Are You Ready For The 2020's

Our title today, Are You Ready for the 2020s? We're beginning a new decade. You begin a new decade with the with the even number of, like you're counting, by 10. It's 10 2030. So the old decade went out with 2019, and a new decade is here. With the aid of mass media to some degree, we're all living vicariously in Satan's world. God has commanded us to come out of this world. I want us to look at the scriptures there, a couple of scriptures, and almost everything we say. There are many other scriptures and much other support for what we're saying, but we want to, as much as possible in every case, to back what we say with the Word of God in 1 John 2 and verse 15. God wants us to come out of this world. He does not want us to live vicariously in Satan's world, to be a part and parcel of it, and to experience that world even if it is in a vicarious way, which we'll talk more about in just a moment. In 1 John 2 and verse 15, love not the world, love not the world. Neither the things are in the world. If any man loved the world, the love of the Father is not in him. So you could take stock, but we all could right there. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away in the lust thereof, but he that does the will of God abides forever. So God has commanded us to come out of this world to not live our lives vicariously through what is going on in this world, but to be separate and apart from it. Notice Revelation 18.

In a broad sense, we live in a Babylonian type society. And in Revelation 18, let's start in verse 1 and read through verse 4 where we admonish to come out of it. And after these things, I saw another angel come down from heaven having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon, the great has fallen, has fallen, has become the habitation of devils, and the whole of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird, for all nations, all nations. It didn't say some. It said, for all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of the fornication of the kings of the earth, have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are wax rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, that you receive not of her plagues. To live vicariously means to be absorbed in what the person who is actually performing the action is experiencing. It's not just those who are out on the dance floor dancing with the stars, those who are living vicariously are there with it. Or you could name any celebrity figure, both in the entertainment world, political world, the world of sports. It's as if he or she is feeling, identifying the one who is actually in the arena who is performing the act. What would you say are Satan's greatest weapons in creating a surreal world in which the peoples of the world can vicariously live the life of their favorite hero or heroine? I would say, number one is mass media, which of course includes so-called social media. We have instant communication, wireless communication, 24-7, 365, all around the world. Speaking in physical terms, what would you say are the four things that have changed the world, perhaps more than anything else? We're just talking a physical thing there. Of course, this would be subjective and open for debate. I would say the nuclear bomb or nuclear power. It opened up a new world. And to some degree, it was a blessing. It was a curse. It was a curse. It was a blessing. In that sense, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world powers have operated under what they call the MAD doctrine, the Mutually Assured Destruction Doctrine. If you bomb us, we'll bomb you. We'll both die together. And so, no one has used a nuclear bomb, as far as we know, on any other nation since that event in Japan. Second, computers. Computers have changed the world a little more about that. Cell phones. I can't imagine how cell phones have changed the world. And wireless communication. And we haven't seen anything yet with regard to what is coming with wireless communication. The greatest cause of our condition, obviously, is not the physical, per se. It's what has been done with the physical. But the greatest cause of our condition is spiritual and the moral collapse of the people and its institutions. It's not just the people, but it is those institutions, time-honored institutions, beginning with the church and going to political institutions, educational institutions, religious institutions, and so on. And even the family as an institution has been attacked and virtually destroyed. That the collapse of all of these things have led us to a position to where we are today. Human nature yearns to be rid of all constraints and live a lifestyle that is free of any restraints that curbs its base desires. There are innate base desires that are there that are to be controlled. They are to be used at certain times, but they're to be controlled. Let's witness what happened to the children of Israel after they were freed from physical slavery in Egypt. What did they do on their journey to the promised land? Let's go to Exodus 32, verse 23. Here is the incident, Exodus 22, 32, verse 23. 32, 23, Exodus.

After having gone through some 200 years or more of servitude in the land of Egypt and crying out for deliverance, so God wrought them deliverance, performing all the great miracles, the ten plagues that came upon Egypt, then coming to the Red Sea, parting the Red Sea, water out of a rock, raining manna from heaven, all the great signs and wonders, they come to Sinai to receive the law of God, and God speaks to them. And Moses goes up to get tables of stone on which the Ten Commandments are written. He's gone quite a long time, and so when he returns, what does he find? Exodus 32, 23, where they said unto me, Make us gods. So this is Aaron speaking to Moses. Moses asks him, you know, what's going on here? Sounds like a pretty wild party to me. And Aaron said, Let not the anger of Lord wax hot. This is verse 22. You know the people that they are set on mischief, people, for they said unto me, Make us gods, which will go before us. Make us gods. Now look, they had, what did they had seen? I just listed what they had seen. The plagues, the miracles, and bringing them to that point, one of the greatest physical miracles of all time, departing the Red Sea, and them being delivered. For this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don't know what has become of him. He's up on some mountain talking to God. I said unto them, Whosoever has any goal, let them break it off so they gave it me. Then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.

So they wanted to return to the gods of Egypt. And when Moses saw that the people were naked, for Aaron had made them naked, naked, under their shame among the enemy, their enemies, then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, Who is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And the Levites were then given a charge, and they were with sower to go and to slay all of those who had participated. I take it the main participants in making the golden calf. And I think, what does it say here? It gives the number of the ones that are slain. In verse 28, about 3,000 men. So there is something within man that he yearns to be free, to make God over in his image or make God out of wood, hay, stubble, and stone. So that's what the children of Israel did. Much of the political unrest that exists in the nation today stems from the culture wars that continue to rage throughout the land, and it will get worse. And in a sense, the nation of the western world, they are dancing naked. Nakedness also is symbolic of sin in the Bible. Adam and Eve sinned. They realized they were naked, and they tried to hide themselves. And so they made garments out of fig leaves, but their main nakedness was sin.

So much of the political unrest that existed today stems from the culture wars. To some degree, the establishment resisted the social moral revolution until the 1980s. Slowly at first and then quickly in recent times, the establishment has been all but conquered. Who will stand in the gap? Almost no one stands in the gap today. The Bible makes it clear that the war, this war between light and darkness, between what's right and what's wrong, will rage until the end of this age. The prophets of old spoke of this time when we look at Isaiah 5 and verse 18. In Isaiah 5 and verse 18, we'll see here, and this is so descriptive and apt for the situation that exists in the nation today of what is going on, those who would stand for that which is right. We now have demonstrations going on for people who have their picture taken with certain people. In Isaiah 5 verse 18, one to them to draw iniquity with cords of vanity, that is lawlessness, vanity, temporarily wanting their thing now, and sin as it were with a cart rope, that say, let him make speed and hasten his work, that we may see it, and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw and come, that we may know it. Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. And so that is one of the main things Isaiah goes on to describe other things that are going on as well. Now we go to Matthew 24 and verse 8. Matthew 24 verse 8, the backdrop, of course, of Matthew 24, the first seven verses there are so in which the disciples come unto Jesus and ask Him, Master, what will be the sign of your coming in the end of this age? And then he begins to list some things. Beginning in, let's look at verse 5, for many shall come in my name, saying I am Christ, and shall deceive many. You shall hear wars and rumors of war, see that you be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Nation shall rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There shall be famine and pestilences and earthquakes in different places, and all of these signs have accelerated in recent times, in some cases exponentially. All these are the beginning of sorrows. So we're in that period of time of the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, shall kill you, you shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. Why? Because one stands for good, and the other does not stand for good. We see already this hatred between good and evil, those who stand for that which is time honored and right, being hated by those who want to make the golden calf and dance. And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many, and because iniquity, lawlessness, shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. And more and more people say, we see what they're doing, so it seems like they're all right, we're going to do the same thing. They don't verbalize that. I was talking with someone in another group yesterday, and they said, well, people are leaving our group, and people have left many, many groups, and where are they going? What are they doing? Well, for the most part, they're just plunging back into the world. They're back with the golden calf. They're back dancing.

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved, because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Now, look at Luke.

Noah, we want 37 here. Look at verse 37. Obviously, we see this so much today, but as in the days of Noah, this is Matthew 24, 37. Matthew 24, verse 37. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating, drinking, marrying, giving, and marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark.

They paid no attention to what Noah was preaching, who preached for 120 years, and knew not until the flood came and took them away. So shall also the coming of the son of man be. And of course, we admonished to not let that happen to us. Look at Luke 17, verse 26.

Luke 17, verse 26. And of course, this ties in with the LGBTQ agenda that is more and more being forced upon the institutions of the land. A big headline this week about the United Methodist Church over the issue of abortion, pro-life or pro-choice. And it looks like they are going to split.

Others have split or splinter groups are broken off because of the question of homosexuality. So we're looking at Luke 17 now, and verse 26. As it was in the days of Noah, so shall also be in the days of the son of man.

That is, when Jesus Christ returns, they did eat, they drank, they married wives. They were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot. They did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built.

But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so, thou shalt it be in the days when the son of man is revealed. And you know what the main sin was in Sodom.

Historically, from the Tower of Babel to the present day, those who control information continually war against traditional values. Back in the time of the Babylonian priesthoods, they claimed, the priests claimed, that they had the keys to eternity, to immortality. You had to follow them. And throughout the course of time, it has been the basically those in positions of power who control the information, who use the people unmercifully for their own gain through the ages. And now we have a media blitz like we have never seen before, and it is basically against the time-honored values that would make any nation great.

So who will tell the people? Who will wake them up? Who will fulfill Isaiah 58.1? Isaiah 58.1 says, cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet, show my people their transgression in the house of Jacob, their sins. And along with the social and moral revolution, there has come a great technological revolution and a great breakthrough, various breakthroughs in the scientific sense in medicine and other fields.

And they're talking about now easily living to be over 100, some saying much more. Cryo-kinetics, freezing and bringing back to life, and that kind of thing. So we're entering into a time in which everything will totally change the way we live and interact with others. It is already changing. It is changing with a computer, it's changing with social media. And if you think things are bad now, you haven't seen anything yet. Artificial intelligence, 5G wireless communication, coupled with quantum computing, along with many other developments that will come with artificial intelligence and quantum computing will rock the world.

Dr. Baker sent me a link to an interview with Glenn Beck and an expert in this area of wireless communication quantum computing. I'll probably send that link out to everybody, and you can listen. It's about one hour and a half or two hours long, but it's worth listening to, to get a feel for what is really happening and going to happen in this world. And it's already happening. I recently saw a magazine article that labeled the past decade, the 2010s, as living on the edge. We are about to be totally immersed into a different world. No longer living on the edge, the world is about to make a quantum leap from the edge to being totally immersed in the fire.

In 2010, 4G wireless communication was launched, which was much faster than anything up to that time. It was so far ahead of what had been. It greatly increased computing speed, the ability to merge and store data. You can have the cloud and other kind of storage things and information that would have taken so long to gather and to access in the past with 4G. Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple have developed technologies that allows them to virtually have a profile on every person on the face of the earth. I am currently receiving up to, and one day I received almost 1,000 junk emails.

Once they get your email, and it's advertising everything on the face of the earth, I mean everything from the gutter to the mansion. Every time I use my smartphone or computer, the cookies, they call it, that is, that which is programmed that traces every place you visit and what you look at, what you what you favor, all of those things are recorded. They're there to gather information that is used to target you and every product and every service that you can think of and some you haven't thought of. We see live and in color many horrible events that are happening all over the world. With the advent of 5G wireless communication and the computer that is going to quantum computing, it will change things so dramatically. In this link that I'm going to send that Dr. Baker sent me, you will see and you will hear that in the past you could have a football field of computers linked together. Now they're with quantum computing. They could have something the size of a refrigerator and present a problem. And with the computers out on the football field, this is a very crude analogy, but much better explained in the interview. Take them hundreds of years, I think it said 10,000 to solve the problem, with quantum computing a day or so. That's the difference. The difference in the speed, it's almost in real time. That is what is coming, and so there will be nothing private anymore. And of course, some people are looking at this as a good thing, but it will be used in a way that I don't think we will be happy with.

So we see, live and in color, many horrible events that are happening all over the world, and we sympathize and empathize with the victims and their loved ones who are left grief-stricken as they mourn and seek to understand why. And to some degree, God expects us to empathize with the suffering that is ever before us in this world and what is going on in this world. And Scripture admonishes us to be aware and concerned about what is going around us. Let's look at Ezekiel 9, verse 1, and I surely believe this has an end-time application. In Ezekiel 9, verse 1, He cried also in mine ears with the loud voice, saying, Come, cause them that have charge over the city to draw near. Even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand, and behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lies toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand. And one man among them was clothed with linen with a rider's inkhorn by his side, and they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the carob, whereupon he was to the threshold of the house, and he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the rider's inkhorn by his side. And the eternal said unto him, Grow through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh, and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And so that will be one of the things, and it is one of the things, that we are admonished to do, and we'll be admonished to do this more and more in the 2020s. And to the others he said, in mine hearing go you after them through the city, and smite and let your eyes spare, neither have you pity, and so those who were not sighing and crying were killed.

National Geographic has been running a documentary titled How the 1980s Shaped our World. As already mentioned, to some degree, even with the advent of Elvis, the Beatles in the 50s and the 60s, and the hippie movement, the Vietnam War, and all of that, and what Hollywood continued to more and more spew and pump out, to some degree, even into the early 80s, there was somewhat of a lid on things, but now that has disappeared. This documentary showed how the culture displayed by American mass media depicted a life free of responsibility, free from the old restraints of the past, and served to help shape much of what is being done today. And so this documentary shows what happened to nations all over the world, including China, including Russia, including most any nation you want to name. The documentary presented the highlights of three of the greatest revolutions of that decade, the 80s. So what three main events that they categorized, that they labeled in the 80s, the Berlin Wall came tumbling down.

Secondly, the Soviet Union began to tumble and dissipate. We began to hear the term glasnost, meant openness, led by Mikhail Gorbachev, who in 1985 began to speak about and implementing a more consultative government and wider dissemination of information, including the restructuring of the economic and political system. Gorbachev eventually fled the Soviet Union, and he's now at one of the think tanks in California. And then, Tiananmen Square in China.

They saw there in the 80s pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square, even though it was quickly squashed by the Chinese army, it led to the leaders of the world becoming more and more aware of suppression of human rights by the Chinese communist regime.

The documentary highlighted how people in those countries, see even the Far East, Russia, whatever, those countries yearned to enjoy the freedom depicted by the mass media of America. They wanted the rock music. They wanted the R-rated, the X-rated movies. They wanted that. They wanted to, quote, be set free in the moral and spiritual sense. They wanted to dance around the golden calf. So what aspects of American culture did they yearn most to obtain? Rock music and other musical genres. Movies, TV programs, yay, even fashion. And then every nation virtually on the face of the earth has been weakened by illegal drugs, hallucinogenic drugs. In America, and quickly duplicated all over the world, video games were developed that took people's consciousness. Consciousness is awareness of your being.

And conscience is awareness of what is right and wrong. So it took people's consciousness, awareness of their being, and their conscience of what is right and wrong into a surreal world of unreality. And with the instant communication, peoples of the world can virtually live vicariously with whatever group you want to identify with. Beginning in the 1950s, we began to see the cult-like worship of celebrities like Elvis. And the people would gather in and arms waving and singing and clawing and snapping and trying to touch Elvis. And the Beatles and a host of other rock groups. And it degenerated into a sex-saturated drug-drenched culture that was, they talk about Woodstock, and was to some degree the, like the benchmark and the hallmark and what really depicted what that was all about. And that culture began to be emulated by the youth and many adults. And beginning with that and continuing now at a very rapid pace, almost all of the celebrities have a fan club and a foundation of some kind to help some cause. Well, it's good they want to help some cause. But the fact of their lifestyle and what they stand for is like, if I give a lot of money to some worthy cause to the hurricane victims in Puerto Rico, that makes me a good person. Well, it's good you gave them money, but it doesn't justify you before God. The world is now in a state of gigantic social and moral upheavals that could hardly have been imagined in the 1950s, even with the advent of Elvis and the Beatles. And as we have noted, we haven't seen anything yet these, as we read from the Alabette prophecy, these are the beginnings of sorrows. The national and personal debt of the country continues to expand. In fact, it's way out of control. It's in every facet. It is in the families.

Most American families are deeply in debt. It's with the families. It is with corporations. It is with businesses. I read an article recently, 900 stores that closed in 2019, and they're projected many, many more stores to close in 2020. Yet, on the other hand, the economy is ballyhooed as being the greatest it's ever been. And there is a like a glut of money on circulating throughout the world. But it is propped up by the Federal Reserve's printing presses. The Federal Reserve is pumping billions, and some say yet within the last few years, up to $10 trillion into the economy. I mean, just printing it. And the member banks, they, it is distributed to them, and they pay the, quote, Federal Reserve a small interest prime rate on it, and then the bank lends it to you at whatever the interest rate is for it. And with easy debt and low interest, and the fact that the printing presses can print money at any time, and even in recent weeks, they have poured billions into the economy. That's why the stock market is at an unparalleled height.

So you have that factor in the 2020s. Looming on the horizon is a Senate trial of the President based on the articles of impeachment that have been passed by the House.

So far, the Speaker of the House has not decided to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate, demanding that there be witnesses called along with Chuck Schumer, who is a minority leader in the Senate. And it is, of course, on the heels of this, it is a presidential election year.

Tremendous geopolitical unrest exists around the world. A deadly encounter with North Korea, once again, Kim Jong-un is saying he's going to start launching missiles once again. And he is not living up to what he signed with regard to his agreement. China continues to make inroads, and they are determined to be the top nation in the world. Iran continues its saber-rattling. More about that in a moment. In Russia. In fact, during the past week, Russia, China, and Iran have carried on what they call war games in the Persian Gulf. Not in the Persian Gulf, but in the Straits of Hormuz, which is basically controlled by Iran. It's one of the main shipping lanes for oil on the face of the earth. And I bet you, by Monday morning, you'll see a spike in the oil in the gasoline prices at your local station. Now the nation, and for that matter the world, is set on edge after the U.S. attack that killed Soleimani, one of the most powerful Iranian military leaders. They're taking a day or two out for mourning and for funerals and demonstrations. And even though there were protests going on against the government, once again the the Iranian government has gained control of the streets, of the people on the street being on their side ostensibly.

And the current world scene on all fronts is once again in keeping what we read from Matthew 24. These are the beginnings of sorrow. Iran's president actually relishes a clash with the West, and so does the Ayatollah. The Ayatollah.

Though.

And why in the conviction that it would rekindle the spirit of the Islamic Revolution and speed up the arrival of the hidden Imam or the 12th Imam. You don't hear about this much on the news, hardly any. Back, it's been probably, I'm guessing 18 years or more ago, I wrote an article for World News and Prophecy titled, The War Against Terror is Spiritual Warfare. And the West doesn't seem to understand it. One of the aspects of the world's current religious scenes that I've informed you about several times is that the world's major religions are all looking for a great spiritual leader to come on the scene and lead the world into a new age of peace and prosperity. The Buddhists are looking for the 5th Buddha. The Hindus are looking for Krishna. Islam is looking for the Grand Mahdi, or it's another name for the 12th Imam.

Judaism is looking for Messiah, the first coming of Messiah. The New Agers are looking for Maitreya. And Christians are looking for the return of Jesus Christ. So, with the world's religions filled with a kind of fervent expectation, it is not too difficult to see how Satan the Devil can use these expectations in deceiving the world into believing that the Antichrist is near in the fulfillment of the expectation of the return of the real Christ. But, of course, Satan, what he seeks to do is to mimic what is going to take place with the real Christ. You know, 2 Thessalonians 2, that one sits in the temple of God saying that he is God.

The Jamkaran Mosque in Iran, listen to this, is a popular pilgrimage site where Islamic zealots come to drop messages to the hidden imam into a holy well.

All sects of Islam believe in a divine savior known as the Mahdi who will appear at the end of days. I've told the story before that in 1988, I believe it was, because Wanda and I had the opportunity, along with others, home office. We had a project going in Jordan, and where we visited with the royal family, we did not see King Hussein, but we saw his brother, we saw princes, and so on. At that time, the brother was probably heir to the throne.

That was changed. Anyhow, we were able to have dinner down in the Jordan Valley with the person who was the king's personal envoy at that time.

King Hussein had appointed this man, and he invited us to his home. In fact, our students who were working on the project stayed at his home.

He told us about the split, what caused the split in Islam. It was who was going to succeed Muhammad after he died. Some believed it should be inherited, some believed it should be by election, selection by the community. The Sunnis are the ones, and they are the majority, constituting some 75 to 80 percent of Islam, believed he should be elected, selected by the community. Then the other group, the Iranian group, the Shiites believed that you had to be a descendant of Muhammad. So the Hashemite Kingdom, as it's called in Jordan, the kings of the Hashemite Kingdom claim to be direct descendants of Muhammad.

And so there is great friction among these groups, but yet at the same time, when it comes to the US or to Israel or to any common enemy, they all jump on it and with great vigor, as it were. Iran's dominant 12 or sect believes that the 12th Imam will be a righteous descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. And so there are a lot of Shiites who are in Iraq, but as long as Saddam Hussein was there, he kept a lid on that to some degree. But in Iran, they developed a Shiite republic, those who are committed to a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad being the principal caliphate for the whole world. The sect believes that this 12th Imam went into occlusion in the 9th century at the age of five. His return will be preceded by cosmic chaos, war, and bloodshed. After a cataclysmic confrontation with evil and darkness, the Mahdi will lead the world into an era of universal peace. Iran has declared that the strike against Soleimani is a declaration of war. So the beginning of this new year will be unlike any we have experienced in decades. It already is. With the impeachment looming with that situation in the Middle East, there will be many incredible events unfold before our eyes during the next year or so. Will Iran deliver a retaliation that leads to an all-out war, or will they do what they call strategic tactical kind of strikes on various bases in the U.S.? I was amazed and watching the news yesterday to see that when you count up from Iraq back throughout all of the Middle East, the U.S. has over 50,000 troops in that area, and there have been various reports. Well, the main one, they're sending 3,000 more. But in some articles and news breaks that have said up to 7,000 more, if all-out war breaks out, will there be a drought? You know, there are things to consider about life and what the 2020s hold. If you're 18 to 30, what would you do? Of course, historically, we have been conscientious objectors. Will the Speaker of the House deliver the articles of impeachment passed by the House to the Senate? I would say eventually she will, but who knows when, why, or how? Will the President be removed from office? Well, everybody thinks that he will not be. Who will be the next President of the U.S.? Will the financial bubble continue to expand, or will it explode? The only thing that has saved our economy from plunging into a horrific depression has been the greatest debt binge in all of human history, which I've already talked about. A few statistics here. Over the last 10 years, we have added more than $10 trillion to the national debt. State and local government debt has soared to record high all over the nation. Corporate debt has risen more than 50 percent. Student loan debt has more than doubled, and the total amount of U.S. household debt is now nearing $14 trillion. By stealing from the future, we have been able to stabilize the present, but the long-term costs will be more than we can bear. Will it be more than we can bear? It might be like Hezekiah. He showed the visitors from Babylon all the great things of his house and also the temple. As long as there was nothing holy about what was in the temple, Isaiah came to him and said, look, because of this, the day is coming when all of this is going to be taken away and taken to Babylon. Hezekiah said, well, we'll have peace in my day. So we're living, I guess, on Hezekiah time.

How far will the liberal progressives continue to push their agenda for pro-choice, LGBTQ, and the various entitlement programs during the next year? How far will they go? Will there be bloody protests and demonstrations that result in a loss of life and property as we're beginning to see around the world? They're back at it in Hong Kong, various parts of China, Middle East, and especially in Latin America, South America. All these questions and more. We love stability, but we live in uncertain times, and we must be ready to adjust to whatever is thrown our way. So think about things. Think about what if. What if such and such happens? What will I do? It may not happen, but at least you've thought about it, and you will be more prepared to meet the challenge. So what are we going to do to face and in face of the challenges that are before us? So let's now in the remaining time see what we must do. We must renew the inward man daily. We must renew the inward man daily. I believe the number one cause of people drifting away to a large degree is not renewed. 2 Corinthians 4.16. In 2 Corinthians 4.16, it has this expression of renewing the inward man daily.

For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish? I mean, when all is said and done, it is better to go without physical food than to go without spiritual food, but I think we have it reversed.

Obesity continues to be one of the greatest problems in this nation, and the projections for obesity 10 years from now are unbelievable, especially with the youth.

For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish? Yet the inward man is renewed day by day. Man shall not live. Matthew 4.4. We have to put this together. 3. Renew the inward man daily. 3 principal ways you renew the inward man daily. 1. Man shall not live by bread alone by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4.4. 2. Pray that God gives you the Holy Spirit. More and more gives you the Holy Spirit and that you utilize the Holy Spirit. And then, 3. Pray.

And that's out of fourth. Obey. Pray and obey, as the old song says, for there's no other way, but to pray and obey. We must pray and watch. Luke 21 verse 36. One of the old time memory scriptures. Luke 21 and verse 36. This became a popular scripture in the Church of God. I get popular. It's probably not a good word for it, but one of the main ones that was talked about because so much of what the Church was initially built on, and the Church. What is the Church? The Church is the ecclesia, which means the called out ones. It is not just the organization, it is the ones who have God's Spirit. The called out ones. But it's that, and so many people thought, well, they have a leg up on prophecy. You know what's going to happen. So, I could be there, and I could do my thing until the very end, and then things get bad enough, I'll straighten up and fly right. That is not exactly the way God wants us to behave. In Luke 21, 36, watch you therefore and pray always that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. That scripture is still in the Bible, and it's still relevant. We must be ready to give answer for the hope that lies within us, mastering the Word of God to the point that we can teach it, we can live it, we can share it. Verse Timothy 2, verse 15, another famous, I guess you could use that word, famous, well-known, well-worn admonition. Admonition 2 Timothy 2, 15, study to show yourself to prove, study to show yourself approved unto God a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.

And you come to mind the Psalm 119 verses 97 through 105 of, we sang the song there in the song service of, Oh, how love I your law, it is my meditation all the day.

And we must put on the whole armor of God. To a large degree, it revolves around our willingness to do this, and to the extent that we do it, and to the completeness that we do it. In Ephesians chapter 6, beginning in verse 10, Ephesians 6 and verse 10, Finally, brethren, be strong in the Lord in the power of his might. God has not called us to be weak. He's not called us to be weak physically. Sometimes we can't help being weak physically. I'm surely weaker physically than I have been, because age plays a part in your life. But he's never called us to be weak spiritually. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord. No matter your age, no matter your physical condition, you can be strong in the Lord. No one can keep you from it. No illness, no disease, no anomaly, whatever it might be. Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, the power of his might, he's given us through his Spirit, the power to overcome. He's given us a new knowing within. We know what is right from wrong. We have the law of God written on our inward parts. Put on the whole armor of God, using the analogy of apparently the Roman soldier, that you'd be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. See, all of these things that we have mentioned, don't think that the devil is not there. Don't think that the devil is not ready, willing, and to take advantage of whatever he can, whatever situation, whatever circumstance, whatever weakness, whatever one might allow. Where take unto you and view that, take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand, stand therefore. Having done all to stand, stand therefore. That's where I would end verse 13. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand, stand therefore.

Continuing, having your loins girt about with truth. What is truth? John 17, 17. Your word is truth. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8, 32. And two or three verses down from that it says, and if the sun shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.

Your loins girt about with the word of truth. And having on the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness, you become the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ and doing what he says to do. You repent, you exercise faith in the sacrifice of Christ, and you crucify the flesh, you live unto God, you keep his commandments. Why call you me Lord, Lord? Jesus said, and do not which I command you.

Keep my commandments as I have kept the Father's commandments. All of your commandments are righteousness. Psalm 119 verse 172. And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. In other words, you are ready to take the gospel to the world. You're ready to give answer for the hope that lies within. Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. And above all, above all of that, taking the shield of faith. Shield of faith. And as I've said so many times, faith has two main aspects. The abstract aspect that you believe. But it says the devils believe and tremble, so there's more to it. Will you know vain man that faith without works, without obedience, is dead. So you have to believe and act on the belief. And if you are convicted to the very depth of your being committed to that conviction, you will act courageously. You will obey. You will act on that faith. Taking the shield of faith wherewith you should be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And another aspect of that, as I have mentioned so many times, is that no matter what happens if we live in faith, God will always provide a way for you to overcome. You'll be able to overcome all the fiery darts of Satan because you know and you know that you know that God will deliver you. Yes, the 2020s are going to bring on a lot of things that we have never seen before. Even things that with our little overview here today will pale into insignificance anything that we might have described here today.

So take the shield of faith where you'll be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. See, if you know and you know that you know that God is going to deliver you if you remain faithful to Him, the devil can't get to you.

You know, people, there's no action of any man, woman, child, being that can change the truth of God. So what people do, I have a sermon titled, one of these days I'm going to give, what excuse would you use to keep you out of the kingdom of God? See, there's no action of man that changes anything in here. What I do, you do, anybody else does. Either you're committed to that or you're not.

If God be God, then worship Him. And take the helmet of salvation. The helmet of salvation is defined in 1 Thessalonians 5.8, which says to put on the helmet of salvation, which is hope. See, hope, hope is that big picture burning brightly in your mind. You have this vision, this hope of what is to come. And for the joy set before Him, Jesus Christ endured the stake. Hebrews 12, 2, 3. The joy set before Him, and for the joy that is set before us, we endure whatever it is, because it only lasts for a short period of time when compared to eternity, it's not even a blink. And take the helmet of salvation, which is hope, verse Thessalonians 5.8, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. And for me, that utterance may be made unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. The mystery of the gospel is that God is begetting human beings, male, female, regardless of creed, color, whatever, national, ethnic origin, and calling them into His family, giving them the earnest of the Spirit, the downpavement on eternal life, a Holy Spirit, and upon resurrection, you'll be a glorious, radiant Spirit being in the kingdom of God. Keep that hope burning brightly in your mind. Yes, the 2020s are going to present quite the challenge, but with the whole armor of God, you'll be more than conquerors.