Presented by Evangelist Wendell Stover

Here is what I believe. I believe in the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. That’s the reason it’s called a Bible Revelation Seminar. Revelation, rather than being the back door to the Bible, is actually the front door. We open up some other books of the Bible to help us understand Revelation. I believe that there is only one mediator between God and man, and guess who that might be? That would be Jesus Christ. I teach, and the Bible advocates this so clearly, that Jesus is returning very soon--immediately, as a matter of fact. The book of Revelation will bear all this out. I believe in baptism. I believe in holy living, holiness to the Law of God, and to the standard of God’s judgement. I believe if we are going to talk the talk, we need to walk the walk. I also believe that in this audience tonight, there are people who are at different levels of spiritual growth, and it is a challenge to a teacher to have an audience like this, but I praise God for it. Do you know why? Everywhere we’ve gone, we have seen miracle after miracle take place. One night I want to share with you some of those miracles. But, from the smallest child here who can hold that Bible and even read John 3:16, to those who have been studying the Bible for a long time, God wants to affirm in our mind the fundamental pillars of the New Testament teaching. Do you believe that?

If you will trust me for just a little while, stay with me just for a little while, you will become familiar with the scriptures, especially the New Testament. I hope that you will understand what’s meant by the gospel in a greater and bolder way. You will understand what is meant by the old covenant, by the new covenant. If you are a husband, it will make you a better husband. If you are a wife, it will make you a better wife. If you are a Sunday school teacher, a deacon, a pastor, a minister; if you are anything at all, you will be better at what you’re doing. If you will, just give me some time, one hour, to open up the Bible and let the scriptures fill our minds with the message for the last days.

Take your Bible and turn with me to the book of Revelation, chapter 1. This evening we are going to study about how the book of Revelation in the New Testament reveals where we are in Bible prophecy. But, as we begin, let us notice the setting here for this book, Revelation, chapter 1:1. By the way, I didn’t tell you that you have joined a choir, a reading choir. So, if I ask you to read something, read it loudly and boldly. If there is a word in there you don’t know how to pronounce, don’t worry about it. Mumble something and keep right on going. Nobody will know the difference. Now, Revelation 1:1 says, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John."

You know a man came to me one evening and said, "I don’t want to hear about Jesus." Sometimes it’s OK to just be quiet even for a preacher. He said, "I want you to tell us about the mark of the beast and the anti-Christ." Revelation 1:1 says that this is the unveiling, the unfolding truths about Jesus Christ. Now that’s primary. The main focus in the book of Revelation is not on 666, it’s not on the battle of Armagedon and is not on the seven last plaques, even though we are going to study some of those topics here at this seminar. The main emphasis when this book was designed by God Almighty was to reveal to us in the last days special truths about Jesus. But, we cannot call this a Jesus seminar because that is not what people are interested in. You don’t mind if I share the truth, do you? I can advertise on the mark of the beast and the anti-Christ, and I get a big crowd. I’ve done it. So, what I choose to do now is to advertise on topics that will catch people’s attention, and then while I’ve got them in the building and we’ve got their attention, guess who I talk about anyway? I don’t do this every night, but I’m being as honest as I can. I you know all the prophecies of scripture, but if you do not know Jesus, you still will miss out on heaven. So, from time to time as a speaker, I take the privilege to ask you if you are right with God. You don’t blame me for doing that, do you? The whole purpose of these studies is to be ready for heaven; Jesus is coming.

Go back to the Bible again to Revelation 1:1. John says that this is the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him. Now notice this sequence. It comes from God the Father, to Jesus Christ, to the angel and who does the angel give it to? To John, and what does John do with this beautiful message? John is counseled to write it down in a book, and the book you have in your hand tonight is a wonderful collection of characteristics of Jesus Christ which God’s mighty hand has preserved for us. Now notice verse 2. It says right here that John bear record of the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all things that he what? He saw. You and I tonight cannot see what John saw except through the image that comes to us through scripture. For instance, notice verse 1 again, he says that this revelation of Jesus Christ was given to us to show unto somebody very special. Who is the very special group of people? To show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass, and He sent and signified it by His angel under His servant John. There has never been a greater time in prophetic history for ministry to be teaching what they are privileged to teach right now. A hundred years ago, the Methodist pastors, the Baptist pastors, the Presbyterian clergyman, the Catholic brethren, could not teach what they are privileged to teach today. By the way, whatever faith you are, be kind to your pastor. This is a very special time to be living. He is struggling with things in the ministry that did not exist even a hundred years ago. But, now the book of Revelation is designed and written, and has been preserved so that God’s servants in the last days might know of the things that are going to come in the future. I would dare guess that’s exactly why you are here in this meeting tonight. You really want to know what is going to happen in the future, and sure enough along the way, we do need to study about the mark of the beast. If you don’t understand what the mark of the beast is, the number 666, if you don’t understand about the anti-Christ power, stay with me for just a little while. Stay just with the Bible as your only textbook, and I promise you can understand it so fully and so beautifully, and your life will change so much, you will be glad that you have taken the time to study for yourself what the Bible says.

Go back to Revelation 1 again. This is sort of an introductory chapter. Are you aware that God’s word promises you a very unique blessing if you study this book? Go to verse 3 and let’s read this together, "Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written therein for the time is at hand." Notice this verse again, "Blessed is he that readeth", that’s one, "they that will hear the words of this prophecy", that’s two, "and those who keep the things which are written in this book", that’s three.

I happened to be in a muffler shop just this week. A man sitting beside me asked if I was interested in Bible prophecy, and I said yes. He said, "Do you ever watch Mr. So and So which comes on at midnight every evening?" I said, "Yes, I have watched his program." "Well, what do you think about what he says?" he asked. Before I could say anything, he just blurted this out, "He’s a doomsday preacher! By the time I finished watching him, I felt like the world’s coming to and end right now!" He said, "You need to watch him." I think it’s a little bad if the main focus of our interpretation of scripture is to teach a doomsday message. Tonight, we will spend some time on some older topics that you are already convinced of, but it’s important to bring it out anyway.

Here in verse 3, of those three things, the Bible says that we will be blessed if we hear, if we read and if we keep those things which are written in the book. If you will listen to me, that last item there is a four-letter word that belongs only to God. You are aware that Satan has his four letter words which we won’t discuss here, but God also has His four letter words. One of them is keep, one of them is lamb, one of them is love… Of course, I don’t want to give you ALL of them; that would be giving it all away, wouldn’t it? When you think about it though, which is the most difficult to do? To hear, to read, to listen to someone, to watch a video or to actually be obedient and keep the things which the book of Revelation would require of God’s servants in the last day? Why don’t we vote on it? How many think it’s the most difficult to read? There’s a smart Alec in every crowd. Or to hear, or go listen? Well, that’s easy. How about to keep? Yes, we are all in agreement here. This is the one point that might separate our ministry from the ministry of some tele-evangelists and maybe some other ministries that travel around the country. You see, I’m trying to put all the cards on the table tonight. You appreciate that, don’t you? You don’t know me from Adam, actually, just the nice introduction that the pastor had here. But, I want you by the grace of God to understand that He loves us so much. He has given to us a beautiful teaching in the book of Revelation that will prepare us to be ready for His coming. If we skip the part about holy living, then we only have the identity of the beast of Revelation, and we really have no conversion to go along with our understanding.

Go back with me to Revelation chapter 1 again. Notice verse 5. It says, "And from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood." Now, it doesn’t matter of what faith you are, all of us agree that is the gospel in a nutshell right there. So, already in Revelation 1, He is preparing the way for the coming teaching of scripture that a person must be born again before they can enter into heaven. I love verse 6. How those old patriarchs must have rejoiced as some of them were being burned at the stake for their faith. Verse 6, God does not forget His servants, "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Did you know it’s interesting to do a parallel study in the book of Revelation? From Revelation 1 to Revelation 22, he is always pointing us toward that great event of Jesus’ coming. Notice verse 7, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." Now, when something is repeated in scripture, it’s repeated for a reason. God is not doing it just to take up space. God is doing it because He wants us to catch it. Sometimes John, in the book of Revelation, will give us a thought. Paul will give us the same or very similar thought. Maybe even in the four gospels from the record of Jesus, we find the same thought given again. I’m suggesting that when you see this repeated, pay very special attention to it. When God repeats something in scripture, He does that because it is important for us to remember it. It’s important to God, and He does not want us to just quickly whitewash it away.

Let’s read on in Revelation chapter 1. John must have been a very unique individual. He was one of the disciples of Christ and was the closest, probably in friendship, that Jesus had among all the disciples. Most theologians believe that the other disciples had already been martyred for their faith. John is the only one alive. He is an old man. He has become a political prisoner basically because of his faith. He is out on a barren, rocky island about 19 miles long in the middle of what we now call the Aegean Sea. He is cut off from family and friends. Notice this in verse 9. He says, "I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation…"--most of us cannot even identify with that. We are not in tribulation tonight. John says, "I’m in the kingdom of God with you, and ‘was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.’" Did you know that those two things are characteristic of God’s people living in the last days? Keep you finger here, but turn with me to Revelation chapter 12. One evening here, we are going to study about the dragon and the two women in the book of Revelation. One woman is a pure woman, the other is a harlot woman. But, notice in Revelation 12:17, "The old dragon," whoever he is, and by the way, I think we do have enough knowledge to identify him as Satan, but it says, "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." There is something about the testimony of Jesus Christ that sent John to exile as a political prisoner out there into that barren, rocky island of desolation. If you are a child of the King, you also are to have the testimony of Jesus Christ, but how can you be sure that you have it if you don’t know what it is? See how the book of Revelation just begins immediately to open up such beautiful things for us to study? Yet, we must stay with chapter 1 tonight.

Go back to chapter 1; Revelation 1:10. John says that he was in a very special place at a very special time. John says, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet." How I long to hear that trumpet sound! The voice of Jesus is described in the book of Revelation as having the sound of many thunders, as the sound of many waters. It is described as having the sound of a trumpet. John has heard that sound, taking his pen and trying to describe it for us, but, someday every child of God will hear the voice of Jesus speaking.

I was participating in a funeral service just a few days ago, sitting on the platform with three other ministers. One man got up and told how this dear lady had been a Christian all her life, how she had always spoken so positively and faithfully about Jesus coming and of the resurrection, and how someday the voice of God would echo across the depths of the earth’s surface. Every denomination believes in a resurrection. I don’t know of one that doesn’t, but it’s the voice of Jesus Christ that penetrates the empty darkness and gives life back into those bodies again. I wish we could all live until that great day, that we could all bypass death, that we could all be standing somewhere whenever He comes and hear that penetrating voice echoing through the firmament. But, I also know that that same voice is taking our mortality and changing it into immortality. Now, those preachers of yesteryear did some very powerful life-changing sermons. I like sermons by those great preachers like Spurgeon, Billy Sunday, James White and a host of other great preachers of yesteryear. But, if you read about the testimony of those men in revival meetings all across the country, they were constantly giving the idea that Jesus is coming and we must be ready to meet Him, that God has not died and that the voice will come!

No wonder Satan hates the book of Revelation. This might even happen to you. If you live a life of sin, you can sort of coast along a little while and not very many bad things will happen to you. But, the very minute you choose to come to a Revelation Seminar or start attending church again or you make a decision to stop doing those things that you know are displeasing to Jesus, the old devil will get on your case. Your car won’t start, plumbing leaks come underneath your house, children that have been married move back home with you, your next door neighbor comes over and wants to borrow money. Why, it even happened to meetings like this. You can say to someone, "You know, I’m going down to the meetings over here at the church, and I’m having the best time studying Revelation." They come back with a negative comment and say, "Don’t you go down there! You’re going to get all mixed up. That man’s a cultist." I’ve been called a lot of bad things by people who really don’t know much about what we teach. How did you get me off on this subject? Wow, Brother Harold, don’t let me ramble anymore!

Let’s get back again to Revelation 1. Now, I just have enough in me that if someone tells me not to go somewhere, guess where I’m going? Now, maybe you have the same mental strength as well. I hope so. Back to Revelation 1:10, John says, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of the trumpet." I can see John sitting out there on that island of Patmos. I used to have a slide projector. I used to do all this with slides. Here was John sitting out there on the edge of that island on those big jagged rocks. He’s got his chin in his hand, he is looking out across the water, and he is homesick. He wants to be home. Could it have come on one of those days when he was just feeling down just a little bit, and suddenly the voice of his best friend speaks to him. That same voice that previously had said, "John, I want you to take care of my mother." John would have recognized that voice anywhere.

I tell you, my mother had an intuition like no other. I guess all mothers have this. I could raise my window, slip out of the house and never be heard. My first car was a 1946 Ford convertible. It was beautiful. I could push that car off down the hill and start it up and my mother would never hear it. But, when I came in, it was physically impossible to walk across the living room floor without it squeaking. As soon as a squeak would sound, my mother would know and she would say, "Wendell, is that you?" I never tried it, but I wanted to; I wanted to say, "No." But, at the voice of Jesus, even though some of us have never heard that voice as such, someday at last with the same authority that John heard the voice, you will know that it’s the voice of your Redeemer and of your King.

Notice this, John records what that voice said in John 1:11, the voice said, "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last." Now, that doesn’t mean very much to us living today because we don’t use the Greek language very much at all, but someone has told you that the alpha and omega were the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and so-forth. But, there is something else here of a greater nature. Notice this, John says he heard the voice, "Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.’" Satan hates for you to study the book of Revelation. He wants to attack this book any way that he can. That is the reason we have over 600 different organized denominations in North America. Satan wants to split and divide the Christian community. He wants people to come to the place in their mind where they say, "Oh, it doesn’t matter what you believe." Have you ever heard that? Don’t you believe it! That’s a lie from Satan himself -- have nothing to do with it. It is almost as wicked as saying to someone, "Oh yes, I know what the Bible says, BUT…" Anytime you have a conviction and a mental understanding of what the Bible says, and you make excuses to get out of it… Yet, you’ve never done that, have you? Anytime we make an excuse to get out of it we are standing on the devil’s ground. That’s all there is to it.

John recognized this as the sound of Jesus speaking. Jesus said to him in a very special loving and kind way, "John, you saw me crucified, you saw me in the tomb, you saw them place me in the tomb, you saw me after the resurrection. John, you saw me when I ascended up into heaven. John, I’m not dead! John, I am alive! The testimony of the Christian church is true. I want to give you a message for those seven churches and a message for my people down to the end of time that will let them know this same truth that you know now that I am real. John, I want you to write this down in a book."

Here it comes in verse 11, "Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What you see, write it in a book." May I ask you a question tonight? I don’t mean to be smart or prying into your personal belief at all, but I do want to ask you a question. If this book came from God, then to Jesus, then to the angel, then to John, and he sent it out to those seven churches primarily to begin with, and all of that happened about 2,000 years ago, we speaking English and they spoke Greek, Hebrew and all kinds of other languages tucked in there, is it possible that in that transference of material and over the 2,000 years that someone or some organization has placed some things in this book that God did not intend to be there to begin with? Do you believe that happened? Let’s reverse the question. Is it possible that someone or organization could have stolen pertinent information out of the book of Revelation and hidden it so that the message in the book of Revelation has now been changed? Do you believe that? May I suggest that what you do believe then, is that you can trust the Bible. Are we in agreement on that? Now, I have just set you up. Here is the problem. If we say we believe what’s in the book, guess what we have to do? "Blessed are they that hear and read, and they that keep those things that are written therein."

God has blessed us this year in soul winning in our prophecy meetings. Harold and I, God has just given us so many wonder blessings, hasn’t He? Everywhere we have gone, the Lord has just brought people into the meeting who needed to meet Jesus at that certain time in their life. I wish there could be a magic pill or some lotion or something that could be given to someone, and then they could just respond to the teaching of the New Testament openly, willfully and quickly, and just accept everything that’s in there without any question.

I’ve been a student of sociology, group behavior and psychology for a long time. The human mind is a marvelous machine. I’ve discovered that men are usually more stubborn than women even when it comes to things of a religious nature. Here I go rambling on again Brother Harold, you’ve got to stop me! But, since I started it, I’m going to finish it. Even things of a spiritual nature often, not always, but often it is the wife whose heart is touched perhaps first. I know something else about human behavior. Wherever the women go, the men always follow. You see, God had to put all this together. The book of Revelation is not a feminine book at all, but yet it has a direct appeal to women. I think so because God understands the psyche and the psychology of the way that men think. There is a power that’s better than a pill and a lotion or anything else that can change a woman’s heart and a man’s heart or their minds and that is the presence of the Holy Spirit.

When this book was written, those people living in yesteryear could not teach it the way we can teach it today. You see, John was instructed to write the things which you have seen and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter. You are living in the future. I kind of like that. You are now living in the future, but someday the future is going to end as eternity begins. I would plead with you, I would beg with you, whatever your religious faith is, if God is calling you to a deeper, more faithful walk with Him, and if you’ve ever felt a desire in your mind to understand what the book of Revelation teaches, God has a very special gift to give you. As you TRUST the book of Revelation, as you SEE what the book of Revelation has to offer, when you HEAR what the book of Revelation has to offer, when you begin to OBEY what the book of Revelation asks us to do, then you will enjoy all the fullness of God’s blessing, and you can be ready for his coming.

Revelation actually covers all the major teachings of the gospel. We have to spend some time tonight in Revelation 14. It is the Chevrolet chapter of the book of Revelation. Chevrolet advertises the "Heartbeat of America". Well, this is the heartbeat chapter in the book of Revelation. You cannot understand Revelation if you just skip over Revelation 14. I have rubbed shoulders with so many different pastors. It has been a wonderful experience, but I must tell you that the third angel’s message is the central focus of so many people’s ministry. As a matter of fact, everyone here, each of you, have heard of the third angel’s message. There is, though, a first angel’s message, a second angel’s message, and a third angel’s message. You say, "Wendell, what are you talking about?" Notice right here in Revelation 14 beginning in verse 6 that this is the first angel’s message, "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." The first angel’s message has three parts: The gospel, the judgement and an invitation to worship Him as the Creator God. In verse 7, "Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of His judgement is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." I wish we had about three hours tonight to spend right here in the first angel’s message. I promise we will come back to this passage, OK?

You have heard the old adage, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink." I would like to give you the Stover version of that because we have a horse. I can make her drink water anytime. Place a lot of salt in her feed, and she gets thirsty. I’m trying tonight to dangle a carrot in front of you. If you haven’t noticed it, I’m just telling you. These studies are a wonderful opportunity for you to know for yourself what Revelation teaches. Now, the second angel’s message takes up over 20% of the book of Revelation, and almost nobody wants to talk about it. Two whole chapters in the book of Revelation helps us to describe the second angel’s message. Let’s read it. It comes to us in just one short verse. Verse 8, "And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornications.’" This is a good sermon title for some of you men who like to preach. The sermon titled, When the Woman Gets Drunk. It is powerful.

Verse 9 introduces the third angel’s message, and this is the one that every Christian wants to know about, is interested in, but is so misled. Notice in Revelation 14 and verse 9, "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is put out without mixture into the cup of his indignation." Now you know all about the mark of the beast, don’t you? You know it’s something that is supposed to come and is very bad, and you don’t want anything to do with it. My point is, if the third angel’s message is important, what right do we have to just rip out and to tear away, to stomp upon the second and first angel’s message and say these are no good, these are not important? As a matter of fact, what right does any of us have to correct the Bible? None of us, but we are given the privilege of studying the Bible comparing scripture to scripture, here a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept. God has promised to reveal to us the truth. Have you ever heard Paul Harvey say, "Page two"? I have to say to you this evening, it’s now time for "Page two" which we will discuss tomorrow evening. Hasn’t this hour gone by quickly?

We’ve got to read Revelation 14:14 which speaks about the coming of Jesus. Tomorrow night, we are studying about the coming New World Order. Some of the things about Y2K causes much concern, but in the end, God’s people shall win. Do you believe it? Notice Revelation 14:14, John says, "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." Verse 16, "And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped."

Someday, the same voice that John heard, you shall hear. Don’t you want to be on Jesus’ side? If we miss heaven, we’ve really missed it all. The question tonight that we should be answering, and only we know for sure the answer, are we ready for Jesus to come?

It is my prayer that in these Bible studies, in these sermons, in these lectures, I don’t know what you call that we are doing here, call it what you want to, but the objective is no one leaves here without feeling the tug of Jesus Christ upon their heart. Even tonight, the Holy Spirit is here. It just might be that you, in the quietness of this hour, might be inclined to close your eyes and pray one of the shortest prayers of the scripture, that of the penitent thief, "Lord remember me when you come."

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Copyright 1999 by Wendell Stover and McDonald Road SDA Church