Transcript

Sermon Transcript: What in the World is Going On?

10/22/2023 Jeff Schwarzentraub 42 min read

Pastor Jeff:

Our Father in heaven, we give You all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise for who You are. And Lord, we ask in these minutes that we're together, that You would speak directly to us, Father, because we as a people believe that every time that Your word is faithfully and is accurately proclaimed, that You speak to our hearts. And so our prayer this morning is speak, Lord, we are ready to hear what it is You have to say. Lord, do a work this morning that will not only be important for right now, but Lord, for all the time going forward until we meet You face to face. And so now, for all those who have gathered who desire to hear the Lord speak directly to you, who will believe what He tells you, and who will by faith put into practice what He shows you?

Will you agree with me very loudly this morning by saying the word amen? Amen. On September 11th, 2001, I was living in Dallas, Texas, when I got a phone call from my friend early in the morning, that I was getting ready to go run with, saying a plane just flew into one of the buildings in New York City at the World Trade Center. And I remember thinking to myself, because I had no concept of that. That some private pilot probably got off course and didn't have a picture of what it looked like. And I said, "Hey, listen, I'll jog over. We'll watch it on tv. I want to see what it is." And I remember putting on my shoes, jogged a half mile over to his house. We were getting ready to go run. And as I was standing there watching the tv, for those of you that were alive, you'll remember what was taking place as all the news stations were focused on the building that was burning. And people were actually jumping to their death rather than face the burning that they were going to have.

And you're watching this atrocity. I remember seeing the second plane come into the second tower, and as soon as I saw it turning and going into the second tower, I knew we're at war. I didn't have a concept for this, but questions begin to arise in my mind like, what in the world is going on? What's happening? And you'll remember, if you were alive at that time, that church services on that weekend tripled in size. Which lasted for all of three weeks and then everybody went back to normal. But there's times in our life where we're going to be asking those questions. And 2020 was a time where I was asking the Lord, "What in the world is going on?" Never seen anything like it. Never seen groups say the things that they're saying. Never watch people cower in fear at such a pandemic kind of level.

And as I'm studying the word, and I'm watching the scriptures, and I'm seeing the news, everything seems to be a dichotomy of what I'm reading here in my Bible. And what I'm seeing people live out in the world. And I ask myself, "What in the world is going on?" And then this October 7th, when Hamas crossed the wall in Gaza and came into Israel, and murdered at least 1,300 people that we're aware of, I began to ask the question again, "What in the world is going on?"

Now as your pastor, I don't think it's fair that every time we have a school shooting, or something take place in the news, or a political election, that that's all I preach about and we change the word of God to talk about every single current event. But because of what's going on in our world, I wanted to preach to you today about some things that you can bank on both now and in the future going forward. So that when you're asking yourselves the question, what in the world is going on, that you can have at least four anchors to hold on to so that you can steady yourself in the midst of chaos.

And I think it's important that we talk about that today. And to do that, I'm going to be in Psalm chapter 2, Psalm chapter 2. If you have your Bible, I'm going to encourage you to open to Psalm chapter 2 today. And we're going to answer the question, what in the world is going on? Because when we see things in the news, sometimes we're amazed, or we're surprised. And God wants us neither to be amazed, nor surprised at what we see. I want to tell you from the outset, Jesus Christ is still on His throne. He's still ruling and reigning the universe, and none of this is a surprise to Him. And none of this stuff we'll see going forward is a surprise to Him. God is the one who's in charge of all things. Just to give you some scriptures, you can write these down. In John chapter 16:33, Jesus told us before He left this world, "In this world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I've overcome the world."

In 1 John chapter 3, He tells us, "Do not be surprised that the world hates you. If you continue to live for God, instead of living for this world, do not be surprised that the world hates you." Or in 1 Peter 4:12, "Do not be surprised at the fiery trial that you were enduring, as though something strange were happening to you. This is used for your testing of your faith." And even Jesus in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew, chapters 24 and 25, says it like this. In Matthew 24, he tells us in verse 21 about the times. He says that, "There is coming and there will be a great tribulation such has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will." He says, "There's a time of tribulation coming that is so great that it's never been like that before and it never will."

And then he says in verse 25, "Behold I have told you in advance." Don't you like the fact that Jesus is not letting us be surprised, or shocked? And when you look at the world go from bad to worse, Jesus is like, "I've been telling you this. I told you in advance it was going to be like this. That's why I'm giving My peace to You. My peace I leave with you." The only place you will find peace in this world, is in a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. So with that as a backdrop, and we're asking the question, what in the world's going on? I want you to not be surprised by four truths that the Bible wants to highlight. And the first is this. Don't be amazed or surprised, world leaders will collectively reject and abandon God. Don't be surprised. Don't be shocked.

Do not be amazed. World leaders will collectively reject and abandon God. Notice what He says in Psalm 2. "Why are the nations in an uproar, and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed saying, 'Let us tear their fetters apart, and cast their cords from us.'" What is he saying? He's asking the question, why is it that there's chaos going on all over the world? Why has there always been chaos going on? Why is it that there's chaos? And why is it that the heads of state, presidents and leaders in the world, are devising plans that go against the word of God? Why is it that they're doing that? Why is it that they go against God's anointed? Who are his blessed ones and the ones who follow him. And why are they saying, "Let's cast off our fetters?"

Let's get rid of all this biblical Christianity, God stuff. Why is it? Well, it's because world leaders will collectively reject and abandon God. It's what Jesus said would happen. It's what God tells us. And we know why this is. We understand why this is. The Bible makes clear in 2 Corinthians chapter 4:4, "In whose case the God of this world," that Satan himself, "has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Why is it, that the leaders in our world make the decisions that they make, because they're blinded to the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord? They are blinded to the gospel that Jesus died for their sins and rose from the dead. They are blinded to the truth that every word of God's word from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21 is of the Lord. And not one word of His word will pass away.

The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our Lord God stands forever. Amen. That's what we need to understand. And so if you're looking to a leader who is not born again, they don't see the light of the gospel of Christ. Why is the world in chaos? Why are the nations in an uproar? Why is it all turned upside down? People always think it's a debate between right versus left. It's no longer a debate of right versus left. It's a debate of right versus wrong. You understand what I'm saying? I mean, we're calling good, evil. We're calling evil, good. That's why. And He said, "Why is it that way?" He's asking the question. The answer is, is because world leaders will collectively reject and abandon God. Now, I know this, because I read my Bible. And even in the last three years as I read my Bible, and I see different news stories about different groups of people, what they say is opposite everything that the Bible says.

I mean, if you believe the Bible from Genesis 1:1 on, here's what you will learn. That at the beginning, God is the only eyewitness to creation. So He's going to tell us exactly what He does. And He's going to create the world in six literal days. The rest of the Bible affirms that. Exodus 20:11 says, "For in six days he created the heavens and the earth and he rested on the seventh day." It's just fact. Anybody that doesn't believe that God created the world in six literal days, is getting their authority from somewhere other than the Bible. That's just that simple. Okay? God created the world. What else did He create? He created one race of people. It's called the human race. There's only one race, according to the Bible.

God only created two genders, despite popular belief. Male and female. And how did He create them? In his image, and gave them dominion, and gave them purpose, and gave them uniqueness. Then in Genesis 2, God designed marriage. And He designed that between a man and a woman, that they would come together and be together only until death do they part. Now, our culture doesn't believe any of that. You need to understand, when I taught through the book of Revelation, evolution is not a science, it's a theology.

It's a theology that says, since there can't be a God, since the Bible can't be true, we're going to try to put the pieces together in some way that might make sense to us. Because there's no way that there's a God that designed all of this, and created all of this. To which we say, "He did, and you're going to meet Him soon." And give an answer to why you've been rebelling, because it's the fool in his heart that says there is no God. That's the world that we live in. So when it comes to the world's news, if that's your source of truth, I promise you you're getting it wrong. And I could stand up here for the next, I think all day long, and talk about the news, and the media, and what they're saying. We could talk about BLM, we could talk about Antifa, we could talk about Covid, we could talk about vaccines, we could talk about stolen elections. We could talk about anything you want to talk about, and I promise you that my worldview is opposite of everything I hear on the news, every single time.

So when it comes to what took place on October 7th, which happened when Hamas came over the wall and killed 1,300 Israelis. I don't care what the news has to say, I want to hear about what God has to say. So I want to talk to you a little bit about Hamas. There are plenty of people out there that know a lot more about them than I do. I've done some research over the last couple of weeks, just to kind of figure some things out. Hamas in Arabic really means "force" or "strength". That's what their name means, and you need to understand they are a terrorist organization set to destroy Jews. They're hell-bent on destroying Jews, and to take and occupy their whole land. And I'm not making it up. I mean, you can get on the internet and read the Hamas covenant, which I knew nothing about until this week and read it.

And the very first paragraph in their statement says, "That's why we exist. We'd love to kill all the Jews, and we'd love to take their land." They are a terrorist organization. That's what they do. Now, it's interesting because the Arabic word means "force" or "strength", but do you know what the word means in Hebrew? Do you know what Hamas means? It means "violence". It means "violence". If you know your Bible, and you go back to Genesis chapter 6, when God was so grieved because of all the wickedness on the Earth. And they only did what was evil, and God was going to destroy the whole world in a flood. In Genesis 6:11, it says, "Now the Earth was corrupt in the sight of God and the Earth was filled with violence." Literally. "Now, the Earth was corrupt in the sight of God and the Earth was filled with Hamas." That's what it says. God destroyed the world because of Hamas.

Hamas is dead set against the Jews. Make no mistake about it. Now, here's what we need to understand, because somebody's like, well, who do we side with? Because I'm watching all these rallies on college campuses and around capitals, and there's so many people for Palestine. And I'm a Christian and I'm for all people, because how many know Jesus Christ died for the world? Amen. He died for all people. So where do we land this? I want to go back to the Bible so that we can say, what does God say about the land? It's because we need to know what He says before we draw our line in the sand, and say anything. So if you believe the Bible, God's going to give you an answer to this. If you go back to Genesis chapter 12, God made a covenant with Abraham. His name was Abram at the time.

He came out of Ur of the Chaldees. Ur of the Chaldees would be modern day Iraq. God called him from there, and in Genesis chapter 12, in verse 1, "Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go forth from your country and from your relatives and from your father's house to the land that I will show you.'" So God's calling him to a piece of land. "And I'll make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great. And so you shall be a blessing, and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you., I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed." It's called the Abrahamic covenant. Now, this covenant is also established in Genesis chapter 15. If you want to know what the land looks like, it says in Genesis chapter 15:18.

"On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying, 'To your descendants, I have given this land.'" And he says how far it is. From the river of Egypt, as far as the great river. The river of Euphrates, the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Cadonite, and the Hitite, and the Perizzite, and Refrihim. And the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite. If you do your study of the promised land that God was going to give to Israel, it's about four times the size of the land that they occupy today. The only time in Israel's history that they occupied even close to that amount, was when David was king of Israel. And even then, they didn't have all the land that God had promised them. But wait, wait, wait. That's Old Testament, right? That's Old Testament. I mean, it's the church today that fulfills those promises.

God's done with Israel, right? Because now we have the church. Wrong. Psalm 105 tells me about this covenant that God made. In Psalm chapter 105, starting in verse eight. God says, "He has remembered his covenant forever. The word which he commanded to a thousand generations,." The covenant, which means promise, which He made with Abraham and his oath to Isaac. Then he confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant. When's an everlasting covenant end? Never. When they were only a few men in number, very few and strangers in it. That's when God made this promise. You say, "Well, again, Jeff, that's Old Testament." Okay, let's go to the New. The New Testament is simply just a commentary on the old. It's all it is. And in Galatians chapter 3 in verse 17, Paul is spelling this out as a Jew who was converted to Christ, and became the fullness of what a Jew is.

What I'm saying is this, the law which came 430 years later does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God so as to nullify the promise. For if the inheritance is based on the law, it's no longer based on the promise. But God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise. So whose land is it? God's. Who did God delegate it to 4,000 years ago? Israel. Whose land will it always be? Israel's. So I want to tell you as an under shepherd of the Lord Jesus Christ, unapologetically, unequivocally, we stand with the nation of Israel because they're God's nation.

What I would also say is this. You remember in the 1930s or 40s during World War II, there were men like Oskar Schindler who were German, who helped rescue Jews. And there were other people that were doing that. And for people that are not part of Hamas, that are in that area, that are being used as human shields or all those different things, we stand with people that are standing for what's right. Because Christ died for everyone. Amen. But to give you an idea of what happened, there are about 1,300 lives that were lost. And if you haven't seen some of the footage, I'm not even telling you you should see it. It's so horrific, and so disgusting, and so gross that kids under the age of three, husbands, wives, elderly, shot at point-blank range. Just disgusting terrorist activity that took place. Do you know why?

Because Hamas does not care about human life. They don't care about Israel. They don't even care about their own people. Israel is the only nation in the world that will tell the other nation, here's what we're going to do to retaliate. And drop leaflets in their own language saying, "Hey, they put a rocket launcher in a hospital, we're going to come get the rocket launcher. Get out of the way of the hospital, flee the borders, do what you need to do." And you know what Hamas is doing? No, you can't leave. You're going to stand with us in solidarity. We're going to make you stay here. And you know where they put all the rocket launchers, you know what Hamas does? They put them in hospitals, they put them in schools, they put them in parks. They put them in any place so that if Israel retaliates the optics look like, "Look at Israel, they're just mean people." Israel is doing everything it can to protect as many innocent lives as it can. Here's the truth.

I've heard this said, it's not original with me, but I believe it. If Hamas put down their guns, there would be peace. If Israel puts down their guns, they'll all be dead. That's a fact. So we need to understand in this era, and you say, "Well, why do all these young people go for Palestine?" The Bible says, "It's not good to have zeal without knowledge in order to be hasty and miss the way." I mean, I love the zeal. Let's stand for what's right. If all these people that are spending all their time protesting for Palestine, and protesting for BLM, and Antifa, would just get saved. And give that same level of energy to the gospel, it would make a difference in this world. Amen. But that's what's going on here. And you need to understand as you see this, because you also have an army in the north in Libya. Or Lebanon rather. You have Hezbollah, it's been firing some rockets in saying, "Hey, we just want you to know we're here too." I want you to be aware of that.

I mean, Israel's kind of in a no win situation. Because if they do what they're supposed to do in driving back evil, then the world tells them they shouldn't even exist anymore. They're being too harsh. And Iran has been funding these groups for a long time. And Russia's behind Iran. I mean, we could see all sorts of things escalate as we go. We might. But here's what you need to know. We shouldn't be surprised, because world leaders will always collectively reject and abandon God. That's what they do. Now, I do believe I need to say this, President Biden at this point in time has said, "We will stand with Israel." Praise God for him saying that. I praise God, I hope he holds true to his word. Because as other events take place, it's going to be easier to think about what we're doing. And do you think about what's going on? Do you ever take the time to think about why are people doing what they're doing? It's because they're in a satanic stupor. It's why things don't make sense.

Why would you fund a war in the Ukraine and send millions and billions of dollars there, to secure a border that nobody in America knows what it is. And we can't even secure our own? Why? I mean, we now have terrorist cells in every city, all across our country. And everybody's blind to it and nobody seems to care. I care. God caress, right? So this is what He's saying. Don't be surprised when you see this. It's why elections matter. World leaders will collectively reject and abandon God. Here's what you need to know too. When it comes to Israel, you know how many people, you know how many Israelis, you know how many Jews there are in the world? There's 8 billion people in the world. You know how many Jews there are? 16.1 million. 0.2% of the population. Okay. I mean if you take that act, 9/11 took the lives of roughly 3,000 people, multiply that by 35.

Or if you're just talking about the Jews that live in Israel, because there's other Arabs that live in Israel, there's only like 6 million there. About 50% of Jews live in America, 30% of Jews live in Israel. And the rest are scattered throughout the world. I mean, just think about that. I mean that would be like if 9/11 took a hundred thousand lives. That's the magnitude and scope of what took place on October 7th. And as Israel is thinking about how do we do just to retaliate, which they should. The whole world's like, "But be careful and don't do it too strong, and don't do it too bad. Or we're not going to be for you either." They're in a rock and a hard place, they can't do anything. And it's always been that way for the Jews. It's always been. Because from the time God called Abram, He was saying, "I'm going to have a nation through which the Messiah is going to come. And not only is that Messiah going to come, but he's going to return and establish his authority through that nation."

And so from the beginning of time that Israel became a people, there's been a group of people that have always tried to get rid of them. Whether it was Pharaoh in Egypt, whether it was during the days of Esther, when Haman wanted to get rid of all of them. God has always spared them. And here's what you need to know too. Jesus Christ is Jewish. He was born of a virgin. She was Jewish. Jesus is a 100% Jew. He lived as a Jew. He fulfilled the law as a Jew. He died as a Jew. He rose as a Jew. And He's coming back as a Jew. And you need to understand this too, because if you just study history... I mean when you do Old Testament Bible study and you get to these places where you're talking about Jebusites, Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, every kind of -ite in the world. Moabites, Edomites, and you're like, where are all these -ites today?

They don't exist. They're dead. You'll never sit on the plane next to somebody like, "Where are you?" "I'm a Moabite." I mean, they're not there. I'm an Edomite. You won't meet them. Why are there still Israelites? Because God promised through His prophets, He would bring them back into the land. And God brought them back into the land on May the 14th, 1948. Israel is not occupiers. Israel are not colonists. Israel had the land a couple of thousand years before the name Palestine even existed. It's their land. And when Jesus Christ comes back, they're going to get it all. That's biblical. If God were here speaking, I'm speaking on His behalf, that's what He would tell you. So why is the world against it? Because the world's always opposed Christ, and it's always opposed Christ plan. Make no mistake about it. But God has a plan for Israel.

He still has a plan for Israel. You can read Romans 9, 10 and 11 if you have time this week. And see how, you know what, God has grafted us in as the Gentiles, and God's going to graft back in Israel too. Now I need to make this point pretty clear. Because some will say like, "So Israel's saved." No. No. I mean every New Testament writer that was Jewish was trying to save their own countrymen by preaching the gospel. Israel doesn't get a hall pass to salvation because they're God's people. What the prophets and apostles were trying to tell them is, you've been given all the promises and you still reject the Messiah that came. Israel still needs to turn to Jesus, but that doesn't change the fact that God still has a plan for Israel. "For I'm not ashamed of the gospel," Paul said. "For it is the salvation to everyone who believes. First to the Jew, then to the Gentile."

Jesus is pro-Jewish. Just so you know. And what we see throughout the curses and blessings in the Bible, "If you do what I do, you'll be blessed. If you don't do what I'll do, you'll be cursed." I mean what nation has had more cursed than the Jews? I mean all up until the last generation of the Holocaust, and all those things that happened. I'm 25% Jewish. I met Holocaust survivors as a boy when I was growing up. They had tattoos on their arm, they would tell me their whole story. And how they were given a loaf of bread, and one bowl of soup to last a whole week. And one of the survivors, his name was Martin Fox. He used to tell my parents and me that he would give away his soup, because that's what tasted really good and everybody would gobble up the soup. He would take the bread, he would trade it for bread. And he would divide it into seven pieces, so that he could eat a piece of bread a day to stay alive.

And when asked, why did you do that? And why did you want to stay alive? And why did you want to endure that? He said, "So I could tell the story, so this would never happen again." That's what's happened to the Jews for years, starting in 587 with the Babylonians driving them out. I mean they've always been opposed, because they've always been God's chosen people. That's why we stand with them. That's what God says in His word. But make no mistake about it, world leaders will collectively reject and abandon God. And I don't know what's going to happen next, because I'm not God. But as I see the chaos, it's not spinning out of control. Just so you know. All this is unfolding right at the feet of Jesus, just the way He wants it. Which is why I want to tell you, point number two, don't be amazed or surprised that God's patience will eventually explode with terror. Don't be amazed. Don't be surprised that God's patience... He's being super patient now. And the reason He's being patient is He doesn't want anyone to perish.

He wants all to come to the knowledge of Him. But one day that's going to eventually explode with terror. Notice what the word says in Psalm 2. He says, what's God thinking right now? "He who sits in the heavens laughs." I mean from our perspective we're like, this is really scary. God's up in heaven saying, "Seriously?" The Lord scoffs at them. The Lord's not bothered by this at all. Then He will speak to them in His anger, and terrify them in His fury saying, "But as for me, I have installed my king," that's the Lord Jesus Christ. "Upon Zion, my Holy mountain." Zion is synonymous with Jerusalem. Okay. That's where the kingdom is going to be, in Jerusalem. Now, how many of you have heard that David was a man after God's own heart? Remember that? David's a man after God's own heart.

I've always wondered why. I mean, David was a man after God's own heart. And that when he saw an uncircumcised Philistine in the land causing them problems like, "What's he doing here? I'm not going to come at you. I'm not coming at you with sword of spirit. I'm coming at you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You have no right here." He was a man after God's own heart. He established the kingdom. He was a man after God's own heart. But what else did he do? He coveted another man's wife. He lusted against her. He committed adultery with her, and then he had her husband killed. That doesn't sound like a man after God's own heart. But oh yeah, when prophet Nathan came, he did repent generously. And he did say he was completely wrong, and God did forgive his sin. But, there's a lot of people that have lived in history that have done what God has wanted. And when they haven't done it, they've repented and tried to live the way God wants.

What makes him so special? I'll tell you what I believe it is. You remember when David had the tabernacle, where the presence of God was housed? Where did he bring it? He wanted to bring it where? Back to Jerusalem, which is where God's heart is. And he was a man after God's own heart, because he brought the presence of God back to Jerusalem. If you go to Israel today, where you see that dome of the rock, which is I think the second or third most holy site in Islam. And the Western wall right on the other side. I mean, if there's one or two acres of property that you'll never touch, or purchase or whatever, it's that area. It'll be in hostility until Jesus Christ gets back. But make no mistake about it, He's going to rule and reign right from that place. Because that's what the Bible teaches.

And so here's what we need to understand, that while all this stuff is going on, God's not up in heaven biting His nails. He's not asking you to be fearful. He's not asking you to worry. He's saying, "I got this." He's always said He was going to have this. You remember in Mark chapter 14:62, when Jesus was being tried. And they're asking Him, "Are you the Christ? Are you really the Christ?" And what does Jesus say? "I am. And you will see the Son of man," He's quoting Daniel 7, "coming on the clouds with judgment." Here's what He's saying. You're trying me as king. Do you realize the next time you see Me, I'll be coming to judge You and the whole universe? Because I'm the promised God? That's what He was saying. And at that point in time, that's why the high priest tore His robe. And that's when all the crucifixion proceedings began, because Jesus claimed that He was God.

But make no mistake about it, when Jesus comes back, He's not coming back as little shepherd boy, meek and mild. He's coming back as King of kings and Lord of lords. When I talk through the book of Revelation, and I don't have time to teach everything today, you can go back and listen to the series. But in Revelation 6, as the six different seals are being opened, you'll remember that that last seal was a seal of terror. In Revelation 6:12, he said, "I looked when He broke the sixth seal and there came a great earthquake. And the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood. And the stars of the sky fell to the Earth as a fig tree casts its unripe fruit when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and every island were moved out of their place."

Now watch what happens. "Then the kings of the earth," that's all the heads of state, presidents, commanders, everybody. "The kings of the earth, and the great men, and the commanders, and the rich, and the strong, and every slave and free man hid themselves among the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the presence of him who sits on the throne. And from the wrath of the lamb for the great day of the wrath has come and who is able to stand?'" When Jesus comes back, what's He coming back as? Conquering King. And everyone is going to be saying, "I would rather be crushed by a rock than to face the glory of God." That's who's coming back. Now, picture in your head, based upon all your church attendance, all your Bible study, best picture, just close your eyes for a second. I want you to picture what Jesus looks like, okay?

Just get your image in your head as to who this Jesus is when you meet him face to face. And what He's going to look like, and see if it aligns with this. "I saw one like a son of man clothed in a robe reaching to his feet and he girded across his chest with a golden sash. His head and his hair were white like white wool, like snow. And his eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze when it had been made to glow in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword. And his face like the sun shining in its strength." Is that the Jesus you picture? Because that's the one in heaven that's about ready to return, in all of His glory. John said, who knew Jesus personally on the earth? Who was the disciple that Jesus loved? Who was the closest to Him intimately? John says, "When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man."

He was in terror. He was terrified by what he was going to see. But this is not the only scripture. Isaiah chapter 63 highlights the same thing. When Jesus comes back to stomp His enemies, questions will be asked. Isaiah 63 says, "Who is this who comes from Edom with garments of glowing colors from Bosrah? The one who is majestic in his apparel marching in the greatness of his strength? It is I who speak in righteousness, the one who is mighty to save." They ask Him a question, "Why is your apparel red and your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? He says, I have trodden the wine trough alone. And from the peoples there was no man with me. I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath, and their lifeblood is sprinkled on my garments, and I stained all my [inaudible 00:32:07], for the day of vengeance was in my heart and my year of redemption has come." When Jesus comes back, He's going to look more like William Wallace than meek and mild.

Why's your rob all bloody? Because I stomped my enemies. The kings of the world, the heads of state, the ones who have been against Me. The religious prideful. I was done with them. I gave My life to them. I died for them. I rose for them. I wanted to give them life, and they wanted nothing to do with Me. And their day has come. And they're responsible for all their sin. I was willing to take it all away. I was willing to wash it all away, but they didn't want any part of it. That's the Jesus that's coming. You say, why is that important? Because you don't need to be afraid. Well, how are we going to live? And how are we going to make it through this time? Because that God, is the one behind us. That's the God peering down from heaven, watching everything take place.

That's the One who wants to strengthen every single heart, who is completely His. That's the God who's looking to and fro. That's the One who's coming. Make no mistake about it that His patience will turn into judgment. And I love this picture, while we're having fun with pictures this morning. Because most times we get a wrong picture of who this Jesus is, that we say we believe in. But in Revelation chapter 19, with His coming, here's what we see. "And I saw heaven open to behold a white horse, and he who sat on it is called faithful and true." That's Jesus' name.

"And in righteousness, he judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems. And he has a name written on him which no one knows except himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood and his name is called the Word of God. And all the armies which are in heaven clothed in fine linen and white and clean, we're following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword so that with it he may strike down the nations, and he may rule them with a rod of iron. And he treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God Almighty. And on his robe and on his thigh, he has a name written King of kings, and Lord of Lords."

That's the Jesus that's coming. It's coming. And He's coming soon to a city near you. That's why you need to know His patience only lasts for a moment. When Jesus shows up, He's showing up for His own. To gather those who have been eagerly waiting Him to protect them. Because for those of us who were in Christ, we were not appointed under wrath. At one point we were children of wrath just like the rest, but no longer. Because Jesus Christ took our wrath on the cross and rose from the dead. And we're not appointed to that wrath.

We're appointed to be in Christ forever and ever. Amen. And that's what He's called us to do. But God's patience will eventually explode into terror. Let me give you a third point. Don't be amazed. Don't be astonished. Don't be shocked. Christ's kingdom will ultimately establish universal rule. Christ's kingdom will ultimately establish universal rule. There is no doubt about it. When Jesus told us to go into all the world and make disciples, He was commissioning us until He returned. That's what our calling is. That's what we're called to do. Now here's the question. Are we living in the end times? Are we there yet? How close are we? That becomes the question, right? So if you know your Bible, I can help you answer that question a little bit more clearly. I mean, if you really believe the Bible and you believe Genesis 1. And that God created the world in six literal days, and rested on the seventh. And you believe Colossians 1:15 that says, "He created all things whether the thrones, dominions, rulers or authorities, all things visible and invisible were created by him and for him."

If you believe that when you get to Genesis 1:31, you realize God saw all that He had made and it was very good. Now, if the devil had been living millions or billions of years before that, and all the angelic hosts and Satan had rebelled against God and gotten kicked out of heaven. And his whole agenda was to thwart human existence, and we get to Genesis 1:31 and God saw all that he had made and it was very good. I don't want to go to chapter 2. Because if a God thinks that's good, that's not a good God. So everything's good in the beginning. If you believe that, if you believe biblical literature and biblical authority, you'll come to the conclusion the world's about 6,000 years old. Now, I know that goes against everything you've learned in school. I know that goes against everything you've ever been taught, but just read your Bible and see if you don't come to the same conclusion.

The reason you don't believe that is because you've been taught by a different authority than the word of God. If the world is 6,000 years old, keep this in mind. It only took God about 1,650 years until He was fed up with it the first time, and flooded it. 4,000 years ago, He gave the land of Israel as a promise to Abraham. And 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ said these words, "Behold, I am coming soon." So if the world's only 6,000 years old, it only took God 1,650 years the first time to destroy it. He's been waiting patiently for a long time. Jesus told us 2,000 years ago he was going to be coming soon. How close are we? I mean the end time clock began at the time Jesus Christ rose from the dead, until He comes back, right? So we're for sure in the end times. But I want you to tell me if you think we're in the end times. I'll read some scripture, and then you can decide for yourself how close we are.

If you have your Bible, open up to 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3, and here's what God says. "But realize this, that in the last days, difficult times will come." So if we're in the last days, difficult times will come. And He's going to spell out what we're going to see if we're living in the last days, and these will grow more and more intense as we get close to his return. Just kind of in your mind say, I see this or I don't see this. "For men will be lovers of themselves." That means people give time, effort, and attention to themselves. "They will be lovers of money." That means people give time, effort, and energy to their bank accounts. "They will be boastful, they will be arrogant, they will be revilers" which means they're insulting and slanderous people.

"They will be disobedient to their parents." Do you see any children today, anywhere in our culture, that are disobedient to their parents? "They' will be ungrateful." Which means it'll be a thankless culture. "They will be unholy,." Which means they will not be aligned with the Lord's commands to walk out His mandates. "They will be unloving in their hearts, they will be irreconcilable" which means they're unwilling to make peace and their opinion has to stand no matter what. "There'll be malicious gossips." Which means they talk about everybody. "They'll be without self-control. They'll be brutal." Which means they're vicious and they're violent. "They'll be haters of what is good. They'll be treacherous." Which means they're going to betray people. "They'll be reckless." Which means they don't have any desire to even think about the future. "They'll be conceited." And then this, "They will be marked by being lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God."

"Now, they will hold to a form of godliness." Which means they'll have some sort of spirituality or denominational preference, or some sort of religion. "They'll hold to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power, avoid such men as these." And in verse 13, dropping down, it says that, "This will proceed and go from bad to worse." So you tell me by show of hands, how many think we're living in the end times? Okay, most of you. Now, for those of you who don't, God wants to speak to you too. I have another word for you. In 3 Peter, chapter 3, 2 Peter chapter 3, starting in verse 9, for those who are like, yeah, people have been saying that forever. I grew up in a church that said Jesus was coming back at any moment and He's never come. And I just don't know if I can believe all this stuff, because all it does is cause me fear. God has a word for you.

2 Peter 3, starting in verse 3, "Know this, first of all, that in the last days, mockers will come with their mocking, following their own lust, saying, 'Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.'" Nothing's changed. All y'all talk about Jesus coming back. It's never happened. "For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God, the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by his word, the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment, and destruction of the ungodly men. But do not let this one little fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. And the Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance."

What's the message of the gospel? Repent. Change your mind, change your direction, change your heart, change your life. Why? Because when Jesus comes back, you won't have time. But I really haven't done anything wrong. Yeah, if you're a good religious person, repent of your pride, and let Jesus Christ be the Lord. If you're part of the LGTBQIA plus community. Repent, and let Jesus Christ be lord. If you're part of BLM, and Antifa, and all the groups out there that are Marxists. Repent, let Jesus Christ be Lord. If you're a person that's living an adulterous lifestyle. Repent, let Jesus Christ be Lord. Now is your time, because He loves you so much. God the Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. He died on a cross for all your sins, which means anybody, anywhere, at any time can come and anybody that comes to Jesus, He will never turn away.

He'll never turn you away, but you must change your heart and mind. You must repent, and believe that He's the Christ in these last days. You must. The message going forth to everybody, I command all men everywhere to what? Repent. Change your mind. Change your focus. Change your heart. Let Jesus Christ be the Lord of your life. And friends, I'm telling you this is so important in a day and age where most churches are passive, don't speak half of these things, don't tell people the truth. And think we live in a passive way, that all we're doing is giving invitational opportunities for people that may bump into Jesus someday. That's not the gospel. The apostles and prophets took the gospel out. They called people to repent. These people had names, these people had reputations. These people didn't believe what they believed, and that's what they were telling them.

They weren't trying to become best friends. And if they both liked chess, they played chess for five years, and they maybe share the gospel. Or they both didn't like football, and then maybe they watched football together, and then maybe they share the gospel. They were telling everybody, they went everywhere. You need to repent because Jesus Christ is Lord. He died, He rose, and boy is He coming soon. Let's share the gospel. And we need to know that we're living in these last days, and there's a responsibility for us to walk with Jesus until we meet Him. Now, here's what some people say, and some really, really good Bible teachers teach this way. Guys, keep doing it, but just know when the end is near, you're going to get raptured out of here so you don't have to worry about anything. That there's this secret and silent rapture of the saints before anything gets bad.

I went to the Mecca. I went to Dallas Theological Seminary. I was taught by the finest scholars in the world about the pre-tribulational rapture of the saints. Some of the men that go there, some of the men that went there, are some of my favorite Bible teachers, but this is one point I disagree with them on. The problem I have with the secret and silent rapture of the saints is nope, the Bible tends to be very secret and silent about where this is in the text. I don't see it. I mean, Jesus said, "After the tribulation of those days, when you see these things, then you will see the Son of man." Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 2 and said when they were worried that they had missed the rapture, he is like, wait, wait, wait. Time out. There's two things you need to see.

One thing you need to see is the antichrist, the world ruler. You don't see him yet, do you? No. The second thing you need to see is this massive apostasy of professing Christians that fall away, that never were of the Lord. Now we're starting to see that. And we're starting to see seeds of an antichrist arise. We're starting to see the world look for one massive political leader that will run the whole globe. We're seeing that. We haven't seen it yet. And I'm just telling you, prepare for this because you will go through tribulation before you meet Jesus. I don't want to lie to you as your pastor and tell you... I mean, I hope I'm wrong on this point by the way. And if I am, I'll change my position midair, say praise the Lord. All right. I'm good with that.

Okay. And I'm not dogging people that think differently of me, because they're using scripture to get to their conclusions. I personally just don't see it. And when I talk through the book of Revelation, you go back and see what I did and see how Matthew 24 and Revelation 6 perfectly aligns. And then you get to Revelation 7. And when you get to Revelation 7, after that period of tribulation where all the people in the world are calling out for the rocks, you see the 144,000 Jews that are sealed. And then you see in Revelation 7, what do you see? You see this group of people, too numerous to count that are standing in heaven. And he asks, "Where do these people come from?" And He said, "Well, they came out of the great tribulation." Now, in the Book of Revelation, they're counting tens of thousands upon 10,000.

They can count pretty high in the book of Revelation, but they can't count this number. Because what happens? After that tribulation, after you see the man of lawlessness, after you see the great apostasy, after you see these cosmic signs, the Lord Jesus Christ is going to descend for His own. And the start of the second coming is the rapture of the saints, and then He will pour out his wrath on planet Earth. But I'm telling you this, be ready. Be ready. You don't need to be afraid. You don't need to be afraid. Satan's afraid. The world's afraid. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But friends, we only got so much time to get the message out. I mean, this is a clarion call for a last day's army, to rise up and fight for the gospel of Jesus Christ until He comes. That's why we exist as a church. That's who we are.

Now, I get pushback on this from time to time, and now people tell me, man, that's not it. That's too militaristic. Paul told Timothy to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ. There's military language all over, but we don't fight with the weapons of this world. As we went over, we fight with prayer and with worship, and with the word. But we don't tolerate evil. We stand up against it. I got bashed by a close friend of mine when we had guys go down to Castle Rock and stand against the LGTBQ community. Because they had reading from a transgender person, and several people that were going to spread their genitals all out and shake them in front of kids. And because the government didn't stand up for them, and because their parents were too blind to stand up for them, some of our men went down there in silence and in solidarity with prayer, and stood for those kids.

And I'm telling you, I want to go on record to tell you, they did exactly what was right. If we're going to sit around and be passive, and wait for the world to do all this, we won't even have a church. We won't even have a church. They were not violent. They were silent. They were silent. They were prayerful. They told everybody in Castle Rock, every government official, exactly what they were going to do. They pulled no punches, no surprises. They weren't being hostile. But I can tell you this, those people were being hostile to them. Well, why not just invite them to church? Because they're evil. And they're not coming, and they need to repent. And when they repent and trust Jesus, church will be a great place for them. There's no sin that's unforgivable, but we don't tolerate evil. John the Baptist didn't. Peter didn't. Paul didn't. And Jesus didn't. We pray for, we love, but we stand firm on the foundation of our faith. Amen. That's the gospel.

Let me give you one final one. I'll be brief. One final one. Don't be surprised, don't be shocked by this. Allegiance to Jesus Christ will certainly avert God's wrath. Allegiance to Jesus Christ will certainly avert God's wrath. You do not need to experience God's wrath. God's wrath is a real thing. God's wrath is coming against everybody who is not repented and trusted that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. It's coming. I love you enough to tell you this. That's a fact. But allegiance to God will change all of that. Notice what He says in Psalm 2.

"Now, therefore, oh kings," heads of state, commanders, "show discernment. Take warning, oh, judges of the earth, worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that he not become angry and you perish in the way, for his wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are those who take refuge in him?" You want to be in Christ when He's coming and pouring out His wrath, not opposed to Christ when He comes pouring out His wrath. What's allegiance to Christ? Allegiance is not a profession of faith. Allegiance to Christ is not making just some pithy statement. Allegiance is not saying, okay, yeah, I guess I believe that, but doing your own thing. Allegiance means I want you to be the Lord of my life and I want to spend my life worshiping You.

That's allegiance, and we worship Him until He comes. Because I know some people hear this message and they get scared. You don't need to be scared. God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, a spirit of love, and a spirit of sound mind or discipline. Which means we can continue to walk the way we want to walk.

If you're a young person and you want to get married, get married. If you're married and you want to have kids, have kids. If you need to get a job, I mean, by all means, get a job. I mean, we're not just running away from our problems and saying, "Well, if He's coming so soon, I'll just..." No, because He's coming, I want Him to find me worshiping Him and living for Him when He arrives. Let your kingdom come and until You get here, let Your will be done, on the earth as it is in heaven. Allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ. Full allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ averts God's wrath. It turns away His wrath. When Jesus comes for those who give Him allegiance, here's what you're going to hear. "Well done, good and faithful servant. I've been waiting for this moment because I'm now going to in turn present you faultless before My Father who's in heaven with exceedingly great joy, because of Your faith in me." I mean, think about this. Are these not good handles to hold onto? Because I can't tell you what's going to happen tomorrow.

I can't tell you how the world's going to unfold. I don't know. I know general truths from what my Bible teaches me, but I do know this. That it gives me great comfort to know that when I'm seeing this, it shouldn't surprise me because world leaders will collectively reject and abandon God. It shouldn't surprise me that God's patience will eventually explode on the world with terror. It shouldn't surprise me that Christ's kingdom will ultimately establish universal rule in this earth when Jesus Christ rules and reigns from Jerusalem as a monarchy. And we all get to serve and reign with Him. And it shouldn't surprise you that allegiance to Jesus Christ will certainly avert God's wrath. I think we sing a lot of songs in church about our intimacy with Jesus, and I'm fine with that. I think everything comes out of our intimacy with Jesus. I love the Lord Jesus. I love spending time with Lord Jesus. I like hearing from the Lord Jesus and presenting what He shares on my heart with His people.

I love Jesus. But I think we've lost some of our anthems like Onward Christian soldiers. And Crown him with many crowns. And how worthy He is. And how we're going to live and march for Him until Fe gets here. And as I was preparing this week, a song came to my mind. I started looking up the history. This song was written by someone named Julia Ward Howe. It was a patriotic song about ending slavery. She was an abolitionist. She used the tune from a song at the time called John Brown's Body, and she changed the lyrics for a union soldiers. But these are so good. I felt like we need to sing these today. Because when you see the Lord coming, you need to be excited that He's about ready to return. Friends, the archangel has his lips on the trumpet and Jesus is in a sprinter stance.

And when the Father says, go, He's coming. You need to be that ready. Be ready today. I want to read the words of these lyrics and then we'll ing them together. It says, Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored. He has loosed the faithful lightning of his terrible swift sword. His truth is marching on. Glory. Glory, hallelujah. Glory. Glory, hallelujah. Glory. Glory, hallelujah. His truth is marching on. He has sounded forth the trumpet that you'll never call retreat. He is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgment seat. Oh be swift, my soul to answer, Oh be jubilant my feet. His truth is marching on. Glory. Glory, hallelujah. In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the sea. With a glory in his bosom that transfigure you and me. As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free.

His truth is marching on. Glory. That's his character. Glory. Hallelujah. That means praise the Lord. Friends, Jesus Christ is coming. I mean, the reason that we're starting schools and the reason that we're planting more campuses, is Jesus Christ is coming. We're not going to take our foot off the faith pedal. We're going to go full on, putting the faith pedal down to reach as many people as we can that are fully orb disciples, worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ with everything they have. So here's my question for you. Will you be ready when the Lord comes? And will you live with Him in worship until He comes? That's the question. And if you will, then guess what? You're His ambassador on this world to advance the kingdom of God, until you meet Him face to face. Does that bring you comfort today? That our God's in heaven looking down and He's laughing. And He's looking to those who are scoffing at Him saying, "You don't even get it."

But He is saying this, "But I died for you and I love you. And if you would come to me, no matter who you are, I will never ever turn you away. Because that is how deep my love runs." Would you stand with me as we pray? Our Father in heaven, we give You all the glory, honor, and praise for who you are. Lord, as we sing this song, may it come from our heart that we want to march for You until we see you face to face. And let me just tell you, if you're here today and you've never trusted Jesus, He's not the Lord of your life. That's not who you worship. And you know we're close and you want to give your life to Him, He'll take you right now. You can just say, "Lord, I give you my allegiance. I give you my worship.

I know I'm a sinner, but I believe You died on the cross for all of that. Take the wrath away. I believe You rose from the dead. Come into my life right now, Lord Jesus, and save my soul and do your work in me." And Father, for those of us who already know You, who love You, Lord, let this be a course corrective for us. To keep marching forward with You until we see You face to face, knowing that You have our back. We love You, and we bless You, and we praise you. And it's in Jesus Christ, we praise and say amen. And amen. Can we give God praise this morning?