All Hail the Power - King’s Heralds Teach Me to Pray - Del Delker Master, the Tempest Is Raging - King’s Heralds I Lay My Sins on Jesus - King’s Heralds

All Hail the Power - King’s Heralds Teach Me to Pray - Del Delker Master, the Tempest Is Raging - King’s Heralds I Lay My Sins on Jesus - King’s Heralds

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Voice Of Prophecy

H.M.S. Richards

The Forgetful Angel


Lift up the trumpet and loud let it ring, Jesus is coming again. Cheer up you pilgrims, be joyful and sing, Jesus is coming again. This is the voice of prophecy, a voice crying in the wilderness of these modern days. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Coming again, coming again, Jesus is coming again.

From our Voice of Prophecy studios in Los Angeles, California, we welcome you to this half hour of inspiration and music with the King's Heralds, Del Delker, Brad Braley, and the voice of prophecy speaker HMS Richards, a Seventh-day Adventist minister. ♪ All hail the power of Jesus' name, let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem and crown him Lord of all. Bring forth the royal diadem and crown him Lord of all. Our Our Father which art in heaven, we seek thy blessing upon every listener to the broadcast today.

Guide and strengthen every Christian. Open the hearts of non-Christians to the glory and the truth of thy word. Bless especially as we open the great book of Revelation prophecy. In Jesus' name. Near to the heart of God.

A place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God. O Jesus, blessed Redeemer, sent from the heart of God, hold us who bow before thee near to the heart of God. Amen. ♪ Teach me to pray, Lord Teach me to pray This is my heart cried day unto day This is my heart cried day unto day I long to know thy will and thy way. Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray.

Living in thee, Lord, and thou in me, constant abiding, this is my plea. Is my plea. Grant me thy power, boundless and free. Power with men and power with thee. Power in prayer, Lord, power in prayer.

Power in prayer. Here mid-earth sin and sorrow and care, Men lost and dying, souls in despair, O give me power, power in prayer. Power in prayer. Living in thee, Lord, and thou in me. Constant abiding, this is my plea.

Grant me thy power, boundless and free. Boundless and free, power with men and power with thee. The thrilling story of the Savior's power over the forces of nature is heard now in song. Master, The tempest is raging. Master, the tempest is raging, The billows are tossing high.

The sky is o'ershadowed with blackness, No shelter or help is nigh. Carest thou not that we perish? How canst thou lie asleep? When each moment so madly is threatening a grave in the angry deep. The winds and the waves shall obey thy will.

Peace be still. Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea, or demons or men or whatever it be, no water can swallow the ship where lies the master of ocean and earth and skies. And earth and skies. They all shall sweetly obey thy will. Peace be still.

Peace be still. They all shall sweetly obey thy will. Peace, peace, be still. Peace be still. Master, the terror is over, the elements sweetly rest.

Earth's sun in the calm lake is mirrored, and heaven's within my breast. Linger, O blessed Redeemer, leave me alone no more. And with joy I shall make the blessed harbor, and rest on the blissful shore. The winds and the waves shall obey thy will. Peace be still, be still.

Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea, or demons or men or whatever it be, no water can swallow the ship where lies the master of ocean and earth and skies. They all shall sweetly obey thy will. Peace be still. Peace be still. They all shall sweetly obey thy will.

Peace, peace, be still. And now, here is HMS Richards, the Voice of Prophecy speaker. His subject, the forgetful angel. 7 letters to 7 angels written by an apostle in the penitentiary. Think of it.

And by the way, according to quite reliable tradition, he was the only 1 of the 12 apostles who died a natural death. It may be of interest to our Voice of Prophecy listeners to hear the record of the death of the Apostles as given in Foxe's Book of Martyrs. We might mention first, however, that John the Baptist was beheaded and Jesus our Lord scourged and crucified. The first Christian martyr, Stephen, was stoned to death. Now for the 12 Apostles.

James beheaded by Herod of Grippa. Philip scourged and crucified. Matthew killed with a sword. James the last stoned. Matthias, stoned at Jerusalem, then beheaded.

Andrew, crucified at Edessa. Mark, dragged to pieces by an infuriated mob on the streets of Alexandria. Peter crucified head downward at his own request. Jude, the brother of James, crucified at Edessa. Bartholomew beaten and crucified.

Thomas thrust through with a spear. Some claim, however, he was killed by a mob in India. Luke also killed with a spear. Reported, however, he was hanged on an olive tree in Greece. Simon Zilotis, crucified in Britain.

Then, of course, the Apostle Paul, not 1 of the 12, beheaded at Rome by order of Nero. But there's no record of the execution of the Apostle John, often called the Apostle of Love. What about this penitentiary from which John wrote the book of Revelation with all its wonderful visions? The entire island of Patmos was an imperial penitentiary where prisoners were made to work in the quarries and mines. This island off the western coast of Asia Minor in the Aegean Seas, about 10 miles long, 5 miles wide.

There is a cave or grotto on the side of its highest hill where some feel John lived. Here on the Sabbath day he had his first great vision. This vision has 7 parts, each being a message or letter to an angel. Remember, this book of Revelation is Christ's own book, for in the very first verse we read, "...the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. This is the only book in the Bible that was divinely named.

The Emperor of Rome could snatch the holy apostle away from his ministerial duties as the leader of God's church and put him on a lonely island, but he could not shut heaven away from him. Here he was honored by the greatest revelation that ever came to a prophet of God. The prophecies which it includes covered the past, the present of John's day, and the future right on to the end of time, to our day. At the beginning of his visions, John uses the expressions, I saw 35 times, I beheld 7 times, I looked 5 times, he showed me 2 times, there appeared 2 times, I heard 28 times. 18 times we are told to behold and 4 times to come and see.

Revelation is a book of symbols and we must expect figurative and symbolic language. Just as Jesus while on earth used parables to teach his lessons, So in this revelation of Jesus Christ, we must find symbols and figures. 1 was that it prevented the enemies of God's truth from destroying these prophecies, thus preserving them for the people of God. This great prophecy of Revelation is not only a revelation of the future and events to come, but a revelation of Jesus Christ Himself. It is really Christ unveiled.

In other words, it is not only a revelation by Him but of Him. We look at the beginning of the first great vision given to John on the Sabbath day, Revelation 1 10, in which he sees the Lord Jesus Christ walking in the midst of 7 golden candlesticks and holding 7 stars in his right hand. The prophet is told that the 7 stars and the 7 golden candlesticks have an important meaning. The stars are the angels of the 7 churches and the 7 candlesticks are the 7 churches, Revelation 1 20. In fact this whole prophecy is addressed to the 7 churches which are in Asia.

As we read in verse 4, how appropriate for the true churches of Christ to be represented by candlesticks giving light to the world. And this message ought to bring hope and comfort to every Christian minister, because the 7 stars represent the angels of the 7 churches, or the ministers of the 7 churches, as Weymouth's translation has it. Stars represent faithful teachers, and each minister is to be that. Every true minister is the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message, Haggai 113. The word angel means messenger.

So these 7 letters are addressed to the ministry of the 7 churches. They are identified with the churches. The message to the whole church is addressed to the angel or minister of the church. Some people have wondered why the book of Revelation was sent to only 7 of the many Christian churches in the world at that time. There were churches at Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome, Corinth and many other places.

Not only so, but even in that 1 Roman province of Asia there were many other churches besides the 7 mentioned. For instance, Troas, Assos, Meletus, Colossae, others. Why were just 7 mentioned? Well, for 1 reason, 7 is the sacred number of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. It's used over 50 times in the Book of Revelation alone.

Scholars of Scripture everywhere recognize that the number 7 represents completion, the universal Church in all times and places. Of course in his general teaching, the message to each of the churches is applicable to Christians in all ages, just as they were applicable to the different churches existing at that time. But why are the 7 churches in Revelation always mentioned in the same order? There must be some reason. It must be because they cover a certain period of time in the history of Christianity.

From the time that Jesus ascended from the Mount of Olives until he returns in glory. Let us look now at his message to the first church, Revelation 2.1. We call this the message to the forgetful angel and you'll see why. Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write, these things saith he that holdeth the 7 stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the 7 golden candlesticks. Notice a message to the angel of the church of Ephesus.

This word Ephesus means desirable. It pictures the Christian Church as founded by Jesus, guided by the apostles, until the last of these holy men died about the year 100. In the very first part of this message, the people in that church and all of us are reminded that Jesus is interested in his true ministers, that he cares for them. I know thy works, he says, and thy labor and thy patience. Jesus doesn't overlook the faithful service of his people.

And how thou canst not bear them which are evil, thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not. We know this was true in the early church as we learn from Acts the 13th chapter. Many who claim to be teachers of the truth were discovered to be imposters. The message continues, a message of encouragement. And hast born, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

I wonder if this can be said of each of us. Have we borne much for God? Have we suffered much for Him? Have we had patience? Read the book of Acts and see how the original Christians endured for their faith.

But after giving this commendation, the Lord Jesus finds fault with the angel of this church. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. The warm enthusiasm of their first conversion slowly cooled. Like many a marriage is ruined when the first love fades away. The drudgery and day-by-day experiences seem to rub it off.

How can 1 regain that first love in the marriage relationship or the true church relationship? The next verse tells us, remember therefore from whence thou hast fallen and repent and do the first works. The angel had forgotten, He was forgetful. That's what brings in coldness and drifting away, the change from love to carelessness, forgetfulness. That's the trouble.

We forget to do the first works. We forget what we were like. We need to take stock of our present condition, to think back on the first days of our conversion, our enthusiasm for God, our sacrifice. Have you forgotten? Remember those things again.

Then do the first works and the first love will come back. How often I've advised people who have lost their first love in marriage to think back on the old days and do the first works. When a young man first meets the girl who is finally to be his wife, he does everything he can to please her. Gives careful attention to his person, gets a haircut, shines his shoes, has his clothes pressed, keeps himself immaculately clean, performs little acts of kindness and courtesy. He's careful about his conduct.

He brings her presence from time to time. He writes affectionate letters. Surely we, 1 can't hope for love to maintain its pristine beauty unless these actions remain a part of the daily married life. 1 should be even more tender, more considerate, more patient than at the beginning. So it is in a Christian life.

We must repent and do the first works if we wish that first love revived. Then Jesus says in verse 5, I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of his place except thou repent. The light will be taken away. The lamp in the window for the wanderer, a torch for instruction, a candle for the dying, the light of the church had gone out. It needed to be rekindled.

But the forgetful angels not left with condemnation. Again come the words of encouragement. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." They were certain apostates of that age. Then the farewell letter in verse 7, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God." What a promise this was to those people in those ages, there in the very beginning of things, There in the Ephesus period is the promise.

But the promise of Christ stands sure. If we repent and do the first works of love, the candle will burn, the light of truth will shine forth from every believing heart. If we open our ears to hear the words of the Holy Spirit through his word, we may rest in the promise that every overcomer will eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God. And what a promise that is. Yes my friends, it's your promise and mine that we can overcome.

They overcame him, that is Satan, by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. Jesus' blood, our testimony. That's the unanswerable overcoming argument that wins the battle for us. So let us all repent and do the first works. I lay my sins on Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God.

The spotless Lamb of God. He bears them all and frees us from thee, O cursed Lord. I bring my guilt to Jesus, to wash the crimson stains, white in His blood most precious, his blood most precious, till not 1 spot remains. I long to be like Jesus, meek, loving, lowly, mild. I long to be like Jesus, the Father's holy child.

I long to be with Jesus amid the heavenly throng, Amid the heavenly throng, To sing with them his praises, To learn the angel song. To learn the angel song. Until next week, this is Orville Iverson wishing you God's blessing, and as together we accept the challenge to look up and go forward in faith. Have faith in God. Remember and repent.

Have faith in God. His work of love, augment. Have faith in God before the hour is spent. Have faith, dear friend, in God. Radio friends of the Voice of Prophecy in every land, I wish to speak about radio mail, radio letters.

Every radio session depends for its life upon the letters received. The only means of communication between the radio speaker and his helpers and the friends who listen is by post. So we hope that you will write to the Voice of Prophecy if you've enjoyed the broadcasts. Also we suggest that you write for a supply of radio logs and then write a good letter to each of your friends who might be willing to listen and might enjoy listening and send them a radio log from the Voice of Prophecy. Now we say that we trust that this has brought blessing to you today, that our broadcast has helped.

Be with us for another broadcast brought to you by the Voice of prophecy next week. The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Amen.

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The Forgetful Angel

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