the denomination they’re in. It is very, very encouraging to see Catholics and Presbyterians and Methodists and Baptists living for Christ, living a strong life, overcoming the things of this world and living for Christ here on earth now. Amen. And a lot of times they got to overcome their church. Jesus said, “I’ve lost how many? None.” Wow. Now, how many Christians you know been saved about 10 times? Yeah, I, you, I used to meet them at the altar. I said, “What are you doing up here?” “Well, I got to get saved again.” I go, “A person’s only born one time, and a person only gets born again one time. Now, either your birth was lousy, no good, or you just need to let Jesus be Lord of your life and grow in Christ. Now, which is it?” He said, “Man, I need to buck up.” “Okay, then let’s buck up.” Isn’t that a difference? I don’t keep getting saved and over saved and saved and saved and saved again, but I do need to, what? Keep changing. “I lost how many?”

▶ 23:31 Hallelujah. And, you know, that’s what happened in my life. I never thought about backsliding. I didn’t even know that that was an alternative. Christ was so good and the Word was so powerful, it was always just pursuing. Did I make mistakes? Yes, but I could correct them. Aren’t you glad every one of us has erasers on your pencils? Yeah, you know, we can correct. Aren’t you glad that God has an eraser? Yes, it’s called repentance: admitting you’re wrong and asking forgiveness. He erases. John 18:9: “Of those whom You gave Me I have lost” how many? None. Now, is this a better covenant? Are these better promises? This is powerful, church, and this is in the book of Revelation, and it’s all through the Bible. Luke 22:31: “Satan has desired to have you, Peter, and sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith fail not.” See, what’s He up there in heaven doing for us? Interceding for us that our faith fails not. I have a powerful lawyer up there pleading my case and a King that has power to perform in my life what He promised when you’re converted, see, when you’re changed.

▶ 25:06 Now, Peter was a pretty strong apostle, but he did deny Christ. He did tell Jesus (he rebuked Jesus, the Bible says) and says, “You can’t die, you can’t die on the cross.” You know how many Christians I hear rebuking God? They don’t say they’re rebuking Him, but when you tell God He can’t do certain things, and you tell God what His Word should be, that’s exactly what you’re doing. You’re rebuking God. And, uh, Peter was the one that went fishing. He said, “Well, Jesus is dead, I’m going fishing.” He’s the one that, and the whole group followed him. And a lot of you are like that: one person gets cold and said, “Hey, I’m just going to stay home,” well, 10 of you just stay home. It’s true. But who was the first one out of the boat when Jesus came to the seashore and said, “Children, do you have any meat?” Peter. Man, he said, “It’s the Master!” Jumped out of that boat, made it, he split, got to shore. You see, see, Jesus prayed for him that his faith fail not, and it didn’t fail. He made some errors, but he wound up being a conqueror. Amen.

▶ 26:39 And that same Jesus is interceding for us, folks. That’s what makes the difference. And He says, “When you do get changed, strengthen your brethren.” Now, how many know you’re not going to be able to strengthen people until you got strength yourself? Does that make sense? Yeah. You’re not going to be able to change people till you change yourself, and in marriages and in raising kids, you know, we want our kids to change and we want our spouse to change, and we’re not changing. And when you’re not changing, you have no clout to tell anyone else to change. You have nothing to give them, you have no example before them. You’re just a clanging drum and a clanging symbol, [unclear] irritating. You’re just shooting your mouth off when you need to shut up and change and show them the way they should go. Boy, that was good. Amen.

▶ 27:35 And Jesus said we could change. He’s interceding for us to change. So He said, “Father, don’t leave him in that state. Don’t leave that guy with a temper. Don’t leave that guy with a lustful desire for sexual [unclear]. Father, come on, do Your thing.” Father. Is that beautiful? And see, that’s encouraging. So I don’t have to get down, I don’t have to get depressed, and I don’t have to feel rejected, and I don’t have to quit. Why? I got somebody that can do something about my situation up there in heaven, appearing before the throne of God for me, and I’m going to wind up being a victorious, victorious person. Why? Because the Victorious One is pleading my cause. So bring on the beast, and bring on the mark, and bring on these things. We are more than conquerors in Him. I’m going to wind up what? Worshiping before Him in heaven. Why? Because I am a part of a better covenant, better promises. He lost how many? None, and I’m not going to let Him lose me. He keeps what comes to Him. Isn’t that powerful? But see, when we bring people to a church, then the church has to maintain and keep them. When we bring people to a minister, that minister has to maintain and keep them. But when we bring people to Christ, then Christ maintains and keeps them.