A Wrap-up of Endtime Events - The Jewish Remnant Gathers at Bozrah

[0:00] Reminds me of almost like an evangelistic rally, and I'm sure that you are all fully aware of the homegoing of Billy Graham this past week.

[0:11] He has been one of my great heroes for a number of years, and I have often described Billy Graham as God's gift to the 20th century.

[0:23] And I believe that with all my heart. As a matter of fact, I think Marie and I were talking about this a little earlier, that we will conclude our service today with an invitational hymn in honor and memory of Billy Graham.

[0:43] And it will be number 788, as the choir sang, Just As I Am. And I well remember hearing Cliff Barrows one time as he addressed a group of pastors, and I was privileged to be among them.

[0:59] And Cliff Barrows, of course, was Billy Graham's song leader for decades, along with George Beverly Shea. And he said that when they first went to London, England for the Heringue Arena meetings, I think it was, they were scheduled there for something like three or four weeks.

[1:18] And it ended up going 14 or 16 weeks, something like that. And he said after the first couple of nights, the local press there in London really did a job on the crusades.

[1:30] And the writer described the evening and the invitation that Billy Graham gave. And they went on to say that Dr. Graham was expert at whipping up a lot of emotion by having the people sing this powerful hymn, Just As I Am.

[1:53] And the whole thing was just taken over entirely by emotion. And they dismissed Dr. Graham's message and his presence with just having created a lot of emotion.

[2:05] And, of course, Billy talked to his team about that, and they decided they were going to have to correct that. So they said, for the next couple of nights, we're not going to have any invitation sung at all.

[2:21] We're just going to invite people to come. No music. No music. No piano. No organ. No choir. No music. And the crowds that came were just as great as those that came with the music.

[2:36] And they did that for the next 30 nights. No music. And finally, some representatives from the local press came up to him and said, Would you please bring back the music?

[2:51] We can't stand the silence. Well, God can use anything and everything. I mean, after all, he used Balaam's ass in the Old Testament.

[3:04] So that means that any of us are qualified to be used, doesn't it? But God can use music and God can use silence. But the thing that God is really committed to using is his word.

[3:18] He has promised to bless his word as it goes forth. And that really is the only thing that is worth the blessing because it's the only thing that we are guaranteed is absolutely true.

[3:30] And everything else is man's opinion and man's mind. And it is always suspect at best. So in honor of Dr. Graham and what he's meant to so many, we'll sing that hymn at the conclusion this morning.

[3:45] Yes. What did I say? Okay. Just subtract 300 from that. It'll be 488. We'll be singing that. And for the message at hand, Gary is going to come in just a moment and read for us from Revelation chapter 12.

[4:06] It is remarkable how the scriptures, Old and New Testament, tie together. And you have often heard me say that everything in the Bible is connected to everything in the Bible.

[4:18] There is not one word in it that is superfluous. And there is not one word that is missing that ought to be there. That is due to the inspiration of scripture.

[4:29] And that's how God has provided us with his word. So we're going to be looking this morning at the Jewish remnant. And this will be the next item in the series that we are covering.

[4:41] If you have that map, you will want to look at it. But there are eight segments that are involved in the campaign of Armageddon. And this will bring us right up to the middle of the 70th week when the nation of Israel, the remnant that exists.

[4:58] And by the way, by this time, by this time, be advised, two-thirds of the Jewish population of the world will have been eliminated. There will be just one-third surviving.

[5:13] And they will all be quartered there in this place that God has designated where he is going to supernaturally provide for their sustenance. And it is a place in southern Lebanon, or I'm sorry, southern Jordan, that is referred to as Petra.

[5:32] It is near the city of Basra. And in the bulletin, we are told that Basra, or Petra, in southern Jordan will be the gathering place for the providential care and protection of the remaining Jewish remnant.

[5:50] By this time, two-thirds of worldwide Jewry will have been eliminated by the Antichrist. Here, the one-third of Jews remaining will undergo national repentance and plead for the return of the Messiah their forefathers rejected 2,000 years earlier.

[6:11] That will comprise our next session on March 11. So now, if Gary will come and read, as you follow along, Revelation chapter 12, because this is talking about the same place.

[6:26] Now, you are recalling that we were in Revelation 12 a number of months ago when we went through the book of Revelation verse by verse. And we covered chapter 12 somewhat extensively.

[6:39] But this morning, you're going to get a little refresher, and we'll see how this ties in with a number of the references from the Old Testament. So, Gary, would you come, please? A great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

[7:11] And she was with child, and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven, and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.

[7:34] And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman, who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth, he might devour her child.

[7:54] And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who was to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up to God, and to his throne.

[8:09] Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

[8:25] And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels raging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war.

[8:38] And they were not strong enough. And there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down.

[8:49] The serpent of old, who is called the devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth. And his angels were thrown down with him.

[9:03] Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ, have come.

[9:17] For the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down. He who accuses them before our God day and night.

[9:29] And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony. And they did not love their life, even when faced with death.

[9:43] For this reason, rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.

[10:03] And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time from the presence of the serpent.

[10:33] And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood.

[10:46] But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river, which the dragon poured out of his mouth.

[10:57] So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

[11:16] Unquestionably, there is a great deal of symbolism here, but it is not difficult at all to define.

[11:29] And the long and the short of it is simply this. There is going to be, as we saw in the text just read, a supernatural provision for the existing remnant of the Jewish people, whereby God is going to secret them away in this special place in Basra, also referred to as Petra, where they will be supernaturally protected and provided for much in the same way they were supernaturally protected and provided for when they came out of Egypt.

[12:02] You will recall that we repeated a number of times when we went through our exposition on the book of Revelation that there is going to be a very profound return to the obviously supernatural during this 70th week of Daniel.

[12:19] It is going to be characterized by angelic involvement and by demons, both fallen demons and angelic beings are going to be implemented because this is the final wrap-up of humanity.

[12:36] This is the time that all the world has been talking about for millennia, and it is commonly referred to as Armageddon.

[12:47] It is the end time and the analysis of the end time. It is not the end of the world. The planet isn't going to go away, but it is going to be the end of this age as we know it.

[13:01] And everything is going to be changed dramatically as a result. This, we are looking at now, is the final wrap-up. And this 70th week of Daniel, that is laid out so beautifully in Daniel chapter 9, explains what is going to happen during this seven-year period.

[13:21] We have already, in our study and examination of these eight stages, we have already encompassed the first three and a half years, or 1260 days.

[13:31] And if you will note in the reference just read, in Revelation chapter 12, we find the precise amount of time that is mentioned here.

[13:42] In verse 14, it says, She is nourished, and the she, of course, is referring to Israel. She was nourished for a time, that's one, and times, that's two plus the one, and half a time is three and a half times, or three and one half years.

[14:00] And it is earlier referred to as 1260 days, which is, of course, exactly the same time. That encompasses the one half of the seven-year period that is commonly referred to as the Great Tribulation period.

[14:16] If you will take the scripture sheet that you've been provided, there are no scriptures other than what is, if you've got one left over, but they are not pertinent.

[14:27] I'm just interested in the map that you have, the eight stages, because we have already considered the armies of the Antichrist, and we pointed out to you that they are gathering at Armageddon near the city, the ancient city of Megiddo.

[14:44] This is just a staging area. There will be no fighting here, but the armies will mass here in preparation to fight, and they will be armies gathered from all over the world, but they will not be all of the armies.

[14:58] And the reason they will not be all of the armies is because some of the armies of the world are going to oppose the Antichrist, and they are the ones, whomever they are, and I cannot identify them because they simply are not listed.

[15:13] That they are just... Somebody is going to destroy Babylon, and it will be someone who is in opposition to the Antichrist, because Babylon, restored, will be the world headquarters economically and politically for the whole planet.

[15:31] And the Antichrist will be the major ruler of the entire planet. He will be the dictator. And he is in Megiddo, in Armageddon, preparing to do battle with his enemies, and he gets word.

[15:51] He gets word from his capital, Babylon, that it has been leveled, destroyed. And we are talking about one mighty destruction, because this is going to be restored and rebuilt Babylon, which is referred to as the mother of harlotry, the mother of evil.

[16:15] This is where the world's principal evil originated. And it is only fitting that this is where it will end, with the destruction of Babylon.

[16:28] And when the Antichrist receives word, and we looked at this earlier, we'll not take time to go back to the references, but if you are interested, you may obtain the CDs that are back there on the table from the previous weeks.

[16:41] He receives word from a courier. That is curious. Why does he receive word from a courier? Why doesn't he receive word electronically?

[16:54] Why doesn't he receive word with all of the modern communications that we have? Unless they're not working. Unless they are out of commission.

[17:05] Unless they have to resort to the old-fashioned way of having someone carry a message personally to deliver.

[17:16] That has all kinds of ramifications and possibilities and a lot of speculation. So I don't want to go there. I'm just saying that things may be radically different when this time comes, so that men will not have the advantage of all of the technology that we enjoy now.

[17:35] This may also lend explanation to the use of rather primitive implements for warfare, including even horses. Who can imagine going to war with horses today?

[17:49] Today we use missiles and bombs and shells and rockets and things like that. We don't use horses. Unless something rather dramatic takes place that we are resorted to that, which is a possibility.

[18:01] But again, I'm not saying that's what's going to happen. I'm just saying it makes one wonder. Because I can tell you this. The planet is capable of undergoing massive, massive changes in a very short period of time.

[18:19] And this can all be due to some kind of catastrophe or series of catastrophes that will render a lot of things normally used incapable of being used.

[18:32] That's just a possibility, something to think about. But at any rate, when the Antichrist, who is massing with his armies in Megiddo, gets word that Babylon is destroyed, there's no point in going back there.

[18:48] So he marshals these armies that are gathered, and he heads south to Jerusalem. They throw a siege around Jerusalem, and there is a valiant effort that is put up by the residents of Jerusalem to fend off the invading armies, but they are absolutely overwhelmed, outnumbered, outgunned, out everything.

[19:11] This horde that is going to invade Jerusalem will be unimaginable in its scope and in its number. It will be a far greater army than anything that was ever amassed on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

[19:29] And they are going to march on Jerusalem. Then they will eventually succeed in taking over the city. And many of the Jews there will flee, those that can escape.

[19:43] The Antichrist, being victorious over Jerusalem, is going to go in to the city of Jerusalem, position himself in the temple that Israel will have rebuilt by that time, and he will declare himself to be God and demand the worship of man.

[20:06] Now, we look upon that today and we say, well, that's kind of stupid. Who would ever fall for that? Well, man is capable of falling for a lot of things. But the thing that is going to give credibility to the Antichrist's claim is that he, with his forces, are going to be dominant and superior over the forces of Jerusalem.

[20:31] And who is Jerusalem's God, so to speak? Well, traditionally, it would be the Lord God of heaven.

[20:44] And Jerusalem is his city. And the temple is his temple. And when the Antichrist and his army succeed in decimating Jerusalem and taking it from the hands of the Jews and executing so many of the Jews there, does that not lend credibility to his claim to be, I am greater than their God.

[21:12] You see who wins here, don't you? And he will present himself as God. This is the one of whom Jesus spoke.

[21:23] In Matthew's Gospel, chapter 24, Jesus said, When you see the abomination of desolation, which is nothing but another name for the Antichrist, when you see the abomination of desolation, stand in the holy place.

[21:41] That's in the Holy of Holies, in the Jewish temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Jesus said, Then it is time to flee to the mountains.

[21:53] And the name of the game is Escape, Run for Your Life. Don't go downstairs, those who are on the rooftops. And Jerusalem has a lot of rooftops because they have flat roofs. Don't go down in the house to get any valuables, to get your gold, or to get your pictures, or anything else.

[22:07] Just head for the hills. You might not make it. There's going to be death squads after every Jew. And by the way, during this time, there will have been open season on Jews throughout the world.

[22:22] This is going to be worldwide persecution of the Jewish people. And the remnant that is going to gather here will be the last remaining segment of Israelites on the globe.

[22:36] We do not know exactly how many there will be, but they are referred to as the remnant. So, the fall of Jerusalem has taken place, and if you're looking at your eight stages on the map, we are in stage three with the fall of Jerusalem, then the armies of the Antichrist at Basra.

[22:55] He is going to march then from Jerusalem to Basra. This is a distance of approximately 200 miles, 180 to 200 miles.

[23:09] It's going to be a long ways. Basra is located in the southern extreme, even below the Dead Sea, of modern-day Transjordan.

[23:21] And it is a very, very strategic place because there is where these people who constitute the remnant of Israel are going to be.

[23:32] And they are going to be protected there during that time. And in the last two stages, I'm sorry, the last three stages, no, the last four stages, actually, it will be five through eight.

[23:47] It will, the stages five through eight will encompass the last half of this tribulation period. And it will incorporate the national regeneration of Israel.

[23:58] This is when, as Zechariah says, they shall look on him whom they pierced, and they shall mourn. This will be the national repentance of the remnant of Israel. This will be the remaining Jews on the planet.

[24:15] will profess their faith in Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah, and they will plead and beg for him to return.

[24:27] And he will. in fulfillment of what he said when he left 2,000 years ago, you will not see me again until you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

[24:43] And then he will come. So, during this time, Israel is going to be protected and repentant. During this period of three and a half years, it may be due to the preaching of the 144,000, all of whom, all of whom are Jews.

[25:03] These are specifically identified in Revelation 7, and again in Revelation 14, 12,000 Jews from each of the 12 tribes comprising 144,000 Jews.

[25:15] They are going to be preaching throughout this period of time, and they will be virtually indestructible. This is the only way they will survive because they will have the seal of God in their foreheads, and they will all be targeted for destruction, but they will be absolutely invulnerable, and they will not be able to be killed.

[25:36] And then there will be the two witnesses giving their testimony. We've looked at that earlier in Revelation 11. We haven't time to go back to it now, but we do need to be somewhat selective, and I want to point out to you from Scripture some Old Testament references that have to do with what Revelation 12 was talking about and where Israel is going to be secreted away during this particular time.

[26:01] So, we've got some references in Isaiah to consider, first of all, and then we'll go to perhaps Jeremiah, but Isaiah chapter 33. Those of you who have your Bibles, let's go there, please.

[26:13] Isaiah chapter 33. We're going to have to be selective and not read a whole lot of context because we simply don't have time, but you can read these chapters over more fully at your leisure.

[26:27] Isaiah chapter 33, beginning, if we may, with verse 13, and bear in mind now, Isaiah penned this prophecy approximately 700 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

[26:47] So, he is prophesying and reaching way into the future at that time. And in Isaiah 33, beginning with verse 13, you, you, you who are far away, hear what I have done.

[27:06] And you who are near, acknowledge my might. Sinners in Zion are terrified, trembling as seas the godless. Who among us can live with the consuming fire?

[27:17] Who among us can live with continual burning? He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity. He who rejects unjust gain and shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe.

[27:29] He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil. He will dwell on the heights. His refuge will be the impregnable rock.

[27:45] His bread will be given him. His water will be sure. It was interesting in the video that we saw this morning, there was a clip that revealed the split rock at Sinai.

[28:02] This was a massive stone four stories high that is just cleaved right in two. And it is surmised that this was the split rock out of which the waters gushed at Sinai when the people cried for water and it created a torrent, a virtual river of water that became a small lake in fact that would enable several hundreds of thousands of people to have their thirst slaked at the same time.

[28:34] This wasn't a little trickle from a water fountain that you might see out in the hall. This was a huge amount of water and it came from that particular rock. So we are told that his water will be sure, his bread will be given him.

[28:48] This is going to be a supernatural provision for sustenance that would otherwise not be available. And as we told you in time past, there is going to be a return and a resurgence of the supernatural during this seven year period, the likes of which has not been seen since the time of Christ.

[29:07] And part of that is going to be the miraculous provision for which and by which Israel will be cared. for and it will be absolutely stunning.

[29:19] In the same way that he provided the quail, in the same way that he provided the manna from heaven, he is going to provide for them supernaturally. And during this time, Israel, this remnant, is going to be holed up there in Petra, which is a rock-like fortress fortress, that is virtually unaccessible except through one pass, and no more than one or two people on horses are even able to get through this little slit that provides entrance into Petra.

[29:54] And when you get in, then it opens up to this huge expanse, and it's a very large area. I've seen numerous pictures of it. I've never been there in person, but I know a number of people who have.

[30:04] this is the rose-red city of Petra, and it is absolutely stunning in its construction and its architecture is just carved right out of this solid rock.

[30:17] It is an absolute masterpiece. We've got other references to consider quickly. Isaiah chapter 34, very nearby if you will look at it, please. Draw near, O nations, to hear and listen, O peoples.

[30:31] Let the earth and all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it. For the Lord's indignation is against all the nations, and his wrath against all their armies.

[30:47] He has utterly destroyed them. He has given them over to slaughter, so their slain will be thrown out, and their corpses will give off their stench, and the mountains will be drenched with their blood, and all the hosts of heaven will wear away, and the sky will be rolled up like a scroll.

[31:10] All their hosts will also wither sway away, as a leaf withers from the vine, or as one withers from the fig tree. For my sword is satiated in heaven.

[31:26] Behold, it shall descend for judgment upon Edom. Edom is the land of Esau.

[31:40] Esau, brother of Jacob, became the father of the Edomites. King Herod, that wicked ruler that ordered the massacre of the children, was an Edomite.

[31:54] He was from this area. He was a direct descendant of Esau, brother of Jacob. And here in Edom, and Mount Seir, S-E-I-R, these are plotted on the modern day maps as well as the ancient maps, and they are right there in southern Transjordan.

[32:13] It shall descend for judgment upon Edom and upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction. The sword of the Lord is filled with blood.

[32:25] It is sated with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys, the brain. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Basra. The Hebrew word Basra means sheepfold.

[32:42] That's exactly what the word means. Sheepfold. And this Petra, this fortified place, is going to serve as a human sheepfold.

[32:54] shepherd. And the remnant of Israel will be the sheep. And God is going to providentially protect them and provide for them there just as a shepherd does his sheep.

[33:07] A great slaughter in the land of Edom. And this is in verse 8, for the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

[33:24] And that's Israel, a mount in Israel. This is God's payback for human evil and human sin.

[33:35] this is the ultimate showdown. This is that time that poets and authors have written about and some have fantasized about and some have tried to describe.

[33:49] This is that dreadful time called Armageddon. And yes, it is coming. In Isaiah chapter 41, while we're in the neighborhood, and verse 17, the afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst.

[34:16] I, the Lord, will answer them myself. As the God of Israel, I will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys.

[34:34] I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water. I will put the cedar in the wilderness, the acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree.

[34:46] I will place the juniper in the desert today with the box tree and the cypress that they may see and recognize and consider and gain insight as well.

[34:56] Israel that gain insight and consider is Israel coming to repentance. Israel will be connecting the dots and they will be looking back on 2,000 years of history to the time when their forefathers said, we will not have this man to reign over us.

[35:18] Crucify him. And this remnant of Israelites will see the light. This is going to be quite a Bible study.

[35:29] They will consider and gain insight as well that the hand of the Lord has done this and the Holy One of Israel has created it.

[35:41] And for time's sake, let us hasten over if we may to chapter 63 of Isaiah. chapter 63. Actually, I'm jumping ahead a little bit because this is really dealing with stage 6, which is the second coming of Christ.

[36:04] And yet, we will revisit this when the time comes, but I want you to see this now because it explains where he's coming from. And this is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ and his second coming.

[36:17] as is also depicted in Matthew 24 and 25. And Isaiah presents this as a questioner. Who is this who comes from Edom with garments of glowing colors from Basra, coming from the sheepfold, the one who is majestic in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength?

[36:44] that's the question that Isaiah is asking. And here's the answer. It is I who speak in righteousness mighty to save.

[36:56] And Isaiah asks, why is your apparel red in your garments like one who treads in the wine press? And he answers, I have trodden the wine trough alone.

[37:11] and from the peoples there was no man with me. This means that Christ and Christ alone is going to confront the Antichrist and his armies.

[37:25] And the first casualty will be the Antichrist himself. He will be immediately dispatched upon sight by Christ himself.

[37:37] And he will proceed to decimate the remainder of that army. And he will do it all alone. There will be many with him, but none will be combatants.

[37:52] It will simply be the sharp sword that goes out of his mouth, which is nothing more than the spoken word. This is the one that spoke the worlds into existence.

[38:05] And he is going to speak these into death. I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the peoples there was no man with me.

[38:16] I also trod them in my anger, and trampled them in my wrath, and their lifeblood is sprinkled on my garments, and I stained all my remnant, for the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption has come.

[38:41] I looked, and there was no one to help, and I was astonished, and there was no one to uphold, so my own arm brought salvation to me, and my wrath upheld me.

[38:55] This is the Lord in combat. And I trod down the peoples in my anger, and made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.

[39:12] This is carnage, the likes of which we cannot imagine. And, you need to fully understand, this is all done from a position of perfect, absolute, justice, and righteousness.

[39:33] righteousness. Don't look at this passage and say, oh, those poor people. These people are getting precisely what they deserve.

[39:45] And God's justice never consists of one iota more than what is deserved, or one iota less. He dispenses justice that is perfect.

[39:58] And because this, that constitutes this justice is so awful, and so gory, and so horrible to contemplate, it only leads you to imagine what it was that was deserving of it.

[40:17] So think of that in those terms. Two more references before we must dismiss, and the first is in Micah chapter 2, Micah chapter 2, and verses 12 and 13.

[40:44] I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob. He's not talking about an individual by the name of Jacob. Jacob, when Micah wrote this, Jacob had been dead and buried long, long centuries before.

[40:59] Jacob is a synonym for Israel. In fact, Jacob even had his name officially changed from Jacob to Israel, and God changed it. And he's talking about Israel, the nation here.

[41:12] Jacob, I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob. I will surely gather the remnant of Israel. I will put them together like sheep in the fold, like a flock in the midst of its pasture.

[41:27] They will be noisy with men. The breaker goes up before them. The breaker is a synonym for the Messiah. They break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it.

[41:40] So their king goes on before them, and the Lord at their head. This is just absolutely amazing. These sheep, who are Israelites, are going to be gathered in this gigantic sheepfold, engaged in a prolonged Bible study.

[42:01] And they are going to put it all together, and they are going to come to the conclusion, Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus is the Messiah, and then, in repentance, they will plead for him to return and save them.

[42:19] And he does. And that will be stage number six, the second coming of Christ. And our final reference is in Habakkuk, chapter 3, in verse 3.

[42:36] God comes from Teman. Teman is an adjacent city to Basra. It's right there in the same location, same area.

[42:47] And the Holy One from Mount Paran, that's the name of one of the mountains there, in the mountains of Seir. His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise.

[43:02] His radiance is like the sunlight. He has rays flashing from his hand, and there is the hiding of his power. Before him goes pestilence, and plague comes after him.

[43:15] He stood and surveyed the earth. He looked and startled the nations. Yes, the perpetual mountains were shattered. The ancient hills collapsed. His ways are everlasting.

[43:27] I saw the tents of Kushan under distress. The tent curtains of the land of Midian were trembling. And there is one other reference, and we'll not take time to consult it, but it has to do with this particular area of southern Jordan.

[43:46] will be the only spot on the whole globe that the Antichrist does not control. And it isn't because he doesn't want to, but it is because it is supernaturally off limits to him.

[44:05] And this small stretch of land extending all the way from the capital of Amman in Jordan down to Basra is going to be providentially protected from any interference by the Antichrist.

[44:20] He's going to succeed in conquering everything, but this last vestige, this last holdout. And who is it that's hold out there? Hold up there?

[44:31] It's the Jew. And who is it that is satanically inspired to eliminate the Jew? And he's already succeeded in eliminating two-thirds of them? This is the last third.

[44:42] And he's going after them. And this is when Christ will return and fight for his own. And it is going to be a bloodbath the likes of which we can scarcely imagine.

[44:55] So, would you please keep these things in mind and make note of them? And when we are able to continue this, which will be two weeks from today because we will not be here next week.

[45:08] And I want to again remind you that Jim Jordan will be speaking, so I hope you will invite others to let them know that he will be here. And we will resume this, which will be the national regeneration of Israel and the scripture verses that will support that.

[45:26] And that will be item number five in the eight stages that we are considering. We will not take time for Q&A because I suspect that probably more than what we would have time for anyway.

[45:41] But I would like to advise you that when we conclude this series, that is after the eighth stage, maybe we'll have just a couple of morning sessions that will be nothing but Q&A and you can bring whatever questions you have and we can look back over the whole thing.

[45:57] Those of you who were with us earlier will recall that we engaged a series well over a year ago that was called The Jewish Final Solution to the World's Problems.

[46:10] And we spent a considerable amount of time dealing with that issue because and it was a takeoff of course on Adolf Eichmann's classic statement about he had come up with the final solution to the Jewish problem, which is kill them, kill all of them.

[46:32] And he set out to do that and he succeeded in killing over 6 million Jewish people during World War II. And I'm sure he had absolutely no idea at all that even though he saw that as the final solution to the Jewish problem, that the Jews have a final solution to the world's problems.

[46:59] And it is what we have been studying coming, and more than that, it is the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. That will be the ultimate Jewish solution because never forget the fact Jesus was and is a Jew.

[47:15] Some people think that Jesus is the best Christian that ever lived. No, he wasn't. Jesus wasn't a Christian at all because in order to be a Christian, you have to acknowledge your sin first of all.

[47:30] And he wouldn't be able to do that because Jesus would not be qualified to be a Christian. He's a Jew. He's the Son of God and he is God the Son. And that boggles the minds of all of us.

[47:43] So, Jesus is not the best Christian who ever lived. In fact, I'm not sure that there is such a thing because everyone who comes to faith in Jesus Christ is cleansed and pardoned and forgiven and made a new creature in Christ.

[48:07] And they are given a standing that is one of absolute righteousness before God. Hard as it is to contemplate, when you come to faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, he takes your sin upon himself and he puts his righteousness upon you and you become the righteousness of Christ in your position.

[48:36] Your practice falls far short of that, as it does for all of us. But you then become a child of the King and you are his and he is yours forever.

[48:49] Have you ever made that decision? Have you ever placed your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? The gospel is very simple. It just means good news. And the good news is good because the bad news is real.

[49:04] The bad news is we are all sinners, every last one of us. We all fall short of God's standard of righteousness. But God in his grace, in his love, in his mercy, has made provision to overcome that.

[49:21] And it is called the good news. And the good news is good because the bad news is bad. And the good news is Christ loved you and gave himself for your sin.

[49:33] And all you need to do is just acknowledge your sin. Admit that you are what people already know you are. You're just one of us.

[49:44] You're just like we are. You're just a sinner. And when you acknowledge that and admit it and acknowledge that there is nothing you can do to fix it, that only Christ can make you what you need to be.

[50:00] And as a simple act of faith, you put your trust and your confidence in Jesus Christ because you see, faith is determined by the object in which you place it.

[50:13] Faith is no better than the object in which you place it. And if you put your faith in Christ, you don't have to worry about being disappointed. it. And for people who say, well, that's too easy.

[50:27] That's too easy. Listen, it is easy. That's why it's called good news. It isn't hard. Some people would prefer to push a peanut with their nose to Zinia, Ohio, so they would have something to brag about.

[50:45] Look what I did. No, this is so easy because Jesus already did the hard part. He did the hard part.

[50:56] And think of it this way. God did the very most that he could do in the giving of his son just so you could do the very least that you could do, which is just believe on him.

[51:19] Amazing. Amazing grace. So let's sing number 488. I'm sorry. Is it 488? Yes, it is.

[51:36] Just as I am. 488 and I'll ask you to stand, if you will, please. And the invitation is extended to any who have become aware of a need.

[51:53] And we don't ordinarily give public invitations like this. I'm not opposed to them, but I just don't know that it's necessary because you can receive Christ right where you are.

[52:03] By the way, indulge me, indulge me, if you will, for a brief story. This is about John Wayne. The Duke, one of my heroes in the movies, and he was on his deathbed.

[52:19] John was dying from lung cancer. And his daughter, one of his daughters, who was a firm believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, was visiting with her dad.

[52:32] And she had explained the gospel to him before. He had made no decision. And she was going over the gospel again. John Wayne lying there in bed shook his head and said, yeah, it all makes sense now.

[52:50] It all makes sense now. And she said, well, daddy, you can receive the Lord Jesus as your savior, and you can have forgiveness and righteousness that he'll give.

[53:04] help. He said, I need to do that. Honey, would you help me get down out of this bed? And she said, well, daddy, you don't have to get down out of the bed.

[53:19] You can receive Jesus right where you are. And he said, no, no, you don't understand, honey. This is something I have to do on my knees.

[53:32] And she helped him get out of bed, down to his knees. John Wayne received Christ as his savior. I look forward to seeing him and a whole lot of other people in heaven.

[53:47] And I guess she could have said, daddy, you just come just as you are. You don't have to make any promises. You don't have to make any pledges. You don't have to, all you have to do is put your trust in him.

[53:58] So, let's sing this if we may, just as I am. If you feel the need to come, you come. If you want to receive Christ, if you've never done that, this is your opportunity.

[54:09] Just as I am with God will be God that I want my sin will be ton have you You gain mixture among thy kingdom.

[55:03] You gain any more, and your glory for the Son, Thank you.

[55:41] Thank you.

[56:11] And if you've been toyed with that decision, thinking about it, thinking one of these days I'm going to do something about that, and this is your time. You come and we'll be glad to receive you and show you how you can put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and know the joy of sin's forgiveness.

[56:31] And you can be on your way rejoicing. If that's for you, then you feel free to come as we sing this last concluding verse. Thank you. Thank you.

[56:45] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Father, we are truly glad for this wonderful old hymn of invitation.

[57:22] We think of so many who have over the years responded to it and have been born anew, made children of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[57:34] Today we pause again to thank you for the outstanding ministry and the character and the integrity of this man, Billy Graham, and what he has meant to so many people down through the ages.

[57:47] And we rejoice over knowing that so many that he has reached are used of you to reach others. And we are so grateful for this wonderful gospel.

[57:59] The world doesn't understand, but is in desperate need of. So help us to be diligent in sharing it, declaring it wherever and whenever we can through whatever medium. Thank you again for this time to gather together this morning.

[58:13] We trust you'll send us on our way rejoicing in the Lord Jesus. In his name we pray. Amen.