Why So Many Churches? - SOPS2322

Are you ready to experience the amazing love of God and his plan for your life? Are you curious about the fast fulfilling bible prophecies? Amidst the rapidly changing world, secrets of prophecy is your gateway to unlocking these exciting realities. Join pastor David Price on a journey of discovery that will not only transform your life, but will equip you with inner peace and an unshakable hope to face the future. Well, I am so glad that you can join me for another session of Secrets of Prophecy. Our topic in this session is quite a fascinating one. It's actually referring to the fact that there's one God and one Bible and one Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. But why are there so many churches? So that's what we want to answer in this amazing session. So let's have a look at our discovery questions which are summaries of the questions that we will look at in this amazing Bible study. Question number one, what symbol is used in the Bible to portray a church? Number two, what happened to the church during the Middle Ages? Number three, why did God's true church disappear and for how long? Number four, list two biblical identifying marks for God's final church? And finally, what invitation does God give to those outside the church? So in session 22 we're going to answer the question why are there so many churches? Let us pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, again we would ask for wisdom and understanding as we open your word and may we see amazing things in Jesus name. Amen. So let's get started into session number 22. The topic is why so many churches? The study guide is downloadable under the Description bar and the online platform that you are watching this on. If you want to follow on that way. As United Airlines Flight 93 was plummeting towards its tragic end on September 11, 2001, the flight recorder captured the last words of the hijacking terrorists. Allah is the greatest. The passionate tones continued until the silence of death as the plane slammed into the Pennsylvanian countryside. You know, this is not the first time religion has motivated hatred and bloodshed. In 1669, Jean Ledger, a noted religious historian, printed a series of graphic sketches showing the religious persecution faced by the heretic Christians in the Waldensian valleys of Northern Italy. Well, one of the images depicted by Ledger shows a 90 year old man, Isaiah grand, captured for his faith and decapitated in cold blood. Other images show women and children torn into pieces or impaled. The bodies were paraded on a stick as a warning to the local community to conform to the Roman church or be killed. You know, religion has always been a contentious issue, the ultimate source of passion, enthusiasm and commitment. But it's also been the seedbed of intolerance and violence. Historians have estimated that the Middle Ages church single handedly killed over 50 million people for belonging to the wrong church. The religious world today is even more fragmented than ever before. Among the 19 world religions, the World Christian Encyclopaedia estimates a total of 270 separate religious groups. Within Christianity alone, there are 34000 different Christian groups and all claim to be God's true church and possess the truth. So let's step back and ask a question. Does God actually have a church today? If so, which isn't? Should we even join a church? Or is it better to remain an independent believer? In this particular study guide, you'll discover a prophecy that describes the history and characteristics of God's true church. This prophecy, found in Revelation chapter 12 makes it very simple to identify God's church for the last days. So thank you for joining us to actually Enjoy session number 22. Why so many churches? Let's go straight to question number one. How important is it to actually belong to a church? That's an important question, isn't it? We're going to go to Acts chapter 2 and verse 47 and read the works words of the apostle Luke. Luke wrote, and the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. That's a reference to the early church, the New Testament church. And you'll notice there that it is God who actually adds people into his church. Therefore he must approve of joining a church. So an integral aspect of accepting Jesus Christ is to be baptised into his body, the church. Please see First Corinthians 12:13. And yet we must acknowledge that the church is not perfect. There is a sense of trust and vulnerability in joining a community of human believers. Sometimes people actually get hurt. But according to God's word, one of the most important things for you to do is to experience the church. And in Hebrews 10:25 that is what we need to remember that we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together as some is. So there are three key benefits to being involved in church. Point number one, the church can actually enhance your spiritual journey. Number two, you can encourage others in their spiritual journey. And then the church community and organisation enables a more effective sharing of the gospel. But I want you to remember two important principles before we move on. Principle number one is this as an eternal principle, you do not go to a church to find the truth. You go to the Bible to find the truth. This is something that most people, I think, would not understand. A second important principle is this, that when you find the truth in God's church, you look for a church that teaches the truth. So let's now move on and look at the history of the Christian church. This will be both shocking and confronting because you will see that many things happen that were difficult for the true church to go through. In question number two, we're going to ask and answer, what symbol is used in the Bible to actually portray a church? In Jeremiah 6 and verse 2, we read, I have likened the daughter of Zion to a lovely and delicate woman. Zion is a reference to Jerusalem or to God's people. And so a church is likened to a woman. So throughout the Bible, a woman actually represents a church, a good woman represents God's true church, and a prostitute represents an evil church. See 2nd Corinthians 11:2 and Revelation 17:1 6. Let me share with you some more. And the Scripture, not in the study guide, the Bible says in Revelation 19:7, Let us be glad and rejoice and give him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his wife has made herself ready. So we notice here that a pure woman stands for God's pure church. And so this bride is actually the wife of the groom, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ is married to the church. Therefore, people are to join his church, the body of Christ. So to go a little bit further, we want to look at Ezekiel 16:30 and 35 in terms of Jerusalem. God says, how degenerate is your heart, Says the Lord God, seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot. Now then, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord. So, friends, in the same token, an impure woman stands for an impure church. And you can see in these two scriptures that Israel fitted both descriptions at different times in the history of the Old Testament church. So to summarise, a pure woman represents a pure church, and a false woman actually represents a false church. Let's go to question number three. How is God's true church described in the Book of Revelation? We're going to the chapter that is the heart of this Bible study, Revelation, chapter 12 and verse 1. Now, a great sign appeared in heaven. A woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland or crown of 12 stars. What could this actually mean? Here we find the church of God surrounded by the sun, the moon and the stars. A symbol of the Church as the light of the world. Matthew 5:14. So the sun represents Jesus Christ, as in Malachi 4, 2. The moon represents the scriptures that reflect the light of Jesus Christ to his church. The stars represent the leaderships of God's church in the Old Testament with the 12 tribes and in the New Testament with the 12 apostles. And then in the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, the twelve gates. But what about the man child? This actually refers to the birth of Jesus Christ because he was born out of the Old Testament Jewish church and Jesus was raised as a son of the Jews. Question number four. Who attempted to destroy the woman and her child as soon as he was born? We go to Revelation chapter 12 and verse 4, it says there and the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth to devour her child as soon as it was born. So here we find the devil symbolised by a dragon, working through the power of Rome to accomplish his aim. See verses 3, 4 and 9 in Revelation chapter 12. Well, the devil also used King Herod, a ruler under Rome who heard about the birth of Jesus and immediately issued a death decree on all the male infants in Bethlehem. See Matthew 2:16. Now, Jesus and his parents escaped Bethlehem, but the devil did not give up. Ultimately, the dragon inspired evil men to crucify Jesus on a cross. The good news of the Gospel tells us that the grave could not hold Jesus down. He rose from the dead and completely defeated the devil. And that is wonderful news for those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Question number five, who did the devil attack after he failed to destroy the Lord Jesus Christ? We go to Revelation chapter 12 and verse 13. Now, when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. So friends, we find here that when Satan was cast out of heaven, he couldn't go after Jesus anymore. So he decided to go after that which was precious in the sight of heaven. And that would be God's earthly church. Before we go on, I just want to remind you that there are three phases of the woman when she was pregnant. In Revelation chapter 12, it represents the Old Testament church waiting for the Messiah. Then when she had the baby, the baby who represents the manchild, which was the Lord Jesus Christ. This represents the New Testament church carrying on the gospel after Jesus Christ ascended to heaven. And then finally, the Woman of Revelation 12 stands for God's Last Day Church, also known as the Remnant church, the one that remains. You know, the devil knows the most effective way to hurt Jesus is to Hurt those he loves. Just ask any parent what hurts more when they are in pain or when their children are suffering. The early Christian Church suffered greatly at the hands of pagan Rome. And millions of people were martyred. Anyone who accepted Jesus knew they could be thrown to the hungry lions in the Coliseum, crucified, burned to death or even torn in two. And that list of the Roman emperors is a list of those who tried to exterminate the Christian Church. So the results though of this persecution were absolutely amazing. God had a plan. Instead of destroying God's Church, persecution became the catalyst for growth. The Christian character in life and death was such a powerful witness that others were inspired to join the Christian Church. The devil then changed his tactics. The Roman govern government stopped persecuting the Church. It even started to welcome the Christian faith. Through the Emperor Constantine, Rome began to form a coalition of Church and state. Satan decided that if he could not destroy the Church, he would join it and corrupt it. It's like the old saying, isn't it? If you can't beat them, join them. And that's exactly what happened. So question six, what actually happened to the Christian Church during the Middle Ages? Let's go to 2nd Thessalonians, chapter 2 and verse 13. Paul wrote, Let no one deceive you by any means, for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first and the man of sin is revealed, the Son of perdition. This is very, very powerful. So for the first 300 years, the Christian Church remained relatively pure and true to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. But once the Church formed a coalition with the state and state and church joined together, paganism began to strongly influence the Church. And this is where the problems came. The traditions, the teachings and symbols of the pagan gods came flooding into the Church. While the purity, obedience and worship of the living God went out of God's Church. Let's ask a question, is there any evidence for the apostasy? And what does history say about this falling away by the Church of the Middle Ages from biblical truth? Let's go to some extra information not contained in the study. Jacquetta Hawks wrote a book, man and the Sun. She wrote, but from the time of Constantine, this is the emperor Constantine, the confusion became much greater, that is the confusion within the Church during its short lived triumph as the state religion of Rome. Mithraism had been set up with its elaborate sacerdotal system, its high pontiff and the rest. Some of these forms were taken over when Christianity succeeded. Mithraism. A devout Christian historian has Said how when it became the state religion, the empire was partly Christianized and the Church was partly paganized. That's man and the sun, page 202. Let's continue on. The quote says, I do not think it would be an exaggeration to say that in the 4th century and for some time afterward, there was for very many people of the Western empire a total confusion between state Christianity and the state sun worship it displaced in its earliest days as a world religion. Then Christianity had absorbed much from more than one historical source of sun worship. Page 204, end of quote. So friends, the Church fell away from the truth and paganism became tradition. Let's have a look at this chart on the screen. So in 321 AD the Sunday law was instituted, which is not found in scripture. And 325 Easter came and joined the Christian Church. And it came from the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. From Ishtar we get Easter. In 336. Christmas was originally the birthday of the Babylonian Sun God Tammuz, and now it became associated with the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. In 376 AD the Pope became Pontifex Maximus, which means the great bridge builder. And this came from the Babylonian cult. In 381 AD Mary worship was added to the Christian Church, but was never found in scripture. In 416 A.D. there was infant baptism, which replaced of course in many instances, baptism by immersion. In 783 AD there was the worship of images and saints. In 813 the Mass came in with transubstantiation, which is the belief that the bread and the wine are the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ. In 1123 A.D. there was the celibacy of priests brought in a teaching not found in scripture. 1215 AD there was annual confession to priests that was brought into the Christian church. 1229 AD there was Bible reading by layman forbidden. And so it was very hard for people to know what God's Word said. In 1229 A.D. the same year, the Pope claimed supremacy over the leaders. And in 1439 AD Purgatory became a dogma and teaching of the Church, although not found in scripture. And in 1545 tradition was declared to be equal to the Bible. But not only was there a falling away from church where paganism became tradition, there was also a falling away from holiness because there was apostasy in the clergy, sins of adultery and murder, and also theft and all manner of perversions came into the Christian Church. So friends, when the Bible said there would be a falling away. It was absolutely correct and it was absolutely fulfilled in many different ways. There was also a falling away in the Christian Church of the Middle Ages from holiness through many killings. Heretics were killed for disagreeing over the nature of Christ. In 336 to 383 AD, there were death camps. Four and a half thousand Saxon rebels were beheaded for refusing to convert to Christianity. In 1096-1299, a long period of time, the Crusade killed up to 10 million Muslims, Jews, pagans and Christians. There was also the murder of over 1 million Albigenses. In 1232 AD, there was the 35,000 people burned during the Inquisition. 9 million witches were burned. Over 500 years. 8,600 Jews were killed. 5,000 were killed for rejecting papal authority. 4,000 Jews were killed by the Archbishop of Seville. 30,000 were burned during the Catholic Inquisition. In 1450 AD. The Spanish Inquisition a few years later killed thousands. And then in 487 AD, the church massacred over 150 Waldensians. So friends, this is the record of history and it's not easily argued or explained away. To summarise, during the Middle Ages, persecution against God's true Church was reintroduced. Here, the strategy of Satan was to use the Church to attack the Church. So the devil sent a flood of armies after those who refused to affect except the pagan teachings and practises. Anyone who refused to be part of the Roman Church was banished or killed. See Revelation 12 and verse 15. So we need to ask the question, how did God's true Church survive during this time of the great apostasy? Where did the Church, true Church, go when they were persecuted? Let's have a look at Revelation 12, verses 6 and 14. Let's start with verse 6. So it says, then the woman who stands for the Church, a symbol of the Church, fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God. So the true church flees into the wilderness. And notice this is sanctioned by God. So the official church of the day was not sanctioned by God because he protects his true believers. In Revelation chapter 12 and verse 14 we read, but the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place where she is nourished. So friends, she was given the strength to fly into the wilderness and eagled to designate swiftness and strength. And there she would be protected and be able to grow and become strong for what would be soon coming. The history books tell us in538 the Roman Emperor Justinian officially made a decree to enforce the power and presence of the Papacy. A failure to join the Church resulted in forced removal from the Empire and the confiscation of property. This decree forced the true followers of God to flee the large cities of Europe and move into the mountains and caves of the less populated areas, remote areas in Italy, France, Britain, Switzerland and even the Middle East. And so it was in these wilderness areas that the Church could still meet together for worship and study of the Bible. You know, it's interesting and important to note that the Church of God was still in existence during these times, but it was not as the official mainstream organisation. You see, the Church was in the wilderness. It comprised groups of people who remained faithful to God at the risk of persecution and death. Let's take a break for a moment and ask the question, what does history actually say about God's Church in the wilderness? So let's go to the Waldensian area in the North Italian Alps and go back in history and see what happened to the Church in the wilderness. I want to share with you from the amazing book the Great controversy, page 65. Through ages of darkness and apostasy, there were Waldenzies who denied the supremacy of Rome, who rejected image, image worship as idolatry, and who kept the true Sabbath, end of quote. That's from Elamite's book, the Great Controversy, an amazing book of history and prophecy. And so we find here in the Chiesa Valdez, or the Church of the Waldenzis, there actual theme and motto was Light Shining in the darkness. They knew that a great moral and spiritual darkness had descended through the apostasy, the falling away from Biblical truth. And they wanted to be a bright light. So if you go over to this area in the valleys there in Northern Italy, you'll find this college, the College of the Barbs, meaning the College of the Uncles, or the teachers. And here is where the Waldensian people actually trained their children. Here is a stone table where students would write the Bible out by hand. Isn't that incredible? In fact, the Waldenzis were so smart that they actually had their children memorise Scripture so that the Bible was ever taken off them. That their families were able to recite large passages of the Bible off by heart and the Scripture would not be lost. So their motto was, you shall be missionaries or you shall be nothing. But this, of course, enraged the Church of the day. The Waldensians were then considered heretics by the Church of Rome. And then above the town of Torapolichi is Mount Castelluzzo. And I want you to notice up there on the cliffs, this would be where their sacred secret location was, and also where many of them would meet their death. There is actually a cave up there called Giza de la Tana, the Church of the cave. And this is where the Waldensis fled when they're under attack by the Roman and papal troops. They hid in the cave, but the Roman soldiers actually lit a fire there and many were asphyxiated in the cave. Those who might have run out the front were then exited over the side of the mountain and their bodies were dashed on the rocks below. This was such a dreadful time that John Milton actually wrote In England in 1655 a sonnet called on the Late Massacre at Piedmont. Piedmont in Italy. Let me share that poem with you. Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints, whose bones lie scattered on the Alpine mountains, cold even them who kept thy truth so pure of old. When all our fathers worship stocks and stones, forget not in thy book recall their groans, who were thy sheep and in their ancient fold slain by the bloody Piedmontese that rolled mother down with infant down the rocks their moans the veils redoubled to the hills, and they to heaven their martyred blood and ashes. So over all the Italian fields where still doth sway the triple tyrant, that from these may grow a hundredfold who have learned thy way early, may fly the Babylonian woe. The triple tyrant was a reference to the Pope of the day with his triple mitre. Friends, this is an absolute confrontation, isn't it? To think of the suffering that the Waldensian people went through. Here is the church today in Toro Pelici in north northwest Italy, the Waldensian Church. And you can go inside. And here is this illustration of what they stand for. This is their motto. We promise in front of our living God to maintain between us union and order. And we promise faithfulness until the last drop of our blood. So, friends, you can see that the church fled to the wilderness and this was a terrible time for God's true church. Question 8, how long would God's true church remain undercover in the wilderness? Let's go to Revelation 12 and have a look at verses 6 and 14. That they should feed her, the woman there, 12, 60 days. That's Revelation chapter 12 and verse 6. Let's jump to verse 14 where this is explained more. So the woman would there be nourished for a time and times and half a time from the presence of the serpent. What does this time period mean? Well, we've discussed this in previous sessions, but let's Summarise it one more time. The prophecy here actually predicts a period of 1260 years in the wilderness for God's Church. That prediction was perfectly fulfilled when the Church went into hiding through the dark ages from 538 to 1798. If you would like some more information on that, please go back to the study guides in session 13 and 14. Who is the Antichrist? Part one and part two, for much more detail on these dates and how they're computed. Well, prior to the fall of the papacy, a movement began that revolutionised the Christian Church. A passion for truth emerged in the lives of men such as Martin Luther, John Wycliffe, John Calvin and John Hussein. The Bible was translated into the common language and people understood Bible prophecy and the Gospel of Jesus. The Papacy rejected this movement as heresy. But the spark for the Reformation was lit. The slow process of exiting the wilderness had begun. So, friends, you need to remember that the Last Days Remnant Church actually appears after the 1260 years or sometime after the year 1798 AD. Now, we need to understand what this word remnant means. What is a remnant church? But firstly, what is a remnant? Because there's not so much sewing done today, people don't often know what a remnant sale is. So a remnant sale can actually be a sale of leftover bits of carpet. It can also be a sale of leftover bits of cloth. And I did love this building, the remnant store, right there in America, where they sell foam and fabric and vinyl and upholstery supplies. The lady that has all the. She has all the bolts of material on these rolls and they are stored there. And the question we must ask is, in a remnant sale, the remnant actually means the last bits on the roll. So let me ask you the question. In a remnant sale, does the last bit on the roll have the same colour? Does it have the same texture and does it have the same fabric and does it have the same pattern? And the answer is that absolutely it must. The last piece on the roll, the last bolt of cloth on that roll must match up with that which was sold at the first. So here is the challenge that the Last Day Remnant church must meet the same qualifications and characteristics as the early church. They must match in that they keep the commandments of God and they have the faith of Jesus. That's faith in Jesus as well as the faith and beliefs of Jesus, the same teachings that Jesus had. So below is a list of teachings and the churches that emerged as a result of the Reformation. You'll see how each church built on the truths of Previous churches. So the revelation of truth was progressive. This is one reason why there are so many Christian churches today. The spirit of the Reformation continued throughout the world until the Church of God was established for the last days, a church that returned to all the original teachings of the early Christian church. So let's see how after the Reformation, truth was restored. At the bottom of this chart you'll see that the Orthodox Church actually came up with the idea that there could be a church that ruled and reigned itself without any reference to a Pope. The United Brethren Church came up with the idea that they would go on the authority of the Bible and the Bible alone. The Church of England discovered that they didn't need images, idols or to worship Mary. The church of Martin Luther. The Lutherans rediscovered that they were saved through faith alone. The Presbyterian Church were centering on practical Christianity instead of formal religion. Through the work of John Wesley, the Baptist church rediscovered Bible baptism and went back to commending and practising baptism by immersion. The Methodist Church meanwhile, believed in a necessary separation of church and state and also a strong belief in the Ten Commandments. Then the Adventists of the 1840s were highlighting the second coming of Jesus. And then after that arose a group known as Seventh Day Adventists. They would be people who would keep the seventh day Sabbath, the original day of worship in the Bible and the day that has not been changed in Scripture, although it has been changed by the Church of Rome. And Adventist means second Advent or second coming of Jesus. So friends, you can see that truth is very progressive. If someone has been in a dark room or in a cave, you cannot rush them outside into the light because it will blind them. Truth is progressive and so much truth had been taken out of the Christian church that God had to lead his reformed Christian church out into the light gradually. And so the restoration of all these truths took many years. This is why there is so many churches. Let's go to question number nine. So what is the devil's attitude towards God's church in the last days? We go to the famous chapter on the last day church, the Woman In Revelation 12 and verse 17 we read, and the dragon was wrathful, or he was enraged. He was white hot in his anger with the woman, the pure church. And he went to make war to kill and destroy the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. So friends, this reminds us that the devil was especially angry with the rest of her offspring, or in other words, the church of the last days. Over the last 2000 years Satan has had the time and experience to actually refine his tactics. He's full of deceit and evil as he declares an all out war upon God's final church And Satan. The devil will do his best to deceive and discourage as many of God's people as possible because he knows that time is short. Revelation 12:12 and this is a war that he will ultimately lose. Let's go to a new heading and have a look at God's final church found in Revelation chapter 12 and Revelation chapter 14. Question number 10, what are the identifying marks for God's final church? In Revelation 12 and verse 17 we read and the dragon Satan was in rage with the woman and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring. The the King James Version says that he went to make war with the the remnant of her seed. We are reading here in this seminar series from the new King James. But the King James version before it says the devil went to make war with the remnant of a seed, the ones who remain, and it's translated here, the rest of her offspring. These people, the last day remnant church would keep the commandments of God and they would have the testimony of Jesus Christ. So friends, the prophecy of Revelation 12 outlines the history of God's church since the time of Jesus Christ. The chapter ends with a comment on the church at the end of time. A church referred to as the rest or remnant of her offspring. This is the final church that represents Jesus and his truth in the closing moments prior to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. So God has provided a number of clear characteristics, in fact eight or more to enable us to easily identify this church. With pride and humility I say that the Seventh Day Adventist Church believes that God has saved people in all churches. However, he specifically raised up the Seventh Day Adventist movement to represent him and his final message in the end times. The key passages that identify God's final church are found in Revelation chapter 12 and verse 14. Before we go to that, well let's have a look at the evidence. But before we do, let's go back to our eternal principle. You do not go to a church to find the truth. You go to the Bible to find the truth. When you find the truth, you look for a church that actually teaches the truth. Friends, I think a lot of people do that back to front and many say the biggest church must be the one that is the most correct. So let's now look at the evidence for who is the last days church. We go to clue number one. And the Bible says in Revelation 6 verse Revelation chapter 12, verses 6 and 14 that this church will rise up after the 1260 years prophesied in Scripture and would arise after 1798. So the visible church of God remained in the wilderness until 1798. After that time, God would bring his church out of obscurity and enable it to be a global representation of his love and truth. Is there any evidence on this one? Yes, there is. The Seventh Day Adventist Church can trace its beliefs back through the church in the wilderness to the early Christian church. However, it visibly emerged during the mid 19th century and was officially organised in 1863. Let's go to clue number two. This last day remnant church will believe in the original teachings of the Christian Church. Revelation 12:17. In fact, the King James Version of the Bible translates the phrase the rest of her offspring as the remnant. In Revelation 12:17, a remnant of material used for making clothing is the end piece of cloth and usually just a small piece. It's also the same colour and pattern as the original cloth. Here we find God's final church with the same practises and teachings as Jesus and the original Christian church. Is there any evidence that this church is around today? The SDA church has continued the Reformation through a philosophy of taking the Bible and the Bible only as the rule of faith. It's restored all the major truths from the original Christian church. Let's go to clue number three of eight. This last day remnant church will be based on Jesus Christ and the good news of the gospel in Revelation 14 verses 6 and 12. So the foundation for the final church will be the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Jesus will be presented as the ultimate destination for any spiritual journey and the answer to all of life's challenges. Is there any evidence this church is around today? The 7th Avenue Church believes salvation is 100% based on the sacrifice and merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus is the centre of every aspect of the Adventist message. Even by Bible prophecy is presented as the revelation of Jesus Christ. As in Revelation 1:1 all reference to obedience and the Ten Commandments is done in the context of love and worshipping Jesus. Clue number four, God's last day Remnant church believes in all of God's commandments, including the sabbath. See Revelation 12:17 and 14:12. So God's church is a commandment keeping church. This means it's also a sab keeping church. The church of God believes that God's law is a reflection of his character and anyone who truly loves Jesus will want to keep his Law. What is the evidence for this? The SDA Church teaches and keeps all of God's commandments including the seventh day Sabbath of the Bible, just as the ancient Waldensian folk did who were God's church in the wilderness. I want to remind you as we covered in previous studies, you either have this seal of God the seventh day Sabbath or you'll receive the mark of the beast which is the sign of sun worship and Sunday worship not found in Scripture. Clue number five the last day Remnant church will preach the final warning message to the world in Revelation 14:6 12. Do you remember that just before a global flood, Noah was raised up by God to preach a clear and dramatic warning message. The world will soon be destroyed. He said, get into the ark at the end of time. God has inspired a movement to also preach a specific message. This message is found in Revelation 14:6 to 12 and will be preached to a world that's facing destruction at the second coming of Jesus. So this unique message focuses on the everlasting Gospel and it has three aspects and it's his final warning message. Part number one. We are to worship the Creator God and give him glory because the judgement has begun. Revelation 14:7. This is actually best done by worshipping on the original day of worship given in creation, the seventh day Sabbath. Number two, God tells his last day people through his last day church that Babylon has four fallen. This stands for all of the Christian churches who have fallen away from the truth. They are condemned and they are warned that this is what God Sundays. In Revelation 14 verse 8, Babylon has fallen and he says to come out of her my people. In Revelation 18 verse 4, another fearsome warning is the third angel's message says that we are to avoid the mark of the beast. In Revelation 14 verses 9 to 11, any church which is God's final church will be preaching this vital message. Is there any evidence that this is being done, friends? The Three Angels message of Revelation 14:6 to 12 is the unique focus of the Seventh Day Adventist message and mission. In fact the message is clear. The judgement of God began in AD 1844. The memorial to the Creator God is the Sabbath. We are to keep the seventh day Sabbath and come out of false religious networks of Babylon and avoid any form of false worship including the mark of the beast. Let's go to clue number six. God's last day Remnant church will teach that death is a peaceful rest until the resurrection. Revelation 14 and verse 13. So the final church preaches a message about death that protects people from the deceptions of supernatural Spiritualism in the last days, death is asleep and there should be no communication with the dead through spiritual mediums. Is there any evidence this is taking place? One of the most important teachings within the estate church is the concept of death as a sleep. At death the person remains in the grave until the resurrection. Clue number seven, God's Last Day Remnant Church will be a global movement preaching all over the world. In Revelation 14, verse 6, the Church of God will be preaching the final message to every nation, tribe, tongue and people. Revelation 14:6. Is there any evidence this has happened? Friends? The Seventh Day Adventist Church is actively involved in over 220 out of say 237 countries, virtually nearly every country of the world. There is a global commitment to ensure the message is preached by all means possible, including satellite and the Internet to every pocket of the planet. And so you are part of that great conviction to preach prophecy that people might be ready for the second coming of Jesus. And on this particular online platform you have access to the Revelation Seminar, a previous seminar series that I presented and before that the Prophecy seminar. Friends, God's Last Day Remnant Church must be a church that preaches and practises prophecy that people on earth might be warned that God loves them. He has a plan for their lives and he's coming back soon. Well, clue number eight about God's Last Day Remnant Church. God's Last Day Remnant Church will believe in the words of the prophets and have the gift of prophecy as in Revelation chapter 12, verse 17 and Revelation 19 and verse 10. You know, God's Church has always placed complete confidence in God's word. The Bible is the centre and foundation for all understanding of truth. God's Final church will also have a strong commitment to prophecy. Prophecy is vital and provides an understanding of God and our future. The final church of God will be identified as having the testimony of Jesus, a symbol that represents the spirit of prophecy. Revelation 12:17 and 19:10. Any church that is God's church of the last days has and will have a specific spiritual gift, the gift of prophecy. Is there any evidence for this actually taking place? Well, the SDA Church believes in the Bible and the Bible only as the foundation for truth. An important aspect of Bible truth is prophecy within the church. God raised up a special messenger, Ellen Gould White, as one of the pioneers of the church. God gave to this lady a special gift, a gift of prophecy to help guide the church. The writings of Ellen White do not replace the Bible. In fact, they do not even add to the Bible. They simply support and uplift the Bible. The Bible remains the heart and foundation of the faith. And the Bible predicts that the final church will have the gift of prophecy. I want to just pause a moment and actually ask the question, what is the testimony of Jesus Christ? Many people have wondered that God's last day remnant church will keep the commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. We find this actual quote in Revelation chapter 12 and verse 17. And the dragon was enraged with a woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, or the remnant of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Again I must ask, what is this testimony of Jesus Christ? And so in identifying the testimony of Jesus Christ, let us use Scripture to answer Scripture. We're going to start off in Revelation chapter 19 and verse 10. John here is confronting an angel. And John writes, In Revelation 19:10, I fell at his feet. Whose feet? The angel to worship him. Now there's a parallel passage in Revelation 22:8 and 9. And here John says, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. So in these two passages, they will illuminate each other. Back to Revelation 19:10. But the angel said to me, john, see that you do not do that. In other words, the angel is discouraging him, worshipping him. Revelation 22:89. Then the angel said to me, see that you do not do that. So the angel was refusing worship because there's only one who can be worshipped. Angels are not to be worshipped. In Revelation 19:10, I am your fellow servant and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. There it is, the testimony of Jesus. Worship God. The angel tells the apostle John, John the Revelator, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. That's very significant. It's actually saying that the Holy Spirit has the gift of prophecy that he transmits to the prophets. The rest of the text in Revelation 22:8, 9 says, For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren, the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book, worship God. End of quote. So, friends, we learn there that I am your fellow servant in Revelation 19:10 and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. And so who are they? In Revelation 22, verse 9, it says, For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren, the prophets. So there we understand that the testimony of Jesus is the work of the prophets as they were inspired and taught by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let me use a quote from Gerhard Fandel. And he wrote. Thus, if we use the Protestant principle of interpreting scripture by Scripture, we can conclude that the spirit of prophecy in Revelation 19:10 is not the possession of all church members in general, but only of those who have been called by God to be prophets. End of quote. So, friends, the testimony of Jesus or the spirit of prophecy is found in the extensive writings and ministry of Ellen White. You know, Ellen White was constantly uplifting Jesus and pointing people to him. In over 2000 pamphlets, in over 5000 articles, in over 155 books like these. Her book Steps to Christ is a classic on how to know and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Her book, the Desire of Ages speaks about the one who would come to die for the world. It's the story of the life of Jesus Christ's object lessons. She goes through the parables in Patriarchs and prophets. She goes through the first half of the Old Testament, drawing lessons from those who lived in Old Testament times to show us how to live today. It's one of my favourites. Her book, the Ministry of Healing talks about natural remedies and also her book, Councils on Diets and Foods are amazing works that are given to help us to know how to stay healthy and also how to boost our immunity. And finally, the great controversy between Christ and Satan. Not the end of her writings at all, but perhaps one of the greatest ones, showing that history would repeat itself at the end of the last days. I commend to you the writings of Ellen Gould white. Question number 11. How many church organisations does Jesus desire to have on this earth? We go to Ephesians 4, verses 4 and 5. Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, there is one body and one spirit, just as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. Friends, the last thing God wants is hundreds of different religions. In fact, it's a tragedy. There are so many churches with different teachings, practises and lifestyles. What does God want? God only wants one church, a church that is based on three pillars of truth. Number one, the Lord Jesus Christ, number two, the Word of God, and number three, the Ten Commandments. Let's go to our final question in our study guide. Number 12. God describes the confused system of religion in the last days as Babylon. What innovation, what invitation does Jesus make to those outside his final church? We go to Revelation 18, verse 4. I believe I quoted this a little while ago. John says, and I heard another voice from heaven saying, come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, unless you receive of her plagues. God has his people in Babylon and he calls them out. He calls them out of false religions to come back and read the Bible and follow the truth. We're going to ask again. What invitation does Jesus make to those outside his final church? In John 10 and verse 16 Jesus told us this. He said, in other sheep I have which are not of this fold, meaning the last Day Remnant Church. Them also I must bring and they will hear my voice. And there will be one flock and one shepherd. Friends, God wants us to know that there is a safe place to go. So the word church comes from the Greek word ecclesia which means called out ones. God has. He saved people within all all churches. People who love him and are living up to the spiritual light they have. But as we approach the end time, Jesus calls his people into one flock. He is final church of the Last days. Did you know that soon there will only be two global religions? One will worship and obey Jesus Christ. The other will worship and obey the religious powers of the world. Now is the time to hear the call of Jesus and choose God's Last Day church. So friends, I want to remind you one more time. It's an eternal principle that you do not go to a church to find the truth. That would be dangerous. You go to the Bible to find the truth, God's word. And when you find that truth, you look for a church that actually follows God's word and teaches the truth. I want you to know that the Seventh Day Adventist Church sponsors the Secrets of Prophecy Seminar because we believe the work of the three angels messages needs to be proclaimed on Planet Earth prior to Jesus coming as a warning to get on to God's Last Day Ark. Just as Noah prepared an ark before the flood. Let's go to our three summary points for this study session. Number one, an essential aspect of being a Christian is becoming an active member in God's church. Number two, God has always had his true church all throughout history. His Old Testament Church, His New Testament Church and His Last Day Remnant Church. Number three. The Seventh Day Adventist Church is God's remnant church for these last days. But let me state that the Seventh Day Adventist Church is not all of the Final Remnant. Many people will be called out from other faiths and will join together in a Last Day Remnant Church. So I want to ask you for your response to this amazing lesson. Jesus loves you and he is calling you to join him in God's Last Day End Time Church. Is it your decision to join the church and become a part of sharing God's final Message to the world. I'm hoping that you'll consider this seriously and be able to say yes, that is something that you would like to do because you would be most welcome. Let's conclude as we started. What symbol is used in the Bible to portray a church? You should be able to answer this yourself. And your answer is? That's right, it's a woman, either pure or impure. The true church or for the false counterfeit church. Number two, what happened to the church during the Middle Ages? Sadly, it fell away from God's Bible truths. It embraced paganism and tradition and put those over and above God's word, the Bible. Why did God's true church disappear and for how long? God's true church was persecuted during that 1260 day year prophecy period and nearly faded away. List 2 Biblical identifying marks for God's final church. They're very simple. Weren't they? God's final church has to keep all of the ten commandments unchanged and also have the faith of Jesus Christ. Number five, what invitation does God give to those outside the church to come out of Babylon? My people, let's go into our relational questions. What would you say to someone who thinks that it doesn't matter what you believe or which church you belong to as long as you are a good person? Well, friends, I'd say this. It actually does matter what you believe. Absolutely. Secondly, it absolutely matters which church you join. And number three, the reason is because none of us are perfect and we can get it so wrong. So none of us can claim to be an absolutely good person. Person. The scripture says, as it is written, there is none. No one righteous. No, not one. Even more so. Satan is deceiving many people. And Proverbs 14, verse 12. Solomon wrote this. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. That's something that is, you know, quite a challenge. We're going to have to think about that to realise that we can be deceived if we go outside of following the Bible. Question number two, how important is God's church to you? Why do you think that the church is so important to God? I'm sure there's many reasons. I was thinking of Ephesians 5 and verse 2 in the English Standard Version. Walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. A fragrant offering and sacrifice. Question number three. If you decide to join God's church, what do you think will be the response by the devil? Good question. How will he try to hurt and Discourage you? And how can you prepare for his attacks? Well, there's probably many answers, but I think an important thing would be to read the Scriptures, to pray and to claim God's promises and to put on the whole armour of God and have protection. Why? In Ephesians 6:13, Paul says to the church in Ephesus, therefore take up the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. And having done all to stand, friends, if we put on the armour of God, we'll be able to withstand the fiery darts of the wicked one, Satan. And that is there in Ephesians chapter 6. Have a look at verses 10 to verse 18. Well, it's time for our quiz. We have multiple choice, so let's get straight into it. There's one correct answer per question. Number one. Who were the dragon, the woman and the male child? These were all symbols, but what did they stand for? Were they Rome, the fallen church and the prophet? We're asking who was the dragon, the woman and the male child? B, was it Satan, the true church and Jesus Christ, or was it C, Satan, the false church and Jesus Christ? Lock in your answer. Who was the dragon, the woman and the male child in Scripture? And the answer is correct. It's B. The dragon is Satan, the woman is the true church and the male child was Jesus Christ, who was born out of the Old Testament Jewish church. Number two. How long was God's true church in the wilderness? 490 years, B 1260 years or C, 2,300 years. How long was God's true church in the wilderness? 490, 1260 or 2300. And your answer is? Lock it in. That's right. It's B. Was 1260 years, 538 AD to 1798 AD? Question number three. What does remnant mean? What does that word actually mean? A, it means the piece that remains at the end, carpet, cloth or whatever. B the piece that remains in the middle, or C, the piece that remains at the beginning. What does the word remnant mean? Lock it in A, B or C. And your answer is? That's too easy, isn't it? Yes, it is. A. Question number four. How many clues were there for God's last day church? A, were there six, B, were there eight? Or C, were there nine? We went through these in this study together and we looked very, very extensively at all of these clues. Lock it in. How many clues were there for God's last day church? And the answer is? That's right. Correct. It is B. There were eight by the way eight is the perfect number because it's the number above perfection and that is the number for Jesus. His number is 888 and we covered that in a previous session. Number five, when God calls people out of Babylon, it means stay there in Babylon until he calls you a second time. B go back inside and wait till all the others come out of Babylon or C leave all false religions that do not obey the word of God. When God calls people out of Babylon, what does it mean? I'm asking you to lock one of those in. And the answer is that's right, it's C. We are to come out of all false religions. My people, in our secret to Prophecy Wall of truths we learned in session number 21, the good news about the Judgement. Remember the amazing story about Tom? If you missed that, please go back and watch it. It brings so much hope and shows us that Jesus is not only our judge in the Judgement, he's also our lawyer and represents us against Satan. The chief prosecuting attorney in session 22. In this session we just learned why there are so many churches and that God had to restore truth gradually because people would not have been able to handle bringing all all the truths back at once. There were so many traditions and so many things that were wrong. So would you like more information? In the previous series, the Prophecy Seminar, in session number 26, there's the remnant on the Glorious Holy Mountain. In session number 29 of the prophecy Seminar there is what happened on Earth in AD 1844 and they go over similar material but there is new material in there as well. In the Revelation Seminar, a previous series that I have done, session number 18 is God's Church in Revelation, Revelation's description of God's Church. I want to thank you so much for joining us for session 22 of why so many Churches. We would like to close in prayer. Gracious Heavenly Father, I want to thank you so much for blessing us with wisdom and understanding. We thank you that you kept your people going through the tremendous period of persecution during the Dark Ages. We pray that we'll be always faithful. Light the Waldensian people to your Word come hell or high water. And thank you for giving us your Word. How precious it is. May we be truly obedient and follow it to the best of our ability under the power and the grace and the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. May everyone who hears this be blessed and uplifted and continue to study in Jesus powerful name. Amen. Secrets of Prophecy with Pastor David Price has been brought to you by 3ABN Australia radio. For more resource in this series you can visit the YouTube page trueblue SDA all one word that's trueblue SDA.