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Pennsylvania Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Social Unrest and Prophecy

Eric Walsh

Choosing Between Christ and Revolution

And I'm looking forward to tonight when we really hit some heavy stuff.

I want to preface this by telling you to stay in place.

This is not 1 of the more comfortable sermons I preach but it is a necessary message.

So I just ask that you wait to the end and let God work all the way through this thing, okay?

Our scripture reading is taken from Ephesians 6 starting at verse 12.

The Bible says, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

A message for tonight is entitled, choosing between Christ and revolution choosing between Christ and revolution let's pray father God I asked tonight once again that you make me just a nail upon the wall a rusty sorry nail Lord but upon that nail Lord I ask that you hang a portrait of Jesus Christ let Eric Walsh not be seen or heard tonight instead father let us hear a word from the throne room of grace is our prayer in Jesus's precious and holy name and Lord I pray bind the devil bind his demons and minions cast them far from here now And let your Holy Spirit lead us into truth.

So we're going to go to Matthew chapter 27.

And go to 1 of my favorite stories in the Bible.

In fact, when Roger Renaud in his book, A Trip Into the Supernatural, he talks about after coming out of demon worship, how it is that he dealt with the demons who came after him.

He left demon worship and he became a Seventh-day Adventist, and he says he would read the story of the crucifixion out loud.

And when the demons hear this story, they flee.

They don't like being reminded of what happened to seal their eternal fate from heaven.

Matthew 27 11 says, And Jesus stood before the governor.

And the governor asked him, saying, Are you the king of the Jews?

In other words, that's what you're saying.

Verse 12, And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?

And he answered him to never a word in other words he answered nothing but as if he had no response to give to the governor the Bible then says in verse 14 in so much that the governor marveled greatly.

Imagine Pilate having to deal with criminals regularly.

Anytime you give a criminal a chance to defend himself he does.

Here's a man who stands in the position and aura of innocence, yet he is more quiet than the most guilty of criminals.

Now at the feast the governor was warned to release unto the people a prisoner whom they would and they had then a notable prisoner called Barabbas it was notable everyone knew this guy verse 17 therefore when they were gathered together Pilate said unto them whom will ye that I release unto you Barabbas or Jesus which is called Christ.

We're gonna jump from Matthew to Luke because you gotta we don't in public health we talked about triangulation the scripture gives you a quadrangulation meaning your 4 views to really fill in the story people say they conflict it's not the case in fact what they do when you read the 4 Gospels that give you a more complete picture of the story.

Verse 13 of Luke 23, And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and rulers and the people, said unto them, You have brought this man unto me as 1 that perverts the people.

And behold, I've examined him before you, have found no fault in this man, touching those things whereof you accuse him." Pilate said, listen, I've examined the man, there's no fault in this man, he's an innocent man.

Now here's what's interesting, before the Passover lamb could be sacrificed someone had to declare that the Passover lamb was without spot or blemish isn't it fascinating that it is heathen pilot who speaks to the Jewish leadership and says, in fact, this is an innocent man.

Verse 15, no, nor yet Herod, for I sent you to him, and lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.

I will therefore chastise him, beat him, mess with him, and release him, for of a necessity he must release 1 of them at the feast and they cried out all at once saying away with this man and release unto us Barabbas.

Now look at Luke begins to give you the kind of some some points about Barabbas who for a certain sedition made in the city and for murder was cast into prison.

Pilate therefore willing to release Jesus, spake again to them.

Luke pauses to fill in the gap a little bit and say listen this guy was guilty of sedition, revolution against the government, and he committed murder.

In other words, Luke makes sure to paint, Pilate shows Jesus innocent.

Luke makes sure you know just how a corrupted Barabbas was.

Pilate, this is why Pilate's like, listen, I'd much rather at least Jesus, he poses no threat to the Roman emperor.

That's Pilate's job, to keep the Roman emperor safe from Jewish rebellion.

There's some ancient texts that say his first name was actually Yahshua, so he had the same first name as Jesus.

So standing before the crowd were 2 people named Yahshua.

1 was Yahshua Barabbas, which means Joshua, son of the Father, and the other was called Jesus the Christ.

And what is interesting is that they were both born around the time of what you can call Jewish rebellion ideology, which began at about the time of the birth of Christ, and some argue, which goes back when the Romans actually began to slaughter all the boys who were under 2 years age after the wise men left.

And in a response to that, this rebellion ideology really took off.

It's about that time they were both born.

Barabbas, John 1840, tells us what Barabbas was a robber, he was a thief.

Matthew 27 16 we read, he was a notable prisoner.

Mark 15 7 says, there was 1 named Barabbas which lay bound with them that had made insurrection he was a revolutionary he was a rebel rouser and he had committed a murder in the insurrection so you get this idea a full picture of who Barabbas is he is someone who was willing to break all the laws for the liberation of his people Luke 23 21 but they cried saying crucify him crucify him I want you to watch how the verse changes verse 22 and he said unto them the third time why what has he done I have found no cause of death in him I will therefore chastise him and let him go they said crucify Christ pilot defends him and says no I see nothing wrong with this man verse 23 and they were instant with loud voices I believe that when you read the spirit of prophecy here, the desire of ages, this is here where the demons begin to shout with the crowd.

Satan had waited over 4, 000 years, hoped to get Jesus in a position like this, where publicly he could destroy Jesus, where publicly he could make the case that the law of God could not be kept, where he could chastise Jesus and bring him to a place of weakness for the entire universe to see.

And the voices of them and of the chief priests did what?

Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.

Remember his wife warned him not to do that, but he gives in at this point.

And verse 25 says, And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison whom they had desired look at this but he delivered Jesus to their will did you get that let me tell you something something bad always happens when Jesus is delivered to our wills rather than our will being delivered to Jesus.

He's been to a kangaroo court the night before.

His disciples, the only 1 anywhere near him is John, who is still at a distance.

But when you look at it Barabbas looks strong.

Just a week earlier they cried Hosanna, Hosanna and now they cry crucify him, crucify him Because in the moment what mattered more to the people of Israel at that time was that they be freed from Rome rather than be freed from sin.

And I want to submit to you as we go through this message that I was Barabbas.

When I was in the 10th grade, my family moved from Connecticut to South Florida, Southern Dade County, Florida.

I had a lot of family already down there.

1 of my oldest memories of South Dade County, a town called Homestead, Florida.

And if you've ever gone down through the Keys, you've been through Homestead and Florida City on your way to the Keys on the way down to Key West.

And 1 of the memories I had was my cousin and I had gone to a party at the Armory, deep in the South they had parties at the Armory, they didn't do that up North.

And we were coming home, We were walking back these country roads, because that was back when this was all farmland.

And my cousin was a great athlete, my cousin Michael.

He had his hand on my t-shirt, and he was running and pulling me along.

And as we came to 1 of the major intersections, a black family in 1 of those old Impalas pulled up in front of a, what was the equivalent of a 7-Eleven, I'm not sure what it actually was, and as the man in the car left the woman and the kids in the car, went inside this 7-Eleven, a pickup truck with 2 white gentlemen pull up, jump out of the car, and 1 of the guys gets out, he lights what I would now call a Milotov cocktail, and begins to burn, and he throws it under the car and it explodes.

Let me tell you something, my cousin didn't have to hold my shirt after that.

I ran all the way back to my aunt's house in no time flat.

That was 1 of my early memories of something that traumatic.

But from there, when we moved to Florida, I actually went to this school.

Battle Ready

And we are gonna go right into this, starting in 2nd Corinthians chapter 10.

2nd Corinthians chapter 10, starting at verse 4, and you guys put the slides, there you go.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ bringing every thought to the obedience of Christ A message for tonight is entitled Battle Ready, preparing for the final crisis.

Let's pray, Father God, we thank you for this opportunity to now study your word.

Once again, Lord, I ask, just make me a nail on the wall, hammer that nail in with your Holy Spirit, then hang a portrait of Jesus Christ upon the nail.

Lord tonight let Eric Walsh not be seen or heard but instead Father let us hear a word from you.

Our prayer in Jesus is precious and holy name.

All right so you have your Bible you can go with me to the book of Judges.

We're going to go to the sixth chapter of the book of Judges.

We're going to begin to read the story of Gideon.

Judges 6 and verse 1 says, And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian 7 years.

And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel.

And because of the Midianites, the children of Israel, made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strongholds.

And so it was when Israel had sown that the Midianites came up and the Amalekites and the children of the east even they came up against them and they encamped against them and destroyed the increase of the earth till thou come unto Gaza and left no sustenance for Israel neither sheep nor ox nor ass For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came up as grasshoppers for the multitude, for both they and their camels were without number.

And they entered into the land to destroy it.

And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord.

The book of Judges has this recurring theme.

Israel goes against God, they go into captivity or oppression, and then God raises up a mighty person to deliver them, and they're delivered only for the cycle to be repeated.

In this iteration the Midianites have full control.

When Israel plants, someone else comes and harvests it.

They are under constant siege and they are losing every day more and more ground.

And the Bible is giving us, first and foremost, the warning that if we are to be blessed, obedience comes with blessing.

Instead they would continuously fall into paganism and lose that blessing.

There is a need that we defend the truths that we have.

There's a need that we raise up a people who are willing to do what God says do.

The idea that you can live any way you want and still be a Christian is a devilish lie.

Verse 11, Bible now switches to the hero of the story.

There came an angel of the Lord and sat under an oak which was in Ophirah that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.

He is hiding and actually threshing wheat where wine grows because the 2 are not in season at the same time.

And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him and said unto him, the Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.

Here's a guy hiding, fresh in wheat, where wine is supposed to be processed, and yet the angel comes to him and says you are a mighty man.

Let me tell you something, God sees in us what we often cannot see in ourselves.

Now what we do know is that Gideon had had some victories in the past, he had fought in the past, this isn't a random statement.

Verse 13, and Gideon said unto him, O my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us?

And where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt, from Egypt?

But now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

Gideon asked the angel the question many of us ask God all the time, if you are really for us why are we in such a mess?

Why is it that we are in such a horrible predicament?

Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt, but now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

He goes instantly to the idea that God has forsaken them.

Verse 14, And the Lord looked upon him and said, Go in this thy might, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.

When the question is put to the angel of the Lord why are we in this predicament and where is God to help us the response from the Lord is I have you to do the work I hear a lot of people complain about the situation certain situations in our denomination in our churches and there are those who actually have made a career of doing that isn't that crazy they rely on YouTube clicks of their complaints against the denomination.

But I want to submit to you that the work of the church is far more complex.

In these last days it will be very easy to throw stones even if you're living in a glass house.

The truth of the matter is we have been called, those of us in this room, those that will hear the message, we have been called to do the work that must be done in these last days." Verse 15, and he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel?

And then look at it, look at he starts to give the excuses behold my family is poor in Manasseh and I am the least in my father's house and the Lord said unto him watch this church surely I will be with you and you shall smite the Midianites as 1 man and he said unto him if now I have found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that thou talkest with me." Gideon's response is, Listen, I can't understand how in the world I would be able to beat the Midianites.

God says, listen, you're gonna beat them as if instead of a mighty army, it was just 1 man you were fighting.

1 of the things I want you to get out of tonight's message is to change the mathematics of your faith.

Many of us have been duped to think that you're only on the right side if there are large numbers present.

If you, if God is on your side and you're alone, you are mightier than if you are in a large army.

I would rather be with 2 people on God's side than with 10, 000 people who don't know him he says if now I have found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that thou talkest with me.

I want you to know that 1 of the key things you're gonna have to be able to deal with if you're gonna last in these end time periods, as we're talking in our seminars in the mornings, 1 of the things you have to be able to deal with is fear.

Fear is 1 of the devil's strongest weapons.

In fact, when we see the things happening in the world, we talked a little bit about this in my seminar this morning.

When we see these things happening, like war in the Middle East, all of a sudden the world shifts.

We see people parading through the streets protesting, and we see even universities, and sometimes it's difficult to make sense of what's going on.

The Christian cannot, when the world begins to devolve into chaos, the Christian cannot devolve into fear.

There's so many things for us to be afraid of.

I was the doctor for 2 patients who survived the mass shooting in Las Vegas when I lived in Bakersfield, California.

And 1 of the ladies really had a serious injury.

1 of those big bullets, she showed me the size of the bullet.

She was running and the bullet went through her back, went through her intestines, came out the other side of her after even going through her uterus.

She was shot down and laid there bleeding, thinking she was going to die.

Praise God, she got to the hospital, the trauma surgeons worked on her, she survived.

And I was doing wound care for her weeks later in Biggersville, California.

And let me tell you something, We see these things happen and we kind of move on.

Sometimes we forget about what happened within 24 hours of it happening.

But let me tell you something, there are people in America and around the world who live with the post-traumatic stress of these incidents.

The fear is palpable, it is real, and hence the need for us to have the kind of faith that we would need to get through the last days because there's also this whole thing about anxiety.

This is 1 of the primary reasons I see people come into my clinic now.

Young people, 12, 13 years old, come in and they're anxious, they're upset, they can't function.

What we found is that children are where this is happening the most.

We as 70 Adventist Christians, our health message, the message of hope we have, the most important letter in the New Start program is that letter T that stands for trust in God.

2nd Timothy chapter 1 and verse 7 says this, for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of what?

Let me tell you, you know what I tell people to do?

I remember a lady came in to me to asking for some benzodiazepine anti-anxiety medicines and she was telling me all of her problems and she was demanding I give her, I think it was Ativan or Xanax or something.

And so I took, I was back at Loma Linda, I took out my script pad and I wrote the lady's name on it and then I wrote the date on it and I began to write her a prescription, 2 Timothy 1 in verse 7.

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Social Unrest and Prophecy

Choosing Between Christ and Revolution

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Choosing Between Christ and Revolution

52m

Battle Ready

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