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Okay, next one.
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This is just in order
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and I didn't throw this one out.
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This is from Brandon.
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"Hey, Pastor Tim. Love you guys.
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Thank God for I'll Be Honest's ministry.
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My question is
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should Christians be concerned
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with all the talk of the Illuminati?
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It seems wherever there
are Christians these days,
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there is conversation
about a New World Order
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that is coming soon
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that will persecute Christians.
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I know we are to think of
noble things and godly things,
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but are we supposed to discern the things
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going on in our world
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to guard each other?
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How should we view these topics?"
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Do you guys hear about
Illuminati in Mexico?
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(from the room): Not yet.
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Tim: Not yet. Yeah, these circles
-
where he hears all this talk,
-
he says, "Wherever there
are Christians these days,
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there are conversations
about new world order."
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I don't know.
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I mean, I gather together
with Christians quite often
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and I don't hear about the Illuminati
-
or the New World Order.
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Do you guys?
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James: He's talking about YouTube.
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Tim: YouTube? There's
a lot of talk about it?
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Okay, well, let's just talk
about it for a second.
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Because you know what?
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We should be able to examine everything
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through the lens of Scripture.
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We have the mind of Christ.
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We have the Word of God.
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And we can size things up
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in a spiritual way.
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What is the Illuminati?
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What does that word sound like?
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Illumination.
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Illumination.
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Basically, the Illuminati -
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well, there really was a group.
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You can go back into the 1700's,
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and there really was a group.
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The Illuminati.
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What happened is it seemed like
-
they merged together with the Free Masons.
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Sometimes you hear Masons
and Illuminati put together.
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Basically, today when people talk about it
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it's not likely that most of them
-
even care about the roots
-
and tracing it back into the 1700's.
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Today when people talk
about the Illuminati,
-
it's basically some secret group
-
that supposedly runs the world.
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They control everything.
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They're behind why prices
are the way they are
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and who becomes famous.
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It's all this huge conspiracy.
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You've got these people plotting
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and like this guy says,
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they're trying to make
this New World Order
-
and there's this conspiracy.
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Should we be concerned
about those kind of things?
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And you'll hear all sorts of things.
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This person is part of the Illuminati.
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And these people (are) and it's Satanic
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and supposedly on our dollar bill
-
you can find the Illuminati there.
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It's like you've got people
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that believe there's conspiracies
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and there's all these
plots all over the place.
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(from the room):
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Hey brother, I think I heard John
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saying someone made a YouTube video
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saying you were in the Illuminati.
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Because you made your hand like this,
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and they paused it
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and circled your hand
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and put a red background behind it.
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Tim: Well, that's funny.
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Brethren, let's think about this
-
with regards to our Christianity.
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Let me ask you something.
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What's a conspiracy?
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Conspiracy can be a crime.
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Do you know what that crime is?
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(from the room)
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Speaking something that's
not true about somebody?
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Tim: Conspiracy is when
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two or more people plot.
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So if you're involved in a crime
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and it's found out that you
were plotting that crime
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ahead of time,
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you can be charged with
not only that crime -
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whether it's murder or
bank robbery or whatever -
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you can be charged
with conspiracy as well.
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So it's basically this idea
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that you're plotting.
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It's like this collusion
in some sort of plan.
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And I would just ask you guys this:
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Is there a conspiracy against us?
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Is there anybody out there
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who more than two or three
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are plotting together against us?
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Brethren, the Scripture speaks
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about a kingdom of darkness.
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You know what this world around us?
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Are there secret groups out there?
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Are there people out there
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who are controlled
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by the lusts of the flesh?
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Controlled by Satan?
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Are there people out there
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who are controlled by sin?
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People out there who know not the Lord?
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People out there who are in conspiracy
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to get rich? To get power?
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To take advantage of people?
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Absolutely.
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And beyond that,
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the very demons - the devil himself -
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are in collusion to damn men.
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Is there a conspiracy? Yeah.
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Are there people plotting against God?
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Against His anointed?
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Scripture says so.
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Of course there is.
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Brethren, you know how Paul says
-
in 2 Corinthians 5,
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he says we don't view people
-
according to the flesh anymore.
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You know what? When we're lost,
-
we can get all hung up
on these secret groups.
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Oooh, there's a conspiracy out there.
-
The Illuminati.
-
Brethren, we don't view things
-
through the flesh anymore.
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You know how we view them?
We view them spiritually.
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People are lost or saved.
-
They're under the control of God,
-
or they're under the control of the devil.
-
(incomplete thought)
-
Brethren, the Scripture says
-
that this world is in his control.
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He's the god of this world.
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He's in control.
-
He's the prince of the power of the air.
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People are his pawns. They're deceived.
-
He deceives the nations.
-
He deceives the nations and he,
-
in their deception, moves them against God
-
and against God's people.
-
Is there a conspiracy?
-
Yeah, there's a big conspiracy.
-
Do I need to sit and wring my hands
-
and get worried?
-
Oh, He that is with us is greater
than he that's in the world.
-
And you know what?
-
Our Father knows about every conspiracy
-
and every plan - demonic and human
-
and otherwise -
-
that is being planned
against God's people.
-
We go on with what we're called to do.
-
Do we believe that there are going to be
-
sinister plots against us? Yes.
-
Are there going to be schemes against us?
-
Yes, but like Scripture
says, like Paul says,
-
we know the schemes of the devil.
-
Are there schemes against us?
-
Certainly.
-
Are there plots to our downfall? Yes.
-
Is Satan strategizing right now
-
on how to destroy us as individuals?
-
And in our churches corporately?
-
Of course.
-
We're not ignorant of his designs.
-
Isn't that what Scripture says?
-
We're not ignorant.
-
We know what his designs are.
-
Is he in collusion?
Are the demons planning?
-
Are wicked people moving in this world
-
in opposition against God
-
and against those who fear God?
-
Against those who keep His commandments?
-
Those who have faith in Christ?
-
Yes, brethren. Yes.
-
We view things through the biblical lens.
-
And we see a great kingdom of darkness
-
and a greater kingdom of light -
-
the kingdom of His dear Son.
-
Are they at odds? Are they at war? Yes.
-
In war time, do the different sides
-
plot and scheme against the other?
-
Yes.
-
And I'll tell you this,
-
as Christians, we plot and scheme too -
-
how to rescue men;
-
how to pluck them from the fire;
-
how to go take from Satan
-
what he thinks belongs to him,
-
to be the active members
of Christ's kingdom
-
that Christ might work through us
-
and bind that strongman
-
so that they might be
plucked out of that kingdom.
-
We don't view things according
to the flesh anymore.
-
So do we have to worry?
-
Is there an Illuminati out there?
-
Illuminati means like this secret group
-
that has the illumination.
-
Brethren, we are the people
-
with the illumination.
-
Not them.
-
Whatever they may think
-
that they're illuminated about
-
is darkness.
-
We're the illuminated
ones and it's not secret.
-
We're no secret group.
-
We want to make it public.
-
We're not like the Mormons
or the Jehovah's Witnesses
-
that want to play footloose and fancy
-
with the Word of God
-
and come with all our cloaked
-
meanings and expressions
-
and not say to people right
off what we really believe.
-
We want to be open.
-
You're dead in sin, world.
-
You're in trouble and there's hell coming,
-
but we've got a remedy
-
and it's Jesus Christ.
-
And there's one way. There's one remedy.
-
There's one way to God.
-
And if you come to God,
-
if you come, He'll save
you to the uttermost -
-
if you come to God by way of Jesus Christ.
-
We're not playing around.
-
We've got the illumination,
-
but we don't want it secret.
-
We want it to be well known.
-
We want it to be broadcast
-
and our Lord Himself said you go.
-
Go and take the message.
-
You be witnesses to Me.
-
Don't hide it.
-
You don't hide it under a bushel, right?
-
None of that.
-
You don't light a candle
and put it under a bushel.
-
We shine it.
-
We're the lights of the world.
-
That's what we're supposed
to be - salt and light.
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Anyway, one more here...