Behold, the Day Comes!

Well, brethren, I think most of you know that I enjoy hunting, and I greatly enjoy the harvest and the consumption of God-given, nutritious, delicious meat. Yes, I am a meat-eater. I don't have a problem with those who don't eat meat, but I do enjoy some red meat, some white meat, only the right kinds of white meat. But I do enjoy meat. I've gone on numerous deer hunting trips in Pennsylvania, and in Oklahoma, and even a couple here in Texas. Several years ago, I started hunting elk in Colorado with some of my friends. I well remember the first time I went elk hunting. I knew the day for my first elk hunt was approaching for a long time. Before it actually came, I was preparing for it. I was in great anticipation for that day. I used checklists, and I spent a lot of time making sure that I was properly prepared for the day that I knew was coming. The same is true for my first bow hunting trip for elk in southern Colorado in August. Whoa, things are moving! So I know I have a moving sermon, but please.

So anyway, I was really excited about that bow hunting trip in August. It was warm, it was beautiful, gorgeous in southern Colorado at the time. Now, in order to have the most successful hunt possible, I knew that certain preparations needed to be made. And again, I needed to be very well prepared. For my first trip when rifle hunting, my friends and I had been planning for these days since early spring. In fact, we had to send in an application. We had to apply for a permit, or yes, a hunting permit, a license. And if I hadn't sent in my application, I would never have been able to go hunting. I would not have been drawn in for the hunt. I couldn't have legally gone hunting anyway, and certainly poachers would be against the law of God, right? Supposed to obey the laws of the land. If I failed to bring my rifle or ammunition on my hunting trip, I would be unprepared when the elk presented themselves. So I had to be prepared with the right ammo, with the right rifle that would do the job. If an elk came by and I had no rifle with me, what good would that do me? Or if I didn't have my rifle sighted in properly, you know, you need to sight your rifle in. Make sure you can hit the target. If I shot five feet over the target, or even two inches over the target, I would miss it. And what good would that do? No meat on the table. If I was in very poor shape when I go to Colorado up into the mountains, and I'm huffing and puffing and can hardly walk, how am I going to go up into the higher elevations to stalk the elk? I would be very unprepared if I was not healthy when I went on this hunting trip. I knew if I didn't bring the proper clothing, I would be freezing to death in the wintertime as I waited for, again, an elk to come by. Or as I stalked an elk, I would have to be properly closed. I could be freezing out there in my shorts and my t-shirt. In Maybel, Colorado, where I hunted for elk in the rifle season, it got down to 60 degrees below zero at times. Now, thankfully, it was never that cold when I was there, but it got down to 20 below, and I was freezing out there at times, taking care of preparing an elk that I'd shot, and I'd keep my hands inside the cavity to keep those hands warm after killing an elk. It was very, very cold. So I have to bring proper clothing. I knew if I did not prepare with plenty of warm clothing, it could be a disaster out there. If I didn't bring my Hunter Orange, the game warden could come by, and he could give me a ticket. It could cost me a thousand dollars or more for hunting without a license, or hunting improperly, or he could take my gun away, confiscate my gun, my rifle, and I would be out of business. So I had to make sure I had everything in order. The point is, I needed to be prepared because I knew the day was coming. I knew the day was coming soon, and I needed to be ready. Now, the Bible speaks of another day that is coming, a much, much more important day. There is a day that's surely coming, just as surely, in fact, much more surely than the day of my hunts.

Those hunts have come and gone. They did take place. They happened.

And just as surely as we, as you sit here and as I stand here before you today, will be here next Sabbath. The Sabbath comes week after week. We can count on it. We do count on it. The Bible speaks of a day and a time period that is coming that is so sure, so absolutely sure, nothing is going to stop it from happening. Now, there were times when I remember being a bit apprehensive about my hunting trips, thinking, well, I might get sick, but I'm not going to stop and, well, I might get sick or something might happen and I might not be able to go on that trip, because I really anticipated those hunting trips.

And there is something about anticipating the day that I'm talking about. We should anticipate it, to a degree, parts of it anyway. But again, there's a part of it that we certainly need to be prepared for. In fact, we need to be prepared for every part of the day that's coming.

So are you diligently preparing for the day that is coming? Behold, the day is coming. That's a prophetic phrase from the Bible. Behold, the day is coming. That's the title of this sermon. I didn't have it printed this week. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to give being gone to Alaska, but I figured it out and decided this is what I'd like to talk about today.

Today, we're going to consider a number of these passages in the Bible. It's used over 20 times in the Bible, just this one phrase. And there are other phrases similar to it, very similar to it, that talk about the day that is approaching.

And not just a day, but a period of time that is coming, very surely. So today, let's consider a number of these passages and ask ourselves, what is coming? What can we expect? And since the day is surely coming, what can I do to be prepared for that day?

Let's begin by going to Isaiah chapter 13, and we'll see this phrase, after which this sermon is titled. Isaiah chapter 13 will begin in verse 9. Behold, the day of the eternal, the day of the Lord comes, cruel with both wrath and fierce anger. It's going to be a very tumultuous time when this day arrives. To lay the land desolate, and he will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going forth.

So this is going to be a time unlike any other time ever that has ever occurred. The sun is going to be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. I will punish the world for its evil.

This is what God says. I will punish the world for its evil. That day is coming. And the wicked for their iniquity. God is not blind. God sees what's happening, and has been watching for human history. For nearly 6,000 years of human history, God sees man's inhumanity to one another, our inhumanity to man. God is not pleased with the way mankind has lived their lives here on this earth.

I will halt the arrogance of the proud, God says. You know, God does not appreciate the haughty. He does not appreciate the proud. That's what Satan, that was the characteristic that Satan had that turned him against God. He was proud.

He was haughty. I will halt the arrogance of the proud. I will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible, or the tyrants. I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold. I don't know about you, but I don't have any fine gold. Maybe some of you do, but it's pretty rare in my household. A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.

Now, you all know what that means, right? The golden wedge of Ophir. Well, I looked into a few commentaries, and evidently, this is referring, Ophir is referring to the East Indies, or this triangle, the golden wedge, or the golden triangle. It's referring to the East Indies, South Africa, and South Arabia, where they come together there. This was the golden wedge of Ophir, and it would take about three years for King Solomon's ships to go to this place and to fill their boats, their ships, with goods, with various products from those countries.

And that was a rare thing, to be able to go to this area. It took a long time to get there. Not most people would ever go there. He says, therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the eternal of hosts. You know, God, at times, is wrathful when His anger comes to a certain point, when enough is enough, when He's going to fulfill His plan.

You know, God is, He's very, very merciful. And as I mentioned not long ago, God is very balanced in His approach. He's not too merciful. He's not overly merciful. He's not overly strict. He knows exactly what He's doing. And God cannot be questioned in these things.

In the day of His fear's anger, it shall be as the hunted gazelle, and as a sheep that no man takes up, that no man gathers. Every man will turn to his own people, and everyone will flee to his own land. Everyone who is found will be thrust through, and everyone who is captured will fall by the sword. So there will be other nations that God will use to punish the world, to punish the sins of mankind. This is a proclamation against Babylon, specifically here, that I'm reading. But God is going to pour His wrath upon all peoples because of their sins. Anyone that has been indulgent with sin, and frankly, it's going to affect every one of us to some degree or another.

So it is something to be prepared for, something to know about, and to be ready for.

I'm not going to read verse 16. You can read that one. In fact, the reason I'm not reading it is because I don't want to scare any of our children. There are things that the Bible talks about that can be somewhat frightening for younger children. That's not my purpose today. It is a time that is going to come upon the earth, but children should enjoy their lives and not be burdened by these things that we adults will consider when we become adults. Teenagers, it wouldn't hurt you, though, to read this verse and consider what's going to be happening in the future. You're old enough to realize the future of mankind and what will be happening. Verse 18, let's go to verse 17. Behold, I will stir up the meads against them, against Babylon, who will not regard silver, and as for gold, they will not delight in it. Also, their bows will dash the young men to pieces, and they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb. I was actually going to skip that one. Verse 19, Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans' prize, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. There was a lot of destruction upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Fire and brimstone were poured down from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah. It was not a pleasant sight. Remember Lot's wife, who just looked back, and she was turned into a pillar of salt. Because a part of her longed for that lifestyle, for that way of living. We've got to come out of Babylon completely. We've got to seek God and pursue Him and His way of life. And forsake evil. God is not happy with sin. He's not happy with sinners. So, brethren, we all need to repent of our sins. We need to turn to Him. We need to turn from our sins. That's how we prepare for the day that is coming. We take it seriously, and we get busy, and we prepare doing what we can do ourselves. In Malachi 4, it talks about a day that is coming. Malachi 4, the last book in the Old Testament, the book of Malachi. Malachi 4, verse 1, For behold, the day is coming. It's not, you know, there's no equivocating here. It's an absolute statement. Behold, get your attention. Behold, listen up. The day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud—look at the theme—the proud, yes, and all who do wickedly, will be stubble on that day. And the day which is coming shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts. So, it's a time period. It's a time that will begin with God's wrath being poured out. A period of time. The day of the Lord. It's going to last for a year. Specifically, the day of the Lord will be a year. A day is as a year. Yes, a day is as a year. The day of the Lord. It'll be a year for that, but there will also be tribulation upon those who seek to obey God. There'll be great tribulation, as well. A three-and-a-half-year period before Christ returns. And that's a special day, too, when Christ actually returns. So, the Bible uses a number of different phrases to talk about this time frame. And also, what would be included would be the resurrections. These times that are coming, as well. A time when people will be cast in the lake of fire. You know, that will come later. But these are all part of a day that is coming. We can count on all of this. It's going to happen.

So, they're going to burn as stubble.

They will, says the Lord of Hosts, that will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear my name, the Son of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings. And you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. So, you see, there is a time that's dreadful, a terrible time that's coming. But there's also a time that's coming beyond the terror and the dread that's going to be glorious. That's the time that we truly anticipate. That's the time that we look forward to. Not the other time. That's not a time to look forward to. It's a sad and a horrible time. But it's a necessary time that has to happen to fulfill God's plan. But then there's going to be a wonderful time after the day of the Lord, after the wrath of God has poured out. There's going to be a glorious time. And the Son of Righteousness, speaking of the Christ, shall arise with healing in his wings. He'll return with healing in his wings. And you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. All those who follow him and obey him and serve him. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet. On the day that I do this, says the Lord of Hosts. We will also rise up and make war against those who rebel at Christ's return. Those who are firstfruits, who are changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, who come out of their graves having dead, those rising first, and then those who are alive and remain, will be changed in a moment. We'll go up. We'll meet Christ as he returns. We will do battle with him, following his lead and as he directs. So remember the law of Moses, my servant, which I commanded him in Horeb, for all Israel with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and the dreadful day of the Eternal, the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children of their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. So these are prophecies that we should look into, that we should strive to understand. We should ask God for wisdom, for direction, for guidance, to help us understand these prophecies and what they mean. These days will come to pass. And this Elijah that he speaks of, the prophet, will come before the coming of that great and dreadful day.

Again, we see that clearly God is not pleased with sin. He is not pleased with sinners. So we need to distance ourselves from sin and from being a sinner. We need to repent and come out of that. Remember, to he who overcomes will I grant to sit with me on my throne. In Jeremiah chapter 16, Jeremiah chapter 16, this was what some call the doomsday prophet, because he was constantly told to prophesy about what was coming upon the house of Judah and what would be coming in the very last days that will be upon us, who knows when, here upon this earth. We're awaiting that time. So in Jeremiah 16, prophecies are often dual. There were prophecies that were fulfilled. These prophecies, many of them, were fulfilled back in those days when the house of Israel was taken captive and when the house of Judah was taken captive. You can read about that in history. And the Bible is also a history book. And you can read about it in other places, what took place. It did come. It did happen, just as God said it would. And there's another fulfillment of that prophecy yet to come.

So now in Jeremiah 16 verse 10, And it shall be when you show this people all these words and they say to you, why has the eternal pronounced all this great disaster against us? Why would God do this? Why would a loving God do such a thing? Or what is our iniquity? No, what have we done? That's what people were saying back then before destruction came upon them. What have we done? Okay, that's what this world is doing now. They don't admit their sins. They don't acknowledge that they're so far from God. They don't even believe in God in many cases. What is our great iniquity? What is our sin that we have committed against the eternal our God? Are we not blameless? Then you shall say to them, because your fathers have forsaken me, says the eternal, they have walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them. The pagans did that. They had their sun gods. They had their moon god. They had their fish god. They had all these different gods that they worshiped, but they did not worship the true God. And even Israel would go to their high places, and they would falsely worship and commit idolatry against the true God. And they should have known better because they were taught. You have forsaken me, and you have not kept my law. You know, God is not fooling around.

God will be reckoned with one day. Everyone will have to reckon with God. Thankfully, we know God now. And God is a gracious and loving and merciful God. I know God personally. And many of you know God very personally. You've been around for years. You know how God deals with you. God is loving and kind and compassionate. He's given me so much more than I deserve.

And I'm so grateful to Him for the life that He's given me. And I hope you feel the same way. And I hope you can be moved and inspired because God is real. He is real. Back to the Bible. I will make a... see, where am I?

Okay, let's go back to Jeremiah 16.

Okay, I just read verse 11, I believe. And you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart. Boy, is that not happening today. So that no one listens to me, therefore I will cast you out of this land into a land that you do not know, neither you nor your fathers. They went into captivity in Babylon, the house of Israel going into captivity in Assyria before that. And there you shall serve other gods day and night where I will not show you favor. So this was actually to the Israelites who should have known better, who should have repented of their sins and changed, and obeyed God and followed him. Verse 14, Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Eternal, that it shall no more be said, the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt. That did happen, by the way. That is a real event that took place. But the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north. Now this is a second prophecy that will be fulfilled. That first one was fulfilled. It happened just as God said it would. Pharaoh went down because of God and the prophecy against Egypt. But the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where he had driven them. See, that's yet to happen. Israel's been scattered. Modern-day Israel. We are a part of Israel here in the United States of America. There are other nations scattered around the earth that also represent Israel, the children of Israel.

He says, For I will bring them back into their land, which I gave to their fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishermen. There you go. That's why I'm a fisherman. God sends for fishermen. Says the Eternal, and they shall fish them. Afterward, I will send for many hunters. There you go.

They shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill and out of the holes of the rocks. For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from my face. Nor is their iniquity hidden from my eyes. Good fishermen and good hunters will get their prey, you might say. That's going to happen in a certain negative way, to some degree, in the future.

First, I will repay double for their iniquity and for their sin. You know, God is, again, not pleased. Because they have defiled my land, they have filled my inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable idols. O Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come to you from the ends of the earth and say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, worthlessness, and unprofitable things. Will a man make gods for himself, which are not gods? Therefore, behold, I will, this once, cause them to know. I will cause them to know my hand and my might. That's what God says. They will come to know me. And they, eventually, from the least to the greatest, will come to know the Eternal. He will make himself known.

My hand and my might, and they shall know that my name is the Eternal. Someday they won't disbelieve. Someday they will become believers in the Eternal. Because all people will know who the Eternal is when he makes himself known. That's a day to anticipate. Frankly, a day to look forward to. Because this world is going down.

We want God's way. We want it established upon the earth. We need it. We should desire it. And if we have to go through some dreadful days before we get there, that's just the way it goes. It has to happen.

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Amos, and so forth, they all speak of some terrible days yet to come on the world scene. Frankly, all people living will be punished to one degree or another for their sins. Even we will have to be a part of all this. We're not blameless. We're not perfect. Some of us will have to be martyred, perhaps. But regardless, we will be affected. And it's going to be hard and difficult times. Terrible times.

The Bible speaks of Jacob's trouble. A time unlike any other. Modern-day Israel, who has been scattered throughout the world, will suffer because of their sins against a holy God. A God who is perfect, who does not sin, who is righteous, who sets the standards. But the Gentiles also will suffer before God's wrath is stayed, and before the millennial reign of Jesus Christ is ushered in at His return. It is important that we are reading and studying the Bible as these days approach. That's very vital for our preparation. Are you studying the Bible? Are you praying? Are you being faithful? Does God look down and see a person's heart that is consumed with Him and His way of life? With prayer? With Bible study? With fasting? With meditation? Is that what God sees when He looks into your heart? Or does He see someone who is being overtaken by this world? And the cares of this world? And the things of this world? Is that what God sees when He looks at your heart? God is the judge. You know better than anyone else what God sees. I don't claim to see into your heart and into your mind. You know. And God knows. And I know He knows my heart.

And it's a little scary, isn't it?

So it is important that we are preparing ourselves that we are redeeming the time as the Apostle Paul instructs us to do. He admonishes us to redeem the time, to use it wisely, to use it effectively. He admonishes us to have spiritual priorities that we should follow faithfully. What are your spiritual priorities? And you teenagers, have you established any spiritual priorities in your life? It's not too early.

Now is the time to prepare yourself. So don't be too busy to read your Bible. Are you too busy? Don't be too busy to pray. Don't be too busy to pray. Don't be too busy to meditate day and night on God's ways. And don't be too busy to serve where you're capable. When and where you are capable. When and where you are capable. Get involved in God's church. Show where your heart really is. If it's truly in the work of God...

You know, the word busy is an interesting word. It can be used as an acronym. B-U-S-Y. You may have heard... I don't know exactly where this acronym came from. I don't think it was I who originated it. I picked it up somewhere down the line from somebody. In the Church of God, I think, but I'm not even sure of that. I don't think it's copyrighted, so we don't have to worry about that.

It means burdened under Satan's yoke. Are you too busy? If you are, you are burdened under Satan's yoke.

If you're not praying, if you're not studying the Bible, if you're not fasting on occasion, then you're too busy and you are burdened under Satan's yoke. You're allowing Satan to imprison you still, even though you are free. And the truth has made you free, but your priorities are messed up. They're mixed up. They're mixed up. If you're too busy to prepare yourself spiritually, so that you will be pleasing to God now and forevermore.

We do need to prepare ourselves spiritually, and to a very large degree, it is God who will do the preparing for us as we surrender to Him, as we yield to Him, and as we allow Him to work in our lives. It is God who does the work in us, but we have to be willing servants. We have to be submissive. We have to surrender our will to God's will. Nevertheless, not my will be done, but may your will be done, Father. May your will be done, just like Jesus said when He was here on this earth. He didn't want to be crucified. Who would want to be crucified? From a physical perspective, He didn't want to have to go through that, but He said, nevertheless, not my will, Father, but your will be done. And He was crucified. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. That's powerful, isn't it? Is that not powerful? Does that not move you? Brethren, if you're not being moved today, by what I'm saying, you have a spiritual problem.

You have a spiritual problem that you need to address. If this message offends you in any way, then you have a spiritual problem that you need to address.

I'm speaking to words of God today. These are His words. I'm just bringing them to you. I'm a messenger. I'm a messenger. God's speaking to all of us today.

Let's go to Zechariah 14. As we consider this day that's coming upon us, this day that's approaching, Zechariah 14.

Verse 1, Behold, behold, the day of the Eternal, the Lord is coming. It is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem. You know, God knows what's going to happen. Armies will come against Jerusalem in the last days. So, yes, it's wise to keep your mind open to what may be happening in the world. I wouldn't be consumed by this world and its news, but I would want to keep an eye open toward what's happening and what may develop. I see too many people consumed with news and not with their Bibles, though. Too consumed with politics and not with their Bibles. So, there's a godly balance to be had when it comes to these issues. Behold, the day of the Lord is coming. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem. The cities shall be taken, the houses rifled, the women ravished. Half of the cities shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the eternal will go forth. Yes, God is coming back, and He's going to go forth and fight against those nations as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day, that's another prophetic phrase, in that day.

That's not a part of the 20 times I mentioned. The behold, the days are coming. This is a different prophetic phrase that's probably used a lot more than that. In that day, His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley. Half of the mountain shall move toward the north, half of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through my mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to his eye. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, the king of Judah. That was an historical event that took place. There was an earthquake during the times of Uzziah the king. These things are real. Thus the Lord my God will come and all saints with you. That's what I was talking about earlier. The saints will rise to meet Christ in the air. They will come back to this earth.

It shall come to pass in that day, again that prophetic phrase, in that day that there will be no light, the lights will diminish. It shall be one day. We read that earlier. The Bible is very consistent about what's going to be happening in the future. But we have to take a little bit here, a little bit there to get the complete picture. It shall be one day which is known to the eternal, neither day nor night, but at evening time it shall happen that it will be light. And in that day, again, prophetic phrase, in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea, half of them toward the western sea, in both summer and winter it shall occur. And the eternal shall be king over all the earth. For a thousand years Christ will be king over all the earth. In that day it shall be the eternal is one and his name one. There is one family, the God family, two beings, one family multiplied many times over when the saints are born into the family of God. These are exciting truths that we should be thrilled to know and understand.

The Bible is an amazing book. It is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful book. It's a book to be studied for the ages, for the years that we live. You can't study the Bible too much. I mean, maybe you could become unbalanced. Some people have actually done that in their study of the Bible, where they neglect other also important things. But generally, most of us don't go overboard when it comes to reading the Bible. You know, we don't overdo it. I haven't overdone it. I doubt whether you have. It's a great book. So, Christ is going to put His feet upon the Mount of Olives. That day is coming.

Let's go to Jeremiah 23, Jeremiah chapter 23.

Jeremiah chapter 23, another prophet. Well, this is the doomsday prophet that I mentioned earlier. Jeremiah chapter 23 verse 1.

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, says the Eternal. You think this scripture doesn't get my attention? Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Eternal God of Israel against the shepherds who feed my people. Yes, I am accountable for how I feed the sheep of God that God has entrusted to me. God has entrusted me with your care. That means a lot to me. It means everything to me. You are my sheep, in a sense. I am your shepherd. I don't take that lightly. You have scattered my flock. You have driven them away and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings. Now, that's happened, and some of us have seen that happen. There have been shepherds who have driven God's people away from Him. That is a disgrace.

That is a disgrace.

They will have to answer for that.

I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their folds, and they shall be fruitful and shall increase. God's in charge, and those who have been mistreated, those who have been abused by the ministry in the past, God will gather them back. God will not allow them to be destroyed. Because of a bad shepherd. Now, they are responsible as well. They have choices to make. That God will not give up on them easily, and God will restore them. God looks on their heart. God knows their heart. I don't make excuses for anyone.

He says, I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their folds. They shall be fruitful. They will increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them. And they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking. They will be no longer will they be lacking. Says the Lord. That's very encouraging, encouraging, isn't it? I'm encouraged by that to know that God hasn't cast these people aside. People will become discouraged. People will become despondent, perhaps because of the way they were treated. Now, again, hopefully they can see through that and eventually realize that they have a part to play in all this, that God is the one in charge. Let no man take your crown. Don't let me take your crown. Don't let any man take your crown. Look to God. God is the true shepherd. Christ is the true shepherd. Christ is the great shepherd. I'm not the vicar of Christ. I'm just a man. Don't ever let me take your crown. Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord in verse 5, that I will raise to David a branch of righteousness. A king shall reign and shall prosper and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. And of course, we know who that king is. He's coming, surely. In his days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely. There are great times ahead for Judah and for Israel, for the children of Israel. And this is his name, by which he will be called, the Lord our righteousness, the eternal, the Lord our righteousness. Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that they shall no longer say, as the eternal lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt. We read that earlier. But as the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them, and they shall dwell in their own land. God will restore them. God has not forsaken them. And much more could be read here. I don't think I'll take the time to read the rest of this. You can read about that. I mean, God certainly condemns false prophets. He condemns false ministers. And we should never allow anyone to take our crown. Let's go to Jeremiah 31. Jeremiah 31. Jeremiah 31.

Behold, the days are coming. Yes, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. The Bible is a history book about Judah and Israel, the children of Israel, and how they've reacted with God and how they've been a part of God's family and how He selected them as a chosen nation and how He's working with them. So the days are coming, and I will make this covenant, a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. My covenant, which they broke, the problem was with the people. It wasn't with the covenant, it was with the people. Who were not faithful and obedient. Though I was a husband to them, says the Lord, and some people turn against a good husband. Some people, some women, will turn against a good husband. And sometimes there are unfaithful husbands, humanly, but there is never an unfaithful God. God is the true husband who loves his wife and gave himself for her.

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my law on their minds. I will write it on their hearts. God looks on the heart. And one day, he's going to write these things in people's hearts. And he's begun to do that in us. He's writing his laws in your heart and in your mind. But you have to allow him to do that. You have to surrender and allow that to happen.

And I will be their God and they shall be my people. And the Gentiles will be grafted in.

And they will have to humble themselves and realize that God was working with the people. The house of Judah, the house of Israel, and then the church. The church in the wilderness. The church of the living God. Jesus Christ is ahead of his church.

Nor more shall every man teach his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they all shall know me from the least of them to the greatest of them. Says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will remember no more. No more. When God is allowed to write his laws in the hearts and minds of his people, then everything is wonderful.

When God is allowed to do that, he will do it. You can count on him to do his part. We just need to yield ourselves and surrender to him and allow this to happen. They shall know me from the least to the greatest, for I will forgive their iniquity. You don't have to be perfect. I'm not perfect. I'm far from it.

I do need to be repentant. I do need to be an overcomer. I do need to continue to fight the good fight. To strive to win the race. That's what I need to do, and that's what you need to do with me. We can do this together, and that would be the best thing for us to do this together. Is God's flock here in this area where God has placed his name, where he's called us, where he's opened our minds, where he's led us to be a part? I'm not saying there aren't other parts out there that God's working with. I'm not saying that at all.

In Hebrews 8, and I don't think I'll go there. I won't go to it, but it reiterates what is said here in Hebrews 8 in the New Testament. These things are quoted again in the New Testament. God's going to write his laws in our hearts and in our minds. Starting in verse 8 of Hebrews 8, you can look it up later. I do want to go to Amos chapter 9 for a moment. Amos chapter 9. We'll start with verse 8. Amos chapter 9. Amos chapter 9 verse 8. Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom. God sees the sinful kingdom. He sees this earth that is a sinful kingdom at this time, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth. God will no longer put up with it. A day of reckoning is coming. I will destroy it from the face of the earth, yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob. The house of Israel I will not utterly destroy, says the Eternal, for surely I will command and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve. Yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say the calamity shall not overtake nor confront us. If you have a tendency to say, he doesn't know what he's talking about, these things aren't really going to happen in my lifetime. I don't know if they're going to happen in your lifetime. I never said they would. I never said they were going to happen in your lifetime. I don't know when Christ is returning, but I know He could return in my lifetime. And for most of you, He could return in your lifetime.

I mean, depending on how long you're going to live, of course.

So that's not the point. The point is, are you prepared? Are you ready? Because that's how we're being judged. We're being judged on our preparedness. Are we writing God's laws? Are we allowing God to write His laws in our hearts and in our minds now? For judgment has come to the house of God. Judgment is upon His church. Judgment is upon His people. This is your day of salvation. God is working with you, calling you, opening your mind. You need to respond to those who are called, chosen, and faithful. Will I grant to sit with me on my throne? Called, chosen, and faithful. So Amos chapter 9 verse 8, Behold, again, the eyes are on the sinful kingdom. Verse 9, For surely I will command, I will sift the house of Israel. Verse 10, The sinners of my people will die by the sword. Calamity will come upon them. Verse 11, On that day, I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down. I will repair its damages. I will raise up its ruins. I will rebuild it, as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name. Yes, the Gentiles have an opportunity as well to be grafted in, says the Lord, who does this thing. Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when the plowmen shall overtake the reaper. He's talking about abundant times ahead of us, fertile times, wonderful times, when God will pour the rain in deuces and upon the earth, except for those who won't come up and keep the feasts of tabernacles. There'll be no rain on them. But for the rest of us, or the rest of those human beings who are alive during that time, there will be rain in deuces, and there will be an abundance. And it says the plowman is going to overtake the reaper. And what it's saying is, the crops won't even be out of the field, and it'll be time to plan again. There's going to be such an abundance. And the treader of grapes, him who sows seed, the mountain shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. And I will bring back the captives of my people Israel, and they shall build the way cities, and they will inhabit them. Yes, the land will be laid desolate, but then God will restore it. God will lay the those waste cities. He's going to lay the cities waste, but then He's going to rebuild them. I shall build the way cities and inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards. They shall drink wine from them. They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. And I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land that I have given them, says the Lord your God. God is going to restore Israel to its rightful place, and they will be a people that will turn their hearts to God at that time. But, you know, even then, at the end of the thousand years, Satan's going to be loosed, and he's going to test the hearts of men and women. As we are being tested today, let's go to one final verse in 2 Peter chapter 2. Actually, a number of verses, but let's go to 2 Peter chapter 3. 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 1.

Let's read this carefully. Beloved, I'm in 2 Peter 3 verse 1. Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle, in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder, this is the Apostle Peter, that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first, that scoffers will come in the last days. Yes, we have scoffers among us that scoff at the words that I've spoken today. I mean, I would be laughed to scorn by many, many people for the message I've given to you today. If I gave this to different peoples, different times, different places, you know, I would be laughed to scorn. I would be scoffed at, knowing this first, that scoffers will come in the last day, walking according to their own lusts. You see, that's what's motivating them. It's their own lusts. It's not a pure desire to serve God and to please Him, but it's the lusts of the flesh, saying, where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. Have you ever heard that? People that will say, well, those religious fanatics, they don't know what they're talking about. And, frankly, false ministers and others have given religion a bad name. You can't blame them, to some degree, for feeling the way they do. If God isn't opening their minds, then they're not going to see it the way you and I see it. For this, they willfully forget, also, there are those who willfully forget, that God may have been working with, may have been trying to call them and draw them to Him, and yet they would not answer. They would not respond to Him. So that's a different category there. For this, they willfully forget that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. A lot of people don't believe and know as flood. They think it's a big fairy tale. But the heavens and the earth, which are now preserved by the same Word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing. Beloved, I love you, says the Apostle Peter. You are loved. Don't forget, he was a good shepherd. He was a good minister. He was a faithful minister. He says, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day it says a thousand years, and a thousand years is one day. We're drawing near to the end of these days. If truly, if we're on a 6,000 year plan, a 7,000 year plan, these days are nearly up. We're drawing close to the end of those days. It may not happen in our lifetime, but we know that God is going to cut short those days. So, if there is a couple hundred years left in those 6,000 years, we don't know how short God's going to cut those days. So, that's another reason why we really need to take seriously these things. Each day for a year, you know, there's seven days in a week, six days for man, then there's the Sabbath. The Sabbath rest. Each day is a thousand years. Christ is going to rule for a thousand years. That's the seventh day. The seventh one thousand year period. There are 6,000 more years where God has allowed man to do his own thing. We're drawing close to the end of those days, and God is going to cut the time short.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but His long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. He wants all of us to come to repentance. He's giving us time to come to repentance. Perhaps that's why He hasn't returned yet. He's still drawing people. He's still calling people. He's still calling the first fruits.

His plan is not complete yet. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Again, it's going to come like a thief in the night for those who are not listening, those who are not dialed in or not tuned in. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct, manners, conduct, in all godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which they heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? It's a question. He's asking you.

These things are going to happen. Are you going to be godly people?

They're going to happen, regardless of what you do.

Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth. After all the destruction that's going to come on the earth, there will be a thousand-year period, a time of Christ ruling the earth. Satan will be loosed. There will be more destruction because of Satan. He'll finally be bound forever, however God deals with him in the end. And then there will be new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Satan's not going to be allowed there. No one who practices a lie will be allowed there. No one who does not humble themselves, repent of their sins, and be forgiven. They're not going to be there.

Verse 14, Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace. God wants a peaceful people without spot, blameless, and consider that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation. As also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand. Peter said Paul is kind of hard to understand. There are parts in Galatians, Colossians, Philippians, and various places that can be difficult. And that's because God had it inspired that way, so that he might have mercy on some.

But God can open our minds to understand the truth and to realize what Paul is saying about his law. The law is not done away. The law is holy and just and good, says the Apostle Paul. It's to be observed. It's to be kept. And people twist it to their own destruction, because they're untaught and they're unstable. They twist the Scriptures. Not just Paul's writing, it says, but as they do the rest of the Scriptures, they twist them all up. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked. How steadfast are you? How faithful are you? I've seen people that have been in the church 30 years and have been steadfast, and then they turn from it. They turn from it after 30 years.

That's happened. 1995? Do you remember that?

And it's happened every year that people have turned from God after being faithful for, you know, for many years. Take heed lest you fall. Take heed lest you fall.

He says, so, beloved, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked, but grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Make it your priority in life to become like Christ, to follow His example, to please Him and His Father. Make it your magnificent obsession. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. That says it all. Brethren, as we live this life, and it's tumultuous right now, these are tumultuous times that we live in. Many people believe that this old world is about to collapse. Many people who aren't religious believe that we're at the we're on the brink of financial ruin here in the United States and around the world. And the world's only recognized superpower right now, the United States, is not looking so super in terms of financial strength. What is our deficit now? 19 trillion dollars, I believe, or somewhere near that? Give or take a trillion? Throw those numbers out like they don't mean anything? That's a lot of money. Now, will that lead to the fulfillment of prophecy? I don't know for sure. I don't know for sure. But if the United States collapses and our economy collapses and the whole world begins to collapse, perhaps the knock is at the door.

I think then people will tend to be a little more serious like they were after 9-11 for a short time.

It's far more serious what we have to face ahead of us. Back in 2008 and 2009, we had a financial crisis in the United States. It seems that God wasn't quite ready for us to fall to pieces at that time. It didn't happen. I wondered if it would. There were people saying that gold was going to be $8,000 an ounce. That didn't happen. But who knows when it's going to happen or how it's going to happen. Will the next financial crisis spiral downward to the brink of destruction and to the ultimate return of Jesus Christ? Will there be great tribulation soon upon the United States? Will earthquakes and famine break out in greater intensity in the days ahead? Will there be devastating tsunamis as we've never seen before? I was on an evacuation route in Alaska for a tsunami. My daughter travels that route probably almost every day. Who knows? There have been tsunamis that have killed 200,000 people at one time.

That's history. What's going to happen in the future?

Will there be more and more wildfires? Will those get out of control even more than they have? Is the return of Christ imminent? I don't know. Do we as God's Church have more work to do? How much time do we have? I don't know. Frankly, I don't pretend to know the day and the hour of Christ's return. I don't pretend to even know the year of Christ's return. I know this. It's best to live as though it's going to be a while before Christ returns when it comes to financial things, when it comes to going to college, when it comes to fixing your teeth. Do those things. We don't know when Christ is returning. Take care of yourself. Plan as though it's going to go for a long time, in the physical sense. Plan physically as though it's going to go a long time. But, spiritually, you better be prepared for Christ's imminent return. You better be prepared right now for Christ's return. If you're not, thankfully, you still have time. Get yourself ready. Christ is coming. Christ is coming back.

Now, I've said everything to say this. Now is our time to prepare for the day that is coming. Now is the time to seek God while He may be found. Now is the time to repent of our sins. Now is the time to make permanent changes in our lives. Now is the time to have a steadfast resolve to endure to the end a resolve that cannot be shaken.

So, how about you? Are you taking this personally today? Is this a message that God is speaking to you personally? Have you been diligently preparing for Christ's return? Look, I believe you have been. That's what I think. I believe you have been. I think the best of people. I believe you're here for a reason. I believe you're just like me. But I know I'm also weak. I can do better. I haven't done my best. I've never done my best. I can do better. And maybe you can too.

So, are you diligently preparing for Christ's return and what will come before His return?

You know, this is a lot more important than preparing for an elk hunt. It's a lot more important. And yet, when exciting times come, when days are approaching, when trips are coming, we get pretty excited, don't we? We anticipate going to Hawaii. We anticipate going to the feast. We look forward to those days. And brethren, we should look forward to the fulfillment of God's plan. Because then there will be peace on the entire earth. And there's so much suffering on the earth today. There's so much suffering. Even in God's church, there's so much suffering. We need the return of Jesus Christ. Yes, there will be dreadful days before that time. We need to be able to look beyond the dreadful days. We need to be able to look to the return of Christ, to a government and a kingdom that will be established, that will be glorious, and that will last forever and ever and ever. Now, this is the most wonderful calling that anyone could ever possibly imagine. We can't even imagine. Eye is not heard, or eye is not seen, nor ear heard. Neither has entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared. For those who love Him, we don't fully understand how glorious it's going to be. Let's be sure that we're doing our part to be there. Let's surrender our will to God's will.