INDEX

Sermon Number 1 – The Origin of the Nations

Sermon Number 2 – The Babylonian System

Sermon Number 3 – Broad Overview Of Biblical History

Sermon Number 4 – Daniel Chapter 7 – Introduction To The Antichrist

Sermon Number 5 – The Antichrist Continued

Sermon Number 6 – The Son of God and The Son Of Man

Sermon Number 7 – Daniel Chapter 8

Sermon Number 8 – Lead Up To Armageddon

Sermon Number 9 – The Rapture Of The Saints

Sermon Number 10 – The Western Alliance

Sermon Number 11 – The Restoration Of The Nation of Israel

Sermon Number 12 – The Northern And Southern Alliance

Sermon Number 13 – More of The Northern and Southern Alliance

Sermon Number 14 – The Eastern Alliance – Armageddon

Sermon Number 15 – The Conclusion Of Armageddon

Sermon Number 16 – A Suggested Order Of Events

Sermon Number 17 – The Judgement Of The Nations And The Gentile Nations In The Millennium

SERMON NUMBER 1 – THE ORIGIN OF THE NATIONS

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I want to emphasize at the outset of this series that both the fate and the blessings of the Gentile nations rest upon how they treat the nation of Israel. At the present time, there is a wave of anti-Semitism spreading over the entire world. Israel has very few friends in the world. But the Bible says in Psalm 83:4: "They have said, come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance". Psalm 83 calls for the destruction of the nations that have this attitude toward Israel. While God's prophetic plan is Jewish centered, the Gentile nations are deeply involved. If you'll take a look at both secular history and history recorded in the Bible, you will see that God has used the Gentile nations as an instrument for completing his purpose with the nation of Israel. Examples of this could include Jeremiah 25:9, Jeremiah 43:10, Ezra 1:1-2, and so forth.

Jeremiah 25:9

9 Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.

Ezra 1:1-2

1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

What we see in Jeremiah 25:9 is that God used King Nebuchadnezzar as an instrument of judgment of the nation of Israel. We also see in Ezra 1:1-2 that God used the Persian king Cyrus to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. We see instances time and again of God using the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Philistines, the Ammonites, the Ninevites, and etc to judge the nation of Israel for her disobedience to God. In fact, the books of the Judges, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel have as one of their dominant themes the judgment of the nation of Israel for her wickedness.

At this particular point, God is not dealing directly with the nation of Israel. The time period that we are currently in is referred to in the Bible as the "Times of the Gentiles". In prophetically speaking of the nation of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ said in:

Luke 21:24

24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

The Lord Jesus has a great love for the nation of Israel and because they rejected him he said in Matthew 23:37-39:

Matthew 23:37-39

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

The "Times of the Gentiles" is defined as that period of time when no descendent of David sits on the throne of David in Jerusalem. As such, God has set aside the nation of Israel that he might deal with the Gentile nations in mercy. At the present time, God is extending salvation to all individuals and all the Gentile nations. For the Gentile nations, salvation means a place in the millennial kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ following the Tribulation. It is the desire of God that all nations and individuals would come to salvation and repentance. The Bible says in:

John 3:16

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

1 Timothy 2:4

4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

2 Peter 3:9

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

After the Lord Jesus Christ takes his saints out of the world at the RAPTURE, the Gentile nations will no longer be his focus. In fact the focus of Revelation chapters 6 through 16 is God dealing with the nation of Israel during the Tribulation. Those chapters have absolutely nothing to do with the church of the living God. Chapter 17 and 18 of the book of Revelation deal with the destruction of the MOTHER OF HARLOTS church by the antichrist and also the destruction of commercial and political Babylon. While God will be judging the nations and those who have rejected his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the primary focus of the events in the book of Revelation is to bring the nation of Israel to national repentance. During this period of time, according to Revelation 7, there will be untold millions that come to salvation. Also at the end of this period of time, according to Matthew 25:31-46, God will judge the nations on the basis of how they have treated the Jewish people. It is very critical that the United States of America do everything in its power to defend the nation of Israel. We have the blessings of God and the millennium to gain. So, what does the Bible have to say about the Gentile nations. The answer to that question is a whole lot. We have much Scripture and much information to cover during this series on the Gentile nations. So, let's get started.

We need to go all the way back into the book of Genesis in chapter 10 where we see the roots of 70 nations of the earth as they were descended from Noah. Regardless of our national, ethnic, and racial background we are all descendants of Noah. As we know from the book of Genesis Noah had three sons. These three sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who came through the flood with Noah, form the basis of all nations upon the face of the earth. Shem is the father of the Semitic, or Oriental, nations. The Semitic nations would include both the Jewish people and the Arabs. Through Shem came the seed of the Lord Jesus Christ. From Ham, came most of the people in the nations of Africa. The Hammites would be dark skinned peoples. This group of nations would include the Canaanites, the Egyptians, the Ethiopians, and the Libyans. We would remind you that both Moses and Joseph intermarried with the Egyptians. There is also a good possibility that the apostle Paul was descended from this group of people since he is referred to as an Egyptian by the chief captain in Acts 21:38. There are also many black and/or dark skinned Jews in the world. There is a huge group of them from Ethiopia that were emergency airlifted out of Ethiopia some years ago. In Psalm 78:51; Psalm 105:23, 27; and Psalm 106:21-22 God refers to Egypt as being the land of Ham. These Scriptures read:

Psalm 78:51

51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:

Psalm 105:23

23 Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.

Psalm 105:27

27 They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.

Psalm 106:21-22

21 They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt; 22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red sea.

The nations that came out of the seed of Japheth were Caucasians who made up most of the European nations. The nations that are descended from Shem, Ham, and Japheth are documented in Genesis chapter 10. These composed roughly 70 different nations. I do not have time to get into a detailed discussion of these nations. Our focus in this study will be the nations that have a major impact on end times Bible prophecy. Turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 10 where we will read verses six through 10:

Genesis 10:6-10

6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. 7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. 8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

The point of reading Genesis 10:6-10 was to establish the fact that the land of Shinar is the land of Babylon. Notice also, in verse eight, that we have the first mention of Nimrod in the Bible. Nimrod was the forerunner of the antichrist because he sought to establish a one world government and a one world religion at Babylon. Though not mentioned by name in our Bibles, Nimrod's wife's name was Semiramis. Semiramis was the mother of all false religious systems. A study of pagan myths in idolatry will show that all false religions tie back to her. In Genesis chapter 11, God stepped in and prevented the establishment of this one world government and one world religious system. Turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 11:1-9 where we read:

Genesis 11:1-9

1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

In Genesis chapter 11, we see the first appearance of the Babylonian religious and political system. It is also the place of man's first mass rebellion following the worldwide flood. As soon as man came together in unity around the tower of Babel, they started plotting against the God of the Bible. It was obviously God's intent that they go forth and replenish the earth following the flood. They were obviously in and organized rebellion against God so he scattered them abroad upon the land and confused their language so that they could not understand one another. From that point on, mass confusion in languages has been referred to as Babel. Note also from verse seven that we have at least the third appearance of the Trinity in the book of Genesis. Its first appearance was in Genesis chapter 1 at the creation. The second appearance of the Trinity was in Genesis chapter 3:22 at the expulsion of Adam from the garden of Eden.

SERMON NUMBER 2 – THE BABYLONIAN SYSTEM

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Ever since its first foundation was laid, Babylon has been nothing but trouble for God and for God's people. Babylon has always served as a type of a religious, political, and commercial entity that was built by man and is in open rebellion against God. The very first false religion system came out of Babylon. In fact, the Babylonian false religious system is rooted in the ancient mysteries of the debauchery and idolatry practiced at Babylon. The Babylonian mysteries serve as the foundation for the one world end times church that is referred to in Revelation chapter 17 as MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. A little research into the seven churches of the book of Revelation and the pagan religions will show that the Babylonian priesthood moved to the city of Pergamos from Babylon and that from there to Rome and the Catholic Church. In fact, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ had this to say about Pergamos in Revelation 2:12-13:

Revelation 2:12-13

12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Note that it is a woman that rides the purple and scarlet colored beast of Revelation 17. Revelation 17:3 says:

Revelation 17:3

3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

That is significant because she represents the Queen of heaven identified in Jeremiah 44:17-19. She is none other than the Roman Catholic Mary who is worshiped as God by the Roman Catholic Church. Roman Catholicism is damned because they worship Mary as the Queen of heaven. The term sacrament that is used by the Roman Catholic Church and many so-called Protestant churches is from the Latin word "sacramentum" meaning a mystery, or initiation rite, into a pagan religion. The term sacrament is a Babylonian term and has its roots in the Babylonian mysteries. Don't miss the connection between the sacraments and the mysteries of the Roman Catholic Church and MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Add to this mix the political and commercial Babylon of Revelation 18 and you have the devil's toolbox for shaping a one world religious, political, and economic system. This one world system will be used by Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet to manipulate the Gentile nations into worshiping Satan and to seek the destruction of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. There is coming a time when Satan incarnate will set in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem claiming himself to be God and demanding to be exalted above God. When that event takes place, it will signal the end of them Times of the Gentiles".

Now, the "Times of the Gentiles" started in 586 BC when the tribes of Judah and Benjamin went into the Babylonian captivity and will last until the Lord Jesus Christ comes as Lord of Lords and King of Kings to rain upon the throne of David for 1000 years in a literal city of Jerusalem. The best prophetic view of the "Times of the Gentiles" is given in Daniel chapters 2, 7, 8, 9, and 11. This period of time includes the Tribulation and as such is a major subject of the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17, Luke 21, I Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, and the book of Revelation to name a few. There is much that I could get into here today, but I want to try to keep our focus upon the role of the Gentile nations in end times prophecy. I will not be able to cover all aspects of end times prophecy as it relates to the Gentile nations.

In Daniel chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, has a dream that the so-called wise men could neither tell or interpret. The King had already figured out that the wise men were a bunch of false prophets. So, to put them to the test they were required not only to interpret the dream but to reveal what the actual details of the dream were. Trying to get past this first impossibility was the subject of the first 30 verses of Daniel chapter 2. The subject of the dream was revealed by Daniel in verses 31-35. Then in verses 36-45 Daniel gave the interpretation of the dream. Turn in your Bibles to Daniel chapter 2 verse 31 where we will start reading:

Daniel 2:31-45

31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. 32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. 36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. 37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. 39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. 40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. 41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. 44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

The interpretation of this dream revealed the long-term destinies of the nations of Babylon, Medo- Persia, Greece, the Roman empire, the revived Roman Empire, and the Millennial Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Further details concerning some of these kingdoms are provided in chapters 7 and 8 of the book of Daniel. We will get into the details of those two chapters later on. Let's talk about the details of what we have just read from chapter 2 of the book of Daniel. In verses 31 through 33, Nebuchadnezzar's image is described as having a head of fine gold, breast and arms of silver, a belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron with feet that are part of iron and part clay. In verse 34, while Nebuchadnezzar was watching the image, a stone that was not made with hands hit the feet of iron and clay in the image came tumbling down and was pulverized into a pile of fine iron, clay, brass, silver, and gold and was blown away like chaff in the wind. Then the stone became a very great mountain. In verses 36 through 45 Daniel interprets the meaning of the destruction of the image. Each major part of the image is said to represent some kingdom upon the face of the earth. From events in secular history and the remainder of the book of Daniel we know which kingdoms are being described here. In verse 38, Nebuchadnezzar is told that the head of gold represents him and his kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar is told that five kingdoms will follow him. Babylon, which is Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, represents the modern-day country of Iraq. While Nebuchadnezzar exercised absolute authority within his kingdom, we know from secular history that in the four kingdoms that immediately followed Nebuchadnezzar's that the authority became less and less centralized. The legs and arms of silver represent the Medo-Persian Empire. The Persians are the modern-day nation of Iran. The belly and thighs of brass represent the Greek Empire initially ruled by Alexander the Great. Much of the prophecy contained in the book of Daniel is now history that can be documented from secular sources such as the ancient historian Herodotus and archaeological records such as the Behistun Rock and the Cylinder of Cyrus. The Cylinder of Cyrus is also referred to as the Cuneiform Cylinder. The legs of iron in Daniel chapter 2 verses 33 and 40 represent the ancient Roman Empire. The 10 toes of Daniel chapter 2 verses 33 and 41-43 represent the revived Roman Empire. The stone that was cut out without hands in verses 34 and 44-45 represent the Lord Jesus Christ and his kingdom that will fill the earth during the millennium. Much of the prophecy contained in Daniel chapters 2, 7, and 8 have both a near fulfillment and a far fulfillment. By that I mean, that those prophecies were fulfilled in the near-term by the ancient kingdoms of Babylon, Medo Persia, Greece, and Rome. By a far fulfillment, I mean that those prophecies will be fulfilled in the future by an alliance of the nations against Israel that will include modern-day Iran, Iraq, Greece, and Rome. That alliance is well on its way to forming. In recent years, we have seen the rise of those wicked and vile Muslims in the countries of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Bahrain, Algeria, Nigeria, and in the list goes on and on. The anti-Semitic and anti-Israel tirades from the European nations has seen a radical increase in the last 10 years. Before we get back into the details of Daniel, I want to discuss some biblical and secular history.

SERMON NUMBER 3 – BROAD OVERVIEW OF BIBLICAL HISTORY

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Now, we run into some big issues when dealing with the facts and dates that relate to the biblical history and secular history of the kings that are mentioned in our Bibles. Though there are certain benchmarks that we can use to establish some fairly accurate dates, we cannot pinpoint them exactly. It takes a lot of study, analysis, and reasoning to understand who these kings were. The Bible is not focused upon dates because the God of the Bible exists outside the bounds of time. He is an eternal being. That being said, there is not one fact recorded in the Bible that has ever been contradicted by secular history, science, and archaeology. True science does not turn to the demonic intellectual idolatry, delusion, and chicanery of evolution and uniformitarian geology; both of which are falsely called science.

Before we get into a little bit of history, I want to remind our readers and listeners that mountains in the Scriptures many times represent kingdoms and that horns represents the kings and rulers of those kingdoms. We know from Daniel chapters 2, 7, 8, and 11 and the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel what kingdom each of the beasts of Daniel chapter 7 represent. It is important to understand that God progressively builds upon the prophecy from Daniel chapter 2 adding more details in chapters 7, 8, 9, and 11. The theological term for that is progressive revelation. While we will not focus a great deal on Daniel chapter 9, it is important for you to know that verses 24 through 27 of that chapter is known as the 70 weeks of Daniel. It is prophecy concerning a 490 year period that relates to God's dealings with the nation of Israel. The first 7 weeks, or 49 years, of that prophecy were fulfilled in the rebuilding the city of Jerusalem and the temple during the times of the prophets Nehemiah and Ezra. The next 62 weeks, or 434 years, of that prophecy were fulfilled and cover the period of time between the completion of Jerusalem and the Temple to the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. However the last week, or the final seven years, of the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 is yet to be fulfilled. It is referred to in Jeremiah 30:7 as the time of Jacob's trouble. Today, many Christians refer to that period of time as the seven year Tribulation period. The cutting off of the Messiah in Daniel 9:26 was the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. The prince that shall come from Daniel 9:26 is none other than the antichrist. The Bible says in Daniel 9:27 that the antichrist will make a seven-year covenant with the nation of Israel which he will break after 3 ½ years. That final 3 ½ years is known as the Great Tribulation. Later in this prophecy series we will deal with Daniel's 70th Week. Now, we turn to some of the rest of the story.

Daniel chapters 2 through 5 deal historically and prophetically with the Babylonian Empire. The Babylonian kings included Nebuchadnezzar, Nabonidus from secular history, and Belshazzar. Nebuchadnezzar is mentioned 91 different times in the Old Testament. Nebuchadnezzar is one of the great subjects of Jeremiah and Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar was also the subject of the closing chapters of Second Kings and Second Chronicles. Daniel chapter 2 also presents a broad outline of the history of the Gentile nations from the Babylonian Empire to the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Daniel chapters 6, 7, 8, and 11 deal both historically and prophetically with a line of Medo-Persian Kings that includes Darius from Daniel chapter 6; Ahasuerus of Esther chapter 1:1 and Ezra chapter 4:6; Artaxerxes from Ezra chapter 4:7, Ezra 6:14, and Ezra 7:1; and Xerxes from Daniel chapter 11:2. At the head of these Persian Kings is the Persian king, Cyrus, of 2 Chronicles 36:22-23, Isaiah 45:1, Ezra 6:14, and Daniel 10:1. Darius represents the lower horn of Daniel 8:3 while Cyrus represents the higher horn of Daniel 8:3. According to Daniel 9:1, both Darius and Ahasuerus were Medes. The leopard of Daniel 7:6 represents the Greek king Alexander the Great. According to Daniel 11:4, Alexander the great had no posterity. So, Alexander's kingdom was given to four of his generals upon his death from alcohol. Those generals were: Ptolemy who ruled Egypt and Asia Minor; Cassander who ruled Macedonia and Greece; Lysimachus who ruled Bithynia, Thrace, and Mysia; and Seleucus who ruled Syria, Armenia, and territory east of the Euphrates River. The actions of these four generals is the subject of the prophecy of Daniel 11:4-35. Daniel 11:36-45 covers the rise of the antichrist. The four kings that succeeded Alexander the Great were eventually followed by the Roman Empire and its many emperors and Caesars. It was the Roman general and Emperor Titus who destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D. The ancient Roman Empire has ceased to exist, but will be revived in the form of the ten horns of Daniel 7 and Revelation 13. Neither the country of Israel, or any other area in the Middle East, should ever be referred to as Palestine by Bible believing Christians. There has never existed a country called Palestine nor a people called Palestinians. The Palestinians were a group of Islamic terrorists formed by that Islamic devil Yassir Arafat in 1964 for the purpose of destroying the Jewish people and Israel.

At this point I would like to warn our listeners and readers that the book of Daniel is not written in chronological order. The death of the Babylonian King Belshazzar is recorded in Daniel 5:30. Yet, Belshazzar shows up again in Daniel 7:1 in the first year of his reign and in Daniel 8:1 in the third year of his reign. What this proves is that the prophetic dreams and visions recorded by Daniel in chapter 7 occurred before the events that took place in chapter 5.

Now, let's get back to the book of Daniel and turn in your Bibles to chapter 7 where we read:

Daniel 7

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. 2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. 4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. 5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. 6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. 9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. 10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. 11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. 12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. 13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. 15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. 16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. 17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. 19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; 20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. 21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. 23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. 24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. 26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. 27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. 28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.

SERMON NUMBER 4 – DANIEL CHAPTER 7 –

INTRODUCTION TO THE ANTICHRIST

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Daniel chapter 7 amplifies upon the information provided in Daniel chapter 2. Daniel chapter 7 is inseparably linked to the book of Revelation. The preaching and teaching that follows will be somewhat difficult to follow and to keep up with. If you miss something, or do not understand something, you can go to our church's website and download this sermon and listen to it very carefully. Our churches website is located at hilltopbaptistnewport.com. Click on the sermon links for brother Mike Sutherland located on our church's homepage. There will be links on that page to all the sermons in this series. It is also our intent to post this entire Bible prophecy sermon series up to our website as HTML and PDF files that you can download and study them. Now, let's continue with our study.

You will note from Daniel 7:3-8 that there are four separate beasts that come up out of the sea whereas in Revelation chapter 13 the beast that comes up out of the sea is a single entity that incorporates all the features of the four separate beasts from Daniel chapter 7. Notice from Revelation chapter 13 that the description of the beast is in reverse order from that in Daniel chapter 7. Here is what Revelation 13:1-2 has to say:

Revelation 13:1-2

1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Let's get back to Daniel chapter 7. It is significant that Daniel 7:17 states that the following for beast that we will describe represent four Kings that will come from the peoples of the earth. Daniel 7:4 refers to the lion and the eagle. The lion that had eagle's wings represents the kingdom of Babylon. Babylon today is represented by Iraq. That the lion and the eagle represent Babylon is clear from Jeremiah 4:7, Jeremiah 4:13, Jeremiah 25:9, Ezekiel 17:3, Ezekiel 17:12, and so forth.

The line of Medo-Persian kings is further commented on in Daniel 11:2. It is stated there that four Medo-Persian kings are involved. Those kings would include Ahasuerus, Artaxerxes, Darius, and Xerxes. Daniel 7:5 mentions a bear with three ribs in its mouth. The bear with three ribs in its mouth represents the kingdom of the Medes and Persians. The three ribs represent the destruction of the kingdoms of Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt in that were allied against the Medes and the Persians. The Medes and Persians today are represented by Iran. Further details are given in Daniel chapter 8.

The leopard represents the ancient kingdom of Greece. It is difficult to tie the leopard to a modern political power. It could well be that the leopard represents the eastern European nations. It is important to note the four wings and the four heads of the beast of Daniel 7:6. The four wings and the four heads tie this beast to Alexander the Great and his four generals who succeeded him as kings. Further details are given in Daniel chapter 8.

The fourth beast with ten horns that is stated to be dreadful and terrible represents the ancient Roman Empire and the revived Roman Empire. The Roman Empire is tied to the two legs of iron and the ten toes of iron and clay of the image from Daniel chapter 2. The revived Roman Empire is tied to the beast that rises out of the sea in Revelation 13:1-2. Note that it is a unified image that represents a Western alliance that is controlled by the Devil, the antichrist, and the false prophet. The devil, the antichrist, and the faults profit make up an unholy trinity. The ten toes of Daniel chapter 2 and the ten horns in both Daniel chapter 7 and Revelation chapter 13 represent ten political powers that shall rise at the time of the end. The ten political powers are the revived Roman Empire. The time of the end is the great Tribulation. The four beasts of Daniel chapter 7 are seen to operate separately and in sequence with one following the other whereas the image in Revelation chapter 13 is seen to come up out of the sea and be in unity at the same time, or concurrently. According to Revelation 17:15, the sea is representative of the peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues of the earth. Another important difference between the beast Daniel chapter 7 and the beast of Revelation chapter 13:1 is that the horns of Daniel chapter 7 have no crowns upon them. In other words, the 10 horns are seen as not having come to power yet. In Revelation chapters 13 and 17, the 10 horns will come to power and will be used by the Satanic Trinity to bring about the desire of Satan to appear in the temple and to be worshiped as God. Speaking of the Mother of Harlots, Revelation 17:12-16:

Revelation 17:12-16

12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. 14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. 15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

There has been, and continues to be, much speculation as to who these ten political powers are. Many have stated that they believe that it represents the nations of the European union. But, there are more than ten nations represented in the European Union.

I have been asked many times what role the United States of America will play an end times prophecy. The truth of the matter is that we can get no definitive answer from the Scriptures. We can only speculate that the United States is tied in with the Western powers that are represented by the Western European nations who all were a part of the ancient Roman Empire. We would hope that the United States would come down on the right side of the conflict as it concerns Israel, but that does not appear to be the case. The United States State Department has always been anti-Semitic and anti-Israel. The current Obama administration is the most anti-Israel American administration ever. Obama cannot be trusted to do that which is right in relation to the nation of Israel.

SERMON NUMBER 5 – THE ANTICHRIST CONTINUED

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I am going to do a recap here and fill in some more details concerning the Antichrist from the Scriptures. The antichrist is a part of the Unholy Trinity of Revelation 13. At some point in this Bible Prophecy series we will be doing a series on the Unholy Trinity who we know as Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet of Revelation 13. This past week on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 the Mother of Harlots of Revelation 17 elected a new pope. While we do not believe he is THE ANTICHRIST, we do believe that he is an antichrist. We know for sure that he is possessed of the spirit of antichrist which makes him at the very least a false prophet. The pope is the vicar of Satan who is the little "g" god of this world. The pope may not be the False Prophet of Revelation 13, but in the coming days he could prove to be. We believe that the Antichrist is a religious political leader that consolidates his power through the help of the False Prophet who will be a very political religious leader. The False Prophet is Satan's counterfeit Holy Ghost that will lead apostate Christianity and all the world's false religions to worship the Antichrist. The whore of Revelation 17 is fast gathering her wicked brothel of apostate harlots from every denomination in America including apostate Independent Baptists that have gone a whoring after the praise of men and the doctrines of devils. Before we get to far off track, let's get back to our subject for this week. We were talking about the little horn last time we met. The little horn is the Antichrist. The little horn appears in Daniel chapter 7:8 where we read:

Daniel 7:8

8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

The little horn represents the antichrist. He comes forth speaking great things against the God of the Bible. Now, let's reread Daniel 7:20-21 which state:

Daniel 7:20-21

20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. 21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

In Daniel 7:20, this little horn is described as having destroyed three kings before himself. In Daniel 7:20-21, this little horn is described as speaking very great things against the most high and making war with the saints. It is also said of him that he will wear out the Saints of the most high. This speaks to the persecution and warfare that the antichrist will wage against God's people. This little horn is also described in Daniel chapter 8:9–12 which say:

Daniel 8:9-12

9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. 10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. 11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. 12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.

That this little horn has a double reference to both the antichrist and Antiochus Epiphanies is obvious from the context and also from the events of secular world history. This little horn is ultimately fulfilled in the antichrist. The little horn is also the king of fierce countenance from Daniel 8:23-25 which states:

Daniel 8:23-25

23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. 24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. 25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

This little horn is also the prince that shall come from Daniel 9:26-27 where we read these words:

Daniel 9:26-27

26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

These verses are a part of that great prophecy of Daniel's Seventy Weeks, or the Tribulation, that we will talk about in a more organized fashion in a separate series. The little horn is also the willful king of Daniel 11:36-45 where we will read verses 36-39:

Daniel 11:36-39

36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. 37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. 38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. 39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

The little horn is also the abomination of desolation described Daniel 12:11 and Matthew 24:15:

Daniel 12:11

11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

Matthew 24:15

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

The little horn is also the man of sin and the son of perdition of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-
12 where Paul wrote these words for the Holy Ghost:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The little horn is also the beast of Revelation 13:1-8. In Revelation 13:6, the antichrist is described as blaspheming the name of God. Let's go read Revelation 13:1-8:

Revelation 13:1-8

1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

We see the destruction of the Antichrist in Daniel 7:11 where he is cast into the burning flames.

Daniel 7:11

11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.

This should bring to mind the destruction of the Antichrist and the false prophet in Revelation chapter 19:20 when they both are cast into the Lake of Fire. Revelation 19:19-20 says this:

Revelation 19:19-20

19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

This is the end of the Antichrist and the False Prophet.

SERMON NUMBER 6 – THE SON OF GOD AND THE SON OF MAN

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Now, let's go and reread Daniel 7:9-14:

Daniel 7:9-14

9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. 10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. 11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. 12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. 13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

The Ancient of Days appears with the Son of Man in Daniel 7:9-14. In this appearance they are sitting in judgment with millions of saints gathered around them. What we have before us is scenes from Revelation chapters 19 and 20 where judgment is exercised upon individuals, the beast, the false prophet, and the Devil. According to John 5:25-27, judgment has been given to the Son. The description of the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:9-10 is very much like the description of the Lord Jesus Christ in Revelation chapter 1:10-17. The Son of Man is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:10-17 read:

Revelation 1:10-17

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. 12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

I am going to take a short detour here and run a rabbit that just popped up. In Daniel chapter 7, we see the appearance of God the Father and God the Son. God the Father is identified as the Ancient of days in verses 9, 13, and 22. In those verses as well as Ezekiel 1:26-28, Ezekiel 10, and Isaiah 6:1-8 we see God the Father appear in all his glory. In Daniel 7:13 and Daniel10:5-6 we see a preincarnate appearance in glory of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of Man. The glory of the Father and the glory of the Son is an equally shared glory. We know that from John 17:5 which says:

John 17:5

5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

Note also Revelation 21:23. Note also in Daniel 7:14 that the Son of Man appears in glory and is given everlasting dominion over all peoples, nations, and languages. I would also like for you to note the appearance of the Son of God in the fiery furnace with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in Daniel chapter 3. You also need to know that almost every appearance of the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament was an appearance that prefigured the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. That the Son of God existed in eternity is the clear teaching of Proverbs 30:4 and Daniel 3:25. Those verses are not prophetic in nature. Both of those verses were written in the present tense and report facts then in existence. That the son of God is intended is obvious from the phrase "what is his sons name" that appears in the context of God speaking in Proverbs 30:4. The connection between Proverbs 30:4, Psalms 68:18, and Ephesians 4:8-10 cannot be denied. Turn in your Bibles to:

Proverbs 30:4

4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?

Daniel 3:25

25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Psalm 68:18

18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.

Ephesians 4:8-10

8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

John 17:5 clearly states that the Son of God existed with God the Father before the world was created. Otherwise, how could the Lord Jesus Christ refer to him as Father before the creation. Let's read Micah 5:2 which says:

Micah 5:2

2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

According to Micah 5:2, the Lord Jesus Christ has existed from everlasting which means he had no beginning. What that means is that God the Father and God the Son have always co-existed in a co-eternal and co-equal relationship. What that also means is that prior to the incarnation that the Lord Jesus Christ was still THE SON OF GOD. If he could cease to be God when he was robed in the flesh, then he would not be God to start with. Put another way, if he was not the Son of God before he was robed in flesh, then he was not the Son of God after he was robed in flesh. What the Lord Jesus Christ became at the incarnation was God in the flesh. That is, he became the God-man, or, in other words, the Son of Man. To put it another way, the Lord Jesus Christ was the Son of God in the flesh. It was Jesus as the Son of Man that was literally God in the flesh. It was Jesus as the Son of Man that was begotten of the Holy Ghost and not, I emphasize not, the Son of God that was begotten of the Holy Ghost. To state that the Son of God had a point in time when he was begotten is to state that the Son of God is not God. To state that the Son of God had a point in time when he was begotten is to camp out under the feet of the Unitarians, the Jehovah Witnesses, the Mormons, and all modern-day Arians. If you believe that the Son of God had a point in time when he was begotten, then you may as well believe that the heretics were correct when they perverted John 1:18 to refer to The Incarnation as the begetting of God. Jesus was begotten as the Son of Man and not as the Son of God. At The Incarnation, the Lord Jesus Christ became the God-man. It was Jesus as the Son of Man that was made a little lower than the angels. It was not the Son of God that was made a little lower than the angels. By the way, that is the perverted translation of John 1:18 by the New American Standard Bible, the Jehovah witnesses New World translation, and the two Greek harlots, Vaticanus and Sinaiticus. The phrase "Son of Man" is used 89 times in the New Testament. It is used exclusively of the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament. It is capitalized in every instance with the exception of Hebrews 2:6 where the term is used in relation to the making of the Lord Jesus Christ a little lower than the angels. The phrase "the Son of God" is used 43 times of the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament. In Matthew 16 verses 13 through 20 it is stated by direct revelation that the Son of Man is the Son of God. These verses read:

Matthew 16:13-20

13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

It was only as the Son of Man that he could pay the penalty for our sins because God required the sacrifice of a perfect, sinless body of flesh and blood to atone for our sins. Only the Lord Jesus Christ could do that as the Son of Man. The sacrifice also required that the filthiness of our sin be put upon the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary. It was our sin that was put upon the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary that put a separation between the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father. That is why the Lord Jesus Christ cried with a loud voice from the cross: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me". According to II Corinthians 5:20-21, it was at that point that the Lord Jesus Christ became sin for us. Those verses say:

2 Corinthians 5:20-21

20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

The penalty that was paid at Calvary for our sins was not only in flesh and blood, but also in the mental and spiritual anguish of the Lord Jesus Christ. The mental and spiritual anguish was the much greater pain. That separation between God the Father and God the Son could not be reconciled until the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ was placed upon the mercy seat in heaven. At that particular point, the penalty had been paid, the blood had been placed upon the mercy seat, and the reconciliation had been made.

We have prepared what will be at least a six (6) part radio series dealing with the Lord Jesus Christ. In it, we talk about the Deity, the Incarnation, the Eternal Sonship, the Titles, and the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We talk about the Son of man, the Son of God, the God-Man, the Word, and the incarnation of wisdom.

SERMON NUMBER 7 – DANIEL CHAPTER 8

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I want to remind you again that the Book of Daniel is not recorded in chronological order. The proof of that statement is in the last two verses of Daniel 5:30-31, Daniel 7:1, and in Daniel 8:1. The dreams and visions of Daniel chapters 7 and 8 are recorded in order.

Daniel 5:30-31

30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. 31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

Daniel 7:1

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.

Daniel 8:1

1 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.

Belshazzar was slain at the end of Daniel chapter 5, but he appears in the dreams and visions of Daniel 7:1 in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar and in the third year of Belshazzar's reign in Daniel 8:1. People are generally warned away from highly symbolic books like Daniel and Revelation because they are told that you cannot understand the symbols anyhow. That is a lie of Satan who does not want you to understand Bible Prophecy especially that which concerns his eventual casting into the Lake of Fire for eternity. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:15:

2 Timothy 2:15

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

There is not a symbol that is given in the books of Daniel and Revelation that is not explained in the context of those books. In other words, the symbol is given and then the interpretation is given in the context. One of the keys to understanding them is to be a workman and study, study, study. The most important key to understanding Daniel and Revelation is literal interpretation. Do not seek a mystical interpretation of figurative symbols when those symbols are literally explained in the context. In other words, God says what he means and means what He says. If God did not say what He meant, then you have no way of determining what he meant and you are left to sheer speculation. Speculation opens you up to false prophets and their deceptive, wild-eyed Satanic predictions and interpretations. The book of Revelation opens up and further expands upon the book of Daniel.

Daniel 12:9

9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Revelation 1:3

3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

The Book of Revelation incorporates the symbols of the Book of Daniel and further expands upon them and explains them. The words are sealed in the Book of Daniel and the words are opened up in the Book of Revelation. Note again the promise of Revelation 1:3. How are we to keep the things written in the Book of Revelation if we cannot understand them? Satan wants to keep folks out of the Book of Revelation because it opens the door to understanding his massive end times deception. Satan wants to keep folks out of the Book of Revelation because it prophesies of his destruction. Turn in your Bibles to:

Daniel 8:1-27

1 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. 2 And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai. 3 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. 4 I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great. 5 And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. 6 And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. 7 And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. 8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. 9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. 10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. 11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. 12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. 13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? 14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. 15 And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. 17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision. 18 Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. 19 And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. 20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. 23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. 24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. 25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. 26 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. 27 And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.

Once again the pattern is repeated in Daniel chapter 8. The vision and all its symbols are given in verses 1-14 with the interpretation given in verses 15-27.

The ram of Daniel 8:4 is interpreted as being the Medes and Persians in Daniel 8:20. The Medes and Persians would make up what we know as Iran today. The he goat of Daniel 8:5 is interpreted as being the king of Greece in Daniel 8:21 who was Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great is also identified in Daniel 11:2-4. The four notable ones of Daniel 8:8 are interpreted as being the four kingdoms of Daniel 8:22 that will stand in Alexander the Great's place after he dies. These four kings that divided Alexander the Great's empire were (1) Ptolemy who took Egypt, Israel, and some parts of Asia Minor; (2) Cassander who took Macedonia and Greece; (3) Lysimachus who took Bithynia, Thrace, Mysia, and etc.; (4) Seleucus who took Syria, Armenia and the territory east of the Euphrates River. It was out of this line of Seleucid kings that Antiochus Epiphanes came. The events in Daniel 8:9-14 were fulfilled in the near term by Antiochus Epiphanes, but shall be typical of the rule of the Antichrist. While many of the events in Daniel 8 are interpreted of Antiochus Epiphanes as already having been fulfilled, it is obvious from the context that they also apply to the future Antichrist. Antiochus Epiphanes is yet another type of the Antichrist. Though Antiochus Epiphanes was of Greek ancestry, he was king of Seleucid Assyria. Being an Assyrian king, he is tied in type to the Assyrian of Isaiah 14:24-32 that will be destroyed in Palestina (Palestine). The Assyrian is but another title for the Antichrist. Palestine is the place of judgment for the Antichrist and his armies. According to Joel 3:1-17, Palestine is the place where God brings the Gentile nations to their destruction at Armageddon. The 2,300 day period identified in verses 13 and 14 was fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes. The desecration of the 2,300 day period began with the assassination of the high priest Onias III in 171 B.C. The sanctuary was cleansed by Judas Maccabeus at the close of 165 B.C.. This accounts for the 2,300 day period. The altar in the Temple at Jerusalem was desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes when he sacrificed a sow on it on December 25, 167 B.C.. At this same time, a statue of Zeus was set up in the Temple. Antiochus Epiphanes died of disease in 164 B.C.. While Daniel 8:9-14 are rightfully applied to Antiochus Epiphanes, the little horn of Daniel 8:23-25 cannot be applied to Antiochus Epiphanes for two reasons: (1) He did stand in his own power unlike the Antichrist who will not stand by his own power, but who will instead stand by the power of Satan; (2) this little horn is said to stand up against the Prince of princes who is the Lord Jesus Christ. When Antiochus Epiphanes roamed this earth, the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ was still at least 160 years in the future. So, he could not have stood up against Him. Before we move on, I want to do a quick review of the kingdoms represented in the Book of Daniel.

The kingdom of Babylon is represented by the head of gold of chapter 2 and the winged lion of chapter 7. The kingdom of the Medes and Persians is represented by the breast and arms of silver of chapter 2, the bear of chapter 7, and the ram of chapter 8. The kingdom of Greece is represented by the belly and thighs of brass of chapter 2, the leopard of chapter 7, and the he goat of chapter 8. The Roman Empire is represented by the legs of iron of chapter 2 and the fourth beast of chapter 7. The revived Roman empire is the ten toes of chapter 2 and the ten horns of chapter 7. The little horn of chapter 7 and chapter 8 is the Antichrist. The Lord Jesus Christ is the uncut stone of chapter 2 and the Ancient of Days of chapter 7. What we have just heard is a broad overview from the perspective of Daniel the prophet of the times of the Gentiles that are described in Luke 21:24. The Book of Daniel still has much more to say about end times events. Daniel 11:1-35 describes events that have already taken place in the wars between the Seleucian kings of the north and the Ptolemaic kings of the north. It is these verses that have perhaps suffered from the vilest attacks of Satan's scholars because the scholars maintain that there is no way that the verses could have been written before the events they describe! While verses 21-35 of chapter 11 describe the events of the reign of Antiochus (IV) Epiphanes, they also describe in type the Antichrist. In the context, that vile person of verse 21 also represents the Antichrist. The events in chapter 11 run all the way through to Daniel 12:1 where it is stated that Michael the Archangel stands for the people of the nation of Israel Daniel 12:1 says:

Daniel 12:1

1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

It is at this particular point, when the Archangel Michael stands for the nation of Israel, that war takes place in heaven. We read of this war in Revelation 12:7-9 where the Scriptures state:

Revelation 12:7-9

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

While war is taking place in heaven wars are taking place on the face of the earth that involve the Antichrist. When Satan is cast from heaven, all hell will literally break loose on the face of this earth. It is the objective of the Antichrist to make war against the saints of the Most High God. Let's read the following Scriptures:

Psalm 2:1-6

1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

Daniel 7:21-22

21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

Revelation 6:2

2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Revelation 12:17

17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The woman of Revelation chapter 12 is none other than the nation of Israel. For further documentation, read Genesis 37:9-11.

SERMON NUMBER 8 – LEAD UP TO ARMAGEDDON

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Those verses will open up our next subject and that is the military events that will bring this world to its knees before God at Armageddon. The only place Armageddon is mentioned in the Scriptures is in Revelation 16:16. Armageddon is connected to the Valley of Megiddon in Zechariah 12:11 where Jerusalem has become a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone to all those nations that are gathered against it. Megiddo is west of the Jordan River in north central Israel. It is located on the southern rim of the plain of Esdraelon 6 miles from Mount Carmel and 11 miles from Nazareth. If we drew a straight line from Caesarea to Nazareth, Megiddo would lie on that line about half way between the two cities. Megiddo sits approximately fifteen miles from the Mediterranean Sea. The plain of Esdraelon has seen practically every nation under the sun fight on it. Napoleon said that every army of the world could be assembled on this plain. The plain of Esdraelon has seen the defeat of the Canaanites by Deborah and Barak (Judges 4-5), the defeat of the Midianites by Gideon (Judges 7), Saul slain in the battle with the Philistines (1 Samuel 31:8), Ahaziah slain by Jehu (2 Kings 9:27), and Josiah slain in the invasion by the Egyptians (2 Kings 23:29-30).

Let me state that neither you nor I can be dogmatic about the timing of the battles and/or wars that lead up to the battle of Armageddon. Regardless of what you or I may think of the timing of these events, we must remember that all events will take place literally and on a timetable established by God Himself. Every jot and tittle of the prophecy related to Armageddon will be fulfilled. During this study, I will put forth a suggested order of fulfillment of some of these prophecies. In some cases, that interpretation will differ from the mainstream of opinion concerning these events. I will attempt to present the differing points of view where I can. Notice that I used the phrase "differing points of view" rather than "opposing points of view". It is my intent with the help of God to explain my point of view using the Scriptures while understanding that my version of the timing of the events is not set in stone since the Scriptures do not give a detailed time line that says that this event will take place first, this event second, etc. A very careful study of the Scriptures, the statements from this series, and a study of the works of others may lead you to slightly different conclusions than I have drawn here. If this series leads you to diligently search the Scriptures, then I will have achieved one of my purposes in it. With all that said, it is my hope and prayer that you will learn from this study and receive a blessing from it.

Before the events that take place in the Tribulation, including Armageddon, could occur the Jewish people had to be restored to the land of Israel. Israel was miraculously reformed as a nation in one day in fulfillment of prophecy from Isaiah chapter 66:8. The day of that fulfillment was May 14, 1948. Isaiah 66:8 says:

Isaiah 66:8

8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

The prophet Ezekiel saw this restoration in his vision of the dry bones in Ezekiel 37:1-28. These Scriptures state:

Ezekiel 37:1-28

1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, 2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. 3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. 4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. 8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. 9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. 11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. 12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD. 15 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: 17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. 18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? 19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. 20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. 21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: 22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: 23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. 24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. 25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

Though not yet fully restored to all the land promised by God to them, they have now become one stick in the hand of God and God carries the biggest stick of all. God will take that stick and turn it into a rod of iron to punish the nations that have abused Israel and the Jewish people. The United States of America ought to be thanking and praising God that He has given us the opportunity to befriend and help the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. Woe be unto us should we turn our backs on Israel!

Many believe that the war that will take place in Ezekiel 38 and 39 takes place at the mid point of the Tribulation while many believe they will not take place until the end of the Tribulation. We have at least fifty different books on Bible Prophecy and every one of those authors have their own viewpoint as to when the war of Ezekiel 38 and 39 takes place. There is but one of these authors that we could recommend because most of those authors are so puffed up in their knowledge that they figure they are smarter than the Holy Ghost and can correct the King James Bible. We teach a Bible Prophecy course in our church's Bible Institute where we use the text "Landmarks of Bible Prophecy" by Pastor Robert Sargent. It is an outstanding text. Pastor Sargent's textbook is the only one that we could recommend. Let's return to the subject at hand.

It is our opinion, and I emphasize opinion, that it is the events of Ezekiel 38 and 39 that kick off the wars that lead up to the final battle of Armageddon. By that I mean, that the events of Ezekiel 38 and 39 will probably occur either at the beginning of the Tribulation, or just prior to the beginning of the Tribulation. I believe that the supernatural destruction of the armies described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 will force the Antichrist to make a seven year treaty with Israel that is referred to by the prophet Daniel and the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 28:18

18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

Daniel 9:27

27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Many times we hear Armageddon being referred to as the battle of Armageddon when it would be better referred to as the war of Armageddon. Armageddon is the final battle that will take place before the Millennium. Armageddon is also the final battle that will take place in a series of battles during the Tribulation. In speaking of the Tribulation, the Lord Jesus Christ stated in Matthew 24:6 that there would be wars and rumours of wars during this period of time. Revelation 14:20 describes this as a period of time when the blood will come up to horse bridles over a distance of one thousand six hundred furlongs which is roughly equivalent to two hundred miles. What this shows is that the battles will be scattered out all over Israel.

SERMON NUMBER 9 – THE RAPTURE OF THE SAINTS

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THE RAPTURE OF THE SAINTS

Before the events of the Tribulation take place, the Rapture of the saints and the revealing of the Antichrist must take place. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:9, God has not appointed his saints of his church to wrath. However, he has appointed the unbelievers, heretics, and apostates of Satan's church to the wrath of the Tribulation. It is important what church you belong to. Do you belong to the Church of the Living God, or, do you belong to the synagogue of Satan? Continuing on, we see the rapture take place in Romans 8:18-23, 1 Corinthians 15:51-58, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Philippians 3:20-21, and Revelation 4:1. Turn in your Bibles to:

Romans 8:18-23

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

1 Corinthians 15:51-58

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Philippians 3:20-21

20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Revelation 4:1

1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

We know that the word "rapture" is not in our King James Bible. It is the transliterated English version of the Latin word "rapturo". "The Rapture" is the theological term we use to refer to the biblical term "caught up together" from 1 Thessalonians 4:17. The rapture refers only to the redemption of people's bodies. We use the phrase "rapture of the saints" rather than the phrase "rapture of the church" because the visible church is full of unsaved, hell bound sinners. In the apostate day and age that we live in, it is very important that you specifically define the terms that you use to limit them to a Biblical definition. If you are going to use the phrase "rapture of the church" you need to specify the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The term saint is not some dead heretic that the Roman Catholic harlot has exalted to a place of worship in lieu of the Lord Jesus Christ. A saint is a man or woman that is either dead in Christ or alive in Christ. Our Bibles use the term sleep or asleep in 1 Corinthians 15:6, 1 Corinthians 15:18, 1 Corinthians 15:51, 1 Thessalonians 4:13, 1 Thessalonians 4:14, and 1 Thessalonians 4:15 to refer to those saved individuals who have passed from this life into eternity. Hallelujah! The Lord Jesus Christ used the same term to apply to the sleeping Lazarus in John 11:11. For the Roman Catholic heretics out there, I want to remind you that he called Lazarus forth from the grave and not from a heretics purgatory. Purgatory is another name for the Devil's hell. Purgatory denies the sufficiency of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sin. The Lord Jesus Christ suffered our hell for us. I want to remind those that push the soul sleep heresy as do the Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, and Christadelphians that the Lord Jesus Christ called forth only the body of Lazarus from the grave. Lazarus's soul and spirit were in Paradise. Following the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is the believer's blessing to be with him in heaven. For to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord. The word "resurrection" refers strictly to the body and never to the soul and spirit. The terms that God uses to refer to the new life in Christ is "born again", "regeneration", and "quickening". These terms refer strictly to the spirit of man. Man's soul is God's communication between man's spirit and man's body. Death is the separation of a person's soul and spirit from their body. Death always means separation. When Daniel 12:2 refers to those that sleep in the dust it is a reference strictly to their bodies. When Daniel referred to those that sleep in the dust, their souls and spirits were in Paradise in the lower parts of the earth. Those souls and spirits are now in heaven awaiting the resurrection of their bodies in a glorified state. The proof of that statement is in Ephesians where we see these verses:

Ephesians 4:8-9

8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

Now, turn in your Bibles to:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Second Thessalonians chapter 2 is the revealing of the son of Satan. The Antichrist is literally Satan incarnate. He is the son of perdition: that man of sin. In verse 1, we see the rapture of the saints. Following in verse 2, we see the Day of Christ begin: and it is the Day of Christ and NOT the Day of the Lord. If the book that you have that claims to be a Bible says the day of the Lord throw that perversion in the trash and get yourself a King James Bible. While the Day of Christ and the day of the Lord begin at the same instant, the Day of Christ is only seven years long while the day of the Lord is at least 1,007 years long. Verse 3 describes a great falling away into the lustful arms of Satan and his MOTHER OF HARLOTS wife who produces twice dead children. Verses 3 and 4 show the revealing of the Antichrist in the newly rebuilt temple at Jerusalem showing himself to be God. We want to warn everyone today that the Day of Christ could start at any moment. The He of verse 7 is the Holy Ghost that restrains the mystery of iniquity. The spirit of His mouth is the WORD of GOD and the truth that it reveals. The mystery of iniquity in verse 7 is rooted in MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH of Revelation 17:5. This wicked harlot is controlled by the spirit of Jezebel from Revelation 2:20 and as embodied in Mary, Queen of heaven. In verses 8-10 of 2 Thessalonians 2, we see the evil character of that Wicked one that uses deceit, lies, and lying wonders to lure unbelievers into the pits of hell. If I were in a church that puts much emphasis on miracles and signs and wonders to the exclusion of the warnings in the Bible, I would be in great fear and would run from that church shaking and quaking in my spiritual boots. The Pentecostal/Charismatic movement will be used as a tool of Satan to deceive false religion into the delusion that what they have is Bible believing salvation. Satan will also use his power of false miracles and signs and wonders to deceive the apostate end times church into believing that they have the power of God upon them. They will have the power of god on them, but it will be the power of the god of this world who is none other than Satan. According to 2 Thessalonians 2 and Revelation 13, the miracles and signs and wonders movement is the pathway into hell. We are not to seek after miracles and signs and wonders. We are to seek after the Lord Jesus Christ. What most professing Christians have today is a soul damning covenant of prayer with Satan. They have been led down a primrose path into the pits of hell by a 1-2-3 prayer that does not walk together hand-in-hand with Bible believing repentance. If you have not repented and experienced the change of attitude and the change of action that goes with it since you professed to be saved, then you are still on your way to hell. It is either repent or burn. The Lord Jesus Christ will not save you and leave you in your sin. It is false salvations and false doctrine that lead people to reject the truth of the Word of God. It is those same conditions that lead people to reject the truth of the Word of God as it relates to the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. Once you refuse to receive the love of the truth you are twice doomed: once by the deceitfulness of Satan and once by the strong delusion sent from God. What a fearful position to be in. Satan and the Antichrist will use that rejection of the truth as a tool to launch the greatest persecution and slaughter of God's people that the world has ever seen. That brings us back to the wars of the Tribulation. Second Thessalonians chapter 2:8 also shows us the destruction of the Antichrist and according to Ezekiel 28:18:

Ezekiel 28:18

18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

According to Revelation 19:20, the doom of the Antichrist and the False Prophet are sealed in the Lake of Fire. Now, let's take a look at the Gentile nations at war during the Tribulation.

SERMON NUMBER 10 – THE WESTERN ALLIANCE

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The Tribulation will be characterized by wars and rumours of wars. During the Tribulation, we will see huge alliances of nations battling each other in the land of Israel. The Bible shows us a western alliance, an eastern alliance, a northern alliance, and a southern alliance. In other words, war is coming from the four corners of the earth. These are the subject of many passages in our Bibles. We will deal with the western alliance first in the books of Daniel and Revelation. Daniel 11:36-45 states:

Daniel 11:36-45

36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. 37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. 38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. 39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. 40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. 41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. 44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. 45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

Notice that the Southern armies located in North Africa in Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia will come under attack from the Antichrist who heads up the western alliance. The Antichrist will put those three nations to tribute, but will face an immediate threat from the eastern armies and the northern armies. It seems those threats will cause him to launch massive preemptive strikes that will result in huge numbers of deaths. That is the meaning of the phrase "utterly to make away many" in verse 44. The king of Daniel 11:36 is from the western alliance and is none other than the Antichrist. He will be a man of great military might who honours the God of forces. He will divide the land of Israel for gain. Does the phrase "land for peace deals" mean anything to you? According to Joel 3:2, "land for peace" deals brings God's wrath upon those that participate in them. The king of Daniel 11:36 is that little horn speaking great things against the Most High God of Daniel 7:8 and Daniel 7:25. He is also the king of fierce countenance of Daniel 8:23-25. He is the beast of Revelation 13:1-8 that speaks great things and blasphemies against God. This king will magnify himself above God as Lucifer did in Isaiah 14:14, as the King of Tyrus did in Ezekiel 28:6-9, and as the man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4. Now, turn in your Bibles to 17:3 and Revelation 17:8-18 which says:

Revelation 17:3

3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Revelation 17:8-18

8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. 12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. 14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. 15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

The two legs of the image in Daniel 2 represent the eastern and western divisions of the old Roman empire. The Roman Empire is also represented by the dreadful and terrible beast of Daniel 7:7 and Daniel 7:19. Ten toes sprouted out of the two legs of Nebuchadnezzar's image of Daniel chapter 2. They are represented in Daniel 7:20-24 by ten horns which Daniel tells us are ten kings that come out of the dreadful and terrible beast. When horns are used as symbols in Scripture they almost always represent political powers. That is why both the prophet Daniel and the apostle John said that the ten horns are ten kings. From Daniel 7:24-25, it is obvious that these ten kingdoms arise out of a revived Roman Empire. It is also obvious from these same verses that the Antichrist will rise out of one of these ten kingdoms. Since the Holy Ghost moved the apostle John to pen the Book of Revelation, there has been endless wild speculation about who the ten kings are and what countries they represent. One of the more recent speculations is that the ten nations were made up of the European Union. There is a big problem with that interpretation because as of April 6, 2013 there are 27 member nations of the European Union. It would take volumes to document the historical speculation involving these ten kings and their ten kingdoms. Inquiring minds want to know, but we would be better off stopping the speculation and sticking to the bounds of Scripture. That is why I can honestly tell you that I do not have a specific Scriptural clue who those nations are. The only thing I can conclusively state is that they were at some point a part of the old Roman Empire. The only speculation that exceeds that of the ten kings is that concerning who the Antichrist is and what the mark of the beast is.

The only incident involving what might be called reincarnation in the Bible is authored by Satan just as he is the author of reincarnation in eastern religions such as Hinduism. When Revelation 17:10-11 states: "10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition" it is talking about the reincarnation of "THE SON OF PERDITION" who is none other than Satan incarnate who goeth into perdition. We know from John 17:12 that Judas is referred to as "the son of perdition". We also know from Acts 1:25 that Judas went to "his own place". From 2 Thessalonians 2:3, we know that the Antichrist is referred to as "that man of sin, the son of perdition". Can the Antichrist and Judas be one and the same individual? Can the Antichrist be a resurrected Judas from "his own place"? We think that quite possibly he could be.

Let's look at the phrase "And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition". When speaking of these seven kings, we must remember that our point of reference is the apostle John's day. So, the five kings, or kingdoms, that already have fallen would include Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. The one that is during John's time is Rome. The one that "is not yet come" is the revived Roman Empire that will produce the Antichrist.

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IN JUDGMENT OF EDOM, MOAB, AND AMMON

Now, let's go back and look at Daniel 11:41. The revelation in Daniel 11:41 concerning Edom, Moab, and Ammon seems strange in light of the crushing victories by the western armies of the Antichrist. Why is it and how is it that these small nations of Edom, Moab, and Ammon escape out of the hand of the Antichrist and his armies? We have yet to find a commentator who will attempt to do an in depth Scriptural analysis of the why and how these small nations escape out of the hand of the Antichrist. The keys to answering these questions are contained in Numbers 20:14-
21, Numbers 24:15-20, Deuteronomy 23:3-4, Isaiah 34:1-6, Isaiah 63:1-6, Jeremiah 49:1-2, Jeremiah 49:12-13, Obadiah 1:7-9, Revelation 14:20, and Revelation 19:11-14. Let's turn and read some of those Scriptures so that we can gain insight into the questions before us:

Numbers 20:14-21

14 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us: 15 How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers: 16 And when we cried unto the LORD, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border: 17 Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders. 18 And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. 19 And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet. 20 And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.

Numbers 24:15-20

15 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: 16 He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: 17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. 18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. 19 Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city. 20 And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.

Deuteronomy 23:3-4

3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever: 4 Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.

Isaiah 34:1-6

1 Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it. 2 For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. 3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. 4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. 5 For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment. 6 The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.

Isaiah 63:1-6

1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. 4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. 5 And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. 6 And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.

Jeremiah 49:1-2

1 Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the LORD; Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities? 2 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the LORD.

Jeremiah 49:12-13

12 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it. 13 For I have sworn by myself, saith the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.

Obadiah 7-9

7 All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him. 8 Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau? 9 And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.

Revelation 14:20

20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Revelation 19:11-14

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

We have thus solved an enigma that has puzzled me for years since I first read Daniel 11:41: that enigma being why Moab, Edom, and Ammon were spared from the armies of the Antichrist. The reasons behind it came clear to me this week. Some of the conclusions that we can draw from the above Scriptures that we just read are as follows. If the prophecy of Numbers 24:15-20 is to realize complete fulfillment, then the Lord Jesus Christ will have to smite Moab and Edom. That is yet in the future. According to Genesis 49:10, Numbers 24:17, and Hebrews 1:8, the Lord Jesus Christ is the Star out of Jacob and the Sceptre out of Israel. It also follows that the reason Moab, Edom, and Ammon escape from the Antichrist is because they will be the object of the special wrath of the Lord Jesus Christ. That wrath is the subject of the prophecy of Isaiah 34, Isaiah 63, Jeremiah 49, and Obadiah which we have just read. It also explains why the Lord Jesus Christ comes out of heaven with His vesture already dipped in blood in Revelation 19:13. He has already been to Bozrah in judgment prior to the start of Armageddon so that the events prophesied of in Numbers 24, Isaiah 34, Isaiah 63, Jeremiah 49, and Obadiah can be fulfilled. When the Lord Jesus Christ shows up in Revelation 19:13, those events have already taken place. The reason Edom receives special attention from the Lord Jesus Christ was given in Numbers 20:14-21. The reason the Moab and the Ammon receive special attention from the Lord Jesus Christ was given in Deuteronomy 23:3-4. The doctrine of Balaam is a special object of the wrath of God as evidenced by 2 Peter 2:15, Jude 11, and Revelation 2:14. Couple this with the fact that The Angel of the LORD shows up ten times when dealing with Balaam in Numbers 22 and you can add a prophetic exclamation point to the prophetic events involving Moab and Ammon. The Lord Jesus Christ was there with Balaam. For those of you who have studied the subject throughly, you will know that appearances of The Angel of the LORD are preincarnate appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, if you look a little further into Isaiah 63 (Isaiah 63:9), you will see the Lord Jesus Christ referred to as the angel of his presence! Amazing!

If you would place Moab, Ammon, and Edom on a modern map they would touch the eastern and southeastern shores of the Dead Sea in what we now call Jordan and western Saudi Arabia. In fact, Amman, Jordan takes its name from Ammon. Many folks that study Bible prophecy believe that when Satan is cast down in Revelation 12 that many of the Jewish people will flee to Petra which is a fortress located in what is now Jordan off of the southeastern tip of the Dead Sea.

SERMON NUMBER 11 – THE RESTORATION OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL

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Earlier in this series we have already dealt quite extensively with the role of Israel in Bible Prophecy, but we are going to briefly stop here to discuss the restoration of Israel to the Promised Land. That Israel would be restored to the Promised Land is one of the great subjects of Bible Prophecy. Though the process of the restoration of Ezekiel's vision of "the valley of dry bones" had already been well underway, it became an official international fact in one day on May 14, 1948 when David Ben Gurion issued the official proclamation reestablishing the State of Israel in fulfillment of Isaiah 66:8-14 which says:

Isaiah 66:8-14

8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. 9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God. 10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: 11 That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. 12 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. 13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14 And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.

We rejoice greatly at the restoration of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel. At Hilltop Baptist Church in Newport, Tennessee we are big hearted lovers of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. If you are saved and you are not a lover of the nation of Israel and the Jewish people, then your heart is not right with God. Without the restoration of Israel to the Glorious Promised Land much Bible Prophecy concerning the Gentile nations could not be fulfilled. Deuteronomy chapters 28 through 32 are God's prophetic commentary on the sad history of the nation of Israel. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 deal with the blessings that Israel will enjoy in the land if they will be obedient unto the voice of God. Deuteronomy 28:15-68 deal with the curses that will be upon Israel if they will not harken unto the voice of God. Sadly, for most of the history of the nation of Israel she has been under the curse of God for her disobedience unto God. In Deuteronomy 28:63-64, God warned Israel that He would scatter them among the nations for her disobedience. These verses say:

Deuteronomy 28:63-64

63 And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. 64 And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

In Deuteronomy 29:24-28 we see the amazement of the nations at the wrath of God that was poured out in judgment upon the land of Israel. These verses state:

Deuteronomy 29:24-28

24 Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger? 25 Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt: 26 For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them: 27 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book: 28 And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.

In Deuteronomy 30:1-3, God promises restoration to the land for Israel. God said in these verses:

Deuteronomy 30:1-3

1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.

Ezekiel 20:34, Ezekiel 20:41, and Ezekiel 28:25 also promise a gathering from the scattering of Israel. In a few moments, we will look at Ezekiel 36 which deals with the restoration of Israel to the Promised Land. Before the events of Ezekiel 38 and 39 could take place, Israel had to be restored to the Promised Land contrary to the heresy of Replacement Theology. Replacement Theology states that the church has replaced Israel in God's blessings and in the fulfillment of Bible Prophecy. That is convenient theology for the whore of Revelation 17 and Satan's bride. Replacement Theology comes from the crypts of Roman Catholic and Protestant harlotry and theology. The literal interpretation of the Bible will not lead to Replacement Theology. The Bible demands literal fulfillment of Bible Prophecy. Literal fulfillment is the reason that Replacement Theology is an abomination before God and a slap in the face of God's integrity. Replacement Theology denies that God will do what he has promised to do for the nation of Israel. Replacement Theology makes God a liar. Replacement Theology is the wicked tool that Satan hatefully uses to manipulate worldwide apostate Christianity into persecuting the Jewish people and denying the right of Israel to exist as a nation. Replacement Theology violates every everlasting covenant that God has made with Israel and the Jewish people. The four prophetic covenants under the Abrahamic Covenant that included covenants related to the seed, the land, the throne, and the heart are unconditional, everlasting covenants whose promise is based upon the I WILL of God. They do not depend upon any action or inaction of man for their fulfillment. Therefore, no apostate theologian's Replacement Theology can abrogate those covenants. In terms of God's Biblical plan for the nation of Israel, Replacement Theology was dead on arrival. The promise for the restoration of the nation of Israel is given in Ezekiel 36:16-28:

Ezekiel 36:16-28

16 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 17 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. 18 Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it: 19 And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. 20 And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. 21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. 22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. 23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

So, in these verses we see both the reason for the scattering of the nation of Israel into the nations and the promise of her restoration. How much more so has the United States of America profaned the name of the Lord Jesus Christ through the promotion of the abominations of abortion and sodomy. The United States of America is the recipient of a much larger measure of God's grace than Israel. Abortion is not birth control. Abortion is the Satanic murder of the innocents. Sodomy is not inborn, natural affection. Sodomy is the Satanic perversion of God's gift of sex to mankind. American "Christianity" is not Bible believing Christianity, but is instead self worshipping idolatry. These are the very same sins for which the nation of Israel suffered the wrath of God. Let's continue on with God's promise to restore the nation of Israel.

God further expands upon his promise to restore the nation of Israel in Ezekiel's vision of "the valley of dry bones" in Ezekiel 37:1-28. In Ezekiel 37:1-19, it is shown to be a process where God brings the stick of Joseph, or Ephraim, together with the stick of Judah to make them one stick in his hand. The stick of Joseph represents the ten northern tribes and the stick of Judah represents the two southern tribes. Then God makes the following statement in Ezekiel 37:21-28:

Ezekiel 37:20-28

20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. 21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: 22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: 23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. 24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. 25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

These verses once again emphasize the everlasting nature of the relationship that Israel has with God. These verses also again emphasize the everlasting nature of the Davidic covenant. How a Bible believing Christian can apply these verses to the Church is beyond me unless they have allowed their theology to trump the Word of God. The Church has never been two sticks in the hand of God. The Church is the Bride of Christ. Israel is the bride and wife of God the Father. God the Father put away his wife Israel. The Lord Jesus Christ will never put away his bride. The Church was not birthed or re-birthed from a valley of dry bones. The Church was born in the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, the Church cannot be resurrected from a "valley of dry bones". The Bible believing church has never died and never will because the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church of the living God. The Church is never referred to as Joseph and it is never referred to as Judah. The Church has never been called upon to use carnal weapons of warfare, but Israel has. The weapons of the Church's warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of Satan's strong holds. So, the conclusion must be that Ezekiel chapters 36 and 37 refer to the modern day restoration of Israel and not to the Church. If Ezekiel chapters 36 and 37 do not apply to a literal earthly Israel, then they make absolutely no sense when applied by apostate Anti-Semites to the Church. Therefore they apply to a literal, earthly Israel that is being restored to the Promised Land. There has never been a time in the history of the Church when the members in apostate denominational churches have been more anti Jewish and anti Israel. The reason for that is that our churches are full of unsaved, professing Christians who hate the Jew. If you hate the Jew, then you are not saved. The Lord Jesus Christ was and is a perfect Jew born and raised under God's law given to the Jews. He fulfilled the law because he was a sinless Jew. He was sinless because he was Very God in the flesh. He could not have sinned because He is God.

It is through the restoration of the Jews that the entire world comes under the full blessings of God Almighty. It is this same restored Israel that will come under attack from an alliance of nations commanded by Gog who comes from out of the north to attack Israel either just before, or right at the start, of the Tribulation. That view of the timing of the attack is not accepted by many Bible students. Some believe that the attack by the northern alliance will take place at the mid-point of the Tribulation while others believe that the attack will take place at the end of the Tribulation. The truth of the matter is that an argument can be put forth against either of the positions, but we believe that an attack either at the start of, or just prior to, the Tribulation is the most defensible. We will elaborate further on what we believe the Bible teaches a little later on.

SERMON NUMBER 12 – THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN ALLIANCE

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We now turn to the military alliance commanded by Gog that will enter into that glorious land of Israel from the north. Turn in your Bibles to Ezekiel chapter 38 and let us begin reading in verse 1:

Ezekiel 38:1-23

1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. 7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. 8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. 9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. 10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: 11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, 12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. 13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? 14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? 15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: 16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. 17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? 18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. 19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. 21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. 22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.

We also must remember that all prophecy uses Jerusalem and Israel as the geographic reference point. One of the tasks before us is to identify the nations that were set before us in Ezekiel 38. It is not a task that is without some difficulty and controversy. One of the points of difficulty is the location of Magog, Meshech, and Tubal. We must remember that the locations given in Ezekiel 38 and 39 are geographic reference points and not references to peoples. Some of the lands called out have been conquered and occupied by many different peoples some of whom have moved from their ancient locations in what is now modern Turkey to locations between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and to locations on the northern shores of both the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. During recorded history, there have been at least 38 different ethnic groups that have occupied either all or part of the area under discussion. Some of the major groups that have controlled this area includes the Hittites, the Phyrgians, the Lydians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Assyrians, the Scythians, the Armenians, the Romans, and the Turks to name a few. In terms of today's geography, these lands would include Turkey, the Republic of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. The Republic of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia are sandwiched between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea in what was at one time called Togarmah. Some would even include Ukraine, extreme southern Russia, and Kazakhstan located on the northern shores of the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea within the bounds of the lands described in Ezekiel 38. We would remind you that all of the locations just mentioned are to the north of Israel. Many times we frame our interpretation of Bible Prophecy in terms of current events. That can lead to errors in interpretation if we do not locate the countries under discussion in their ancient geographical context. Most of the older and/or ancient maps that we find depict Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Togarmah, and Gomer inside of an area that includes all of modern Turkey and the land that lies between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. Many Bible students try to follow some of the original inhabitants of Bible lands to their point of migration and end up, for instance, putting Gomer in Germany because it fits a Bible Prophecy viewpoint that they have been taught. That will not work. In Ezekiel 38 and 39, God is not calling out specific ethnic backgrounds, but is instead calling out specific geographic locations. When God calls out specific geographic locations in the Bible, the lands are still where they were when he first identified them though some of the inhabitants may have migrated to other locations or some of the names of the nations may have changed. We said that to say this: Togarmah is identified as being the north quarters. In other words, it was the farthest north extent of Ezekiel chapter 38's boundaries. A look at any ancient map showing Togarmah will reveal that its northern most boundary was located at about the midpoint of the eastern shore of the Black Sea and the midpoint of the western shore of the Caspian Sea in the area of the Caucasus Mountains. There was also a time in ancient history when greater Armenia occupied this same territory. We have not found an older and/or ancient map that locates Meshech and Tubal outside of northern modern day Turkey. Many Bible Prophecy teachers try to make Meshech into Moscow and Tubal into Tobolsk: both of which are in Russia. That mistake is made because many have read Russia into the prophecy of Ezekiel 38 and 39. Many have made that mistake by breaking the rules of transliteration when moving a word from one language to another and in conjunction with breaking that rule they have relied upon the corrupt American Standard (per)Version, the New American Standard (per)Version, and the New King James (per)Version. In these perversions they use the word "Rosh" in Ezekiel 38:2-3 and in Ezekiel 39:1 instead of the phrase "chief prince" as is used in the King James Bible. If you are looking for something to support a "prophetic position" that you hold, it is but a small step from "Rosh" to "Russia". "Russia" is a word that did not enter the English language until late in the eleventh century. Moving from "Rosh" to "Russia" involves a consonant change that violates the rules of transliterating from one language to another. The same type of mistake is made when Meshech is transliterated to Moscow. Given all the information in Ezekiel 38:1-6, we must conclude that Meshech and Tubal can only be located within the boundaries of modern Turkey.

With all that being said, we do not rule out Russia as being a participant in the conflict as a supporting ally, but Russia will not be the instigator of the conflict. The attack in Ezekiel 38 will come from within the borders of modern day Turkey. In other words, Turkey with her allies will instigate the attack. The northwestern border of ancient Persia, or what we know as modern day Iran, butts up to the southeastern border of Turkey. Have any of you noticed the vitriolic Anti-Semitic and anti Israel rhetoric that almost daily spews forth from the Satanic mouths of Recep Erdogan of Turkey and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran?

We also have two nations from North Africa aligned against Israel. These we will call the Southern Alliance. These two nations are Libya and Ethiopia. There is some disagreement as to the location of ancient Ethiopia. Some have placed it in North Africa where Sudan is now located just to the south of Egypt. Still others have placed it in south Saudi Arabia where Yemen and Oman are located. The modern country of Ethiopia is located southeast of Sudan. It is land locked having Somalia and Kenya on its southern border, Eritrea and Djibouti on its eastern border, South Sudan on its western border, and Sudan on its northwestern border.

Both Dedan and Sheba are located in southern Arabia. Tarshish is another story. Some take Tarshish as being Tarsus in southeast Asia Minor in what is now the mid southern coastal area of Turkey. Still others place it in the southern coast of Spain. While it seems that Sheba, Dedan, and Tarshish will protest, it also appears that they will not put up any active resistance.

Many times folks will make the mistake of believing that all wars are about the human desire for power, land, and wealth. They never seem to look for the spiritual motivations behind men's actions. The wars in the Tribulation are motivated by Satan's spiritual warfare against God and his chosen people. Satan seeks the destruction of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. Satan is the founder of all false religions and the father of hatred. False religion and hatred are tools of spiritual warfare that Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet will use in an attempt to destroy Israel. So let's look for the spiritual root that drives the nations in Ezekiel 38-39. What is the common spiritual thread that drives these nations? The answer is, of course, Islam. If you would place all these nations on a modern map and do an analysis of their economic, political, and religious systems, you would find that the common core is Islam. If you want to get a view of the desperate environment that Israel exists in, we would encourage to click on this link to pull up a map that graphically illustrates the plight of the nation of Israel. On the map, the light green areas represent the Sunni Muslims and the dark green areas represent the Shia Muslims. You will see that Israel is represented by a small white dot in a sea of green. The particular map that we refer came from the 2009 CIA World Factbook. The situation has only become worse in 2013. Satan's hatred of Jews, Israel, and Bible believing Christianity is the engine that drives Islam. Do not buy into Satan's lie that it is so-called "radical Islam" that is the source of the problem. That is a lie that pukes forth from the deceived and defiled minds of Western political and religious leaders. It is a stench in the noses of true Bible believing Christians. Islam is radical. The use of the phrase "radical Islam" is the most outrageous form of tautology spewing forth from the spiritually and morally degenerate minds of today's Western political and religious leaders. That includes the United States. Western political and religious leaders have been sent strong delusion and have believed the lie that they can compromise with Islam and ensure their survival. The type of compromise we are talking about is the weak-kneed, unprincipled, fearful run-and-hide response of ungodly and decadent United States political leaders in response to the wickedness and demonic mayhem of Islam. You cannot compromise with the Devil and win. Because America has forsaken God, we have been given a spirit of bondage and fear that we will not recover from without national repentance. Let's return to the Book of Ezekiel chapter 39 and read the whole chapter:

Ezekiel 39:1-29

1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: 3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. 4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. 5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. 6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD. 7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken. 9 And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: 10 So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD. 11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog. 12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. 13 Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD. 14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search. 15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog. 16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land. 17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. 18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. 19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. 20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD. 21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. 22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward. 23 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. 24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them. 25 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; 26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid. 27 When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; 28 Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there. 29 Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

SERMON NUMBER 13 – MORE OF THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN ALLIANCE

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According to Ezekiel 38:16, God will bring the Islamic alliance of Ezekiel 38 against the land of Israel, but it will not be for their victory. Ezekiel 39:2-6 says that it will be a crushing defeat for them resulting in five out of six of them dying on the mountains of Israel at the hands of the Lord God. There will not be any of the world's armies involved in the destruction including Israel's. The destruction is strictly at the hands of God. In Ezekiel 39:8-11 we see Israel taking seven years to destroy and clean up the weapons of the Gog and Magog army. In those verses we also see Israel being rewarded with the spoils from a war they did not even fight! Amazing! According to Ezekiel 39:11-16, the carnage will be so great that it will take seven months for Israel to clean up the stench and bury the bodies of those who die at the hands of the Lord. In Ezekiel 39:17-21 we see the gathering of fowls of the air to feast upon the carnage brought about by the destruction of the northern army. At the end of this great slaughter in Ezekiel 39:22, Israel will realize that the great slaughter came about at the hands of God. In Ezekiel 39:23-29, we see again the reason for Israel's captivity and her restored to fellowship with God.

According to Isaiah 48:11, to pollute the name of the Lord is to give glory unto another. God says in Ezekiel 39:7 that he will not allow His people to pollute His name anymore. Three different times in Ezekiel 20:9, Ezekiel 20:14, and Ezekiel 20:22 God pronounces judgement upon Israel because they had polluted his name. God is jealous for His name. According to Exodus 34:14, God's name is Jealous. Six different times God says He is a jealous God. The name Jesus means "Jehovah saves" , or "Jehovah is salvation". According to Philippians 2:9-10, it is that name that is above every name and the name at which every knee will bow. Philippians 2:8-11 says:

Philippians 2:8-11

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:8-11 is the glorious realization of Exodus 20:7 which says: " Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain".

Let's continue on with the northern alliance. God gives further revelation on the northern alliance in Joel chapter 2 and also in Revelation chapter 9. Turn in your Bibles to Joel chapter 2 and let's read verses 1-20.

Joel 2:1-20

1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. 4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. 5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. 6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. 7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: 8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. 9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. 10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: 11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? 12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: 16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. 17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? 18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. 19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen: 20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.

Revelation 9:1-12

1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. 12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

A detailed analysis of the two passages just read will reveal the many parallels between them. Joel 2:20 ties the verses in Joel chapter 2 to a northern army. Joel 1:4 and Joel 2:25 refer to locusts which tie those verses to Revelation 9:3 and Revelation 9:7 thus connecting the two prophecies together. Joel 2:2, Joel 2:10, and Joel 2:31 describe a day of great darkness while Revelation 9:2 shows the sun and the air darkened by reason of the smoke. Joel 2:8 is paralleled by Revelation 9:6 because in Joel chapter 2 men fall on their swords and will not be wounded while in Revelation chapter 9 men shall seek death and not be able to find it. Both Joel 2:25 and Revelation 9:3 describe a locust army. The Tribulation is a time of supernatural disasters and phenomena. It is a time of darkness where we see the sun darkened as in the Book of Joel. Darkness covers at least parts of the earth in Revelation 6:12 and Revelation 9:2. The Tribulation is a time of massive earthquakes as we see in Joel 2:10, Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8, Luke 21:11, Revelation 6:12, Revelation 8:5, Revelation 11:13, Revelation 11:19, and Revelation 16:18.

The king over this locust army is none other than Satan himself. He is the destroyer known as Abaddon and Apollyon of Revelation 9:11. Satan goes forth to make war against the Lord Jesus Christ, his angels, and his saints in Revelation 6:2, Revelation 11:7, Revelation 12:7, Revelation 12:17, Revelation 13:7, Revelation 17:14, and Revelation 19:19. In the Book of Revelation, Satan is seen as the conqueror, the angel of the bottomless pit, the beast, the dragon, that old serpent, the Devil, and Satan. Satan's religious political agent is the Antichrist. Satan's political religious agent is the False Prophet. Satan has at least 30 different titles in Scripture. In the Tribulation, Satan is the great motivator and controlling influence of all the military might that has as its goal the destruction of Israel, the Jewish people, the Church, and Bible believing Christians. Satan is also the driving influence behind the great alliance of eastern armies that will attack Israel during the Tribulation. That is the topic of our next discussion.

SERMON NUMBER 14 – THE EASTERN ALLIANCE – ARMAGEDDON

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During the Tribulation, there will be an army made up of 200,000,000 men that will come into Israel from the east across the dried up bed of the River Euphrates . This will be the largest army that has ever been assembled. It will culminate in the bloodiest event in human history at Armageddon. Turn in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 9 and let's start reading in verse 13:

Revelation 9:13-19

13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. 18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

Revelation 16:12-16

12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

In these passages, the Bible does not specifically identify who the kings of the east are. Keeping in mind that the Tribulation wars are not about geography, but are instead about the destruction of the nation of Israel, the annihilation of the Jewish people, and the annihilation of Christians, we can look for a common spiritual thread that runs through the nations located to the east of Israel that would drive them to seek the destruction of Israel, the Jews, and Christians. Once again, that common thread is Islam. Islam is Satan's wicked whore and Muhammad is her consort. The vilest forms of Jew hatred spews forth from the hellish Islam that controls most of these nations. These nations would include Kazakhstan with an Islamic population of 8,822,000, Turkmenistan with an Islamic population of 4,757,000, Afghanistan with an Islamic population of 28,072,000, Uzbekistan with an Islamic population of 26,469,000, Tajikistan with an Islamic population of 5,848,000, Kyrgyzstan with an Islamic population of 4,734,000, Pakistan with an Islamic population of 174,082,000, Bangladesh with an Islamic population of 145,312,000, Indonesia with an Islamic population of 202,867,000, parts of India with an Islamic population of 160,945,000, and parts of China with an Islamic population of 21,667,000. As of 2009, these eastern nations had Islamic populations totaling 972,537,000. With Islam being the fastest growing Satanic religion in the world and with four years having elapsed since the last figures were compiled, those numbers have increased significantly. Many of the aforementioned countries have Islamic populations approaching 100%. Notwithstanding China's relatively small Islamic population, there is also the issue of China's critical need for oil and gas which have been discovered in huge quantities in Israeli waters. China's 2012 population figures were 1,344,130,000. Another significant player in this scenario is Russia with an Islamic population of 16,482,000. Russia has been historically Anti-Semitic even without her significant Islamic population. The question that follows from all this information is: "Can these eastern nations raise an army of 200,000,000?". The answer is, yes, of course. Add to all that the fact that the world Islamic population exceeds 1,571,198,000 and from a worldly perspective Israel and the Jews have impossible obstacles to overcome to ensure their survival. Further complicating the scenario for Israel and the Jews is the addition to the mix of the Jew hating Roman Catholic whore and her Protestant harlots. These groups make up another 2,184,060,000 most of whom are nominal professing Christians at best. Then entereth the Lord Jesus Christ and it is all over for the Jew hating Islamic, Roman Catholic, and Protestant devils. Any church or religion that hates the Jew is of the Devil and that especially includes Roman Catholicism and Islam. What we will deal with now is Armageddon.

ARMAGEDDON

Armageddon may be the most talked about future event in world history. It is an almost universally occurring event in all the world's major religions including Islam. The Mahdi is the Islamic messiah that brings death and destruction with him. The Iranian antichrist, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, dreams of the coming of the Islamic antichrist known as the Mahdi. The Mahdi is yet another name for Satan incarnate. The Mahdi and his Armageddon is the greatest desire of the Satanic Iranian Ayatollahs. Armageddon is the battle to end all battles during the Tribulation. It is the last battle before the Gog and Magog battle following the Millennium in Revelation 20:8-9. We are about to read 61 verses that give a very broad overview of the events of Armageddon. Turn in your Bibles to:

Joel 3:1-17
1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. 3 And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. 4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head; 5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things: 6 The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border. 7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head: 8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it. 9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: 10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. 11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. 12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. 13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

Zephaniah 3:8

8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

Zephaniah 3:8 pictures the time of the gathering of the Gentile nations for the judgment of God. God's purpose in gathering the nations is to pour out His indignation and wrath upon the nations. Revelation 14:10 pictures the undiluted wrath of God being poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation. God states that He will devour the earth with the fire of his jealousy. This is an event that takes place during the Tribulation and ends at Armageddon. Armageddon is an event that can be classified as the all time horror of horrors. Words cannot adequately express the carnage that will take place during Armageddon.

In Joel 3:4, Palestine (and Palestina) are seen as the ultimate judgment place for those that hate the Jewish people. Bible believing Christians should never refer to the land of Israel as Palestine. That is not God's name for it. God has chosen Palestine as the place of destruction for the wicked nations that persecute and murder the Jew. Palestine is the graveyard of nations whereas Israel, or Canaan-land, is the place of blessings for the nations. In Exodus 15:14, when the children of Israel entered into Palestina, it brought great fear upon all of its inhabitants. In Isaiah 14:29-32, we see the destruction of the rod of Satan in Palestina. The rod of Satan is none other than the Antichrist. Palestine and Palestina are used only four different times in the Bible and are never used in the context of anything but the destruction of the nations that hate the Jew and Israel.

In Joel 3:1-8, we see the reasons for God's judgment upon the Gentile nations. Three major reasons are set forth in these verses for the judgement of the Gentile nations. These reasons are: (1) they drove the Jewish people out of the land of Israel and divided (parted) the land of Israel among themselves. (2) They sold the Jewish people into slavery. (3) They stole the holy things of God for display in their temples. For a nation to seek to divide the land of Israel in "land for peace deals", is to seek national and spiritual destruction at the hands of God. In other words, it is national suicide. The place of the nations' judgment is stated to be at Jerusalem in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat literally means "Jehovah judges". The Valley of Jehoshaphat is thought to be the deep ravine which separates Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives through which the Kidron River flowed. In Joel 3:8, we see that the nations are delivered into the hands of the children of Judah. The Gentiles are issued a call to war by God in Joel 3:9-16. The plowshares and pruning hooks are symbols of peace while the swords and spears are symbols of war. The Valley of Jehoshaphat is seen to be full of multitudes of people. According to Joel 2:10 and Joel 3:15, the judgment takes place during great earthquakes and great darkness. Turn in your Bibles to the Book of Zechariah. Let's read Zechariah 12:2-6:

Zechariah 12:2-6

2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. 3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. 4 In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. 5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God. 6 In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.

Zechariah 12:2-3 states that there would come a time when Jerusalem will have become a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone to all the nations of the world. That time has been upon us since the wonderful day of May 14, 1948 when David Ben Gurion issued the formal declaration reestablishing the nation of Israel. Hallelujah! Since that time, Israel has become an hearth of fire in the hands of God to all the nations that surround her. From 1967 through 1989, out of 865 resolutions in the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, 526 were against Israel. That means that 61% of their resolutions were in condemnation of Israel! That makes Israel a burdensome stone to the nations with exclamation points!! So, what does the Bible say about the so-called "Palestinians". The bidding of the Bible is that the nations of the world will come into Palestine for their destruction. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Since the nation of Israel was reconstituted on May 14, 1948, she has constantly been at war with those warmongering, "peace loving" Muslims. Since the official proclamation reestablishing the nation of Israel she has been involved in 11 (eleven) major wars and/or conflicts up to an including the 2012 Pillar Of Defense Operation. These wars and conflicts included the 1948 War Of Independence, the 1956 Egyptian Suez War, the 1967 Six Day War, the 1967-1970 War Of Attrition, the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the 1982-1985 Lebanon War, the 1988-1992 Palestinian Intifada, the 2000-2005 Palestinian War, the 2006 Lebanon War, the 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead War, and the 2012 Operation Pillar Of Defense War. None of these wars was started by any act of war by the nation of Israel. I have come to call all that advocate and follow Satan's Islamic whore "Satan's Swine". Islam is an unclean thing in the hands of Satan. To seek compromise with Islam is to seek and grovel after destruction and ungodliness. For any professing Christian to advocate for the so-called Palestinians, is to show a Biblical illiteracy that leads to willful spiritual blindness and the wrath and judgment of God. The God of Islam is yet another of Satan's reincarnations of the Old Testament Baal. Elijah the prophet said, "How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.". There is a deafening silence in unbelieving American Christianity. The spirit of fear of Islam has gripped our nation. The spirit of fear and bondage has gripped this ungodly nation of America and its mostly unsaved people. Jehu the prophet said to King Jehoshaphat, "Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD". How long will weak kneed Christians stand by and not defend Israel from the onslaught of Satan. Professing Christianity's compromise with Satan's spies and lies will lead to their destruction.

SERMON NUMBER 15 – THE CONCLUSION OF ARMAGEDDON

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Zechariah 12 lays God's groundwork for the events of Zechariah 14:1-15 which read:

Zechariah 14:1-15

1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. 6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: 7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. 8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. 10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. 11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. 12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. 13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. 14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. 15 And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.

Zechariah 14:1-15 presents one of the most gruesome scenes in Scripture. These verses mark the end of the "times of the Gentiles". In verses 1 and 2, the Lord Jesus Christ has gathered all the nations against Jerusalem where he will fight against them with the sword of His mouth. The burdensome stone of Zechariah 12:3 has become the millstone of destruction about the necks of those nations that hate God and the Jew. They will drown in a sea of their own blood and be cast into hell in fulfilment of Psalm 9:17 and Matthew 25:31-46 which we will deal with soon. In Zechariah 12:4, the Lord Jesus Christ has set his feet upon the Mount of Olives causing the land to split into a huge east to west valley creating a North Mount of Olives and a South Mount of Olives. In doing so, the Lord Jesus Christ has come to take dominion of the works of His creation in fulfillment of Psalm 8:6 followed by the judgment of the nations in Psalm 9. Verse 5 tells us we will see a giant earthquake like the Middle East has never seen. This is an event that takes place at the Second Coming, or in other words, the Second Advent, of the Lord Jesus Christ and sees its ultimate fulfillment in Revelation 19:11-21. In Zechariah 14:12-15, we see the gruesome sight of men's and animal's flesh and eyeballs consuming away as they stand upon their feet. The only weapon of war known to man that can cause this type of death is nuclear weapons.

Revelation 14:14-20

14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. 17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. 19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

The Son of man in verse 14 is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. What we have in Revelation 14 is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ reaping the earth in judgment. This reaping may well be in part that by the Lord Jesus Christ in Isaiah 34:2-3 and Isaiah 63:3 which say:

Isaiah 34:2-3

2 For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. 3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.

Isaiah 63:3

3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.

The picture in Revelation 14:20 is not one of bloodshed just in the area of Armageddon. It is shown to be throughout Israel because it is spread out over a distance of about 200 miles which is roughly the length of Israel. This proves that the battle of Armageddon is but the final battle in an extended series of battles in an all out war that engulfs all of Israel. What we have is Satan's final attempt to destroy the land that brought forth the man child and that land is Israel. Israel is personified by that sun clothed woman with the moon beneath her feet and a crown of twelve stars in Revelation 12:1 and Genesis 37:9 (Joseph is the twelfth star.). Turn in your Bibles to Revelation 16:12-16 where it is written:

Revelation 16:12-16

12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

We have already discussed the armies described in these verses on page 54 of this series. (This discussion is located here). What we did not talk about is the deception of the Satanic trinity which we will briefly mention here since we are going to do a series on the unholy trinity. The three unclean spirits are none other than Satan as the dragon, the Antichrist as the beast, and the False Prophet as the deceiving spirit. This will be in fulfillment of Matthew 24:24, Mark 13:22, 2 Thessalonians 2:7-10, and Revelation 13:13-14. These Scriptures state:

Matthew 24:24

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Mark 13:22

22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-10

7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Revelation 13:13-14

13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

There is already in our day a spirit of deception that dominates apostate American Christianity. That spirit is rooted in and feeds off of unbelief. That unbelief is also rooted in wicked churches that are chock-full of unsaved, professing Christians who are being blown about by every wind of false doctrine. These wicked churches are also overflowing with Anti-Semitic, Jew hating devils posing as professing Christians. Unbelief is always looking for a sign and a wonder and Satan is more than happy to accommodate unbelief with a false sign and a false wonder. The Pentecostal/Charismatic movement in the world's churches has been the willing victim of much of Satan's deception. As deceived as these churches are, they have not seen anything like the deception that will take place during the Tribulation. It will be a worldwide false signs and wonders movement accompanied by miracles that will lead unsaved, professing Christians to take the mark of the beast. Unbelief will always accept a sign instead of believing the word of God. Satan pushes signs, wonders, and miracles. God demands faith in the Word of God to prove that which is of God. If I have an uncompromising belief in the Word of God, then I am much less likely to receive a lying and deceiving spirit. The apostle John said in 1 John 4:1: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world". It will be the spirit of devils working miracles that will draw the armies of the world to Armageddon for their destruction. None of this comes as a surprise to God because the Holy Ghost prophesied through Paul the coming of a great falling away in 1 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Timothy 3:1-9, 2 Timothy 4:1-
4, and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. God the Holy Ghost also prophesied of this great apostasy through Peter in 2 Peter 2:1-10. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself spoke of this great falling away in Matthew 24:24, Mark 13:22, and Luke 21:8. Now, let's look at the final Scripture passage dealing with the wars of the Tribulation. Turn in your Bibles to Revelation 19:11-21:

Revelation 19:11-21

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

The first appearance of a white horse in Revelation has the Antichrist as its rider. The rider of the second white horse is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the greatest Faithful and True warrior to ever live. He leads the greatest calvary the world has ever known. This is the calvary of the saved saints of the Living God, who is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The saints ride upon white horses clothed in fine linen uniforms that are white and clean because they have been washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! The whiteness of the garments is the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is called the Word of God. There is great power in His words for He spoke the world into existence and He will speak the armies of this world into destruction. The sharp and two-edged sword is the Word of God. He, the Word of God, will rule the world with a rod of iron in fulfillment of Psalm 2:9, Revelation 2:27, Revelation 12:5, and Revelation 19:15. He will rule the world as KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. The Lord Jesus Christ has prepared a great feast for the vultures of the air. They will feast upon all the wicked dead including their political and military leaders. At the end of this great battle of Armageddon, the beast and the false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

SERMON NUMBER 16 – A SUGGESTED ORDER OF EVENTS

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We have talked a lot in this Bible Prophecy series about the Gentile nations and Israel. The question arises as to the sequence of events leading to the end of the "times of the Gentiles". We will attempt to deal with that issue briefly here.

What follows below is a suggested order of events from now to eternity:

1.	The world will see the rise of the Antichrist out of the revived Roman Empire. The Antichrist is the little horn of Daniel 7:8, the king of fierce countenance from Daniel 8:23, the prince that shall come of Daniel 9:26, the willful king of Daniel 11:36, the conqueror on the white horse in Revelation 6:2, and the beast of Revelation 13:1-10

2.	According to Isaiah 28:15 and Daniel 9:27, the Antichrist will make a peace treaty with Israel confirming the land guarantee of the Abrahamic Covenant. This covenant will be made right at the start of the Tribulation.

3.	Israel will be attacked from the south and the north in fulfillment of Ezekiel 38 and 39, Joel 2:1-20, and Revelation 9:1-12.

4.	In Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, the world will see the destruction of Israel's enemies on the mountains of Israel at the hands of God. What is obvious to all Bible students is that the events described in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 have not taken place in the history of Israel and therefore remain to be fulfilled. There has been much discussion on the timing of the events in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. Some hold that they take place at the start of the Tribulation while others believe that they take place at about the midpoint of the Tribulation. Yet another group holds that they take place at the end of the Tribulation. Using Revelation 20:7-9 as the basis for their argument, some even hold that the events take place following the Millennium. The Gog and Magog war of Revelation 20 cannot be the Gog and Magog war of Ezekiel 38 and 39 because the details are entirely different. In Ezekiel 38 and 39 a northern army has all but one-sixth of its troops destroyed and fed to the vultures on the mountains of northern Israel whereas in Revelation 20 the armies are said to come from the four corners of the earth and be devoured by fire sent down from heaven by God. Any explanation that puts the events of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 any later than at the start, or near the start of the Tribulation will not stand the test of Ezekiel 38:11 which sees Israel dwelling at rest in safety. The period of the Tribulation is seen as a time of wars and rumours of wars by the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:6. It is neither a time of rest or safety. In fact it is referred to as the "Time Of Jacob's Trouble" in Jeremiah 30:7. Another complication for those who see the Ezekiel 38 and 39 battle as taking place at either the end or the mid point of the Tribulation is that if that is so, then the be the seven year cleanup operation required by Ezekiel 39:9 will overlap both the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ and the first 3½ to seven years of the Millennium. That is not consistent with the pristine conditions described for the Millennium by other passages of Scripture. Another complication for those who see the Ezekiel 38 and 39 invasion as happening at the end of the Tribulation is the seven months required by Ezekiel 39:14 for the burial of the bodies would run seven months into the Millennium. Again, that is not consistent with the pristine conditions described for the Millennium by other passages of Scripture. All that being said, we believe that a scenario that puts the Ezekiel 38 and 39 invasion at the start of the Tribulation makes for the least amount of complication. Another question that comes into play in this discussion is this: what drastic event leads Israel to make that seven year covenant with the Antichrist described in Daniel 9:27 and Isaiah 28:15-18? We believe that the Ezekiel 38 and 39 invasion will motivate Israel to sign a seven year peace treaty with the forces of the Antichrist. The Antichrist will break that covenant at the mid-point of the Tribulation. For a more detailed analysis of the pros and cons for the different positions on the timing of the events of Ezekiel 38 and 39 we recommend reading pages 346-355 of Dwight Pentecost's book "Things To Come". While we disagree with his conclusions, he presents some very good analysis of the different positions.

5.	Then the world will see threats to Israel coming out from the east and the north as stated in Daniel 11:44 which says:

Daniel 11:44

44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.

6.	Then the world will see the Antichrist come to power as prophesied in Daniel 11:45 which reads:

Daniel 11:45

45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

7.	Then, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, the Antichrist will set himself up as God in the temple of God. Here is what these verses state:

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

8.	Then, according to Daniel 9:27 and Revelation 12:7-17, the Antichrist will break the covenant with Israel at the mid-point of the Tribulation when Satan is cast down to the earth.

Daniel 9:27
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Revelation 12:7-17

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

This will be a time when the Satanic trinity will be operating in full force upon the face of this earth. It will be a time of wickedness and deception like the world has never seen with Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet prosecuting their war of hatred and extermination against all the children of God and the nation of Israel. This events will end in Revelation 19.

The events that we have just been describing roughly parallel those in Revelation 6:1-17 and Matthew 24:4-30

Revelation 6:1-17

1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. 3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. 5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. 7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. 9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. 12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Matthew 24:4-30

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great Tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 29 Immediately after the Tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

In reading the verses of Matthew 24 and Revelation 6 you should pick up on many similar events. Putting the verses in Revelation 6 up side by side with Matthew 24 we see the following parallels. In Matthew 24:4-5 and Revelation 6:1-2, we see the rise of the false Messiah, or the Antichrist with the opening of the first seal. In Matthew 24:6-7 and Revelation 6:3-4, we see wars with the opening of the second seal. In Matthew 24:7 and Revelation 6:5-6, we see famines with the opening of the third seal. In Matthew 24:7 and Revelation 6:7-8, we see pestilences with the opening of the fourth seal. In Matthew 24:8-28 and Revelation 6:9-11, we see martyrdoms with the opening of the fifth seal. In Matthew 24:29-30 and Revelation 6:12-17, we see signs in the heavens of the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ with the opening of the sixth seal. The sixth seal does not actually mark the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. It just gives the signs of his return. Following the return of the Lord Jesus Christ in Revelation 19, we will see the judgment of the nations. Prior to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ the nation of Israel will have already been judged by the events of the Tribulation. Now, let us look at the Judgment of the nations.

SERMON NUMBER 17 – THE JUDGEMENT OF THE NATIONS AND

THE GENTILE NATIONS IN THE MILLENNIUM

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THE JUDGEMENT OF THE NATIONS

Turn in your Bibles to Daniel 12:1 where it is written:

Daniel 12:1

1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Matthew 24:21

21 For then shall be great Tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

In Daniel 12:1 the "children of thy people" is tha nation of Israel. Daniel speaks of a time of trouble like the world has never seen. During this period of time, all the nations of the world including Israel will be judged. The Lord Jesus Christ quotes Daneil 12:1 in Matthew 24:21 in describing the coming Tribulation. A time of horrible carnage and death is described in Revelation 19:17-18, Psalm 110:5-
6, Ezekiel 39:2, Revelation 9:18, and Zecahriah 13:8-9. Now, let's go read those verses.

Revelation 19:17-18

17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

Psalm 110:5-6

5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. 6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.

Ezekiel 39:2

2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:

Revelation 9:18

18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

Zechariah 13:8-9

8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

What is shocking in these numbers is the percentages of those who die. In Ezekiel 39:2 five out of six of those involved in the attack upon Israel die at the hands of God on the mountains of Israel. From Revelation 9:18, we see that there will be at least 67 million deaths which would be one-third of a 200 million man army. Zechariah 13:8-9 tells us that two out of every three Israelis will die. All of this carnage will be followed by the judgment of nations in Matthew 25:31-46. This judgment is the subject of Psalm 9:7-8 and Psalm 9:17. Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 9.

Psalm 9:7-8

7 But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. 8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

Psalm 9:17

17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

God fills in the details of the judgment of Psalm 9 in Matthew 25:31-46 where he describes the basis and end result of this judgment. Lets go look at those verses.

Matthew 25:31-46

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

What we see described here is called the "Throne Of Glory Judgment". It is not to be confused with the "Judgment Seat Of Christ" or the "Great White Throne Judgment". The "Judgment Seat Of Christ" and the "Great White Throne Judgment" are judgments of individuals whereas the "Throne Of Glory Judgment" is a judgment of the nations. Only saved people are judged before the "Judgment Seat Of Christ" . Only lost people are judged before the "Great White Throne Judgment". Only nations are judged at the "Throne Of Glory Judgment". Whether a person goes to the "Great White Throne Judgment" or the "Judgment Seat Of Christ" is based upon whether they received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour in this life. There are no second chances. There is no purgatory. Unbelievers will be brought up out of hell, judged, and given different degrees of punishment based upon their works as recorded in Revelation 20:11-15. Following the "Great White Throne Judgment", unbelievers will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Believers will be taken up in the catching away of the saints and appear before the "Judgment Seat Of Christ" and be judged for reward. The "Judgment Seat Of Christ" is described in Romans 14:10, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, and 2 Corinthians 5:10. The believers entry into heaven is based entirely upon whether they have received the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in redeeming them. The "Judgment Seat Of Christ" and the "Great White Throne Judgment" take place in heaven. The "Throne Of Glory Judgment" takes place on the earth.

We see the "Throne Of Glory" in Matthew 25:31. According to Matthew 25:32, those judged at the "Throne Of Glory" will be all the nations of the world. So, it is a national judgment. The basis for this judgment is how the nations have treated Israel and the Jew as stated in Matthew 25:40 and Joel 3:2. Joel 3:2 says:

Joel 3:2

2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

According to Matthew 25:34 and Matthew 25:41, every nation that blessed Israel and the Jew will enter into the Millennial Kingdom and every nation that cursed the nation of Israel will be cast into hell in fulfillment of Genesis 12:3 which states:

Genesis 12:3

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

If you will reread Joel 3:2 you will see that ultimately the curse is based upon the nations abusing the Jew and dividing the land of Israel. Again, at the end of the "Throne Of Glory Judgment", those Gentile nations that blessed the Jew will enter into the Millennial Kingdom.

THE GENTILE NATIONS IN THE MILLENNIUM

We are going to make some brief comments about the Gentiles in the Millenium then we are going to close out our sermon series on the Gentile nations by quoting several passages of Scripture. Luke 21:24 says:

Luke 21:24

24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

The "Throne Of Glory Judgment" marks the end of the "Times of the Gentiles" identified in Luke 21:24. Matthew 25:34 clearly states that this does not mean the end of all Gentile nations. What happens is that the nation of Israel will again become the chief of nations with the Lord Jesus Christ rukling and reigning in Jerusalem on the everlasting throne of David. Now let us briefly look at the Gentile nations in the Millennium. Turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 60 and let us begin reading.

Isaiah 60:1-14

1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. 6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD. 7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. 8 Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? 9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. 10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. 11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. 12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. 13 The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious. 14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Zechariah 14:16-21

16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. 18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 20 In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

Micah 4:1-5

1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. 5 For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

This ends our series on the Gentile nations. We will get into the details of the Millennium in much greater depth at some point in the future. We thank you for joining us in this series.