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Newington Three Angels Church

Eric Walsh

Trump, Biden and the Image to the Beast

Alright, happy Sabbath again, church family.

I was supposed to do the second part of the Creation vs.

Evolution series, but this week as I've watched the presidential debate, I decided we should really look again at some of the things we talked about during the last day event series and address some of the things even from our apologetic series.

If you haven't seen those they're on our website and so I'm gonna build on some of that.

But I want you to pray for me and pray with me as we go through this because this is, you know, very, very serious prophetic study that we're going to do.

We at Seventh-Day Adventists are often maligned and even ridiculed for believing some of the things we believe.

And I want to tell you that you will not withstand the time of trouble, you will not withstand persecution if you don't know why you believe what you believe.

No 1 is going to be persecuted for things they're guessing about.

Either you know it and you stand for it or you will fall.

And so as we get into this, I want you to turn with me as was read so wonderfully in English and Spanish.

The Bible says this about the second beast in Revelation chapter 13.

We'll get more into that in a little bit.

Revelation 13 14 says this, and deceived them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast which had a wound by a sword and did live.

Our message today is entitled Trump, Biden, and the image to the beast.

Trump, Biden, and the image to the beast.

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

Lord, once again I ask that you just make me a nail on the wall, and Upon that nail I ask that you hang a portrait of Jesus Christ.

Lord, this is not easy material to cover during divine service, but I am asking, Lord, for the power of the Holy Spirit that he would walk and abide with us now.

And as you promised he would, that he would lead us into all truth help us Lord not to be deceived or overconfident but father God help us now humbly to study your word and current events Not so that we know what others don't, but so that we are ready to share and ready for your return.

I want you to turn with me to the book of Daniel, the third chapter.

Daniel chapter 3, and I'm just gonna jump in because I don't have I want to meet be able to get to some of the other parts of the sermons I won't dwell too long here except to remind you that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were taken captive during 1 of Nebuchadnezzar's raids of Jerusalem.

What was shocking was that when you studied all of the prophets of the Old Testament, Jeremiah warned them that this would happen and the people of Jerusalem and Judah did not repent, they did not change their ways.

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were princes in Israel, princes in Judah, in the kingdom of Judah, and you would have imagined that they would have had to walk probably in chains all the way from Jerusalem to the city of Babylon.

They would have been overwhelmed when they got there at the size of the city.

Its beautiful architecture even to this day we speak of the hanging gardens of Babylon and their splendor and prestige.

Babylon was the center of the known world and here they are now captives in Babylon.

Well in Daniel chapter 2 Nebuchadnezzar is given a dream that Daniel is able to identify and explain to him.

In his excitement, Nebuchadnezzar sets up a statue.

And I should have took a picture of this blow up of this statue at the Northern New England Conference.

We just left Maine yesterday, and I could have shown you a really, I could have stood next to it and showed you what they had, but my bad.

And so, Nebuchadnezzar in his excitement erects this statue and wants everyone to bow down and worship it because he wants his kingdom to last forever although the interpretation of the dream says that is not what's going to happen.

The statue is in defiance of the prophetic realities Daniel has given Nebuchadnezzar.

They're also in defiance to the authority of the God of heaven.

And so he sets up a band that is not a coincidence not a coincidence that music is a part of this false worship I wish I had time to break that down today but music is important in worship and so he sets up music and when the music plays everyone is commanded to bow down and worship this image that has been set up, this idol, this statue.

Everyone bows in a sea of people except for 3.

They had been promoted because of Daniel's interpretation of the dream.

They were now men of position and stature in Babylon.

They had gone that quickly from slaves to leaders in Babylon.

Some of the Babylonians were so jealous of them that we jump into verse 10 where they begin to snitch on them to Nebuchadnezzar.

Here it is, Thou O King hast made a decree that Every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbolt, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image.

And whoso falleth not down and worshipeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

I want to tell you in these last days music will be important just as it is here.

In fact if you watch these next few verses it lays out the steps the enemy will take in his process of persecuting God's remnant people.

Not all of the people who knew God and who had been trained in the law, not all of them did what they were supposed to do.

They'd gone to academy, they'd been pathfinders, they sang in the choir, yet they bowed.

It was the certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shagrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

These men, O king, have not regarded you.

They serve not your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up it is a conundrum that they face a problem they reach and look at what the criteria is to be a certain Jew first of all they do not regard the king we make this plain but there are too many seven-day adventists hooting, hollering, and cheering for Trump or Biden.

We put our stock into political figures as if 1 of these men are going to save the world.

Are you so foolish people of God that you don't know Satan works on the left and the right?

I know who's behind all of this working it's not a coincidence that in the scripture Satan is called the king of Tyre it's not a coincidence in the Bible he's called the prince of Babylon it's not a coincidence he works among the political so the Bible says we wrestle not against flesh and blood church what do we fight against spiritual wickedness we're in high places you think you can get into those positions and not pay your toll to the devil on your way there they serve not your gods look at the second thing they don't regard the people in power they do not serve the false gods of the world and they do not worship the golden image which thou has set up and I will show you that that golden image later on prophetically is how we worship the day upon which we worship these are the criteria for the last days then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury the Bible says commanded to bring Shadrach Meshach and Abednego then they brought these men before the king Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them is it true Shadrach Meshach and Abednego do not you serve my gods nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

You could almost hear in Nebuchadnezzar's voice, look at all I've done for you.

You were slaves, you were brought here in chains.

How is it that now you will not do what I ask you to do when I've given you so much church let me tell you something the first level that the devil will use to neutralize your Christianity Is that he will try to provide you with everything you want?

And when that fails He will use persecution Why is persecution not reach the American Church in general?

Christendom in general in America because our church is so comfortable.

It looks just like the world Christians in America dress just like everybody else.

We listen to what everybody else listens to.

We even drink the liquor just like everybody else drinks the liquor.

The Christian Church, I'm not talking about our denomination, I'm talking about Christendom in general.

The church looks so much like the world the music in the church is almost like the music in the nightclub so of course there's no persecution but wait till when God's church stands up and is different than the world.

Verse 15, now if you be ready that at which what time you hear the sound of the cornet, the flute, the harp, the sacred salt and dulcimer and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image which I have made well.

He said, listen, I'm going to give you another shot.

He said, but if you worship not, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

And look at the question he asks them last, And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

This is the question the world is going to ask us.

And let me tell you something, church, if you don't know that God, you can't call on that God.

So this week, we had the presidential debates.

And the big story coming out of it was Biden's poor performance.

The next day, he actually did go do a rally and seemed pretty alive and jumping up and down.

There were many issues and things that they addressed.

But if, as a Christian, you're really careful in these political things, and you don't even necessarily need to watch the debate, but if you happen to do so, you will notice that there are certain things that are happening.

I want to show you this slide, I think my mother-in-law found this, that shows you why I'm careful in following politicians.

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Trump, Biden and the Image to the Beast

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