Countdown to Judgement Part 1 (CCP Sermon by Pastor Barry on 2025-07-13)

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Well, I know it's warm this morning, so I hope it's not too uncomfortable sat there. On Wednesday this week, Connie, one of my daughters, most of you know, had a school play here. That's what all this is about {{pointing to the banner behind}} , a great show. That's not, in case you're first on here, that's not for the service. We don't do, it's not a show, okay? 

And it was a very warm evening. The hall was very full and the doors were shut. There was no air movement. But I think the place seemed quite comfy, so I thought, I don't feel so bad now when you sit there for an hour and a half. All right.

 So over the next couple of weeks, I want to explore this theme,because in September, we're going to be starting a new verse-by-verse study. We're going to go through the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel deals with lots of hugely significant things for us. Talking about the times in which we live. There'll be lots of parallels looking at. How Israel was and how the world is today. And there's a lot in Ezekiel that speaks very much into the days and the times we live. Before we get to Ezekiel, over August, Mark is going to be carrying on taking us through the book of Daniel. We've already done the first four chapters, I think,... isn't it {Mark}? Yeah. First four chapters, so we'll be carrying on from chapter five. And there's so much in Daniel about the times we live in. So in a sense, the next few weeks, really, I was just really seeking The Lord for what we should do. It's kind of a prelude to those two coming studies, because we are living at an incredible time in history. Probably unlike any other. We're seeing biblical prophecy being fulfilled. And once again, let me say very clearly what prophecy is.

 Prophecy, in the Bible, is not a prediction. It's not a guess. It's not a, you know, “this could happen”. It's not like these kind of vague things we have, horoscopes or things like Nostradamus. You know, the Bible deals with “The future recorded in advance”. That's what prophecy is. If you could step outside of time, you could go to the future, you could see the events, and then come back and record it, that's what we have. That's what the Bible gives us. That's why there is so much precision. That's why we see these incredible details. Mark will be sharing with you some of the incredible prophecies as we go through Daniel. And when we get to Ezekiel, we'll see some of those as well. They're just breathtaking. Things that were recorded thousands of years before the events took place.

But what I want to do this morning is kind of start to lay that foundation. But I want to start with a question: Why do the wicked prosper? It's a question that's been asked many, many times. And we probably ask it as well. You know, we see people that are righteous, that are trying to live their lives to God, that seem to struggle. And we see people who are ungodly, who seem to prosper. Well, this is a question that's asked very clearly in Psalm 73:
 Behold, these are the ungodly. They who prosper in the world, they increase in riches. Verily, says the psalmist, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency”.
 And we kind of can relate to that, can't we? It's like, oh, Lord, I'm trying so hard to live for you, and yet everything I do is like treading through treacle. And yet the ungodly, everything they seem to do just seems to work out. For all the day long I've been plagued and chastened every morning. And again, that might be our experience. It just feels the Lord is constantly putting us through the wringer. Everything seems harsh. 

“If I say I will speak thus, behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children”.
 I believe what the psalmist is saying. I could do more damage to the godly if I try and address this problem than if I just leave it. 

And then he says, When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me. You know, as we consider the way things are, the challenges the righteous, the godly face, compared to the ungodly. And then we get this incredible verse, verse 17. Again, let me read the context. When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me until I went into the sanctuary of God. Then understood I their end. As I've already said this morning, there are a number of untils in the Bible. Mark them. They are all significant. And there's a lot of knowledge and understanding that comes with our understanding of what they mean. “This is really good until”.

Because it's saying, I was just perplexed. I didn't get it. I was trying to understand what God was doing, why he was doing things, why he was allowing certain things. And it didn't make any sense until I went into the sanctuary of God. That's where we must go to find our answers. We come before God. We come before his throne. We meet with God's people. We fellowship. We grow in grace. And we learn. And my prayer is this morning that as you've come together in this place where we are together in the sanctuary of God, where two or three are gathered in his name, there he is in the midst. 

I pray that you all start to understand why the wicked prosper. Why we're in the predicament that we're in. 

Firstly, let me state that judgment is coming. Judgment occurs over 300 times in the Bible. But over 100 of those times, it points to a specific season of judgment. That's sometimes referred to as the day of the Lord. There's at least 25 times that that phrase is used. 

And Isaiah speaks clearly about this time that is due to come soon. Pick up Isaiah 13. He says this, verse 6. How for the day of the Lord, there's that expression, is at hand. It shall come as a destruction, now note this, from the Almighty, this isn't just a run-of-the-mill problem that people experience that go on in earth and so on. You know, people have talked about the fact that Christians, you know, we suffer tribulation all the time, and we do. Jesus said we would suffer tribulation. Those that are godly will suffer persecution, tribulation, and so on. We do. But this is not that. This is something that is very specifically from the hand of God. It's judgment. It's his wrath being poured out.

 Therefore shall all hands be faint,  every man's heart shall melt,  and they shall be afraid. Pangs and sorrows (notice that expression) shall take hold of them. They shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth.

 Women here that have had children will understand that. Men will pretend we understand it, but we don't. I've been there four times at the birth of a child, or five actually, because I was there when I was born, but four of them were own children. And it was very painful. Very painful because I had my wedding ring on, and as Joy was gripping my hand really tightly, the ring was pushing
this way … it really hurt. 

I didn't get over all the sympathy at the time, I'll be honest. But look, this is telling us something really significant, that as we approach these things, it's going to be like labour pains that intensify. 

And we're told that they should be amazed at one another, their faces should be as flames.  Speaking of something that’s really uncomfortable.



 Behold, the day the Lord comes, cruel, both with wrath and fierce anger. And here we're told the reason, to lay the land desolate, and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. God is not unjust. We know probably the most well-known verse of Scripture, John 3.16, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, to his son, to his son, to his son, that whosoever should believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life. And Peter tells us that God is long-suffering, not willing, aiming to perish. But there comes a point that God will say, enough, our time's coming. And we're told that there's going to be all sorts of things going on. It says, for the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light, and the sun shall be darkened, and is going forth, and the moons shall not cause a light to shine. This is one of the number of verses that tell us there are going to be all sorts of really weird, weird events going on. 

We're told in the book of Revelation that it's going to get hot. You think this is bad this morning? This is nothing. It's going to get a lot hotter. 

There's going to be all sorts of really strange things going on on Earth. A third of the rivers are going to turn to blood, we're told. And then a third of the seas. Do you know that most of our oxygen comes from the sea, and the plankton, and so on, and the waters? If they die off, it's going to reduce oxygen content. If any of you have ever climbed, a high mountain, I was speaking earlier about Snowdon, that's not a particularly high mountain. If any of you have ever climbed a really high mountain, or know people have, you'll know that when they get really high, there's all sorts of strange effects that happen to our body because we just crave oxygen. What's it going to be like? It's going to be hotter? Harder to breathe? Lots of things. I'm not going to go through those details this morning. But enough to say, it's going to be a strange time. It's going to be very uncomfortable. And we're told, again, this is verse 11 of Isaiah 13, and I will punish the world for their evil. 

Millions of babies aborted - purely for convenience sake. 

Precious lives ended in what should be one of the most safe environments imaginable, the mother's womb. 

Countless, innocent lives, through war, through crime, through knife crime, through so on, all these things. 

You know, this world is an evil place. 

God's going to punish the world for their evil and the wicked for their iniquity, and I will cause the arrogancy and the proud to cease, and I will lay low. The haughtiness is terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold, even a man than the gold wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens and the earth. She'll remove out of her place, in the wrong, the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and the day of his fierce anger. Notice that statement there. That's not a metaphor. Therefore I will shake the heavens. There really will be cataclysmic events taking place from what we are told in Scripture. And we've got absolutely no reason to doubt those because everything Scripture said before, every prophecy that we have recorded has been fulfilled with precise detail.

 One of the things that Dr. Chuck Missler used to say was that over his years and years of study,

 there were a number of times that
 
he revised his view or opinion on certain scriptures, but it was always to take it more seriously. Notice this is in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and the day of his fierce anger. So Isaiah is speaking specifically of a time of coming tribulation. We call it the tribulation. So it's not just a generic time. It's a specific time.

 It's a time of God's wrath and judgment being poured out on a wicked, unbelieving, and Christ-rejecting world

 But when will it begin? Again, Jesus spoke of those labor pains. There's gonna be a buildup to judgment. There's gonna be, from what Jesus tells us in Matthew 24, wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes and famines and pestilences. Interestingly, those scriptures that speak about the wars and the rumors of wars, they are direct quotes from Isaiah. And it speaks not just of anywhere in the world, but it's specifically referring to conflict with Israel and it's specifically referring to conflict with Israel and the nation surrounding Israel. They're the wars and the rumors of wars that are alluded to here. And we're living at a time where we are hearing daily of the conflicts that are going on with Israel and their neighbors. You can Google and you can find it. Earthquakes have been increasing. Not just our ability to record them, but around the world, earthquakes are increasing. 

And every now and again, we hear news of what's going to happen if this tectonic plate shifts a bit more and the dangers and the problems. Famines. As I said yesterday, it was the 40th anniversary of Live Aid and that really brought the whole famine thing very much to the focus of the Western world. And yet it's been a problem ever since. It's not been something to eradicate or solve. And pestilence. Remember COVID, anyone? 

What else is to come? 

But there's another biblical indicator. Of the time that we're living in. Of the judgment that's coming. And that is the church. In Peter's first epistle, he says this. So the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God. And if it first begin at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? An interesting question he poses. But notice the statement. The words that are in italics there, the letters, is come back. That's just inserted by the translator. It's fine, it helps us understand. But specifically what we're seeing here is that the specific season of judgment will commence at the house of God. The season of judgment that's going to come is going to begin with the church. The house of God.

 So the questions we want to ask are why will it come? Why would the church need to be judged? And when will it come? Well, let me answer some of those questions because they're told very clearly in Scripture. Some of the why questions. In 1 Timothy, Now the Spirit speaks expressly. It's hard to know how else Paul could have communicated this in stronger terms. The Holy Spirit of God speaks expressly that in the latter times, Simon shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devil. The Holy Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron. That means that they do what they do and they don't even care about it. It's almost like their moral compass has been turned off. 

Speaking of verse 3, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. 

And thank God that you are here this morning and that we can sit at the feet of God's Word and we can learn from Scripture. But there are many churches where during a sermon, talk, Scripture is hardly quoted. 

They won't endure sound doctrine. But after their own lusts, they shall heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. And they shall turn away, there is, from the truth. They'll be turned unto fables. And that is going on in churches all over this country where people are just saying things of the contrary. And that's what the congregation want to hear. 

In 2 Thessalonians 2, we're told something quite concerning in a sense. It says, For this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they shall believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believe not the truth but a pleasure in unrighteousness. It's also something very similar in the book of Romans about people that find pleasure in unrighteousness. And not necessarily they do things themselves but they find pleasure in other people that do those things. And there are many in the church that fall under that bracket also. Jesus warned repeatedly that deception was coming. 

Let's ask, when will judgment come? Because that's clearly enough. And we could go through many other scriptures but there's clearly a why. That's why judgment's going to come upon the church. So let's talk about when it's going to come. Matthew 13, verse 24. Another parable. 

Jesus:  The servant said unto him, Will then that we go and gather them up? Shall we go and pull them up and get rid of those tares? He said, Nay, lest while you gather up the tares you root up also the wheat with them. This gives us an awful lot of insight into why things are as they are. Why are there so many Christians who are in churches that are struggling with the teaching and with the doctrine and with other things that are being brought in? Because if all the tares were pulled up it could damage the wheat at the same time. Notice this. Let both grow together. Here we have another until. Until the harvest. That means there's going to come a time that that's going to change. That situation's going to change. And we're told until the harvest. We'll talk about the harvest maybe a bit more next week. And in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them but gather the wheat into my barn. That last sentence we'll again explore a bit more next week. What does it mean? By gathering the wheat into Christ's barn. It's a lovely picture. We'll talk about it. But for now, I want you to notice what's going to happen first. The first thing that's going to happen as we get to this season of judgment, as we get to the time of the harvest, that the tares are first going to be gathered together in groups, in bundles. 

We don't have to guess what Jesus was alluding to here because Jesus gives us the explanation. He says this. He says, Matthew 13. The field is the world. The good seed are the children of the kingdom. But the tares are the children of the wicked one. So the children of the kingdom, we can refer to that as the church. 

And amongst the church there are these tares that have been sown. And we're told the enemy that's sown is the devil, the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned into the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world. 

The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and then which do iniquity. And shall cast them into a furnace of fire, and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Now, just as an aside here, most people read this and they assume this has to do with the lake of fire, that furnace of fire. And yet, in Daniel, the fiery furnace is a picture of the tribulation. 

These young Jewish men put into this furnace a picture of the tribulation, of what's coming, what's going to affect Israel. And yet Christ is there with them in the midst of that fire. I would just suggest that this furnace of fire that these individuals will be cast into may well be a reference to the coming tribulation itself. Where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Following that, until then, shall the righteous shine forth as a sign in the kingdom of their Father. And then we've got a really interesting statement. Who has ears to hear, let him hear. Now, if you've ever read the book of Revelation, you'll know that that occurs repeatedly through the first few chapters. Kind of links all these things together, and maybe next week we'll explore that a little bit more. 

So, apostasy and deception are coming. In fact, I would argue, we're all here. Jesus repeatedly said that many will be deceived. And throughout the New Testament, the gospel writers, the apostles, reiterated this fact. Many that look like true believers are growing alongside true believers. And sadly, the presence of tares around the way often stunts their growth. Both in the physical sense, in the real field, with tares that we've grown together, but also in the spiritual sense that we're talking about here. It can even choke the life out. Matthew 13 verse 7 tells us that. So as we approach the end, the tares will be grouped together. This is really significant. That means the distinction between the true wheat and the tares is going to become more pronounced. We've got a picture there of the tares and the wheat. The wheat is on the left-hand side, the tares on the right-hand side. Very, very similar. 

The physical tares that Jesus spoke of look practically identical to wheat. So only the time of the harvest you can really tell the difference. Because with wheat, because of the weight that's there, it bows its head. The simple humility of the tares remain bowed up wide. Speaking of the aliens, interesting. 

You see there those, the wheat, just the weight of the head, they're bowing down. 

In Luke 18, we pick up verse 8. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, shall he find faith on earth? What a statement from Jesus. Jesus says, will I come? Will there be anyone left? Anyone left that still has faith? Well, the answer is yes. But then Jesus goes on and says, and he spoke this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. Well, this sounds very much like a large portion of the church today. And then he gives us this example. Two men went up into the temple to pray. The one a Pharisee, the other a publican, and so on. Jesus makes this distinction between true religion and self-professed godliness. Now, all sin is bad, okay? But that which masquerades as truth really is insidious disease. 

Scripture gives us a number of lessons, templates in a sense. Ecclesiastes actually tells us the thing that has been is that which shall be. And that which is done is that which shall be done. And that which is done is that which shall be done. And that which is done is that which shall be done. And that which is done is that which shall be done. There is no new thing under the sun. That helps us. It tells us that we can look at Scripture, we can see models in the Old Testament that actually tell us what it's going to be like. Hegel famously said, if there's one thing that history teaches us it's that man learned nothing from history. I like that. 

In the book of Amos, we have another interesting statement. Surely the Lord will do nothing, but he reveals his secret unto his servants. So none of this stuff is new. None of it says, it's just a, I think I've discovered something. Because it's all recorded in Scripture. It's all foretold. Let me just give you some of the models to tell us the generic situation that we're facing. That we go from apostasy to judgment. Every time we see apostasy, it ends in judgment. And this situation we're talking about this morning will be no different. In the book of Genesis, we have an individual by the name of Enos or Enosh. And many commentated scholars and way, way, way back through history is believed that the problem that leads to the Genesis 6 scenario, most of you I think will understand what that's all about in Nephilim. It began in the days of Enos. And there's an allusion to that in the text in Genesis 4.26. But that led to the flood. The flood was a judgment on the wickedness that started in the days of Enosh. And then we get to the time of Cush and Nimrod, the Tower of Babel. And of course, Babel, God's judgment on the languages and everyone's, confused and so on, God destroys their tower. Apostasy leads to judgment. In Exodus 32, with the Jews, they build this mocking calf. That leads to judgment. And on that occasion, 3,000 people died. Then there's a situation with Balaam. And Balaam, 

under the encouragement of the king of Moab, tries to find a way to inflict damage on Israel. And so he ends up leaving them or getting them to be drawn into idolatry. And 24,000 die because of that judgment. And then there's a situation with Korah, who rebels against Moses. Again, 250 die. Every time we have these models in Scripture, and probably one of the greatest we know of, is that Israel, during the time of Judges, 13 times specifically, totaling 111 years, they end up in the hands of God. They end up in servitude to other nations. To Ammon, to Moab, Midian, and so on. 

And there's a situation with Israel and Judah. Once the kingdom divides, Israel, because of their apostasy, the northern kingdom, are taken captive into Assyria. And then finally, the southern kingdom of Judah are taken captive into Babylon. Every time apostasy leads to judgment. It's no different now. Apostasy that we see going on in the church, and we'll talk more about this in a moment, it will lead to judgment. God will not leave it unchecked. And we have a really interesting statement given to us in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, the first 12 verses. And Paul basically tells us that we shouldn't repeat the mistakes of the past. The really sad thing is, we have. Everything that Paul says, don't do this. Learn from Israel. Learn from their mistakes. 

Let's just pick up verse 1 of 1 Corinthians 10. Moreover, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant how that all of our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea, across the Red Sea, and had a pillar of clouds the other day and their fire by night. All were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all did eat the same spiritual meat. Speaking of the man of the cloud. And did all drink the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. What an incredible, beginning Israel. The miracle of being led out of Egypt. The miracle of being led through the Red Sea. Then they get to this place where they're thirsty and God provides drink, water for them. Water from the rock. A ref for them. They battled with God in victory and so on. Incredible things. These amazing deliverance from bondage. And again, they pass through the water to new life. There's lots of pictures we can see of our own life here. Sustained by the bread of life. Watered by the water of life. Speaking of Christ and the word of God. You know, the question we have to ask is, how could anything go wrong? Such a wonderful start. You think if we were in that situation, that's it, we're just going to walk with God and it's going to be marvelous. And yet, of course, we know if we were there, it would have been no different. Because then we're told in verse 5, but with many of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 

There's a really scary word there. That's the third word. Many. The number of times, Jesus uses that when speaking of the deception that's coming. Many will be deceived. But with many of them, God was not well pleased. But then what Paul says is interesting, verse 6. Now these things were our examples. That's exactly what they are. We should learn from them. To the intent that we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Well, let's ask the question, what did they lust after? Well, the first thing was, of course, they missed the food they had in Egypt. So they got fed up with this manna. So they started crying out, saying, oh, we want something else. We want something else to eat. So God sent some quails, and the quail blow in from the sea. And they used it for a whole month until we're told in the scripture that it was coming out of their nostrils. They were so sick of it. God basically says, if you want it, you can have it. And they got to the point of realizing maybe we didn't want it, actually, after all. You see, they wanted that which was acceptable to the human power. And that's what we do. You know, do you know any churches that have abandoned the bread God has provided in favour of that which is acceptable to the multitude? Think about it. Verse 7, Need to be idolaters as for some of them, as it is written, that people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Idolaters.

 What is idolatry? Well, idolatry comes from really the second commandment, the Ten Commandments. And it's an issue of misrepresentation. God is jealous of his name, of his character, of his attributes. And anything that touches those is idolatry. Anything that misrepresents God. So making a God in your own image, from your own imagination, to suit your own desires, even if you call your God Lord. And there are many churches that refer to God, speak of Lord. And yet, it's a completely different God to that which is revealed in Scripture. I mean, think again, in Exodus 33, the golden calf. What did they say? That they worshiped this as the God that had led them out of Egypt. They used the right words, but their adoration and their worship was towards this thing they'd created. 

Again, do you know any churches today where they worship a God other than the one revealed in Scripture? Even if they still call him Lord. I mean, just think, for example, churches that have a God who won't send anyone to hell. 

I had a meeting many years ago with an Anglican minister. And there was another minister who was kind of a prayer breakfast thing. One of the Anglican ministers, he said, oh no, nobody's going to go to hell. And kind of, you know, sorry, we had this conversation. He was convinced, nobody will go to hell. Or what did Jesus do? 

What are we doing with the judgment of God, the justice of God? If God's just going to let everybody off anyway, why did Jesus have to die? No sense. What about churches where God could be worshipped in the way you choose? 

Nadab and Abihu died because they chose to worship God in the way they wanted. Rather than worship was kindled by the fire of God, worship was kindled by the perfecting of the Holy Spirit. What about a God who loves and accepts homosexuality? As many churches will tell us now, but that is God. Is that the God of the Bible? 

What about a God who would never punish his son? Some of you remember Steve Chalk and others like him who have publicly stated this idea of penal substitution, that God would judge his son, is wrong. 

What about the God who chooses to reveal himself through fresh revelation, and experience is key? So many times we hear these things. What about the God that she says that she doesn't want to become gender exclusive? Many churches are like that now. What about the churches where God's written word is not the be-all and end-all? Are they worshipping the same God, or have they been deceived and led astray? 

Verse 8 goes on and says, this is again Paul's list of things not to do. He says, neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

 What is fornication? It's an intimate relationship with someone other than the one you're

 espoused to.

 Throughout Israel's history, they committed spiritual fornication by going after and embracing false gods.

 Now, this goes back a little bit, but it illustrates the point well. Some of you may have heard of a man by the name of Robert Shuler. Very well-known American, preacher, evangelist, and so on. He said this, standing before a crowd of devout Muslims with the Grand Mufti, I knew that we were all doing God's work together. We're labouring hand in hand to repair the breach. I believe in positive thinking. It is almost as important as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Wow. 

Now, you might just go, this is one individual, just push him to one side. We're not going to take his comments seriously, and I hope that's your position on that. But Shuler's marketing methods laid the foundation for the church growth movement. He claims to have really effectively launched a megachurch movement through his “Institute for Successful Church Leading”. 
And, quote, 
“Here ministers are inspired to believe in their dreams”, says Shuler, “and to present the good news of the gospel in positive terms”. 

Well, there is a positive element, in the gospel, in the fact that there is salvation from sin, but you can't take sin out. You can't remove the fact that we are fallen from God's perfect standard. We are all destined for judgment unless we repent. You can't just make it a nice, positive, happy message. 

I think one of these individuals made the comment once that Madonna didn't have a sin problem, it was a self-esteem problem. 

And so on. Some of those students are well known. Bill Hyman, and some of those who are not, I'm sure you remember that name. Previously he was pastor of one of the largest churches in America, Willow Creek Community Church. Bill often said that there would probably not be a Willow Creek Church if he hadn't been able to come to

 our pastor's institute here. I'm so proud of him.

 Rick Warren, another name I'm sure you know, was also a frequent visitor of the institute. And Shuler said, and there's Rick Warren, a pastor who today is phenomenal. He came to our institute time after time. So this is a place where somebody's equating 

kind of unity with Wilson.


 It seems as important as the resurrection. He's teaching these pastors that are influencing countless numbers in the church. 

Neither let us tempt Christ to serve and then also tempt him, and we're destroyed as serpents. Neither murmur you, as some of them also murmur, that are destroyed of a destroyer. What was it that led to that Numbers 21 event that Paul's alluding to there? It was a rejection of the bread that God had provided. It was a murmuring of dissatisfaction. We want something else, is what they were crying. 

Again, Rick Warren, used to be pastor of Saddleback Church in America, was author of The Purpose Driven Life, sold over 50 million copies that influenced generations of churches and pastors. In an article in a Philadelphia newspaper, he said he despises fundamentalism in the church. What does that mean? What is he saying? He says he despises? Do we stick to the fundamentals? I mean, the world has given us this kind of spin on fundamentalism as if it's a bad thing. But you know, a football referee is a fundamentalist because he sticks to the fundamentals of the game. If he doesn't, anybody can do anything. If anybody's ever been on an airplane, you want your pilot to be a fundamentalist. You don't want your pilot to be going, well, one way is as good as another, isn't it? You want somebody that sticks to the rules. 

Fundamentalism is not right. It's wrong. The issue can sometimes be what those fundamentals are, but somebody who's a fundamentalist is simply somebody who sticks to the rules. 

Rick Warren predicted that fundamentalism of all varieties will be one of the biggest enemies of the 21st century. And he quoted. Muslim fundamentalism, Christian fundamentalism, Jewish fundamentalism, secular fundamentalism, they're all motivated by fear. Fear of existence. Fear of each other. 

Christian fundamentalism isn't motivated by fear. It's motivated by Jesus Christ and his work. 

Verse 11-12 of 1 Corinthians. It says, Now all these things happen unto them for examples, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom he ends the world to come. Wherefore him, let him that thinks he stands, take heed, lest he fall. See, Paul has just given us a really simple list of the mistakes Israel made. And says, don't make those mistakes again. If you look back, and now through church history, we have made all those same mistakes. Very quickly, I just want to take you through a few verses in Jeremiah. Jeremiah is often referred to as the weakened prophet. The smell I love. He was just broken. Just wanted to serve God. And yet he had such a difficult time. He was one of the most unsuccessful ministries recorded in scripture. Nobody listened to him. Nobody cared about what he said. They just put him in dungeons. They just tried to shut him up. But you know he was faithful. He was faithful. Vast as in the matters. This incredible model of today.

 If you just look at the period of time that he ministered. The green kings, by the way, are kings of Judah. These are the good kings. Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, and Hezekiah. And finally, Josiah. Manasseh, at the end of his evil reign, actually turned back to God. And became an incredible influence in the last few years of his life to his grandson. And Josiah became one of the best kings in Israel's history. And that's the period of time that Jeremiah then ministered to his grandson. He ministered through these kings. These last five kings, effectively, of the southern kingdom. Picking up Jeremiah, chapter 1, verse 4 and 5. Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. And before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and ordained thee a prophet to the nations.

 That's the call Jeremiah had. A prophet to the nations. That includes us. Jeremiah goes and says, Lord, God, behold, I cannot speak. I'm a child. But the Lord said unto me, Say not I am a child, but thou shalt go to all that I shall speak. Understand me, and whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak. And be not afraid of their faces, for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then Jeremiah's comfort is in the fact that God says, Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my word to my mouth. See, I have given this day. I have set thee over nations, over kingdoms, to root out, to pull down, to destroy, to throw down, to build, and to plant. 

And then we get this interesting situation. Moreover, the word of the Lord, came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? It was a vision. And he said, I see a rod of an almond tree. Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast seen well, for I will hasten my word to perform it. The idea of the picture is that this almond tree that was kind of blossoming was an indication that something's about to happen. Is he on the cusp of something? And God says, That's exactly right. I'm about to do what I've said. And the word of the Lord came unto me. The second time he's saying, What do you see now? I see a seething pot. And the face thereof is turned toward the north. And the Lord said unto me, Out of the north, and evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. And this was preparing Israel for what was about to happen. For lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord, and they shall come, and they shall set everyone's throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against the walls thereof round about, and against the city of Judah. And I will utter my judgments against them, touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me. And I will utter my judgments against them, and have burnt incense to other gods, and have worshipped the works of their own hands.

 So the situation is, this is in the lead up to the Babylonian captivity. And God was giving this message to Jeremiah to warn the people, but this message is just as applicable to us today with what we are about to face. Notice, first of all, he's speaking of those who have forsaken him, and have burnt incense to other gods, and have worshipped the works of their own hands. 

Listen,

 you may not be able to read this, this is up on the website, you can look at it in detail. I think this website has now been taken down. But this is a screenshot. And this is what this particular church was doing. Changing church and a changing culture. And there's all sorts of things here. Word-based ingredients, such as poems, prayers, meditations, song lyrics, incantations, chants, responses. Symbol-based ingredients, so videos, sculpture, paper, gesture, dance, and artifacts. It's worse. Action-based ingredients, there's a whole bunch of things there, including anointing, candle lighting, circus arts, juggling, fire-breathing, this is part of worship. Sound-based ingredients, backing tracks, music, sound effects, radio, TV clips, and so on. All those kinds of things. Vision-based, different projections and so on. And then imagination-based ingredients, guided fantasies, thinking, drawing, composing in real time, words, music, meditation, praying. And then the last one here, tactile or olfactory-based ingredients. Anointing, laying on of hands, which Paul said, we shouldn't do as religiously. Incense, holding stones and other natural objects, molding, clay. They're saying this is worship to God. It's not worship to God. This is a false god. This is deception. This is just what Jeremiah was saying was going on in Jerusalem, in Israel, and Judah, the southern kingdom, prior to the judgment.

 Again, the forsaken men, burnt incense to other gods, worship the works in their own hands. That's exactly what they were doing. We're going to skip some of these verses. Jeremiah chapter two, moreover the word of the Lord came to me saying, go cry in the ears of Jerusalem saying, thus saith the Lord, I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals. Oh, that's a lovely picture of that. That time when a young couple are engaged, joined together, committed to each other. And they say, I remember when, as a nation, you were like that. When thou wentest after me in the wilderness, a land that was not sown, and we've got a wonderful parallel with that in the book of Revelation, unto the angel of the church of Ephesus. The word Ephesus means darling. And it's the same picture, this wonderful relationship that Christ had with his church. These things says he, the whole of seven stars, in his right hand, walked in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. It goes on to say, nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou have left thy first love. That statement is made to the church. Back in Jeremiah, verse 8, the priest said not, where is the Lord? And they, the hand of the Lord, knew me not. The past has also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by bar and walked after things that do not profit. I mean, what an indictment of the church today. 

A major national poll by one of America's leading researchers, which was actually commissioned by

 us in Genesis,  {{?Answers in Genesis??}}

 shows the problem. And they said that many have left the church because they no longer believe the Bible is the absolute word of God. And this illustrates the problem.

 The question that was posed was, how do mainline Protestant clergy stand on theological issues such as biblical infallibility?
 And there's a survey of 7,441 ministers - not congregation, ministers - conducted by sociologist Jeffrey Hayden. And this is a percentage of the ministers who want to know, to the following questions. Group by denomination, just so you can see. The first question, do you accept Jesus' physical resurrection as fact? 

51% of Methodist ministers said no.
 35% of Episcopalian.
 33% of American Baptists.
 30% of Presbyterian ministers all said no.
 And 13% of American Lutherans said they did not accept Jesus' physical resurrection as a fact.
 My question is, what on earth are you doing?
 Another question, do you believe in the virgin birth of Jesus?
 60% of Methodist ministers said no.
 49% of Presbyterian.
 44% Episcopalian.
 34% American Baptists.
 19% American Lutheran.
 And by the way, it's no different in this country. 

Do you believe the Scriptures are the inerrant work of God in faith, history, and secular matters? 95% of Episcopalian ministers teaching contentious, religious, and religious, and congregations said they didn't believe them. 87% of Methodist ministers. 82% of Presbyterian. 77% of American Lutheran. And 67% of American Baptist ministers all said no. 

Jeremiah, verse 10 of chapter 6 says, To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken. Behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach, and they have no delight in it. That's what Jeremiah said was going to happen. That's what Jeremiah said was going on in the days leading up to the Babylonian captivity, the judgment that God was to bring. That was the predicament, and we have the same problem. 

One of my friends, another pastor, was speaking to another minister in his town. And the minister turned around and said, The trouble with you is that you put too much trust in that book. 

Wow. Do you know what? I'd be really happy if somebody said that to me. I do put too much trust in this book, because it's the right place to put your trust.

 Jeremiah 8, verse 9 says,
 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken low. They have rejected the word of the Lord. And what wisdom is in them? Jeremiah says that to the leaders, the spiritual leaders at that time. They've rejected God's word. What wisdom do they have? Why should we listen to them? Verse 21 of chapter 2 of Jeremiah, Yet I have planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed. How then art thou turning to a degenerate plant of a strange vine?

 It's a plant that has become something that it should not have been. Have we read that somewhere before? Yes, we have. It's in Matthew 13. Another parable he put forth unto him, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is least of all the seeds. But when it is grown, it is the greatest among the herbs, and becomes a tree. Now, typically in Sunday schools, what often happens is, we draw this lovely picture of this tree and how wonderful it is, and all the birds sit in the branches. And we say, What is this tree? What is this tree? What is this tree all the birds come up in the branches? We are told that the birds are ministers of Satan. This is the picture of what happened with the church. It became something that should never have been, particularly from the time of Constantine, about 300 AD, when the church and the political system of Rome merged together, and suddenly the Christians went from eating in homes and catacombs and so on, to suddenly being given these pagan buildings. And suddenly the church became something be. And suddenly we have these altars at the front, which the pagans had used, that the church had started to adopt. And pagan festivals and celebrations that the church had never celebrated, that suddenly they started to use. This parable tells us the church became something it should never have been. And Jeremiah said that's exactly what was going on in his day. And then we have this statement, for though thou wash thee with nighter and take thee much so, yet thy iniquity is marked before me, says God. God is clear that he is unholy. He is happy and will bring judgment. But there's a strange twist to that. And almost you could argue a contradiction, because Isaiah would read there God saying, come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. So one verse is saying you are so impregnated and died, you can never be changed. The other one's saying, actually, however bad things are, you can be cleansed. Well, the difference is repentance. If there's no repentance, there's no forgiveness. Jeremiah 2.26 is this last one. As a thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed, for their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and so on. Interesting expression, as a thief is ashamed when he is found. It's speaking of this kind of situation. In Revelation 3, remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I shall come to thee. And so on. And so on. It's speaking of the same type of thing. In Thessalonians, for when they shall say peace and safety, then shall sudden destruction come upon them, as travail upon a woman, and they shall not escape. But ye brethren are not in darkness of that day. They shall overtake you as a thief. We'll talk more about us and how this applies next week. But notice also these things. This is what's going on in Israel. They were saying to a stump, to a tree stump, Thou art my Father, and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth. Literally saying that they've been brought forth by a stone. How stupid would we have been for something like that? Well, we have done. Because we've been inundated for over 150 years now with the lie of evolution. And the basic story is it rained on the rocks for millions of years and the minerals ended up in the sea and they came together, they formed life, and here we are. 

Israel was saying, to a stone, you brought me forth. We're doing the same thing. And incredibly, the Church of England, as you know, some years ago, apologised to Darwin.


 Do you know if Darwin's now courageous? {{????}}

Think about that for a moment. He's died. He now knows the truth. He no longer holds that position, I can assure you.


 Right. See, this is the problem that was going on in Israel. We've got the same thing. And then this, but in the time of their trouble, they shall say, arise and save us. What is it that Jesus said? Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied thy name? And they say, You cast out devils and thy name on many wonderful works. And then I will profound to preface unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you that work iniquity. Now, this should get our attention. Because these are people that are using the name of the Lord. They're doing wonderful works. 

They're casting out devils, apparently. And yet, Jesus said, I don't know you. There was a false gospel to be proclaimed, a false message being spread. 

Again, because thou sayest, I am innocent, surely his anguish will turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned. You see, and this is the problem. You just read Revelation 3.17. Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased in goods. It's the same cry. I've done nothing wrong. I'm good. 

Exactly the same. 

And then, this last one.

 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this. Be horribly afraid, and be very desolate, saith the Lord. For my people, who have committed two evils, they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and have hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

 Ideomatically, water in Scripture represents the Word of God. We are washed by the water of the Word. They've rejected the Word, and they've brought in things that can't hold water. Now, over the last few weeks, we've been going through a series looking at the Bible. All sorts of different things. How we've got the Bible. Why we have the translations we do, and so on.
 We have over 900 translations of the Bible. In English. Designed, apparently, to make it easy to read and understand. But we've got the most biblically illiterate generation imaginable. And I'm just going to cite a few of these to show you that these are broken cisterns. They do not hold water.

 This one. 
The scholars version.
 We just had just five Gospels. Okay, five Gospels? Yeah, because they include the Gospel of Thomas, which isn't part of Scripture. But anyway. This group's got together. And finally, they studied, debated, and voted on each of more than 1,500 sayings in the Evangelicals. And they took the things that Jesus said, then they decided which ones they think should be in and shouldn't be in. In their version. 

The New Testament:
 An understandable version.
 What we all want to understand. Well, just read the one you've got. Pray. God will give you the wisdom to understand it. But notice what this says. The text is not guaranteed to be exactly what the Holy Spirit inspired the original writers to record. Well, then I don't want it. But rather represents what he, the translator, understands those writers to be saying. That's a commentary. Nothing wrong with commentaries. Because you know it's their own opinion. But when it's got Bible at the top or something else like that, be careful. 

I'm not even going to go into depth on this one. You may have heard of these individuals using pizza and others. The really sad thing is, they completely dismiss the first 11 chapters of Genesis as just Hebrew myth. That's a creation cap. All those kinds of things. Really important foundational scriptures that deal with the Bible. The origin, the basis of family life, everything. So it's all just myth. The sad thing is, this comment here, this lady put on there, we use this book as a gift for high school graduate. And we will use it again with future graduates. It was recommended by our pastor. Wow. Again, we talked, we went through this. I'm not going to go through this again. But these places where the source text comes from, you should recognize as being dangerous and corrupt. And again, New Testament says from the best Greek and New Testament texts. No they weren't. They're from the Alexandrian manuscripts. We now know either forgeries or the corrupt to start with. It includes this version. I'll give you this one just before we go for lunch. All right. Again, it says, the languages into which the Bible is rendered are changing. And it says, new manuscripts have discovered that are older and more reliable. That's not true for a start. That's a lie that's been propagated. But look at this. Because the church does not assume that God, is a male being.

 Sorry? The church? Hang on, don't speak on my behalf. I didn't say you could say that. We're part of the church, aren't we? Is a male being. In this version, God is never reverted by a masculine pronoun. Or by any pronoun at all. As the church does not believe that God is literally a father, and understands father to be a metaphor, father is rendered in this version by a new metaphor, father-mother. When Jesus is called son of God or son of the blessed one, and the maleness of the historical birth of Jesus is not relevant, but the son of God, the son of the blessed one, is the son of God. The son's intimate relationship with the father is being spoke out. 

All right, Jeremiah is talking about a time when people were not going to God for the truth. They were making up for themselves what they wanted to hear. And it's on the back of that. Again. Right, this is complete. What has been will be. Apostasy has always occurred, and it's always met by God's judgment. Jesus, Paul, Peter, Jude. They all foretold apostasy. It will creep in unnoticed. It's going to come from within the church. Just seeing it. Even these things we looked at this morning. Just to brief overview. Many are going to be led astray by a false gospel, at our being led astray. And the final apostasy is going to culminate in a one world, all embraced in church. Those who oppose it, I think it's probably you and I, are going to be spoken evil of. And God will finally judge this apostate church. So what's to become of that? Well, we'll look at that next week. But just let me end with a few scriptures for you. As we said before, so say I now again. If any man preach any other gospel to you than that which you have received, let him be accursed. That's what Paul said to the Galatians. Paul said in Acts 20. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the church of God which he has purchased with his blood and blood. For I know this, that after my departing, you shall grieve as wolves, and you shall be like a sheep, and you shall be like a sheep, and you shall be like a sheep, and you shall be like a sheep, and you shall be like a sheep, spearing a flock. Also of your own self shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years I cease not to warn everyone night and day with tears. And then finally, this is finally. Sometimes Paul says, and finally my brethren. It's halfway through, but that's not ... you see it’s the last slide.


 If you abide in my word, you are my disciple indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

 Let’s bow our hearts.

 Father, we just thank you for this opportunity this morning to be reminded of the days in which we are living, of the danger and the deception that is around us, but Lord, of the security that we have in your word and in your promises. Lord, we pray for wisdom. We pray for discernment. And we pray for the true church, for those who truly love you and love your word, that are washed by the blood of the Lamb, that we will be strong and we will shine light in these final days. We ask you in Jesus' name. Amen.

 Let's spend some time fellowshipping together over teas and coffees.

 May God bless you. 


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Countdown to Judgement Part 1 (CCP Sermon by Pastor Barry on 2025-07-13)

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Well, I know it's warm this morning, so I hope it's not too uncomfortable sat there.

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On Wednesday this week, Connie, one of my daughters, most of you know, had a school play here.

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That's what all this is about, a great show.

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That's not, in case you're first on here, that's not for the service.

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We don't do, it's not a show, okay?

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And it was a very warm evening.

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The hall was very full and the doors were shut.

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There was no air movement.

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But I think the place seemed quite comfy, so I thought, I don't feel so bad now when you sit there for an hour and a half.

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All right.

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So over the next couple of weeks, I want to explore this theme,

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because in September, we're going to be starting a new verse-by-verse study.

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We're going to go through the book of Ezekiel.

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Ezekiel deals with lots of hugely significant things for us.

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Talking about the times in which we live.

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There'll be lots of parallels looking at.

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How Israel was and how the world is today.

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And there's a lot in Ezekiel that speaks very much into the days and the times we live.

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Before we get to Ezekiel, over August, Mark is going to be carrying on taking us through the book of Daniel.

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We've already done the first four chapters, I think, isn't it?

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Yeah.

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First four chapters, so we'll be carrying on from chapter five.

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And there's so much in Daniel about the times we live in.

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So in a sense, the next few weeks, really, I was just really seeking The Lord for what we should do.

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It's kind of a prelude to those two coming studies.

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Because we are living at an incredible time in history.

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Probably unlike any other.

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We're seeing biblical prophecy being fulfilled.

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And once again, let me say very clearly what prophecy is.

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Prophecy, in the Bible, is not a prediction.

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It's not a guess.

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It's not a, you know, this could happen.

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It's not like these kind of vague things we have, horoscopes or things like Nostradamus.

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You know, the Bible deals with the future recorded in advance.

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That's what prophecy is.

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If you could step outside of time, you could go to the future, you could see the events,

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and then come back and record it, that's what we have.

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That's what the Bible gives us.

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That's why there is so much precision.

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That's why we see these incredible details.

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Mark will be sharing with you some of the incredible prophecies as we go through Daniel.

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And when we get to Ezekiel, we'll see some of those as well.

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They're just breathtaking.

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Things that were recorded.

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Thousands of years before the events took place.

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But what I want to do this morning is kind of start to lay that foundation.

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But I want to start with a question.

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Why do the wicked prosper?

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It's a question that's been asked many, many times.

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And we probably ask it as well.

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You know, we see people that are righteous, that are trying to live their lives to God,

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that seem to struggle.

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And we see people who are ungodly, who seem to prosper.

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Well, this is a question that's asked very clearly in Psalm 73.

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Behold, these are the ungodly.

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They who prosper in the world, they increase in riches.

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Verily, says the psalmist, I have cleansed my heart in vain,

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and washed my hands in innocency.

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And we kind of can relate to that, can't we?

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It's like, oh, Lord, I'm trying so hard to live for you,

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and yet everything I do is like treading through treacle.

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And yet the ungodly, everything they seem to do just seems to work out.

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For all the day long I've been plagued and chastened every morning.

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And again, that might be our experience.

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It just feels the Lord is constantly putting us through the wringer.

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Everything seems harsh.

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If I say I will speak thus,

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behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.

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I believe what the psalmist is saying.

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I could do more damage to the godly if I try and address this problem

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than if I just leave it.

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And then he says,

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When I thought to know this,

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it was too painful for me.

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You know, as we consider the way things are,

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the challenges the righteous, the godly face,

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compared to the ungodly.

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And then we get this incredible verse, verse 17.

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Again, let me read the context.

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When I thought to know this,

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it was too painful for me

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until

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I went into the sanctuary of God.

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Then understood I their end.

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As I've already said this morning,

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there are a number of untils in the Bible.

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Mark them.

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They are all significant.

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And there's a lot of knowledge and understanding

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that comes with our understanding of what they mean.

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“This is a really good until”.

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Because it's saying,

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I was just perplexed.

00:04:41.100 --> 00:04:41.720
I didn't get it.

00:04:41.720 --> 00:04:43.120
I was trying to understand what God was doing,

00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:44.180
why he was doing things,

00:04:44.320 --> 00:04:45.580
why he was allowing certain things.

00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:47.080
And it didn't make any sense

00:04:47.080 --> 00:04:49.760
until I went into the sanctuary of God.

00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:51.700
That's where we must go to find our answers.

00:04:52.540 --> 00:04:53.760
We come before God.

00:04:53.820 --> 00:04:54.860
We come before his throne.

00:04:55.480 --> 00:04:56.940
We meet with God's people.

00:04:57.100 --> 00:04:57.620
We fellowship.

00:04:57.820 --> 00:04:58.600
We grow in grace.

00:04:58.700 --> 00:04:58.980
And we learn.

00:04:59.900 --> 00:05:01.220
And my prayer is this morning

00:05:01.220 --> 00:05:03.280
that as you've come together in this place

00:05:03.280 --> 00:05:05.260
where we are together in the sanctuary of God,

00:05:05.340 --> 00:05:06.740
where two or three are gathered in his name,

00:05:06.840 --> 00:05:07.680
there he is in the midst.

00:05:08.600 --> 00:05:10.440
I pray that you all start to understand

00:05:10.440 --> 00:05:12.020
why the wicked prosper.

00:05:12.360 --> 00:05:14.260
Why we're in the predicament that we're in.

00:05:15.660 --> 00:05:17.940
Firstly, let me state that judgment is coming.

00:05:18.560 --> 00:05:21.680
Judgment occurs over 300 times in the Bible.

00:05:22.460 --> 00:05:24.260
But over 100 of those times,

00:05:24.260 --> 00:05:27.780
it points to a specific season of judgment.

00:05:28.980 --> 00:05:31.480
That's sometimes referred to as the day of the Lord.

00:05:31.560 --> 00:05:34.140
There's at least 25 times that that phrase is used.

00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:40.420
And Isaiah speaks clearly about this time

00:05:40.420 --> 00:05:42.960
that is due to come soon.

00:05:44.820 --> 00:05:46.240
Pick up Isaiah 13.

00:05:46.500 --> 00:05:47.660
He says this, verse 6.

00:05:48.140 --> 00:05:50.940
How for the day of the Lord,

00:05:51.060 --> 00:05:51.960
there's that expression,

00:05:52.660 --> 00:05:53.460
is at hand.

00:05:53.460 --> 00:05:55.880
It shall come as a destruction,

00:05:56.640 --> 00:05:57.600
now note this,

00:05:57.940 --> 00:05:58.960
from the Almighty,

00:05:58.980 --> 00:06:02.520
this isn't just a run-of-the-mill problem

00:06:02.520 --> 00:06:05.100
that people experience that go on in earth and so on.

00:06:05.840 --> 00:06:07.840
You know, people have talked about the fact that Christians,

00:06:08.080 --> 00:06:09.780
you know, we suffer tribulation all the time,

00:06:09.820 --> 00:06:10.200
and we do.

00:06:10.640 --> 00:06:12.380
Jesus said we would suffer tribulation.

00:06:12.500 --> 00:06:14.300
Those that are godly will suffer persecution,

00:06:14.440 --> 00:06:15.120
tribulation, and so on.

00:06:15.140 --> 00:06:15.480
We do.

00:06:16.300 --> 00:06:17.340
But this is not that.

00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:20.860
This is something that is very specifically

00:06:20.860 --> 00:06:22.100
from the hand of God.

00:06:23.560 --> 00:06:24.320
It's judgment.

00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:25.540
It's his wrath being poured out.

00:06:25.800 --> 00:06:27.460
Therefore shall all hands be faint,


00:06:27.460 --> 00:06:28.860
and every man's heart shall melt,




00:06:30.080 --> 00:06:31.120
and they shall be afraid.

00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:33.520
Pangs and sorrows,

00:06:33.760 --> 00:06:35.200
notice that expression,

00:06:36.280 --> 00:06:37.460
shall take hold of them.

00:06:37.740 --> 00:06:40.660
They shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth.

00:06:42.520 --> 00:06:44.220
Women here that have had children

00:06:44.220 --> 00:06:45.820
will understand that.

00:06:47.260 --> 00:06:49.120
Men will pretend we understand it,

00:06:49.180 --> 00:06:49.620
but we don't.

00:06:50.980 --> 00:06:53.040
I've been there four times at the birth of a child,

00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:53.880
or five actually,

00:06:53.980 --> 00:06:54.880
because I was there when I was born,

00:06:55.100 --> 00:06:57.040
but four of them were own children.

00:06:57.940 --> 00:06:58.960
And it was very painful.

00:06:58.980 --> 00:07:00.960
Very painful because I had my wedding ring on,

00:07:01.320 --> 00:07:03.820
and as Joy was gripping my hand really tightly,

00:07:04.180 --> 00:07:05.480
the ring was pushing this way,

00:07:05.520 --> 00:07:06.360
and it really hurt.

00:07:11.340 --> 00:07:13.160
I didn't get over all the sympathy at the time,

00:07:13.240 --> 00:07:13.680
I'll be honest.

00:07:14.420 --> 00:07:16.800
But look, this is telling us something really significant,

00:07:17.060 --> 00:07:19.080
that as we approach these things,

00:07:19.620 --> 00:07:22.200
it's going to be like labor pains that intensify.



00:07:24.700 --> 00:07:27.020
And we're told that they should be amazed at one another,

00:07:27.020 --> 00:07:28.380
their faces should be as flames.

Speaking of something that’s really uncomfortable.

00:07:32.320 --> 00:07:33.780
Behold, the day the Lord comes,

00:07:34.300 --> 00:07:37.240
cruel, both with wrath and fierce anger.

00:07:38.260 --> 00:07:39.940
And here we're told the reason,

00:07:40.080 --> 00:07:41.400
to lay the land desolate,

00:07:41.800 --> 00:07:45.640
and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

00:07:47.540 --> 00:07:48.820
God is not unjust.

00:07:50.280 --> 00:07:53.360
We know probably the most well-known verse of Scripture,

00:07:53.620 --> 00:07:54.360
John 3.16,

00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:56.240
God so loved the world,

00:07:56.980 --> 00:07:58.460
that he gave his only begotten Son,

00:07:58.460 --> 00:07:58.520
to his son,

00:07:58.520 --> 00:07:58.600
to his son,

00:07:58.600 --> 00:07:58.620
to his son,

00:07:58.620 --> 00:08:00.700
that whosoever should believe in him

00:08:00.700 --> 00:08:02.260
would not perish but have everlasting life.

00:08:03.060 --> 00:08:06.360
And Peter tells us that God is long-suffering,

00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:08.660
not willing, aiming to perish.

00:08:09.840 --> 00:08:12.200
But there comes a point that God will say,

00:08:12.320 --> 00:08:13.960
enough, our time's coming.

00:08:14.520 --> 00:08:15.380
And we're told that there's going to be

00:08:15.380 --> 00:08:16.220
all sorts of things going on.

00:08:16.300 --> 00:08:16.440
It says,

00:08:16.740 --> 00:08:18.680
for the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof

00:08:18.680 --> 00:08:19.540
shall not give their light,

00:08:19.580 --> 00:08:20.760
and the sun shall be darkened,

00:08:20.820 --> 00:08:21.580
and is going forth,

00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:23.600
and the moons shall not cause a light to shine.

00:08:24.100 --> 00:08:26.040
This is one of the number of verses that tell us

00:08:26.040 --> 00:08:28.600
there are going to be all sorts of really weird,

00:08:28.620 --> 00:08:29.560
weird events going on.

00:08:32.060 --> 00:08:33.260
We're told in the book of Revelation

00:08:33.260 --> 00:08:34.179
that it's going to get hot.

00:08:34.280 --> 00:08:35.260
You think this is bad this morning?

00:08:35.320 --> 00:08:35.940
This is nothing.

00:08:36.919 --> 00:08:37.940
It's going to get a lot hotter.

00:08:40.179 --> 00:08:42.320
There's going to be all sorts of really strange things

00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:43.159
going on on earth.

00:08:44.100 --> 00:08:45.740
A third of the rivers are going to turn to blood,

00:08:45.880 --> 00:08:46.140
we're told.

00:08:46.860 --> 00:08:47.860
And then a third of the seas.

00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:50.680
Do you know that most of our oxygen comes from the sea,

00:08:51.080 --> 00:08:52.600
and the plankton, and so on, and the waters?

00:08:53.080 --> 00:08:53.960
If they die off,

00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:55.340
it's going to reduce oxygen content.

00:08:56.380 --> 00:08:58.320
If any of you have ever climbed,

00:08:58.620 --> 00:08:59.180
a high mountain,

00:08:59.240 --> 00:09:00.580
I was speaking earlier about Snowdon,

00:09:01.140 --> 00:09:02.320
that's not a particularly high mountain.

00:09:02.420 --> 00:09:04.280
If any of you have ever climbed a really high mountain,

00:09:04.740 --> 00:09:05.620
or know people have,

00:09:05.680 --> 00:09:07.640
you'll know that when they get really high,

00:09:07.760 --> 00:09:09.060
there's all sorts of strange effects

00:09:09.060 --> 00:09:09.860
that happen to our body

00:09:09.860 --> 00:09:11.980
because we just crave oxygen.

00:09:13.520 --> 00:09:14.520
What's it going to be like?

00:09:15.380 --> 00:09:16.080
It's going to be hotter?

00:09:16.420 --> 00:09:17.140
Harder to breathe?

00:09:18.760 --> 00:09:19.580
Lots of things.

00:09:20.300 --> 00:09:21.600
I'm not going to go through those details this morning.

00:09:22.300 --> 00:09:23.680
But enough to say,

00:09:24.120 --> 00:09:25.400
it's going to be a strange time.

00:09:25.500 --> 00:09:26.360
It's going to be very uncomfortable.

00:09:27.200 --> 00:09:28.120
And we're told,

00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:30.460
again, this is verse 11 of Isaiah 13,

00:09:30.780 --> 00:09:33.760
and I will punish the world for their evil.

00:09:36.980 --> 00:09:40.520
Millions of babies aborted.

00:09:42.520 --> 00:09:44.040
Purely for convenience sake.

00:09:46.200 --> 00:09:47.440
Precious lives ended

00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:50.720
in what should be one of the most safe environments

00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:52.540
imaginable, the mother's womb.

00:09:57.540 --> 00:09:57.940
Countless,

00:09:58.120 --> 00:09:58.940
innocent lives,

00:09:59.780 --> 00:10:00.340
through war,

00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:01.000
through crime,

00:10:01.160 --> 00:10:01.780
through knife crime,

00:10:01.940 --> 00:10:02.380
through so on,

00:10:02.400 --> 00:10:02.960
all these things.

00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:07.420
You know, this world is an evil place.

00:10:09.640 --> 00:10:11.140
God's going to punish the world for their evil

00:10:11.140 --> 00:10:13.000
and the wicked for their iniquity,

00:10:13.100 --> 00:10:14.520
and I will cause the arrogancy

00:10:14.520 --> 00:10:15.420
and the proud to cease,

00:10:15.500 --> 00:10:16.460
and I will lay low.

00:10:16.580 --> 00:10:17.600
The haughtiness is terrible.

00:10:18.320 --> 00:10:20.480
I will make a man more precious than fine gold,

00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:23.280
even a man than the gold wedge of Ophir.

00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:25.640
Therefore I will shake the heavens and the earth.

00:10:25.980 --> 00:10:27.420
She'll remove out of her place,

00:10:27.780 --> 00:10:28.100
in the wrong,

00:10:28.120 --> 00:10:29.740
the wrath of the Lord of hosts,

00:10:29.740 --> 00:10:31.740
and the day of his fierce anger.

00:10:31.740 --> 00:10:32.840
Notice that statement there.

00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:34.840
That's not a metaphor.

00:10:34.840 --> 00:10:36.840
Therefore I will shake the heavens.

00:10:36.840 --> 00:10:40.840
There really will be cataclysmic events taking place

00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:42.840
from what we are told in Scripture.

00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:44.840
And we've got absolutely no reason to doubt those

00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:46.840
because everything Scripture said before,

00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:48.840
every prophecy that we have recorded has been fulfilled

00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:50.840
with precise detail.

00:10:50.840 --> 00:10:54.840
One of the things that Dr. Chuck Missler used to say was

00:10:54.840 --> 00:10:56.840
that over his years and years of study,


00:10:56.840 --> 00:10:56.940
there were a number of times that 

00:10:58.120 --> 00:11:00.120
 he revised his view

00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:02.120
or opinion on certain scriptures,

00:11:02.120 --> 00:11:04.120
but it was always to take it more seriously.

00:11:04.120 --> 00:11:08.120
Notice this is in the wrath of the Lord of hosts

00:11:08.120 --> 00:11:10.120
and the day of his fierce anger.

00:11:10.120 --> 00:11:13.120
So Isaiah is speaking specifically of a time

00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:15.120
of coming tribulation.

00:11:15.120 --> 00:11:18.120
We call it the tribulation.

00:11:18.120 --> 00:11:21.120
So it's not just a generic time.

00:11:21.120 --> 00:11:22.120
It's a specific time.


00:11:22.120 --> 00:11:25.120
It's a time of God's wrath and judgment being poured out

00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:27.120
on a wicked, unbelieving, and Christ-rejecting world.


00:11:29.940 --> 00:11:32.940
But when will it begin?

00:11:32.940 --> 00:11:36.940
Again, Jesus spoke of those labor pains.

00:11:36.940 --> 00:11:38.940
There's gonna be a buildup to judgment.

00:11:38.940 --> 00:11:42.000
There's gonna be, from what Jesus tells us in Matthew 24,

00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:44.940
wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes

00:11:44.940 --> 00:11:46.940
and famines and pestilences.

00:11:46.940 --> 00:11:48.940
Interestingly, those scriptures that speak about the wars

00:11:48.940 --> 00:11:51.940
and the rumors of wars, they are direct quotes from Isaiah.

00:11:51.940 --> 00:11:54.940
And it speaks not just of anywhere in the world,

00:11:54.940 --> 00:11:56.940
but it's specifically referring to conflict

00:11:56.940 --> 00:11:57.940
with Israel and it's specifically referring to conflict with Israel

00:11:57.940 --> 00:11:59.720
and the nation surrounding Israel.

00:12:01.180 --> 00:12:02.980
They're the wars and the rumors of wars

00:12:02.980 --> 00:12:04.620
that are alluded to here.

00:12:06.200 --> 00:12:08.380
And we're living at a time where we are hearing

00:12:08.380 --> 00:12:11.520
daily of the conflicts that are going on

00:12:11.520 --> 00:12:12.800
with Israel and their neighbors.

00:12:14.780 --> 00:12:16.700
You can Google and you can find it.

00:12:16.740 --> 00:12:17.800
Earthquakes have been increasing.

00:12:19.160 --> 00:12:21.000
Not just our ability to record them,

00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:22.740
but around the world, earthquakes are increasing.

00:12:24.840 --> 00:12:26.340
And every now and again, we hear news of

00:12:26.340 --> 00:12:28.700
what's going to happen if this tectonic plate

00:12:28.700 --> 00:12:30.600
shifts a bit more and the dangers and the problems.

00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:32.640
Famines.

00:12:33.520 --> 00:12:36.840
As I said yesterday, it was the 40th anniversary of Live Aid

00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:39.420
and that really brought the whole famine thing

00:12:39.420 --> 00:12:42.140
very much to the focus of the Western world.

00:12:42.220 --> 00:12:43.560
And yet it's been a problem ever since.

00:12:43.640 --> 00:12:45.580
It's not been something to eradicate or solve.

00:12:46.520 --> 00:12:47.260
And pestilence.

00:12:47.980 --> 00:12:48.800
Remember COVID, anyone?

00:12:51.020 --> 00:12:52.080
What else is to come?

00:12:54.300 --> 00:12:56.240
But there's another biblical indicator.

00:12:56.340 --> 00:12:59.120
Of the time that we're living in.

00:12:59.420 --> 00:13:00.800
Of the judgment that's coming.

00:13:02.520 --> 00:13:04.420
And that is the church.

00:13:06.020 --> 00:13:08.860
In Peter's first epistle, he says this.

00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:11.700
So the time has come that judgment must begin

00:13:11.700 --> 00:13:12.700
at the house of God.

00:13:13.300 --> 00:13:15.160
And if it first begin at us,

00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:17.960
what shall be the end of them that obey not

00:13:17.960 --> 00:13:18.940
the gospel of God?

00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:22.080
And if the righteous scarcely be saved,

00:13:22.600 --> 00:13:25.080
where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

00:13:26.340 --> 00:13:28.180
An interesting question he poses.

00:13:28.400 --> 00:13:29.240
But notice the statement.

00:13:30.980 --> 00:13:32.920
The words that are in italics there,

00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:34.200
the letters, is come back.

00:13:34.280 --> 00:13:35.640
That's just inserted by the translator.

00:13:35.760 --> 00:13:36.920
It's fine, it helps us understand.

00:13:37.640 --> 00:13:39.680
But specifically what we're seeing here is

00:13:39.680 --> 00:13:42.620
that the specific season of judgment

00:13:42.620 --> 00:13:45.020
will commence at the house of God.

00:13:45.640 --> 00:13:47.520
The season of judgment that's going to come

00:13:47.520 --> 00:13:50.620
is going to begin with the church.

00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:51.700
The house of God.

00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:53.980
So the questions we want to ask are

00:13:53.980 --> 00:13:55.880
why will it come?

00:13:56.340 --> 00:13:58.560
Why would the church need to be judged?

00:13:59.380 --> 00:14:00.980
And when will it come?

00:14:02.080 --> 00:14:03.580
Well, let me answer some of those questions

00:14:03.580 --> 00:14:05.080
because they're told very clearly in Scripture.

00:14:05.280 --> 00:14:06.300
Some of the why questions.

00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:07.680
In 1 Timothy,

00:14:07.980 --> 00:14:10.740
Now the Spirit speaks expressly.

00:14:10.740 --> 00:14:12.820
It's hard to know how else Paul could have

00:14:12.820 --> 00:14:15.040
communicated this in stronger terms.

00:14:15.920 --> 00:14:19.160
The Holy Spirit of God speaks expressly

00:14:19.160 --> 00:14:20.860
that in the latter times,

00:14:21.020 --> 00:14:22.880
Simon shall depart from the faith,

00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:25.180
giving heed to seducing spirits

00:14:25.180 --> 00:14:26.300
and doctrines of devil.

00:14:26.340 --> 00:14:27.340
The Holy Spirit speaks expressly

00:14:27.340 --> 00:14:27.360
that in the latter times,

00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:28.340
speaking lies in hypocrisy,

00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:30.700
having their conscience seared with a hot iron.

00:14:30.880 --> 00:14:32.720
That means that they do what they do

00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:33.740
and they don't even care about it.

00:14:34.840 --> 00:14:37.120
It's almost like their moral compass

00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:37.960
has been turned off.

00:14:40.900 --> 00:14:41.800
Speaking of verse 3,

00:14:41.860 --> 00:14:44.120
for the time will come when they will not endure

00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:45.460
sound doctrine.

00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:49.840
And thank God that you are here this morning

00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:52.920
and that we can sit at the feet of God's Word

00:14:52.920 --> 00:14:54.060
and we can learn from Scripture.

00:14:54.840 --> 00:14:55.880
But there are many churches

00:14:55.880 --> 00:14:59.280
where during a sermon,

00:15:00.540 --> 00:15:01.920
talk,

00:15:03.040 --> 00:15:04.900
Scripture is hardly quoted.

00:15:07.400 --> 00:15:08.900
They won't endure sound doctrine.

00:15:09.020 --> 00:15:09.920
But after their own lusts,

00:15:09.960 --> 00:15:11.640
they shall heap to themselves teachers

00:15:11.640 --> 00:15:12.780
having itching ears.

00:15:14.439 --> 00:15:15.960
And they shall turn away, there is,

00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:16.460
from the truth.

00:15:16.540 --> 00:15:17.800
They'll be turned unto fables.

00:15:19.380 --> 00:15:20.940
And that is going on in churches

00:15:20.940 --> 00:15:22.640
all over this country

00:15:22.640 --> 00:15:25.480
where people are just saying things

00:15:25.480 --> 00:15:25.860
of the contrary.

00:15:25.880 --> 00:15:26.680
And that's what the congregation want to hear.

00:15:28.960 --> 00:15:30.660
In 2 Thessalonians 2,

00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:32.700
we're told something quite concerning in a sense.

00:15:32.820 --> 00:15:32.960
It says,

00:15:33.040 --> 00:15:35.620
For this cause God shall send them strong delusion

00:15:35.620 --> 00:15:38.180
that they shall believe a lie,

00:15:38.680 --> 00:15:40.120
that they all might be damned

00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:41.680
who believe not the truth

00:15:41.680 --> 00:15:43.820
but a pleasure in unrighteousness.

00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:45.980
It's also something very similar in the book of Romans

00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:48.340
about people that find pleasure

00:15:48.340 --> 00:15:49.740
in unrighteousness.

00:15:50.920 --> 00:15:52.860
And not necessarily they do things themselves

00:15:52.860 --> 00:15:54.020
but they find pleasure in other people

00:15:54.020 --> 00:15:54.760
that do those things.

00:15:55.880 --> 00:15:57.960
And there are many in the church

00:15:57.960 --> 00:15:59.200
that fall under that bracket also.

00:16:00.740 --> 00:16:02.240
Jesus warned repeatedly

00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:05.780
that deception was coming.

00:16:09.700 --> 00:16:12.820
Let's ask, when will judgment come?

00:16:12.900 --> 00:16:14.260
Because that's clearly enough.

00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:15.560
And we could go through many other scriptures

00:16:15.560 --> 00:16:16.780
but there's clearly a why.

00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:18.160
That's why judgment's going to come

00:16:18.160 --> 00:16:19.460
upon the church.

00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:22.020
So let's talk about when it's going to come.

00:16:22.560 --> 00:16:24.920
Matthew 13, verse 24.

00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:25.760
Another parable.

00:16:25.880 --> 00:16:26.560
Jesus.

00:16:55.880 --> 00:16:57.700
The servant said unto him,

00:16:58.000 --> 00:17:00.080
Will then that we go and gather them up?

00:17:00.260 --> 00:17:01.100
Shall we go and pull them up

00:17:01.100 --> 00:17:01.900
and get rid of those tares?

00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:04.000
He said, Nay, lest while you gather up the tares

00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:05.579
you root up also the wheat with them.

00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:08.520
This gives us an awful lot of insight

00:17:08.520 --> 00:17:10.760
into why things are as they are.

00:17:11.760 --> 00:17:13.380
Why are there so many Christians

00:17:13.380 --> 00:17:14.140
who are in churches

00:17:14.140 --> 00:17:15.520
that are struggling with the teaching

00:17:15.520 --> 00:17:16.240
and with the doctrine

00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:17.800
and with other things that are being brought in?

00:17:19.700 --> 00:17:21.420
Because if all the tares were pulled up

00:17:21.420 --> 00:17:24.480
it could damage the wheat at the same time.

00:17:25.880 --> 00:17:26.860
Notice this.

00:17:27.100 --> 00:17:28.420
Let both grow together.

00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:29.720
Here we have another until.

00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:32.360
Until the harvest.

00:17:32.460 --> 00:17:33.760
That means there's going to come a time

00:17:33.760 --> 00:17:34.720
that that's going to change.

00:17:34.800 --> 00:17:35.840
That situation's going to change.

00:17:36.120 --> 00:17:37.740
And we're told until the harvest.

00:17:39.060 --> 00:17:40.220
We'll talk about the harvest

00:17:40.220 --> 00:17:41.340
maybe a bit more next week.

00:17:42.380 --> 00:17:43.360
And in the time of the harvest

00:17:43.360 --> 00:17:44.440
I will say to the reapers,

00:17:44.620 --> 00:17:46.520
Gather ye together first the tares

00:17:46.520 --> 00:17:48.960
and bind them in bundles to burn them

00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:51.860
but gather the wheat into my barn.

00:17:53.040 --> 00:17:53.900
That last sentence

00:17:53.900 --> 00:17:55.580
we'll again explore a bit more next week.

00:17:55.880 --> 00:17:56.640
What does it mean?

00:17:56.700 --> 00:17:59.080
By gathering the wheat into Christ's barn.

00:17:59.240 --> 00:17:59.940
It's a lovely picture.

00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:01.160
We'll talk about it.

00:18:01.780 --> 00:18:02.320
But for now,

00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:04.280
I want you to notice what's going to happen first.

00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:06.100
The first thing that's going to happen

00:18:06.100 --> 00:18:08.220
as we get to this season of judgment,

00:18:08.340 --> 00:18:10.100
as we get to the time of the harvest,

00:18:11.740 --> 00:18:15.320
that the tares are first going to be gathered together

00:18:15.320 --> 00:18:17.260
in groups, in bundles.

00:18:19.500 --> 00:18:22.760
We don't have to guess what Jesus was alluding to here

00:18:22.760 --> 00:18:24.500
because Jesus gives us the explanation.

00:18:24.700 --> 00:18:25.540
He says this.

00:18:25.660 --> 00:18:25.840
He says,

00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:27.720
Matthew 13.

00:18:27.860 --> 00:18:29.080
The field is the world.

00:18:29.620 --> 00:18:31.780
The good seed are the children of the kingdom.

00:18:33.300 --> 00:18:35.440
But the tares are the children of the wicked one.

00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:38.060
So the children of the kingdom,

00:18:38.140 --> 00:18:39.480
we can refer to that as the church.

00:18:41.800 --> 00:18:43.380
And amongst the church

00:18:43.380 --> 00:18:45.660
there are these tares that have been sown.

00:18:46.280 --> 00:18:48.140
And we're told the enemy that's sown is the devil,

00:18:48.820 --> 00:18:50.560
the harvest is the end of the world,

00:18:50.780 --> 00:18:51.900
and the reapers are the angels.

00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:54.240
As therefore the tares are gathered

00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:55.420
and burned into the fire,

00:18:55.880 --> 00:18:58.320
so shall it be in the end of this world.

00:19:00.400 --> 00:19:02.220
The Son of Man shall send forth his angels,

00:19:02.300 --> 00:19:03.780
and they shall gather out of his kingdom

00:19:03.780 --> 00:19:04.800
all things that offend,

00:19:05.160 --> 00:19:06.400
and then which do iniquity.

00:19:07.580 --> 00:19:10.580
And shall cast them into a furnace of fire,

00:19:11.100 --> 00:19:13.380
and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

00:19:13.420 --> 00:19:15.340
Now, just as an aside here,

00:19:16.380 --> 00:19:17.680
most people read this

00:19:17.680 --> 00:19:20.960
and they assume this has to do with the lake of fire,

00:19:21.920 --> 00:19:22.820
that furnace of fire.

00:19:22.820 --> 00:19:24.500
And yet, in Daniel,

00:19:24.500 --> 00:19:28.500
the fiery furnace is a picture of the tribulation.

00:19:32.300 --> 00:19:36.580
These young Jewish men put into this furnace

00:19:36.580 --> 00:19:38.260
a picture of the tribulation,

00:19:38.440 --> 00:19:38.880
of what's coming,

00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:39.860
what's going to affect Israel.

00:19:40.780 --> 00:19:42.860
And yet Christ is there with them in the midst of that fire.

00:19:43.840 --> 00:19:45.720
I would just suggest

00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:48.340
that this furnace of fire

00:19:48.340 --> 00:19:50.440
that these individuals will be cast into

00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:53.700
may well be a reference to the coming tribulation itself.

00:19:54.500 --> 00:19:57.040
Where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

00:19:59.000 --> 00:19:59.700
Following that,

00:19:59.780 --> 00:20:00.280
until then,

00:20:00.500 --> 00:20:02.220
shall the righteous shine forth as a sign

00:20:02.220 --> 00:20:03.480
in the kingdom of their Father.

00:20:04.320 --> 00:20:05.640
And then we've got a really interesting statement.

00:20:06.340 --> 00:20:07.900
Who has ears to hear, let him hear.

00:20:07.980 --> 00:20:09.760
Now, if you've ever read the book of Revelation,

00:20:09.900 --> 00:20:11.860
you'll know that that occurs repeatedly

00:20:11.860 --> 00:20:13.460
through the first few chapters.

00:20:14.140 --> 00:20:15.500
Kind of links all these things together,

00:20:15.860 --> 00:20:17.780
and maybe next week we'll explore that a little bit more.

00:20:20.180 --> 00:20:23.100
So, apostasy and deception are coming.

00:20:23.260 --> 00:20:24.280
In fact, I would argue,

00:20:24.280 --> 00:20:24.760
we're all here.

00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:28.500
Jesus repeatedly said that many will be deceived.

00:20:28.740 --> 00:20:29.740
And throughout the New Testament,

00:20:30.399 --> 00:20:32.399
the gospel writers, the apostles,

00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:34.560
reiterated this fact.

00:20:35.760 --> 00:20:37.840
Many that look like true believers

00:20:37.840 --> 00:20:41.040
are growing alongside true believers.

00:20:42.200 --> 00:20:44.379
And sadly, the presence of tares around the way

00:20:44.379 --> 00:20:45.740
often stunts their growth.

00:20:46.200 --> 00:20:47.220
Both in the physical sense,

00:20:47.260 --> 00:20:47.899
in the real field,

00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:49.000
with tares that we've grown together,

00:20:49.660 --> 00:20:51.020
but also in the spiritual sense

00:20:51.020 --> 00:20:51.860
that we're talking about here.

00:20:52.780 --> 00:20:54.000
It can even choke the life out.

00:20:54.280 --> 00:20:56.780
Matthew 13 verse 7 tells us that.

00:20:57.620 --> 00:20:58.980
So as we approach the end,

00:20:59.080 --> 00:21:00.840
the tares will be grouped together.

00:21:00.940 --> 00:21:01.960
This is really significant.

00:21:02.860 --> 00:21:04.780
That means the distinction between the true wheat

00:21:04.780 --> 00:21:07.600
and the tares is going to become more pronounced.

00:21:08.860 --> 00:21:12.120
We've got a picture there of the tares and the wheat.

00:21:12.280 --> 00:21:14.840
The wheat is on the left-hand side,

00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:16.360
the tares on the right-hand side.

00:21:17.080 --> 00:21:17.860
Very, very similar.

00:21:20.440 --> 00:21:22.240
The physical tares that Jesus spoke of

00:21:22.240 --> 00:21:24.180
look practically identical to wheat.

00:21:24.280 --> 00:21:26.680
So only the time of the harvest

00:21:26.680 --> 00:21:28.000
you can really tell the difference.

00:21:28.520 --> 00:21:29.220
Because with wheat,

00:21:29.320 --> 00:21:31.120
because of the weight that's there,

00:21:31.800 --> 00:21:32.600
it bows its head.

00:21:33.720 --> 00:21:35.060
The simple humility of the tares

00:21:35.060 --> 00:21:35.980
remain bowed up wide.

00:21:37.040 --> 00:21:38.320
Speaking of the aliens, interesting.

00:21:40.660 --> 00:21:41.560
You see there those,

00:21:43.060 --> 00:21:43.480
the wheat,

00:21:43.899 --> 00:21:45.160
just the weight of the head,

00:21:45.280 --> 00:21:46.020
they're bowing down.

00:21:48.560 --> 00:21:49.560
In Luke 18,

00:21:49.780 --> 00:21:50.500
we pick up verse 8.

00:21:50.580 --> 00:21:51.980
Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes,

00:21:51.980 --> 00:21:53.600
shall he find faith on earth?

00:21:54.280 --> 00:21:55.560
What a statement from Jesus.

00:21:56.100 --> 00:21:57.040
Jesus says, will I come?

00:21:57.879 --> 00:21:58.700
Will there be anyone left?

00:21:58.800 --> 00:22:00.280
Anyone left that still has faith?

00:22:01.940 --> 00:22:03.040
Well, the answer is yes.

00:22:03.860 --> 00:22:05.040
But then Jesus goes on and says,

00:22:05.260 --> 00:22:07.340
and he spoke this parable unto certain

00:22:07.340 --> 00:22:09.180
which trusted in themselves

00:22:09.180 --> 00:22:12.240
that they were righteous and despised others.

00:22:12.980 --> 00:22:14.260
Well, this sounds very much like

00:22:14.260 --> 00:22:15.800
a large portion of the church today.

00:22:17.560 --> 00:22:18.940
And then he gives us this example.

00:22:19.040 --> 00:22:20.680
Two men went up into the temple to pray.

00:22:20.680 --> 00:22:22.600
The one a Pharisee, the other a publican, and so on.

00:22:24.280 --> 00:22:26.720
Jesus makes this distinction between true religion

00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:29.040
and self-professed godliness.

00:22:30.139 --> 00:22:31.860
Now, all sin is bad, okay?

00:22:32.840 --> 00:22:35.200
But that which masquerades as truth

00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:38.520
really is insidious disease.

00:22:41.020 --> 00:22:43.700
Scripture gives us a number of lessons,

00:22:44.780 --> 00:22:46.360
templates in a sense.

00:22:47.520 --> 00:22:48.639
Ecclesiastes actually tells us

00:22:48.639 --> 00:22:51.020
the thing that has been is that which shall be.

00:22:51.720 --> 00:22:53.940
And that which is done is that which shall be done.

00:22:53.940 --> 00:22:54.100
And that which is done is that which shall be done.

00:22:54.100 --> 00:22:54.200
And that which is done is that which shall be done.

00:22:54.200 --> 00:22:54.260
And that which is done is that which shall be done.

00:22:54.260 --> 00:22:56.360
There is no new thing under the sun.

00:22:56.420 --> 00:22:56.940
That helps us.

00:22:57.020 --> 00:22:58.840
It tells us that we can look at Scripture,

00:22:58.940 --> 00:23:00.480
we can see models in the Old Testament

00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:02.660
that actually tell us what it's going to be like.

00:23:04.300 --> 00:23:05.640
Hegel famously said,

00:23:05.760 --> 00:23:07.280
if there's one thing that history teaches us

00:23:07.280 --> 00:23:08.800
it's that man learned nothing from history.

00:23:10.760 --> 00:23:11.200
I like that.

00:23:13.360 --> 00:23:14.420
In the book of Amos,

00:23:14.560 --> 00:23:15.820
we have another interesting statement.

00:23:16.420 --> 00:23:17.600
Surely the Lord will do nothing,

00:23:17.760 --> 00:23:19.800
but he reveals his secret unto his servants.

00:23:21.340 --> 00:23:23.600
So none of this stuff is new.

00:23:23.600 --> 00:23:24.180
None of it says,

00:23:24.180 --> 00:23:24.660
it's just a,

00:23:25.040 --> 00:23:26.340
I think I've discovered something.

00:23:26.380 --> 00:23:27.960
Because it's all recorded in Scripture.

00:23:29.020 --> 00:23:29.980
It's all foretold.

00:23:31.740 --> 00:23:33.020
Let me just give you some of the models

00:23:33.020 --> 00:23:36.080
to tell us the generic situation that we're facing.

00:23:36.180 --> 00:23:38.300
That we go from apostasy to judgment.

00:23:38.680 --> 00:23:39.960
Every time we see apostasy,

00:23:40.100 --> 00:23:41.020
it ends in judgment.

00:23:41.640 --> 00:23:43.020
And this situation we're talking about this morning

00:23:43.020 --> 00:23:43.640
will be no different.

00:23:44.260 --> 00:23:45.100
In the book of Genesis,

00:23:45.220 --> 00:23:47.320
we have an individual by the name of Enos or Enosh.

00:23:48.340 --> 00:23:50.380
And many commentated scholars

00:23:50.380 --> 00:23:52.160
and way, way, way back through history

00:23:52.160 --> 00:23:53.660
is believed that the problem

00:23:54.180 --> 00:23:57.620
that leads to the Genesis 6 scenario,

00:23:57.780 --> 00:23:58.820
most of you I think will understand

00:23:58.820 --> 00:24:00.100
what that's all about in Nephilim.

00:24:00.720 --> 00:24:02.680
It began in the days of Enos.

00:24:03.180 --> 00:24:04.720
And there's an allusion to that in the text

00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:05.700
in Genesis 4.26.

00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:07.800
But that led to the flood.

00:24:07.800 --> 00:24:09.320
The flood was a judgment

00:24:09.320 --> 00:24:11.760
on the wickedness

00:24:11.760 --> 00:24:14.480
that started in the days of Enosh.

00:24:15.600 --> 00:24:18.220
And then we get to the time of Cush and Nimrod,

00:24:18.300 --> 00:24:19.220
the Tower of Babel.

00:24:20.980 --> 00:24:22.100
And of course, Babel,

00:24:22.400 --> 00:24:23.620
God's judgment on the languages

00:24:23.620 --> 00:24:24.160
and everyone's,

00:24:24.180 --> 00:24:25.080
confused and so on,

00:24:25.140 --> 00:24:26.100
God destroys their tower.

00:24:26.960 --> 00:24:28.400
Apostasy leads to judgment.

00:24:29.400 --> 00:24:30.240
In Exodus 32,

00:24:30.940 --> 00:24:31.540
with the Jews,

00:24:31.620 --> 00:24:32.800
they build this mocking calf.

00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:36.080
That leads to judgment.

00:24:36.300 --> 00:24:37.400
And on that occasion,

00:24:37.580 --> 00:24:38.860
3,000 people died.

00:24:40.360 --> 00:24:42.680
Then there's a situation with Balaam.

00:24:42.740 --> 00:24:43.240
And Balaam,

00:24:45.560 --> 00:24:48.840
under the encouragement of the king of Moab,

00:24:49.620 --> 00:24:50.940
tries to find a way

00:24:50.940 --> 00:24:53.620
to inflict damage on Israel.

00:24:54.180 --> 00:24:57.180
And so he ends up leaving them

00:24:57.180 --> 00:24:59.180
or getting them to be drawn into idolatry.

00:24:59.940 --> 00:25:01.560
And 24,000 die

00:25:01.560 --> 00:25:02.800
because of that judgment.

00:25:04.140 --> 00:25:05.900
And then there's a situation with Korah,

00:25:05.900 --> 00:25:07.600
who rebels against Moses.

00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:11.140
Again, 250 die.

00:25:11.400 --> 00:25:13.480
Every time we have these models in Scripture,

00:25:14.580 --> 00:25:15.980
and probably one of the greatest we know of,

00:25:15.980 --> 00:25:16.780
is that Israel,

00:25:17.560 --> 00:25:18.860
during the time of Judges,

00:25:19.620 --> 00:25:20.820
13 times specifically,

00:25:21.780 --> 00:25:23.520
totaling 111 years,

00:25:23.520 --> 00:25:24.020
they end up in the hands of God.

00:25:24.020 --> 00:25:24.879
They end up in servitude

00:25:24.879 --> 00:25:26.720
to other nations.

00:25:28.639 --> 00:25:29.500
To Ammon,

00:25:29.760 --> 00:25:30.500
to Moab,

00:25:31.440 --> 00:25:31.860
Midian,

00:25:32.520 --> 00:25:33.200
and so on.

00:25:35.740 --> 00:25:37.820
And there's a situation with Israel and Judah.

00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:39.000
Once the kingdom divides,

00:25:39.980 --> 00:25:41.700
Israel, because of their apostasy,

00:25:41.780 --> 00:25:42.400
the northern kingdom,

00:25:42.540 --> 00:25:44.460
are taken captive into Assyria.

00:25:45.139 --> 00:25:45.760
And then finally,

00:25:45.879 --> 00:25:46.980
the southern kingdom of Judah

00:25:46.980 --> 00:25:48.540
are taken captive into Babylon.

00:25:49.180 --> 00:25:51.620
Every time apostasy leads to judgment.

00:25:52.340 --> 00:25:53.139
It's no different now.

00:25:54.020 --> 00:25:55.840
Apostasy that we see going on in the church,

00:25:55.920 --> 00:25:57.120
and we'll talk more about this in a moment,

00:25:57.920 --> 00:25:58.960
it will lead to judgment.

00:25:59.120 --> 00:26:00.639
God will not leave it unchecked.

00:26:01.400 --> 00:26:03.280
And we have a really interesting statement

00:26:03.280 --> 00:26:06.540
given to us in 1 Corinthians chapter 10,

00:26:06.600 --> 00:26:07.400
the first 12 verses.

00:26:07.879 --> 00:26:08.940
And Paul basically tells us

00:26:08.940 --> 00:26:11.020
that we shouldn't repeat the mistakes of the past.

00:26:11.080 --> 00:26:12.220
The really sad thing is,

00:26:12.560 --> 00:26:13.100
we have.

00:26:13.879 --> 00:26:14.879
Everything that Paul says,

00:26:15.100 --> 00:26:16.200
don't do this.

00:26:16.780 --> 00:26:17.680
Learn from Israel.

00:26:17.900 --> 00:26:19.160
Learn from their mistakes.

00:26:24.020 --> 00:26:26.300
Let's just pick up verse 1 of 1 Corinthians 10.

00:26:26.300 --> 00:26:27.000
Moreover, brethren,

00:26:27.420 --> 00:26:29.520
I would not that you should be ignorant

00:26:29.520 --> 00:26:32.480
how that all of our fathers were under the cloud

00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:33.900
and all passed through the sea,

00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:34.800
across the Red Sea,

00:26:34.920 --> 00:26:38.020
and had a pillar of clouds the other day

00:26:38.020 --> 00:26:38.940
and their fire by night.

00:26:39.400 --> 00:26:41.620
All were baptized unto Moses

00:26:41.620 --> 00:26:42.740
in the cloud and in the sea,

00:26:42.820 --> 00:26:44.840
and all did eat the same spiritual meat.

00:26:45.280 --> 00:26:46.379
Speaking of the man of the cloud.

00:26:46.960 --> 00:26:48.620
And did all drink the same spiritual drink,

00:26:48.700 --> 00:26:50.120
for they drank of that spiritual rock

00:26:50.120 --> 00:26:50.740
that followed them,

00:26:50.879 --> 00:26:52.120
and that rock was Christ.

00:26:52.120 --> 00:26:53.660
What an incredible,

00:26:54.020 --> 00:26:55.440
beginning Israel.

00:26:56.580 --> 00:26:58.700
The miracle of being led out of Egypt.

00:26:58.860 --> 00:27:01.440
The miracle of being led through the Red Sea.

00:27:02.379 --> 00:27:04.220
Then they get to this place

00:27:04.220 --> 00:27:05.680
where they're thirsty

00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:07.160
and God provides drink,

00:27:07.340 --> 00:27:07.900
water for them.

00:27:08.260 --> 00:27:09.120
Water from the rock.

00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:11.020
A ref for them.

00:27:11.320 --> 00:27:12.700
They battled with God

00:27:12.700 --> 00:27:13.720
in victory and so on.

00:27:13.760 --> 00:27:14.379
Incredible things.

00:27:14.680 --> 00:27:16.760
These amazing deliverance from bondage.

00:27:17.060 --> 00:27:17.300
And again,

00:27:17.340 --> 00:27:19.540
they pass through the water to new life.

00:27:19.639 --> 00:27:20.639
There's lots of pictures

00:27:20.639 --> 00:27:21.860
we can see of our own life here.

00:27:22.360 --> 00:27:23.879
Sustained by the bread of life.

00:27:24.020 --> 00:27:25.780
Watered by the water of life.

00:27:25.860 --> 00:27:27.580
Speaking of Christ and the word of God.

00:27:28.340 --> 00:27:28.560
You know,

00:27:28.600 --> 00:27:29.600
the question we have to ask is,

00:27:29.639 --> 00:27:30.800
how could anything go wrong?

00:27:30.879 --> 00:27:32.080
Such a wonderful start.

00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:33.700
You think if we were in that situation,

00:27:33.800 --> 00:27:34.100
that's it,

00:27:34.120 --> 00:27:35.240
we're just going to walk with God

00:27:35.240 --> 00:27:35.960
and it's going to be marvelous.

00:27:36.120 --> 00:27:36.520
And yet, of course,

00:27:36.600 --> 00:27:37.440
we know if we were there,

00:27:37.540 --> 00:27:38.340
it would have been no different.

00:27:39.520 --> 00:27:40.740
Because then we're told in verse 5,

00:27:40.800 --> 00:27:41.760
but with many of them,

00:27:41.820 --> 00:27:43.180
God was not well pleased,

00:27:43.560 --> 00:27:45.120
for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

00:27:48.100 --> 00:27:49.580
There's a really scary word there.

00:27:49.700 --> 00:27:50.560
That's the third word.

00:27:51.180 --> 00:27:51.440
Many.

00:27:53.139 --> 00:27:54.000
The number of times,

00:27:54.020 --> 00:27:55.060
Jesus uses that

00:27:55.060 --> 00:27:57.320
when speaking of the deception that's coming.

00:27:57.960 --> 00:27:59.280
Many will be deceived.

00:28:00.060 --> 00:28:01.480
But with many of them,

00:28:02.660 --> 00:28:03.560
God was not well pleased.

00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:05.740
But then what Paul says is interesting,

00:28:05.840 --> 00:28:06.220
verse 6.

00:28:06.440 --> 00:28:08.600
Now these things were our examples.

00:28:09.980 --> 00:28:10.920
That's exactly what they are.

00:28:11.240 --> 00:28:12.379
We should learn from them.

00:28:12.620 --> 00:28:14.300
To the intent that we should not lust

00:28:14.300 --> 00:28:15.520
after evil things,

00:28:15.820 --> 00:28:16.980
as they also lusted.

00:28:17.980 --> 00:28:18.920
Well, let's ask the question,

00:28:19.060 --> 00:28:20.580
what did they lust after?

00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:22.639
Well, the first thing was, of course,

00:28:22.639 --> 00:28:23.920
they missed the food they had

00:28:23.920 --> 00:28:24.340
in Egypt.

00:28:24.500 --> 00:28:26.100
So they got fed up with this manna.

00:28:26.140 --> 00:28:27.060
So they started crying out,

00:28:27.140 --> 00:28:28.300
saying, oh, we want something else.

00:28:28.380 --> 00:28:28.880
We want something else to eat.

00:28:28.940 --> 00:28:29.960
So God sent some quails,

00:28:30.080 --> 00:28:31.820
and the quail blow in from the sea.

00:28:32.460 --> 00:28:33.660
And they used it for a whole month

00:28:33.660 --> 00:28:35.080
until we're told in the scripture

00:28:35.080 --> 00:28:36.260
that it was coming out of their nostrils.

00:28:36.380 --> 00:28:37.840
They were so sick of it.

00:28:39.360 --> 00:28:40.020
God basically says,

00:28:40.040 --> 00:28:41.000
if you want it, you can have it.

00:28:42.520 --> 00:28:43.600
And they got to the point of realizing

00:28:43.600 --> 00:28:45.280
maybe we didn't want it, actually, after all.

00:28:46.160 --> 00:28:47.740
You see, they wanted that

00:28:47.740 --> 00:28:49.700
which was acceptable to the human power.

00:28:50.660 --> 00:28:51.520
And that's what we do.

00:28:51.520 --> 00:28:54.800
You know, do you know any churches

00:28:54.800 --> 00:28:58.400
that have abandoned the bread God has provided

00:28:58.400 --> 00:29:01.520
in favor of that which is acceptable

00:29:02.120 --> 00:29:03.400
to the multitude?

00:29:04.740 --> 00:29:05.540
Think about it.

00:29:07.460 --> 00:29:08.080
Verse 7,

00:29:08.080 --> 00:29:10.500
Need to be idolaters as for some of them,

00:29:10.600 --> 00:29:11.220
as it is written,

00:29:11.320 --> 00:29:13.120
that people sat down to eat and drink

00:29:13.120 --> 00:29:14.400
and rose up to play.

00:29:15.840 --> 00:29:16.320
Idolaters.

00:29:16.420 --> 00:29:17.580
What is idolatry?

00:29:18.620 --> 00:29:20.379
Well, idolatry comes from really

00:29:20.379 --> 00:29:21.379
the second commandment,

00:29:21.520 --> 00:29:22.500
the Ten Commandments.

00:29:22.560 --> 00:29:24.620
And it's an issue of misrepresentation.

00:29:25.020 --> 00:29:26.660
God is jealous of his name,

00:29:26.800 --> 00:29:27.620
of his character,

00:29:28.020 --> 00:29:28.920
of his attributes.

00:29:29.060 --> 00:29:31.379
And anything that touches those is idolatry.

00:29:32.300 --> 00:29:33.980
Anything that misrepresents God.

00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:36.980
So making a God in your own image,

00:29:37.660 --> 00:29:38.920
from your own imagination,

00:29:39.080 --> 00:29:40.220
to suit your own desires,

00:29:41.060 --> 00:29:43.620
even if you call your God Lord.

00:29:44.740 --> 00:29:45.740
And there are many churches

00:29:45.740 --> 00:29:48.420
that refer to God,

00:29:48.420 --> 00:29:49.520
speak of Lord.

00:29:50.740 --> 00:29:51.160
And yet,

00:29:51.160 --> 00:29:52.900
it's a completely different God

00:29:52.900 --> 00:29:54.200
to that which is revealed in Scripture.

00:29:55.340 --> 00:29:56.440
I mean, think again,

00:29:56.520 --> 00:29:57.200
in Exodus 33,

00:29:57.300 --> 00:29:57.960
the golden calf.

00:29:59.140 --> 00:29:59.920
What did they say?

00:29:59.980 --> 00:30:01.300
That they worshiped this

00:30:01.300 --> 00:30:03.160
as the God that had led them out of Egypt.

00:30:04.020 --> 00:30:05.280
They used the right words,

00:30:06.100 --> 00:30:08.340
but their adoration and their worship

00:30:08.340 --> 00:30:09.820
was towards this thing they'd created.

00:30:12.180 --> 00:30:14.140
Again, do you know any churches today

00:30:14.140 --> 00:30:15.580
where they worship a God

00:30:15.580 --> 00:30:17.180
other than the one revealed in Scripture?

00:30:17.820 --> 00:30:19.640
Even if they still call him Lord.

00:30:20.040 --> 00:30:20.920
I mean, just think,

00:30:20.920 --> 00:30:21.440
for example,

00:30:21.980 --> 00:30:23.640
churches that have a God

00:30:23.640 --> 00:30:24.660
who won't send anyone to hell.

00:30:26.820 --> 00:30:28.620
I had a meeting many years ago

00:30:28.620 --> 00:30:29.660
with an Anglican minister.

00:30:30.680 --> 00:30:31.640
And there was another minister

00:30:31.640 --> 00:30:33.460
who was kind of a prayer breakfast thing.

00:30:34.480 --> 00:30:35.440
One of the Anglican ministers,

00:30:35.620 --> 00:30:35.880
he said,

00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:37.740
oh no, nobody's going to go to hell.

00:30:38.780 --> 00:30:39.800
And kind of, you know,

00:30:40.960 --> 00:30:41.380
sorry,

00:30:42.580 --> 00:30:43.500
we had this conversation.

00:30:43.760 --> 00:30:44.500
He was convinced,

00:30:44.980 --> 00:30:45.840
nobody will go to hell.

00:30:47.080 --> 00:30:48.320
Or what did Jesus do?

00:30:50.920 --> 00:30:52.480
What are we doing with the judgment of God,

00:30:52.520 --> 00:30:53.300
the justice of God?

00:30:53.340 --> 00:30:54.900
If God's just going to let everybody off anyway,

00:30:55.120 --> 00:30:56.260
why did Jesus have to die?

00:30:57.140 --> 00:30:57.780
No sense.

00:30:58.580 --> 00:31:00.320
What about churches where God could be worshipped

00:31:00.320 --> 00:31:01.280
in the way you choose?

00:31:04.100 --> 00:31:05.620
Nadab and Abihu died

00:31:05.620 --> 00:31:08.180
because they chose to worship God

00:31:08.180 --> 00:31:09.160
in the way they wanted.

00:31:10.980 --> 00:31:13.480
Rather than worship was kindled by the fire of God,

00:31:13.580 --> 00:31:15.640
worship was kindled by the perfecting of the Holy Spirit.

00:31:17.340 --> 00:31:20.080
What about a God who loves and accepts homosexuality?

00:31:20.080 --> 00:31:21.899
As many churches will tell us now,

00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:22.960
but that is God.

00:31:24.159 --> 00:31:25.040
Is that the God of the Bible?

00:31:28.139 --> 00:31:31.659
What about a God who would never punish his son?

00:31:32.520 --> 00:31:33.820
Some of you remember Steve Chalk

00:31:33.820 --> 00:31:36.360
and others like him

00:31:36.360 --> 00:31:38.040
who have publicly stated

00:31:38.040 --> 00:31:41.120
this idea of penal substitution,

00:31:41.300 --> 00:31:42.860
that God would judge his son,

00:31:42.899 --> 00:31:43.480
is wrong.

00:31:46.419 --> 00:31:48.699
What about the God who chooses to reveal himself

00:31:48.699 --> 00:31:49.960
through fresh revelation,

00:31:50.080 --> 00:31:51.460
and experience is key?

00:31:52.600 --> 00:31:54.080
So many times we hear these things.

00:31:55.919 --> 00:31:58.020
What about the God that she says

00:31:58.020 --> 00:31:59.840
that she doesn't want to become gender exclusive?

00:32:00.439 --> 00:32:01.659
Many churches are like that now.

00:32:03.520 --> 00:32:05.060
What about the churches where

00:32:05.060 --> 00:32:07.620
God's written word is not the be-all and end-all?

00:32:09.280 --> 00:32:10.840
Are they worshipping the same God,

00:32:10.919 --> 00:32:12.720
or have they been deceived and led astray?

00:32:14.760 --> 00:32:15.899
Verse 8 goes on and says,

00:32:15.960 --> 00:32:18.060
this is again Paul's list of things not to do.

00:32:18.060 --> 00:32:18.300
He says,

00:32:18.460 --> 00:32:20.020
neither let us commit fornication,

00:32:20.080 --> 00:32:20.899
as some of them committed,

00:32:21.000 --> 00:32:23.439
and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

00:32:24.899 --> 00:32:26.040
What is fornication?

00:32:26.580 --> 00:32:28.520
It's an intimate relationship with someone

00:32:28.520 --> 00:32:30.340
other than the one you're espousing.

00:32:32.179 --> 00:32:33.260
Throughout Israel's history,

00:32:33.379 --> 00:32:35.080
they committed spiritual fornication

00:32:35.080 --> 00:32:38.639
by going after and embracing false gods.

00:32:39.980 --> 00:32:41.659
Now, this goes back a little bit,

00:32:41.840 --> 00:32:43.220
but it illustrates the point well.

00:32:44.060 --> 00:32:45.360
Some of you may have heard of

00:32:45.360 --> 00:32:46.840
a man by the name of Robert Shuler.

00:32:48.080 --> 00:32:49.560
Very well-known American,

00:32:50.080 --> 00:32:51.919
preacher, evangelist, and so on.

00:32:52.260 --> 00:32:52.860
He said this,

00:32:53.699 --> 00:32:56.220
standing before a crowd of devout Muslims

00:32:56.220 --> 00:32:57.300
with the Grand Mufti,

00:32:58.560 --> 00:33:02.179
I knew that we were all doing God's work together.

00:33:02.960 --> 00:33:05.419
We're laboring hand in hand to repair the breach.

00:33:06.159 --> 00:33:07.800
I believe in positive thinking.

00:33:08.399 --> 00:33:09.960
It is almost as important

00:33:09.960 --> 00:33:11.860
as the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

00:33:13.439 --> 00:33:14.000
Wow.

00:33:16.100 --> 00:33:18.399
Now, you might just go,

00:33:18.800 --> 00:33:19.820
this is one individual,

00:33:20.080 --> 00:33:20.879
just push him to one side.

00:33:20.939 --> 00:33:22.600
We're not going to take his comments seriously,

00:33:22.679 --> 00:33:24.020
and I hope that's your position on that.

00:33:25.260 --> 00:33:26.560
But Shuler's marketing methods

00:33:26.560 --> 00:33:29.020
laid the foundation for the church growth movement.

00:33:30.540 --> 00:33:33.020
He claims to have really effectively launched

00:33:33.020 --> 00:33:34.060
a megachurch movement

00:33:34.060 --> 00:33:37.860
through his Institute for Successful Church Leading.

00:33:38.860 --> 00:33:39.340
And, quote,

00:33:39.659 --> 00:33:42.220
here ministers are inspired to believe in their dreams,

00:33:42.360 --> 00:33:42.679
says Shuler,

00:33:43.120 --> 00:33:44.840
and to present the good news of the gospel

00:33:44.840 --> 00:33:46.020
in positive terms.

00:33:48.159 --> 00:33:50.060
Well, there is a positive element,

00:33:50.060 --> 00:33:50.600
in the gospel,

00:33:50.720 --> 00:33:52.679
in the fact that there is salvation from sin,

00:33:52.740 --> 00:33:53.960
but you can't take sin out.

00:33:54.040 --> 00:33:56.280
You can't remove the fact that we are fallen

00:33:56.280 --> 00:33:57.820
from God's perfect standard.

00:33:57.960 --> 00:34:00.399
We are all destined for judgment unless we repent.

00:34:01.659 --> 00:34:04.040
You can't just make it a nice, positive, happy message.

00:34:08.179 --> 00:34:09.719
I think one of these individuals

00:34:09.719 --> 00:34:10.699
made the comment once that

00:34:10.699 --> 00:34:12.259
Madonna didn't have a sin problem,

00:34:12.360 --> 00:34:13.560
it was a self-esteem problem.

00:34:16.540 --> 00:34:17.340
And so on.

00:34:18.400 --> 00:34:19.600
Some of those students are well known.

00:34:19.600 --> 00:34:20.040
Bill Hyman,

00:34:20.060 --> 00:34:21.060
and some of those who are not,

00:34:21.060 --> 00:34:22.900
I'm sure you remember that name.

00:34:22.960 --> 00:34:23.880
Previously he was pastor

00:34:23.880 --> 00:34:25.739
of one of the largest churches in America,

00:34:25.880 --> 00:34:26.880
Willow Creek Community Church.

00:34:28.120 --> 00:34:29.600
Bill often said that there would probably

00:34:29.600 --> 00:34:31.040
not be a Willow Creek Church

00:34:31.040 --> 00:34:32.400
if he hadn't been able to come

00:34:32.400 --> 00:34:33.960
to our pastor's institute here.

00:34:34.400 --> 00:34:35.400
I'm so proud of him.

00:34:36.560 --> 00:34:37.199
Rick Warren,

00:34:37.299 --> 00:34:38.279
another name I'm sure you know,

00:34:38.360 --> 00:34:40.239
was also a frequent visitor of the institute.

00:34:40.420 --> 00:34:40.820
And Shuler said,

00:34:41.219 --> 00:34:41.820
and there's Rick Warren,

00:34:41.880 --> 00:34:43.179
a pastor who today is phenomenal.

00:34:43.320 --> 00:34:45.500
He came to our institute time after time.

00:34:45.719 --> 00:34:47.060
So this is a place where somebody's

00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:50.020
equating kind of unity with Wilson.

00:34:50.060 --> 00:34:51.480
It seems as important as the resurrection.

00:34:51.779 --> 00:34:53.179
He's teaching these pastors

00:34:53.179 --> 00:34:55.239
that are influencing countless numbers

00:34:55.239 --> 00:34:56.040
in the church.

00:34:58.940 --> 00:35:00.360
Neither let us tempt Christ to serve

00:35:00.360 --> 00:35:01.299
and then also tempt him,

00:35:01.460 --> 00:35:02.660
and we're destroyed as serpents.

00:35:03.340 --> 00:35:04.060
Neither murmur you,

00:35:04.140 --> 00:35:05.120
as some of them also murmur,

00:35:05.180 --> 00:35:06.500
that are destroyed of a destroyer.

00:35:08.259 --> 00:35:09.460
What was it that led to that

00:35:09.460 --> 00:35:11.640
Numbers 21 event that Paul's alluding to there?

00:35:12.600 --> 00:35:14.720
It was a rejection of the bread

00:35:14.720 --> 00:35:15.840
that God had provided.

00:35:17.320 --> 00:35:20.040
It was a murmuring of dissatisfaction.

00:35:20.060 --> 00:35:22.540
We want something else,

00:35:22.840 --> 00:35:23.700
is what they were crying.

00:35:26.080 --> 00:35:27.759
Again, Rick Warren,

00:35:28.060 --> 00:35:29.920
used to be pastor of Saddleback Church in America,

00:35:30.799 --> 00:35:32.840
was author of The Purpose Driven Life,

00:35:33.720 --> 00:35:35.640
sold over 50 million copies

00:35:35.640 --> 00:35:38.180
that influenced generations of churches and pastors.

00:35:39.500 --> 00:35:42.320
In an article in a Philadelphia newspaper,

00:35:42.680 --> 00:35:46.320
he said he despises fundamentalism in the church.

00:35:47.200 --> 00:35:47.779
What does that mean?

00:35:48.680 --> 00:35:49.940
What is he saying?

00:35:50.060 --> 00:35:50.560
He says he despises?

00:35:51.100 --> 00:35:52.460
Do we stick to the fundamentals?

00:35:53.400 --> 00:35:55.540
I mean, the world has given us this kind of spin

00:35:55.540 --> 00:35:57.740
on fundamentalism as if it's a bad thing.

00:35:58.120 --> 00:36:00.200
But you know, a football referee is a fundamentalist

00:36:00.200 --> 00:36:02.100
because he sticks to the fundamentals of the game.

00:36:02.160 --> 00:36:02.860
If he doesn't,

00:36:04.060 --> 00:36:04.940
anybody can do anything.

00:36:06.380 --> 00:36:07.759
If anybody's ever been on an airplane,

00:36:08.220 --> 00:36:09.960
you want your pilot to be a fundamentalist.

00:36:10.940 --> 00:36:12.040
You don't want your pilot to be going,

00:36:12.120 --> 00:36:13.460
well, one way is as good as another, isn't it?

00:36:14.680 --> 00:36:16.620
You want somebody that sticks to the rules.

00:36:19.120 --> 00:36:20.040
Fundamentalism is not right.

00:36:20.060 --> 00:36:20.220
It's wrong.

00:36:21.420 --> 00:36:24.200
The issue can sometimes be what those fundamentals are,

00:36:25.580 --> 00:36:27.400
but somebody who's a fundamentalist

00:36:27.400 --> 00:36:29.759
is simply somebody who sticks to the rules.

00:36:33.400 --> 00:36:36.880
Rick Warren predicted that fundamentalism of all varieties

00:36:36.880 --> 00:36:39.540
will be one of the biggest enemies of the 21st century.

00:36:40.060 --> 00:36:40.520
And he quoted.

00:36:41.440 --> 00:36:44.160
Muslim fundamentalism, Christian fundamentalism,

00:36:44.460 --> 00:36:47.299
Jewish fundamentalism, secular fundamentalism,

00:36:47.299 --> 00:36:49.500
they're all motivated by fear.

00:36:49.620 --> 00:36:50.040
Fear of existence.

00:36:50.060 --> 00:36:50.400
Fear of each other.

00:36:52.680 --> 00:36:55.160
Christian fundamentalism isn't motivated by fear.

00:36:56.299 --> 00:36:58.240
It's motivated by Jesus Christ and his work.

00:37:01.720 --> 00:37:03.620
Verse 11-12 of 1 Corinthians.

00:37:03.820 --> 00:37:03.900
It says,

00:37:04.020 --> 00:37:06.020
Now all these things happen unto them for examples,

00:37:06.200 --> 00:37:07.620
and they are written for our admonition,

00:37:07.740 --> 00:37:09.140
upon whom he ends the world to come.

00:37:09.420 --> 00:37:11.500
Wherefore him, let him that thinks he stands,

00:37:11.600 --> 00:37:12.480
take heed, lest he fall.

00:37:12.660 --> 00:37:14.600
See, Paul has just given us a really simple list

00:37:14.600 --> 00:37:16.680
of the mistakes Israel made.

00:37:17.720 --> 00:37:19.440
And says, don't make those mistakes again.

00:37:19.440 --> 00:37:20.020
If you look back,

00:37:20.060 --> 00:37:20.840
and now through church history,

00:37:20.940 --> 00:37:22.680
we have made all those same mistakes.

00:37:23.779 --> 00:37:25.060
Very quickly, I just want to take you through

00:37:25.060 --> 00:37:26.160
a few verses in Jeremiah.

00:37:28.060 --> 00:37:30.000
Jeremiah is often referred to as the weakened prophet.

00:37:31.060 --> 00:37:32.000
The smell I love.

00:37:32.080 --> 00:37:33.480
He was just broken.

00:37:34.799 --> 00:37:36.100
Just wanted to serve God.

00:37:36.980 --> 00:37:38.299
And yet he had such a difficult time.

00:37:38.360 --> 00:37:40.420
He was one of the most unsuccessful ministries

00:37:40.420 --> 00:37:41.320
recorded in scripture.

00:37:41.860 --> 00:37:42.580
Nobody listened to him.

00:37:42.620 --> 00:37:43.640
Nobody cared about what he said.

00:37:43.779 --> 00:37:44.540
They just put him in dungeons.

00:37:44.640 --> 00:37:45.560
They just tried to shut him up.

00:37:47.180 --> 00:37:48.000
But you know he was faithful.

00:37:48.000 --> 00:37:49.000
He was faithful.

00:37:49.620 --> 00:37:50.500
Vast as in the matters.

00:37:52.000 --> 00:37:53.340
This incredible model of today.

00:37:53.800 --> 00:37:56.120
If you just look at the period of time that he ministered.

00:37:56.160 --> 00:37:57.620
The green kings, by the way, are kings of Judah.

00:37:57.700 --> 00:37:58.520
These are the good kings.

00:37:58.620 --> 00:38:01.000
Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, and Hezekiah.

00:38:01.160 --> 00:38:02.200
And finally, Josiah.

00:38:02.980 --> 00:38:05.340
Manasseh, at the end of his evil reign,

00:38:05.520 --> 00:38:07.040
actually turned back to God.

00:38:07.820 --> 00:38:09.320
And became an incredible influence

00:38:09.320 --> 00:38:11.340
in the last few years of his life to his grandson.

00:38:11.940 --> 00:38:14.440
And Josiah became one of the best kings in Israel's history.

00:38:15.080 --> 00:38:17.160
And that's the period of time that Jeremiah

00:38:17.160 --> 00:38:17.980
then ministered to his grandson.

00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:19.120
He ministered through these kings.

00:38:19.200 --> 00:38:22.800
These last five kings, effectively, of the southern kingdom.

00:38:23.580 --> 00:38:25.820
Picking up Jeremiah, chapter 1, verse 4 and 5.

00:38:25.900 --> 00:38:27.280
Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

00:38:27.440 --> 00:38:29.440
Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee.

00:38:29.480 --> 00:38:31.340
And before thou camest forth out of the womb,

00:38:31.380 --> 00:38:34.420
I sanctified thee, and ordained thee a prophet to the nations.

00:38:34.480 --> 00:38:35.820
That's the call Jeremiah had.

00:38:36.200 --> 00:38:37.200
A prophet to the nations.

00:38:37.240 --> 00:38:38.000
That includes us.

00:38:39.640 --> 00:38:40.560
Jeremiah goes and says,

00:38:40.700 --> 00:38:42.640
Lord, God, behold, I cannot speak.

00:38:42.700 --> 00:38:43.300
I'm a child.

00:38:43.460 --> 00:38:44.720
But the Lord said unto me,

00:38:44.840 --> 00:38:45.960
Say not I am a child,

00:38:45.960 --> 00:38:47.960
but thou shalt go to all that I shall speak.

00:38:48.020 --> 00:38:48.480
Understand me,

00:38:48.580 --> 00:38:50.320
and whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak.

00:38:50.780 --> 00:38:52.000
And be not afraid of their faces,

00:38:52.240 --> 00:38:54.480
for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

00:38:55.960 --> 00:38:58.180
Then Jeremiah's comfort is in the fact that God says,

00:38:58.240 --> 00:39:01.040
Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth,

00:39:01.080 --> 00:39:02.240
and the Lord said unto me,

00:39:02.280 --> 00:39:04.520
Behold, I have put my word to my mouth.

00:39:04.860 --> 00:39:05.920
See, I have given this day.

00:39:06.020 --> 00:39:07.720
I have set thee over nations, over kingdoms,

00:39:07.860 --> 00:39:10.740
to root out, to pull down, to destroy, to throw down,

00:39:10.800 --> 00:39:11.820
to build, and to plant.

00:39:13.820 --> 00:39:16.900
And then we get this interesting situation.

00:39:17.040 --> 00:39:17.980
Moreover, the word of the Lord,

00:39:18.000 --> 00:39:18.780
came unto me, saying,

00:39:18.860 --> 00:39:20.260
Jeremiah, what do you see?

00:39:21.120 --> 00:39:21.540
It was a vision.

00:39:22.520 --> 00:39:22.860
And he said,

00:39:22.920 --> 00:39:24.680
I see a rod of an almond tree.

00:39:25.380 --> 00:39:26.500
Then said the Lord unto me,

00:39:26.580 --> 00:39:27.400
Thou hast seen well,

00:39:27.480 --> 00:39:29.040
for I will hasten my word to perform it.

00:39:29.120 --> 00:39:30.620
The idea of the picture is that

00:39:30.620 --> 00:39:33.700
this almond tree that was kind of blossoming

00:39:33.700 --> 00:39:37.360
was an indication that something's about to happen.

00:39:37.560 --> 00:39:38.860
Is he on the cusp of something?

00:39:40.300 --> 00:39:40.640
And God says,

00:39:40.680 --> 00:39:41.480
That's exactly right.

00:39:41.680 --> 00:39:43.760
I'm about to do what I've said.

00:39:44.560 --> 00:39:46.540
And the word of the Lord came unto me.

00:39:46.540 --> 00:39:47.460
The second time he's saying,

00:39:47.460 --> 00:39:48.100
What do you see now?

00:39:48.180 --> 00:39:49.840
I see a seething pot.

00:39:50.380 --> 00:39:52.360
And the face thereof is turned toward the north.

00:39:52.460 --> 00:39:53.200
And the Lord said unto me,

00:39:53.260 --> 00:39:53.940
Out of the north,

00:39:54.020 --> 00:39:55.060
and evil shall break forth

00:39:55.060 --> 00:39:56.800
upon all the inhabitants of the land.

00:39:57.380 --> 00:39:58.780
And this was preparing Israel

00:39:58.780 --> 00:40:00.160
for what was about to happen.

00:40:01.800 --> 00:40:03.160
For lo, I will call all the families

00:40:03.160 --> 00:40:04.220
of the kingdoms of the north,

00:40:04.480 --> 00:40:04.780
saith the Lord,

00:40:04.820 --> 00:40:05.600
and they shall come,

00:40:05.640 --> 00:40:07.180
and they shall set everyone's throne

00:40:07.180 --> 00:40:08.860
at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem,

00:40:09.180 --> 00:40:10.900
and against the walls thereof round about,

00:40:10.980 --> 00:40:12.140
and against the city of Judah.

00:40:12.660 --> 00:40:14.740
And I will utter my judgments against them,

00:40:14.820 --> 00:40:15.960
touching all their wickedness,

00:40:15.980 --> 00:40:16.900
who have forsaken me.

00:40:17.140 --> 00:40:17.440
And I will utter my judgments against them,

00:40:17.460 --> 00:40:19.300
and have burnt incense to other gods,

00:40:19.360 --> 00:40:21.000
and have worshipped the works of their own hands.

00:40:21.040 --> 00:40:22.360
So the situation is,

00:40:22.380 --> 00:40:23.780
this is in the lead up to

00:40:23.780 --> 00:40:26.080
the Babylonian captivity.

00:40:27.380 --> 00:40:29.540
And God was giving this message to Jeremiah

00:40:29.540 --> 00:40:30.400
to warn the people,

00:40:30.520 --> 00:40:33.320
but this message is just as applicable to us today

00:40:33.320 --> 00:40:35.100
with what we are about to face.

00:40:35.840 --> 00:40:36.640
Notice, first of all,

00:40:36.660 --> 00:40:38.340
he's speaking of those who have forsaken him,

00:40:38.660 --> 00:40:40.460
and have burnt incense to other gods,

00:40:40.540 --> 00:40:43.000
and have worshipped the works of their own hands.

00:40:43.860 --> 00:40:45.180
Listen, you may not be able to read this,

00:40:45.220 --> 00:40:45.840
this is up on the website,

00:40:45.840 --> 00:40:47.020
you can look at it in detail.

00:40:47.460 --> 00:40:49.600
I think this website has now been taken down.

00:40:50.280 --> 00:40:51.100
But this is a screenshot.

00:40:52.160 --> 00:40:54.540
And this is what this particular church was doing.

00:40:54.900 --> 00:40:56.540
Changing church and a changing culture.

00:40:57.080 --> 00:40:58.060
And there's all sorts of things here.

00:40:58.160 --> 00:40:59.020
Word-based ingredients,

00:40:59.160 --> 00:41:00.200
such as poems, prayers,

00:41:00.600 --> 00:41:01.800
meditations, song lyrics,

00:41:02.620 --> 00:41:03.400
incantations,

00:41:03.700 --> 00:41:04.680
chants, responses.

00:41:06.620 --> 00:41:07.620
Symbol-based ingredients,

00:41:07.740 --> 00:41:09.060
so videos, sculpture, paper,

00:41:09.220 --> 00:41:10.760
gesture, dance, and artifacts.

00:41:11.040 --> 00:41:11.520
It's worse.

00:41:12.380 --> 00:41:13.480
Action-based ingredients,

00:41:13.600 --> 00:41:14.920
there's a whole bunch of things there,

00:41:14.920 --> 00:41:17.280
including anointing, candle lighting,

00:41:17.460 --> 00:41:19.880
circus arts, juggling, fire-breathing,

00:41:19.980 --> 00:41:20.980
this is part of worship.

00:41:21.080 --> 00:41:24.140
Sound-based ingredients,

00:41:24.240 --> 00:41:26.080
backing tracks, music, sound effects,

00:41:26.180 --> 00:41:28.280
radio, TV clips, and so on.

00:41:28.380 --> 00:41:29.380
All those kinds of things.

00:41:29.480 --> 00:41:32.380
Vision-based, different projections and so on.

00:41:32.480 --> 00:41:35.720
And then imagination-based ingredients,

00:41:35.820 --> 00:41:38.180
guided fantasies, thinking, drawing,

00:41:38.280 --> 00:41:39.400
composing in real time,

00:41:39.500 --> 00:41:40.980
words, music, meditation, praying.

00:41:41.080 --> 00:41:42.220
And then the last one here,

00:41:42.320 --> 00:41:44.980
tactile or olfactory-based ingredients.

00:41:45.080 --> 00:41:46.980
Anointing, laying on of hands,

00:41:47.080 --> 00:41:47.180
which Paul said,

00:41:47.180 --> 00:41:49.379
we shouldn't do as religiously.

00:41:49.480 --> 00:41:52.560
Incense, holding stones and other natural objects,

00:41:52.660 --> 00:41:53.859
molding, clay.

00:41:53.960 --> 00:41:57.960
They're saying this is worship to God.

00:41:58.060 --> 00:42:00.259
It's not worship to God.

00:42:00.359 --> 00:42:02.060
This is a false god.

00:42:02.160 --> 00:42:03.259
This is deception.

00:42:03.359 --> 00:42:05.740
This is just what Jeremiah was saying was going on

00:42:05.839 --> 00:42:07.759
in Jerusalem, in Israel,

00:42:07.859 --> 00:42:09.200
and Judah, the southern kingdom,

00:42:09.299 --> 00:42:11.779
prior to the judgment.

00:42:11.879 --> 00:42:13.799
Again, the forsaken men,

00:42:13.899 --> 00:42:15.240
burnt incense to other gods,

00:42:15.339 --> 00:42:16.700
worship the works in their own hands.

00:42:16.700 --> 00:42:19.399
That's exactly what they were doing.

00:42:19.500 --> 00:42:21.580
We're going to skip some of these verses.

00:42:21.680 --> 00:42:23.040
Jeremiah chapter two,

00:42:23.140 --> 00:42:24.500
moreover the word of the Lord came to me saying,

00:42:24.600 --> 00:42:26.779
go cry in the ears of Jerusalem saying,

00:42:26.879 --> 00:42:27.819
thus saith the Lord,

00:42:27.919 --> 00:42:29.620
I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth,

00:42:29.720 --> 00:42:32.680
the love of thine espousals.

00:42:32.779 --> 00:42:34.279
Oh, that's a lovely picture of that.

00:42:34.379 --> 00:42:37.819
That time when a young couple are engaged,

00:42:37.919 --> 00:42:39.960
joined together, committed to each other.

00:42:40.060 --> 00:42:41.720
And they say, I remember when,

00:42:41.819 --> 00:42:43.160
as a nation, you were like that.

00:42:43.259 --> 00:42:45.100
When thou wentest after me in the wilderness,

00:42:45.200 --> 00:42:46.460
a land that was not sown,

00:42:46.460 --> 00:42:48.200
and we've got a wonderful parallel with that

00:42:48.300 --> 00:42:50.440
in the book of Revelation,

00:42:50.540 --> 00:42:52.360
unto the angel of the church of Ephesus.

00:42:52.460 --> 00:42:54.840
The word Ephesus means darling.

00:42:54.940 --> 00:42:56.360
And it's the same picture,

00:42:56.480 --> 00:43:01.400
this wonderful relationship that Christ had with his church.

00:43:01.500 --> 00:43:02.340
These things says he,

00:43:02.440 --> 00:43:03.880
the whole of seven stars,

00:43:03.980 --> 00:43:04.840
in his right hand, walked in the midst

00:43:04.940 --> 00:43:06.220
of the seven golden candlesticks.

00:43:06.320 --> 00:43:07.440
It goes on to say,

00:43:07.540 --> 00:43:08.640
nevertheless I have somewhat against thee,

00:43:08.740 --> 00:43:11.260
because thou have left thy first love.

00:43:12.360 --> 00:43:15.260
That statement is made to the church.

00:43:16.460 --> 00:43:18.540
Back in Jeremiah, verse 8,

00:43:18.760 --> 00:43:20.740
the priest said not, where is the Lord?

00:43:21.240 --> 00:43:23.400
And they, the hand of the Lord, knew me not.

00:43:23.480 --> 00:43:25.580
The past has also transgressed against me,

00:43:25.700 --> 00:43:27.500
and the prophets prophesied by bar

00:43:27.500 --> 00:43:29.880
and walked after things that do not profit.

00:43:30.880 --> 00:43:33.580
I mean, what an indictment of the church today.

00:43:36.880 --> 00:43:40.780
A major national poll by one of America's leading researchers,

00:43:40.780 --> 00:43:42.480
which was actually commissioned by us in Genesis,

00:43:42.920 --> 00:43:44.020
shows the problem.

00:43:44.020 --> 00:43:47.759
And they said that many have left the church

00:43:47.759 --> 00:43:50.060
because they no longer believe the Bible

00:43:50.060 --> 00:43:52.180
is the absolute word of God.

00:43:52.980 --> 00:43:54.380
And this illustrates the problem.

00:43:54.800 --> 00:43:56.040
The question that was posed was,

00:43:56.360 --> 00:43:59.640
how do mainline Protestant clergy stand on theological issues

00:43:59.640 --> 00:44:00.759
such as biblical infallibility?

00:44:01.740 --> 00:44:06.440
And there's a survey of 7,441 ministers,

00:44:06.640 --> 00:44:08.020
not congregation, ministers,

00:44:09.120 --> 00:44:10.740
conducted by sociologist Jeffrey Hayden.

00:44:10.740 --> 00:44:13.060
And this is a percentage of the ministers

00:44:13.060 --> 00:44:14.000
who want to know,

00:44:14.020 --> 00:44:15.280
to the following questions.

00:44:15.960 --> 00:44:17.580
Group by denomination, just so you can see.

00:44:18.480 --> 00:44:19.259
The first question,

00:44:19.380 --> 00:44:22.560
do you accept Jesus' physical resurrection as fact?

00:44:24.920 --> 00:44:27.720
51% of Methodist ministers said no.

00:44:29.000 --> 00:44:30.680
35% of Episcopalian.

00:44:31.520 --> 00:44:33.380
33% of American Baptists.

00:44:33.680 --> 00:44:36.240
30% of Presbyterian ministers all said no.

00:44:36.600 --> 00:44:38.980
And 13% of American Lutherans said

00:44:38.980 --> 00:44:41.900
they did not accept Jesus' physical resurrection as a fact.

00:44:41.900 --> 00:44:43.600
My question is, what on earth are you doing?

00:44:44.020 --> 00:44:49.020
Another question, do you believe in the virgin birth of Jesus?

00:44:49.020 --> 00:44:52.020
60% of Methodist ministers said no.

00:44:52.020 --> 00:44:54.020
49% of Presbyterian.

00:44:54.020 --> 00:44:56.020
44% Episcopalian.

00:44:56.020 --> 00:44:58.020
34% American Baptists.

00:44:58.020 --> 00:45:00.020
19% American Lutheran.

00:45:00.020 --> 00:45:02.020
And by the way, it's no different in this country.

00:45:04.020 --> 00:45:07.020
Do you believe the Scriptures are the inerrant work of God

00:45:07.020 --> 00:45:09.020
in faith, history, and secular matters?

00:45:09.020 --> 00:45:13.020
95% of Episcopalian ministers teaching contentious,

00:45:13.020 --> 00:45:14.020
religious, and religious,

00:45:14.020 --> 00:45:17.020
and congregations said they didn't believe them.

00:45:17.020 --> 00:45:19.020
87% of Methodist ministers.

00:45:19.020 --> 00:45:21.020
82% of Presbyterian.

00:45:21.020 --> 00:45:23.020
77% of American Lutheran.

00:45:23.020 --> 00:45:27.020
And 67% of American Baptist ministers all said no.

00:45:29.020 --> 00:45:32.020
Jeremiah, verse 10 of chapter 6 says,

00:45:32.020 --> 00:45:34.020
To whom shall I speak and give warning,

00:45:34.020 --> 00:45:35.020
that they may hear?

00:45:35.020 --> 00:45:37.020
Behold, their ear is uncircumcised,

00:45:37.020 --> 00:45:38.020
and they cannot hearken.

00:45:38.020 --> 00:45:41.020
Behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach,

00:45:41.020 --> 00:45:42.020
and they have no delight in it.

00:45:42.020 --> 00:45:43.020
That's what Jeremiah said was going to happen.

00:45:43.020 --> 00:45:45.020
That's what Jeremiah said was going on in the days

00:45:45.020 --> 00:45:47.020
leading up to the Babylonian captivity,

00:45:47.020 --> 00:45:49.020
the judgment that God was to bring.

00:45:49.020 --> 00:45:52.020
That was the predicament, and we have the same problem.

00:45:54.020 --> 00:45:56.020
One of my friends, another pastor,

00:45:56.020 --> 00:46:00.020
was speaking to another minister in his town.

00:46:00.020 --> 00:46:02.020
And the minister turned around and said,

00:46:02.020 --> 00:46:05.020
The trouble with you is that you put too much trust in that book.

00:46:08.020 --> 00:46:09.020
Wow.

00:46:09.020 --> 00:46:10.020
Do you know what?

00:46:10.020 --> 00:46:12.020
I'd be really happy if somebody said that to me.

00:46:12.020 --> 00:46:13.020
I do put too much trust in this book,

00:46:13.020 --> 00:46:15.020
because it's the right place to put your trust.

00:46:15.020 --> 00:46:17.020
Jeremiah 8, verse 9 says,

00:46:17.020 --> 00:46:19.020
The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken low.

00:46:19.020 --> 00:46:21.020
They have rejected the word of the Lord.

00:46:21.020 --> 00:46:23.020
And what wisdom is in them?

00:46:23.020 --> 00:46:25.020
Jeremiah says that to the leaders,

00:46:25.020 --> 00:46:27.020
the spiritual leaders at that time.

00:46:27.020 --> 00:46:28.020
They've rejected God's word.

00:46:28.020 --> 00:46:29.020
What wisdom do they have?

00:46:29.020 --> 00:46:31.020
Why should we listen to them?

00:46:32.020 --> 00:46:34.020
Verse 21 of chapter 2 of Jeremiah,

00:46:34.020 --> 00:46:36.020
Yet I have planted thee a noble vine,

00:46:36.020 --> 00:46:37.020
wholly a right seed.

00:46:37.020 --> 00:46:40.020
How then art thou turning to a degenerate plant

00:46:40.020 --> 00:46:41.020
of a strange vine?

00:46:41.020 --> 00:46:43.020
It's a plant that has become something

00:46:43.020 --> 00:46:44.020
that it should not have been.

00:46:44.020 --> 00:46:45.020
Have we read that somewhere before?

00:46:45.020 --> 00:46:46.020
Yes, we have.

00:46:46.020 --> 00:46:47.020
It's in Matthew 13.

00:46:47.020 --> 00:46:49.020
Another parable he put forth unto him,

00:46:49.020 --> 00:46:51.020
saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain

00:46:51.020 --> 00:46:53.020
of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,

00:46:53.020 --> 00:46:55.020
which indeed is least of all the seeds.

00:46:55.020 --> 00:46:58.020
But when it is grown, it is the greatest among the herbs,

00:46:58.020 --> 00:46:59.020
and becomes a tree.

00:46:59.020 --> 00:47:01.020
Now, typically in Sunday schools,

00:47:01.020 --> 00:47:02.020
what often happens is,

00:47:02.020 --> 00:47:04.020
we draw this lovely picture of this tree

00:47:04.020 --> 00:47:05.020
and how wonderful it is,

00:47:05.020 --> 00:47:07.020
and all the birds sit in the branches.

00:47:07.020 --> 00:47:08.020
And we say,

00:47:08.020 --> 00:47:09.020
What is this tree?

00:47:09.020 --> 00:47:10.020
What is this tree?

00:47:10.020 --> 00:47:13.020
What is this tree all the birds come up in the branches?

00:47:13.020 --> 00:47:16.020
We are told that the birds are ministers of Satan.

00:47:16.020 --> 00:47:18.020
This is the picture of what happened with the church.

00:47:18.020 --> 00:47:21.020
It became something that should never have been,

00:47:21.020 --> 00:47:23.020
particularly from the time of Constantine,

00:47:23.020 --> 00:47:24.020
about 300 AD,

00:47:24.020 --> 00:47:27.020
when the church and the political system of Rome

00:47:27.020 --> 00:47:29.020
merged together,

00:47:29.020 --> 00:47:32.020
and suddenly the Christians went from eating in homes

00:47:32.020 --> 00:47:34.020
and catacombs and so on,

00:47:34.020 --> 00:47:37.020
to suddenly being given these pagan buildings.

00:47:37.020 --> 00:47:39.020
And suddenly the church became something

00:47:39.020 --> 00:47:44.200
be. And suddenly we have these altars at the front, which the pagans had used, that the

00:47:44.200 --> 00:47:48.320
church had started to adopt. And pagan festivals and celebrations that the church had never

00:47:48.320 --> 00:47:55.180
celebrated, that suddenly they started to use. This parable tells us the church became

00:47:55.180 --> 00:47:59.320
something it should never have been. And Jeremiah said that's exactly what was going on in his

00:47:59.320 --> 00:48:03.700
day. And then we have this statement, for though thou wash thee with nighter and take

00:48:03.700 --> 00:48:09.000
thee much so, yet thy iniquity is marked before me, says God. God is clear that he is unholy.

00:48:09.020 --> 00:48:14.960
He is happy and will bring judgment. But there's a strange twist to that. And almost

00:48:14.960 --> 00:48:19.620
you could argue a contradiction, because Isaiah would read there God saying, come now, let

00:48:19.620 --> 00:48:23.740
us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as

00:48:23.740 --> 00:48:28.380
white as snow. So one verse is saying you are so impregnated and died, you can never

00:48:28.380 --> 00:48:34.240
be changed. The other one's saying, actually, however bad things are, you can be cleansed.

00:48:34.240 --> 00:48:38.120
Well, the difference is repentance. If there's no repentance, there's no forgiveness.

00:48:39.020 --> 00:48:45.759
Jeremiah 2.26 is this last one. As a thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house

00:48:45.759 --> 00:48:48.860
of Israel ashamed, for their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets,

00:48:48.980 --> 00:48:53.840
and so on. Interesting expression, as a thief is ashamed when he is found. It's speaking

00:48:53.840 --> 00:49:00.020
of this kind of situation. In Revelation 3, remember therefore how thou hast received

00:49:00.020 --> 00:49:04.920
and heard, and hold fast and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee

00:49:04.920 --> 00:49:09.000
as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I shall come to thee. And so on. And so on.

00:49:09.020 --> 00:49:13.160
It's speaking of the same type of thing. In Thessalonians, for when they shall say

00:49:13.160 --> 00:49:18.080
peace and safety, then shall sudden destruction come upon them, as travail upon a woman, and

00:49:18.080 --> 00:49:22.020
they shall not escape. But ye brethren are not in darkness of that day. They shall overtake

00:49:22.020 --> 00:49:26.240
you as a thief. We'll talk more about us and how this applies next week.

00:49:26.920 --> 00:49:30.660
But notice also these things. This is what's going on in Israel. They were saying to a

00:49:30.660 --> 00:49:35.000
stump, to a tree stump, Thou art my Father, and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth.

00:49:35.700 --> 00:49:38.300
Literally saying that they've been brought forth by a stone.

00:49:39.020 --> 00:49:41.180
How stupid would we have been for something like that?

00:49:41.240 --> 00:49:41.920
Well, we have done.

00:49:42.660 --> 00:49:47.080
Because we've been inundated for over 150 years now

00:49:47.080 --> 00:49:48.540
with the lie of evolution.

00:49:49.180 --> 00:49:52.140
And the basic story is it rained on the rocks for millions of years

00:49:52.140 --> 00:49:54.400
and the minerals ended up in the sea

00:49:54.400 --> 00:49:56.280
and they came together, they formed life, and here we are.

00:49:58.400 --> 00:50:01.200
Israel was saying, to a stone, you brought me forth.

00:50:01.820 --> 00:50:02.600
We're doing the same thing.

00:50:03.220 --> 00:50:05.080
And incredibly, the Church of England, as you know,

00:50:05.140 --> 00:50:06.640
some years ago, apologised to Darwin.

00:50:06.640 --> 00:50:09.980
Do you know if Darwin's now courageous?

00:50:12.000 --> 00:50:12.940
Think about that for a moment.

00:50:14.480 --> 00:50:15.100
He's died.

00:50:15.460 --> 00:50:16.480
He now knows the truth.

00:50:17.379 --> 00:50:19.700
He no longer holds that position, I can assure you.

00:50:20.680 --> 00:50:20.779
Right.

00:50:22.160 --> 00:50:24.319
See, this is the problem that was going on in Israel.

00:50:24.400 --> 00:50:25.400
We've got the same thing.

00:50:25.759 --> 00:50:27.720
And then this, but in the time of their trouble,

00:50:27.819 --> 00:50:30.080
they shall say, arise and save us.

00:50:30.460 --> 00:50:31.680
What is it that Jesus said?

00:50:32.100 --> 00:50:33.500
Many will say to me in that day,

00:50:33.500 --> 00:50:35.580
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied thy name?

00:50:36.259 --> 00:50:36.620
And they say,

00:50:36.660 --> 00:50:38.960
You cast out devils and thy name on many wonderful works.

00:50:39.140 --> 00:50:40.720
And then I will profound to preface unto them,

00:50:40.940 --> 00:50:42.580
I never knew you.

00:50:42.759 --> 00:50:44.379
Depart from me, you that work iniquity.

00:50:44.740 --> 00:50:45.940
Now, this should get our attention.

00:50:46.500 --> 00:50:49.160
Because these are people that are using the name of the Lord.

00:50:49.799 --> 00:50:51.000
They're doing wonderful works.

00:50:53.620 --> 00:50:55.660
They're casting out devils, apparently.

00:50:56.819 --> 00:50:58.980
And yet, Jesus said, I don't know you.

00:51:00.480 --> 00:51:02.080
There was a false gospel to be proclaimed,

00:51:02.080 --> 00:51:03.500
a false message being spread.

00:51:06.640 --> 00:51:08.759
Again, because thou sayest, I am innocent,

00:51:08.759 --> 00:51:09.960
surely his anguish will turn from me.

00:51:09.960 --> 00:51:11.240
Behold, I will plead with thee,

00:51:11.240 --> 00:51:13.160
because thou sayest, I have not sinned.

00:51:13.460 --> 00:51:14.560
You see, and this is the problem.

00:51:15.620 --> 00:51:16.980
You just read Revelation 3.17.

00:51:17.100 --> 00:51:19.700
Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased in goods.

00:51:19.740 --> 00:51:20.680
It's the same cry.

00:51:21.120 --> 00:51:21.980
I've done nothing wrong.

00:51:22.040 --> 00:51:22.440
I'm good.

00:51:24.460 --> 00:51:25.180
Exactly the same.

00:51:27.400 --> 00:51:30.920
And then, this last one.

00:51:31.759 --> 00:51:33.220
Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this.

00:51:33.339 --> 00:51:35.740
Be horribly afraid, and be very desolate, saith the Lord.

00:51:35.740 --> 00:51:36.620
For my people,

00:51:36.660 --> 00:51:37.480
who have committed two evils,

00:51:37.540 --> 00:51:38.520
they have forsaken me,

00:51:38.580 --> 00:51:40.259
the fountain of living waters,

00:51:40.339 --> 00:51:41.720
and have hewed them out cisterns,

00:51:41.819 --> 00:51:42.580
broken cisterns,

00:51:42.620 --> 00:51:44.700
that can hold no water.

00:51:45.660 --> 00:51:47.000
Idematically, water in Scripture

00:51:47.000 --> 00:51:48.600
represents the Word of God.

00:51:48.660 --> 00:51:50.220
We are washed by the water of the Word.

00:51:50.420 --> 00:51:52.259
They've rejected the Word,

00:51:52.980 --> 00:51:54.140
and they've brought in things

00:51:54.140 --> 00:51:55.520
that can't hold water.

00:51:55.759 --> 00:51:56.980
Now, over the last few weeks,

00:51:57.000 --> 00:51:57.980
we've been going through a series

00:51:57.980 --> 00:51:59.020
looking at the Bible.

00:51:59.299 --> 00:52:00.160
All sorts of different things.

00:52:00.200 --> 00:52:01.040
How we've got the Bible.

00:52:01.400 --> 00:52:02.960
Why we have the translations we do,

00:52:03.000 --> 00:52:03.620
and so on.

00:52:04.060 --> 00:52:06.100
We have over 900 translations

00:52:06.100 --> 00:52:06.600
of the Bible.

00:52:06.660 --> 00:52:07.259
In English.

00:52:07.660 --> 00:52:08.500
Designed, apparently,

00:52:08.640 --> 00:52:10.040
to make it easy to read and understand.

00:52:10.500 --> 00:52:11.660
But we've got the most biblically

00:52:11.660 --> 00:52:13.819
illiterate generation imaginable.

00:52:14.200 --> 00:52:15.620
And I'm just going to cite a few of these

00:52:15.620 --> 00:52:17.960
to show you that these are broken cisterns.

00:52:18.440 --> 00:52:19.859
They do not hold water.

00:52:20.700 --> 00:52:21.380
This one.

00:52:21.600 --> 00:52:22.420
The scholars version.

00:52:22.500 --> 00:52:23.819
We just had just five Gospels.

00:52:24.740 --> 00:52:25.540
Okay, five Gospels?

00:52:26.040 --> 00:52:27.900
Yeah, because they include the Gospel of Thomas,

00:52:28.000 --> 00:52:28.839
which isn't part of Scripture.

00:52:29.020 --> 00:52:29.200
But anyway.

00:52:30.259 --> 00:52:31.440
This group's got together.

00:52:32.020 --> 00:52:33.620
And finally, they studied, debated,

00:52:33.620 --> 00:52:35.100
and voted on each of more than

00:52:35.100 --> 00:52:36.620
1,500 sayings in the Evangelicals.

00:52:36.620 --> 00:52:39.020
And they took the things that Jesus said,

00:52:40.000 --> 00:52:41.500
then they decided which ones they think

00:52:41.500 --> 00:52:42.580
should be in and shouldn't be in.

00:52:43.380 --> 00:52:44.020
In their version.

00:52:46.779 --> 00:52:47.200
The New Testament.

00:52:47.319 --> 00:52:48.500
An understandable version.

00:52:48.600 --> 00:52:49.740
What we all want to understand.

00:52:50.080 --> 00:52:51.359
Well, just read the one you've got.

00:52:51.500 --> 00:52:51.680
Pray.

00:52:51.819 --> 00:52:53.259
God will give you the wisdom to understand it.

00:52:53.779 --> 00:52:54.819
But notice what this says.

00:52:55.100 --> 00:52:57.319
The text is not guaranteed to be exactly

00:52:57.319 --> 00:52:59.460
what the Holy Spirit inspired the original writers

00:52:59.460 --> 00:53:00.000
to record.

00:53:00.299 --> 00:53:01.080
Well, then I don't want it.

00:53:01.819 --> 00:53:03.520
But rather represents what he,

00:53:03.520 --> 00:53:04.240
the translator,

00:53:04.839 --> 00:53:06.380
understands those writers to be saying.

00:53:06.620 --> 00:53:08.220
That's a commentary.

00:53:08.220 --> 00:53:09.660
Nothing wrong with commentaries.

00:53:09.660 --> 00:53:11.339
Because you know it's their own opinion.

00:53:11.339 --> 00:53:13.100
But when it's got Bible at the top

00:53:13.100 --> 00:53:14.140
or something else like that,

00:53:14.140 --> 00:53:15.180
be careful.

00:53:18.180 --> 00:53:20.980
I'm not even going to go into depth on this one.

00:53:20.980 --> 00:53:22.859
You may have heard of these individuals

00:53:22.859 --> 00:53:24.380
using pizza and others.

00:53:24.380 --> 00:53:26.060
The really sad thing is,

00:53:26.060 --> 00:53:29.180
they completely dismiss the first 11 chapters

00:53:29.180 --> 00:53:30.700
of Genesis as just Hebrew myth.

00:53:31.900 --> 00:53:33.020
That's a creation cap.

00:53:33.020 --> 00:53:33.819
All those kinds of things.

00:53:33.819 --> 00:53:35.779
Really important foundational scriptures

00:53:35.779 --> 00:53:36.500
that deal with the Bible.

00:53:36.500 --> 00:53:38.980
The origin, the basis of family life, everything.

00:53:38.980 --> 00:53:40.500
So it's all just myth.

00:53:40.500 --> 00:53:41.860
The sad thing is,

00:53:41.860 --> 00:53:42.820
this comment here,

00:53:42.820 --> 00:53:44.020
this lady put on there,

00:53:44.020 --> 00:53:46.260
we use this book as a gift for high school graduate.

00:53:46.260 --> 00:53:48.820
And we will use it again with future graduates.

00:53:48.820 --> 00:53:51.620
It was recommended by our pastor.

00:53:51.620 --> 00:53:53.060
Wow.

00:53:53.060 --> 00:53:58.820
Again, we talked, we went through this.

00:53:58.820 --> 00:53:59.700
I'm not going to go through this again.

00:53:59.700 --> 00:54:02.500
But these places where the source text comes from,

00:54:02.500 --> 00:54:04.900
you should recognize as being dangerous and corrupt.

00:54:04.900 --> 00:54:06.020
And again,

00:54:06.020 --> 00:54:09.300
New Testament says from the best Greek and New Testament texts.

00:54:09.300 --> 00:54:10.259
No they weren't.

00:54:10.259 --> 00:54:11.780
They're from the Alexandrian manuscripts.

00:54:11.780 --> 00:54:15.540
We now know either forgeries or the corrupt to start with.

00:54:15.540 --> 00:54:17.140
It includes this version.

00:54:17.140 --> 00:54:19.380
I'll give you this one just before we go for lunch.

00:54:20.020 --> 00:54:20.580
All right.

00:54:20.580 --> 00:54:21.220
Again, it says,

00:54:21.220 --> 00:54:24.100
the languages into which the Bible is rendered are changing.

00:54:24.900 --> 00:54:25.460
And it says,

00:54:25.460 --> 00:54:27.940
new manuscripts have discovered that are older and more reliable.

00:54:27.940 --> 00:54:29.140
That's not true for a start.

00:54:29.140 --> 00:54:32.020
That's a lie that's been propagated.

00:54:32.020 --> 00:54:32.740
But look at this.

00:54:33.780 --> 00:54:35.940
Because the church does not assume that God,

00:54:36.020 --> 00:54:37.060
is a male being.

00:54:37.060 --> 00:54:38.020
Sorry?

00:54:38.020 --> 00:54:38.740
The church?

00:54:38.740 --> 00:54:39.940
Hang on, don't speak on my behalf.

00:54:39.940 --> 00:54:40.740
I didn't say you could say that.

00:54:40.740 --> 00:54:42.820
We're part of the church, aren't we?

00:54:42.820 --> 00:54:43.540
Is a male being.

00:54:43.540 --> 00:54:47.220
In this version, God is never reverted by a masculine pronoun.

00:54:47.220 --> 00:54:48.500
Or by any pronoun at all.

00:54:48.500 --> 00:54:52.100
As the church does not believe that God is literally a father,

00:54:52.100 --> 00:54:54.420
and understands father to be a metaphor,

00:54:54.420 --> 00:54:57.140
father is rendered in this version by a new metaphor,

00:54:57.140 --> 00:54:58.259
father-mother.

00:54:58.259 --> 00:55:02.180
When Jesus is called son of God or son of the blessed one,

00:55:02.180 --> 00:55:05.140
and the maleness of the historical birth of Jesus is not relevant,

00:55:05.140 --> 00:55:05.860
but the son of God, the son of the blessed one, is the son of God.

00:55:05.860 --> 00:55:09.140
The son's intimate relationship with the father is being spoke out.

00:55:11.140 --> 00:55:18.340
All right, Jeremiah is talking about a time when people were not going to God for the truth.

00:55:18.340 --> 00:55:20.900
They were making up for themselves what they wanted to hear.

00:55:20.900 --> 00:55:22.180
And it's on the back of that.

00:55:23.780 --> 00:55:24.180
Again.

00:55:25.700 --> 00:55:26.980
Right, this is complete.

00:55:27.940 --> 00:55:28.980
What has been will be.

00:55:29.700 --> 00:55:33.460
Apostasy has always occurred, and it's always met by God's judgment.

00:55:33.460 --> 00:55:35.140
Jesus, Paul, Peter, Jude.

00:55:35.140 --> 00:55:36.980
They all foretold apostasy.

00:55:36.980 --> 00:55:38.420
It will creep in unnoticed.

00:55:38.420 --> 00:55:40.420
It's going to come from within the church.

00:55:40.420 --> 00:55:41.220
Just seeing it.

00:55:41.220 --> 00:55:42.500
Even these things we looked at this morning.

00:55:42.500 --> 00:55:43.460
Just to brief overview.

00:55:44.020 --> 00:55:46.339
Many are going to be led astray by a false gospel,

00:55:46.339 --> 00:55:47.779
at our being led astray.

00:55:48.339 --> 00:55:52.020
And the final apostasy is going to culminate in a one world,

00:55:52.020 --> 00:55:53.220
all embraced in church.

00:55:54.660 --> 00:55:55.700
Those who oppose it,

00:55:56.819 --> 00:55:58.100
I think it's probably you and I,

00:55:58.980 --> 00:56:00.180
are going to be spoken evil of.

00:56:01.620 --> 00:56:04.180
And God will finally judge this apostate church.

00:56:04.180 --> 00:56:05.060
So what's to become of that?

00:56:05.060 --> 00:56:06.259
Well, we'll look at that next week.

00:56:06.259 --> 00:56:08.100
But just let me end with a few scriptures for you.

00:56:09.779 --> 00:56:11.860
As we said before, so say I now again.

00:56:11.860 --> 00:56:15.460
If any man preach any other gospel to you than that which you have received,

00:56:15.460 --> 00:56:16.340
let him be accursed.

00:56:16.340 --> 00:56:17.620
That's what Paul said to the Galatians.

00:56:18.500 --> 00:56:19.540
Paul said in Acts 20.

00:56:20.259 --> 00:56:22.340
Take heed therefore unto yourselves,

00:56:23.299 --> 00:56:26.900
and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers,

00:56:26.900 --> 00:56:30.900
to feed the church of God which he has purchased with his blood and blood.

00:56:31.460 --> 00:56:33.540
For I know this, that after my departing,

00:56:33.540 --> 00:56:34.820
you shall grieve as wolves,

00:56:34.820 --> 00:56:34.980
and you shall be like a sheep,

00:56:34.980 --> 00:56:35.060
and you shall be like a sheep, and you shall be like a sheep,

00:56:35.060 --> 00:56:36.180
and you shall be like a sheep, and you shall be like a sheep,

00:56:36.180 --> 00:56:37.060
spearing a flock.

00:56:37.940 --> 00:56:40.100
Also of your own self shall men arise,

00:56:40.100 --> 00:56:43.060
speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

00:56:43.060 --> 00:56:45.940
Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years

00:56:45.940 --> 00:56:49.540
I cease not to warn everyone night and day with tears.

00:56:49.540 --> 00:56:51.700
And then finally, this is finally.

00:56:51.700 --> 00:56:53.460
Sometimes Paul says, and finally my brethren.

00:56:53.460 --> 00:56:55.860
It's halfway through, but that's not diseased at the last slide.

00:56:57.299 --> 00:57:02.180
If you abide in my word, you are my disciple indeed.

00:57:02.180 --> 00:57:04.980
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you

00:57:04.980 --> 00:57:06.240
free. Let’s bow our hearts.

00:57:06.940 --> 00:57:09.040
Father, we just thank you for this opportunity this morning

00:57:09.040 --> 00:57:11.000
to be reminded of the days in which we are living,

00:57:11.480 --> 00:57:13.840
of the danger and the deception that is around us,

00:57:14.100 --> 00:57:15.880
but Lord, of the security that we have

00:57:15.880 --> 00:57:17.700
in your word and in your promises.

00:57:18.440 --> 00:57:19.860
Lord, we pray for wisdom.

00:57:20.120 --> 00:57:21.580
We pray for discernment.

00:57:21.660 --> 00:57:23.480
And we pray for the true church,

00:57:23.580 --> 00:57:25.800
for those who truly love you and love your word,

00:57:25.920 --> 00:57:27.720
that are washed by the blood of the Lamb,

00:57:28.200 --> 00:57:30.680
that we will be strong and we will shine light

00:57:30.680 --> 00:57:32.520
in these final days.

00:57:32.520 --> 00:57:34.380
We ask you in Jesus' name. Amen.


00:57:35.960 --> 00:57:37.780
Let's spend some time fellowshipping together over teas and coffees.

00:57:38.140 --> 00:57:39.520
May God bless you.