Sermon Text And Outlines - Tomahawk Missionary Baptist Church

4/12/2026

John 10:1-5 How To Recognize a False Shepherd

Intro: They say to recognize a counterfeit bill you have to know what a real bill looks like intimately! You don’t study fakes….. you study the real! We are fooled and tricked everyday by fakes. Ai is so good today that you cannot tell a real person from an AI on a video. Liars always tell you just enough truth to hide the lie. Rat poison is 99% nutritious! And some liars just tell lies so big that it just has to be true! How can you recognize false teachers and preachers in these days of AI and such good deceivers out there? It’s really very simple.

False Shepherds

John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Jesus said, “I am telling you the truth: the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up from some other place [on the stone wall], that one is a thief and a robber.

A thief steals in secret at night. A robber steals from you in broad daylight. Some fake Shepherds sneak in and tell you what you want to hear and then subtly sneak a little lie here and a little untruth there.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: Big difference between Jesus and the Gospel and all religions. All religions come to steal, Kill and destroy. That is the agenda of ALL religions.

Some fake shepherds are just blatant liars. Such as Joseph Smith, Mohammed, Charles Russell and many other false teachers who just make up something led by a demonic spirit and go with it. And it is so outrageous that it has to be true Right?

John 10:12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. False shepherds only are their for the money or how they can use the flock for their own advantage. They don’t warn the sheep about wolves. So many pastors today are just plain Lazy about studying the Bible. You can’t warn the sheep if you don’t have your mind on the word of God. Most pastors today get their sermons from AI or use a sermon online word for word. Why? Because they don’t study. They don’t care about feeding the sheep. They don’t care about warning the sheep because they don’t care about the sheep.

When you preach the Bible you crowd will shrink. If you let people control your service you know what gets crowded out? Preaching the word of God. We come to worship God and to share His word. Worship is important. God deserves our worship in song and testimony. You know how to best worship God? By proclaiming His word. That shows our faith in Him. We proclaim our trust in His word. We testify to the whole world, that we believe what our God says. That is true worship! 7:00

John 10:13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. They love power and authority and they don’t care about the sheep or what happens to the sheep. When the going gets tough they leave the sheep to the wolves.

Many pastors today are simply hirelings. They hate their job. They hate their congregations. The people in their church are just problems to them. Do you think I care about you? How do you know that I care about you? I warn you! I exhort you! I give God’s word to you! that’s how you know that I care for you!

False Shepherds 2. The True Shepherd

John 10:2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The man who goes in through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep [the protector and provider].

The true shepherd comes in to the door. The false shepherd sneaks in. What is the door? John 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. A true shepherd has come through the door of faith and trust in Jesus Christ. He is a saved man. He is a true follower of Jesus Christ.

John 10:3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him; the sheep hear his voice as he calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. The doorkeeper opens [the gate] for this man, and the sheep hear his voice and pay attention to it. And [knowing that they listen] he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out [to pasture].

One way to look at verse three is that Jesus is of course the Shepherd. The porter or the doorkeeper is the under shepherd. The pastor of this certain flock. Jesus knows His sheep by name. That’s you. Jesus leads His sheep. The under shepherd welcomes the Lord and encourages the flock to follow the true Shepherd. Everything He does is point the flock to the true shepherd. A true pastor is always pointing his flock to Jesus Christ. He does not brag on himself or lift up himself but he points people to Jesus! The true and only Shepherd. That is the under Shepherds only job.

John 10:4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. When he has brought them out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. When he has brought all his own sheep outside, he walks on ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice and recognize his call.

I love verse four. We follow Jesus. We keep Him in sight. Sheep always knew where the shepherd was. Sheep are defenseless. They are dumb. They are prone to wander off and get eaten by wolves. 14:00

Jesus leads His flock. He doesn’t push them or shove them or force them. You can’t force someone to love you. You can make someone follow you if you chain them or tie them to you. But you can’t make someone care about you. By their fruit you shall know them. A person who is following Jesus acts like the person they follow and are devoted to. If people don’t act like Jesus …..they are following someone else. That’s as plain as I can get.

Our job as sheep and under shepherds is to follow Jesus. Keep our eyes on the prize. We as sheep have one job as followers of Jesus… Philippians 3:13 but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. We press on, we keep looking forward. We keep on keeping on and keep our eyes on Christ who is before us all the time.

1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Jesus is the chief Shepherd. The true Shepherd. The one that cares for you and loves you and gave His life for you. He is going to appear one day. You will see Him face to face one day. If He is your shepherd…your chief Shepherd…in other words…Christ is your life….you will receive a crown of glory. Crowns are not only for under shepherds but also for everyone who is faithful to Jesus in following Him.

That’s why it’s important Christian to follow Him now! Faithfulness to Him gets you rewarded in heaven. Do you want to expect your boss to give you a reward for having done just enough to barely get by? Or do you want to hear that you have pleased your employer and get rewarded and praised? It’s your choice Christian. Your salvation is assured. Your crown is earned by faithfulness!

False Shepherds 2. The True Shepherd 3. True Sheep Know The Shepherd

John 10:5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. They will not follow someone else; instead, they will run away from such a person, because they do not know his voice.” They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. A person who knows you is hard to fool. Could a person fake your mother and fool you? I doubt it! A person who walks with Jesus each day in Bible reading prayer and fellowship with a good church is impossible to fool with “another Jesus.”

Psalm 23 The Lord is MY shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. ...The Lord is the GOOD shepherd. He comes to give life and life everlasting and full of Joy!

The good Shepherd leads in righteousness not evil. Yes bad things happen to us in a fallen world but we always have Jesus to get us through all our troubles. Not around them, not over them or under them…but through them. The best soldiers face the enemy head on. The only way to have victory is the face our enemy head on and trust the Lord for victory!

He is MY shepherd. It’s a personal relationship with God through faith and trust in 21:00

Jesus Christ.

How do I know….. that I know Jesus? It’s very simple. Jesus sheep follow Him. What does that mean? Psalm 23:3 he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Jesus good Shepherd leads us in righteousness not evil.

Jesus leads us to do what He would do. Jesus does good. He does not chase after sin. Now we cannot be perfect because we still have this sinful flesh. But you don’t love sin anymore. You may sin but you hate it. You repent of it. If you are habitually sinning and have no desire to read the Bible or pray or be around other Christians you are following another Jesus. Your own personal Jesus not the one in the Bible.

False Shepherds 2. The True Shepherd 3. True Sheep Know The Shepherd

How To Recognize A False Shepherd

Hebrews 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant. The Blood of Jesus Christ has saved us. False shepherds don’t talk about the blood of Jesus Christ. I read where a famous actor said he followed Jesus because he liked the way He talked about love. God doesn’t want us to “like” Jesus. Everybody “likes” Jesus. Every false religion “likes” Jesus. But are you trusting in Jesus as your Savior and following Him as the Shepherd of your soul? The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. We need a Savior not another person to “like.”

John 10:10 …….I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Jesus wants to give us abundant life even here on the earth. He gave His life to save us from our sins but He also wants you to have a great life here and into eternity. When you trust your life to the one who loves you…..you have no fear of death, hell and the grave! So what else matters but that! My peace I give unto you, My peace I leave with you. 28:04

4/5/2026

Isaiah 26:19 Dead Men Shall Live Again Part Two

Intro: Today we are celebrating Resurrection day. When our Lord overcame death, hell and the grave and He lives and He lives today! Today we will look resurrection. We know that there are five resurrections in the Bible. It never hurts to go over these again and again.

Jesus Christ the first

Acts 26:23 that the Messiah must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead,

The Church At Rapture

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will 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.

The Tribulation Saints At His Second Coming and the end of the Tribulation.

Revelation 20:4-5 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years……

The Old Testament Saints At His Second Coming and the end of the Tribulation

Daniel 12:2 And many of them (children of thy people– Israel) that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

The Great White Throne And Millennial Saints resurrected after the Millennium

Revelation 20:5 ……But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. (The Unbelievers)

Last week we looked at……

According to the Bible Dead Men Shall Live
The Bible is Clear that The Dead Bodies Will Awaken

Today we will look at……

The Bible Says that We Will Rise Again

Lets pick up with Isaiah 26:19……and the earth shall cast out the dead. So the Lord will revive those who have long been dead. Israel would be like a nation risen from the grave. The earth will cast out all the dead. This is in preparation for the new heaven and the new earth. During the millennium, the one thousand year reign of Christ…some will die. Many will die during the final rebellion of Satan after He is loosed from the pit after a thousand years.

Everyone is going to be raised from the dead. We are human made in the image of God. God made us eternal creatures. We have an eternal soul….that essence of you…your 9:00 personality, your quirks, your talents, your abilities. And He made you an eternal spirit. That is the part of us that lives forever. God in His goodness puts us in a body fit for us and our soul and Spirit. This one we have now is fallen, cursed to die. The Bible calls it the flesh. That part of us that is dying and fallen and sinful.

We have a sinful nature in our soul and spirit also. We are fallen. We are curses with Adams sin. We need to be made new. Born again the Bible calls it. When we are born again by faith and trust in Jesus Christ God gives us a new heart, God puts His Spirit within us. Our soul and Spirit is made new. But these old bodies of flesh have to go. They are not fit for eternal life. That is why we die. These sinful bodies are useless in heaven. That’s why we get a new Body. Jesus is the first to get a new resurrection body.

That’s why He rose again. That’s why we will follow Him in a bodily resurrection. If Jesus had not risen we would of all people be most miserable. John 14:19 9 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. WE will live again! Yes you and me! We wer dead in trespasses and sins. Now we have a hope that endures. We have a hope that is sure. And it’s all based in Jesus Christ.

Job 14:14 If a man die shall He live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Jesus changed. He put away His human flesh. He died and rose again. We celebrate that today. We rejoice in that today. The answer to that question from Job is answered in Jesus Christ. We can live because He lives. John 14:19 Because I live ye shall live also. What a promise! A promise that He cannot break and will not break. God cannot lie. God does not change. He will not change in His love for you and me! It’s not what I have done…..but What Jesus Christ did for me and you!

Let me share some other verses you will enjoy this morning….

John 6:39-40 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. We Talked about a few OT passages about the resurrection. The NT is packed with resurrection passages. Jesus says here that He will raise us up at the last day….what day is that? Generally the last day is when the Lord Jesus comes to judge the world. But actually there are two last days. One for the church and one for the OT saints and Tribulation saints.

God will raise the church up at the rapture. That is our last day. And God will raise the OT saints up and the tribulation saints at the end of the seven year tribulation that is their last day.

John 10:27-28 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Because Jesus lives we shall all live that have faith in Him. We are promises eternal life by our Lord Jesus. We shall never perish! That means we go from death in this body to life everlasting immediately! We pass from death unto life! 18:00

Romans 8:28-30And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

God has predetermined that all those who trust in Jesus will be like Him! We are already made in the image of God. Jesus is the first fruit, the first born to a resurrection life. And it is already determined, already assured that we who answered the call to salvation He will make us just as if we had never sinned, and glorify us with His Son. We will share in the glory of Christ!

Hebrews 7:15-16 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, 16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. Jesus is the power behind our endless life. His life is endless so He is the power behind eternal life! If anything happens to Jesus we are cooked! He is our life! Our very source of being is in Him! The power of an endless life….How much power is that? We cannot even imagine that!

Psalm 110:4 The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. God swears and will not change this……..Jesus Christ is our high priest forever. We are priests of the Lord Jesus forever and ever! What does that mean? We no longer need as priest to go to God for us….Jesus has torn down the veil that separated us from God….now we all can have direct access to God through our great high Priest Jesus Christ!

Physically we will serve our Lord forever as His priests! We will do service for the Lord Jesus full of joy and purpose. We will never fail Him again!

According to the Bible Dead Men Shall Live
The Bible is Clear that The Dead Bodies Will Awaken
The Bible Says that We Will Rise Again

Dead Men shall Live Again Part Two

The dead in Christ shall rise first. We are dead in trespasses and sins. Can these dead bones live? Yes they can! And they will! All those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ will live again! The dead will live too. There is the wicked dead who will be raised to eternal torment and separation from God. Which would you rather have? Well I don’t believe all of this…..Let met challenge you…….I challenge you to ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you. The Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I WILL answer thee….and SHOW THEE great and mighty things which thou knowest not. Do you have the courage to do that? Your life depends upon it. 28:04

3/29/2026

Isaiah 26:19 Dead Men Shall Live Again Part One

Intro: In one week we will be celebrating Resurrection day. When our Lord overcame death, hell and the grave and He lives and He lives today! Today we will talk about Resurrection. We know that there are five resurrections in the Bible.

Jesus Christ the first

Acts 26:23 that the Messiah must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead,

The Church At Rapture

3. The Tribulation Saints At His Second Coming and the end of the Tribulation.

The Old Testament Saints At His Second Coming and the end of the Tribulation

Daniel 12:2 And many of them (children of thy people– Israel) that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Clearly this is at the end of the tribulation for thy people are delivered from a time of trouble like never before. The “everlasting contempt” are resurrected at the end of the Millennium according to Revelation 20:5 and 7-14 ……But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. The Unbelievers)

The Great White Throne And Millennial Saints resurrected after the Millennium

Revelation 20:5 ……But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. (The Unbelievers)

According to the Bible Dead Men Shall Live

Isaiah 26:19 Thy dead men shall live……. Those of our people who have died will live again!

Isaiah is addressing his faithful followers and assures them that their dead will rise in the resurrection. Job 19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Daniel 12:2 . Isaiah is confident in the resurrection.

There isn’t a lot of resurrection passages in the Old Testament. It is more about Israel and their history than any specific doctrines. There is plenty of evidence in the OT that there is a resurrection of the dead though. Ezekiel 37:4-6 where the dry bones come back to life…this is also a reference to the nation of Israel coming back to their land in the last days. That is a type of resurrection. Hosea 13:14 I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. God will redeem or bring us back from death.

Another passage that references Israel coming back to life. Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces. 8:00

Psalm 16:10-11 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. This passage is a prophecy of the resurrection of Jesus. But it pertains to all of God’s people. David said his dead son could not come back to him but he would go to where his son is…. The book of Job in 14:14 asks the question If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. A change is coming. The negro spiritual says. Our change is coming one days sooner than later!

Isaiah 26:19 ……together with my dead body shall they arise……

Isaiah says his body will rise and those of his people will come back to life. All those in the grave will wake up. The new Testament calls death for the believe “sleep.” The body sleeps while the soul and spirit is with the Lord. This should give us incredible hope and comfort in our own lives and mortality. All will die…..unless Jesus comes for His bride the church…But more on that later….

Yes….The Bible is a resurrection book. But also the Bible is a book about death. This is truth. The body dies and decays and goes back to dust. The Bible an instruction book on preparing to die. Dead men……men die. The wages of sin is death. man is given 70 years on this earth and some may live to 80 the Bible says. That is not the rule…. but the possibility that we might live to 80 or beyond but we are not promised anything beyond today.

This prophecy from Isaiah is specifically prophesying that the nation, the land of Israel would live again after Babylonian captivity. Israel is God’s billboard of what He is going to do for His church. He brought Israel from a great and mighty nation…..to a time of that the land was full of dust and briars….He brought them back from briars and dust into a great and mighty nation today! If God does that for His chosen people He will do that for His bride…the church!

According to the Bible Dead Men Shall Live
The Bible is Clear that The Dead Bodies Will Awaken

Isaiah 26:19 …..Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs….

All those sleeping in their graves will wake up and sing for joy. As the sparkling dew refreshes the earth. The fallen bodies of humans will go back to dust from which we came. The soul and spirit will go to God who created it.

Awake and sing for joy! Zephanniah 3:17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. The body will sleep. The soul and spirit will go to God. Absent from the BODY present with the Lord. We will exist in a spiritual body until our change comes…our new body.

Dew is a picture of life and blessing. Everyone who is in the graves will live again. Now to be absent from the body is to be present….somewhere in soul and spirit…..the wicked, those without Christ are in hell awaiting their resurrection body to condemnation….those in Christ to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. 16:00

Daniel 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. I love the analogy that our bodies will awaken and rise up reunite with us. They will sleep in death until our change come.

Awake….today they use the word “woke” which means you have woke up to the abuses so called to those who are marginalized and discriminated against in our society. We have the freest society in the world! If America is so bad why does everyone want to come here. I’ll tell you why…they want to destroy the powerful United States so that they can have their way in the rest of the world and set up the final Anti-Christ kingdom.

If they would just wait for the rapture they would find taking over America a piece of cake then. With millions of people missing in an instant. But never fear congress and most pulpits will be open for business the day after the rapture! But can you imagine if 50 million people were resurrected immediately alive in the United States? We already have chaos and confusion in our country but this would be off the scale.

But a man with the answers will come and calm everybody down and guarantee peace and safety if you will only take this little tiny “MARK!” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 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. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, (Remember sleep means dead in the New Testament) but we shall all be changed, 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.

It is obvious that two things will happen. The dead bodies of believers will rise first and get their resurrection bodies immediately. Then incredibly some believers who are ALIVE at that same time will be taken up to meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the air. And….at that moment they will get their resurrection bodies without having to die! How awesome is that! And they will be with the Lord Jesus forever!

But how do we know when this will happen? Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. 1 Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. Daniel 9:24-27 Tells us three things. Israel has been given 70 weeks of years or 490 years that they will have to atone for their sins.

They will be under Gentile control until those years are fulfilled. Daniel 9:25-26 tells us that 483 years have been completed. From the rebuilding of the wall in 444 BC til Jesus was crucified in AD 30-33 is 483 years. Remember prophetic years are 360 day years…….. which would make the 483 years as 476 in prophetic years which brings us to AD 32 give or take…….the date of Jesus death on the cross. 24:00

So Israel still has seven years left to fulfill. But before that God will turn His attention to the church age. He is preparing a bride for His Son. This is the church age….When that is completed with the rapture of the church…….then God will again turn His attention to His people Israel to complete the prophecy and bring an end to their sin. They will rebuild the temple and begin sacrifices there. This seven year period is the tribulation.

The Bible calls it the time of Jacobs trouble. Not the churches trouble. God will take His bride the church to a wedding and a wedding supper in heaven during those seven years. Talk about a wakeup call….to be taken to heaven immediately….like the twinkling of an eye! One minute sitting in church the next second on glory!

According to the Bible Dead Men Shall Live
The Bible is Clear that The Dead Bodies Will Awaken

Dead Men Shall Live Part One

The Bible is clear….You will live again. Who do you want to be with? Yourself or with Jesus? Your miserable self or your saved loved ones? Your sorry self…or with the one who loves you? That is no choice. You know why most people wind up in hell….. They waited too late! The saddest words in the English language…too Late. The Bible says TODAY is the day of salvation. Make today your day of salvation! 28:04

3/22/2026

Psalm 27:1-6 Victory Over All Our Enemies

Intro: This is basketball tournament season. Teams want to win. They want to be champions. When they win it’s great…. when they lose its devastation. How does a team get the victory? They score more points than the other team. You know that actually a team wins by making less mistakes than their opponents. No one is perfect not even basketball teams. One team is less awful than the other and that’s the winner! That’s the way it is! God want’s to know and understand that we are far from perfect. We are awful…but He is perfect. He is Holy, Just, and perfectly righteous in every way! In basketball no one is perfect. But when they win a championship it doesn’t matter how many mistakes they made it only matters that they end up alone with the trophy. It only matters that in the end they were victorious!

In the Christian life it doesn’t matter how many mistakes we make as long as we wind up standing with alone with the trophy. That trophy, the crown of life…. is given by Jesus Christ. David wrote Psalm27 during a time and season of trouble but it is a song about confidence and Victory.

Victory Over Our Earthly Enemies

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation….. The Lord is my light and my salvation Only the Lord can give us light. and deliver us from darkness. Darkness is the symbol of evil. And my salvation….Psalm 3:8 Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Jesus is the light of the world. He is life and light. One day there will be no darkness at all. No sadness, no shadows, no fear and no dread. Psalm 119:05 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”

Psalm 27:1…..whom shall I fear?…. I will fear no one. I will fear no thing…We as Christians have an enemy, the devil, and he has his minions on this earth both angelic and human. They try to turn everything into something terrible and tragic in our lives. Like Shadrack, Meshak and Abendego we walk right out of the devils flames unscathed.

Psalm 27:1…….the Lord is the strength of my life…… The Lord protects me from all danger; The Lord is the refuge and fortress of my life— The Lord not only gives life but He empowers us to live a life of victory over our enemies here on earth.

Psalm 27:1 ……of whom shall I be afraid? I will never be afraid. Whom shall I dread? We need not fear what any man can do to us. They worse they can do is kill us….and that sets us free! God will deliver us from our earthly enemies who try to bring us down. Whom….shall I be afraid? Oliver Cromwell a preacher of old said….I have learned that if you fear God, you have no one else to fear.” 7:00

Psalm 27:2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. When evil people attack me and try to kill me, they stumble and fall. When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. The enemies attack when you are vulnerable. He sends situation and individuals to harass and to destroy you and hamper your faith in Christ.

Victory Over Our Earthly Enemies 2. Victory Over The Armies Of Satan

Psalm 27:3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear…. Even if a whole army surrounds me, I will not be afraid. Though an army encamp against me, My heart will not fear. There is an army around you. An army of Godless people who will do anything to stop you from following Jesus Christ and pushing your faith on them. They hate Jesus. I know that’s hard to believe. The little Jesus who loved on children and fed the hungry and healed the sick they love….but the Jesus who said “ye must be born again…” they hate. The Jesus who said “I am the way, the truth and the life…no man cometh unto the Father but by me…” they hate that Jesus! We are completely surrounded by enemies of God and the Bible. It’s a war…..

Psalm 27:3…. though war should rise against me, even if enemies attack me, Though war arise against me…. 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” The only lion I’ve every seen is behind a cage. Thank the Lord for that! But the Bible says the devil is like a lion walking about. That is scary. It’s a war out there. The enemies of God are everywhere. We just don’t see it but we see their activity. All this wickedness in the world committed by humans! Murderers, rapists, child molesters, perverts, thieves, liars, cheats, hateful, mean, arrogant and out only for themselves. Evil men shall wax worse and worse deceived and being deceived.

It’s a war…. And the world is our battleground! Satan is the prince of the power of the air and he is the god of this world. He offered Jesus ALL the kingdoms of this world. He is very powerful and has a great army at his disposal. One third of the fallen angels and the demonic world of countless servants. He is powerful. Extremely intelligent and beautiful. He makes sin look so good and sensible. He makes you think you are doing something good…..But it only leads to death.

Don’t think you can rebuke him and he will leave you alone? He’s not scared of you because you are a Christian! Even the Michael the Archangel did not rail against the devil but said…”the Lord rebuke thee.” Lord help me he’s after me again! Jesus said “get thee behind me Satan” not Peter! Tell the Lord to get him off your back! Don’t talk to the devil. Let Jesus do the talking. We know Satan hates the blood of Christ, the word of God and Christians who pray regularly. He can’t defeat you if you know your Bible and know your Lord in regular daily prayer!

That’s how you fight the good fight of faith. You know who your greatest enemy is? Look in a mirror. That is your greatest enemy. You! The flesh. Romans 7:19 For the good that I 14:00 would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. We just can’t be good all the time. We are born under the curse of Adam. But in Christ we can have victory over self, sin and the grave.

Psalm 27:3…… in this will I be confident. I will still trust God. Even in this I am confident Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Even in the midst of trials and troubles we cannot be defeated. We are confident….not in me but in Him! He has already won the battle for my soul. I did the trusting and following and He gives us victory over self, sin and the grave!

Victory Over Our Earthly Enemies 2. Victory Over The Armies Of Satan

3 Victory Brings Joy Forever!

Psalm 27:4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after….. I have asked the Lord for one thing; one thing only do I want. One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek: We have to be focused. Focus is our problem. With so many things coming at us all the time it’s hard to focus on our faith.

You see how the devil will distract us from Jesus Christ in these last days. Of all times we should be laser focused on living for Jesus and letting our light shine for Him…… but we are not. Sports, entertainment, Jews, Islamic Jehad, war, Trump, democrats, republicans, floods, earthquakes, aliens on the way, mid-term elections, illegal aliens, mass shootings, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, rising gas prices, rising food prices, Russia, China and the middle east and Washington politics…..the world is going mad and full of confusion and chaos all designed to distract us from Jesus Christ coming again!

Psalm 27:4…..that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord…… . to live in the Lord’s house all my life, to marvel there at his goodness,

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, To gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the Lord. This is our goal. This is our destination. The house of the Lord. One hundred years from now we will all have been there for many years if we have trusted in Jesus Christ!

…….and to enquire in his temple….and to ask for his guidance. And to meditate in His temple. To us today this means…..go to church! Find a good Bible believing church! If you have to drive an hour to get there….do it! We have a lot of people who come here who live in neighboring counties! We enquire, we get guidance…we pray, we fellowship with other believers.

Psalm 27:5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: In times of trouble he will shelter me; For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; trouble is in the air. Trouble is everywhere in this world. Jesus will shelter us, protect us, guide us safely home! 2 Timothy 3:12 yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Jesus said In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. He will hide us in His shelter. We might be badly bent but we will not break! Praise His Holy Name! 21:00

Psalm 27:5……in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me……. he will keep me safe in his Temple. In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; Jesus will meet me in the quiet places. In your alone times. He is with us when no one cares. He is there. When it seems we are all alone in the world He is with us. He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us.

…….he shall set me up upon a rock. and make me secure on a high rock. He will lift me up on a rock. He meets us in all the noise of the world. In a crowded area He is with us. In the middle of all the Chaos He sets us upon a rock of safety. When the world is in confusion we are set upon a rock of certainty and hope. Isn’t that amazing!

Psalm 27:6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: So I will triumph over my enemies around me. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, In the end who is still standing? We are! In the end who has the victory and is standing on the podium to receive the prize…..we are! Those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ will be the only ones left standing after all the fighting and arguing and confusion and chaos….it is Jesus and His church that will stand alone!

Psalm 27:6…..therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy…… With shouts of joy I will offer sacrifices in his Temple; In His tent I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy; Joy awaits us. Complete joy! We have times of joy. Marriage, Birth of a child, new job, new home, receiving Jesus Christ as our Savior….times of great joy! But nothing will compare to our first glimplse of His dear face when we get to where Jesus is. You now we aren’t going to heaven…. We are going to be where Jesus is and He just happens to be in heaven!

Psalm 27:6….. I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord. I will sing, I will praise the Lord. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord. We will all sing a wonderful song of praise to the Lord one day! We will all sing. Singing is unique to humans and angels. Even animals have a type of song. Thank God we will never have to hear another beer drinking, my baby left me song again! You know what I mean? We will only sing songs of praise to our wonderful Savior Lord and king Jesus Christ!

Victory Over Our Earthly Enemies 2. Victory Over The Armies Of Satan

3 Victory Brings Joy Forever!

Victory Over All Our Enemies

Are you tired of losing? Are you tied of being defeated everyday by life. Sounds like a commercial doesn’t it? Well it’s not….. it’s truth. We are already defeated if we have not trusted in Jesus Christ. The only way to win is to put your faith in the one who defeated sin, hell and the grave…Jesus Christ The Lord! 28:04

3/15/2026

Galatians 4:4-10 God’s Two Fold Plan For Man

Intro: God has a plan for man. His plan is two fold. To Redeem us from our sins and adopt us as His children forever and ever! Isn’t that amazing! You make plans for your children’s future. You set aside property, and money for them. Why? Because they are yours. They belong to you. You love them. You want the best for them. God gave us His best….Jesus Christ.

God’s Plan Is Redemption

Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, But when the right time finally came, But when [in God’s plan] the proper time had fully come. The perfect time in history. God’s timing is always never early, never late always perfect timing.

Galatians 4:4….God sent forth his Son, made of a woman….. God sent his own Son. He came as the son of a human mother God sent His Son, born of a woman, the time appointed by God for Jesus to be born of a virgin and die on a cruel Roman Cross. Genesis 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Galatians 4:4….made under the law, and lived under the Jewish Law, born under the [regulations of the] Law, Jesus was subject to the Jewish law. He was a Jew and raised as a Jew in the land of Israel. Matthew 5:17-18 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Jesus didn’t come to establish a new way but to fulfill the OT law. The law demanded Justice. God is pointing out that all have sinned and the wages of sin is death….but the gift of God is the Lamb of God. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. Sin has a penalty. Death. God sent His Son to die for the sin to pay the sin debt that we could never pay!

Galatians 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law…… to redeem those who were under the Law, so that He might redeem and liberate those who were under the Law, Redeem means to buy back from the slave market. Paul used this term in Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.

God’s Plan Is Redemption 2. God’s Plan Is Adoption

Galatians 4:5….that we might receive the adoption of sons. so that we might become God’s children. that we [who believe] might be adopted as sons [as God’s children with all rights as fully grown members of a family]. God has graciously adopted all believers as His children. God takes into His family as fully recognized sons and heirs both Jews (those who had been under law) and Gentiles who believe in Christ. Adoption is linked with “redemption” (see 3:13; 1:10),being freed from slavery, with the slave becoming a son with full rights and an inheritance. 7:00

Because Jesus is God, He has the power and resources to redeem us. Because Jesus is Man, He has the right and ability to redeem us. He came to purchase us out of the slave market, from our bondage to sin. It would be enough that we are purchased out of the slave market, but then God lifts us to the place of His sons and daughters by adoption.

Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. To show that you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out, “Father, my Father.” And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! Father!”

This is amazing to me. What did God do for His children? God puts His Spirit in you because you really do belong to Him. A good father puts His heart and soul into his children because he loves them so much. His stamp upon them. So we can be like him and reflect Him in all that we do. That can be good or bad for earthly families. But every son bears the image of his earthly father in the way he behaves and thinks. That can be very good or very bad.

But if we reflect God’s image and His Spirit is in us and God is always good all the time how can that be anything but glorious for us! We can always be good forever and ever! Think about that!

By the way ABBA means “papa.” An term of endearment, love and devotion. When we meet God in heaven it will not be as strangers but as a Son returning home. Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. We ARE the children of God. A child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Galatians 4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. So then, you are no longer a slave but a child. And since you are his child, God will give you all that he has for his children. Therefore you are no longer a slave (bond-servant), but a son; and if a son, then also an heir through [the gracious act of] God [through Christ]. We are servants of Christ as Paul always said he was….but much more than that. We are a son who serves God as a heir of Jesus Christ. Like you serve you earthly father because you love him and want to please him and bring glory to his name.

We have gone from slaves to sons with full rights that a son has. It’s all because of the grace of God and the redemption of God. In their fathers’ houses sons are never slaves, and slaves are never sons. There is a beautiful progressing of our redemption. First, we are set free from slavery. Then we are declared sons and adopted into God’s family. Then as sons we are made heirs. Heirs inherit something, and we inherit God Himself! Children are your possession and your parents belong to you. We are God’s own possession and He is ours.

God’s Plan Is Redemption 2. God’s Plan Is Adoption
Why Then Do You Serve False Gods and Works?

Galatians 4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. In the past you did not know God, and so you were slaves of beings 14:00 who are not gods. But at that time, when you did not know [the true] God and were unacquainted with Him, you [Gentiles] were slaves to those [pagan] things which by [their very] nature were not and could not be gods at all.

Christianity is knowing God personally and intimately. We just learned that God really becomes our Father and can be known by His children. Before we trusted in Jesus Christ we were created by God but we did not know God personally. Before we trusted in Jesus Christ we served other gods. The god of self…..along with the god of government, money, fame and happiness. These are not gods…but we make them gods. Whatever you serve is your god. Whatever gets your worship is your god.

Jesus said depart from me “I Never knew you”……. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” We have a God who can be known personally and intimately. God can be known and should be worshipped. Worth—ship. God is our most valuable possession in every way. He is worth giving our lives to.

Galatians 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? But now that you know God—or, I should say, now that God knows you—how is it that you want to turn back to those weak and pitiful ruling spirits? Why do you want to become their slaves all over again? Now, however, since you have come to know [the true] God [through personal experience], or rather to be known by God, how is it that you are turning back again to the weak and worthless elemental principles [of religions and philosophies],

Talking about false gods. Parents and grandparents worship children. I’ve seen it over and over in my 70 years of life and ministry. Listen to me….your spouse is your mate for life. Your children are given to you for 18 years and then they start their own lives. Your first priority is your mate. Your wife…….. your husband comes first. When children take the place of a spouse, when children become the priority then the marriage will crumble. I have been criticized down through the years by moms over this statement.…..And you know what…….their marriages ended in divorce and their children never appreciated the devotion that mom gave to them.

Of course you care for your children. Of course you love your children. But it’s not romantic love …..it’s parental love. It’s always there. They are always in your heart and your soul. God loves us as His own. But He lets us live our own lives and go our own way……Even in heaven we will have our own lives….made to glorify and honor Him.

Interestingly the Bible calls us….. the church the bride of Jesus Christ. He is our spouse and we will be with Him forever and ever! Never apart from Him. Like a marriage! We are going to a wedding in heaven and a marriage supper of the lamb. The New Jerusalem is as a bride adorned for her husband. That’s me and you!

God is our Father, He has prepared a bride for His Son. Your children will leave you. Their supposed to. That’s your job……. get them ready to leave you. Parents, grandparents 21:00 remember this……..They will never call, they will never visit, they will never be there for you…………….. as much as you want them to be! They have their own lives and be glad they do! You’ve done a good job.

Have balance in your marriage. That woman…..that man….. that God gave you….. they gave their life to you……….. by choice……. to always be by your side…..honor them, protect them, appreciate them, and you will have happy children and a happy life with your children. If your spouse is always with you ……………..then you can let your children go and be adults.

Thankfully I don’t know how awful, and horrible it would be to lose a child in death…..but I know how awful it is to lose a spouse in death. You lose a part of yourself. The person that chose you, and gave their life to you is gone. Divorce is worse than death I’ve heard. That person who said they would be with you forever betrayed your trust. That’s a different kind of pain for sure. Jesus said He will never divorce us. He will never leave us nor forsake us!

Galatians 4:10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. You pay special attention to certain days, months, seasons, and years. [For example,] you observe [particular] days and months and seasons and years. T

Why do they observes false gods and beliefs? The word days likely refers to Sabbaths or special feasts. Months and seasons pertain to longer observances, such as the celebrations between the Passover and the Day of Pentecost. Years probably indicates the Year of Jubilee, the fiftieth year in which slaves were to be freed, family lands returned to their original owners, and the land left fallow ( Lev. 23-25). The Jews observed all these feasts in order to please God. They had the right God….but the wrong belief. They believed works would gain them favor with God.

By grace are ye saved through faith…NOT of WORKS…………..Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

The Pharisees observed all these rituals hoping to gain merit before God. Bottom line….being a religious person cannot make you a son….Only being adopted can. And only by faith and trust in Jesus Christ can that happen.

The most important truth us all to know is that religion will not save you…… but will do the opposite………Trap you in a system that ultimately will condemn you before God.

God’s Plan Is Redemption 2. God’s Plan Is Adoption
Why Then Do You Serve False Gods and Works?

God’s two fold plan for Man

Jesus Christ has redeemed us….adopted us……why do people still try to work for salvation? They just don’t want to come to Christ. They want to do it their way. The Devils’ two fold plan to send people to hell….pride and arrogance! 28:04

3/8/2026

Esther 7:1-6 God Will Turn The Tables On The Wicked

Intro: The book of Esther is the only book in the Bible that does not directly mention the name of God. There is the beautiful young orphan girl who rises from obscurity to become queen. She even hides a secret that could bring about her demise. Then there is the ambitious villain whose passion is to destroy the innocent. But in the end, the point of this true story is clear: Once again the Israelites’ God miraculously saves His people from certain destruction.

The identity of the author of Esther is unknown. However the writer was probably Jewish and lived in Persia. A strong Jewish spirit pervades the book, particularly evident in the account of the establishment of the Jewish festival Purim. Purim comes for the word “Pur” which means “lot” or dice. The wicked Haman cast a dice to decide what day he would destroy the Jewish people in the ancient Persian empire. That’s why sometimes it is called the festival of “lots.”

Purm was to begins on the fourteenth of twelfth month…March 2-3 this year in our calendar. (Esther 9:17-19) On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.18 But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. 19 Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.

It Lasted two days (Esther 9:21) To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,

Mode of celebrating is mentioned in (Esther 9:17-19,22)

The Jews bound themselves to keep the feast (Esther 9:27,28) Esther 9:28 And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed. Purim was confirmed by royal authority (Esther 9:29-32) The nation of Israel just finished the feast of Purim recently. Purim is NOT one of the required feasts of Israel ordained by God. Purim is at time of feasting and gladness but not ordained or required because it was NOT implemented or commanded by God during the wilderness wanderings and the time of Law giving under Moses. These are the seven feasts….

Feast of Passover

Held: At the beginning of Spring, the first full moon of spring. Usually April

Leviticus 23:5, Genesis 12, Matthew 26:27 Represents: Our salvation in Christ. The crucifixion of Christ.

Feast of Unleavened Bread—Pesah or Pesach

Held: The day after the Passover—last for seven days 4:00

Leviticus 23:6, Exodus 12:15-20, Exodus 13:3-10, 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Represents: The Bread of Life, the Lord Jesus, Burial of Christ.

Feast of First Fruits–Shavout

Held: Sunday following Unleavened Bread, usually April

Leviticus 23:10-11, Numbers 28:26, 1 Corinthians 15:23 Represents: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Feast Of Harvest– Penecost

Held: 50 days after the Feast of First Fruits, late May or early June

Leviticus 23:15-17, Acts 2 Represents: The beginning of the Harvest of souls, the church at Pentecost.

Feast of Trumpets—Rosh Hashana

Held: The First day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. September in our calendar.

Leviticus 23:24, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:51-5 Represents: The gathering of the Church at the Rapture.

Day of Atonement—Yom Kippur

Held: Tenth day of Tishrei, the seventh month on the Jewish calendar.

Also Called Yom Kipper. September in our calendar.

Leviticus 23:27-30, Romans 11:26 Represents: Second coming of Christ when Israel and the church will be accepted (atoned) by God.

Feast Of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths

Held: 15th day of the seventh month or seventh full moon of the year. September, October in our Calendar. Leviticus 23:34, 42-43 It lasts for seven plus an eighth day. Represents: The great tabernacle to come, when men will dwell with God in heaven for eternity.

The author was acquainted with Persian culture, as the extensive descriptions of the palace complex at Shushan (also called Susa) and the domestic details about the reign of King Ahasuerus indicate. For these reasons, some Jewish rabbis have ascribed the authorship of the book to Mordecai, one of its principal characters.

Whoever the author was, the Book of Esther was probably written shortly after the reign of Ahasuerus, also known as Xerses….no earlier than 465 b.c.

Esther’s Plot

Esther 7:1 and So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. and so the king and Haman came to drink wine with Esther. The King is Ahasuerus (Xerses) of Persia. A parade was given to honor Mordecai for revealing a plot against the king in chapter 3…. the parade is in chapter 6. Mordecai was Queen Esthers uncle who had discovered a plot against the king sometime before that Mordecai had never been honored. The wicked Haman 8:00 thought they were going to honor Haman himself. But it was for Mordecai. Haman was humilitated further angering him against the Jews. Haman was in charge of all the kings officials. A very high ranking in the kingdom.

Mordecai, Esther’s uncle heard of Haman’s plot to kill all the Jews on the 14^th day of Agar. March in our calendar. He told Esther who had become queen that God put her there for such a time as this. Esther came up with a plot to expose Haman. She organized a banquet for just her, the king and Haman. . Haman had a plot to kill the Jews and then Esther countered his plot with one of her own to save the Jews.

Esther 7:2 And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom. And the king said to Esther on the second day also as they drank their wine, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted to you. And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom, it shall be done.”

The King thought a lot of Queen Esther. God gives His people success in their lives. God grants favor to His people from others…even the wicked leave us alone.

Esther’s Plot 2 Esthers Request

Esther 7:3 Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: Queen Esther answered, “If it please Your Majesty to grant my humble request, my wish is that I may live and that my people may live Then Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be spared as my petition, and my people [be spared] as my request;

Haman had a plot to destroy the Jews. Why did he hate the Jews? Jealousy….. especially of Mordecai who would not bow to him in public. Why do people hate the Jews today? It is beyond reasonable. Today people have a blind and unreasonable hatred for the Jewish people. Muslims who number more than 2 million have killed, raped and destroyed more than any people in the world yet it’s the Jews that are hated. Why do people not hate Islam but they welcome them into their countries? It has to be satanic. Satan hates what God loves. Satan hates that God has made eternal promises for the land of Israel and the Jewish people.

Purum was later instituted by Mordecai when God saved the Jews in Persia. (Esther 9:20) To commemorate the defeat of Haman’s wicked plans to eliminate the Jews. (Esther 3:7-15;9:24-26) Esther 3:7 In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar.

Jesus was Jewish as were the prophets and apostles. Jesus was promised in Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it 13:00 shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. The seed of the woman will crush or destroy the devil one day but the devil will injure Jesus but He will recover or rise again!

Esther 7:4 For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage. for we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, killed and wiped out of existence. Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have remained silent, for our hardship would not be sufficient to burden the king [by even mentioning it].”

The Persians were ruling over the Jews who lived there even though many Jews had returned to their homeland……….. some remained in Persia or modern day Iran after the Babylonian captivity ended when the Medes and the Persians defeated the Babylonians. Susha is the city that this tale takes place. It was in Southwest Iran called in the Bible….. Elam. It is the where the king’s summer residence was.

Esther explained the plot against the Jews while the wicked Haman was in the room! But Haman had no idea that Esther was a Jew either. So the bomb is about to drop.

Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai would not bow before Haman. Lets look at Esther chapter 3 for a moment to get the background of Haman plot against the Jews. Esther 3:1 After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. Haman got a big promotion from the king. Esther 3:2 And all the king’s servants, that were in the king’s gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. The king commanded all the kings servants and everyone basically to bow before Haman. But Mordecai did not. Why did Mordecai not bow?

The book of Esther does not explain why Mordecai did not bow. Perhaps Mordecai felt that Haman was presenting himself as some kind of Deity. Nothing in the Bible forbids Jews from bowing in respect to another person. Perhaps Mordecai refuses to bow to Haman the Agagite the representative of the pagan Amaleks. Dueteronomy 25:17-19 and Exodus 17:8-16. King Saul failed to fufill God’s decree to destroy the Ameleks when he spared the life of Agag the Amalikite king in 1 Samuel 15. Bottom line….Mordecai didn’t trust Haman…Mordecai didn’t feel Haman whether connected to the plot to kill the king earlier or not ….Mordecai didn’t feel that Haman deserved being honored. Haman hated Mordecai for refusing to bow to him and for the Jealousy King honoring Mordecai for exposing a plot against the king.

Esther 3:4 Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. Haman finds out that Mordecai is a Jew.

Haman was full of wrath for Mordecai. Esther 3:5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. 18:00

Haman decides to kill Mordecai but his advisors told Haman that his people were the Jews. So Haman decides to kill all the Jews to make sure he gets rid of Mordecai and all of his relatives. Esther 3:6 And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.

Eshter 3:7 Gives us Haman’s excuse for eliminating ALL the Jews. He got the king on his side by over stating the problem with the Jews. It was a lie actually. Esther 3:8 And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them. Esther 3:9 If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed…. The king signed off on it. Not realizing that his own queen Esther was a Jew.

The final solution. Hitler did the same thing. Today people would love to get rid of the Jews whom many believe are the scourge of the earth! Why? Because the devil knows that as long as one Jew lives Jesus Christ will rule and reign over them and Satan will be defeated forever in the lake of Fire! A lot at stake here for the devil. How many times in history have the Jews been on the verge of annihilation? That’s why God spread them throughout the world during the church age. To protect them from the devil. But we know that this is the last days for He is bringing them back to protect them from the Anti-Christ…the beast, man of sin.

Then in chapter six Mordecai is honored by the King for exposing a murderous plot against the king. This further infuriates Haman who thought that the king was going to honor him. Esther 6:10

Back to chapter 7…..Esther 7:5 Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? Then King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who dares to do such a thing? Where is this man?”

Esther’s Plot 2 Esthers Request 3 Tables Turned On Haman

Esther 7:6 And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. Esther answered, “Our enemy, our persecutor, is this evil man Haman!” Haman faced the king and queen with terror.

Esther 7:7 And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king. The king got up in a fury, left the room, and went outside to the palace gardens. Haman could see that the king was determined to punish him for this, so he stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life

Esther 7:8 Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, . 23:00 Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. He had just thrown himself down on Esther’s couch to beg for mercy, when the king came back into the room from the gardens. Seeing this, the king cried out, “Is this man going to assault the queen right here in front of me, in my own palace?”

Esther 7:9 And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. Then one of them, who was named Harbonah, said, “Haman even went so far as to build a gallows at his house so that he could hang Mordecai, who saved Your Majesty’s life. And it’s seventy-five feet tall!” “Hang Haman on it!” the king commanded. Hamans own wife told Haman to build a gallows to hang the Mordecai on fifty cubits high.

Esther 7:10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified. So Haman was hanged on the gallows that he had built for Mordecai. Then the king’s anger cooled down.

The tables were turned on Haman. Haman had a plot and then Esther countered his plot with one of her own. God turns the tables on those who abuse His people. The Egyptian Pharoah drowned Hebrew children so God drowned him in the Red Sea. The tower of Babel they tried to build a one world government so God confused their language and scattered them. Many instances of God turning the tables on people in the Bible. The biggest table turn is when the devil and the wicked crucified and killed Jesus Christ…. but God raised Him from the dead to save mankind! Bottom line…… what the wicked plan for evil….God works out for good to those who love Him.

Esther’s Plot 2 Esthers Request 3 Tables Turned On Haman

God Turns the Tables on The Wicked

Those who plot against the Lord are those who have rejected Him and never trusted in Jesus Christ God will turn the tables against them. They sought peace and happiness apart from God so God will give them an eternity apart from God…but it will not be peace and happiness but pain and sorrow for ever and ever! Turn the tables on the devil who wants you to die in your sins by trusting in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today…right now! 28:04

3/1/2026

Jude 1:3-4 How To Be A Good Soldier For Christ

Intro: The author of this epistle calls himself Jude, and there is no reason to think that this is a pseudonym. There are six individuals named Jude in the New Testament, but only two are likely to have written this book: (1) the apostle Jude (see Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13), who is probably Thaddaeus of Matthew 10:3; (2) Jude the brother of James and the half brother of the Lord Jesus. The brothers of the Lord are named in Matthew 13:55 as “James, Joses, Simon, and Judas.”

Since the author does not claim apostolic authority, and since verse 17 indicates that the apostles are a group that does not include the writer, we are left with the second candidate—Jude, the brother of the Lord and of James. This identification is confirmed by the author’s reference to his brother James (v. 1) and a reference in a letter of Clement of Alexandria (around a.d. 153–217). Although assigning an exact date for the writing of Jude is impossible, it is likely that the book was written between a.d. 60 and 64. It was almost certainly written before a.d. 70, since Jude does not make any reference to the fall of Jerusalem in a.d. 70.

The United States and Israel attacked Iran early Saturday morning our time. They are wreaking havoc in Iran. Iran is sending missiles to Israel and Neighboring Islamic countries. Saudia Arabia, Quatar, etc… Our soldier have to depend upon their training and skills now. They have been thrust in to battle. Their goal is to defend their country to the death if need be. This war means the world is heading for a climax….of judgment and jubilation. Judgment of an unbelieving world and the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Soldier know how to be good soldiers for the Untited States. How can we be good soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ!

2/22/2026

1 Peter 1:1-5 What Have in Christ

Intro: We have all we need in Jesus Christ for living, for loving, for working, for succeeding, for today and forever! In life we have many needs. We have many wants and desires. Some are met….. most are not. Life is frustrating. Filled with failures and tragedies and trials. Why bother? Well ….if we Didn’t have Jesus I would say eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. But we have Jesus! We have the Word of God! We have the cross and the resurrection. We have the soon return of Christ. We have it all in Jesus Christ! Peter goes over what we have in Jesus Christ!

We Have Been Elected

1 Peter 1:1 Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ…. From Peter, apostle of Jesus Christ. The author of this letter, writes to Christians living in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). By way of encouragement, he identifies them as people who live in the light of their relationship to God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Son.

apostle: An Apostle is one who was called directly, physically by the resurrected Jesus Christ. The 12 disciples plus Paul and even James the brother of Jesus is called an apostle. Those who Knew Jesus and were called by Jesus as apostles are not limited to just the twelve. But only the twelve apostles will have their names on the 12 foundations of the New Jerusalem. There are NO apostles today. No one today can be called by or has seen the resurrected Jesus.

1 Peter 1:1…..to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,—To God’s chosen people, pilgrims who live as refugees scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Peter, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Jesus Christ, To those [elect, pilgrims,—both Jewish and Gentile believers] who live as exiles, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia [Minor], and Bithynia, who have trusted in Jesus Christ. Peter addresses his letter to the believers in the provinces of Asia Minor. This region had been thoroughly evangelized by Paul during his missionary journeys.

1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father………… You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father….Saved and separated to God according to the foreknowledge of God the Father Elect. God knows who will be saved. He knows how you will end up. Just because you know how the movie ends doesn’t mean it couldn’t have had a different script and direction from the beginning. God knew you would be saved because He has seen it. He see’s you past present and future all at once. But in eternity past He chose all those who trust in Jesus Christ to be saved. If you choose Jesus God choses you.

We Have Been Elected 2. We have Been Given The Holy Spirit

1 Peter 1:2…….through sanctification of the Spirit, …….. and were made a holy people by his Spirit, by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Sanctified means to be set apart, separated unto God. The Holy Spirit does His work by calling us….speaking to our hearts and minds. Sanctification is the ongoing process whereby the Holy Spirit works in believers, making 7:00 their lives holy, separated from their old ways in order to be more like Jesus Christ our Lord. The Holy Spirit….is Christ in us. His purpose is to Guide us and teach us.

We Have Been Elected 2. We have Been Given The Holy Spirit 3. We Have Been Saved By The Blood

1 Peter 1:2…….unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood. Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with His blood: This concept, the second reason why God chooses us, draws our attention to three situations in the OT when the Israelites were sprinkled with the blood of animals to symbolize a covenant a calling or a cleansing. (1) Moses’ sprinkling of blood on the Israelites at Mt. Sinai, to symbolize their initiation into the covenant (see Ex. 24:5–8); (2) the sprinkling of Aaron and his sons called to be the priests of Israel (see Ex. 29:19–21); and (3) the sprinkling of blood performed by priests over healed lepers to symbolize their cleansing (see Lev. 14:1–9). Any of these three cases could be the one that Peter has in mind here.

God calls and we obey. In order to be saved we have to obey the gospel. In other words we trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior. WE believe and are saved! We obeyed what God asked us to do in order to be saved from our sins, we accepted what God said in His word, and we believed the gospel message and applied it to OUR lives by faith.

Obedience should follow the Christian in their daily lives. We are to live according to God’s word in holiness, righteousness, goodness and love. We are to be His voice, His actions, His love in this world. We don’t just get a ticket to heaven…..we get a new life. Born again. We become like Christ in this world!

Sprinkled by the blood. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. He died, His blood was poured out for us. The sprinkling is a reminder of that blood sacrifice and the seriousness of that sacrifice. Someone died Jesus, something died a lamb or bull to symbolize that. Without the shedding of blood….something living dies….there is no remission of sins. That is pretty serious. And the one that dies has to be innocent. Animals cannot sin. Men sin. All but one….Jesus Christ!

We Have Been Elected 2. We have Been Given The Holy Spirit 3. We Have Been Saved By The Blood 4. We Are The Object Of God’s Grace

1 Peter 1:2 …….Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. May grace and peace be yours in full measure. May grace and peace [that special sense of spiritual well-being] be yours in increasing abundance [as you walk closely with God].

The blood and now grace. We are saved by the blood of Christ poured out for us and it is by God’s grace…His free gift that it is offered to us. For God so loved the world that He gave…..us His SON! God made man in His own image. We are the object of God’s never ending love. And we have been given His grace. God’s riches at Christs Expense. 14:00

We Have Been Elected 2. We have Been Given The Holy Spirit 3. We Have Been Saved By The Blood 4. We Are The Object Of God’s Grace 5. We Have Been Given A Living Hope

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ……….. Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…

In This passage we have seen the trinity. The Holy Spirit in verse 2, The Son in verse 2 and now the Father in verse 3. We should give God praise for what He has done for us in Jesus Christ! Instead…..people today hate God. They Hate Jesus Christ. They hate God’s people whether they be Jews or Christians. Those groups are the most hated and persecuted in the history of the world and it continues worse today than ever! Nigerian Christians and Iranian Christians are dying by the thousands! Jews are being murdered and blamed for everything they don’t like about the world!

Our responds to our praise to Him with blessings and peace. That’s why you should begin your daily prayer talking about God. Not talking to God…… but about God! How great He is! How thankful you are to Him! How wonderful He is….because He IS!!! He is good to me and good to you and you know it. Tell Him!

1 Peter 1:3…….which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, who according to His abundant and boundless mercy has caused us to be born again [that is, to be reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] to an ever-living hope and confident assurance through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Abundant mercy…God’s mercy is more than enough. His mercy is great. We don’t want God’s justice we want His mercy! Boundless mercy. God’s mercy never runs out because of Jesus Christ. He will never turn any one away because of Jesus Christ!

Lively hope……a living hope….He is alive and so is our hope. Our hope will never end in Jesus Christ. Hope in the Bible is absolute assurance.

Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nothing else even matter if there is no resurrection. It is by and because of the resurrection that we have everything we need in Jesus Christ! Religions are dead filled with the graves of their founders. But Christ has an empty tomb! Christ is our life because He is alive!

We Have Been Elected 2. We have Been Given The Holy Spirit 3. We Have Been Saved By The Blood 4. We Are The Object Of God’s Grace 5. We Have Been Given A Living Hope 6. We Have Been Given A Future Inheritance

1 Peter 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. [born anew] into an inheritance which is imperishable [beyond the reach of change] We have an inheritance! Do you 21:00 have an inheritance from a loved one? Nothing can keep you from claiming that but you. You have an inheritance in Christ! No one can keep you from claiming that but you! Jesus Christ has died. He has left you eternal life if you receive it by faith and trust in Jesus Christ!

Incorruptible…..Can’t be corrupted. Moth and rust cannot decay. Thieves cannot break through and steal. Our leaders are totally corrupted. They are liars and thieves. You cannot trust them. Christ is the way, the truth and the life. He is incapable of corruption. He is holy and just, righteous and is able to keep that which we have committed unto Him until that day. The last day of your life and the day of the Lord when He comes for you!

Undefiled….means to be unclean, impure, dirty, foul, polluted, or tainted. Jesus Christ is clean, pure, sinless, Holy, just and without fault. What we have in Christ is untaintable. It will never fail because He cannot fail!

1 Peter 1:4…….and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away. and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,

God keeps that which I have committed unto Him. We have a reservation. We have been booked for heaven. Our name is written in the Lambs book of life! We are going to heaven….Heaven is not just a place but it is the place where Jesus is!

1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation….. They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God’s power for the salvation who are being protected and shielded by the power of God through your faith for salvation

Kept by the Power of God. The best part. If it was based on MY power to keep me saved I would never make it. but our salvation is secure because it is based on the Power of God! Our salvation is Activated by our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and in Him alone.

1 Peter 1:5 Ready to Be Revealed in the last time…. which is ready to be revealed at the end of time, the last time. The last days. We are there. Jesus Christ is getting ready to reveal to us everything we have in Christ in the life to come! You mean we have more coming! Yes we do! 1 Corinthians 2:9 Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

…The last time……1 John 2:18…. there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. We are in the last of the last days. Jesus Christ is going to be revealed first to the church at the rapture and then to the world at His return.

We Have Been Elected 2. We have Been Given The Holy Spirit 3. We Have Been Saved By The Blood 4. We Are The Object Of God’s Grace 5. We Have Been Given A Living Hope 6. We Have Been Given A Future Inheritance

What We Have In Christ. We have everything with Him and nothing without Him. 28:04

2/15/2026

Exodus 12:23-27 What A Mighty God We Serve

Intro: The Exodus is the story of Israel leaving Egyptian captivity through the birth of Moses who is a type of Christ as the deliverer of His people. God used the Exodus to teach the Godless Egyptians a great truth. Don’t mess with God’s people. He also introduced through the Exodus…. the Passover. The blood covenant, which later became the new covenant. That God would save His people from their sins through the shed blood of the Lamb of God. It is a long story that we will read briefly how we got there.

Exodus 1:9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. 11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. 13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour. 15 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: 16 And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. 18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? 19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. 20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. 22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

God is raising up a people and now He is getting ready to give them a land. God is showing us the history of the world here up to this point and God’s plan of salvation. Egypt is the first world power to subjugate the Jewish people. The first of seven. The seven headed beast in Daniel and Revelation represents these seven world powers. All these world powers God used to bring about His plan for His people Israel and the salvation of the world. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and the Revised Roman empire of the last days.

Exodus 2:1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. Exodus 2:2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to 5:00 wit what would be done to him. 5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. 7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. 9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the women took

the child, and nursed it. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

Exodus 2:23And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

Moses whose name means drawn out of water. Moses was born of water and later at the burning bush the Spirit of God. Jesus said man must be born of water and of the Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God. The water is the physical human birth and the Spirit represents a man being born again by the washing of man by the word of the gospel. Then the Holy Spirit that indwells every believer in Jesus Christ.

Exodus 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

After the nine plagues did not change Pharoah’s mind (Because God hardened His heart.) God was determined to punish Egypt with ten plagues from the beginning. His goal was the 10:00 Passover as an example of the blood of Christ covering our sins. Now lets move to Exodus chapter 12 and we will stay right there….

Judgment Comes Whether We Are Ready Or Not

Exodus 12:12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. God is going to judge. He is the judge. He is the creator…He is the only Holy one. He is the only righteous one. He is the only good one. He is the only one who loves us…..God is love but God is also Holiness and Justice! Is God cruel? No….. Egypt had nine chances to repent. After nine chances then death came. The soul that sinneth it shall die.

If God had just sent one of these plagues to any of us we would have said …..Okay God I get it…..I repent! But the Egyptians were the greatest power in the world! They were arrogant! They were pagans! They believed that their gods would save them! Bottom line: They didn’t want to repent!

Judgment Comes Whether We Are Ready Or Not 2. When I See the Blood

Exodus 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. Even though everyone in the land of Egypt was guilty…….. even the Jewish people….God would spare them if He saw the blood of the guiltless Lamb. Their sin debt was symbolically placed on the innocent Lamb until the Lamb of God would come! Even Egyptians could have been spared by the blood but they would not.

Judgment Comes Whether We Are Ready Or Not 2. When I See the Blood 3. A memorial Forever!

Exodus 12:14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. We need things to remind us of what God has done for us. Our greatest reminder is the Bible itself. Every time we look at the Bible we are reminded of what Jesus Christ has done for us. We have churches on every corner in America to remind us. We have our own salvation experience to remind us. We have the Holy Spirit that dwell in us to remind us.

Forever…..Another verse that tells us that God’s promises to Israel are forever and ever! They never end! We know that during the Millennial reign of Christ they will have the temple and sacrifices will be happening there as a memorial to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins.

And notice it is a feast unto the Lord….this is a time of celebration! A reminder of what Jesus Christ has done for us. They didn’t know it at the time…..but the blood of the Lamb saved the Israelites during Moses time and It saves everyone for all time.. No wonder Jesus is introduced as the Lamb that has prevailed in Revelation chapter 5: 5-6 behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals 17:00 thereof. 6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain…

Let’s move down to Exodus 12:23…………

Exodus 12:23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. God will Passover….The Angel of Death….the destroyer will pass by and not kill those under the blood of the Lamb. Evidently there is a “destroyer” that comes to take human lives.

Actually the word “Angel is not in the Hebrew text. Is it the Lord Himself who is the destroyer? That appears to be the case. God killed in the Bible. The devil has no authority to kill. The devil was not allowed to take Job’s life but he was allowed to kill his children. Now the devil can lead you to death….as God allows. But only God controls life. It is clear that God sent an angel to accomplish these Passover deaths. We see that in the book of Revelation where angels and the demonic do kill people as part of God’s judgment. Either way it is God who controls life and death not the devil or his angels! So we can say in a sense God killed everyone in the Bible.

Exodus 12:24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

How long is forever? Forever and ever and ever! If Israel has been replaced then why will they always celebrate the Passover?

Exodus 12:25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. God promised to bring them into their land and as part of that they were to keep the Passover. They evidently didn’t keep the Passover during some of the time in the land. They entered the Promised land in about 1400 BC and left in Babylonian captivity in three phases 605 BC, 597 BC and the last group in 586 BC. So around 800 years

they were ln the land of Israel as a nation.

During the time of Kings According to 2 Chronicles 35:18 they did not keep some of these ordinances including the Passover…..that God commanded them to do. They didn’t keep the Sabbath years. Every seventh year the land had to remain fallow. That Is why God kicked them out for 70 years and gave them over the gentile domination for the next 490 years.

483 prophetic years have been fulfilled from the rebuilding of the wall in 444-445 BC (365.4 day years) unto the death of Jesus Christ in around 32-33 AD (365.4 day years). Remember prophetic years are only 360 days. That comes to exactly 483 prophetic years. There are seven years left. God will again turn His attention to Israel to complete their 490 years of Gentile domination with the Beast system during the tribulation. It will begin again at the end of the church age and end with the seven year tribulation when they will bring an end to their sins against God’s ordinances and end the times of the Gentiles. Then that will bring us to the Millennial kingdom of one thousand years when Jesus Christ will rule over His people Israel………where they will keep it forever as a memorial to Jesus Christ! 24:00

Exodus 12:26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?

Children should be taught the things of God. Why do we go to church? Why do we have a Bible? Why do we celebrate Easter and Christmas? We should teach our children these great Bible stories of Adam and Eve in creation, Noah and the flood, Abraham and Joseph, Moses and the Passover and the ten commandments Shadrach, Meshak and Abendego, Daniel in the Lions den, and Jonah and the whale and many others. Not only teach them but tell them the meaning of these stories.

Exodus 12:27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. A proper response to a Bible story, and Bible truth is the bow in humility and praise to our mighty God who has done everything for us out of His great love for us!

Judgment Comes Whether We Are Ready Or Not 2. When I See the Blood 3. A memorial Forever!

What A Mighty God We Serve!

Judgment is coming to the people of this earth. Are you ready? Be ye ready in an hour ye think not the Lord cometh! Are you “thinking not”?? Has God seen the blood of Jesus Christ applied to your life? It is applied by faith. The people killed the lamb and spread the blood around the doors but it was by faith to do that and believe what God said that saved them. Do you have faith to apply the blood of Jesus Christ to your life?

Forever we will be reminded of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ! It will never get old to us! It will never ever lose it’s power to move us……… to praise Him forever and ever! 28:04

2/8/2026

1 Timothy 1: 17-20 Is Your Faith Heading For a Shipwreck?

Intro: Bankruptcies occur gradually and then all at once. The same thing with Ship wrecks. Gradually the storm comes up and before you know it suddenly the wind and the waves are tossing you upside down and you are at the bottom of the sea. You drifted because you didn’t drop your anchor. To avoid bankruptcy and ship wrecks you must be diligent. You must take care of regular maintenance, check your accounts every day or so. Keep up with your finances and they will keep you up!

A ship constantly monitors all it’s systems and a knowledge of the ly the weather and the possible obstacles around them. A ship avoids drifting away from safe harbors by dropping an anchor. Our anchor is Christ. Being prepared for any obstacle to your goals and making sure you arrive safely. That’s the Chrisian life….Making sure you arrive safely in heaven.

We know that our salvation is secured in Christ….You cannot shipwreck your salvation but you can shipwreck your faith, your walk with Christ, your rewards in heaven, your influence on others. Is your goal to arrive anchored to Christ, safely, securely, humbly and thankfully? Or will you limp into heaven beaten and battered when you drifted away from Christ?

The Avoid Shipwreck You Must Have The Right Attitude.

1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, To the eternal King Now to the King Now to the King of the ages Psalm 47:7-8 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. 8 God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. We must realize that God is King. Everyday we must honor the King of Kings with our lives. That should be the goal of every day of our lives to give God glory and honor.

immortal, immortal eternal, 1 Timothy 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. God alone is eternal and He GIVES us eternal life by simple faith and trust in His Son. To avoid shipwreck in our faith is to realize God is God and we are not. We owe Him everything! Attitude determines you altitude! How far will you go with Jesus Christ?

invisible, and invisible 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. WE cannot see God but He sees everything. He is always there. He knows. To avoid shipwreck in our faith we must realize that God is in control. He sees everything. His eye is upon us. We cannot see Him but we know He is there. Therefore we avoid those things that will harm our walk with Him because we know we will not get away with it!

the only wise God, the only God the only God. The avoid shipwreck we wust realize who is God in our life? Me and my desires and wants….or is Jesus Christ Lord and we are surrendered to His will. Walking away from those things that are not Godly. We won’t shipwreck our lives if we realize that God has our back. He has our future and even in the midst of trials and tragedy’s we still know God will work everything out for our good and His glory!

be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen ,—to him be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen. Amen The transliteration of a Hebrew word signifying that something is certain, valid, truthful, or faithful; it is often used at the end of biblical songs, hymns, and prayers. 7:00

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. To avoid shipwreck do all we do to bring glory and honor to God! It’s not about you….It’s about Him.

Christ is our life! Quit listening to these voices that tell you how great your are! Most faithful preachers and teachers and deacons and pew sitters….fall when they think THEY deserve this…or I can do this….or this is not a sin….If it feels good do it….remember…….Sin NEVER works out for your good! NEVER!!! It kills, destroys, tears down and rips apart your life!

The Avoid Shipwreck You Must Have The Right Attitude.

2 To Avoid Shipwreck We Must Realize We Are In A Battle

1 Timothy 1:18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, Timothy, my child, I entrust to you this command Timothy, my son, 1 Timothy 6:20-21 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: 21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. O Timothy, guard and keep safe the deposit [of godly truth] entrusted to you, turn away from worldly and godless chatter [with its profane, empty words], and the contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge”— For] by making such profession some have erred (missed the mark) as regards the faith.

Paul is charging Timothy to keep the faith and teachings entrusted to him. turn away from godless teachings and contradictions of false teachers. People will teach errors and promote false teaching. To avoid shipwreck we have to realize that there are people who are deceived and are teaching these deceptions to others. ALL the religions of the world are based on false teachers who have been deceived and in turn have deceived others. We are to be Bereans. Acts 17 they checked every teacher by the word of God and by the words of the apostles. It’s always YOUR fault if you get deceived.

1 Timothy 1:18 ……according to the prophecies which went before on thee, which is in accordance with the words of prophecy spoken in the past about you. This command I give you, so that [inspired and aided] by them in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, We assume prophecies were made over Timothy during his ordination. To Avoid shipwreck in our faith we must realize that all of us have a godly calling. Not just preachers and missionaries…but all of us are called to go and serve God where we are in our lives. Knowing this should encourage us that God is using us in ways that we may not even be aware of. I always tell you that God wanted you born for the end times. He has put you here in this most important of times.

People drift and shipwreck their faith when they think that God hates them or God is against them or God has moved away from them. Well….God SO loved the world, God says He is for us not against us and WHO MOVED? God is the same everyday. We have moved from God when we listen to the lies of the devil about our God.

1 Timothy 1:18…….that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;, Use those words as weapons in order to fight well, you may fight the good fight [in contending with false teachers], Fight the good fight of faith. 1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. We have to fight to keep our faith. Faith does not come naturally to us.

The enemy tries everything He can to destroy your faith. Have faith when faith doesn’t make sense….because faith in our creator and Savoir always makes sense. Who else can we turn to? 14:00

Try as hard as you can to win that fight. Take hold of eternal life. It is the life you chose to have when you confessed your faith in Jesus—that wonderful truth that you spoke so openly and that so many people heard you when you publicly acknowledged Jesus Christ. We are in a battle…a war that we will win. Check Revelation chapter 22. WE win! So to avoid shipwrecking your faith….is to hold on….hang in there a little while longer….our change is coming. We shall ALL be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye!

When you realize it’s a spiritual battle and that you have an enemy you can avoid shipwreck. Understand the enemy wants to destroy your faith helps you stay strong in the Lord and you won’t be dashed to pieces upon the rocks of doubt and confusion. When we know what the enemies plan is ……we can prepare ourselves to win. It’s simple…..stay anchored to Jesus Christ!

The Avoid Shipwreck You Must Have The Right Attitude.

2 To Avoid Shipwreck We Must Realize We Are In A Battle 3. How To Shipwreck Your Faith.

1 Timothy 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: and keep your faith and a clear conscience. Some people have not listened to their conscience and have made a ruin of their faith. keeping your faith [leaning completely on God with absolute trust and confidence in His guidance] and having a good conscience; for some [people] have rejected [their moral compass] and have made a shipwreck of their faith.

Remember it is your Faith that is shipwrecked. You slowly start to trust in someone or something else instead of God. You quit walking daily with Christ. It started slowly…..no daily Bible reading, not attending church as often…..no more daily prayer….You have lifted up your anchor in Christ and tossed it onto the boat. You start listening and watching the wrong things…. You get a false teaching here and there. Now these false teachers are VERY good! Satan is not a dummy! He is very intelligent and very sneaky the Bible calls him Subtle…..sneaky and smart.

Holding faith and ………a good conscience. God gave us a conscience…that little voice, a moral compass….now with the Holy Spirit and your own God-given conscience you have two things to guard you against false teaching. So how do people fall into this? Let’s read on….

1 Timothy 1:20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have punished by handing them over to the power of Satan; this will teach them to stop their blasphemy. 20Hymenaeus£ and Alexander£ are among them, and I have delivered them to Satan,£ so that they may be taught not to blaspheme. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be disciplined and taught not to blaspheme.

Hymenaus and Alexander blasphemed. Hymenaus and Alexander are examples of those who reject the true doctrine. Hymenaus is later mentioned with Philetus, another false teacher in 2 Timothy 2:17. An opponent of Paul called Alexander the metalworker is mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:14-16. We don’t know if this is the same Alexander or not.

Paul names names…..I love this about him! We must call out those who are false teachers. Now we must have evidence…..and it’s according to what they are teaching. A false teacher is NOT someone who doesn’t believe in the rapture! That is not one of the essential foundations of the faith. The virgin birth….. the infallible word of God… the resurrection of Christ…the return of Christ…..salvation by 21:00 grace through faith in Christ alone…..Jesus Christ is God….the belief in hell….anything other than these things are opinions and different takes on what the Bible is saying.

But if you don’t believe in any of these essential things….you are a false teacher. And if someone teaches against any of these essentials they usually are wrong about all everything else and even have weird beliefs about the ones that are not essential! Someone who teaches that you have to DO…something in order to be saved is a false teacher. Someone who teaches that you have to do ANYTHING in addition to trusting in Christ to be saved is a false teacher.

Remember….Salvation is a free gift….Period! Rewards are earned by your faithfulness and your attitude toward Christ and the true church….For God so loved the world that He GAVE…..His son Jesus Christ!

Paul tells us to fight the good fight of faith….Hymenaus and Alexander did not fight the good fight of faith. They gave in to seducing spirits…..voices contrary to the simple gospel message. Always false teachers want to include the works of man….or man’s part in salvation. Man has NO part, ZERO part in salvation. The only thing we can do to be saved is believe Trust in Jesus Christ for eternal life. We are saved by grace through faith and not of works lest anyone should boast. Hymenaus and Alexander liked to boast of how much smarter and better they were than everyone else. Always a false teacher lifts up themselves. Some people cannot handle power. They want to control everyone and everything around them. Their ministry becomes all about them! You see them on Facebook, you tube, they are everywhere!

Self promoting, arrogant preachers and teachers who lead people astray because they are the authority and you don’t know your Bible. If you don’t know the Bible…..how can you fight off these false teaches? You cannot! That’s why Paul preached Christ and Him crucified and faith in Him alone! That’s what Jesus preached, Peter, James and John all preached faith in Christ alone!

The Avoid Shipwreck You Must Have The Right Attitude.

2 To Avoid Shipwreck We Must Realize We Are In A Battle 3. How To Shipwreck Your Faith.

Is your faith heading for a Shipwreck?

I know some pastors and teachers who have fallen into false teaching. You know their real problem? They grew to love themselves more than Jesus. They loved the adoration more than they loved Jesus. They loved the attention more than they loved Jesus. They loved being different more than they loved Jesus. They were not willing to humble themselves. There is no glory in just teaching the Bible….. they think. They have to be more flamboyant! More excitement! They think people want more of them than more of Jesus! They loved their pride more than Jesus. It is their way or the highway…they soon begin to hate good Bible believing and teaching churches!

I just preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified, risen and coming again…This is His word….. the Bible. If men would just preach the Bible verse by verse…precept upon precept…..God would take care of everything else in their ministry and in their life. But men have pride…they love hearing their own voice and their own wisdom. I’m not that smart. I wasn’t called to lift up ME……. but lift up Jesus! I wasn’t put here to glorify ME but glorify Jesus Christ!

I am the dumbest man to ever step into a pulpit…..but I have the wisdom of God in this book, the only book that God wrote……… to preach from! How can you go wrong if you preach what God says instead of what I say. I am nothing, I know nothing, He is everything! John 15:5 am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 28:04

2/8/2026

Revelation 20:1-14 The Millennial Reign Of Christ Part Nine….What About the Gentiles?

Intro: Psalm 90:4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. 2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

I and many others believe that the world will be given 7 thousand years. According to many Creation Using the Roman Calendar that we use today…..happened in the year 4004 BC. Using the Roman Calendar….Jesus was born in 3-4 BC. Today is the year 2026 AD. If we use the 360 day prophetic year this is the year 6,109 since creation. If we use the Jewish Calendar it is the year 5786 since creation. So do we have 224 more years before the return of Christ? No one believes that.

No matter how we look at it…… creation according to God happened in the prophetic year “0” zero. Jesus was born in the prophetic year 4000 and Jesus is coming again around the prophetic year 6000. We do know also by the way things are going around the world that this world doesn’t have much time. So we must assume we are near the prophetic year six thousand. God only knows the years since creation. None of us can know that. But we must assume by the way things are going that time is almost up for this world.

Why seven thousand years? There are seven days in the creation of God. Psalm 90:4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. 2 Peter 3:8-10 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The 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. 10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. The day of the Lord is the seventh day of the world. Six days are the days of man. Man was created on the sixth day. Six is the number of man. Seven is the number of completeness. God’s perfect number.

World history—

1^st two thousand years Adam to the Abraham.

2^nd two thousand years….God’s law and the Jewish people

3^rd two thousand years…..the church age.

Last thousand years…..the Kingdom of the King Jesus Christ.

God has hidden the exact time of these things or we would not have the urgency and the anticipation and preparedness of NOT knowing the exact time of His return. We can know the season….the signs of the times….but we do NOT know the exact day nor hour the exact time.

We know that by prophetic signs…(Israel in their land, Russia, Iran and Turkey aligning, world wide hatred of the Jews, the increase of immorality and the increase in Jewish hatred and persecution) and the fact that the generation that will see Israel in their land and the beginning of birth pangs will not pass away until all these things are fulfilled……we must be in that generation.

The next thing on God’s time table is the rapture of the church. It can happen at any time. It is a sign-less event. Then the next thing is the Beast out of the sea…the Anti-Christ signs a peace treaty with Israel. Daniel 9. Then we have the seven years of Daniels seventieth week Jesus called the tribulation.

Then we have this thing that the OT prophets spoke about…..in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Psalms, and Daniel and other minor prophets and Jesus Christ Himself and the NT apostles all wrote about these one thousand year reign or we call it the Millennial “mil” in the of Christ…the Davidic throne…..in one form or another.

Revelation 20:1-7

1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

People Will Live Long Lives

Isaiah 65:20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. There will be a return in the coming kingdom to the extended life spans that are noted before the Flood. Genesis chapter 5 begins the accounting of long life spans ending with Methuselah at 969 years. It appears that people will not be affected by disease and aging in the same way as in our present world. Sinner can also mean “the one who fails” to live a long life.

2/8/2026

Revelation 20:1-14 The Millennial Reign Of Christ Part Nine….What About the Gentiles? Gentiles and Jews Will Worship in the Temple

The Millennial temple is described in detail in Ezekial chapters 40-48. On some occasions, the Gentiles will worship at the Millennial Temple in Jerusalem, as detailed in Isaiah 56:6-7: “Also the sons of the foreigner, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer, their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all peoples.”

The size of the temple described in Ezekiel chapters 47-48 seems to be able to accommodate the millions of visitors to it. In that period, the Temple will not be just for the Jewish people but for all people: “And it shall come to pass that, from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD” (Isa. 66:23).

Gentiles Will Change Their Attitude Toward Jews

Most Gentiles give the Jewish people a fairly wide berth, often avoiding them completely. But the Scriptures say, “Zech. 8:23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts: In those days it shall come to pass that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you.

The Gentiles will recognize that the hand of God is uniquely upon the Jews. The Davidic and New Covenants will be in effect, and the Jews will enjoy certain benefits not afforded to the Gentiles. Therefore, the Gentiles will cling to their Jewish friends, seeking to share the special blessings afforded to them.

Gentiles As Part of the Raptured Church Will Have Positions of Leadership

buried his talent. When the master returned, he promised the first two servants that they would be rulers over many things. The third servant he sternly rebuked. Because this parable was given in the context of the Lord’s Second Coming, we can conclude that one aspect of the rewards to believing Gentiles will be rulership with Christ in the Millennial Kingdom.

In Luke 19:11–24, the Lord told a similar parable: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return” (v. 12). He too entrusted funds to three servants, telling them to “Occupy till I come” (v. 13). When he returned, “having received the kingdom” (v. 15), he gave to his two faithful servants authority over cities. It is therefore evident that Gentiles as I believe part of the raptured church will rule over certain areas during the Millennial Kingdom, based upon a system of rewards known only to our Lord.

This prospect should certainly make us aware of the need to faithfully honor and serve the Lord in this life, which will affect our lives and position during the Millennium.

There will be no need of priestly duties but there will be priests both gentile and Jewish according to Ezekiel. Ezekiel chapters 44-46 seems to indicate there will be Gentile priests and in Ezekiel 40-43 seems to indicate that there will be Jewish priests. Ezekiel chapter 43 seems to specifically indicate that there will be Jewish priests assisting in the millennial temple.

There will be only one High Priest. Aaron and God made a covenant with Phineas for an everlasting priesthood so his line will be ministering under the high priest with Jesus Christ being the high priest in the Millennial kingdom. He will be alone is High priest. Hebrews 7:17 says that Jesus Christ is our priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Jesus alone is High Priest.

Isaiah 2:2 and 3 says nations will stream to the temple. Isaiah 66:18 says that all nations will see Him in the Temple in His glory.

But the Gentile mortals can as we have seen come to the temple and worship. Remember the sacrifices are symbolic of the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world. A vivid picture of what Christ did for us. to show all the world and the Jewish people the proper application of the sacrifice of the Lamb.

Some Gentile Countries In the Millennial Kingdom

Micah 4:2 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. Many nations clearly represented here. Will there be a Millennial United States? Great Britain, Italy? We do not know. We do know that there will be a Millennial Egypt and Assyria so that might give as hint that the names of nations might stay the same.

Egypt

There are two prophecies concerning Egypt. The first is found in Ezekiel 29, where the Lord foretold extreme difficulties for this nation. This prophecy is about Egypt being judged and that Babylon will conquer and disperse them because of its cruel treatment of Israel (Ezek. 29:3–8). They did this in 568 BC. Then forty years later in 528 BC the Persians allowed Egypt to be resettled will recover. According to Isaiah 19:21-25 Egypt will experience conversion to the Lord during the Millennium.

Egypt and Assyria

Isaiah 19: 21-25 describe a day when Egypt will know the Lord. Verse 24 says that Egypt will be partnered with Israel and Assyria and be a blessing. Verse 25 says Egypt and Assyria will be God’s people and Israel God’s inheritance. Also, Isaiah 19:23–25 describes a millennial highway from Egypt to Assyria (probably the old Via Maris) so that all peoples of the earth can come to Jerusalem. At that time the Egyptians will turn to the Lord and be called the people of the Lord. We know that there are kings of kingdom or nations that must come to the temple to worship or their land will not receive rain. What a day that will be when all nations are united and work together. What the world is striving for today will never happen until Jesus Christ becomes King!

God will deal with these Gentile nations as He did with Sodom and Gomorrah.

Babylon and Edom and Elam.

These two Gentile nations have vehemently opposed and persecuted Israel throughout history; therefore, Babylon will be destroyed (Jer. 51:41–43, 49, 53–56), I believe that Babylon in Iraq has already been destroyed therefore the Babylon in Revelation chapters 17 and 18 is the Babylonian religious and economical systems that have always been here. Chrislam. The joining of Rome and Islam. Some though believe that Babylon will be rebuilt and that Jeremiah 51 is about the future destruction during the tribulation.

The Bible also says that Edom will be crushed for their sins against God’s Chosen People (Isa. 34:8–15). The Bible says In Jeremiah 49:36-38 that Elam will be destroyed. This is the western part of Iran. God is going to deal with some of these wicked Gentile nations that persecuted His people. They will wind up like Sodom and Gomorrah.

These destructions has in my opinion will happen before the Millennial kingdom.

Conclusion

At the Second Coming of Jesus to begin His millennial reign, major changes will take place on the earth. Times will change to the prophetic year of 360 days. Seasons will change. Peace will rule the Earth with both the animals and mankind. The resurrected church in the Millennial Kingdom will rule with Christ.

Mortal Gentile’s in the Millennium kingdom will experience God’s blessing and will worship the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem. Jewish mortals will serve the Lord in the temple and probably all be living in Israel. By contrast, unbelieving Gentiles will be cast off the earth at the end of the tribulation and not experience the Millennium because of what they have done to and with the Jews throughout history and the real reason is that they rejected the Jewish Savior Jesus Christ! Trust in Him Now!

2/1/2026

Colossians 3:1-7 Above, Beyond And Below

Intro: Service above anything you’ve ever experienced, quality beyond your imagination, And prices below what you’d expect to pay! What does that sound like? A TV commercial. The goal of every advertiser is to include these three things in Advertising. I used to write commercials for radio. You had to make your client’s business be above, beyond and below. Above and beyond their competitors and below them in price. That’s the key. Well Paul describes the same three things in His message to the Church at Colossae in relation to our lives in Christ.

Above

Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ….. Since you became alive again, so to speak, when Christ arose from the dead, Therefore if you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, sharing in His resurrection from the dead], Romans 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection….If we are identified by His death then logically it follows that we identify or a part of His resurrection. Christ’s resurrection is God’s stamp of approval our salvation in Christ! If He lives we shall also. John 14:19. Christ is Above all and in all.

Colossians 3:1…..seek those things which are above….. now set your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven keep seeking the things that are above. Christ is in Heaven. We should seek a deeper relationship with Christ. A deeper knowledge of Him. It’s deep because most people have not been taught the whole counsel of God….the entire word of God by their pastors and preachers. That’s on the pastors and preachers and teachers!

Matthew 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. There are rewards in heaven for the faithful servant. We have this great amazing hope that we have heard all of our lives…..you will go to heaven when we die. When we reached the age of accountability we to our horror discovered that we are sinners and we are going to hell. Now we understand that we must trust in Jesus Christ and His payment for our sins as He shed His blood for us on the cross. So we look forward to heaven. It is a place we cannot even imagine. As Hell is a warning….Heaven is a prize, a reward, our goal, our finish line……..something worth all the heartache in this world to reach.

Colossians 3:1….where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. where he sits beside God in the place of honor and power. where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. We are interested in the things of Above…in heaven because that’s where Jesus is. He is home, He has prepared a place for you….your place…. your permanent home. This home you live in now can burn down. It will get old and decay. The saddest thing you will see is an old home place that has been empty for many years, neglected and fallen into disrepair, with weeds all around it. One time there was the sounds of life, of children playing….. of dad working outside and the smells of mom’s cooking. But our home in heaven will never grow old and never decay.

Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Let heaven fill your thoughts; don’t spend your time worrying about things down here. Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]. That is why we don’t put our hope in things of this earth. We enjoy the fruit of our labor on earth but we know that one day it will belong to another and it will be gone. But what we have in heaven is eternal, forever! 7:00

Set you mind…you thoughts on things above. If you want to be a good athlete you have to keep your head up. If you want to show confidence in anything you’ve got to keep your head up. Don’t be worried so much about things down here look up your redemption draweth nigh. Everything here wears out and things die. How depressing is that? Not at all if we know we are going to a place that never grows old and where rust and decay and death does not exist! Knowing about things above should be motivation for us.

Things Above 2. Things Beyond

Colossians 3:3 For ye are dead, You should have as little desire for this world as a dead person does. For you died [to this world], Things beyond….beyond our imagnination. Can a dead person live again? A person at the cemetery has no longer any part or concern with this world. We should treat the world like that while we are in it. It has no lasting appeal to us…we are heavenly minded or we should say….Jesus minded. We are seeking Him first and foremost. Living for Him, loving like Him and living to please Him. Have you heard someone say “there has to be life beyond this world?” Good news….there is!

The bad news…..2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead. We are all dead in trespasses and sins until we are made alive…until we are saved….after we are saved we are then dead to the lure of the world’s passions and pleasures that cause us to sin.

2 Corinthians 5:7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) Dead people cannot see….we can only BELIEVE by faith in the things of Christ. Then our faith becomes sight. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. Romans 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Sin only offers temporary happiness and temporary fulfillment. It doesn’t last and you are right back to your pain and sorrow. Dead people don’t have hope! The grave is beyond hopeless for humans. No one wants to die. But look at the rest of this verse……God takes us beyond what we could ever think or imagine.

Colossians 3:3…..and your life is hid with Christ in God. Your real life is in heaven with Christ and God. and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. Your life is deposited with Christ who is in intimate relationship with God. As all wisdom and knowledge is in Christ this means that the Christians life belongs in the heavenly realm. Colossians 2:3 3In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. When we trusted in Christ we became residents of Heaven. I go to prepare a place for you!

We are not dead but alive in Christ! It is beyond belief! But most importantly this next verse explains what it means to be hid with Christ in God…….

Colossians 3:4 When Christ, who is our life……. And when Christ who is our real life When Christ, who is our life…. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: Deuteronomy 30:20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, for he is thy life, and the length of thy days. There can be no doubt. Christ is God….Christ is life. That’s why if you go to the lake of fire….and it’s called eternal death. Without God you are not alive spiritually. You will exist……. but be dead spiritually.

Colossians 3:4…..shall appear…… When Christ comes back again…..When Christ appears…One day Christ will appear to His church. We will see Him at the Rapture…We who are alive will meet Him in the air…. and be with Him forever and ever! WE will meet Him in the great beyond….This is Beyond belief and imagination. It is beyond our comprehension to be taken to heaven by Jesus Christ! 14:00

He SHALL appear……not maybe, not hopefully, but certainly…He WILL return for us. The blessed hope. Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Don’t be looking for the undertaker….be waiting for the UPPER-taker. Titus 2:13 talks about the glorious appearing….Colossians Paul his appearing…..

Colossians 3:4 ……then shall ye also appear with him in glory., you will shine with him and share in all his glories…… then you also will appear with Him in glory. Here another appearing this time it’s His church appearing in His presence. Actually in the presence of the Lord! In a moment in the twinkling of an eye! I know the communists and Marxists are trying to start their revolution in Minnesota. Minnesota has been the breeding ground for a communist revolution in the United States. Remember George Floyd riots? This world has gotten beyond the turning back point. Our nation is beyond saving now I believe!

Their goal is to create such social unrest and division that it creates Chaos and confusion and fear and surrender of our values. How many of our congressmen have already surrendered? Most of the democrats and many republicans have already surrendered. Listen to how they cry over a rioter….that’s what they were…..protests are peaceful….anything else is a riot….listen to how they cry over a dead rioter and shed no tears for the hundreds murdered by illegals. They laughed and cheered when Charlie Kirk was killed. America is at the end of it’s reign I’m afraid.

You know what’s wrong? Two things. We have divided Israel….so God is dividing us!

We have aborted 90 million babies since 1973. Our future….our great leaders were among some of those dead children. We have destroyed ourselves. We can only blame ourselves.

So many want to blame the churches. I don’t blame the true church….this was all prophesized in the Bible. It’s not the true church….the real church….those who have truly trusted in Jesus Christ…..it’s the false shepherds and the fake flock. Those who are of the synagogue of Satan. What is that? That is a person who says He is a Jew and who is not…..We have the church of Satan….they say they are followers of Jesus Christ but they are not! They have crept in unawares and led our churches into wokeness, and away from the word of God. If you don’t have to bring a Bible to your church…….. you better find another church! I always take my Bible to church! Even when I visit other churches!

American’s our only hope is in Jesus Christ! Donald Trump is not your Savior! The Democrats and the Republicans are not your Savior….Only Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior!

Things Above 2. Things Beyond 3. Things Below

Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: Away then with sinful, earthly things; deaden the evil desires lurking within you; have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires; don’t worship the good things of life, for that is idolatry. So put to death and deprive of power the evil longings of your earthly body [with its sensual, self-centered instincts] immorality, impurity, sinful passion, evil desire, and greed, which is [a kind of] idolatry [because it replaces your devotion to God].

And there are things below….things that lead us to hell below and separation from God forever.

If we would just stop sinning….things would go much better for us! Mortify means to put to death. We should put to death these sins and notice these are sexual sins……Boy do we have a problem with that today in our society. Everything goes today! Whatever lustful shameful act you want to perform 21:00 you can find it in our world today! You know what the word “abomination” really means…..it makes you sick! Well the Bible says eating shell fish is an abomination! Yes is still is today! It can make you physically sick if you are allergic to it. That’s all God is saying. But He says that homosexuality makes Him physically sick also….sick in His spirit!

Things below. We have lowered our standards of decency in our world today. The problem with society today is that we are encouraged to sleep around and our children are groomed in elementary schools in woke cities. If a guy woke up from a Rip Van Winkle 50 year nap and watched our movies and modern TV shows they would think that ninety percent of our population is gay, takes drugs, drinks beer, and gambles! That’s all you see on TV anymore. I don’t watch anything live except sports or should I say Gambling exhibitions! That’s all they are today. There is so much betting on sports events that no one can guarantee it’s a true competition. They all could be on the take!

Colossians 3:6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: God’s terrible anger is upon those who do such things. Because of these [sinful] things the [divine] wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience [those who fail to listen and who routinely and obstinately disregard God’s precepts], But people are all basically good aren’t they? Well the Bible says there is none…NONE righteous no not one. The Bible says that there is NONE good but God! The wrath…the full anger of God…the divine wrath of God is going to be poured out on this world! That’s why God wants you to be saved….saved from His wrath…the wrath of a Holy God who offered you salvation and you preferred your sin instead.

Things below….we have sunk lower than I thought possible. You think God is going to wink at sin? Is sin just a big joke? What about Israel. Read chapter I thing it’s 22 of the book of Ezekiel about what God thinks of their sin. Ezekiel 22:14 Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the LORD have spoken it, and will do it. Did your mom ever tell you….wait til your daddy gets home? I don’t think anybody does that anymore. The children straighten out their daddy’s nowadays ……if there is a daddy. But in my day if my mom said wait til daddy gets home I knew is was not going to win, no use to run, no use to hide, daddy was going to deal with the problem. God says to Israel you are not going to come out very good if you take me on…… I’m going to deal with the problem…….. and believe me when God says He will deal with it….He will deal with it!

God says that to everyone alive today……you cannot go against God…you won’t win….He is going to deal with you and your sin…..wouldn’t it be much better…to trust in Jesus Christ. He has already been dealt with by God for your sin…He has already paid for your sin debt to God. Why will ye die O man? Why?

Colossians 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. You used to do them when your life was still part of this world; and in these [sinful things] you also once walked, when you were habitually living in them [without the knowledge of Christ].

I love it when people tell me “I used to be this or I used to do that.” I love “used to be’s!” People that used to lead a sinful life away from God and now are living in the power of God! That’s what this verse means….I’m a used to be….I used to live for things below…hellish things….Now I live for things above Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. Believe me that is what the Bible calls being born from above. Walking in newness of life. A new Life in Christ.

But there are some “used to Be’s” that used to go to church…Used to serve God….used to read the Bible……Don’t be one of those my Christian friend…. Make your “I used to be” away from God but now I’m living in His presence! 1. Things Above 2. Things Beyond 3. Things Below Now you know. 28:04

1/25/2026

Philippians 4:4-9 Final Instructions For Finishing Well

Intro: Davos, Switzerland. President Trump has put together a Board of Peace. The only thing I can say to that is this…..”When they shall save peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them.” I don’t know if Trump is the Beast of Revelation but he is certainly applying for the job! And I don’t know what exactly this means for the return of Christ….but I know it means that things that must happen in Bible prophecy are rapidly coming together.

Just look at the unrest in the world today caused by communist infiltration and Islamic infiltration in our country. It is leading us to the brink of disaster as a nation. We cannot continue to welcome the Red-Green axis into our country. Canada and Mexico have buddied up with China. China is the number two importer of goods to China and Canada. China’s only goal is to destroy the United States. The only nation they fear is the United States. The only nation that stands in the way of the Globalist Elites is the United States! The only nation that can prevent Islamic Sharia law in the entire world is the United States! See a theme here…..The evil cannot advance until the United States is gone…and the United States cannot survive without the Christian moral compass that guides this nation! The communists have used the Gay agenda, Trans Agenda, Islam, border crises and the anger about ICE to divide our country.

Now listen no one in their right mind would want illegal aliens in this country soaking up every dime of taxpayer money they can. Did you know that George W Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barak Obama have all exported more illegals in a year than Donald Trump last year by far! Barak Obama made a glorious speech about getting people out of America that were here illegally. And people cheered. But why are people angry about it today? Well the question is WHO is angry about it? I believe these agitators are backed by Chinese, Russian, Islamic factions…the Red-green axis are stirring people up to divide this nation so that we will fall into chaos and confusion.

The Globalist world elites of Davos have a hand in this also. Their agenda is the same as the communists. No private land, Digital currency and the control of the population. In fact, the Globalists love China. They think China can get the world where it needs to be. Klaus Swabb the founder of the world Economic Forum…..loves China! He has stated that publicly.

1/25/2026

Philippians 4:4-9 Final Instructions For Finishing Well

Once the church is gone then and only then will the United States fall. The Holy Spirit working through the church is the restrainer of the Beast system today. When the church is gone they will have their utopian dream……. that will turn out to be their greatest nightmare. But how do we live in light of Christ in these days? Paul left us some instructions.

Be Joyful In The Lord

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I say it again: rejoice! Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice! Adrian Rogers always said that the world is getting gloriously dark. The 7:00 night is darkest just before dawn. God is still on His throne. Jesus is still Lord and the real blood bought Church is alive and well in the world today! People are still coming to faith in Jesus Christ every minute of every day! What a day to be alive! I get excited everyday when I see how hard the devil is working to conquer the world! He is working hard so time must be short. Every time you say….”I’ve thought I’d see it get this bad!” you are confessing that the devil is desperate and that Jesus is coming soon!

We should rejoice that He has allowed us to live in these last days. He must think a lot of you to put you on the earth in the year 2026! God always has the right people for the right time! That is you and me!

Be Joyful In The Lord 2 Be Gentle and Patient

Philippians 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Show a gentle attitude toward everyone. The Lord is coming soon. Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near.

Put on the fruit of the Spirit….Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. If you walk in the Spirit you will display it’s fruit! Be a gentle, kind person. Not weak. God didn’t call us to be milksops….but to be mighty men of valor! Soldiers for Christ! Ready to face the enemy! Meekness is strength…..under control. The Bible says Quit you like men! What does that mean? Be like a man. This goes for women too….. Be Strong, courageous, resilient, led by the power of God! Men lead and women are at the side of their men walking and serving together! The devil’s crowd doesn’t want a real man and woman of God…..they will kick you out of their group, their club! Don’t fight to stay in their group gently walk away and rejoice that God got you away from losers who follow the greatest loser of all…..Satan Himself!

The Lord is at hand….the Lord is coming soon or He is near us all the time. Whatever it means it means that we are on His mind every minute. And soon we will be in His presence! How does that make you feel?

Let your moderation be known unto all men. What kind of person are you? God wants us to be Gentile to others but uncompromising in what we believe. Do people know what you stand for? If you don’t stand for Christ…… you will fall for anything!

Many churches are firing pastors who won’t go along with the woke agenda. Many marriages are falling apart because a husband or wife won’t be a part of the devil’s work in that family. Don’t fight them….When they kick you out……leave them through the door that God has given you and continue to fight the good fight of faith where God will lead you next. Don’t try to get back in their good graces….they don’t want you or what you believe. 14:00

In time the Devils people will get sick of the gentleness and goodness and truth that you stand for. They’ll ask you to leave! They’ll bring false charges against you to get rid of you! Realize that and leave and shake the dust off your feet and move on to the glory of God!

Don’t fight to stay in the devil’s crowd! Great is your reward in heaven for being strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! Gentle means you won’t get mad……but neither will you compromise on iota of the truth of God! Paul and Silas sang songs in prison because they made the devil mad! You should too!

Be Joyful In The Lord 2 Be Gentle and Patient 3. Don’t Worry So Anything Pray about Everything

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.

Pray! Do you pray? You the Bible says “when you enter into your closet to pray.” God expects us to get alone with Him regularly! When you have prayed then what? Then pray some more! Do you stop for a second and thank God for the little things He does for you everyday? Pray without ceasing the Bible says. Be always talking to your Father. He is always there. Are you always looking for Him? If you want to cause the devil and his crowd real trouble…..pray… Satan laughs at our strength, mocks at our wisdom….but trembles when we pray!

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].

Peace is what everyone wants but doesn’t know how to get it. They try pills, booze, sex, power, money and fame but will never find it there. Peace is not found in a religion. Peace is not found in a career, a politician, a good cause, or even good health, peace is only found in a person…..Jesus Christ…My peace I give unto you……

Be Joyful In The Lord 2 Be Gentle and Patient 3. Don’t Worry So Anything Pray about Everything
Keep Your Mind On God’s Word

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable. Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure 21:00 and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].

You know that only God’s word fulfills all these good things to think on! Fill your mind with the word of God and your heart with the love of God! Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105 Only a fool would venture into the unknown darkness without a light. Yet people leave the home everyday and never read the Bible. The Bible is a perfect book. Perfect in everyway and in everything! The man with the highest IQ ever recorded in the world said….”the Bible is a perfect book.”

I don’t need him to tell me that….I’ve already discovered that myself. The only thing you can take with you from this earth …..to heaven is the Bible. The most valuable think you have on earth is your Bible. So don’t you think you ought to read it down here if it’s that valuable.

Philippians 4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. Put into practice what you learned and received from me, both from my words and from my actions. And the God who gives us peace will be with you. The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things [in daily life], and the God [who is the source] of peace and well-being will be with you.

We learn by reading, studying and then putting those things into practice in our daily lives. When you experience the power of Christ in your life…..you will never be the same! When you see His hand in your life, when you feel His strength flowing through you, when you see His goodness all around you….that is the power of God in you, the confidence you have in God and His word…….. and that gives you the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.

And you get some bonus things too……If you put into practice the things Paul talks about here……you will have victory over sin, death, hell and the grave. You will have no fear of tomorrow for tomorrow might bring you to Jesus. You will have no confusion, or chaos in your heart. You will have persecution and trouble for you are making the devil angry. But like when your enemies pitch a fit about you……..just let em cry what can they do to me?

Be Joyful In The Lord 2 Be Gentle and Patient 3. Don’t Worry So Anything Pray about Everything
Keep Your Mind On God’s Word

Final Instructions On Finishing Well

I believe the finish line is in sight! Do you see it? Do you believe it? I know God’s spirit is working on people today. Everyone knows that something is not right and something is going to happen. They think its civil war, economic collapse or world war III. I think they know in their heart of hearts that God is trying to tell them that He is coming. Listen it’s never about how your start in anything….it’s always how you finish. You will be remembered by how you finished a game or a race or your life. Forget about the past……it’s over. Finish well by following Christ all the way home. 28:04

1/18/2026

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 How To Win The Race

Intro: Everybody wants to win but not many will pay the price it takes. Luke 14:28 says For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? How many of us want to please the Lord and finish strong for Him and win for Him….but we have not prepared ourselves to win. Many enter a race but not all finish it. All great athletes have been hardened by setbacks, strengthened by failure, and by discipline and determination have come back to be winners. Only one wins a physical race. But we all have a unique race called our life. Not everyone is the same. So you must win the race that God has given you…..it’s your own life’s race and the end line is in sight! Will you run with Christ? Or without Him? Will you be the victor? or will you quit?

Run the Race

1 Corinthians 9:4 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run [their very best to win], but only one receives the prize? Run [your race] in such a way that you may seize the prize and make it yours!

Paul knew and perhaps had seen the Isthmian games who were known to all of his readers. They were held every other year near Corinth. It was an event that no one wanted to miss for the Grecian people. It was a national institution like the Super Bowl or the World Series today.

Running the race of faith is to run to win. That is do the best we can to live everyday trusting and following the Lord Jesus. We won’t be perfect….not even close….but the idea is to keep on running no matter what. You never know how it will turn out. The others in the race quit. So many Christians quit today and it’s getting worse all the time. How many pastors and Sunday School teachers and deacons and ushers and greeters and those in the pews that this will be their last Sunday in church. They have quit…the race is too hard.

Of course it’s hard. We have to keep our eyes on the prize not on our surroundings. Runners are taught to keep looking ahead, not behind them or who’s running with them. Keep our eyes on the prize. Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. We press on…we keep on keeping on no matter what is happening around us. we keep our eyes on the prize…the prize is Jesus Christ and being with Him for eternity….never to be sad, never to be defeated, never to be lonely, never to be sick, never to die again!

Run to win. If I’m going to deal with hardships as a Christian I’m not going to give up but I’m going to double down and keep running. But not many are made that way.

Many will depart from the faith…1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. MANY! Many…a lot of people, most people will depart because they listened to evil spirits…demons and false doctrines…and they were convinced to quit and some will believe a lie instead of the truth of Jesus Christ and His gospel and leave Biblical faith. We are seeing this today. People are hating on the Jews….God’s chosen people and His land. We are seeing people depart from believing in the rapture and calling Matthew 24 and the book of Daniel and Revelation as already happened! It is growing and growing. 7:00

Just because people leave the faith doesn’t mean that they figured out something….No it means that they listened to evil men who will wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived. The last days is marked by DECEPTION! Don’t be deceived. How can you not be deceived? It’s very simple….know your Bible! If you know the truth of God He will make sure you are not deceived.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. This is not a sprint but a marathon. Anyone can summon up the strength to run for ten seconds….but it’s hard to run for four hours like a marathoner. The Christian faith is not a spring it’s a marathon. Day after day. Hour after hour. Year after year.

Galatians 2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. I went there with definite orders from God to confer with the brothers there about the message I was preaching to the Gentiles. I talked privately to the leaders of the church so that they would all understand just what I had been teaching and, I hoped, agree that it was right. Paul wanted to make sure that his teaching that circumcision was not necessary was exactly what the other apostles were teaching so that what he had established wasn’t at waste of time. This tells us that correct doctrine was important to Paul. Even though he was taught by Jesus in Arabia He still wanted to make sure that there was no contradiction with the other apostles. It’ like running a race….you want to make sure they other runners are on the same track running the same race. We can all be going off in different directions…that would be chaos. You can’t win the race of faith if you are on the wrong track!

1 Corinthians 9:4 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. Only one who wins a race got the prize. You can have only one winner. But the analogy is that in our race with Christ we all can win the prize. What is the prize? We will see in verse 25…

Run the Race 2. The Prize For Wining

1 Corinthians 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. Now every athlete who [goes into training and] competes in the games is disciplined and exercises self-control in all things. They do it to win a crown that withers, but we [do it to receive] an imperishable [crown that cannot wither].

We are running to Christ, for Christ and He is our reward. He gives a crown. When you win a race you get a trophy that in time will get old and rusty. It’s corruptible. Christ gives and incorruptible crown to those who win His race. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. This crown is given to those who are faithfully waiting on the Lord…Not sitting around waiting…but those who continue to fight the good fight of faith and finish strong and are waiting to see Jesus either in death or at the rapture. 14:00

Five crowns in the Bible…..The five crowns that can be earned as rewards by the Christian for faithful service are all described by the Greek word “stephanos”. Salvation is received strictly as a gift from God. Eternal life in heaven is a gift, but the rewards are earned. The reward is not for being on the Foundation of Christ (I Corinthians 3:11-15), but for what is built thereon.

THE INCORRUPTIBLE CROWN: (I Corinthians 9:25). This will be given to those who “keep under the body and bring it into subjection”, running the race faithfully.

THE CROWN OF REJOICING: (I Thessalonians. 2:19). This is the soul-winner’s crown.

THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: (II Timothy 4:8). This crown will be given for those who love His appearing and who live their lives anticipating Christ’s soon return.

THE CROWN OF GLORY: (I Peter 5:4). This crown is for faithful teaching of the Word of God. This will be given to those instructing others in God’s Word.

THE CROWN OF LIFE: (Revelation 2:10). This is sometimes termed the “martyr’s crown”. It is for those who suffer for the cause of Christ. This crown, like the others, is given personally by Christ. “I will give.”

Jesus said, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20).” As a believer in Jesus Christ knowing that you will go to heaven according to His promise (John 6:47), are you actively seeking after the crowns which are “incorruptible” (will never pass away). Do you consider yourself WISE AND YET ARE QUITE FOOLISH because, you are not laboring for the rewards that are eternal? Have you done anything worthy of remuneration from the Lord Jesus Christ?

Remember, salvation is received by faith and is a present possession. Rewards are a future attainment based on your works and faithfulness to Christ.

Run the Race 2. The Prize For Wining 3. Fight The Good Fight

1 Corinthians 9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. Therefore I do not run without a definite goal; I do not flail around like one beating the air [just shadow boxing].

Now Paul goes from running to boxing. We run with our eyes on the finish line. We live life with our eyes on the finish line. So many people today are living for the moment and never think about tomorrow. They never consider very seriously the consequences of their actions. There are consequences to doing good and doing evil. If we run for the finish line we will make it there. If we run for the fame, popularity and attention as soon as pain hits us we will quit. Something will distract us and we leave the race for something else more attractive and not as painful.

One point to remember……2 Timothy 2:5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. And if anyone enters competitive games, he is not crowned unless he competes lawfully (fairly, according to the rules laid down). Also we must run according to the rules. There are rules of fair play in running and definitely in boxing. How many athletes have gotten a trophy taken from them when it is discovered that they cheated. Well you can’t cheat on God. HE knows who deserves a reward and who did it with lies and deception. 21:00

1 Corinthians 9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: Boxers and runners don’t waste energy and time. If you throw punches at the air and miss your opponent that is wasted energy that will wear you down. Boxers and runners have a strategy for winning. Runner run for the finish line all the while studying their opponents. Boxers box with strategy knowing their opponents weaknesses and trying to exploit them. They don’t waste punches.

1 Corinthians 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest. But [like a boxer] I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached [the gospel] to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified [as unfit for service]. Training with discipline is the only way to be as good athlete. Discipline and discipleship are similar terms. Disciples are disciplined in that they are concerned with only one thing…..knowing the teacher! An athlete can be disqualified by not being able to compete. If you have not trained for running or boxing you will not be qualified to compete in any of these events. All sports have qualifying events. You have to work your way up to running a big race and boxing for a championship.

Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Athletes have to do away with things that impede their progress. They have to eat right, get plenty of rest and disciplined training every day. There are no days off. We train our bodies for the event. Winners train everyday to get the edge on their opponents. Our biggest opponent is ourselves. Lack of focus…lack of desire, laziness and lack of discipline has destroyed the potential of many athletes who could have been great.

Christians by our discipline and faithfulness show we are preparing ourselves for the prize of Christ. Laziness, lack of focus, lack of desire or love for Christ are the stumbling blocks of most Christians.

We only qualify to get a crown for the Lord by finishing strong. You can destroy some of the good things and victories you have had for the Lord in your life. What if I start drinkning and carousing around. I will have destroyed everything I have ever done in my life before that. What if I only rob one bank and I did it this week. I am forever a bank robber and it over shadows everything I have ever done in my life.

The most important thing is sports is to finish strong. It’s the only thing really! How many times have your heard this….It’s not how you start but how you finish that counts! It’s true and that is what Paul is saying here. Finish strong. Finish the race…don’t waste time on worldly pursuits goals…. Pursue Christ and His cross. Paul said I know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That’s all that really matters in the final analysis. It’s not wrong to be in the world….to enjoy your life…but it’s wrong to be OF the world. Living for worldly pleasures and things as your goal. Our goal is Jesus Christ and His glory! And then you will win and win forever and ever!

Do you ever get tired of winning? Finish strong for Christ in your life….don’t limp to the end. We don’t have much time. How many Christians today are limping to the finish line beat up and discouraged. Yes we may get beat up but know one can discourage you but YOU! You are the only one who quits…you can’t blame someone else!

Run the Race 2. The Prize For Wining 3. Fight The Good Fight

How To Win The Race

Know you know…..keep your eyes on the prize and that prize is Jesus. 28:04

1-11-2026

Romans 3:1-6 God Used An Imperfect People To Bring His Perfect Word

Intro: Today the Bible is still the number one selling book in the world. The United States is still the number one Bible producing, reading and distributing country in the world…by far. And He did it through an imperfect people…the Jewish people. Funny that a Jewish book, written entirely by Jews except maybe Luke….but scholars are recently discovering that Luke may have been Jewish also….This book written by the hated Jewish people.

Today Jews are hated on the level of the 1930’s around the world. It is getting unsafe to put an Israel flag in your front yard or to be a known Jewish person in many places in AMERICA! Yet we love or used to love their book…..the Bible! Only God can do the things He does that perplex us…….but He makes it to become perfect sense when we understand God and His work in this world.

The Oracles of God Were Given the Prophets and the Apostles

Romans 3:1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Do the Jews then have any advantage over the Gentiles? Or is there any value in being circumcised? Then what is the advantage of the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? This is what people are saying today about the Jews. What the big deal about Israel? Bible says there is never Jew nor Greek but all are the same in Christ. Today the Jew is being out right trashed by the Christian world…the very ones who should be grateful to them and appreciate God’s promises to them are the very ones who are calling the Jews today fake and behind every problem in the world today.

Circumcision uniquely marked the children of God as distinct of all nations and all peoples. With great power comes great responsibility. I would say with great revelation comes great responsibility. The Jew was chosen to reveal the God of creation to the world and what He expects of us and to bring His plan of salvation to the whole world.

Romans 3:2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

Much, indeed, in every way! In the first place, God trusted his message to the Jews. Great in every respect. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God [His very words].

Paul says yes they do have advantage….they heard the gospel first! They were given the word of God first! The patriarchs and prophets after Abraham and Moses were all descendants of Jacob. They were Jewish. Their advantage was that God chose them to give the word of God to the world and to reveal Him to the world! And they accomplished that! So the were successful in the circumcision…that is they were separated from the rest of the word…set apart for God’s purposes. And they never failed in that. Their faith failed…..but God did not fail to protect and punish and bring them back. His promises to them are forever!

The Old testament Paul says is divinely inspired. Along with the New Testament writers. So basically the word of God was given to the prophets as He spoke to them and the apostles as He spoke to them and gave them the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Foundation stones of the 8:00 New Jerusalem and the gates of the New Jerusalem will have the names of the twelve Sons of Jacob and the twelve disciples of Jesus. All Jewish men. God gave them the oracles…the words of God.

The Oracles of God Were Given the Prophets and the Aposltles 2. They Were Not Faithful But God is Faithful

Romans 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? But what if some of them were not faithful? Does this mean that God will not be faithful? What then? If some did not believe or were unfaithful [to God], their lack of belief will not nullify and make invalid the faithfulness of God and His word, will it? The Jewish people were prone to depart from God. They were unfaithful. But….. the prophets were faithful…the Apostles were faithful and Jesus Christ was faithful….and that’s all God needed.

Romans 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. Certainly not! God must be true, even though all human beings are liars. As the scripture says, “You must be shown to be right when you speak; you must win your case when you are being tried.” Certainly not! Let God be found true [as He will be], though every person be found a liar, just as it is written [in Scripture], “That You may be justified in Your words, And prevail when You are judged [by sinful men].”

God is the true. Jesus said He was the way….the TRUTH and the Life. When you know Jesus you know the truth of God embodied and revealed! The were not faithful but God is faithful. Even if we believe not He is faithful! 2 Timothy 3:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. God is faithful to us whether we are faithful or not. That is He will not change His mind about us. He will bring to fruition and complete what He has given us…..our salvation.

Romans 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Repent means to change….to go one way and turn around and go the other way. God will not change His mind or do an about face with His Gifts to us…..the gift of salvation….and His calling upon us…..to preach the gospel. He is not going to start another way of salvation. God calls every person to repent of their sin and turn to Jesus Christ by faith.

1 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. Amen means….so be it….what God has said is true and unchangeable. It is to God’s glory that He can keep and will keep His promises to us. It means that He is able, It means that He is powerful, It means that He is all knowing and all seeing. He knows the beginning from the end. He is able to keep His promises because He is God! The Only God. The creator God!

We make promises we know that we can’t keep. It is the weakness of humans to want to keep promises but we lack the power and the will to keep them. God is powerful enough to keep them and He is….and this is important…..He is WILLING to keep them!. Why is He 16:00 willing…. because……get this…..His very integrity is at stake. If God ever failed….then it’s all over! But He LOVES US and He will not and cannot fail!

God’s people meant well….at times… but they were not able to be faithful to God. It is man’s heart to wander from God. Our hearts are prone to depart from the God we love. That is our flesh. It’s very unco-operative to our spirit. It fights your new birth all the time. But one day we will set this flesh aside and get our new glorified body that will not fight against us anymore.

Israel will finally welcome Jesus when He comes again. Then they will serve Him for one thousand years. Then some will rebel but hopefully not many…and they will see a new heaven and a new earth with a new Jerusalem.

The Oracles of God Were Given the Prophets and the Apostles 2. They Were Not Faithful But God is Faithful 3 God is Not Unrighteous Because His People Failed

Romans 3:5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man) But what if our doing wrong serves to show up more clearly God’s doing right? Can we say that God does wrong when he punishes us? (This would be the natural question to ask.) But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? God is not wrong to inflict His wrath [on us], is He? (I am speaking in purely human terms.)

Is God’s righteousness made more clear by His people’s sin? No God doesn’t need man’s wickedness to prove how good His is. He is Good. There is none good but one and that is God. He is righteous and Holy because that’s what He is. He only proves one thing by man’s sin..….that He loves sinners! He knew we would sin. He knew that Israel would be unfaithful…but He still has kept His promises to them. He will keep them to us.

We fail God because sin has entered into the world by Adam. Romans 5:12. By one man sin entered into the world and death by one man and by one man righteousness and life is restored to the world. The man Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? By no means! If God is not just, how can he judge the world? Certainly not! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? If God is not perfect….If He is not perfectly Holy….If He is not perfected Good how can He judge the world? He is no better than us! I heard someone last week describe the word of God. He is a man with the highest IQ ever recorded. And he said that the Bible is a perfect book. Perfect in it’s words….It only says what needs to be said and nothing more. Perfect in it’s harmony. It is 66 books written by 40 authors over 1600 years in perfect harmony with each other. It is perfect in it’s message…..Jesus Christ paid a debt that we could not pay…our sin debt to a holy God!

I love that! I love the Bible….I don’t worship the Bible but I sure do love it! It is my number one go to book for life, hope, joy, knowledge and peace! It is the only book……. not just number one……number NONE! I go to no other book. 24:00

The Oracles of God Were Given to the Prophets and the Apostles 2. They Were Not Faithful But God is Faithful 3 God is Not Unrighteous Because His People Failed

God used Imperfect people to bring His perfect world.

Before we dash Israel….let’s be honest…… we are just like them. Gentile believers are deserting their churches in groves today. Churches are closing every Sunday…..for good! Why? We are not faithful anymore! We have left our first love. We don’t love Jesus like we used to. Bankruptcy happens slowly then all at once! Backsliding happens the same way……. slowly then all at once. Miss a Sunday here or there, Miss a day or two reading your Bible. Miss a day or two of talking to the Lord.

Then all at once…..you are watching movies and sports on TV rather than reading your Bible. You are spending hours on social media instead of spending time in prayer. You sleep in every Sunday or find something else to do on Sunday! We are imperfect but He is perfect! My salvation is imperfect. What do you mean? I mean that I can’t save myself with the best ten seconds I’ve ever lived. Or the best day I’ve ever lived. I’m imperfect, I’m a sinner. But His salvation is perfect because He is perfect. His word is perfect! His love for us is perfect. He can never disappoint us or fail us in any way. Things may not go the way WE want them….but His ways are the ways of life. Trust in Jesus Christ and His way….the only way…..do it today! 28:04

1/4/2026

Revelation 1:5-7 The Greatest Day In History

Intro: The Greatest day so far was when Jesus died and rose again. But creation was a great day. The flood was a great day. The tower of Babel was a great day. But this day coming is the greatest of all days…the return of Jesus Christ our Lord to His rightful throne and making the world right again. He will right every wrong and heal every heart. What a day! And it all centers around one person….Jesus Christ! As we leave 2025 the details of what lies ahead is unknown….. but one thing we do know is that Jesus Christ will return sooner than later!

Jesus Returns In Greatness

Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness….. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful and trustworthy Witness

Revelation 1:5 …..and the first begotten of the dead….. and the first begotten of the dead, , the Firstborn of the dead Jesus is the first to resurrect from the dead. There are five resurrections in the Bible.

Jesus Christ rose from the tomb.
The church at the rapture
The OT and Tribulation saints at the end of the Tribulation
The Millennial saints at the end of the Millennium.
All those who rejected Jesus Christ from all time at the end of the Millennium.

Revelation 1:5 ……and the prince of the kings of the earth……. and the prince of the kings of the earth. and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. Jesus is it….He is everything to everyone of us. He is life and life abundant! The creator of the universe and all things! And He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Revelation 9:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords. All other kings will bow before Jesus Christ. Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! This may be that moment!

Jesus Returns In Greatness 2. Jesus Is Returning Because He Loves Us

Revelation 1:5…….Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, , To Him who [always] loves us and who [has once for all] freed us [or washed us] from our sins by His own blood (His sacrificial death)—

He is coming with His church to redeem His people Israel and to set up His everlasting Kingdom on the earth. To fulfill the Davidic promise that David’s Heir would be king over His people Israel forever….First…… for one thousand years on this earth and then…..forever on the new earth and in the New Heaven! What a glorious day that will be!

He does this because Of His love for us! God is love! For God so loved the world….We don’t understand the depth of God’s love for us. But it is evident by all the things He is doing for us now and will do for us forever and ever. We will never be separated from our loving God 7:00 again. Our sin has separated us from God. But now we that are saved have been restored to fellowship with Him….but now we see Him through these eyes of flesh….but one day soon we will see Him as he really is in all His glory and power and Love!

Revelation 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father……. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; nd formed us into a kingdom [as His subjects], priests to His God and Father. We will rule and reign with Jesus Christ. We are His co-regents…we will share in His kingdom and His glory!

1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God……Oh How much He loves us!

Revelation 1:6……to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. a—to Him be the glory and the power and the majesty and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. We will give all glory to Jesus Christ. How important is it for us to make Him our life today before this great day? You won’t be taking part in this great day if you do not put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ today! Great events have happened in the sports world and the entertainment world and I didn’t’ buy a ticket and go to that I could have. I passed it up. I regret some of these things because you don’t get a second chance. But this would be terrible and tragic beyond description to not plan and prepare to meet the king by knowing Him today as your Savior and Lord.

And to miss the love that God has for us….It is sad when I read about newlyweds when the wife or husband dies tragically on their wedding day. They miss all the love that person would have poured out on them. To miss out on the love that God will pour out on us when we see Him face to face would be a tragedy of unimaginable proportions.

Jesus Returns In Greatness 2. Jesus Is Returning Because He Loves Us
When Jesus Returns the whole Universe Will See Him

Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds……. Behold, he cometh with clouds; Behold, He is coming with the clouds, Clouds of people and actual clouds in the sky. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 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. We are going to meet the Lord in the clouds and we are coming back with Him in the clouds.

Matthew 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Jesus said this during His trial to the High Priest of Israel. He is coming in the clouds above the earth in great power and glory! And with clouds of people….His church!

Revelation 1:7 ……..and every eye shall see him, and every eye shall see him and every eye will see Him, This is not just an appearance on the earth but the whole universe the heavens above and below will see Him. All on the planet will see Jesus especially the Jewish people who finally see their true Messiah. Whether it be all over the internet and on all our phones or we 14:00 they will all see Him at once doesn’t matter. The point is… the whole world will know it’s Jesus Christ! The whole world will see Him and know who it is!

This is a moment of universal acclaim for the King has arrived and the kingdom of God will now begin but first He has some house cleaning to do…..All the Christ rejectors must go!

Revelation 1:7 ……and they also which pierced him:, and they also which pierced him: even those who pierced Him; This is for the Jewish people. Who rejected their Messiah when He came the first time. They are shocked to see that Jesus is the one who they hung on the cross, the one they pierced in His hands, feet, and side….and He is the one who is the true Living God and Messiah Jesus! Zechariah gives this prophecy also. Zechariah 12:10 I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace (unmerited favor) and supplication. And they will look at Me whom they have: pierced. They will mourn because the end is near! They have found out that they were wrong about Jesus! If you are right about everything else……but wrong about Jesus….It doesn’t matter how great the things you were right about were…..You have missed eternal life, eternal joy and eternal love!

Revelation 1:7……and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. and all the tribes (nations) of the earth will mourn over Him [realizing their sin and guilt, and anticipating the coming wrath]. So it is to be. Amen. It’s a bad day for the rest of the world that has rejected Jesus Christ!

A really, really baaad day! How can I describe it? How did you feel when your mother-in-law shows up unexpectedly for a visit? How do you feel when you see an envelope addressed to you from the IRS? How did you feel when the principal called you to the office? How do you feel when your wife says……. we need to talk! How do you feel when you see your doctor has been trying to reach you? You are getting ready to have a really baaaaad day! When Jesus returns, the world is going to have a indescribably baaaad day!

Now I want you to know that I have a great mother-in-law ….But the world is going to wish it was only their mother in law visited and Not Jesus Christ coming to judge the world!

He is coming to pour His wrath out upon an unbelieving mankind. I heard an Atheist say this….”A man says to his girl friend you either love me or I will kill you! Well isn’t God doing the same thing to us……God says either love me I’m sending you to hell.”

What is wrong with that statement? God does love us….but the atheist has left out that God is a just God and Holy God. Yes….. He will send sinners to hell. That being so….He cannot allow sin in His presence or He would no longer be holy and the universe would fall apart and we would all die.

So in His love and mercy He gave us free choice. We do not have to love and trust in Him. we are free to choose. But God is life and to reject Him is to reject life. So instead of sending all of us to hell God did something radical and unheard of……. HE…….. died for our sins…HE…… 21:00 paid our sin debt on the cross…… so that we might have eternal life if we trust in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son. God turned the judgment seat into the mercy seat! That is a good God and very good God…a very loving and kind God! He is not a demanding and merciless God….but a kind and merciful God!

That is why we must not wait until it’s too late….when He comes back it’s too late if you have not trusting in Jesus Christ! Don’t wait! The devil asked his angels what is the best way to get people from trusting in Christ? One said let’s tell them there is no God…..the devil said that won’t work everyone believes in their heart of hearts that God is real. Another said …..Let’s tell them there is not hell. The devil said…..That won’t work….no matter how they try to explain it away everyone believes in there heart of hearts an eternal punishment called hell. The next one said….Master I’ve got it…let’s tell them all of that is true….but don’t be in any hurry…..do it tomorrow! The devil said…that’s it perfect!

One day Jesus is returning….Just like Christmas seemed like it would never get here…..here we are and Christmas has come and gone…..One day soon…the Bible says “In an hour ye think not the Son of Man cometh.”

Jesus Returns In Greatness 2. Jesus Is Returning Because He Loves Us
When Jesus Returns the whole Universe Will See Him

The Greatest Day in History

There have been many history defining days in history. None more important than Jesus birth, His death, His resurrection now we are waiting for only one more thing…..His return! You may be waiting for a big day…..your daughters marriage, you first child’s birth, your wedding day, your first day in your new home, your first day at your new job, the birth of your next grandchild……your retirement date….all of those are important to you of course. You plan for them. You prepare for them…. ….but have you planned and prepared for the day of the Lord? That is the most important day of all!!! 28:04

12/21/2025

Luke 3:31-32 The Man Who WILL Be King

Intro: Lots of people have wanted to be king. King of a realm. King of the world even! But there is only going to be ONE king and ONE ruler of the universe eventually. You know that communism doesn’t work….Islamic rule doesn’t work…..Marxism doesn’t work….even a constitutional republic doesn’t work…..why? Because wicked people always in time ruin everything! Benjamin Franklin said that only a righteous people can govern themselves under a constitutional republic. But look at America….it is falling apart at the seams because we are not a righteous people. Only a righteous people can live together in harmony and only with a righteous king. WE will have a righteous king one day and it won’t be long!

1 David’s Dynasty Will Last Forever.

2 Samuel 7:12-16 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. When you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will make one of your sons king and will keep his kingdom strong. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down [in death] with your fathers (ancestors), I will raise up your descendant after you, who shall be born to you, and I will establish his kingdom. Only David’s heirs would be king of Judah and it came to pass.

13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. He will be the one to build a temple for me, and I will make sure that his dynasty continues forever. He [is the one who] shall build a house for My Name and My Presence, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. Solomon as an heir of David built the first temple.

14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him as a father punishes his son. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. When he commits iniquity (wrongdoing), I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the strokes of the sons of man. David’s heirs would be far from perfect.

15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. But I will not withdraw my support from him as I did from Saul, whom I removed so that you could be king. But My lovingkindness and mercy will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. God will insure that the Davidic line will continue.

16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. You will always have descendants, and I will make your kingdom last forever. Your dynasty will never end.’” Your house (royal dynasty) and your kingdom will endure forever before Me; your throne will be established forever.”’ Forever means forever!!

VERSE 29 Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever. I ask you to bless my descendants so that they will continue to enjoy your favor. You, Sovereign Lord, have promised this, and your blessing 8:00 will rest on my descendants forever.” Therefore now, may it please You to bless the house (royal dynasty) of Your servant, so that it may continue forever before You; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever.” Therefore now, may it please You to bless the house (royal dynasty) of Your servant, so that it may continue forever before You; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever.” It will be a kingly line that will last forever!

Someone from David’s line is going to be King forever and ever! There will be an heir or Heirs of David who will be King of Israel forever! Why is God doing this? He has made some promises…

1 David’s Dynasty Will Last Forever. 2. The Davidic Covenant

God made four Covenants with Israel…

The Abrahamic Covenant…Abraham and the land Genesis 12, 15 and 18

The Mosaic Covenant…..The Law. Exodus 34:28 Deuteronomy 4:13

The Davidic Covenant….the Kingdom will be ruled by an Heir of David. We Will look at this morning.

The New Covenant…..Jeremiah 31:31 Luke 22:20 The blood of Jesus Christ will be poured out for our sins.

So God as we have seen has promised David that His throne would last forever! That He would have an heir to sit on the throne and He would rule forever and ever! All of the kings of Judah, the southern kingdom were heirs and descendants of King David. The northern kingdom of Israel after the split were NOT from king David……starting with Jeroboam……… who rejected the Davidic dynasty. That’s one reason that the northern Kingdom of Israel didn’t last as long as the southern kingdom of Judah and had the most evil kings. The rejected the Davidic Covenant of God.

The most important question then is this……is Jesus from the line of David? Luke 3:31-32 31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, 32 Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson. This is Joseph’s line. The line follows David.

Matthew 1:5-6 5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias. the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon. This is Mary’s descendants. David is in her line also.

Jesus absolutely is from the Davidic line of kings! Both sets of parents…God has made a covenant…. A promise. That David’s heir or heir’s will be king forever! Interesting fact is that Jesus Christ is in both Josephs line and Mary’s line……they were both direct descendants of King David! God left no doubt about Jesus qualifications to be King! That even though He is not Joseph’s natural son…..He was Joseph’s legal heir as his first born son. He was Mary’s first born son. He qualifies as king! 16:00

He also qualifies as priest coming from the royal tribe of Judah as both priest and king. Like Melchizedek a superior high priest according to Hebrews.

1 David’s Dynasty Will Last Forever. 2. The Davidic Covenant 3 Proof That Jesus Is This King

Prophesized As King……Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. God has promised that one king will be on the throne forever! His……

Born as a King….Matthew 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. the magi were looking for a king.

Recognized as King…..John 1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. One of the disciples understood who Jesus was….

Told The Disciples They would share in His kingdom….Luke 22:29-30 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; 30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus kingdom is theirs!

Welcomed as King…Matthew 21:4-5 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. John 12:13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. The people were correct in calling Jesus king but it’s not time.

Crucified as King of the Jews Matthew 27:37 And set up over his head his accusation written, This Is Jesus The King Of The Jews. Pilate intended to mock the Jews but he was actually telling the truth. Pilate gave a correct prophecy and recognized what the Jewish leaders refused to see.

Jesus is the King of Israel…. But not at that time…..

Jesus ascended As King….Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? He told them not yet and then ascended.

Returning As King……

Revelation 1:5-7 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince ( the word “prince” means “RULER”) of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. They wail because Jesus is the returning King and will subdue all earthly kings…..and they know it’s all over for them now! 24:00

Revelation 19:11-16 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.

Conclusion:

1 David’s Dynasty Will Last Forever. 2. The Davidic Covenant 3 Proof That Jesus Is This King

The man who WILL be king

This is Jesus…..If He is your Savior He already is the king of your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength. If we know Him we have already made Him our KING! Who is your king? Everybody has one. It’s either Jesus or YOU! You will be either in hell with the one you love YOURSELF or in heaven with the one you love JESUS! YOU get to choose. The Bible is clear that Jesus is the coming king no matter what you think about it! 28:04

12/7/2025

Galatians 6:9-10 Be Good For Goodness Sake

Intro: What Christmas song is that line from?…….. Santa Claus is Coming to town! “He see’s you when you’re sleeping, He knows when you’re awake, he knows when you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness sake!” …. In this world today we can get over-whelmed with all the evil going on in the world. We can be stressed out. It wears us out hearing and seeing all the Godlessness going on in the world. So God has given us a passage for that….actually many passages…… but we are going to look at this familiar portion of scripture today. We should be good not For His sake for only He is good!

Be Good

Galatian 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing……. So let us not become tired of doing good; . Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good. 1 Corinthians 15:58 herefore, 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. So then, my dear friends, stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless. 2 Thessalonians 3:13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. But as for you, brothers, do not be discouraged or lose heart in doing what is right.

Be Good for God for He is perfect goodness….be good for His sake…….We are working for the creator of the Universe! We are working for Jesus Christ….the Lord of all the universe! The creator and sustainer of all things….including you! You are on the right team….the only team that matters. All other religions and beliefs are false and will be destroyed one day and all the followers with them!

You don’t get this kind of encouragement from any other religion or religious writings! Not even close to the Bible. There is no book like the Bible….that tells us how it is….and gives us the answer to all the things we see today….We are in a lost and dying world that is on life-support….only God is keeping this world going because HE is not willing that any should perish but that ALL should come to repentance! What a great and loving God we serve!

Knowing this…..we should be good…or righteous or live as a Good God would have us live. God is good. Holy, righteous and perfect. He wants us to be like Him and we know what is good and what is bad from the conscience that God gave us. Now that we are Christians and have the Holy Spirit we really know what is good plus what brings God glory and is for our greater good. If we are good it’s because He is good!

All goodness comes from the creator who set the standard. Praise God He is good and perfect. The cross forever settles that God is good to us and wants only good for us.

Galatians 6:9 for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvestfor at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in. 2 Corinthians 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this 9:00 ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not. God, with his mercy, gave us this work to do, so we don’t give up. Why don’t we give up? We will reap if we don’t quit! God wants us to realize that we must like a long distance runner keep going until the race is over! Don’t get discouraged, not give up…don’t even think about quitting.

Keep running! Hebrews 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. The time will come……the day of the Lord is coming. Jesus is coming for His church! Endure. Hang on a little longer. Stay in the word, stay in your church if it’s a good Bible preaching church…..stay with Jesus….follow Him every day! That is what being good is. Being like Jesus…..living for Jesus and living because of Jesus!

Be Good 2 Be Good To Everyone

Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men…… So then, as often as we have the chance, we should do good to everyone, So then, while we [as individual believers] have the opportunity, let us do good to all people [not only being helpful, but also doing that which promotes their spiritual well-being.

Generally we should be good to everyone all the time. There is never a time to be nasty to people. Now if they are threatening your family or your friends defend them and yourself or get away from those people as quick as you can. Proverbs 3:27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it. Some people need help and need you to do something good for them. We don’t always have a chance to help people so we must not let opportunities that present themselves to pass. But not everyone wants your help so use wisdom and discernment from the Lord.

John 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. While it is daytime, we must do God’s work. But when the sun sets and night falls, this work is impossible. We’ve got to take advantage of every chance to be good to people. You may never see these people again. Just a smile or holding the door for someone is huge!

A couple came back from a recent trip to India. They said the people there were rude and unhelpful and not friendly. It was a real shock to them. Why are the people of India that way? They are not Christians! They have never had the light of the gospel in that nation! Where there is no word of God the people perish! They have no compulsion to be nice. No reason to be good. They are not accountable to anyone but themselves and their false gods!

Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are 18:00 good and profitable unto men. This teaching is true. And I want you to be sure that the people understand these things. Then those who believe in God will be careful to use their lives for doing good. These things are good and will help all people. Do good to people, for people whenever you have a chance! Doing good to other is always helpful and needed.

Be Good 2 Be Good To Everyone 3. Be of Most Good To Our Church Family

Galatians 6:10……especially unto them who are of the household of faith. and especially to those who belong to our family in the faith. and especially [be a blessing] to those of the household of faith (born-again believers).

We should Always be good to everyone but especially to those who love Jesus like we do. They need our encouragement and our lives to reflect Christ so that they will be inspired and strengthened in their own walk with Christ. Romans 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Give to God’s people who need it. God will use you to provide their needs sometimes. We should always support our local church and when anyone in our church is in need we should be the first ones there!

We should always help our church family first then others outside of our church family. If the church does not help it’s own the community will see that and it will reflect badly on the church. Now that is church family that is in good standing with the church.

Those who have departed from the faith we need to separate ourselves from. 1 Corinthians 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 1 Corinthians 5:13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

Matthew 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. Matthew 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Kick him out of the church so that may cause him to think about his sin and repent. That is always the goal……. renewed fellowship with each other.

Being good to people is not letting them get away with things they shouldn’t be doing. Call them on it in a loving gentle way. We should always do things to help people grow in their faith……not hurt the faith of anyone in the church. That is being good to our church family.

Be Good 2 Be Good To Everyone 3. Be of Most Good To Our Church Family

Be Good For Goodness Sake!

God is always good to us. Not giving us everything we want….but everything we need to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. Can you be good for His sake? The first good thing you can do is trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior. Before that you have done nothing of lasting good! 28:04

11/30/2025

Ezra 4:1-5 The Wicked Will Oppose God

Intro: The book of Ezra does not specifically name its author. The tradition is that the scribe Ezra wrote the book of Ezra. Ezra first appears on the scene in chapter 7, and the author of the book of Ezra switches from writing in the third person to first person in chapter 8. This would lends credibility to Ezra’s being the author. The Book of Ezra was likely written between 460 and 440 B.C. The Book of Ezra is devoted to events occurring in the land of Israel at the time of the return from the Babylonian captivity and subsequent years, covering a period of approximately one century, beginning in 538 B.C.

The emphasis in Ezra is on the rebuilding of the Temple. The book contains extensive genealogical records, principally for the purpose of establishing the claims to the priesthood on the part of the descendants of Aaron. Chapters 1-6—The First Return under Zerubbabel, and the Building of the Second Temple.

The Book of Ezra covers the return from captivity to rebuild the Temple up to the decree of Artaxerxes, the event covered at the beginning of the Book of Nehemiah. Haggai was the main prophet in the day of Ezra, and Zechariah was the prophet in the day of Nehemiah.

The opposition of the adversaries of God to the rebuilding of the temple displays a pattern that is typical of that of the enemy of our souls. Satan uses those who would appear to be in sync with God’s purposes to deceive us and attempt to thwart God’s plans and they never give up and they never take a break.

The Wicked Oppose The Work Of God’s People

Ezra 4:1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel; The enemies of the people of Judah and Benjamin heard that those who had returned from exile were rebuilding the Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel. Now when [the Samaritans] the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles from the captivity were building a temple to the Lord God of Israel,

Wicked people always oppose God’s people because they oppose God. The wicked are only wicked because they have broken God’s laws. God is the only good in the universe. God is holy and perfectly righteous. The ten commandments and the law of the conscience that God gave to everyone! Any action against God’s righteousness and perfect holiness is sin!

The true creator God the God of the Bible. Romans 1:28-29 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents.

They hate God because they are accountable to Him and they don’t like to be accountable. They want to do their own thing in other words….they want to be God. The especially don’t like Christians who build churches. They will oppose that by starting vicious rumors about them. When the Lord built this church rumors were started that we were that church that believes you can drink and party on Saturday night and go to heaven on Sunday!

…..when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard……They heard…….that these low life exiles were returning to build their temple. We can’t have that going on around here. When God’s work 7:00

begins Satan’s workers show up also. Nothing comes easy when you are doing God’s work. But that’s what makes it right! If it was easy everyone would be doing it. If losing weight was easy everyone would be doing it. But it’s not easy……so we make it easy by taking shots for weight loss. Short cuts never turn out good. My Gps took me on a short cut once….I thought wow I’m going to save thirty minutes going this way….I would up on a deserted strip job. Never follow GPS shortest route……

The wicked live to oppose everything that is of God. God’s goodness is their fingernails on the chalkboard. Some of you don’t even know what that is do you? the most irritating sound you can hear. The wicked just want to irritate God’s work done by God’s people.

The Wicked Oppose The Work Of God’s People 2. The Wicked Lie and Deceive God’s People

Ezra 4:2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. So they went to see Zerubbabel and the heads of the clans and said, “Let us join you in building the Temple. We worship the same God you worship, and we have been offering sacrifices to him ever since Emperor Esarhaddon of Assyria sent us here to live.” 2 they came to Zerubbabel [who was now governor] and to the heads of the fathers’ households and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God [and worship] just as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”

“They” Are those opposed are named in verses 6-10 and they wrote letters complaining about the Jews.

Verse 2 describes the deceptive speech of those who claim to worship Christ but whose real intent is to tear down, not to build up. We are to be on guard against such deceivers, respond to them as the Israelites did, and refuse to be fooled by their smooth words and false professions of faith.

Titus 1:12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, the Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. Many years ago, there was a certain man who lived on Crete. The people there called him their prophet. Even he said, ‘People who live on Crete are always telling lies and doing wicked things. They are lazy and they eat too much food. It was a Cretan himself, one of their own prophets, who spoke the truth when he said, “Cretans are always liars, wicked beasts, and lazy gluttons.”

Wicked people are liar’s, and do wicked things of course…..true they are very lazy about the things of God and doing good……….but they are willing to work very long and very hard to destroy the righteous.

A wicked person will work harder to get out of doing honest hard work than the honest work itself.

The wicked pretend to be like you and me. They act holier than you and I. I’m amazed at how many people who have lived wicked lives and thankfully come to Chris……. think they have become super Christians now who can judge those of us who have been serving Christ faithfully for many years. We aren’t doing things fast enough. We aren’t spiritual enough. I must say brother Brent here is one of the most humble men I have ever met who has come from a life of addiction. That is the attitude we should have when we come to Christ.

The wicked try to join God’s people. The Catholic church started by Constantine 1500 years ago started as an effort to destroy the real Christian Church and when they could not…….they decided to pretend to join it. And the result is mystery Babylon of Revelation chapter 17 that has plunged much of the world into idolatry and false teaching.

You don’t join us unless you come by faith and trust in Jesus Christ and in Him alone! 14:00

No compromise. They wanted God’s people to compromise and take them in. WE cannot water down the gospel just because some people don’t like it. God word is forever settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89. There will not be an addition to the Bible. There will not be a revised version of the Bible. God’s word is finished and it will never be added to or taken away from. It is what it is forever!

The Wicked Oppose The Work Of God’s People 2. The Wicked Lie and Deceive God’s People
God’s People Don’t Need The Help Of The Wicked

Ezra 4:3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the heads of the clans told them, “We don’t need your help to build a temple for the Lord our God. We will build it ourselves, just as Emperor Cyrus of Persia commanded us.” But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the Lord God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.”

Good answer! Zerubbabel and Jeshua recognized these false teaches and liars. They were working for God….knew God and walked with Him.

Ezra 3:8 Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the Lord. Zerubbabel was the grandson of King Jehoiakim. Jeshua was descended and considered the high priest. The construction of Solomon’s temple had begun in the second month of the year (see 1 Kin. 6:1). Likewise, construction of the second temple began in the second month. from twenty years old and above: The Law had required that Levites be at least thirty years old before they entered into service (Num. 4:1–3). Later, the minimum age was reduced to twenty-five (see Num. 8:24). Finally, David lowered the minimum age to twenty (see 1 Chr. 23:24, 27). The lower minimum age allowed more Levites to enter into temple service. This provision was vital in view of the small number of Levites who made the trip back to Jerusalem

The only is the only way you can recognize evil by know the truth. Zerubbabel and Jeshua were priests and Levites. They didn’t care if they hurt the feelings of those opposed to God’s work. Sometimes we have to blunt with people and tell them the truth. You may love them but hate what they are doing….so don’t give them any encouragement whatsoever. And if you make up your mind that what you are doing is appropriate and Christ like…………….. then don’t let anyone discourage you from doing what you believe Christ would do and that is scripturally sound.

Did you know that every time a church or ministry begs for money by selling pies and this and that to pay for a youth trip or build a building…..you are depending upon the enemies of God to finance your efforts. When we built this church …..we got out of the way and let God build it. We asked for nothing, begged for nothing and had nothing…… but a call of God. And God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills gave us this building worth over 400 thousand dollars and we don’t owe a dime on it to anyone but God!

I’ve overseen two building projects. But no one ever asks me for advice on how to build a half a million dollar building in the middle of nowhere. I’ll tell you how to raise money…….21:00

Stop begging for money. God’s people don’t beg to the world for help….we trust in God for help. Don’t let anyone know you are in need. Trust in God. HE promised He will give us all our needs. I heard a preacher say this the other day…….”If you need 500 a month in the country you live in…….. He will give you five hundred dollars a month. If you need ten thousand dollars a month to live where you live…..God will give it to you. Now you may have to work for it…..but God will provide if we trust in Him!”

It cracks me up that most every podcast or youtube or post asks you to click “like or follow.” You know why they do that? It helps monetize their ministry. It’s begging for money from the enemies of God!

WE have a very successful radio ministry that we have never asked anyone for a dime and never will. If God wants us on the air He will provide…..If He doesn’t then we won’t do it! It’s that simple. We don’t depend on the enemies of God for help. We depend upon God alone. You will never hear this church begging for money that I promise. God’s people do not need the help of the wicked.

The Wicked Oppose The Work Of God’s People 2. The Wicked Lie and Deceive God’s People
God’s People Don’t Need The Help Of The Wicked 4. The Wicked Never Stop Working Against God’s People

Ezra 4:4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, Then the people who had been living in the land tried to discourage and frighten the Jews and keep them from building. Then [the Samaritans and others of] the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them [to deter them] from building,

Just because we turn down the help of the wicked doesn’t mean they will stop! They will never stop! They kept on troubling them…….trying to discourage them, trying to frighten them…..why do they do that? Because most of the time it works! Satan knows that God’s people get tired and weary so he tries to wear them out with worry and fear! He’s tried that with You! Did it work? Yes at times it did! But it didn’t work with God’s people in the book of Ezra!

Ezra 4:5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. They also bribed Persian government officials to work against them. They kept on doing this throughout the reign of Emperor Cyrus and into the reign of Emperor Darius. and hired advisers [to work] against them to frustrate their plans during the entire time that Cyrus king of Persia reigned, [and this lasted] even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

They got the government of Peria involved with lawsuits. They hired lawyers! Hey the one thing we all fear is being sued. It’s expensive to fight a lawsuit. So we have to be wise as well as strong. We have to be as wise as serpents and meek as lambs. Always be kind to our enemies but firm and unwavering. The wicked are unwavering and they never give up! They might slow down but they won’t quit until Jesus Comes! But we just have to be smarter and stronger than them. And we are! 1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

The Wicked Oppose The Work Of God’s People 2. The Wicked Lie and Deceive God’s People
God’s People Don’t Need The Help Of The Wicked 4. The Wicked Never Stop Working Against God’s People…….The Wicked Will Oppose God.

Did you know that if you reject God’s Son Jesus Christ….you are opposed to God? That means you are just as wicked as the men who opposed Israel’ building of the temple in this story. 28:04

11/23/2025

Mark 6:1-5 Why Do People Reject Jesus

Intro: Jesus was ministering in Nazareth His home town. This was his last mission work in His home town. Beginning in verse 7 he sent his disciples out two by two to other villages. In Nazareth He went to the synagogue as was His practice when entering His home town. He finds back home that people are amazed at His teaching and His amazing miracles. But there was a disconnect with Jesus. They rejected Him and His message. Why Would they do that?

They Were Amazed At Him

Mark 6:1 And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. Jesus left that place and went back to his hometown, followed by his disciples. Jesus left there and came to His hometown [Nazareth]; and His disciples followed Him.

Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. Jesus knew this synagogue well for He was brought up in this synagogue. That’s why He could stand and give His perspective on the scripture. Why did Jesus go home? Because He loved those people. This was where He was raised and He cared about them. He did not want to leave them out. He cared about them. Interesting that His disciples came with Him. So this had to impress His hometown folks that Jesus has come home as a famous teacher with His own disciples.

Mark 6:2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue. Many people were there; and when they heard him, they were all amazed. “Where did he get all this?” they asked. “What wisdom is this that has been given him? How does he perform miracles? When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and many who listened to Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things [this knowledge and spiritual insight]? What is this wisdom [this confident understanding of the Scripture] that has been given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands?

What is a synagogue service like:

They are led by the Rabbi or the Cantor. The Cantor is the song and prayer leader.

It includes prayer, readings from the Psalms, Torah and a sermon. It involves a lot of standing and sitting, bowing and congregational singing and a mix of Hebrew and local languages.

It opens with warming up prayers and songs. You will be given a prayer book and a hymn book.

A reciting of the Shema which means “hear.” They read “hear O Israel the Lord is our God: the Lord is One.” and the Amidah which means “standing prayer.” It is a prayer divided into three parts. Praise, Petition and thanksgiving. It has seven blessings.

Torah reading. The Torah is the first give books of of the Bible normally called the Pentateuch. The rest of the Old Testament is called the Tanakh. 7:00

A sermon based on the word of the Torah is often delivered after the Torah reading and they may discuss the weekly portion.

Closing prayers sometimes called the Mourners Kaddish. Kaddish is a Jewish prayer for the sanctification of God’s name. Most often recited by mourners during a period of bereavement. The prayer is a declaration of faith and praise.

As we see they are impressed even amazed with Jesus. So far so good……as we hear about the things they knew about Jesus they are impressed with Him. The people who were at the sermon on the mount were amazed at Jesus. Matthew 7:28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine. Astonished and amazed at what Jesus said and taught. He is like not other. Jesus is our Lord and everything He does is amazing and wonderful!

Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Jesus is impressive, amazing and any wonderful word you could use to describe Him. Even those who follow Him are often a blessing to others with the knowledge He gives them. We can be an influence on others when we are with Jesus. People are amazed at people who have been with Jesus.

They Were Amazed At Him 2. They Doubted Him

Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. Isn’t he the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters living here?” And so they rejected him. Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are His sisters not here with us?” And they were [deeply] offended by Him [and their disapproval blinded them to the fact that He was anointed by God as the Messiah].

John 6:42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? They admitted that Jesus was amazing and doing wonderful things….BUT……we knew Him as a young man and we know His Mother and we knew His dad and brothers and sisters. Yes, Jesus had sisters.

Mark 6:4 But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. Jesus said to them, “Prophets are respected everywhere except in their own hometown and by their relatives and their family.” Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor (respect) except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”

So this familiarity with Jesus made them doubt. They could not admit that Jesus was something special. They could not see beyond His humanity. I understand their thinking here. It just 14:00 can’t be that Jesus boy! He just couldn’t be the Messiah. Could He?????? To them there was no room to doubt. It just couldn’t be.

Today people cannot see beyond….that is they cannot see because they are blinded. Blinded by unbelief and out right rejection. They use any excuse. I know that famous people are often taken for granted by their home towns. Chris Stapleton is from Paintsville. In Paintsville he’s not the superstar country singer…..he’s just Chris Stapleton.

I’ve met and talked to a few famous people. When you meet them in person the aurora kind of goes away when you realize how normal they seem. The most famous person I’ve met and talked to a couple of times…..Marty Brennaman. He’s a hall of fame Reds broadcaster. Tubby Smith sat next to me one time during the state tournament at Rupp Arena and we talked a little bit. Very nice man. I’ve met and talked to several major league baseball players and I am always amazed how normal they seem to be.

We are glad local people make it big…..but we don’t treat them and give them the respect sometimes that they deserve. Jesus did not get the respect He deserved because people could not believe this little boy from Nazareth could really do these things? So they rejected Him. They liked the carpenters Son Jesus……….but they could not believe in the miracle working Jesus. The doubted the obvious. They could not believe for their minds were prejudiced against the local man Jesus.

The world today cannot believe that a human could be like Jesus. They doubt that He even existed. They doubt that He did the things in the Bible. They doubt. Thomas doubted. Jesus showed Him……and said blessed are those who have not seen yet have believed. That is US!!!

We have plenty of evidence that Jesus is who He said He was. Miracles, Miracle birth, resurrection, no grave could hold Him down. Prophecies He fulfilled. The words He said are the most beautiful and insightful in human history. There is no one like Jesus in any book or story on this earth! NO ONE LIKE JESUS! He said He is coming for His church…..don’t doubt but trust in Him!

They Were Amazed At Him 2. They Doubted Him 3. They Rejected Him

Mark 6:5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. He was not able to perform any miracles there, except that he placed his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 He And He could not do a miracle there at all [because of their unbelief] except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.was greatly surprised, because the people did not have faith.

Jesus did not lack the power to do miracles…the people ignored Him, they hardened their hearts against Him. they would rather believe a stranger they do not know……. than a Savior that they did know. So they rejected Him. Doubt always leads to unbelief and unbelief leads to rejection. 21:00

How is it that one day they gave Jesus a triumphant entry into Jerusalem with palm trees riding on a donkey and three days later cried “crucify Him.” Remember Jesus did not commit Himself to a miracle working, excitement seeking crowd. For they will turn on you. Miracles don’t cause faith……….. they open the eyes a little and then they want more miracles……. but faith happens when we realize we are sinners, turn from our sins and trust in Jesus Christ.

Sad….Jesus could not save any one there. He could not save them from their sicknesses. He could not save them from their poverty, He could not save them from their hopelessness and He could not save them from their sins. So tragic. Pilate kissed the door to heaven and walked away. The people of Nazareth saw and touched the way to heaven and turned Him away.

They didn’t get another chance. Jesus never returned again to Nazareth. A cursed town despised and rejected of men. It was known for the place where Jewish traitors lived, along with criminals and no good people. Remember when someone asked “can anything good come out of Nazareth.” John 1:46. Nazareth was a place that never did anything special that was rejected by most people. That’s why the Bible said that Jesus would be called a Nazarene. Matthew 2:23 He was never actually called a Nazarene…directly but He was called Jesus of Nazareth and He was treated like a Nazarene….despised and rejected of men.

Mark 6:6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief…………………..He was greatly surprised, because the people did not have faith. He wondered at their unbelief.

Jesus was surprised that no one believe in Him or believed on Him. To believe in means I believe in that chair….to believe on means I believe I can set in that chair! The people of Nazareth believed Jesus was a pretty good kid and had some great words and did some amazing things….but the Son of God. NO! The Savior of the world? NOPE. The Messiah? Not this kid.

Jesus is amazed that a person would reject Him! Only here does Mark speak of Jesus as having marvelled or amazed! Jesus knew the hearts of all men. He knew that many would reject Him but His own people Israel and His own home town Nazareth! It was very hard to believe. But men’s hearts have been hardened against anything that they don’t understand. And man does not receive the supernatural very easily. Everyone believed in miracles it seems. But not everyone believes in the miracle worker….Jesus Christ! That is amazing in itself isn’t it?

Jesus Amazed Them 2. They Doubt Jesus 3. They Reject Jesus

Why Do People Reject Jesus

They reject Him today for the same reasons they rejected Him almost two thousand years ago. Unbelief is not the main reason. It’ pride. They were too proud to admit that a local kid who made good and could not be the Messiah. They were too proud to admit that He might be the Son of God! It can’t be! He can’t be! I just can’t believe it! I won’t believe it! Pride. To proud to humble yourself before Jesus Christ. Pride sends more people to hell than anything else. To proud to admit you need a Savior. To proud to admit that Jesus might be the answer to every question in your life! Today start rejecting your unbelief in Jesus. Believe on Him…trust in Him

28:04

11/16/2025

Psalm 4:1-8 Why We Should Trust In God

Intro: Why should I trust in God? People die of tragedies. Wicked people get all the breaks. Why doesn’t God give me good things I’m a good person? Why does everything go wrong for me? People are hurting, downcast, ready to give up. How do I know this? They elected a Marxists communist in New York only on the hope that their lives might be better. The Democrats and the Republicans have not got it done for people. Most people in the world are NOT happy and have very little to be joyful about. I can tell you with absolute certainty that the source of all joy and all hope is found in a right relationship with your creator.

God Will Always Help Those Who Call Upon Him When They Are In Trouble

Psalm 4:1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. Answer me when I pray, O God, my defender! When I was in trouble, you helped me. Be kind to me now and hear my prayer. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have freed me when I was hemmed in and relieved me when I was in distress; Be gracious to me and hear [and respond to] my prayer.

Has God helped you in the past when you called upon Him? Yes! Why did He quit helping you? Did He move? NO! who moved? YOU DID! You God what you asked God to give you and then you moved away from Him. You only pray when you are in distress. You never read the Bible so how would you know what God is telling you to do? He speaks to us through His word. We are encouraged to ask and to seek Him. And we do that….when we need Him. But we forget the daily walk with the Lord. Take up thy cross daily….not monthly or WEAKLY….spelled Weakly….

God wants us to call upon Him when we are in trouble. But after that He wants you to call upon Him when things are good. He wants to speak to you every day. He wants to know you more and you to know Him more each day……. so that the next time you need Him it’s not out of desperation…..YOU KNOW He will be there before you even ask!

People Won’t Call Upon Him Because Of Pride

Psalm 4:2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah. How long will you people insult me? How long will you love what is worthless and go after what is false? O sons of men, how long will my honor and glory be [turned into] shame? How long will you [my enemies] love worthless (vain, futile) things and seek deception and lies? Selah.

So God helped this person and what did they do? They are ashamed of God and will not glorify Him in their lives. They love worthless things of pride and lies more than God. They are too prideful to go to church or call upon the Lord or be seen attending church. That must mean they are weak. A lot of people think that it’s weak to depend upon Jesus Christ. Here’s what Jesus said about that…..John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Christ is our life our very next breath! Say with me YAH—Weh! Yah you have to breathe in…..when you say WEH You breathe out! God..Yah-Weh…Jesus Christ is our life. He is the breath of life. God breathed into Adam the breath of life! He is our life. Deuteronomy 30:20 That thou mayest 7:00 love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days…

But you love yourself more than God or anyone else. You only need God when you can’t find another way. And when He helps you your pride kicks in and you reject any relationship with Him. Life is full of hardships for all of us. Chrsitians and non-Christians. It’s just that Christians know that we have hope and we know with trouble comes blessings and comfort and strength….and joy in the morning. Psalm 30:5 ….. weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

God Always Hears The Righteous

Psalm 4:3 But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him. Remember that the Lord has chosen the righteous for his own, and he hears me when I call to him. But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself [and dealt wonderfully with] the godly man [the one of honorable character and moral courage—the one who does right]. The Lord hears and responds when I call to Him.

Who are the righteous? The only way to becomes righteous and to be called righteous by God is to come to Him in faith and trust in Jesus Christ His Son. There is none righteous no, not one. 1 John 2:29

If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. Our righteousness comes from faith in Jesus Christ not of any works of righteousness that we have done.

1 John 5:13-14 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.

We know that He hears us because we have believed trusted in the Son of God and we know we have eternal life and we have a relationship with God that gives us the ability to come to Him in prayer. All because of what Jesus Christ has done for us!

We’ve Got To Repent And Think About the Effect Sin Has Upon You

Psalm 4:4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

Tremble with fear and stop sinning; think deeply about this, when you lie in silence on your beds. Tremble [with anger or fear], and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still [reflect on your sin and repent of your rebellion]. Selah.

People say the wicked are getting away with their sin. Everyone has to lie down at night with Himself or Herself. We sometimes can’t sleep because of thinking about what we have done today or sometime in the past. Our past tortures many of us. Sinning does not help you sleep. You know most people pray at bedtime? I’ve called upon God from my bed in desperation! We all have. When the world is shutting down and there is silence and stillness…..God is still speaking and can be heard when all the clutter stops. We should fear meeting God with our sinful lives. We should think about our sin that stands between us and God. And that reflection should lead to repentance and faith because all have sinned but all can be saved from the penalty of sin. ALL! 14:00

Our past sins have destroyed a part of our lives or maybe even destroyed your life and your future. But God says here think about it the way God thinks about sin. And agree with God about it. And turn from that sin of the past and admit that you…..are a sinner and need God’s forgiveness! HE will give you peace with your past and hope for the future!

Do What The Lord Requires

Psalm 4:5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord. Offer the right sacrifices to the Lord, and put your trust in him. Offer righteous sacrifices; Trust [confidently] in the Lord. Put your trust in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for our sin. We cannot sacrifice anything to God and cause Him to forgive us. We can’t do any good works or good deeds to bring us forgiveness from God. Only Jesus Christ’s perfect sacrifice can save us.

The righteous sacrifice of the perfect Man Jesus Christ is what God is looking for you to accept and believe. Believe that Jesus died and rose again. Died for your sins and rose again to give you eternal life!

People Want More Blessings From God than Repentance From Sin

Psalm 4:6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. There are many who pray: “Give us more blessings, O Lord. Look on us with kindness!” Many are saying, “Oh, that we might see some good!” Lift up the light of Your face upon us, O Lord. Lord keep me from any trouble O Lord and pour your material blessing upon me! I don’t want trouble myself. And I never pray for God to take trouble from me but take me through the trouble to the other side! He will go with us closer than ever when we have trouble.

I had never called upon God in my whole life like I did the night before Cindy died. That is the most emotional, crying out to God I’ve ever had in my life! I was touching the throne of heaven. I’ll never forget the peace….the comfort …….as though God was putting His arms around me that night. God comes to us when we need Him most in ways we don’t always experience in our daily lives. I will never forget that night as long as I live! But great trouble brought me the light of His countenance.

But face it….most prayers at night are for selfish things. Most prayers are not to the God of heaven but a god people have made up in their minds. They think “If I just do this then I can do that.” They want to call upon their own wisdom and tactics to solve their problems. And it might work for awhile but not for long.

And people don’t believe God will help them. They have given up because someone they loved was taken from them. They are mad at God for something that happens to everyone. Death is real. It will happen to all of us except the raptured church! We are just mad at God for letting someone WE love die! It’s okay if our neighbor dies…..but not my family God….why me? Why not you? Well I’m a child of God! Nothing bad will happen to me. but it happens all around you doesn’t it? It’s eventually going to come home to you!

Joy Come From Trust In Jesus Christ Than From Great Riches

Psalm 4:7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. But the joy that you have given me is more than they will ever have with 21:00

all their grain and wine. You have put joy in my heart, More than [others know] when their wheat and new wine have yielded abundantly.

God gives more gladness that striking it rich! The riches of this world cannot compare to the blessings of calling out to God and knowing Him. I’ll say it again and again….. Jesus Christ is our life…. The worst day with Jesus is ……..better than everyday with all the money and power in the world! And there are not bad days with Jesus…..we have bad days and He turns them all into gladness and joy.

I love that word…..Gladness! That means joy! What is joy? Joy is always there. The joy of the Lord. Nehemiah 8:10 ……for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Joy always brings strength and hope and confidence. Our confidence and hope in the Lord brings Joy! Joy is there when everything in this world is falling apart…..because it’s not falling apart it’s falling into His hands where He will catch you set you upon the rock!

Peace and Safety

Psalm 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

When I lie down, I go to sleep in peace; you alone, O Lord, keep me perfectly safe. In peace [and with a tranquil heart] I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety and confident trust.

I know the Bible talks about people in the last days going on and on about peace and safety. That’s what everyone wants but no government, or world power or world leader can give it. Only Jesus Christ can give us peace. That’s why He’s called the prince of peace.

We talked about lying down at night and remember our past…..God will give you peaceful sleep about your past…now He won’t help you if you ate a whole pie before bed but He will give you peace from your past.

He will give you a sense of safety. We are safe in the arms of Jesus. No devil, no demon can do anything to you if you are in His arms of safety. I live thinking about Jesus taking up the little children in His arms. Oh how much He loves children. We are His Chrildren. Do you think He will let anyone defeat us or destroy us? We might lose this life of flesh but we will not lose anything of value there. The only thing that matters is eternal life in Him! If we have that we can lie down in the darkest dungeon feeling safe and at peace!

Why should we trust in God?

Who else can you trust? You most trustworthy friend can’t be there all the time. You may be trustworthy but you will fail sometimes. But Jesus never fails! Never will fail you or let you down. Why wouldn’t you trust Him? Who can you trust? Where can you go but to Jesus! 28:04

11/16/2025

Revelation 20:1-14 The Millennial Reign Of Christ

Intro:

1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

There is A Literal thousand Year reign of Christ.

Who Will Occupy the Millennium

From Got Questions.com—11/16/2025

The millennial kingdom is the future reign of Jesus Christ on earth as He sits on David’s throne in Jerusalem. Everyone who enters that kingdom will be redeemed by God and therefore righteous (see Isaiah 35:8–10). Among those redeemed will be two distinct groups of people: those with glorified physical bodies and those with natural, earthly bodies.

Those who occupy the millennial kingdom with glorified bodies can be divided into three subgroups: the church, whose bodies were either resurrected or changed at the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 1 Corinthians 15:21–23, 51–53); tribulation martyrs, who are resurrected after Christ returns to earth (Revelation 20:4–6); and the Old Testament saints, who we assume are resurrected at the same time (see Daniel 12:2). Those who occupy the kingdom with earthly bodies have survived the tribulation and can be subdivided into two groups: believing Gentiles and believing Jews.

Revelation 19:11–16 describes the second coming of Jesus Christ. This is distinct from the rapture

(1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 1 Corinthians 15:51–53), which is an earlier appearing of Christ in the air. (There is no mention in Revelation 19—20 of any kind of rapture event. This implies that saints who are on earth when Christ returns will remain on earth to enter the millennial kingdom in their natural bodies.)

Part of Jesus’ setting up the kingdom will be His judgment of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31–46). Most believe that the “sheep” are the righteous Gentiles, who showed their faith by their good works toward God’s people; the “goats” are the unrighteous Gentiles, who failed to aid God’s children. The way you treat God’s people Isreal has a lot to say about true believers in Jesus Christ. A born again believer loves like God loves and loves what God loves!

Remember all Israel will be saved when Christ returns. Christ will cast the unrighteous into the lake of fire for eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46). Because of this judgment, and because all Israel will believe at that time (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:25–32), no unbeliever will enter the millennial kingdom (also see Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43).

So, those who occupy the millennial kingdom, at the start, will be the righteous of all previous dispensations: believing, saved Gentiles in earthly bodies, redeemed saved Israel in earthly bodies, and resurrected/raptured believers in glorified bodies.

Those who occupy the millennial kingdom will be from “many nations,” but the knowledge of the Lord Jesus will be universal: “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). It will be standard practice for those who occupy the millennial kingdom to travel to Jerusalem and worship the Lord in person: “Many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Micah 4:2).

Those who occupy the millennial kingdom will see the nation of Israel exalted to its fullest glory. All will be restored spiritually and physically: “‘In that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will gather the lame; I will assemble the exiles and those I have brought to grief. I will make the lame my remnant, those driven away a strong nation’” (Micah 4:6–7).

During the millennial kingdom, the saints in earthly, natural bodies will enjoy long lives (Isaiah 65:20There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.), and they will produce children. By the end of the thousand years, the world is fully populated, and there are many—“in number they are like the sand on the seashore”—who rebel against the Lord (Revelation 20:7–8And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.).

Children born during the millennial kingdom will have the responsibility to exercise faith in Christ, the same as all people of past ages. Some of those born during the millennial kingdom will choose to not believe. That is why Scripture speaks of those who die under a curse (Isaiah 65:20 …..for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.) The Lord lays out consequences for nations that do not worship Him: “If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain” (Zechariah 14:17).—Got Questions.org

11/23/2025

What is the Purpose of the Millennium?

From Got Questions.com–The millennium (also known as the millennial kingdom) is the 1,000-year reign of Jesus after the tribulation and before the Great White Throne Judgment of the wicked. During the millennium, Jesus will reign as king over Israel and all the nations of the world (Isaiah 2:4; 42:1). The world will live in peace (Isaiah 11:6–9; 32:18), Satan will be bound (Revelation 20:1–3), and, at the beginning, everyone will worship God (Isaiah 2:2–3). The purpose of the 1,000-year reign is to fulfill various promises God made to the world. Some of these promises, called covenants, were given specifically to Israel. Others were given to Jesus, the nations of the world, and creation. Jesus’ 1,000-year reign will be a time of promises kept.

The Abrahamic Covenant, also called the Land Covenant (Genesis 15:18-20 and Deuteronomy 30:1-10)

God has already fulfilled the personal aspects of the Abrahamic Covenant; Abraham did go to the Promised Land, he did have many descendants, and he is the forefather of many nations. Several hundred years after Abraham, Joshua led the Israelites to claim ownership of the Promised Land. But Israel has never possessed the specific boundaries that God promised in Genesis 15:18–20 and Numbers 34:1-12.

Not even Solomon ruled over this particular area (1 Kings 4:21–24). Although he did reign from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates, he did not hold the area from Mount Hor to Hazarenan (Numbers 34:7–9)—into present-day Lebanon and Syria. In addition, the covenant God made with Abraham was that he and his descendants would have the land forever (Genesis 13:15; 17:8; Ezekiel 16:60). The current Israeli state may be a step in this direction, but they still do not possess the boundaries God laid out.

The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:16 -17And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.)

God’s covenant with David was that his line would never die out and that David’s heir would sit on the throne of Israel forever (2 Samuel 7:16). Biblical scholars agree that Jesus is the fulfillment of this covenant—one of the reasons His genealogy is given for both His adoptive father (Matthew 1:1–17) and His mother (Luke 3:23–38). The Jews understood this when they laid down palm branches and their cloaks as Jesus rode into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1–17). They expected Him to be a military/political leader that would liberate them from the Romans and make Israel a great nation again. But they didn’t understand the nature of Jesus’ work at the time was for the New Covenant, not the Davidic Covenant. The Davidic Covenant is fulfilled during the 1,000-year reign and will be the beginning of Jesus’ reign over Israel and the earth (Revelation 20:4, 6).

The New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

The work of the New Covenant—Jesus’ death and resurrection to reconcile hearts to God—has been accomplished. But we have not yet seen the complete fulfillment. Jeremiah 31:33 says, “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Ezekiel 36:28 gives more specifics: “You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” Isaiah 59:20–21 explains that this covenant is possible because of the Redeemer, and the reconciliation He provides will last forever. This covenant does not mean that every Jew will be saved. But it does mean that Israel as a nation will worship their Messiah. The Old Testament prophets who spoke of this covenant, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and Ezekiel, all wrote that it will be fulfilled in the future. From their time on, Israel has yet to be an independent nation that worshiped its Messiah (Romans 9—11). They will be in the 1,000-year reign of Christ.

Other Promises

Those are the covenants God made with Israel that are to be fulfilled in Jesus’ 1,000-year reign, but the Bible lists other promises that will be fulfilled, too. God promised Jesus He will make His enemies a footstool, and that Jesus’ followers will worship Him freely (Psalm 110).

God promised the nations of the world that they would live in peace with Jesus as their ruler (Daniel 7:11–14).

And He promised creation that the curse would be lifted (Romans 8:18–23), animals and the earth would be restored to peace and prosperity (Isaiah 11:6–9; 32:13–15), and people would be freed from disease (Ezekiel 34:16). These, too, will be fulfilled during the 1,000-year reign.

The main purpose of Jesus’ 1,000-year reign is to fulfill the prophecies given to Israel and the promises made to Jesus, the nations, and the whole earth. God’s covenants were one-sided. He promised He would bless Israel and restore the world in specific ways, and He will.

Will People die during the millennium?

From Wisdom international--There will be two kinds of people in the Millennial Kingdom. One group will never die and the other group will possibly die. I’ll explain what I mean.

The first group consists of everyone who becomes a Christian prior to the rapture of the church. That would include us, all Christians before us, and all Christians after us until the rapture occurs. All of those believers will return with Christ to reign and rule during the Millennium. We will have immortal bodies and will not be subject to death.

The second group consists of people who trust Jesus Christ after the rapture, survive the Tribulation, and enter the Millennial Kingdom having never died. That group will be mortal. This includes that fact that Israel will be saved when Christ returns so all Jews left alive will become Christians when Christ comes at the end of the tribulation. Mortal people living during the Millennium will marry, have children and have mortal bodies that will age. In addition, all of the children born during the Millennium will be mortal as well.

One interesting thing to note, however, is that God is going to greatly expand the life expectancy during the Kingdom period. Isaiah tell us this: “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his days; for the youth will die at the age of one hundred and the one who does not reach the age of one hundred will be thought accursed” – Isaiah 65:20.

Isaiah is telling us that during the Millennial Kingdom, if someone dies at the age of 100, they will be considered to have died young. But they could die.

11/30/2025

Where will the church be at that time and what will we be doing?

From Precious Seed….That is a great question that we don’t have clear answers to. The millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ is a specific period that will occur in the near future commencing with the personal return of the Lord Jesus to the earth in a visible and overwhelming display of power and glory. On His return, the Lord Jesus will defeat the enemies of God, led by the beast during the tribulation period. Following the removal of evil, the Lord Jesus Christ, as King of kings, will personally reign over the earth bringing into fruition an unparalleled time of peace, righteousness, justice, and abundance which will affect the whole world including spiritual, social, ecological, geographical, and biological spheres of life. Revelation chapter 20 verse 4 states that the period will last 1000 years. Hence the reason it is often simply called the ‘Millennium’.

Some scholars believe that the new Jerusalem will descend from heaven and hover over the Millennial Kingdom as a satellite city of the glorified church during Christ’s thousand-year reign. Scripture offers no evidence for this position. The new Jerusalem is presented in Revelation 21 as it will be in the eternal state, not in the Millennial Kingdom. So we can only guess that the city comes down to earth

The millennial reign of Christ is closely associated with the unconditional, but yet to be fulfilled, covenants God made to Abraham and David. The millennium is an aspect of prophecy that perhaps receives more coverage than any other subject in the Bible with many of the Old Testament prophets describing the events of that era.

Given that the Millennium is primarily linked to the nation of Israel, the question has been raised as to where Christians will be and what their role will be during this period. One reason why this question is difficult to answer is because the Church, to which all New Testament believers belong, is described as a mystery in the Bible. In other words, the truth of the Church was hidden in the Old Testament, although it was planned by God before time began. This means that the many Old Testament prophecies describing the Millennium do not identify the Church or its role during this era.

It is clear from the New Testament that when the Lord Jesus returns in glory, at the beginning of the Millennium, Christians will be an integral part of His return. Paul reminds the Colossian believers, ‘When Christ, who is our life, shall appear [i.e., be made manifest or visible], then shall ye also appear with him in glory’, Col. 3. 4. With respect to His reign on earth, the Bible also provides the general principle that ‘if we suffer, we shall also reign with him’, 2 Tim. 2. 12. This suggests that believers who currently identify with the rejected Savior will have a shared participation in His earthly reign.

Paul provides further information. In correcting the Corinthian believers over their inability to deal with issues outside of the law courts, he makes several profound statements concerning the role of New Testament believers during the Millennium. He informs the Corinthians, ‘Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?’ and, furthermore, ‘Know ye not that we shall judge angels?’ 1 Cor. 6. 2, 3. The word ‘judge’ means to ‘give an opinion concerning right and wrong’. This indicates that New Testament believers will have administrative and leadership responsibilities on the millennial earth. Several of the parables the Lord Jesus mentioned highlight the principle that the amount of responsibility we have during the millennium will be in proportion to the quality of service we offer Him today.2

This still leaves the question unanswered, however, as to whether we as Christians will be residing in heaven or on earth during the Millennium. Following the return of the Lord Jesus for His bride, the Church, at the rapture, we read, ‘so shall we ever be with the Lord’, 1 Thess. 4. 17. As His bride, we will be the eternal companion of the Lord Jesus Christ. So where will the Lord Jesus be during His millennial reign? The emphasis provided by the scriptures is that He will take up residence on earth. As Priest-King He will dwell in the temple-palace complex in Jerusalem as described in remarkable detail by Ezekiel the prophet (see chapters 40 to 48). He will be the first and only ruler the world has ever seen who will provide both spiritual and political leadership to perfection.

Although these verses suggest that we will abide and carry out administrative tasks on earth, we should add is that several scriptures indicate that heaven and earth will be much more closely interconnected during the Millennium than they are today. The new Jerusalem may be much closer geographically than heaven is now, and the bidirectional flow of traffic could also be greater. This was implied by the words of the Lord Jesus to Nathaniel, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man’, John 1. 51. Hence, believers could move interchangeably between heaven and earth during the Millennium.

Will There Be Animal Sacrifices during the Millennium?

Got Questions.org–There are several passages in the Old Testament that clearly indicate animal sacrifice will be re-instituted during the millennial kingdom. Some passages mention it in passing as the topic of the millennial kingdom is discussed, passages like Isaiah 56:6-8; Zechariah 14:16; and Jeremiah 33:15-18.

The passage that is the most extensive, giving the greatest detail, is Ezekiel 43:18-46:24. It should be noted that this is part of a greater passage dealing with the millennial kingdom, a passage that begins with Ezekiel 40. In Ezekiel 40, the Lord begins to give details of the temple that will exist during the millennial kingdom, a temple that dwarfs all other temples previously built, even Herod’s temple that was quite large, which existed during the earthly ministry of Christ.

After giving details concerning the size and appearance of the temple and the altar, the Lord then begins to give detailed instruction as to the animal sacrifices that will be offered (Ezekiel 43:18-27). In chapter 44, the Lord gives instructions as to who will be offering sacrifices to the Lord. The Lord states that all of the Levites will not be offering blood and fat to the Lord due to previous sin; it will be those from the lineage of Zadok (verse 15). Chapters 45 and 46 continue to mention that animal sacrifices will be made.

The primary objection made to the idea of animal sacrifices returning during the millennial kingdom is that Christ has come and offered a perfect sacrifice for sin, and there is therefore no need to sacrifice animals for sin. However, it must be remembered that animal sacrifice never removed the sin that spiritually separated a person from the Lord.

Hebrews 10:1-4 says, “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never by the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (NASB).

It is incorrect to think that animal sacrifices took away sins in the Old Testament, and it is incorrect to think they will do so in the millennial kingdom. Animal sacrifices served as object lessons for the sinner, that sin was and is a horrible offense against God, and that the result of sin is death. Romans 3:20 says, “Because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

Most premillennial scholars agree that the purpose of animal sacrifice during the millennial kingdom is memorial in nature. As the Lord’s Supper is a reminder of the death of Christ to the Church today, animal sacrifices will be a reminder during the millennial kingdom. To those born during the millennial kingdom, animal sacrifices will again be an object lesson. During that future time, righteousness and holiness will prevail, but those with earthly bodies will still have a sin nature, and there will be a need to teach about how offensive sin is to a holy and perfect God.

12/7/2025

Gentiles in the Millennium

From Fred Hartman Israel Is My Glory Ministries–One of the seven angels approached John and said, “Come here, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife” (v. Revelation 21: 9).

When the average Christian studies the millennial reign of Christ, it is usually from the perspective of the literal person of the Messiah ruling over the earth from Jerusalem for one thousand years. In all probability, none of the other participants in the Millennial Kingdom are considered. This article deals with one group of participants in that Kingdom, the Gentiles.

Daniel’s Evidence

In chapters 2 and 7 of his prophecy, Daniel said much about the world domination of the Gentile powers. In chapter 2, he spoke of the four great Gentile world powers that would influence Israel. He concluded the passage with this statement: “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 forever” (Dan. 2:44).

This leads to the conclusion that many of the Gentile nations will be destroyed. The kingdom that will assume final leadership of the earth will be that of the “stone … cut out without hands,” or the Messiah (Dan. 2:34–35).

Daniel chapter 7 focuses on the same theme as chapter 2, but from a different perspective: “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” (Dan. 7:27).

This passage carries the concept of chapter 2 a step further, pointing out that although the Messiah will be an absolute potentate in the Millennial Kingdom, the saints of the Most High will also hold positions of leadership. Many, of those saints will be Gentiles, and all Gentile nations will be under Christ’s control.

The Ruler of the Millennial Kingdom

The one who is the ultimate sovereign of the universe—the Savior, the Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ—will be the absolute ruler, governing the earth from Jerusalem. When He returns to the earth in His glorious Second Coming, He will defend the Jewish people and defeat all the Gentile armies of the earth that have fought in the Armageddon campaign: “And it shall come to pass, in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations [Gentiles] that come against Jerusalem” (Zech. 12:9). After the fall of Jerusalem (Zech. 14:1–2), “Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle” (Zech. 14:3).

It appears that the armies of the Gentile nations will be wiped out in the Armageddon campaign as the Lord Himself does battle with the troops of those nations. However although the armies of the Gentile nations will be totally decimated, the citizenry back home will not be destroyed.

Who Will Go Into the Millennial Kingdom?

The Raptured Church

When Jesus returns to the earth at His Second Coming, following the Tribulation period, He will bring others with Him from Heaven: “And the armies that were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean” (Rev. 19:14).

Who are the ones who make up “the armies”? They will be the raptured believers of the Church age, who will return to the earth in their glorified bodies to rule and reign with Christ (Rev. 1:6). This great company will be made up of Jews and Gentiles, although probably far more of the latter than the former.

*The Old Testament and Tribulation-Martyred Saints

Many of these will be Jewish believers and/or Gentile proselytes to Judaism. They will enter the Kingdom in their glorified bodies, just as the raptured Church will.

Believers Who Are Alive at the End of the Tribulation

Some hold the position that no one will be saved during the Tribulation period, but the Scriptures teach that a great multitude will come to the Lord during the Tribulation. This will come about as a result of several factors. Certainly there will be “strong delusion, that they should believe the lie” (2 Th. 2:11) because the restraining power of the Holy Spirit will be removed. But, in reality, His ministry will not be completely gone; it will revert to what it was in the Old Testament economy, when He came upon individuals (i.e., Saul, David, and others).

The two witnesses will give testimony to the world during the Tribulation period (Rev. 11:3–7), and the 144,000 Jews of Revelation 7:4–8 will actively witness to the world as well. Also, an angel will “fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Rev. 14:6–7)“

Finally, it is most probable that possibly some copies of the written Word of God will still be in existence. Gentiles may come to the Lord as a result of reading it.

All people who come to the Lord during the Tribulation and who are not martyred for their faith will enter the Millennial Kingdom in their natural bodies. Therefore, during the Millennium there will be people present in their glorified (raptured) bodies and others in their natural bodies. The Scriptures also seem to indicate that at the Second Coming of Christ, unbelievers will be cast off the earth (Mt. 24:31–25:46); therefore, all those entering the Millennial Kingdom will be believers, all of whom will gain entrance by virtue of salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 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” (Mt. 25:33–34).

Matthew 25 mentions several groups of people who will enter the Millennial Kingdom, one of which is the Gentiles. Verses 31 to 46 detail the separation of the “sheep” and the “goats”: “And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 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” (vv. 33–34). Why are these people called “sheep,” and why are they permitted to enter the Kingdom?

Jesus said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto, one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (v. 40). His “brethren” are the Jews, and the “sheep” who will enter the Kingdom are Gentiles who will befriend the Jews during the horrible “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7). Although salvation is not obtained by works, the Lord acknowledged that during the Tribulation period, only true believers in Christ will befriend the persecuted Jews. People comforting the Jews during this period may lose their lives, and the only ones who will do so will be true Gentile Christians.

Life for the Gentiles Living in the Millennial Kingdom

Worship Will Be in the Temple

On some occasions, the Gentiles will worship at the Millennial Temple in Jerusalem, as detailed in Isaiah 56:6-7: “Also the sons of the foreigner, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer, their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all peoples.”

In that period, the Temple will not be just for the Jewish people but for all people: “And it shall come to pass that, from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD” (Isa. 66:23).

Gentiles Will Keep the Feast of Tabernacles

“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” (Zech. 14:16).

As mentioned previously, although the armies of the earth will be destroyed at the Second Coming of Christ, the people of those nations will not be wiped out. However, they will be obligated to observe the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, or the Lord will withhold rain from them (Zech. 14:17). In an agricultural economy, that would be disastrous.

Gentiles Will Change Their Attitude Toward Jews

Most Gentiles give the Jewish people a fairly wide berth, often avoiding them completely. But the Scriptures say, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts: In those days it shall come to pass that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you” (Zech. 8:23).

Gentiles Will Have Positions of Leadership

Two of Jesus’ parables indicate that Gentiles will be leaders in the Millennial Kingdom. The first is the parable of the talents, recorded in Matthew 25:14–30. Before leaving on a long trip, a man gave one of his servants five talents, a second servant two talents, and a third servant one talent. The first two servants wisely invested what had been entrusted to them by their master, while the third servant buried his talent. When the master returned, he promised the first two servants that they would be rulers over many things. The third servant he sternly rebuked. Because this parable was given in the context of the Lord’s Second Coming, we can conclude that one aspect of the rewards to believing Gentiles will be rulership with Christ in the Millennial Kingdom.

In Luke 19:11–24, the Lord told a similar parable: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return” (v. 12). He too entrusted funds to three servants, telling them to “Occupy till I come” (v. 13). When he returned, “having received the kingdom” (v. 15), he gave to his two faithful servants authority over cities. It is therefore evident that Gentiles will rule over certain areas during the Millennial Kingdom, based upon a system of rewards known only to our Lord.

This prospect should certainly make us aware of the need to faithfully honor and serve the Lord in this life, which will affect our lives and position during the Millennium.

Some Gentile Countries In the Millennial Kingdom

Egypt

There are two prophecies concerning Egypt in the end times. The first is found in Ezekiel 29, where the Lord foretold extreme difficulties for this nation. It will be judged and dispersed because of its cruel treatment of Israel (Ezek. 29:3–8). Furthermore, the land of Egypt will lie totally barren for 40 years but will recover and eventually experience conversion to the Lord (Ezek. 29:13–16).

Also, Isaiah 19:23–25 describes a millennial highway from Egypt to Assyria (probably the old Via Maris). At that time the Egyptians will turn to the Lord and be called the people of the Lord. What a day that will be!

God will deal with these Gentile nations as He did with Sodom and Gomorrah.

Babylon and Edom

These two Gentile nations have vehemently opposed and persecuted Israel throughout history; therefore, Babylon will be destroyed (Jer. 51:41–43, 49, 53–56), and Edom will be crushed for their sins against God’s Chosen People (Isa. 34:8–15). God will deal with these Gentile nations as He did with Sodom and Gomorrah.

Conclusion

At the Second Coming of Jesus to begin His millennial reign, major changes will take place on the earth. Gentile believers will not only live in the Millennial Kingdom, but they will rule with Christ. They will experience God’s blessing and will worship the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem. By contrast, unbelieving Gentiles will be cast off the earth, and, in some cases, their land will be wasted because of what they have done to and with the clews throughout history.

12/21/2025

A word About New Jerusalem…

David Levy from Israel My Glory ministries says– The angel carried John “away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed [him] that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” (v. 10). John was supernaturally transported out of the material world fully awake (in a trance-like state) to receive the revelation and record a description of the new Jerusalem. The city’s description is not a symbolic expression, but a real material city that will exist throughout eternity. We cannot perceive or understand the new Jerusalem in its fullness because it is the creation of an infinite God. What John saw transcended any earthly experience known to mankind. Nevertheless, it is an accurate description of a literal city because it was revealed by the Holy Spirit.

The city will shine with “the glory of God” (v. 11), like the Shekinah glory that filled the holy of holies in the Tabernacle and Temple. Its brightness “was like a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (v. 11). The jasper stone is like transparent crystal, similar to a diamond, whose facets sparkle with every color of the rainbow. The jasper stone is “most precious” because of its beauty and cost and will be extensively used in making the new Jerusalem (v. 19).

Some scholars believe that the new Jerusalem will descend from heaven and hover over the Millennial Kingdom as a satellite city of the glorified church during Christ’s thousand-year reign. Scripture offers no evidence for this position. The new Jerusalem is presented here as it will be in the eternal state, not in the Millennial Kingdom.

Got Questions.org–The New Jerusalem, which is also called the tabernacle of God, the Holy City, the city of God, the Celestial City, the city foursquare, and heavenly Jerusalem, is literally heaven on earth. It is referred to in the Bible in several places (Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 11:10; 12:22–24; and 13:14), but it is most fully described in Revelation 21.

In Revelation 21, the recorded history of man is at its end. All the ages have come and gone. Christ has gathered His church in the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17). The tribulation has passed (Revelation 6—18). The battle of Armageddon has been fought and won by our Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:17–21). Satan has been chained for the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth (Revelation 20:1–3). A new, glorious temple has been established in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40—48). The final rebellion against God has been quashed, and Satan has received his just punishment, an eternity in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7–10.) The great white throne judgment has taken place, and mankind has been judged (Revelation 20:11–15).

In Revelation 21:1 God does a complete make-over of heaven and earth (cf. Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:12–13). The new heaven and new earth are what some call the eternal state and will be “where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). After the re-creation, God reveals the New Jerusalem. John sees a glimpse of it in his vision: “The Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). This is the city that Abraham looked for in faith (Hebrews 11:10). It is the place where God will dwell with His people forever (Revelation 21:3). Inhabitants of this celestial city will have all tears wiped away (Revelation 21:4).

The New Jerusalem will be fantastically huge. John records that the city is nearly 1,400 miles long, and it is as wide and as high as it is long—the New Jerusalem being equal in length, width, and depth (Revelation 21:15–17). The city will be dazzling in every way. It is lighted by the glory of God (verse 23). Its twelve foundations, bearing the names of the twelve apostles, are “decorated with every kind of precious stone” (verse 19). It has twelve gates, each made of a single pearl, bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (verses 12 and 21). The street will be made of pure gold (verse 21).

The New Jerusalem will be a place of unimagined blessing. The curse of the old earth will be gone (Revelation 22:3). In the city are the tree of life “for the healing of the nations” and the river of life (verses 1–2). It is the place that Paul spoke of: “In the coming ages [God] might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). The New Jerusalem is the ultimate fulfillment of all God’s promises. The New Jerusalem is God’s goodness made fully manifest.

Who are the residents of the New Jerusalem? The Father and the Lamb are there (Revelation 21:22). Angels are at the gates (verse 12). But the city will be filled with God’s redeemed children. The New Jerusalem is the righteous counter to the evil Babylon (Revelation 17), destroyed by God’s judgment (Revelation 18). The wicked had their city, and God has His.

To which city do you belong? Babylon the Great or the New Jerusalem? If you believe that Jesus, the Son of God, died and rose again and have asked God to save you by His grace, then you are a citizen of the New Jerusalem. “God raised [you] up with Christ and seated [you] with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). You have “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1 Peter 1:4). If you have not yet trusted Christ as your Savior, then we urge you to receive Him. The invitation is extended: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17).

Why does New Jerusalem have tree of life and the 12 fruits for the healing of the nations?

The healing of the nations is linked to the tree of life, as God reestablishes Eden. It is the leaves of this tree that are said to be “for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2). It is possible that the tree of life in the New Jerusalem is literal and that its leaves and various fruits will somehow enrich our existence in the eternal state. All the nations represented there will be “healed” of their divisions and strife in their equal access to the tree of life.

It is also possible that the tree of life in the New Jerusalem is symbolic and that its “healing” signifies the eternal life that all will enjoy there. The different fruits it bears could represent the unlimited variety of our existence in heaven. The clear flowing river that waters the tree could picture the spiritual life of God’s redeemed—the “living water” Jesus promised in John 4:13–14.

The healing the tree of life’s leaves provide is not the healing of the wounds of battle—warfare will have ended. The healing is not needed for combating sickness—there will be no more sickness, death, or pain (Revelation 21:4). No, the “healing” is a reference to the perpetual blessing of the new heaven and earth; never again will the world be plagued by physical disorders or spiritual malaise or corruption. There will be no more warfare, no strife, no conflicting factions. God will heal all that ails His creation, and there will be no more curse (Revelation 22:3).

In the eternal state, everything will be blessed, and the tree of life represents that blessedness. There will be perfect sinlessness, perfect government, perfect service to God, perfect communion, and perfect glory. It is impossible for us to imagine being totally separated from sin and living in a glorified state before God. But the Lord assures us that “these words are trustworthy and true” (Revelation 22:6).

From David Levy–One of the seven angels approached John and said, “Come here, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife” (v. 9).

The bride, the Lamb’s wife, is identified as “the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” (v. 10). Why is the new Jerusalem called the bride, the wife of the Lamb? First, the city is beautifully adorned, as will be the church, Christ’s bride, at the marriage supper of the Lamb (19:7). Second, the city will be spotless and pure, like Christ’s church after it is glorified. The city is being compared to a bride in its beauty and intimate relationship to Christ, the Lamb of God. It should be understood that John is not saying that the bride is the new Jerusalem, but it is being characterized as “the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” The bride figure cannot be limited to the individuals who will live in the city. It must also include the literal city with its physical characteristics.

The angel carried John “away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed [him] that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” (v. 10). John was supernaturally transported out of the material world fully awake (in a trance-like state) to receive the revelation and record a description of the new Jerusalem. The city’s description is not a symbolic expression, but a real material city that will exist throughout eternity. We cannot perceive or understand the new Jerusalem in its fullness because it is the creation of an infinite God. What John saw transcended any earthly experience known to mankind. Nevertheless, it is an accurate description of a literal city because it was revealed by the Holy Spirit.

The city will shine with “the glory of God” (v. 11), like the Shekinah glory that filled the holy of holies in the Tabernacle and Temple. Its brightness “was like a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (v. 11). The jasper stone is like transparent crystal, similar to a diamond, whose facets sparkle with every color of the rainbow. The jasper stone is “most precious” because of its beauty and cost and will be extensively used in making the new Jerusalem (v. 19).

Some scholars believe that the new Jerusalem will descend from heaven and hover over the Millennial Kingdom as a satellite city of the glorified church during Christ’s thousand-year reign. Scripture offers no evidence for this position. Some believe that the new Jerusalem is presented here as it will be in the eternal state, not in the Millennial Kingdom.

12/28/2025

A Spacious City

John described the various components of the city. He described its walls as “great and high” (v. 12). It is obvious that high walls will not be needed for defense because the city will have no enemies. The walls will be symbolic of God’s protection and security and the exclusion of all that is evil (cp. v. 8).

The city will have 12 gates, each one inscribed with the name of one of the tribes of Israel (v. 12). The text does not reveal the order in which the tribes’ names will be placed on the gates of the new Jerusalem, but it could correspond to the pattern presented in the millennial Jerusalem (v. 13; cp. Ezekiel 48:31–34). An angel will be stationed at each gate as an honor guard, stressing the security of both the city and God’s glory (v. 12).

The city will have “twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (v. 14). The mention of one of the twelve apostles on each foundation links the church to a major role in the new Jerusalem. Although Israel and the church are brought together in the New Jerusalem, they will have distinct identities in eternity and should not be lumped into one group.

The angel measured the “city … gates … and … wall” with a “golden reed” (v. 15). Its size will be “twelve thousand furlongs” (v. 16). It will be shaped in a perfect cube of almost 1,400 miles on each side and 1,400 miles in height (rounded off to 1,500 miles by many commentators). Although the city is described in square dimensions, nothing is revealed regarding its shape. Most interpreters hold that the city will be a perfect cube.

Next the angel measured the city walls, which were “an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man” (v. 17). Assuming that a cubit is 18 inches, the wall would be only 216 feet high extremely small for a 1,400 mile-high city.

John was given a description of the materials used to construct the city. “And the building of the wall of it was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass” (v. 18). Together, the walls of jasper and the city of pure gold would look like a sparkling diamond in all its crystalline beauty, designed to reflect the effulgence of God’s radiant glory in every area of the city.

A further description was provided of the materials making up the foundations, gates, and streets of the city. There will be twelve foundations, “garnished with all manner of precious stones” (v. 19). Each foundation will be made of one of the following stones, layered on top of the next, extending around the city, as described in verses 19–20.

The jasper stone is clear crystal, like a diamond, and refracts all the colors of the spectrum in wondrous brilliance. The sapphire is blue in color (possibly flecked with gold). The chalcedony is a translucent milky or grayish quartz with colored stripes running through it. The emerald is a brilliant, grass-green, transparent variety of beryl. The sardonyx is an onyx stone with alternating brown and white bands running through it. The sardius is a translucent red stone, like a ruby. The chrysolite is gold in color, resembling a golden jasper stone. The beryl is a translucent bluish or sea-green colored stone. The topaz is a translucent yellow or yellow-green stone. The chrysoprasus is a translucent apple-green stone. The jacinth is a translucent, bluish-smoke, violet-colored stone. The amethyst is a brilliant purple or violet transparent stone.

The twelve foundations will be structured to refract the effulgence of God’s glory and holiness. Such beauty will transcend anything mankind has seen since the inception of God’s creation.

There will be “twelve gates” (v. 21), each made of one huge pearl, attached to the city walls that will open into streets made of “pure gold, as it were, transparent glass” (v. 21). Pearls were highly valued in the ancient world for their natural beauty. Each pearl gate will bear the name of one tribe of Israel, and these gates will never be closed.

A Spiritual City

After describing the dimensions of the city, John detailed some of the city’s distinctives. He said, “And I saw no temple in it; for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple [sanctuary] of it” (v. 22). In eternity, there will be no need for a Temple because God Himself will dwell in the midst of His people, who will have direct, immediate, and intimate communion with Him.

The city will have no need of creative light from the sun or moon because “the glory of God did light it, and the Lamb is the lamp of it” (v. 23). God’s glorious presence in the city will illuminate every corner of the new Jerusalem; nothing will be hidden. Scripture does not say that the sun and moon will be absent in eternity, but that there will be no need for them.

All the “nations … who are saved shall walk” in the physical and spiritual “light” (v. 24) of God’s glory. The word nations means Gentiles and is used, not in a political sense, but referring to saved Gentiles living in the eternal state who are not part of Israel or the church. At that time, “the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into” the new Jerusalem (v. 24). Those holding positions of honor among the saved Gentiles in eternity will give their glory and honor, once it is bestowed upon them, to God the Father and Jesus Christ.

John recapped what had already been alluded to: “And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day; for there shall be no night there. And they [kings] shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it” (vv. 25–26). The city will be open to all believers.

Eternity will not be a place of idleness, boredom, or wearisome labor, but of joyful service and worship.

Nothing of an evil nature will ever enter the city. John wrote, “And there shall in no way enter into it anything that defileth, neither he that worketh abomination, or maketh a lie” (v. 27). Only the redeemed, whose names “are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (v. 27), will be there.

A Sinless City

John then divulged the paradise qualities of the new Jerusalem. That which was lost in the Garden of Eden, because of mankind’s sin, will be recreated by Jesus Christ. The angel revealed to the apostle “a pure river of water of life, clear [i.e., bright and shining] as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (22:1). This will be a life-giving river, providing those living in the city with a deeper quality of spiritual life and symbolically portraying the eternal life manifested to them in eternity. This river will flow “out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (22:1), indicating that Christ will be enthroned with God the Father in eternity.

John’s attention was then drawn to “the tree of life” (v. 2) located in the middle of the street, whose branches will be large enough to spread on both sides of the river of life. The “tree of life” will bear “twelve kinds of fruits, and [yield] her fruit every month” (v. 2). This tree will produce an annual harvest of twelve different fruits. The mention of twelve months would indicate that time will be calculated in eternity.

The “tree of life” was first seen in Genesis 3:22. Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden so that they could not partake of the tree of life. By eating from the tree, they would have lived eternally in their natural bodies, which possessed the sin nature.

Leaves from the tree will provide “healing [for] the nations” (v. 2). The word healing comes from a Greek word that means therapeutic or health-giving. There will be no disease in the new Jerusalem because the “curse” (v. 3) will be removed; therefore, the leaves will, in some unknown way, enhance the joy of life in eternity.

John said, “the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it [the new Jerusalem], and his servants shall serve him” (v. 3). Eternity will not be a place of idleness, boredom, or wearisome labor, but of joyful service and worship.

In eternity, believers will be able to “see his (God’s) face” (v. 4). God told Moses, “Thou canst not see my face; for there shall no man see me, and live” (Ex. 33:20). Jesus said, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him (Jn. 1:18). Believers will be able to look on His face in the new Jerusalem because they will be in their glorified bodies. They will be easily identified because God’s “name shall be in their foreheads” (v. 4). This is a seal of ownership, showing that they are God’s possession, identifying them as citizens of the new Jerusalem.

John concluded by revealing the greatest privilege of all for glorified believers: “and they shall reign forever and ever” (v. 5; cp. 3:21; 5:10; 20:4, 6). What a glorious promise to believers! Only eternity will reveal the exact role and responsibility of glorified believers in ruling and reigning over the universe. What a blessed new home awaits believers in eternity!

When you don’t take the Bible in the literal sense you wind up with literal nonsense.

A lot of information is given in the Bible. One rule you must follow that when the Bible can be taken literally it should be! When it is not taken literally the Bible will tell you. Jesus gave parables and always gave an introduction to the parable. There is no reason not to take all these passages about the end time literally. If you don’t you will wind up in confusion and in chaos. Take the Bible for what it says and don’t add to or take away from!