Discerning the Times: A Call to Biblical Vigilance

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] and so we're looking at the final thoughts which are a lot but that's the final thoughts of our opening message together where we should begin is the title of this and it's introductory last Wednesday tonight introductory and next time we get together we will be diving in we saw this church last time regarding Bible prophecy why should we even care because a lot of people freak out about the topic of Bible prophecy and this is one of the things that we're going to dispel applied
[00:00:30] Bible prophecy to our lives we ask these questions what is Bible prophecy and we saw in detail three things and I'll just paraphrase it real quick folks number one was this that it's evidence that God exists outside of our world this is very very important that Bible prophecy announces that
[00:00:50] the God of the Bible I want to stress that to the point of of being so redundant the God of the Bible is a prophetic God. No other gods are prophetic. The gods of various cults, the gods that go by
[00:01:03] all these various names of various religions are not prophetic gods. The God of the Bible writes down the future in advance. It's called eschatology, Bible prophecy. He writes it down in advance and then waits for you to catch up to that time and place. And then he says,
[00:01:21] And you see, I wrote it down before it ever happened.
[00:01:25] Now you know that I'm he.
[00:01:27] In fact, we'll read some verses very similar to what I just paraphrased a moment ago.
[00:01:32] Do you remember what our theme verse is?
[00:01:35] If you don't, I'm gonna give it to you again.
[00:01:37] It's John 14, 29.
[00:01:40] You're gonna so love this verse as we go through this series.
[00:01:45] Jesus said, and now I have told you before it comes, that's prophecy, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. So according to Jesus, Bible prophecy fulfilled Bill's faith. What kind of faith? That you might believe. And so I know that I'll have your
[00:02:07] forgiveness in advance. This topic gets me excited. Bible prophecy is how I got saved.
[00:02:14] I heard a message that talked about the future and I thought, now that's the kind of God that's worthy of worship because if he's that big and knows that much, then he'll be able to take care
[00:02:25] of me. And so he's wonderful. So we saw this, what is Bible prophecy? That it's the evidence that God exists outside of our world. Number two, we saw this, that it's the evidence that God has pre
[00:02:37] existed before our world. I mean, that's kind of sounds the same, but it's not. He's outside of our, listen art the god of the bible is not limited by time he doesn't he doesn't have a watch he's
[00:02:54] outside he's eternal there's no time where he is isn't that a freaky thing because you and i cannot even fathom that because he's spirit think of this wherever there's material matter there is time did
[00:03:07] you know time scientifically if you put a time into into a lab time itself is a physical property and thus it is limited to the physical world.
[00:03:20] It's kind of a bizarre thought, but time can be sped up and time can be slowed down based on mass.
[00:03:27] It's remarkable.
[00:03:29] Scientists at Stanford has discovered, for example, that the most constant way of telling time is by what?
[00:03:37] Is by light.
[00:03:39] See, that's the most constant.
[00:03:42] Light's the most constant, but listen, material thing that we have but at Stanford they've discovered that light has been slowing down over the last couple thousand years and it's slowing down light see how that's impossible no
[00:03:58] it's not because it's material all material things are unwinding just like you just like me we are unwinding we're we're coming apart just like a new car all brand new at the beginning but over time it comes apart time itself comes apart god is outside of time this is the god that
[00:04:21] saved you this is the god that went to the cross for you this is the god that loves you aren't you glad that he's that big of a god today in the news i heard someone shout allah akbar allah akbar
[00:04:33] and i don't know if you know what that means in arabic but it's quite telling their god God, the Islamic God is different than the Hebrew God, Allah, Allah Akbar is our God is greater. God is greater. So they're shouting in Iran, Allah Akbar, God is greater. God
[00:04:54] is, their God's greater. Interesting. Greater than who? It's not that they say God is great.
[00:05:05] They don't say that. They say God is greater. Didn't Satan say in Isaiah chapter 18, I think is I will be greater than the God of heaven I will be greater I will build my
[00:05:18] throne above his throne yeah it's not going so well and it's not gonna go well for him and then thirdly we saw last time that it's evidence that our faith is founded upon fact and that's something that I love to say a lot and
[00:05:33] it's true but we saw this that in 2nd Peter 2nd Peter chapter 1 beginning at verse 16 it says for we did not follow this is Peter announcing that we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord
[00:05:49] Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He's referring to the Mount of Transfiguration where Peter, James, and John saw Jesus in glory as Moses and Elijah appeared to him there recorded in the gospels. Verse 19. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed.
[00:06:10] verse 20 knowing this first that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation do you know what that means it means that you cannot say well I know it says this but I think it means this can't do that can't do that that's
[00:06:29] what cults do by the way that's how they become a cult verse 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man but holy men of God spoke as they were moved I love that, possessed, animated by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's the author of the Bible. Point
[00:06:48] number two, we just touched on this before we had to end, and you'll recognize it in a moment.
[00:06:53] Remember the buckets from last week? Do you? Okay. So why is Bible prophecy important?
[00:06:59] It's extremely important. In fact, it's all important. And you're going to see the reasons why we saw in revelation chapter 1 verse 19 revelation the book of revelation pastor jack i don't read that book it's too confusing don't say that anymore because you will be admitting
[00:07:15] to those who know the bible that you do not study or read the old testament you'll never understand the book of revelation unless you read and study the old testament if you're jewish tonight and
[00:07:27] you're here read all the old all of the old testament i say all of it not part of it friend If you're a Jew and you have your Hebrew scriptures read all of the Old Testament,
[00:07:41] Genesis to Malachi, skip the entire New Testament, which you don't read anyway, and take a big breath and dive into the book of Revelation, and you're going to be shocked at how well you understand the book of Revelation because you know the Old Testament.
[00:07:58] And there's a reason why it's at the end of the book, and there's a reason why it has more Jewish or Old Testament connections as the last book of the Bible.
[00:08:10] And there's a reason why the last book of the Bible after Revelation chapter three never mentions the church again until it's in heaven, but it's all about Israel while it's on earth and its evangelistic efforts
[00:08:25] to all those that are on the planet.
[00:08:28] It is amazing.
[00:08:30] And it has its own built-in, as you learned last week, outline. God tells John to write this down. Write the things which you have, number one, seen, and the things which are, that is present for John, and the things
[00:08:48] which will take place after this. And we noted this, that why Bible prophecy is important is because it has left us a record. It's left us a trail that we don't have to guess. And so we saw
[00:09:02] this and in a moment we're going to put those buckets up but remember this God told John write down what you've seen and what you what John saw was chapter one remember it's not rocket scientist science but if you missed it write it
[00:09:17] down John write down the things that you've seen oh that's chapter one yes John that's good now John write down the things that are right now well John was hearing everything about the seven letters to the seven churches. John was writing all of that down.
[00:09:34] Revelation chapters two and three, John was recording all of that. And sometime in the future in this series, we'll talk about in detail those seven churches. Why those? There's a big reason why. And was there only seven churches? No, there were many, many countless number of
[00:09:53] churches throughout the ancient world, but those seven are very specific for a big, big reason.
[00:10:00] The right, which you've seen, what is now, and from Revelation chapter 4 on to Revelation chapter 22, those things which shall be are those things which will come to pass. And can we put the
[00:10:13] buckets up? If we do this, everybody, remember I got excited and nobody, I was all alone. I got excited. Nobody else really cared. That in your Bible reading, daily reading, and in your personal study, Revelation 119 is a great, great model by which to interpret your Bible when it comes to
[00:10:35] Bible prophecy. If you're reading from Genesis chapter 3 verse 15, which is the first prophecy of the Bible, Genesis 3 15, all the way to the end of the book of Revelation chapter 22, what is
[00:10:48] being spoken of in the book of Habakkuk. It could be Zechariah. It could be Mark. It doesn't matter.
[00:10:59] But what's prophetic, and you're not sure about it, you write it down, and you see where it might apply. Is what I'm reading about the past? Is it about the present? Or will it be about the future?
[00:11:11] And I'm going to put this in one of those three buckets. And I told you last time that as you learn more, and as time goes on before your study and your study develops, you might pull some of
[00:11:22] those verses out and put them in different places. The beautiful thing is you wind up establishing a firm understanding of Bible prophecy because God wants you to know it, folks. He wants you to understand it. He wants you to live. In fact, every generation has lived in Bible prophecy.
[00:11:39] the danger is who recognized that you see the bible says the sons of ishakar in the old testament god says that they're the ones who knew what israel should do because they were able to discern
[00:11:55] the times and the seasons in which they lived that should be us so here's a here's a big flash bang this no I'm not saying I'm not I didn't get a phone call nobody called me
[00:12:14] nobody I'm just I look at a lot of sites and some of them are pretty cool sites you look at memory me mri.org Jane's defense Jane's military briefing proceedings by the US Naval Department all that said I'm not telling you
[00:12:35] anything that's a secret. In fact, who knows it's even going to happen at all. But do you know that right now, if you have a son or daughter in the U.S. Navy or in the Marines or Air Force, there's
[00:12:46] a high probability that they are either involved at their station, wherever they're at, or they are physically on scene in the Middle East right now, tonight. Either in the Mediterranean, Suez Canal or the Red Sea right now. Did you know that there's the largest United States military build-up
[00:13:11] right now as you and I sit here since I believe it was Gulf War I? What has been rumored is that what might take place this weekend may take only a matter of hours. We don't know what that means,
[00:13:30] folks but Iran you have you been following the news where now it's just horrible what has happened to these nearly 50,000 of Iran's choicest young people highly educated they wanted freedom they wanted to just live their
[00:13:54] lives without having to be commanded by these religious crazies and they're dead and and many of them were killed by by snipers on built on tops of buildings their own people and now Iran is threatening the area and it's very ugly
[00:14:19] right now and supposedly this weekend is supposed to be a big weekend now I don't know I don't again I haven't I'm only telling you what you can go and read you see where do we put that in Bible prophecy I don't know where we put that
[00:14:37] in Bible prophecy. Is the U.S. going to get blown up or is Iran going to get blown up? Well, if we know this, Iran is Persia in the Bible. So we don't know what that exactly means, but we know
[00:14:49] that something intense is going on and it's a big deal. You may be on the threshold of watching some grand historic event, but what prophetic significance will it hold? We don't know, but we are ready to be watching these are real things in real life folks this is going on now
[00:15:15] i don't know why i've called you folks twice tonight like is that like a sign of old age all of a sudden i had a birthday maybe that's it so as we dive in more now here we go we we
[00:15:28] pick up where we left off so the things which will take place after this revelation chapter 4 verse 1. I want all of you to write this down please. Revelation 4 verse 1. John, the
[00:15:41] apostle, is writing this down and I want all of you to think very critically. After these things, metatauta is the Greek word. After these things. After this, look. So John, after all this stuff after these things now look it's a command and behold that is i saw a door standing
[00:16:09] open in heaven everybody walk through with me now you're john you've seen what was what is and what's going to happen after these things so the outline is given john writes it down he's grateful for it. The description of the churches, got it. All of a sudden, now that that letter,
[00:16:34] those seven letters written by Jesus to the churches is complete. It's as though God rolls up his sleeves and goes down to business. And he says to John, after these things, behold, John says, watch what happens. A door was open. Where, folks? Where? Third time, folks. Pray for me. I
[00:17:01] don't want to say the word again. It makes me feel old. A door standing open in heaven. The first voice which I heard was like a trumpet. That's interesting. Why not water? The voice of water
[00:17:20] is often recorded in scripture. I'm not making this a hard-pressed biblical interpretation.
[00:17:26] let's just take on the thought what John is saying I heard a voice speaking to me like a trumpet in the believer's life what role does a trumpet play if anything in the church's life
[00:17:46] we'll just well we don't know yet we're playing we're playing dumb right now it was like a trumpet it speaking with me saying come up here class where is here where the door is open correct
[00:18:08] everybody got that not hard come up here and i will show you things which must take place after this after what after you have come up here look how smart you guys are this is understanding Bible prophecy this is fun so John some scholars I'm
[00:18:37] just pushing the envelope some scholars throughout the last 2,000 years believe that John is a type or symbol of the church John is the oldest living Apostle did you know John is the only one who died of natural causes all of the rest
[00:18:53] were killed, martyred. John's longevity, John's age. John receives the book of Revelation. John hears the trumpet. A door is opened in heaven. And so watch this. At this moment, Revelation chapter four, some say is the last mention of the church because John is a member of the church.
[00:19:20] maybe maybe that's a stretch but we do know this John's the last apostle we're gonna hear about in the book of Revelation his careers his career is done he listen can you if you have to if you have to close your eyes to get this
[00:19:42] that's fine from where he's standing he sees a door opened in heaven up there the next time John sees a door he sees a door with you and me with him and we see the backside of the door and it is opened and we depart revelation 19 it
[00:20:06] says there the bride of Christ the church with Jesus Christ comes out of heaven through the door to earth so yeah I mean that's exciting stuff some of you kind of like what so listen here's the amazing thing from from revelation chapter 4 verse 1
[00:20:25] the church is never mentioned again in the book of revelation until revelation 19.
[00:20:33] and when you see her again she's quite a gal she's on a horse we are wearing fine linen clean and bright which is the righteous acts of the saints it says and so when you put the you when you put the Christian as the Bride of Christ
[00:20:56] together she's got a wedding gown on but she's going out with the Lord as he makes war upon the inhabitants of the earth during the tribulation period and at that point at the end so she's riding a horse I don't like horses but I
[00:21:13] apparently I'm gonna warm up to them reason why it's very vain I don't like animals that are smarter than I am. That's all. And stronger. But, okay, so John, or I should say Revelation 4, verse 1, so important. John chapter 14, the same John, by the way. John 14, verse 1.
[00:21:37] Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house, up there, are many mansions. And if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place
[00:21:49] for you. Did not Jesus ascend up to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am there, you may be also.
[00:22:04] Watch the flow of this, everybody. Watch the flow. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 16.
[00:22:10] 1 Thessalonians 4, 16. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first, then
[00:22:22] we, isn't that interesting? Paul the apostle used the word we for himself. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up, that's the word rapture in Latin, together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Notice the flow of this. Titus 2.13, looking
[00:22:42] for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great god and savior jesus christ one more first corinthians 15 verse 50 this is awesome because before i read it there's a period of time coming we don't know when that there will be those who are living that will not see death
[00:23:03] they will be caught up by the lord himself those who have died in jesus their bodies will be resurrected just momentarily beforehand. Couldn't you imagine? Resurrected, glorified. Their bodies will come out of the ground. Resurrected, glorified bodies will be united with their
[00:23:30] spirit right now. If your mom, your dad, your sister, your child, your son, think about your baby that died, or think about aborted babies. They're in heaven. Some of these people who are debating. Side note, some of these people who are debating about, does a baby that's
[00:23:49] aborted have a soul? God, exactly. God said, I was in your mom's womb before any of your parts were put together. I was there assembling you. Sometimes, you know, people want to play God or somehow change the narrative. No, no, no. Listen, God's the giver of life. Watch
[00:24:14] this. Watch what happens here. Now, this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood, like you and I are now, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. In other words, this space suit doesn't work up there in
[00:24:26] that realm where he's at. We need new constituted skin, glorified skin. I'm all for that, by the way. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep or die, but we shall be changed in a
[00:24:43] moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. And all God's people said, that's our future. That is thrilling and very exciting. The third point is this, who cares about Bible
[00:25:06] prophecy? The more that you read about these things, the more that you start to get stirred up and say, wow, I want to be part of that crowd. I want to know that. And so when you really begin
[00:25:20] to understand that God's word that he tells us about the future is not to freak us out.
[00:25:27] Now would be a good time for me to insert what we are not talking about when it comes to prophecy.
[00:25:33] Many people have been offended and abused. And I agree with you where you've been raised up or you went to some kind of a church and brother John or Joe or sister Susie had the gift of
[00:25:47] prophecy and she's going to tell you your future. What? There is the gift of prophecy in the Bible given by the Holy Spirit, but it ain't the telling of the future. The gift of prophecy in the New
[00:26:01] Testament is the one of heralding forth the word of God to a particular situation or to a people.
[00:26:08] It's applying the word of God to a particular people or whatever the need is.
[00:26:15] It's the spirit of God working through you.
[00:26:17] If you have the gift of a prophet or prophecy, you will not tell them about their future.
[00:26:24] You will project and announce the word of God, which already is.
[00:26:29] When somebody comes along and says to you, oh, I have the gift of prophecy.
[00:26:33] And so why don't you sit down?
[00:26:34] I'm going to tell you about your future.
[00:26:36] Dude, you need to get up and run.
[00:26:38] That is insane, sick, and that is mind control trip.
[00:26:43] And a lot of people who are in hyper-Pentecostal movements have been really damaged by that stuff.
[00:26:50] I know you love that person, but you can't marry them because God's got somebody else for you.
[00:26:54] God told me to tell you that.
[00:26:57] You know how many times I've heard that from people?
[00:26:59] They've come here bruised and broken, and that's what happened in their lives at some other gathering, where they were gonna get married, This couple was, everything was great.
[00:27:09] And then one, the leadership stepped in and said, now we have a word from the Lord.
[00:27:14] It's a word of prophecy.
[00:27:16] You're not to marry him, you're to marry him over there.
[00:27:21] Hey, everybody, if you're in that situation, get running now, get out.
[00:27:28] It's wrong and it's manipulative and it's not of God.
[00:27:34] That's not the prophecy we're talking about.
[00:27:38] We are talking about the prophecy that God himself has written down in the Bible, and we are to know that.
[00:27:45] So much so, when we say who cares about Bible prophecy, I wrote myself this little note that's on page five if you guys scanned the notes.
[00:27:54] It says, recorded human history has proven that biblical prophecy has never been fulfilled vaguely or generally or casually, but rather, a biblical prophecy has been fulfilled accurately, specifically, and consistently.
[00:28:11] You know that's true.
[00:28:14] When one of God's ancient prophecies are fulfilled, it's not like it goes by and nobody notices it.
[00:28:24] Those who are watching and knowing the word of God, they get it.
[00:28:28] Listen, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on the little donkey, do you remember what he said to them?
[00:28:33] He started crying.
[00:28:34] He was the only one crying in the entire crowd.
[00:28:37] And he said, oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, if you had only recognized this thy day, the peace that awaited you, but now it's taken from you and you will not see me again until you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
[00:28:54] That's what Israel will say at the second coming.
[00:28:57] More on that in the future.
[00:29:02] Remarkable.
[00:29:03] Who cares about Bible prophecy?
[00:29:05] You do, and here's the reason why.
[00:29:07] Number one reason.
[00:29:08] Say, I don't care.
[00:29:09] Yes, you do.
[00:29:10] Are you a Christian?
[00:29:11] Yes.
[00:29:12] Are you saved?
[00:29:13] Yes.
[00:29:14] Well, do you want to know why you care about Bible prophecy?
[00:29:17] Because the first Bible prophecy ever is in Genesis 3.15.
[00:29:24] And it's all about you.
[00:29:25] It's all about me.
[00:29:27] God says, I will put enmity, warfare, between you, Satan, and the woman, Eve, and her descendants.
[00:29:32] And between your offspring, seed, the Greek word is sperm, and her sperm.
[00:29:41] What?
[00:29:42] She don't have that.
[00:29:46] That's because this is a messianic prophecy.
[00:29:49] That's why the S is capitalized, folks.
[00:29:53] That means from the woman will come the Messiah.
[00:30:00] And the warfare is going to be between your descendants, Satan, and her descendant.
[00:30:07] that God would become flesh to save mankind from our condition. He, Messiah, the seed, shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. Some of your Bible translations on the margins say bruise or to crush. And I like the word crush better. You can, listen, you can get
[00:30:36] your heel crushed and be fine satan is going to crush or satan crushed the heel of jesus in his humanity when when jesus was living on earth physically but you cannot survive a head crushing
[00:30:52] the messiah is going to crush the head of the serpent of the of satan and uh wow we could go a lot of directions with that one, because Zechariah tells us that when Jesus returns in the second
[00:31:11] coming, Israel, the Jews, will look up at him as he's returning, and they will say, where did you get these scars in your hands, and on your side, and on your feet? And the Messiah responds to
[00:31:28] the house of Israel and says, I received these wounds in the house of my friends, and their eyes will be open to him.
[00:31:38] That's the book of Zechariah.
[00:31:40] That's a prophecy for some other day.
[00:31:43] The danger, who cares about Bible prophecy?
[00:31:46] Well, we all should because there's a danger of ignoring Bible prophecy.
[00:31:51] I don't mean to be mean.
[00:31:52] I don't mean to be ugly or rude about this, but I've said it before.
[00:31:56] I'll just say it gently, but it's so serious.
[00:31:59] Do not, if you go to a church and I know some of you Wednesday nighters, you go to other churches and they don't teach Bible prophecy.
[00:32:07] You've got to ask your leadership, why?
[00:32:10] Why do you not teach Bible prophecy at our church?
[00:32:13] Why does this denomination not teach Bible prophecy when 27 to 33% of the Bible is Bible prophecy?
[00:32:22] Don't ignore it.
[00:32:25] Most young pastors today will tell me, we don't do it because it's too difficult and it just causes confusion.
[00:32:32] Number one, everything good's difficult.
[00:32:38] What you're really saying is, I'm going to have to study hard if I got to teach this. Yes, you do. And why don't you trust God if you have the gift of teaching as a pastor to teach them and it won't be confusing.
[00:32:53] Let God teach his own sheep his own word. We're just as pastors supposed to study up and let it all out. It's between you and him, but don't ignore it. First Thessalonians chapter four, verse 13 commands it. But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning, and he goes on to
[00:33:19] talk about the coming of the Lord. Do not be ignorant. The word ignorant in Greek is this, do not be willfully ignorant. Wow. To intentionally not want to know, to not be aware of, or to decide
[00:33:34] to not know that which can be known. In other words, can you imagine somebody holding a flashlight in front of you, and you go, no, I don't want to know the way. No, here's the flashlight. Here's
[00:33:44] the path. No, no, I can't see it. No, it's not there. Open your eyes, man. I could say that right now. Watch this. In this day and age, this would just get people flipped out. Here you go.
[00:33:59] A lot of people right now, because of, I believe, demonic influence, are being willfully ignorant of the fact that is standing right in front of them. They're willfully not wanting to know that Israel became a nation a second time,
[00:34:15] just like Isaiah said it would in Isaiah 66, chapter 66, on May 14th, 1948.
[00:34:22] And Ezekiel says that when they are made a nation, they will not believe in God when they become a nation.
[00:34:29] They won't believe.
[00:34:33] Isn't that amazing?
[00:34:33] I had somebody tell me, Israel's illegitimate.
[00:34:36] It's not real.
[00:34:37] And I said, why?
[00:34:39] Because there's homosexuality there.
[00:34:41] there's drug abuse there's human trafficking there's fentanyl and he starts describing all this stuff and i said you mean california everything the guy went down the list on america is probably more guilty of it all or probably manufacturing it the bible says they
[00:35:01] are going to come back to their own land not to believe in god they won't believe in god until the tribulation period starts read your it's careful it's crystal clear that's some of the time. Who cares about Bible prophecy? The danger of fearing biblical prophecy. Don't do that. Don't
[00:35:23] let the danger of fearing biblical prophecy derail you. Don't let that happen. Just because when you open it up, for example, you'll see in the book of Daniel, we shall see later on, or maybe in the
[00:35:39] book of Revelation and a dragon rose up out of the sea and it had ten heads and out of its amount and you go what now it's funny we will go to a movie at the
[00:35:56] theater and pay extra for that and eat popcorn while we're looking at Godzilla but God says if you keep reading he begins to tell you the dragon that you saw. It explains itself. People see the first, a dragon, a fiery red dragon, and they stop reading.
[00:36:26] But if it was any other book, you'd keep reading. They say, well, this Bible, I mean, this Bible's true. Yes, it is true. And the Bible says that there's a devil and God shows you what he's like.
[00:36:39] Satan is not a dragon. You understand that? He's not a dragon. He is like a dragon. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus. That means he's not a dove. We know this immediately. The Holy Spirit's not a
[00:37:01] dove. And a dove didn't land on Jesus when he was baptized. The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus after being baptized by John, like a dove, and immediately rules out a dove. Isn't that interesting?
[00:37:16] Kind of fun. Kind of fun. John chapter 13, verse 19 says, now I tell you before it comes that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am. The he should be capitalized because
[00:37:31] it's been inserted by the translators. Now I tell you before it comes that when it does come to pass, you may believe that ego eimi, in Greek, ego eimi is the I am that I am that Moses spoke to in the
[00:37:50] burning bush. Same word, same person. Does that kind of freak you out? It should freak some of you out. Say, what? When Moses was talking to the burning bush, by the way, you know, we make fun of
[00:38:03] him. He's talking to the burning bush like he's weird. The burning bush, God was not the bush.
[00:38:10] the bush was burning. Moses talked to the bush. I don't think Moses said, what a nice bush you are.
[00:38:19] God, you know, God, I think God assumes we're smarter than that. The reason why Moses tells us why he talked to the bush. He said moments earlier, I see a bush and it's burning and
[00:38:36] it's not being consumed. So Moses went to go to see what was going on with this bush that won't burn out. And out of that burning flame of fire, God spoke to Moses. And God revealed to him,
[00:38:59] you could argue, prophecy. Moses, this is what I'm going to do. Is that not a prophetic statement?
[00:39:08] You see how you need not be afraid when God says, this is what I'm going to do for you.
[00:39:13] How about this? You guys know this. Jeremiah 29, 11, everybody's favorite verse. I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of hope and thoughts of good, not of evil, but thoughts to bring your life to a full and complete end. Did you know that's a prophetic
[00:39:31] statement by God? You have a problem with that verse? Somebody told me not too long ago, they they said, Pastor Jack, you always quote that verse, but it's in the book of Jeremiah. It's to the Jews only. And I said, you are almost right. It was written by the Spirit of God
[00:39:54] through the prophet Jeremiah to the Jewish people. You are correct. But the Bible tells us in the New Testament that all the promises of God that have been given are yes and amen in Christ Jesus. So that's why we get to adopt those verses. Very, very wonderful.
[00:40:16] Now put on your prophetic glasses. We're going to go through a little test here with the time that we have left. Kind of fun. John chapter 16. Let's see how you catch this. You're going to look
[00:40:27] down. You might even have your three buckets. Something might pop up where you might want to take this portion and put it in a bucket. But what might be future here? Let's see. Maybe nothing at
[00:40:39] all. Maybe something. These things I have spoken to you that you should not be made to stumble.
[00:40:46] They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God's service. Wow. Okay. Well, first of all, Jesus was telling that to the
[00:41:02] disciples who were Jewish. He was about ready to leave and go back to heaven. And he tells those Jewish disciples, they're going to come after you, they're going to throw you out of the houses of
[00:41:16] worship, synagogues, and they're going to try to kill you. Is that a prophetic statement? 100%.
[00:41:24] Remember, again, I said it last week, Ed Heinsohn, this is a perfect time to repeat it. God didn't give us Bible prophecy to scare us. He gave us Bible prophecy to prepare us. See how preparatory
[00:41:39] that is? It's awesome. Verse three, and these things they will do to you because they have not known the father nor me. But these things I have told you that when the time comes, you may remember
[00:41:53] that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning because I was with you. But now I go away to him who sent me. And none of you asked me, where are you going? But
[00:42:07] because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the helper, the
[00:42:20] Paracletos, Holy Spirit, will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send him to you. And when he has come, he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment, of sin, because
[00:42:37] they do not believe in me, of righteousness, because I go to my father, and you see me no more, and of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. By the way, who's the ruler of
[00:42:47] this world? Satan. He's judged. Verse 12, I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the spirit of truth, that is the helper, has come, he will guide
[00:43:02] you into all truth for he will not speak on his own authority but whatever he hears he will speak and he will tell you things to come he will glorify me for he will take what of what is mine and declare it to you all things that the
[00:43:21] father has are mine therefore I said that he will take of mine and declare it to you a little while and you will not see me and again a little while then you will see me because I go to my father. Then some of the disciples said among themselves, what is
[00:43:39] this that he says to us a little while and you will not see me and again a little while and you will see me and because I go to the father. And they said, therefore, what is this that he says
[00:43:52] a little while? We do not know what he is saying. Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask him and he said to them, are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said? A little while and you will
[00:44:08] not see me. And again, a little while and you will see me. Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be
[00:44:22] turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come. But as soon as she has given birth to the child she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being
[00:44:36] has been born into the world amazing huh therefore you now have sorrow but i will but i will see but i will see you again and your heart will rejoice and your joy no one will take from you
[00:44:54] and in that day you will ask me nothing.
[00:44:56] Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
[00:45:04] Until now, you have asked nothing in my name.
[00:45:07] Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
[00:45:12] These things I have spoken to you in a figurative language, but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.
[00:45:23] and that day you will ask in my name.
[00:45:26] And I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you.
[00:45:32] It's because you'll be connected.
[00:45:33] For the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came forth from God.
[00:45:42] I came forth from the Father and have come into the world again.
[00:45:47] I leave the world and go to the Father.
[00:45:52] Church, you could read that.
[00:45:53] that's that chapter, over and over again, and you will see more and more of prophetic Bible statements that bring you comfort.
[00:46:04] That was a huge test, but one that is necessary.
[00:46:08] There's the danger of obsessing over Bible prophecy.
[00:46:12] Did you know that?
[00:46:13] You want to be careful about that?
[00:46:16] Who cares about Bible prophecy?
[00:46:18] A lot of people don't, but some people go cuckoo crazy on it.
[00:46:23] They don't even go to a church.
[00:46:26] They just go to prophecy conferences, and that's not good.
[00:46:33] And I'm gonna say something about the future, but not from any source of my own, listen carefully, but from the source of scripture.
[00:46:45] I'm going to accurately say something about the future that will come to pass, not because I'm saying it, but because it is God's word given to us in advance.
[00:46:58] Okay, so what I'm gonna give you, it's paraphrased, but watch this.
[00:47:04] There is going to be an increasingly weird time.
[00:47:09] Yeah, here it is.
[00:47:09] There is going to be an increasing in weird things being said and done in the name of Jesus by a lot of people.
[00:47:19] These people will be false prophets, false teachers and deceivers.
[00:47:23] They will teach false things, give false prophecies with such supernatural influence and charisma that unless someone is grounded in biblical truth about these false believers, they themselves will be powerless against these spiritual powers and will be deceived by them.
[00:47:42] So I just, I actually, you know what I did right there?
[00:47:45] I just read to you paraphrased scriptures scriptures put together right out of the Bible in other words everything that you just saw right there I I queued it up by saying I'm gonna tell you something from
[00:47:58] myself but it's biblically based and what I just shared you shared with you is a hundred percent true but notice what I just did I told you something about the future but I told it to you from the Bible don't as I said earlier
[00:48:19] don't let somebody tell you that God revealed this to them in a dream and they and I have been sent to tell you folks the Bible's crystal clear on this run God is done giving prophetic revelation he is not going to reveal or
[00:48:44] add to the scriptures he said that Matthew chapter 24 we're gonna blow through this quickly. Matthew 24, verse 24, 25. Now this certainly applies during the tribulation period, but it applies to today. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs
[00:49:08] and wonders to deceive, if possible. Thank God for that if. Even the elect see or behold, I have told you beforehand. By the way, everybody, it's like a freshman course in logic. Let me read it again.
[00:49:24] Do I have your attention?
[00:49:26] This is very important.
[00:49:28] Watch, watch, I'm gonna change it, but not the truth of it, watch.
[00:49:33] For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect, which makes it impossible for the elect to be deceived.
[00:49:46] Did y'all get that?
[00:49:49] That's exactly what it is saying.
[00:49:51] You should take a deep breath and relax, because none of God's kids are going to be deceived.
[00:50:02] Well, I had a friend, he was a Christian, and some cult knocked on the door and he went away with the cult and he's gone.
[00:50:09] If that's true, he was never a Christian.
[00:50:12] He might have been your friend, but none of God's kids will be deceived.
[00:50:20] Let's keep going.
[00:50:21] Matthew 24, 11, then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
[00:50:25] That's a prophetic promise, next verse.
[00:50:28] Matthew 7, verse 15, beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
[00:50:36] Wow, listen, if you don't have the word of God rooted and grounded and understand Bible prophecy, they're gonna eat you up.
[00:50:44] Second Thessalonians, chapter two, verse nine, the coming of the lawless one, that's the antichrist, is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, miracles.
[00:50:55] Super duper amazing, off the chart, people, miracles.
[00:51:00] Wow, oh, this is weird. I'm just having a weird thought. It's just my thought. It's insane The coming of the lawless one, of course, that's referencing Satan We know I mean the Antichrist we know that is according to the working of Satan with all power
[00:51:18] Signs and lying wonders and I just had this thought Gosh, we're all watching AI come together And after watching the this weekend's football games I think all referees should be fired and we should only use AI for football games now
[00:51:34] but isn't it weird to think if deception's super duper deceptive that only God's kids will be able to figure it out and discern what's true and false and if Satan is a gradualist and he is
[00:51:52] he takes little steps so you don't see you know you're like you watch a snail you ever watch the snail you never watch a snail you watch a snail and then you stop watching it because it's not
[00:52:02] doing anything and then you look away for a couple of minutes and you look back and it's like where'd go have you noticed satan works like that he just sneaks into your marriage gets his foot in the
[00:52:13] door so you don't notice and then a week or two or a month later wait where'd you go gosh how much of our world already is deceiving us or tricking us as a culture what about ai what if what if ai
[00:52:40] gets possessed by a demon i shouldn't have said that we'll be up all night um because they uh oh Oh, listen, in verse 10.
[00:52:54] And with all unrighteous deception among those who perish.
[00:52:57] Why?
[00:52:58] Because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved.
[00:53:01] Friend, here's the love of the truth.
[00:53:04] You're a sinner, God is the savior.
[00:53:06] You can't, if you die without Jesus, you go to hell.
[00:53:10] If you die with Jesus, you go to heaven.
[00:53:12] He died on the cross for your sins to pay your sin debt.
[00:53:15] If you put your trust in him, he applies that work to you.
[00:53:19] you are saved and you are secure in Christ and you've become a Christ follower, okay?
[00:53:26] Listen, if you reject that, if you don't receive that love of the truth, that you might be saved, there's nothing left for you.
[00:53:41] Right there, I didn't say it.
[00:53:42] It says it right here.
[00:53:45] 1 John 2, verse 18, 1 John 2, 18.
[00:53:48] "'Little children, it is the last hour.'" I love John, he's not messing around.
[00:53:52] It's the last hour.
[00:53:54] And as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many Antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
[00:54:04] They went out from us, but they were not of us.
[00:54:07] Next verse.
[00:54:08] We're going to go quickly now.
[00:54:10] Acts chapter 20, verse 26 to 31.
[00:54:12] This is Paul the Apostle speaking.
[00:54:15] Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
[00:54:22] therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood for I know this that after my departure
[00:54:35] savage wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock also from among yourselves men will rise up speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves therefore watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone, night and day with tears, said the
[00:54:56] apostle Paul. Regarding deception, you know Bible prophecy, you will not be deceived.
[00:55:04] 2 Peter chapter 1. Actually, we already covered that verse. Well, no, let's go down.
[00:55:12] It'd be a little bit repetition, but watch where it goes. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation. Remember that? Can't make stuff up. It's got to be in the Bible. For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they
[00:55:29] were moved by the Holy Spirit. Chapter 2, verse 1. But there were also false prophets among the people, even as, here's a prophetic statement, even as there will be false teachers among you who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them,
[00:55:47] and bring on themselves swift destruction.
[00:55:51] And many will follow their destructive ways because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
[00:55:58] Wow.
[00:55:59] All of a sudden, so much of the Bible has our attention regarding prophecy.
[00:56:08] And I just jotted these things down.
[00:56:10] We don't have time.
[00:56:12] Watch out for things like this.
[00:56:15] Page nine.
[00:56:16] watch out for people who name names like this oh you know God showed me that that guy's the Antichrist you get this books on this you can buy this books people have written how to find how to how to do the math to find out who's the
[00:56:35] Antichrist did you know I'm so listen I'm so old I remember where people were talking about JFK was the Antichrist and then Henry Kissinger was the Antichrist did you remember that one um i'm drawing a blank now but there's a bunch no no one ever thought
[00:56:57] obama was the antichrist no we're going to be talking about him soon and in detail but not obama the antichrist there's there's stuff you're going to learn about him that the bible oh my goodness all scripture but listen watch out for people who say that that guy's the antichrist
[00:57:28] yeah listen if I understand 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 right there's no way that the church can know who the Antichrist is think about that read 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 real slow real slow we'll talk about that when we do
[00:57:45] talk about him not Obama the Antichrist and then we'll leave it off with here with this don't don't listen to people who seek to predict dates and there was a book written, 88 Reasons Jesus is Coming in 1988. You can get that book on Amazon now for like
[00:58:12] a nickel. No, I'm kidding. I don't know if you can or not. How about this? October 21st, 2011 is the rapture of the church and the end of the world. That was Harold Camping said that.
[00:58:38] December 21st, I don't know what's with the 21st number, but anyway, December 21st, 2012, it was said that the Mayan calendar predicted the end of the world.
[00:58:50] There was a certain day it was all gonna come to an end.
[00:58:52] I remember when I was in junior high when a prophet prophesied that on a certain day, California would fall into the ocean.
[00:59:00] Remember that?
[00:59:05] Did they let us out from school for that?
[00:59:07] No?
[00:59:11] How many times did we hear this not all that long ago?
[00:59:15] Jesus is going to return during the next blood moon Remember the red blood moons The blood moons There's four blood moons Did you ever hear about that stuff?
[00:59:27] Raise your hand if you heard about all the blood moon stuff Listen Did you hear anything from this pulpit About the blood moons?
[00:59:36] You want to know why you didn't?
[00:59:39] Because the Bible says That in that day the moon will turn to blood and the sun will not shine everybody wrote books and had conferences on the blood moon conferences and the end of the world is near because of the blood moons no one
[01:00:00] had a conference that the sun was going to stop shining how did i know to keep my mouth shut during that time you guys all thought that well i wonder why he's not talking about it i wonder why he's
[01:00:12] not talking about it. It's because I knew Bible prophecy. I'm not smart. I just read his smart book. Right? Think about it. Oh, could the world end next week? Nope. If you know Bible prophecy,
[01:00:33] the answer is nope. We know this. The world cannot end for at least seven years and 1,000. 1,007 years the world cannot end as of tonight because there's the seven-year tribulation that has to take place and Christ must reign from the throne of
[01:00:53] David and Jerusalem for 1,000 years still then the world will end watch therefore verse we are ending you can stand that will encourage me to end this is how we end watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour in
[01:01:21] in which the Son of Man is coming.
[01:01:24] So watch, everybody, watch.
[01:01:26] Read it this way.
[01:01:27] Because you don't know the day or the hour in which the Son of Man is coming, what are you supposed to do?
[01:01:33] Next verse.
[01:01:35] Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.
[01:01:41] In other words, be busy, occupy till he comes, be doing the work of God, feed your family, get your degree, plan your vacation, Live your life, all the while, by the way, telling others about Jesus, and just know this,
[01:01:58] when God comes back, let him catch you being busy about his Father's business, okay?
[01:02:03] Next verse, Matthew 24, 44, "'Therefore you also be ready, "'for the Son of Man is coming in an hour "'you do not expect.'" Can you imagine?
[01:02:12] Ah, so if all of us would just not expect him.
[01:02:22] And then we read it earlier, we'll read it again.
[01:02:24] looking active verb now continuous looking looking looking looking looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great god and savior jesus christ and all god's people said amen