The Clash of Two Ideologies

The title today is The Class of Two Ideologists. True Christianity and nominal Christianity are under attack from every direction, mainly nominal Christianity, people that don't even know about the South Day, people that don't even know that God is bringing sons and daughters to glory in His family, and that we're going to be glorious, radiant spirit beings in the kingdom of God. But people who are on the front lines—there are some in China, there are some in Malaysia. On the way up here, I was listening to a religious radio station that said in Malaysia, you can go to any church you want to go to if you're not a native-born Malaysian. But if you are a native-born Malaysian, you must embrace Islam, or you will pay the price. I recently saw an interview where Glenn Beck was interviewing Tucker Carlson, or maybe Tucker was interviewing him. They were discussing the fact that the battle we're engaged in is the attempt to unseat the Christian civilization of the West with the LGBTQ plus other letters joined on, doing it well, as well as other moral things and political things as well. And then eventually, Glenn Beck added Islam. I think he thinks that Islam is going to eventually rule the roost. Regardless of some of the Democrats' rhetoric, the ultimate agenda is to unseat Christianity and the Bible, and to say that the Bible is just a series of stories that are not really to be taken seriously, and that it must be in the garbage bin of the past. There are three passages of Scripture that should give us cause for deep thought. The beast power does not profess to be any form of Christianity. Once again, the beast power does not profess to be any form of Christianity. Let's go to Daniel 11, the beginning of verse 39. In some of these passages of Scripture, we're not going to read all of it in the interest of time, but I would ask you to read all of it if you really want to be educated and if you really want to know what's going on and what will go on in this world. In Daniel 11 and verse 39. This is talking about the willful king. Thus shall he do in his most holy strongholds with a strange God whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory, and he shall cause him to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. Well, you're hearing a lot about a Palestinian state, and a lot of the people in Washington are for that, but a Palestinian state or even a military victory does not defeat an ideology. An ideology that is so ingrained in people to believe of whatever they believe in to the very depth of their being.

And at the time of the end, and that means the very end of this age, shall the king of the south push at him, and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind with chariots, with horsemen, with many ships, and he shall enter into the countries and shall overflow and pass over. And he shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown, but these shall escape out of his hand, Edom and Moab. Of course, Edom and Moab were deadly enemies of Israel on their way to the Promised Land, and of course Edom is an area of what we call Petra today. Edom occupies the area that we would call Jordan, and so does Moab.

And Jordan has responsibility for the Temple Mount at the present time, even though the Jews won the 1967 war, they gave the WAF the control of the government of the Temple Mount to Jordan. He shall stretch forth his hand upon the countries, and he shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over the precious things of Egypt and the Libyans, and the Egyptians should be at his steps.

Now we want to back up with regard to this king and read what introduces this in verse 36. I said he's called the willful king, and the king shall do according to his will. He shall exalt himself, magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods. He shall speak things against the God of gods. He's not on God's side, as we know God, or even as nominal Christianity knows God. And there are a lot of people who are crying aloud who don't know the truth, that you know the truth, against the LGBTQ, other plus letters, and plus other moral debacles that are going on in the nation, especially in the western world. He shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the Indian nation be accomplished, for that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers. Because of this verse, some have thought, maybe, well, this person is of Jewish descent, the God of his fathers. Generally, when you talk about the fathers in the Bible, you're talking about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and those who came on later. Nor the desire of women nor regard any God, for he shall magnify himself above all. He doesn't regard any God. He puts himself above every god. Now that's the Old Testament. Now we go quickly to the New Testament to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, chapter 2, and verse 1. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 1. And we'll see here, just in different languages, the language of what this is about.

2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 1, Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mine, nor be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, or from us, that the day of Christ is at hand, especially it seems that people were writing pseudo letters saying that Christ had come. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God. As we have read from Daniel chapter 11, he doesn't honor any God. He says he himself is God, or that his worship so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

At the present time, the state of Israel is a secular state. The government is a secular government, even though they do shut down on Shabbat, as they call it, on the Sabbath, and they do honor the holy days to some degree, but the government itself is a secular government, and the Orthodox community, the people that really practice the old-time Jewish faith, as they call it, are really not part and parcel of that government for the most part. In fact, they just made an announcement that they were going to start drafting Orthodox Jews because they're running out of soldiers in their battle against Hamas, against Hezbollah, and against Iran, and the other forces that there are the Houthis that are opposing them. So, a great falling away comes, and the one who says that he is God, opposing himself, opposing any God, and says that he is God, remember you not that when I was with you, I told you these things. So Paul apprised the Thessalonians of these things. Should I not apprise you of these things today? We'll have a lot more to say about that. And now you know what withholds that he or it might be revealed in his time. The man of sin, or the son of perdition. Now we go to Revelation chapter 13. In Revelation chapter 13. Now why are we reading these verses?

The prologue to that was, the beast power does not profess to be any form of any previous religion. That's what it's saying. So in Revelation chapter 13 verse 4, and they worshiped the dragon, then is Satan the devil, then O serpent, Satan the devil, according to Revelation 12, 7, which gave power unto the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemings, and power given unto him to continue forty and two months, three and a half years. And he opened his mouth, blaspheming against God, blaspheming against God to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

The holy angels, everything, everybody in and around God's throne. The description of that is given in Revelation chapter 4. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, to overcome them, and power was given him over all kindreds and tongues and nations, and all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, except those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life slain from the foundation of the world.

Of course, we have studied that, talked about that many times, the ancientness of the plan of salvation, that before anything was even created, Jesus Christ had agreed to give up his glory and to die for the sins of the world so that we might be begotten sons and daughters of God and not created beings. As soon as you turn on your television or talk to an informed person, you are made aware of the fact that we are standing on sinking sand.

And it's almost like quicksand. There's no way out of it. You take a step and you get deeper. You take a step and you go deeper into it. We're in the midst of the clash of two ideologies. One ideology goes under the banner of progressivism. It embraces the LGBTQ plus agenda with additional letters added. It embraces the ideology of give yourself to the government and we'll take care of you from the cradle to the grave. It believes that the ultimate of truth is knowable if it is knowable. They don't believe really the truth is knowable, but if there is such a thing as absolute truth, science will reveal it to you.

They deny the existence of God. They deny the moral code that is revealed in the Christian Bible and they rally under a false banner of democracy. Now we go to Leviticus chapter 18. I was talking with my brother one night this past week. He goes to church every Sunday. He was not familiar with these with these verses. He asked me to send these verses to him.

I encourage you to read all of chapter 18 of Leviticus and you will see what God has to say. In verse 21, this is Leviticus 18 21, and you shall not let any of the seed pass through the fire of Molech, any of your seed. That is the children. They were practicing postpartum abortion, as it were. They were killing their children and offering them to Molech, one of the names of one of the gods. Neither shall you profane the name of your God.

I am the Lord. You shall not lie with mankind as with womankind. It is abomination. Neither shall you lie with beasts to defile yourself. Therewith neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down. Thereto it is confusion. Defile not yourselves in any of these things, for in all these things nations are defiled, which are cast out before you. So as they moved into the Promised Land, God told them to get rid of the foreign gods, but they did not.

And to this day, the foreign gods and the demons are at work. And we see now in 1 Corinthians chapter 6, 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 9. Yes, this is in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 6, 9, for it is written in the law of Moses. I'm reading 8. Chapter 9. I want chapter 6. I'm sorry. Chapter 6 verse 9. 1 Corinthians 6, 9, Know ye not that the unrighteousness shall not inherit the kingdom of God, be not deceived neither fornicators nor adulterers nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revelers, or extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God.

And such were some of you, but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus by the Spirit of God. So you see what the Bible has to say. Of course, they would like to rip this out of the Bible. They would like to rip up the whole Old Testament.

A little more about that later. Furthermore, they're determined to force the ideology on everyone. They don't accept the age-old adage of live and let live, as we used to say. Tolerance of all lifestyles is a key element in their dogma. Let everybody do anything they want to do as long as it doesn't hurt you. Of course, the logical fallacy in that is that you decide what hurts somebody else, from cigarette smoking to illicit or perverted sex. It hurts somebody else.

The progressives and a large number of professing Christians say that they believe in God and Jesus's love, grace, mercy, compassion, and long suffering. So why are people leaving the church? You can read the Barmer reports. You can read many research reports with regard to the dwindling. It is really more than dwindling. It's going down the drain, as it were, church attendance all over the nation. The churches that are best attended are Loews and Walmart, Home Depot, and that kind of thing.

They say Jesus taught a message of love, tolerance, and acceptance. He was merciful and compassionate. They contend that the church is harsh. They say that the church is close-minded regarding the biblical account of creation. Axiomatically, they believe in evolution. They say that the church is boring, and the sermons are neither interesting or convicting. Even church-going people have swallowed the poison of toleration. They deny the plain words of Scripture. But really, most people have not even read the Bible. They just hear what somebody says. Oh, he's against them, and he's against them. He's the inside, and he's against this. They have never even read what it says. In contrast, the opposing ideology identifies themselves under the banner of adherence to the age-old principles of right and wrong in believing that the Bible is the ultimate source of truth. Ostensibly, the numbers are about 50-50. But whereas the progressives are unified, the Christians are hopelessly divided by their beliefs and behavior. They don't really know the nominal Christian world where they are standing. Sadly, many professing Christians do not believe the Bible as the absolute reveal word of God. And that includes some pastors as well.

Recently, thousands of nominally professing Christians signed a petition rebuking Donald Trump.

Carli Wallace Thompson, digital campaigns director of an organization called Faithful America. Total Newsweek in an email states, the insurrectionist, ex-president, and his supporters constantly weaponized Christianity, used dangerous holy war rhetoric, and could stoke the further political violence. The quote continues, Christianity is rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, who taught us love, equality, and dignity, values that run directly contrary to the hatred and division that the Christian nationalist allies are preaching. The quotes above highlights certain aspects of the clash between the two ideologies. However, the division between the two ideologies is much broader. They like understanding of the plan and purpose of the providence of God. The nominal world of Christianity apparently is ignorant of what it means to be a Christian. They do not understand the great questions of life. Who is God? He is our Father. What is God? God is Spirit. What is His purpose? To bring sons and daughters to glory in His family. Who is man? Man is created by God in His image. What is man? Man is made of the dust of the ground. What is His purpose? To become a glorious radiant spirit being in the kingdom of God. Jesus' statements about love, grace, mercy, compassion, kindness, inclusion of everyone, and all of the foregoing is dependent upon obeying the words of God in Christ. It's not unconditional that you tolerate everybody, and herein lies the great clash. When ideology's class, in the macro sense, macro means great, all-inclusive, micro means little bitty, tiny. In the macro sense, the reason resides in what permeates the minds and hearts of the people. As one commentator noted, when the time to vote finally comes around, most people will vote according to the ideology and their worldview, regardless of the campaign promises. They want freedom, they want liberty, they want the right to choose, no matter if it goes against the word of God. On the Democrat front, illegal immigration, high inflation, the war between Ukraine and Russia, the wars in the Middle East, the Chinese threat of taking over Taiwan fade away as they think about the promised freedom and right to choose how one lives their life will overpower nearly everything else. On the other side, the aisle of the Republicans will cast their vote according to their ideology. Stop illegal immigration, stop government handouts, restore law and order, stop being the world's policeman, right to practice one's religion. Of course, other factors will influence the decision, and it's not an absolute, it's not 90 percent, it's not even maybe it's 60 percent, but 60 percent wins. In fact, 51 percent wins.

Of course, the other factors will influence their decision as to who they will vote for, but ideology will rule the vote. What do you believe in your heart and mind?

And so what about the church? Some say, I don't want to hear about politics, apparently not realizing we live in Satan's world. He is the god of this world, 2 Corinthians 4.4. We all know that. We know that Satan has immense power, but contrary to what Satan may do or not do, what does God ask us to do? In 1 Timothy chapter 2, we see what God says for us to do.

I exhort, therefore, that first of all, supplication, prayers, and intercessions, and giving thanks be made for all men, for all kings, for all that are in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

I mean, what is happening to children in some school districts in the large cities is unspeakable. You wouldn't want to talk about it right here right now.

He continues, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come into the knowledge of the truth, for there is one God and one mediator between God and man, and that man is Jesus Christ, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time. As I've said so far, so many times, that salvation, that the plan of God is inclusive. It includes everybody, but it's exclusive in another way. There's only one way. Acts 4.12 says there's only one name given under heaven whereby men must be saved. God has commanded us to serve as watchmen, to warn the people as to what is happening to them. So now we go to Ezekiel 33. Mr. Armstrong used to hammer Ezekiel 33 time and time again. He went through Isaiah and Ezekiel, and he went through the book of Hebrews in detailed Bible studies that were cast around the nation. A little more about that later. In Ezekiel 33 verse 1, again the word of the Lord came into me saying, so is God's word, not the prophet as an instrument to deliver the word. Son of man, speak to the children of your people and say unto them, when I bring the sword upon the land, if the people of the land take a man of their coast and set him for their watchmen, when he sees the sword come upon the land, he blows the trumpet and warns the people. Then whosoever hears the sound of the trumpet and takes not warning if the sword come take him away, his blood shall be upon his head. He heard the sound of the trumpet and took not warning, his blood shall be upon him.

But he that takes warning shall deliver his life-essent soul. But if the watchmen see the sword come and blow not the trumpet and the people be not warned, if the sword comes and take away any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity, his lawlessness, but his blood I will require at the hand of the watchmen. For you, O son of man, I have sent you a watchman into the house of Israel. Therefore you shall hear the word in my mouth and warn them from me. I can be no clearer than what it is.

Some by their actions will be actions will bury their heads in the sand and will not warn the people. They will live in a state of denial. They believe they should not get actively involved in warning the world as to what is going to happen.

So let's notice Luke 21.36. It's in the memory stack of scriptures. Luke 21 and verse 36.

It's always that way.

Watch you therefore and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the son of man. God expects his sons and daughters to be ready when he knocks on our door in the parable of the ten virgins. You know that five were wise and five were foolish. The foolish one says, let us borrow from you. And the wife said, no, we can't let you have it because we want to have enough ourselves. So the foolish went out to get it for themselves. They came back and they knocked on the door, but the door did not open. It was too late. And then it says there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. No one but you can get you ready for the knock on your door. Ezekiel makes this plane in Ezekiel 18. We'll go there Ezekiel 18 and verse 20. Ezekiel 18 verse 20. Ezekiel makes this plane that we stand on our own two feet regardless if we're son or daughter or whomever we are. That we will stand on our own two feet, we will have to give answer for ourselves. Ezekiel 18 and verse 20. The soul that sins it shall die. It won't live forever unless they repent. The wages of sin is death with the gift of God as eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The Son shall not bear the iniquity of the Father. Neither shall the Father bear the iniquity of the Son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. So, nobody else can do it for you.

So, God expects his sons and daughters to be ready. Right now, today, he's knocking on your door. Revelation 3, 20 says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock, and if any man will open, I will come in unto him and sup with him. And so, we have to open that door. There will be scoffers who will stand off and say, We've heard all of this before. So, we go to 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 1. And Peter, of course, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, knew that this would happen, that there would be scoffers in the last days. And this is 2 Peter 3 and verse 1.

This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you, in both which I stir up, that stir means to light with friction, like you strike a match, that you really rub it across a rough surface, and you have friction, and you stir it up. Stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, that you may be mindful of the words which was spoken before by the Holy prophets and the commandment of the apostles, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts, saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they are willingly ignorant, that by the word of God the heavens were a mole, and standing in the water and out of the water. You see, then it goes on to talk about a day is a thousand years and a thousand years as a day with God, and some try to make more out of that than what's intended. I think what's intended is what it says. So many that used to attend, used to. They once attended the Church of God, and that's what? 80%? I don't know.

Are now going their own way because I guess you could say that Herbert Armstrong's message was way ahead of his time, because he began talking about the soon-coming kingdom of God way before his time. And we perhaps are guilty of that now. We know that the abomination of desolation has to be set up. We know what Daniel 12 says, that there's a countdown of 1335 years even after the daily sacrifice is taken away. So you got to set up the sacrifice first. That's going to take quite a long time. A long time is a, what shall we say about a long time? A long time is a, can be construed many different ways.

So many that used to attend church are going now their own way. They unknowingly or unknowingly joined the ranks of the scoffers. Oh yeah, the scoffers, the critics.

See, the things didn't come off at the time frame they expected, and they felt so they ditched. The things didn't come off as they expected, as they thought they would occur.

And so they ditched the whole thing. They threw the baby out with the bathwater.

So we just plunged back into the world.

They made God over in their own image, merged back into the world. As Peter writes in 2 Peter, the dog has returned to his own vomit, and the sow has returned to wallowing in the mud.

One does not have to say, my Lord delays his coming.

Where you stand, what you practice is made manifest by your actions.

And all of us.

The battle cry of the progressive is freedom, the right to choose, toleration, love of everyone.

It is no secret. There's a song that says, it is no secret what God can do. Well, it's no secret. John 3 16 is no secret. It's posted on billboards everywhere, football games, gatherings of different sorts, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever would believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life. So, is God love? Yes, God is love. It says that twice in 1 John 4.

But to enter into that love and the opportunity to become love as he is love requires repentance.

Well, and repentance is something that most people are not willing to do. We're familiar with Peter's words on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was sent. He preached that inspired sermon. The Holy Spirit came down, cloven tongues of fire. They heard them speak in their own language.

And after Peter was done, they said, men and brethren, what shall we do? Peter said, repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now, we know that we must also exercise faith in the sacrifice of Christ. He died for our sins so that our sins are removed as far as the east is from the west to be remembered no more. That's what it says in Psalm 103. If you want to quote Jesus about quoting different scriptures, you want to quote Jesus. Let's quote 2 or 3. I've done two at least. Let's go to Luke 646. Luke 646.

You want love, you want mercy, you want compassion.

Well, there is a caveat to that.

In Luke 646, And why call me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Now, if we go to John 15, John 15, and verse 9. John 15 and verse 9. John 15 verse 9.

John 15 verse 9.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Continue you in my word or in my love. If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love, even as I have kept whose commandments, my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Christ said he kept his Father's commandments.

Let's notice quickly the chief characteristics of his Father's law.

Is the law grievous? Is the law burdensome? Is Leviticus 18 wrong? Is 1 Corinthians 6, 9 through 11 wrong? Or is any part of this wrong?

There may be some translation errors. I don't know for sure, but I know the general thrust of what is true, and it's the only thing that makes sense. So, we go to Psalm 19 and verse 7. This is one of my favorite scriptures with regard to the law.

Is Psalm 19 and verse 7. The law of the Lord is perfect.

The law of the Lord is perfect. God does not do anything halfway.

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the life essence. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. And it goes on and on, and it closes with 14. I used to have this on my desk back when I was teaching school. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your side, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Psalm 19 verse 14. Now we go to Romans chapter 7 and verse 14. Romans chapter 7 and verse 14. In Romans 7 verse 14, for we know that the law is spiritual. So you don't just frivolously do away with God's law. The law is spiritual. But I am carnal. I'm made of the flesh and soul under sin.

It says in chapter 8 that the carnal person doesn't know how to behave.

Verse 8 and chapter 8. So then they that are in the flesh, can I please God? They're in the flesh, but you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit. If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Don't let you get confused there. There's only one Spirit as it says in Ephesians chapter 4. The same Spirit is in God as in Christ is in us. There is one Spirit as it says in Ephesians chapter 4.

Once again, the Progresses are brought back to what so many are guilty of. That is, making God over in their own image. Oh my God, wouldn't do this or that. My God wouldn't do this or that. That's exactly right. Your God. But the Eternal God is the God of all people. The Eternal God, His glory, His magnificence that you heard about in the sermonette, He is to be praised. He is to be honored. We are ever reminded of the truism that there are only two choices.

Believe God and the revealed Word of God, or believe man. God says, Choose this day whom you will serve. Obey and serve God on the way of the world. You know, Joshua succeeded Moses. And Joshua was the one that led Israel into the Promised Land. And when Joshua had led them into Promised Land, he called his family together. And they had, as you were, a family meeting. Let's turn to Joshua.

Joshua judges.

And Joshua 24.

Chapter 24 of Joshua. And we want verse 15.

Joshua 24 and verse 15.

And if it seemed evil unto you to serve the Lord, Choose you this day whom you will serve. Whether the gods which are your father served, that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

So a family meeting like that is one worth considering.

The Progressives offer a pseudo-path to Liberty. Please turn to 2 Peter chapter 2.

2 Peter chapter 2. I remember back in the 70s, I taught several courses at ambassador. One was general psychology, another was the introduction to Western thought. And I learned quite a bit in teaching those courses. And in the course of that, I began to say, we are being destroyed in the name of freedom. We're being destroyed in the name of liberty and freedom. That was in the 70s. Now we are 50 years down the road, and we're still being destroyed by the promise of freedom.

Now we want to go to Jeremiah chapter 5. Well, we wanted 2 Peter chapter 2. 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 17. 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 17.

2 Peter 2 verse 17. These are wells without water clouds that are carried with a tempest, to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever, the devil and his demons. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lust of the flesh through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from those who live in error, while they promised them liberty. Oh yeah, you will hear so much about liberty, about freedom. A woman should have the freedom to choose what she's going to do with her body, I agree, but you're making a choice for another entity as well. That choice is life or death. Is the fetus going to live or die? While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption, for of whom a man is overcome, the same is brought in bondage. And after having escaped the pollutions of the world, they turn back to it. Now, one of the most graphic descriptions in the Bible, a couple of chapters here, and Jeremiah that describes the situation today, Jeremiah chapter 5. Jeremiah chapter 5.

Jeremiah chapter 5 verse 25.

Your iniquities have turned away those these things, and your sins have withholding good things from you. Oh, how we could be blessed. For among my people are found wicked men. They lay in wait as heated sesh snares. They set a trap. They catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are they full of deceit. Therefore, they are become great and waxen rich. They are waxen fat. They shine. Yes, they overpass the deeds of the wicked. They judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper. And the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit all these things, says the Lord. Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land. The prophets prophesied falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it so. That is their ideology. They love to have it so. And what will they do in the end? Their judgment is coming. Now, Jeremiah 7 and verse 30.

Jeremiah 7 and verse 30.

Jeremiah 7 verse 30. For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, says the Lord. They have set their abominations in the houses, which is called by my name, to polluted. In other words, brought idols into the temple. They have built the high places of Tophat. Tophat was a place in which is in the valley of Hinnom. That's where they really like to burn their sons and daughters. To burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I commanded them not, neither came into my mind. God would never even think of such a thing as taking a child's life and sacrificing its so-called true God. Therefore, behold, the days come, says the Lord, that it shall no more be called Tophat, nor the valley of the sun of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter. For they shall bury in Tophat, till there be no place. And the carcasses of this people shall be food for the fowls of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth, and none shall fray them away. They won't chew them away. Then I will cause the cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of Mirth, the voice of the gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, for the land shall be desolate. Yes, judgment day is coming. I would say that God only knows how many babies have been aborted during the past 50 years. This will be one of the main issues that determine why so many people vote for their ideology. The pressure of God's people continues to be greater and greater. This is especially true for parents. Where are they going to stand? Especially those who have school-aged children. I'm thankful to say, see, I have four great-grandchildren in the public schools in Tyler, and I'm pleased to basically at what you hear. You may not be hearing that over all of Texas. I don't know. But for the most part, it is good. As with most issues, the things that threaten the age of values begins in the big cities. It is amazing what one person, one person, can do. Do you remember Madeline Murray O'Hare? Madeline Murray O'Hare, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, made her headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. She led the movement to get prayer outlawed in the public schools under the banner of Separation of Church and State, and she was largely successful. Now you can be fired, you can be arrested, you can be all things, all kind of things, for praying in public school. The Bible speaks expressly with the love of many shall wax coal. You see, the flood of peer pressure is going to be great on you as you move forward, and we haven't seen anything yet. Paul says that in the latter days, many will depart from the faith, the faith, as 1 Timothy 4.1.

As we've already read from 2 Thessalonians 2.4, or 3 is, 3 or 4, many will fall away. And what would it take for you or I to fall away? I would say that to a large degree, it would be a lack of patience. See, back in the 60s, back in the 70s, there was a voice crying aloud, a watchman, from shore to shore and around the world. But, ironically, a lot of people said, whoa, it never happened, it didn't happen.

I'm throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I'm going my own way.

Being God, we got our own thing going. No, this Bible is what reveals the truth, and I hope that's where we'll stand. We're not only battling against flesh and blood, but with the ultimate battle, as Paul brings out in Ephesians 6, verses 10 and 12, the ultimate battle is against demonic powers and Satan himself in high places. They're more powerful than we are in some cases, but we have the power of God in Christ. So, I leave you with one final admonition as Paul left the Thessalonians when he wrote to them the first time we read about him writing the second time. So, 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. 2 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mine, or be troubled, neither beamed nor by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself.

Now we want to go to chapter 5, the final admonition. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. That's what I said in the first place. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5.

2 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that are right unto yourselves, right unto you, for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and Safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as surveil upon a woman, as surveil upon a woman with a child, and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. You are all the children of light, and the children of the day we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober. 2 Sober means watchful. For they that sleep sleep in the night, and they that be drunken or drunken in the night. But let us that are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation, that hope the bright picture burning brightly of what it will be like in the kingdom. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us, that whether we wake or whether we sleep, we should live together with Him. Well, brethren, I hope that you and I are ready when the night comes on our door. It could come tonight, it could come later. It may become, you that are younger, maybe it'll come at the day of the Lord, but we can all be ready.