earthlastday.com

Tag: what is the testimony of jesus in revelation 19 10

  • 5 Ways to Identify the True Church According to the Bible

    5 Ways to Identify the True Church According to the Bible

    When Jesus died on the cross, He did so for all of humanity, not only for professing Christians. Saying “I believe in Jesus” or “I believe Jesus died on the cross” does not by itself mean you will go to heaven.

    The Bible tells us in many places that Christianity, as a whole, has fallen — that many Christians sound like devils: arrogant, proud, selfish, unloving. We need to become like Jesus to enter heaven.

    There are many churches around the world, and the first step is to come out of the false churches and enter the true church. Every organization — including atheism — contains some truth, but mixes that truth with lies, and this is what deceives people. Christian churches are no different. Yet one church is true — the Revelation 12 church — and all other churches are false, identified in Revelation chapters 17 and 18.

    1. The True Church Keeps the Commandments

    Jesus wrote the book of Revelation. He gave it to an angel, who gave it to John, who gave it to the seven churches. Those seven churches signify all churches since the time of Jesus.

    Jesus gives us signs to help us identify the true church. First, He tells us there are two kinds of Christianity:

    THE REMNANT — Revelation Chapter 12
    BABYLON — Revelation Chapters 17 and 18

    So someone may say, “I am a Christian,” but this is not really the question. The real question is: which church do you belong to? Do you belong to the remnant church, or do you belong to Babylon? “What difference does it make, as long as I believe in Jesus?” you might ask.

    It makes all the difference, because:

    1. Babylon will receive the seven last plagues.
    2. Jesus asks all people in Babylon to come out before the plagues fall.
    3. Jesus said that fifty percent of Christians are Babylon — the foolish virgins.
    4. Babylon will receive the wrath of God, poured out without mixture.
    5. The people of Babylon will receive the seven last plagues and be destroyed forever.

    The true church is the pure woman of Revelation 12. Jesus gives us signs to identify her. The true church:

    • Keeps the commandments
    • Keeps the Sabbath
    • Has a true prophet bearing the Testimony of Jesus
    • Preaches the three angels’ messages
    • Preaches the sanctuary judgment message

    How do we know this is the last church? Because in Revelation 14, once the three angels’ message has finished being preached to all people, Jesus returns.

    Revelation 14:14 — And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.

    Jesus returns once the three angels’ message has been preached to all people. Who gives this three angels’ message?

    Revelation 14:6 — Having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.

    One great sign of the true church is that it keeps the Ten Commandments. We are not saved by obedience — we obey because we love Jesus. No one will be saved by the works of the law, and no one will be saved while in disobedience. All true obedience flows from the righteousness of Jesus.

    Revelation 12:17 — And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

    They believe in the Ten Commandments. Almost every Christian church today says, “We do not need to keep the Ten Commandments; they have passed away.” Yet the Bible, through Jesus’ prophecy in Revelation, foretells that the Christian world will lie to God by claiming the cross of Jesus made the law worthless — that there is no more sin because there is supposedly no more law, when in fact sin is the transgression of the law. The true church keeps the commandments of God, including the seventh-day Sabbath, the fourth commandment.

    2. The True Church Keeps the Sabbath

    This is one of the key signs of the end-time events — it is the test of loyalty. Those who bear the name of Jesus but do not care about truth, and are not honest, reject the Sabbath. They are content to settle for the minimum. The true church of God in Christ keeps the Sabbath.

    Some say the Sabbath was done away with — but no, it is part of the Ten Commandments. We cannot remove one commandment while saying the others remain binding; that is a lie. The true church is the one that rebuilds the old waste places and teaches people to return to the Bible and leave the teachings of Babylon.

    Exodus 20:8–11 — Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labour, and do all your work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD your God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

    It is true that Colossians 2 says:

    Colossians 2:16 — Let no man therefore judge you in respect of… the sabbath days.

    Here “sabbath days” is plural, so this is not referring to the seventh-day Sabbath. Those sabbath days were the Levitical, yearly ceremonial sabbaths, which fell on various days such as Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. These were done away with because they pointed forward to the cross of Jesus. The seventh-day Sabbath, on Saturday, cannot be done away with, since it is a memorial of creation. Heaven and earth will pass away before the Sabbath passes away.

    3. The True Church Has the Testimony of Jesus

    What is the Testimony of Jesus? It is the Spirit of Prophecy — it identifies a church that has true prophecy.

    Revelation 12:17 — Those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
    Revelation 19:10 — For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

    This is one more very important sign of the true end-time church. In fact, the whole of Revelation 12 tells the story of the woman, the true church. It begins with the apostles, continues with the Waldenses, who fled into the mountains and the wilderness for 1,260 years, and the true church emerges after 1798, following the 1,260 years of papal persecution.

    The true church has a true prophet, and as a whole, holds true prophetic interpretation. The Bible says that in the end times, many will come with false prophecy, but Jesus tells us how to discern the truth.

    The true church of God in Christ correctly interprets the prophecies of the Bible, with God inspiring its teachers to explain them. It keeps the commandments, it keeps the Sabbath, and it has the Testimony of Jesus, which is the Spirit of Prophecy.

    4. The True Church Preaches the Three Angels’ Message

    The true church of God in Christ preaches the three angels’ message. How many churches around the world preach this message? Only one. How many churches preach the three angels’ message and also keep the Sabbath? Only one church.

    The three angels’ message sets the true church apart from other churches, which only talk about Jesus without much insight into prophecy or present truth. The three angels’ message is a solemn warning that all Christians who remain in their fallen churches will receive the mark of the beast. All Christians who refuse end-time truth and remain attached to traditions such as Sunday-keeping, eternal hellfire, or the secret rapture will not make it to heaven, because in refusing truth, they refuse Jesus and are being dishonest with themselves — since the only reason someone would refuse the truth is dishonesty. The true church keeps the commandments, keeps the Sabbath, and preaches the three angels’ message.

    5. The True Church Preaches the Sanctuary Judgment Message

    The true church preaches the sanctuary judgment message. Every year, the Jews observed the Day of Atonement, during which all Israel had to fast and search their hearts. Anyone who failed to do so was cut off from the camp.

    The same thing is happening today, and only one church is preaching this message — that Jesus is in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary, and that He is currently deciding our eternal destiny. The true church knows, from Bible prophecy, that it has been sent by God to deliver this message: that the judgment is happening now, and all cases are being decided by Jesus.

    Once Jesus has examined all the cases of all humanity, He will return. It is a solemn message that all humans are under the scrutiny of the heavenly Judge and Creator, and that all of us will soon receive our sentence: eternal damnation or eternal life.

    The true church is one church, and only one, because Jesus gives us these signs so that we can know without doubt which church He is speaking of. He could not be referring to Mary, for instance, as “the woman,” since Mary did not go into the wilderness for 1,260 years, did not flee to another continent as described in Revelation 12, and did not face a flood sent against her.

    Jesus says the true church keeps the commandments, keeps the Sabbath, preaches the three angels’ message, and preaches the sanctuary message. This church is the Seventh-day Adventist Church. All other churches, Jesus says, are Babylon.

    Repeat after me: Father God, help me to come out of Babylon. Help me to study this message clearly and in detail. Give me Your righteousness, forgive my sins, and provide for all my needs, in the name of Jesus, amen.

  • 5 Bible Prophecies Already Fulfilled: Proof That End-Time Prophecy Is True

    5 Bible Prophecies Already Fulfilled: Proof That End-Time Prophecy Is True

    End-time prophecy and Bible prophecy as a whole are God’s proof that God is real and that the Bible is true. Can you say what will happen one thousand years from now, on June 10th? No. God can. If God can, it means that God lives in the future. If God lives in the future, what does that mean? It means God stands outside of time itself, at the beginning of eternity, beyond the end of time, beyond the beginning of every ending.

    It means that God is divine. End-time prophecy is amazing to study, and it is fascinating to see that events were prophesied down to the very day, thousands of years in advance. For example, Revelation 9 indicates that Islam, through the Ottoman Empire, would fall on August 11, 1840. Josiah Litch, writing in 1838, said that if his calculations were correct, the Ottoman Empire would fall on that exact date in 1840.

    In a comment on Revelation 9, Litch predicted that the Ottoman Empire would lose its power in August 1840. When, on August 11, 1840, the Ottoman Empire accepted guarantees from the Great Powers, it was interpreted as a fulfillment of Bible prophecy and of Litch’s interpretation of it. Let us study five of the best Bible prophecies, part one.

    1. End-Time Prophecy: 9/11

    This is an amazing prophecy from the end-time prophet Ellen G. White, who wrote that the towers of New York would fall — a comment written in 1902, about one hundred years before the event. She also said the towers would fall as though made of pitch, since towers usually fall to one side. She further said that the fire engines would not be working. This is exactly what happened on 9/11. End-time prophecy videos give a clear explanation that we are living at the very end of history. The end will come as a surprise.

    This connects to the study we made on the last five verses of the book of Daniel. We should also study this alongside the false prophet, the Sunday-keeping churches, the mark of the beast, and the seven last plagues — because God’s judgments will fall not only on atheists and the wicked world, but also upon the fallen Christian world, which refuses new light and is content holding beliefs that come from paganism, thereby mocking the Bible and insulting God Himself.

    “On one occasion, when in New York City, I was in the night season called upon to behold buildings rising story after story toward heaven. These buildings were warranted to be fireproof, and they were erected to glorify the owners and builders. Higher and still higher these buildings rose, and in them the most costly material was used.”

    “The scene that next passed before me was an alarm of fire. Men looked at the lofty and supposedly fire-proof buildings and said: ‘They are perfectly safe.’ But these buildings were consumed as if made of pitch. The fire engines could do nothing to stay the destruction. The firemen were unable to operate the engines.” — Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, pp. 12, 13, Ellen G. White, 1901.

    “But I have no light in particular in regard to what is coming on New York, only that I know that one day the great buildings there will be thrown down by the turning and overturning of God’s power. From the light given me, I know that destruction is in the world. One word from the Lord, one touch of His mighty power, and these massive structures will fall. Scenes will take place the fearfulness of which we cannot imagine.” — Review and Herald, July 5, 1906, Ellen G. White, 1903.

    “The time is right upon us when there will be sorrow in the world that no human balm can heal. Even before the last great destruction comes upon the world, the flattering monuments of man’s greatness will be crumbled in the dust. God’s retributive judgments will fall on those who, in the face of great light, have continued in sin. Costly buildings, supposed to be fire-proof, are erected. But as Sodom perished in the flames of God’s vengeance, so will these proud structures become ashes.” — Signs of the Times, Oct. 9, 1901, Ellen G. White.

    2. End-Time Prophecy: San Francisco

    The same end-time prophet, called by Jesus “the Testimony of Jesus” in Revelation 12:17, identifies one of the signs of the end-time church as having the Testimony of Jesus. End-time prophecy is fulfilled without private interpretation in the Christian world when we take the Bible alone and let it interpret itself.

    Revelation 12:17 — And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

    We read in Revelation 19:10 what the Testimony of Jesus is:

    Revelation 19:10 — For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

    This is one of the signs of the true end-time church — there is only one church that fulfills these points; all others, Jesus said, are fallen churches. End-time prophecy videos help us learn the truth about Bible prophecy, free from any private interpretation.

    This true church also:

    1. Preaches the three angels’ messages
    2. Preaches the sanctuary doctrine
    3. Preaches the judgment hour message
    4. Keeps the commandments
    5. Keeps the Sabbath
    6. Has a true prophet
    7. Comes after 1798, the time of the end

    “Not long hence these cities will suffer under the judgments of God. San Francisco and Oakland are becoming as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Lord will visit them in wrath.” — Evangelism, 403, 404; Ellen G. White, September 1, 1902 — Judgments on Oakland and San Francisco.

    a) San Francisco earthquake, April 18, 1906 — 28,000 buildings destroyed by earthquake or fire in San Francisco alone, with destruction extending to surrounding cities as well.
    b) October 17, 1989 earthquake — total damage figures not yet known at the time of writing (Early Writings, p. 15, Ellen G. White).

    “While at Loma Linda, the second night after the dedication of the sanitarium, there passed before me a most wonderful representation. During a vision of the night, I stood on an eminence, from which I could see houses shaken like a reed in the wind. Buildings, great and small, were falling to the ground. Pleasure resorts, theaters, hotels, and the homes of the wealthy were shaken and shattered. Many lives were blotted out of existence, and the air was filled with the shrieks of the injured and the terrified.” — Review and Herald, May 24, 1906, par. 1, Ellen G. White.

    “The destroying angels of God were at work. One touch, and buildings so thoroughly constructed that men regarded them as secure against every danger, quickly became heaps of rubbish. There was no assurance of safety in any place. I did not feel in any special peril, but the awfulness of the scenes that passed before me I cannot find words to describe. It seemed that the forbearance of God was exhausted, and that the judgment day had come.” — Review and Herald, May 24, 1906, par. 2.

    “The angel that stood by my side then instructed me that but few have any conception of the wickedness existing in our world today, and especially the wickedness in the large cities. He declared that the Lord has appointed a time when He will visit transgressors in wrath for persistent disregard of His law.” — Review and Herald, May 24, 1906, par. 3, Ellen G. White.

    “At about one o’clock I awoke, and was impressed to write out some things regarding the supreme rulership of God, and the sacredness of His law. When I met my secretary early in the morning, I told her that wonderful representations had been passing before me in the night season.”

    “After breakfast, we received a message asking us to go to Los Angeles by the afternoon train; but I was unable to take any part in preparing for the journey. I was as one dazed by the awful scenes that had passed before me.” — Review and Herald, May 24, 1906, Ellen G. White.

    3. End-Time Prophecy: The Third Woe

    The first and second woes apply to Islam. We saw that the Ottoman Empire fell on August 11, 1840, according to end-time prophecy, Revelation chapter 9, and God’s sending of Josiah Litch to explain the matter. If the first woe is Islam, then the remaining woes are also tied to Islam.

    End-time prophecy is being fulfilled all around us. It says that the nations grew angry, meaning that Islam will again strike in terror on a grander scale, and the resulting devastation will become so great that the nations of the Western world will become angry. End-time prophecy points us to the terrible events still to come on earth.

    Revelation 11:14, 18 — The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe comes quickly… And the nations were angry, and Your wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged.

    This remains to be fulfilled — one of the worst events still to arrive on earth: the third woe. Along with that, the third world war will soon follow, as Ellen G. White said she saw one great final combat. End-time prophecy videos explain clearly the final events of our world.

    4. End-Time Prophecy: The Cup of Iniquity Is Filling

    The cup of iniquity is almost full, and people around the world will be caught by surprise to see such incredible woes and desolations fall upon the earth. For those who have studied end-time prophecy, it will be no surprise, as it is written in the Bible. How can you escape the coming judgments? By spending time in the Bible and in prayer, and by asking God to give you His righteousness.

    Every nation and every individual has a limit — only God knows that limit — and once it is passed, His ministry of wrath begins. No one else knows where that limit lies. When you fill a glass, you can see when it overflows. This world is overfilled, yet we do not know when it will pass the limit of transgression, pride, selfishness, offense, apathy, and an unloving, uncaring spirit.

    The judgments of God, covered in end-time prophecy videos, will become more and more severe as a means of waking people up to their danger. How many will wake up? How many will realize they are in danger of eternal destruction? How many will turn and respond to the calls of the Holy Spirit? How many will refuse and instead follow the blind messages of society, led and influenced by Satan? End-time prophecy updates show us that the end is near and is approaching rapidly.

    5. End-Time Prophecy: The Seven Last Plagues

    The seven last plagues will fall on those who receive the mark of the beast. Do not assume that such people will be non-Christians who never attend church. End-time prophecy tells us that the round of ceremonies in churches will continue, but the Spirit of God will have withdrawn from the earth.

    People will continue reading the Bible, but those who, like the Pharisees, reject the final message will have passed the limit of God’s forbearance. Just as in Noah’s time, many were believers, yet they rejected the present truth message and were left behind to perish in the flood.

    God always has a present truth message — unless we follow Jesus every step of the way, we fall behind into darkness and into the wicked world below. Do you want to escape the coming judgments? Do you want to escape the mark of the beast? Repeat after me: Father God, I ask You to forgive my sins. Help me to understand end-time prophecy. Give me Your righteousness, and help me have a daily experience with You, in the name of Jesus, amen.