the final moments - by shawn boonstra

7/28/2019 The Final Moments - By Shawn Boonstra

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Shawn Boonstra


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Art Direction & Layout by Fred KnopperCover Design by Palmer Halvorson

Text Typeset: 11 pt. ITC New Baskerville

Copyright 2010 by It Is Written. All Rights Reserved.

Additional copies o this book and ahost o other spiritual resources are availablerom It Is Written. For more inormation call

toll ree 1-888-664-5573 or visitwww.itiswritten.com

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible texts are rom theNew King James Version, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982

by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.


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Contents

Introduction:

A Tale o Two Chapters ...............................................5

A Thumbnail Sketch o the Issue:Gods Claim on Our Worship ...................................11


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INTRODUCTION

A Tale of Two Chapters

Now I tell you beore it comes,that when it does come to pass,you may believe that I am He.

(John 13:19)

Sometimes, Christians make a tragic mistake when

it comes to Bible prophecy. Instead o keeping ourselves

busy with the work Christ assigned to the church, that o

sharing the gospel with sinners, we hide ourselves away towork out the intricate details o how last-day events will

play out. Armed with detailed charts and careul notes, we

command quite a bit o attention in Bible study groups

and prayer meetingsbut at the same time, we couldnt

tell you the names o our next door neighbors, because we

havent been praying or their salvation.Is it important to understand last-day events? Absolutely.

A good riend o mine used to say, The uture will not be

kind to the uninormed, and I believe he was absolutely

right. The time really has come or every believer to become

reacquainted with the words o Daniel and Revelation,

because in the near uture, incredible changes are goingto sweep our planet. The fnal movements, said a very

wise lady, will be rapid ones. 1

5


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THE FINAL MOMENTS

At the same time, however, the ulfllment o Bible

prophecy ought to give us a new sense o urgency: there

is work to be done. In Revelation 13, the Bible spells out

the devils end-time game plan in great detail, but it is onlyhal o the prophetic picture. The other hal is ound in

Revelation 14, where Gods people are shown carrying His

last message to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.

(Revelation 14:6)

As we see the events described in Revelation 13 start

playing out with greater speed and greater detail, weshould recognize it as a call rom God to believe. The work

God has given His last-day movement will also play out

with greater speed and in greater detail. The ulfllment o

Gods side o the controversy is just as certain as the devils,

and that means we cannot possibly ail in carrying out the

commission that Jesus gave His church.According to Christ, Bible prophecy is not so much

about predicting the uture as it is about recognizing

the uture when it happens. The ulfllment o prophecy

vindicates our aith in Christ and gives us the courage we

need to ace the uture. Im going to tell you these things

now, Jesus told His disciples, so that when they happen,you may believe that I am who I say I am.

Years ago, I used to live in the rozen north o the

Alaska Highway. Sometimes, when the wind picked up in

the winter, or the snowall was unusually heavy at night,

the road would almost completely disappear rom view. It

became impossible to tell where the edge o the highwayended and where the edge o the feld began. I knew that

i I were to veer o the road, I aced the distinct possibility


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THE FINAL MOMENTS

Christian. In my early twenties, I studied my way into this

special movement o Christians with an open Bible. I ound

them to be a people who were deeply committed to Christ,

had a remarkably vivid understanding o the Gospel, andwho adhered to a level o Biblical fdelity I had never

encountered beore.

While much o the world has had to continually rework

their understanding o Bible prophecy, reinterpreting

key symbols every time the world political situation shits,

Seventh-day Adventists have been amazingly consistentin their interpretation. Thats because their broad-based,

whole-Bible approach has made them somewhat impervious

to the winds o change. With very ew exceptions, they

simply havent had to change their minds on the details.

Additionally, they have also had access to a special

collection o writings penned more than 100 years ago by awoman who had a remarkable git and a deep connection

with Christ. The Bible clearly predicts that in the last days,

we should expect to fnd the Holy Spirit poured out on key

individuals who will lead us into a deeper relationship with

God.2 Ellen White appears to have been blessed with that

git, and as a result, Seventh-day Adventists have come totreasure her writings.

In recent years, her work has been maligned by those

who havent actually read what she wrote. I have spent many

hours reading her words, and have discovered that she

exhibits an unusually high degree o Biblical understand-

ing. Her love or Jesus and His Word is unmistakable. Whilecertainly not a substitute or the Bible, which stands alone

as the supreme arbiter o the Christian aith, the words


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THE FINAL MOMENTS

penned by Mrs. White so many decades ago ring truer now

than they did when she frst wrote them. In act, the degree

o accuracy she exhibits is breathtaking.

We are living in very unusual timesthe very times,it seems, described in the Bible and Robert Odoms

compilation o quotations published so many years ago.

It is our prayer that the material which ollows and which

have been published in the book, The Final Moments, will

serve as a catalyst to reuel your own passion or Christ and

the work o His last-day movement o believers.

Shawn Boonstra

Speaker/Director, It Is Written

Simi Valley, Caliornia

January 2010

______________________________1 Testimonies or the Church, Vol. 9, p. 112 See, or example, Joel 2:28


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THE FINAL MOMENTS 10

EDITORS NOTE:

The quotations dealing with fnal events that were

originally compiled by Robert Odom and published in hisnow out-o-print bookletThe Final Crisis and Deliverance,

many years ago, are included in Pastor Boonstras new

book, The Final Moments. This special collection o

excerpts rom the writings o Ellen G. White describe,

in vivid detail, some o the events the Bible predicts

will take place on our planet beore Christ returns. Thebook assumes that the reader is well-acquainted with the

Biblical book o Revelation and has studied it at some

length.

To obtain a copy oThe Final Momentsor yoursel or

multiple copies to share with ellow church members,please call 1-888-664-5573 or visit: thefnalmoments.com.

Quantity discounts are available or orders o 10 or more.


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A THUMBNAIL SKETCH OF THE ISSUES

Gods Claim on Our Worship

A careul reading o the book o Revelation reveals that

the real issue in the last days has little to do with tanks and

planes or political and economic disputes. The real issue is

a matter o worship:And I saw one o his heads as i it had been mortally wounded,

and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled

and ollowed the beast. So theyworshipedthe dragon who gave

authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who

is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?

(Revelation 13:3,4)All who dwell on the earth willworshiphim, whose names

have not been written in the Book o Lie o the Lamb slain rom

the oundation o the world. (Revelation 13:8)

Then I saw another beast coming up out o the earth, and

he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he

exercises all the authority o the rst beast in his presence, andcauses the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the rst

beast, whose deadly wound was healed. (Revelation 13:11,12)

He was granted power to give breath to the image o the beast,

that the image o the beast should both speak and cause as many

as would notworshipthe image o the beast to be killed.

(Revelation 13:15)

11

______________________________A ar more detailed biblical analysis o the keyissues in Revelation 13 and 14 is available in The Sign.See https://store.itiswritten.com/the-sign.html to obtain a copy.


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Beore Christ returns, there will be a decisive call to the

world or people to worship somethingor somebody

other than God. And in response, Gods last-day people

respond with a worldwide call to worship the Creatoralone:

Then I saw another angel fying in the midst o heaven,

having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the

earthto every nation, tribe, tongue, and peoplesaying with a

loud voice, Fear God and give glory to Him, or the hour o His

judgment has come; andworship Him who made heaven andearth, the sea and springs o water. (Revelation 14:6,7)

In the fnal crisis, the real issues will revolve around

worship and loyalty to the Creator. One side demands

worshiporces itunder penalty o death, the other side

pleads with the human race to return to Christ beore it is

too late.Lucier, once a covering cherub (an exalted position

next to the throne o God; see Ezekiel 28:14), ell to his own

pride and became dissatisfed with Gods government. The

Bible reveals that he began to covet the very throne o God

and the worship that God receives rom His creatures:

How you are allen rom heaven, O Lucier, son o themorning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened

the nations! For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into

heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars o God; I will also sit

on the mount o the congregation on the arthest sides o the north;

I will ascend above the heights o the clouds, I will be like the Most

High. (Isaiah 14:12-14)Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high

mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms o the world and


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their glory. And he said to Him, All these things I will give You i

You will all down and worship me. (Matthew 8:8,9)

Let no one deceive you by any means; or that Day will not

come unless the alling away comes rst, and the man o sin isrevealed, the son o perdition, who opposes and exalts himsel

above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as

God in the temple o God, showing himsel that he is God.

(2 Thessalonians 2:3,4)

And I saw one o his heads as i it had been mortally wounded,

and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveledand ollowed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave

authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who

is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?

(Revelation 13:3,4)

So why, exactly, is Lucier unworthy o worship? Other

than his obvious deects in character, there is one underly-ing reason: he is not the Creator. All through Scripture, we

fnd that Gods claim to our worship is squarely based on

His status as the One who made everything:

You alone are the Lord; you have made heaven, the heaven

o heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the

seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The hosto heaven worships You. (Nehemiah 9:6)

Thus you shall say to them: The gods that have not made

the heavens and the earth shall perish rom the earth and rom

under these heavens. He has made the earth by His power, He

has established the world by His wisdom,and has stretched out the

heavens at His discretion. (Jeremiah 10:11,12)God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is

Lord o heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with


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hands. Nor is He worshiped with mens hands, as though He

needed anything, since He gives to all lie, breath, and all things.

(Acts 17:24,25)

You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor andpower; or You created all things, and by Your will they exist and

were created. (Revelation 4:11)

Worshipis clearly an important last-day issue. Another

important thread that runs through Bible prophecy

deals with lawlessness. Take a close look at some o Pauls

predictions in other prophetic portions o the Bible:Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter

the kingdom o heaven, but he who does the will o My Father

in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have

we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name,

and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare

to them, I never knew you; depart rom Me, you who practicelawlessness! (Matthew 7:21-23)

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:

For men will be lovers o themselves, lovers o money, boasters,

proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankul, unholy,

unloving, unorgiving, slanderers, without sel-control, brutal,

despisers o good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers o pleasurerather than lovers o God, having a orm o godliness but denying

its power. And rom such people turn away! (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord

will consume with the breath o His mouth and destroy with

the brightness o His coming. The coming o the lawless one is

according to the working o Satan, with all power, signs, and lyingwonders... (2 Thessalonians 2:8,9)


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And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he

went to make war with the rest o her ospring, who keep the

commandments o God and have the testimony o Jesus Christ.

(Revelation 12:17)Here is the patience o the saints; here are those who keep the

commandments o God and the aith o Jesus. (Revelation 14:12)

That last verseRevelation 14:12is especially im-

portant, because it comes on the heels o a last-day warning

to the world against worshiping the beast:

Then a third angel ollowed them, saying with a loud voice,I anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark

on his orehead or on his hand, he himsel shall also drink o the

wine o the wrath o God, which is poured out ull strength into the

cup o His indignation. (Revelation 14:9,10a)

The Bible reveals that the people o God keep the

commandments o God and the aith o Jesus. That wouldmean, o course, that those who worship the beast and

receive his mark do notkeep the commandments o God

and have the aith o Jesus.

Piecing together all o the scriptural evidence, the

key issues quickly rise to the surace. Weve discovered

thatworshipand lawlessnessare primary issues. The devilwants to drive the world away rom its Creator through

deception and by orcing our worship in his direction.

Those who resist the devil are clearly labeled as those who

live in harmony with Gods commandments and worship

Him who made. (Revelation 14:7) And amazingly, at the

heart o Gods moral lawHis commandmentsthere isone requirement that outlines precisely how the Creator

would like to be worshiped:


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THE FINAL MOMENTS 1

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall

labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath

o the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your

son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your emaleservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your

gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the

sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Thereore

the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

(Exodus 20:8-11)

The language o the ourth commandment is strikinglysimilar to the fnal cry that goes to the earth in Revelation

14: Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea

and springs o water.

Furthermore, the Bible teaches that ater God gave a

copy o His moral law to the children o Israel, He asked

them to write it in their hearts and minds:And these words which I command you today shall be in your

heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall

talk o them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way,

when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as

a sign on your hand, and they shall be as rontlets between your

eyes. (Deuteronomy 6:6-8)Notice how God asked His people to bind His

commandments on their hands and between their eyes

and also notice how the mark o the beast, which alls

on those who worship wrongly under the devils last-day

countereit religion, is similarly located on the right hand

or the orehead:He was granted power to give breath to the image o the beast,

that the image o the beast should both speak and cause as many


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THE FINAL MOMENTS 1

as would not worship the image o the beast to be killed. He causes

all, both small and great, rich and poor, ree and slave, to receive

a mark on their right hand or on their oreheads.

(Revelation 13:15,16)Also notice that Gods last-day people have the Fathers

name written on their oreheads:

Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion,

and with Him one hundred and orty-our thousand, having His

Fathers name written on their oreheads. (Revelation 14:1)

Is it a coincidence that God instructed Israel to writeHis commandments on their oreheadsand that Gods

last-day people have His name written in the same place?

Absolutely not! To this day, when we still speak o someones

good name when we reer to their good character. Jesus

said that He had come to show the world Gods name.

(John 17:6) The moral laws o God are not arbitrary rulesthey are a clear revelation o Gods perect character. They

show us His name. When God says thou shalt not steal,

it demonstrates His honesty. When God says thou shalt

not kill, it demonstrates the value He places on lie.

Popular interpretations o Bible prophecy would

have us believe that the mark o the beast is a computerchip implanted in the hand or orehead, but the issues in

Revelation are not that superfcial. They have to do with

loyalty and love. As events on planet earth reach a climax,

God will have a special people who have His nameHis

commandmentsHis characterwritten in their minds:

This is the covenant that I will make with them ater thosedays, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in

their minds I will write them. (Hebrews 10:16)


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THE FINAL MOMENTS 1

I you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love,

just as I have kept My Fathers commandments and abide in His

love. (John 15:10)

I you love Me, keep My commandments. (John 14:15)Interestingly, in modern Christianity, there is only

one o Gods Ten Commandments in disputethe one

dealing with the worship o the Creator. It is a sign o our

relationship with God and our reusal to accept the devils

demands or worship:

Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign betweenthem and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who

sancties them. (Ezekiel 20:12)

I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My

judgments, and do them; hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a

sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord

your God. (Ezekiel 20:19,20)When you piece together all o the Biblical evidence, it

should come as no surprise to discover that the world has

somehow orgotten the one commandment that begins

with the word rememberthe one requiring the seventh

day o the week as a sign o loyalty to the God who made

the heavens and the earth. Instead, most o the world nowobserves another daythe frst day o the weekin spite

o the act that the Bible never gives the Christian church

an instruction to change it.

It should also come as no surprise when we suddenly

discover increasing demands to use the power o the state

to enorce the observance o the frst day o the week.In the 1880s, such a push started building in the United

States. As I write these words, there is a continual push by


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THE FINAL MOMENTS 1

the bishop o Rome or Sunday legislation in the European

Union. Whether this is simply one more wave in a long-

term strategy to attempt to turn the world back towards

Romeor the beginning o the fnal eventsremains tobe seen.

Ultimately, the devil will demand that the world cast

aside Gods moral law and worship him instead.

Which day o the week you observe as the Sabbath may

seem like a small issue to some, but it is not. Sunday is

not the seventh day o the week. At Creationand beoresin (thus negating the argument that the Sabbath was

established as part o the ceremonial or sacrifcial system)

God set apart the seventh day as His own. He blessed it,

rested on it, and sanctifed it:

And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had

done, and He rested on the seventh day rom all His work whichHe had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctied it,

because in it He rested rom all His work which God had created

and made. (Genesis 2:2,3)

Eating rom the tree o the knowledge o good and evil

seems like a small issue, toobut the point o abstaining

was simply to demonstrate loyalty to God. The Sabbathgives us a unique opportunity, especially in the last days, to

stand publicly against the devils deceit and his demands

or worship. It gives us an opportunity to publicly side with

Him who made.


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the final moments - by shawn boonstra

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