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Eastern Canada Youth Conference

Mansfield Edwards

Finishing His Work

Our Father in heaven today, we have gathered not because we're determined to make this another ECYC event, but we have come together Lord because this for us must be a moment of transition we invited your presence at the invocation not just to be with us But we know there's always a word from you.

In these horrible moments in earth's history, we turn to you for a word and ask that you will speak now as we hear you.

May salvation, security for the future be assured.

Come with me to the book of Revelation I was asked to speak in Revelation 18 verse 1.

Now I'd like to reread that which was so well read before but just as a reminder let's let's revisit Revelation 18 and verse 1.

After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven having great authority and the earth was illuminated with his glory.

This is encouraging because the words of revelation 17 had some things in it that were not so encouraging.

Revelation 17 we hear about this great harlot who sits on many waters in Revelation 17 and verse 2 we learned that this woman a symbol of a church that is corrupt this great harlot woman had influence because verse 2 says with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

Verse 4 says the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls having in her hand a golden cup full of abomination.

Verse 5 and on her forehead and name was written mystery Babylon the great the mother of harlots and off the abominations on earth Things have moved from bad to worse and if you think that this is Something that we are spectators of and that we are not caught up in this as God's remnant people Understand the thrust of verse 6.

I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus God's people are being slaughtered.

John saw this in vision and he responded and when I saw her I marveled with great amazement.

I just like to remind you that God did not raise up his church to be spectators.

Alan White says that every now and then when we are inclined to be casual, we need to go back and read the book of Job and understand the context of the great controversy within which we dwell.

There are 2 great powers that are at war over us.

The devil is desperately determined to get you 1 way or the other.

I was checking the names of the devils and 1 of the names of the devil is adversary and that is translated distressor and the World Health Organization says that 75% of all challenges that we approach our doctors with is stress-related and prolonged stress is defined as distress.

The distressor is the adversary that's his name that's his job description.

We are caught between the 2 and we have got to be very clear on whose side we stand.

The message of Revelation 17 is a challenging message.

Alan White says this in the book great controversy page 382 Babylon is further declared to be that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

The power that for so many centuries maintained despotic sway over the monarchs of Christendom is Rome.

Babylon is said to be the mother of Harlots.

By her daughters must be symbolized churches that cling to her doctrines and her traditions and follow her example of sacrificing the truth and the approval of God in order to form an unlawful alliance with the world compromise.

Where do we fall in the whole mix of Revelations 18 and Revelation 17?

Well let me begin with this Every Seventh-day Adventist ought to be very clear on the 3 angels messages.

The first message is that the hour of God's judgment has come.

When you consider the dangers and the implications of Revelation 17 we ought to be consoled by the fact that the hour of God's judgment has come.

The second message is that Babylon is fallen.

And the third message is do not worship the beast his image nor receive his mark.

You see the power of God to bless is contained in the 3 angels messages.

We thank God that through the 3 angels messages through the proclamation of the 3 angels messages the Seventh-day Adventist Church continues to grow from strength to strength in 2005 they said that 15, 000 persons were being baptized in the Seventh-day Adventist Church per week.

Now we are learning that some 17 pastors of nominal denominations are joining the church per week.

At our recent camp meeting we had the testimony in the afternoon of a pastor of a Pentecostal Church who was baptized embracing the 3 angels message at the end of the Sabbath school of our camp meeting.

Today he's studying with his whole congregation and last week he was completing the sanctuary doctrine with them would you say amen.

Now members of his family are saying he must have found something good so they are joining the study too Amen.

And today a Baptist pastor is studying, preparing for his own baptism while preparing his congregation to join him in baptism embracing the 3 angels message.

And he said my prayer is that before the end of this quarter my congregation will be a Seventh-day Adventist congregation would you say amen God is finishing his work Yet Revelation chapter 18 paints an amazing picture of tremendous power that is yet ahead.

Amazing victory in the future of God's church.

A future that is brighter than the present amen.

Revelation 18 1 says after these things I saw another angel.

Well this angel is no different in angelic form than the angels of the 3 angels message.

That's the Church of God charged with carrying the gospel.

The original definition of angel coming from the Greek Angelos translated messengers.

The Revelation 18 1 after these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven having great authority and the earth was illuminated with his glory.

You see here Revelation 18 is talking about another angel.

Ellen White clarifies that this angel is an angel that's following up on the 3 angels message.

Now this is a follow-up to the proclamation of the 3 angels message.

Number 1 here in Revelation 18 is a restating of the fact that Babylon is fallen.

It says here Babylon is fallen, is fallen.

I like the repetition deepening the impression I like the repetition with a powerful emphasis towards completion Babylon is fallen you read that before in in chapter 17 but 18 says Babylon is not only fallen it's fallen.

I sense his tears were now being wiped away.

The second message of this great angel's message which is a message carried by messengers which messengers constitute the Church of God at verse 3 gives the reason Babylon has fallen, fallen.

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.

The nations are drunk with her wine and that's the reason she's fallen.

Well what is God doing in terms of the finishing of the work of outreach?

Verse 4 says, I heard another voice from heaven saying, come out of her my people lest you share in her sins and lest you receive of her plagues." God is calling his people out of Babylon.

Now I'd like to just say something about Adventist overconfidence that God has his people also in Babylon.

It's a reluctant amen, But they're there.

He will be gathering his children together, calling them out of Babylon.

So Ellen White says here that the the message of Revelation, of Revelation 18 joins with the 3 angels message of Revelation 14.

And so we've got to see them following each other.

She says we've got to be very clear that the chapters of Revelation do not necessarily give the historical sequence.

John is writing as he saw them but here it is Revelation 18 rarely follows up on Revelation 14.

This fourth angel is following up on the 3 angels of Revelation 14.

This message of Revelation 18 is called the loud cry when this message of Revelation 18 joins with the message of Revelation 14, when the 3 angels message come now to be crowned with the message of Revelation 18, this is called the loud cry.

Well it's very clear this is God's final warning to a doomed world.

It's God's last desperate appeal to save sinners.

It's a cry from the heart of God through his people empowered by the Holy Spirit.

It pains the heart of God to see people lost.

The instruments God has on earth as human beings to save people constitute his church.

God has no other hands but our hands, no other lips but our lips and God passionately wants to save people through our ministry.

He can do it without us but he has designed that salvation be executed through us.

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Finishing His Work

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