App
Pray always and keep strength of mind and stability of emotions;
steel your mind, make it strong!
Fred R. Coulter—August 21, 2021
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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services!
If you've been watching the news this week, it's a disaster super-sized! It is all brought about because people don't believe God. They like all the good things of grace and forgiveness of sin, but they're not willing to do what God says!
I had an interesting conversation with Steve, who said that the people in the world, and especially the Protestants are like a diabetic. Sunday is their insulin, and they keep coming back to it. They don't realize that if they changed their diet and quit eating the way that they're eating they can have a cure. If Protestantism would quit taking the insulin of Sunday-keeping and keep the Sabbath, they might understand the Truth of God. But they don't know.
Today, going through everything we're seeing and witnessing, is there anyone willing to really repent? God is giving a choice. If you think it's bad now, and if you think you're having emotional problems trying to cope with it…
I've had a number of e-mails and letters saying, 'How do I cope with all this going on; I'm just out of my mind?'
- you've got to have the Spirit of God working with you
- you've got to know the Word of God
- you've got to understand that we need to hang on because we haven't seen anything, yet
If the media will allow any of the pictures of Afghanistan to come through the way that they should to show the Truth, then you're going to see what's going to happen here to America and the whole world.
The whole world is filled with wretchedness and sin—wars, lies, cheating, killing and everything that there is—and it's all growing like a big leavened lump! How bad is it going to get?
Matthew 24:21: "For then… [when the abomination of desolation goes into the temp, which will be built] …shall there be Great Tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until this time, nor ever shall be again."
A little later I'll talk about how you can strengthen your mind and emotions so that you don't let all of these things carry you away! But if you want to know how close it comes to what Jesus just described here, you go onto the American History Channel and watch the last days of WWII and what they were doing then.
There are a lot of people who don't believe it. There are a lot off people who hate God, and that's one of the big problems today! A lot of people who believe in God really don't believe in Him to obey Him. That's a problem today. But:
- regardless of what anyone thinks
- regardless of what the scholars say
- regardless of what the religious leaders say
- regardless of what the political leaders say
Verse 35: "The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My words shall never pass away."
If you want to start believing God, you better start right there, because it isn't going to be a nice patty-cake walk from here out. How did we get this way? Let's see what God says! Remember:
- "The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My words shall never pass away."
- He was the Lord God of the Old Testament before He came in the flesh as God manifested in the flesh
- you can't take the good of this world and attach it to the ways of God,
It won't work, because the good of the world is not the good of God! The good of the world comes from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That's why when they have all of their good efforts, it always fails.
Isaiah 10:1: "Woe…" bringing misery, grief, sickness, disease, rottenness, upside down emotions and feelings!
"…to those who decree unrighteous edicts…" (v 1).
Are we suffering that with the Wuhan virus and all of the self-appointed mini-gods to tell us what to do?
"…and to those who issue oppressive decrees" (v 1).
- Sound like what we've been going through?
- Do you want to know how brainwashed many people are?
The silliest and most stupid thing with this Wuhan virus is that people are scared to death and when they drive in their cars they have a mask on and no one else in there but them. Go figure how stupid that is! 'I'm just doing this so I won't get it!' There are other ways and means, and they're lying to you about everything that is concerning this vaccination.
Verse 2: "To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to steal the right from the poor of My people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the orphans! And what will you do in the Day of Judgment and destruction…?" (vs 2-3).
I want you think about this: there's a very interesting word in the Greek for 'judgment.' The commentators on TV don't realize that they use it all the time. It is pronounced crises. Every crises is a judgment! We're being judged by God now!
He wants to know if He's going to continue helping us, or not! There comes a time when God leaves! When sin gets so bad, God abandons them (Rom. 1). What are you going to do when God abandons us?
"…in the day of devastation, which shall come from afar?…." (v 3).
How many terrorists have come across our southern border? Look at the result of what happened in Afghanistan; they hate everybody but themselves! Next to that they hate women. They are the most evil people on the face of the earth!
God says that if we don't repent as a nation, He's going to raise up the worst of the heathen! Europe is already finding out, they opened their doors to the Afghans and they have nothing but rapes, murders and thievery that it's unreal! Look at what is happening in America, look at all the of the time-bombs that are ready to explode. The biggest one is the homelessness in all of the cities.
"…To whom will you flee for help?…." (v 3).
Look at it now, all of our friends—who were really never our friends—hate us. Who are you going to go to, to ask for help?
"…And where will you leave your wealth?" (v 3). That's what they're coming for!
Now, I'm going to ring my big cowbell, which means that I'm going speculate something big. Don't take it as doctrine or truth.
Why is everything that has been happening to us in complete accord with what China wants to happen to us? Getting rid of the first amendment they've virtually killed Protestantism by the lockdowns! Government officials carry out their will.
- How much is Joe Biden owned by the Chinese, body and soul, if he has any?
They don't a war of destruction!
- Why? All you have to do is look at what happened to Chernobyl!
- Have you ever seen a special on Chernobyl? They're still radiation there, 30 years later!
China doesn't want a war, because they need the food! They have 1.4 going on 5-billion people to feed every day. They don't have the agricultural land resources to feed themselves. That's why they buy so much from us.
- How would you do it?
- How would you conquer America without firing a shot?
- How would you bring troops into America from China without an invasion?
Remember what Biden called for, for the human rights? The United Nations! Are there UN troops in different nations because of problems? Yes, indeed!
What if we had a president who invited the Chinese to come and help us to put down civil unrest through the UN? Think on that! I don't think that is too far beyond the practicality of thinking about it vs a wild imagination.
Now, this tells us about what's happening in Afghanistan right today:
Verse 4: "'They can do nothing but to cringe among the captives, or fall among the slain.' In all this…" All that God is doing! This is God's doing! He wants to know:
- Do you believe God?
- Are you going to repent to God?
- What are you going to do?
God is the One who raises up nations and brings down nations. We need to get our spiritual thinking caps on and think big, because it's going to happen. We can't worry about our runaway emotions and how we feel.
"…His hand is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still" (v 4).
- How does God do that?
- Why does He do it?
Let's see how God deals. God is a God of love, truth, hope, mercy and kindness IF you come to Him. But the Protestants like to steal from God.
- How do they steal from God? By telling everyone that you can have everything that Christ has, all you have to do is appropriate it!
- By what authority and right do you have to appropriate? NONE!
It is God Who blesses; you don't take!
Remember: 3500 years ago and heaven and earth are still here! They're going to be here for a long time. As I read Lev. 26, I want you to think about how many idols there really are everywhere.
Leviticus 26:1: "You shall make no idols to yourselves…"
Where to idols really reside that God will not hear? There are a lot of people who say they want to know about God!
Tell us when it's going to be. Oh, that's wonderful, it's not going to be coming for quite a while, therefore, we can continue in what we're doing.
Not so!
Ezekiel 14:1: "And some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me."
There are all the important people taken off into captivity. Of course, they're the most unhappy, because they can't be ruling over the people now and taking from them. So, they come to Ezekiel and want to know what's going to happen.
Verse 2: "And the Word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts…" (vs 2-3).
It's not what you make and create, that's bad enough. It's what's in your mind! The biggest idol starts with self and then what you think! 'I think this; I think that, I think the other thing'!
Listen! All the opinions in the world do not make you smart, clever or give you anything toward God. I hope that this message goes out way beyond just to those people in the Church, because they need to hear, as well.
"…and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces…." (v 3).
That means everything that made it go wrong to send them into captivity they still have in their own minds and they haven't learned a single lesson! A little bit like people we know today? Government? Religion?
God says, "…Should I at all be inquired of by them?" (v 3). God doesn't say that's 'a little mistake:
There there, we'll give you a little patty-cake and everything will be nice; you just claim the grace of God and the unconditional love of God will flow to you and you can do whatever you want to do.
LIE! That's one of the reason of what we're facing today, because preachers—men and women—who preach that.
Verse 4: "Therefore, speak to them, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Every man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him according to the multitude of his idols."'"
Which means, 'I'm going to punish you!' People don't like to understand that God will punish. We'll see that His power is greater than that!
Leviticus 26:2: "You shall keep My Sabbaths…"—plural!
Think about how great a sin that the holidays of this world really are! God says that He 'hates them.' Pretty soon we're going to have the fall festival season and we're going to see during the Feast of Tabernacles that God is showing us the solution of how He's eventually going to solve it. But:
- What follows in October?
- What is the first festival of Satan? Death! Halloween!
- What did God say of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? In the day that you eat thereof, in dying you shall surely die!
Death! That's Satan's tree!
In dying you shall surely die does not say immediate death. But it eventually comes. Just like all the problems we're facing as a nation today right now, they didn't all of a sudden just come up; these have been building and building!
How are you going to solve them? The only ones there who should be there who should be solving them are the idiots that have been placed there to tear us down! How are you going to get it done? You're not, unless you turn to God!
"…and reverence My sanctuary. I am the LORD" (v 2).
We can say that we don't have a temple now; how do we reverence the sanctuary of God? By getting on our knees and praying to God the Father and Jesus Christ directly in honesty and truth and repentance!
Verse 3: "If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and do them." ThenHe lists all the blessings that He will give!
Everyone wants the blessings. But no one wants to do the will of God! He said that if you do that—the will of God—here's what He would do, v 11. How many times have you heard that 'we're the greatest nation on earth? We have the best Constitution that there is.' No you don't! The Bible is the best!
Verse 11: "And I will set My tabernacle among you. And My soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be My people" (vs 11-12).
That's what everybody wants, but they don't want to do it God's way.
Just like the diabetic, he takes the medicine so he can manage it, and keep living the way he's living. When he ought to get the right information on diet and quit eating wrong. God will bless him and he won't be a diabetic.
That's just like Sunday-keepers. They won't give up Sunday, but they have all these problems continuing because they keep Sunday. They come back on Sunday and make themselves feel good with songs and claiming the promises of Christ and all this sort of thing. God is never there!
Like this one cowboy, he came to this church, the first time there. After services the pastor came up and met him and said, 'Well, I see this is the first time you're here.' There he was standing in front of the pastor with his cowboy hat in his hand, he had his cowboy necktie on and a cowboy shirt and cowboy jeans on and boots.
The minister said to him, 'When you come before God you need to dress properly. The way you're dressed is not dressed properly to come before God. You go home and pray about it.' So, he went home and prayed about it and came back the next Sunday dressed with his hat, tie, shirt, coat, jeans and boots.
The pastor came up to him and said, 'Didn't I tell you that you have to be dressed properly in order to come to church?' Yes, you did! 'Didn't I ask you to pray about it?' Yes, I did! 'What happened?' When I prayed about it, God told me He hasn't been in this church for decades!
That's how people think! They want this, vs 11-12, but it isn't going to happen. Now, this is where we are right now, beyond past this point:
Verse 13: "I am the LORD your God Who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt from being their bondmen. And I have broken the bonds of your yoke, and made you go upright." God is the One Who takes us out of sin.
God always gives warning! Think about this: In the time when there are more troubles and difficulties in the world, there are more Bibles in the world than every before when you count all the digitals and the printed.
Verse 14: "But if you will not hearken to Me and will not do all these commandments, and if you shall despise My statutes, or if your soul hates My judgments, so that you will not do all My commandments, so that you break My covenant" (vs 14-15).
This is on a national basis. {Note our book: America & Britain (Two Nations that Changed the World) by Philip Neal} We're right now living in the prophetic destiny of what was given in Deut. 28 & Lev. 33. Here's what God will do:
Verse 16: "I will also do this to you: I will even appoint over you terror, consumption… [look at all the disease eating us away] …and burning fever, consuming the eyes and causing sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it."
Who is the biggest purchaser of food that America produces? China! They can't get along without our food. They want to conquer the nation, but not through war and destruction. But through subversion and treachery they're doing a pretty good job of it.
Are we at this point right here, v 17? Think about it! Why is everything going wrong? I mean, look at the news. You don't want to look at the news because it's so bad, and it's only telling part of the story. It's ten times worse than what the news is telling you.
Verse 17: "And I will set My face against you…"
- Does anyone want to have God against them?
- Does anyone think they're strong enough to come up to God?
- Does anyone think they're smart enough to tell God that He has to honor
- our Sunday
- our Halloween
- our Christmas
- our Easter
because they do this for God?
God answers back and says, 'Why do you put My name on it when you get it from Satan the devil?'
"…and you shall be slain before your enemies…." (v 17).
That's happening right now on the streets of Afghanistan! Not counting all the wars that have led up to it since then.
There's always war! Look at Europe, what a pitiful place to live. Go back and you had
- Napoleon Bonaparte: He went on into Russia to try and conquer Russia and was defeated.
- Fredrick the Great
- Bismarck
- WWI
- WWII
Look what happened with WWII, and go back even further and throw in our Civil War in between. Look at all the wars we've gone through.
Then we had the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and now we have the War on Terror. Then we had the Iraq War I & II, Afghanistan 20-plus years! Is the Word of God true or not? How much peace has there been?
Let me tell you this: The only reason there's a modicum of peace is so that the Gospel can be preached. If it weren't for the fact that the United States is the only country in the world from which the Gospel can actually be preached, that's why God has been holding back.
But then we also need to look at ourselves and the Churches of God in addition to it. How long can we keep them from coming into our borders? We can't! They're coming in like water through a sieve that is a big hole!
"…They that hate you shall reign over you…." (v 17).
Sounds like the ruling party today! If there are any of you out there who are supposedly baptized Christians and you're still Democrats, you better go before God and repent!
"…And you shall flee when none pursues you. And if you will not yet, for all this, hearken to Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins" (vs 17-18).
Let's see if we can read one of them. Let's see if we're seeing that happen. It's happened before partially, but not like it's happening today.
Verse 19: "And I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heaven like iron and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain…" (vs 19-20).
Talk about strength being spent in vain; they're leaving billions and billions of dollars of brand new military equipment in Afghanistan for those idiots to try and conquer that whole area.
Speculation: Do you know who is going have to finally solve the problem? The Chinese! They have investments in there, and they will send their troops in to protect their investments, and they will deal with the Afghans with the sword.
They won't come in to try and convert them or make them nicer people; they're just going to slaughter them! That's going to open the way even further for the prophecies in the book of Revelation to take place.
"…for your land shall not yield its increase, neither shall the trees of the field yield their fruits. And if you walk contrary to Me and will not hearken to Me, I will bring seven times more plagues on you according to your sins" (vs 20-21).
Think about all the sins that are there! It is something! What kind of repentance does God want? He doesn't want little patty-cake where you say a nice little 20 second prayer, and you're saved forever and you don't have to do anything! God expects you to repent; get on your knees, fast and pray to God, turn to Him and start keeping His laws and commandments.
Don't say that Jesus didn't say that. That's not true! Jesus said, 'IF you love Me…' All you Protestants out there who say that you love the Lord, listen up! 'IF you love Me…' Oh yes, I love Jesus!
How must do you love Him? Jesus said, 'IF you love Me, keep the commandments, namely My commandments!" You can start with the Sabbath Day, because Jesus said that He is Lord of the Sabbath. Not Sunday!
All the misinterpretations and things that the teachers and theologians tell you about that is completely wrong! Let's see what God wants! He wants
- weeping
- true repentance
- true obedience
You're not going to get by with a little fake thing that the Protestants have. You can go to Church at Home and you can see all the different messages that I have there, especially the series that I just did on baptism and why that is necessary:
Church at Home—churchathome.org:
- Why Baptism?
- Is Baptism Necessary?
- Is There Sin After Baptism
You can't go along and continue to fool yourself and continue to lie to God and live in your sins and expect God to honor you in anything! Those days are over! God has announced that they are over!
Joel 2:12: "'Therefore, even now,' says the LORD, 'turn to Me with all your heart… [everything] …and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.'"
- Don't come and fake it!
- Don't come and reserve sin for yourself in the back of your mind!
- Don't come and repent just to relieve a little pressure!
You come because you really, really want God to be with you!
Verse 13: "Yes, rend your heart and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and He repents of the evil" (v 13).
Do you think that God takes pleasure in all of this that's going on? No, He does not take pleasure in that at all! But He's not going to tolerate anymore all the sins that this nation is wrapped up in. it is horrendous when you really understand how bad it actually is.
(break@39:04)
In the past we heard a lot of there is a way of escape! They would put that out in every magazine (in the former Worldwide Church of God): There is a Way of Escape. Even for those of you who have been in the Church for a long time you will recall that they were looking for 1975 for the year of Christ's return. We put out through WCG probably millions of those booklets 1975 in Prophecy!
In the late 1960s, with all the riots in the cities and everything that was going on, we were all hyped up that maybe this is it. Then all of a sudden that got taken care of. We were approaching 1972, because we wee to leave to go to a place of safety and that the Tribulation would begin as soon as we got to the place of safety and Jesus would return 1n 1975.
Well, it became apparent that it wasn't going to happen. So they had to change the doctrine. But here's the Scripture, and it's still true. But when this will apply we still don't have it clear. But we would read this, and I gave sermons on it.
Luke 21:36: "Watch, therefore, and pray at all times that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass…
A lot of people were coming into the Church in the late 60s, because this was being preached. You better get on board if you want to go to a place of safety because Christ is returning in 1975.
"…and to stand before the Son of man" (v 36).
We are 46 years later and Christ hasn't returned, yet. But does that mean there's no place of safety? If there is, who is going to go? One man in one of the spin-off Churches of God actually went over to Jordan to try an negotiate to buy Petra. He offered millions of dollars, but they turned him down.
We do not know if Petra is going to be a place of safety or not. If it is, then you need to learn how to sleep on rock, because Petra means rock. That is away from everything, and in an area that is less traveled.
I saw a special on Petra a couple of years ago, and I was astonished to find out a very important fact: below Petra there so much water that's below the surface that it's almost an endless supply of water.
What is one of the first things that people need if they're in some desolate place of safety. They're going to need water! Let's see where Jesus talks about this very thing. Of course, everyone wants to know when Jesus is returning.
I think the only One Who knows the time schedule is God the Father! So, we can't depend on our ideas. What happened to ideas about going to a place of safety in the 1970s? It was proven wrong! But everybody accepted it as Gospel truth in the 60s.
Everyone wants to know when the Kingdom of God is coming:
Luke 17:20: "Now, when the Pharisees demanded of Him when the Kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, 'The Kingdom of God does not come with observation… [just because you're watching for it doesn't mean it's going to come while you're watching] …neither shall they say, "Behold, it is here!" Or, "Behold, it is there!"….'" (vs 20-21).
That can be! Why? Because the Kingdom of God is going to be a whole worldwide ruling of all nations in the world. So, the Kingdom of God is not going to be a small matter that's going to take place.
This threw them for a loop; "'…For behold, the Kingdom of God is standing in the midst of you'" (v 21).
It's not within you! Of course, Protestants claim that if you're converted you have the Kingdom of God within you. That can't be! Does your heart have room to rule the whole world? No! it won't work!
Verse 22: "Then He said to the disciples, 'The days will come when you shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and shall not see it. And they shall say to you, "Look here," or, "Look there." Do not go, neither follow them. For as the light of day, whose light shines from one end under heaven to the other end under heaven, so also shall the Son of man be in His day'" (vs 22-24).
We've covered that before, and we'll cover it again with Trumpets coming up here in a couple of weeks.
Verse 25: "But first it is necessary for Him to suffer many things and to be rejected by this generation. Now, as it was in the days of Noah, so also shall it be in the days of the Son of man. They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah went into the ark, and the Flood came and destroyed them all" (vs 25-27).
It's going to come at an unexpected time. Why? Because just before the Tribulation begins, there will be a three and a half year period of peace on earth! Because it will be so spectacular, people are really going to be convinced that men finally have gotten the way to get along. But again treachery will take place and the Tribulation will begin.
Verse 28: "And it was the same way in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building."
What occurs in that three and a half year period we have all kinds of prosperity going on; all kinds of what we just read right here.
Everyone is going to think that this is great! I mean, stop and look how quickly it ended when Trump was removed; within weeks!So, we have to be careful with what's happening.
Verse 29: "But on the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed them all. This is how it shall be in the day that the Son of man is revealed. In that day, let not the one who is on the housetop, and his goods in the house, come down to take them away; and likewise, let not the one who is in the field return to the things behind. Remember Lot's wife" (vs 29-32).
She didn't believe that it was going to happen and she wanted to see and turned around to look at it, and she turned into a pillar of salt.
Verse 33: "Whoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whoever shall lose his life shall preserve it"—lose your life in Christ!
Listen to this carefully, because this shows the time-period taking place, and that the earth is turning.
Verse 34: "I tell you in that night there shall be two in one bed; one shall be taken…"
- How are they going to be taken?
- Are they just going to rise up and start floating in the air? No!
- What's going to happen? The angels are going to come and take them!
There will be a place of protection for some few!
"…and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together…" (vs 34-35). You don't grind grain at night; you probably do beginning in the morning!
"…one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two men shall be in the field; one shall be taken, and the other shall be left'" (vs 35-36).
You work the fields during the daytime. So, we have night and day. So, there's going to be one complete day when those who are going to go to a place of safety will be taken. This will be astonishing when it happens.
Verse 37: "And they answered, saying to Him, 'Where, Lord?' And He said to them, 'Where the Body is, there will the eagles be gathered together.'"
The Body is the Church! The eagles are the angels! So, the angels will take them to a place of safety, and there will be few who will go; not a great number.
You might ask: Why is God going to just take a few? We'll answer that in just a bit. Let's see where we find this further describe. Here's an event that has to take place before the angels come to take the few to a place of safety. There has to be war in heaven and Satan has to be cast down to the earth.
Revelation 12:13: "And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who had brought forth the man-Child."
There will be a time of persecution. There will be people who will want to avoid the persecution. There will be people who won't be able to avoid it at all. We don't know how many are going to be persecuted unto death. We don't know how many are going escape that. God has to make that decision with the angels.
Verse 14: "And two wings of a great eagle… [Did we hear about an eagle in Luke 17? Yes, we did!] …were given to the woman, so that she might fly to her place in the wilderness…"
That's why in studying in Isa. 16 it talks about the lamb's going to Moab, that's the area of Petra. It very will may be that Petra is the place of safety, but we don't know for sure.
- no one is going to buy it
- no one is going to over and own it
Think about if some of the ministers that we have known in the Church were running that with the hierarchy and cruelty that they had, what a miserable place that would be. So, the angels took the woman to her place in the wilderness
"…where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time… [3-1/2 years] …from the face of the serpent" (v 14).
Now, notice the water; remember what I said about that they have discovered almost an endless supply of water below the surface in the Petra area.
Verse 15: "And the serpent cast water out of his mouth as a river, so that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed up the river that the dragon had cast out of his mouth. Then the dragon was furious with the woman and went to make war with the rest of her seed…" (vs 15-17).
The King James says, 'remnant' but the Greek doesn't. Remnant means a small remaining. But it's the opposite. Those who go to a place of safety will be the few that escape.
Here's how you identify them; "…who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (v 17).
- What's going to happen to those who don't get to a place of safety?
Those who are in the place of safety will be protected by the angels!
- How are they going to be fed? We don't know!
They'll probably have plenty of water, but you can't live very long just on water!
- Will God send manna? I don't know!
God has done many things that we can see that He has done and provided!
- Will he provide quail?
It's going to be difficult living there at the very best. But think of what's happening out in the world. There will be Great Tribulation.
Let's see what's going to happen to those who were not taken. It's going to require some strength on their part. They're going to be witnessing to all the forces of evil. They're going to be subject to arrest. They're going to be subject to something that we will see in just a bit.
Revelation 6:1: "And I looked when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures say, like the sound of thunder, 'Come and see.' And I looked, and behold, there was a white horse; and the one who was sitting on it had a bow, and a crown was given to him; and he went out conquering, and to conquer" (vs 1-2).
This is the great ecumenical movement that in 2022 is going to really start moving big time in the world. Why do I say that? Because in the country of Qatar there's going to be the joint place of worship of Catholics and Muslims! They're building that tremendous structure now. When they dedicate that, think about what the world is going to say.
Here are all of these who were enemies before, they're now friends. Look, they worship together; they pray together. Isn't that wonderful?
It's going to usher in a time of peace. What does the Bible say when they say, 'peace, peace,' and there really is none? Sudden destruction comes upon them!
There's every reason to believe that this one on the white horse is the false christ. In bringing peace they're going to think that this is really great. But it's going to swiftly change.
Verse 3: "And when He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, 'Come and see.' And another horse went out that was red; and power was given to the one sitting on it to take peace from the earth…" (vs 3-4).
Here's the false peace. Everything looks good and rosy up to that point. This is the beast of Rev. 13 and it says that everyone is going to worship him. After he's healed of the deadly wound, everyone is going to say that this is 'God.' Then he goes and sits in the Temple of God and says that he's 'God.'
- What happens then?
- What did Jesus say?
When you see the abomination of desolation standing in the Holy Place, then shall be Great Tribulation! This is what it is, it starts out with war!
"…and to cause them to kill one another; and a great sword was given to him" (v 4).
When war starts, it's death and destruction. Everything is out of order, food and water is scarce. Anything to take care of wounds and things like that is scarce.
Verse 5: "And when He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, 'Come and see.' And I looked, and behold, there was a black horse; and the one sitting on it had a balance in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures say, 'A measure of wheat for a silver coin, and three measures of barley for a silver coin: and see that you do not damage the oil and the wine.' And when He opened the fourth seal…" (vs 5-7).
Things get bad, then they get worse, and this is what we have here. Then it will get worse after that. You see this same progression when you watch the history of the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, and you see the devastation coming against Germany
Verse 7: "And when He opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, 'Come and see.' And I looked, and behold, there was a pale horse; and the name of the one sitting on it was Death, and the grave followed him; and authority was given to them over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and with famine and with death, and by the beasts of the earth" (vs 7-8).
Just like everything else, all dictators what to find the enemy, the one who is causing this. That will be all of those who are left behind. If they haven't died of starvation, or whatever, then begins the martyrdom of the saints. They will know where everyone is. They will come after them and behead them; kill them.
We have to have the faith in case that happens to us, that we're strong at that point, as well. God will give us extra strength. But remember this if it happens, your next waking moment will be the resurrection.
Verse 9: "And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony that they held; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'How long, O Lord, Holy and true, do You not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?' And white robes were given to each of them; and they were told that they should rest a short time yet, …" (vs 9-11).
Isn't that interesting, "…rest a short time yet…"; this means that they are still dead! But in symbolism for the sake of understanding what's going on, this is given to us.
"…until it be fulfilled that both their fellow servants and their brethren also would be killed, just as they had been" (v 11).
There's going to be that martyrdom! The only ones who will be Christians living in the faith will be those in a place of safety.
- Why is that important?
- Why do there have to remain physical human beings alive, even though most of all the rest of the saints are being martyred?
Matthew 16:18: "…upon this Rock [Christ] I will build My Church, and the gates of the grave shall not prevail against it."
So, there has to be a few in a place of safety who avoid martyrdom! They are there because Christ if fulfilling His promise that "…the gates of the grave shall not prevail against it"—the Church!
- yes, there is a place of safety
- yes, there will be some who will go
But let's not set our heart on it, because we don't know how much time we have going down the road. We don't know how many are going to be brought into the Church of God.
- How do we keep strength of mind and stability of emotions with all these troubles going on all around?
- How do we do that?
- What do we look to? To God!
Let's see what God told Jeremiah when He was calling him and explaining to him what his mission would be. Jeremiah really had a really terrible 40 years, because he would see the nation fall. That's what we're looking at today. The nation is falling! Jeremiah lived though the time of the end of the reign of Manasseh. He saw the revival with Josiah, and there was peace as long as he was there. Jeremiah had to prophecy all the words that God told him.
Jeremiah 1:15: "'For, behold, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north,' says the LORD…. [to bring war against Jerusalem and the Jews] …'And they shall come, and they shall each one set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its wall all around, and against all the cities of Judah…. [he had that to look forward to] …And I will pronounce My judgments against them regarding all their wickedness in that they have forsaken Me, and burning incense to other gods, and worshiping the works of their own hands'" (vs 15-16).
Jeremiah was the one who had to speak the judgments. Jeremiah was the one who had to preach even though everyone was against Him. God knew that it was going to get terrible.
Verse 17: "You, therefore, must gird up your loins, and arise… [strengthen yourself; was young, about 18] …and speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed at their faces, lest I confound you before them. For, behold, I have made you a fortified city this day… [symbolically] …and an iron pillar…" (vs 17-18).
What does that mean? That you steel, make strong with iron, your emotions! If you don't you will not be able to endure! Even some people today with what's going on they're having trouble emotionally. You've got to steel your emotions!
It's going to happen! All the emotional involvement that you have and have in your mind isn't going to change it. It isn't going to make it better. You need to think about this:
- Why would you get so involved emotionally so that you destroy your own self?
- How can you be a witness to anyone if you're so wrapped up in yourself you can hardly stand up and walk? You can't do it!
One thing I know, if I get frustrated or overloaded—and I do, too, get emotional; you can't help it because it's a terrible thing—but you don't keep it. One thing I do is exercise. Why? Because that gets my whole body going and the blood going in my whole system, and I'm not focusing all my thoughts on the trouble and difficulties that are out there, which I cannot solve! Only God can do it when Christ returns!
"…and bronze walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah…" (v 18). He had to stand alone by himself
So, God told him, 'I'm going to give you strength against all of them! What is an 18-year-old going to do against all of them: the princes, elders, priests, Levites, and all the people with their gods and with their way of living. Look at it today, same thing!
"'…against its rulers, against its priests, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against you; but they shall not overcome you. For I am with you,' says the LORD, 'to deliver you'" (vs 18-19).
Read through the book of Jeremiah and you will see he had a lot of close calls. Jeremiah was of the priesthood, and the priestly city. All the priests in that city were plotting to kill Jeremiah because of what he was saying. So, it's not pleasant, but that's what we have to do.
We don't lose compassion and understanding, but we don't let it rule us. What did Christ do? He had to face all of the things that He had to do with:
- the arrest
- the beating
- the scourging
- the crucifixion
- the false accusations
Isaiah 50:6: "I gave My back to the smiters…"
Your back is the most sensitive part of your body. When you talk about scourging and stripping away the flesh, that's what He went through.
"…and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair… [they pulled His beard off] …I did not hide My face from shame and spitting, for the Lord GOD will help Me; therefore, I have not been disgraced. On account of this…" (vs 6-7).
Here is what we need to do. I know some people will say that sounds a little harsh. Maybe it is, but what kind of times are we dealing with? Harsh times!
"…I have set My face like a flint…" (v 7).
In other words, so strong, so tough mentally, emotionally and everything in Him that He could endure what He went through.
What we're going have to do is the same thing! We're going to have to steel our mind, make them strong! The time for compassion is when we're going to help heal the world.
If you get carried away emotionally in all of these things, have compassion for them and what they're suffering—and they're going to suffer; it's going to be miserable, horrible—that's what all of these things are about.
- What would you do if you were in Afghanistan? They're finding out they can't avoid it!
- What are you going to do? You're going to have to have the courage of Christ!
- strengthen your mind
- strengthen your heart
- strengthen your body
So that when these things come along you'll be able to cope with it. It's not an easy thing to do. It's a very difficult thing to do. I hope this will help you in everything that we have covered today. They are all important when we see these things going on.
We don't know what's going to happen, but you know this: Biden is probably not going to be president very much longer, and it may even get worse. We don't know. We have to pray for:
- God's protection
- God's help
- God's Spirit
- all the brethren
So that we can understand what's going on and live through it, and be able to do the things that God wants: whether to a place of safety or that we are martyred, because it's down to that.
It may be a few years beyond, we don't know. That's how we cope with it. I hope you're not depressed after this message. You might tend to be! That means you need to strengthen your emotions, because the reality of all of these things are going to prove it.
Scriptural References:
- Matthew 24:21, 35
- Isaiah 10:1-4
- Leviticus 26:1
- Ezekiel 14:1-4
- Leviticus 26:2-4, 11-21
- Joel 2:12-13
- Luke 21:36
- Luke 17:20-37
- Revelation 12:13-17
- Revelation 6:1-11
- Matthew 16:18
- Jeremiah 1:15-19
- Isaiah 50:6-7
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Romans 1
- Deuteronomy 28
- Leviticus 33
- Isaiah 16
- Revelation 13
Also referenced:
Book: America & Britain (Two Nations that
Changed the World) by Philip Neal
Church at Home—churchathome.org:
- Why Baptism?
- Is Baptism Necessary?
- Is There Sin After Baptism
FRC:bo
Transcribed: 8/25/21
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