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Hendersonville Seventh-day Adventist Church, NC

Eric Walsh

Christ Over Crisis: The October Dilemma Pt.1

So we're going to get right into God's word tonight.

These will be more prophecy based, but kind of applied prophecy.

You are probably noticing if you see what's going on in and around the world, and even in and around our church, There's this dichotomous thing happening.

On the 1 hand, the world is trying to figure out what's happening.

I don't know if you guys realize this, Bible sales have shot up in the last few years and since the wars have started and so forth.

But at the same time, even in our church, there are folk who are saying, you know, keep that prophecy stuff to yourself.

1 preacher recently screaming said, who cares about who the Pope is and who cares about Daniel and Revelation and these things?

God did not put whole books of prophecy in the scripture for prophecy to be ignored.

The greatest of all of the prophets is Jesus himself.

And in all 3 of the synoptic gospels, there are compelling chapters on future and end time events.

For those who really understand the great controversy, prophecy is hope in action, because you understand that soon Jesus is going to return and take us home.

Our scripture reading for tonight comes from the book of Jude, the first chapter.

Verse 17, but beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the spirit." Our message tonight is entitled, The October Dilemma.

Father God, we thank you for this opportunity to study your word.

And once again, I ask Lord, that you just make me a nail on the wall.

Lord, I pray that you hammer that nail in with your Holy Spirit and then hang a portrait of Jesus Christ on the wall.

I'm not relevant nor am I important, but your word sure is.

Speak to us now, Lord, we pray in Jesus' name.

So if you go back to Jude, Jude is giving us a statement about how the world would be at the end of time.

I have a guy painting my house right now who seems very...

He's told me he basically just worries about being a Christian, but doesn't go to worship.

He doesn't seem to like organized religion.

So the nice thing about Texas is basically you talk about Jesus anywhere, people are okay with it.

Different than being up in New England, it's been kind of nice.

But he, interestingly enough, began to discuss prophecy with me the other day.

Began to say that for sure things are changing, that it is as if time is running out.

This man who has no real commitment to anything, worked for a lot of Adventists because we're not too far from Southwestern Adventist University.

Over the years, his doctors have been at Venice, he's worked in Adventist houses, but he says, something is definitely changing.

So we decided when anybody comes and works at our house, we figure it's free exposure to evangelize.

So you don't come to our house and work and not get something in return.

And so we got a set of the DVDs, he's an old school guy, so he still has a DVD player, of the four-part series, Days of Noah.

And we use them as actual sharing tools for folk that we think actually still have a DVD.

And so he got his copies today, told him to watch them because he's interested in prophecy.

And it's a great segue through the media, because most people watch things anyway, to do it.

But what we're seeing is that there is, at the same time, this questioning of whether or not prophecy really exists.

Or worse, maybe, an amalgamation of prophecy.

Not understanding the actual proper role that the current nation, the modern nation of Israel has in prophecy, which is minimal to none, honestly.

Not understanding the great significance the papal power has in last day times.

Many Christians overlook that significance.

Not understanding that what folk are looking at as instability and climate and these things are really as the Holy Spirit is being withdrawn from this planet, the planet itself is going to go into convulsion.

The scripture says it like this, like a woman in the throes of labor.

So we are beginning to see all of these things.

Jesus describes them in Matthew 24 in verse 7.

Now, I wanna take you through a few recent things.

This October, and every October, is really a special.

That's why the name of this message is The October Dilemma.

This is something that I've never read the whole thing.

He's a Catholic saint who predicts not the return of the Lord, but this soon coming end of days.

Because the Catholic Church thinks they already are the kingdom of God on earth, so there's no real emphasis on Jesus returning.

He has this prophecy that there were going to be 112 popes, I believe it is.

And Pope Francis, the pope before this 1, the first ever Jesuit pope was the 111th.

When I was reading 1 of the commentaries on this book here, it was from the 1970s.

And I think in 1979, you had rapid fire, had 3 popes in 1 year.

And so this prophecy, which is, let me be clear for anyone who might listen to this later, a false prophecy.

But this prophecy seemed like, man, it was being rapidly fulfilled, putting urgency on the Catholic Church to carry out its mission.

Then Pope John Paul II steps on the stage back then in the late 1970s, and you see the work he did to do a few things.

1 of the things Pope John Paul II did was was instrumental in participating in the downfall of the Soviet Empire.

Very significant, probably as significant as that he did it arm-in-arm with the then President of the United States Ronald Reagan.

And it was on the cover of Time, Newsweek, those magazines had the unholy alliance articles.

1, he actually, Pope John Paul II, is the Pope who actually confirmed for the Catholic Church its belief that evolution is a viable answer to how the world came into existence.

So in the 1950s, the Catholics had this discussion that, well, we don't know enough, but if Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis, the last Pope, Pope Francis actually said something even more interesting.

He says that God is not a magician who could make things just appear just like that.

Personally, I find that a great insult to God, to kind of compare him to a parlor trick magician.

But this has all moved us in a certain direction.

And it was very shocking when this Pope came in because according to St.

Malachy, there should be no more Popes, which is why I say it's a false prophecy.

But the Pope now then, for those who wanna continue to believe this prophecy, is very significant.

This particular pope then is the 1 that must bring all these things to pass.

Now, interesting this week, King Charles III prays with the pope in historic visit, a welcome respite from royal troubles at home.

The first time since the Protestant Reformation began that a British, a sitting British monarch, visited the Vatican and prayed with a Pope.

Christ Over Crisis: The October Dilemma Pt.1

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