Counted Worthy for Protection

I appreciate Mr. Martin's reflecting on some years that have gone by. 43 years ago this summer, my wife and I were starting to build a house. And I was reminded that this morning, I was thinking, oh, it's going to be 107 degrees today. That's hot in Arkansas. Then I remembered, wait a minute, 43 years ago we bought some rough property over in Elkins and built a house with no electricity, no running water, just land, and a borrowed travel trailer from my parents, which we couldn't hook up to anything. And it was 110 degrees. So, you know, this is not so bad. It's nice to be back over here with you. My wife and I have retired to the Tulsa area, and this is a beautiful country. It's nice to get reconnected with it again. It's been years since we've had Chiggers. You know, we don't have those in the other areas we've been to, but every place has its things that sting and bite, I guess.

We did have two daughters. We moved here when Rayanne Dowd, she's the wife of Pastor Ed Dowd in Tulsa right now. She was about two years old, two-ish, three-ish when we first moved here in 1979. And then when we moved onto that property, my wife was very pregnant with our next daughter, Cindy, who was born there in Fayetteville. She is married to Troy Phelps. They live in the San Francisco area. And then we had our third daughter, Michelle Delimator, Scott Delimator's wife, at the Springdale Hospital. So we have history. We have history in the area.

But thanks for the invitation to come over and be with you today on God's Sabbath.

Water.

This is good.

Jesus Christ teaches us that human civilization, through not obeying God, divesting themselves of any concepts of right living according to God's Word, will sink into a cycle of sin or lawlessness, according to God's Word, that will take humanity to the brink of genocide. And unless Jesus Christ intervened, there would be nothing flesh living after that.

This is mentioned to us in what's called the Olivet Prophecy. In other words, Jesus was on the Mount of Olives, and he talked to the disciples in Matthew chapter 24, starting in verse 3, as he sat on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him and said, Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age? The age that is being discussed is the age of Satan's rule. The age of Satan's rule, often called the present evil age. But the end of this age also is the beginning of another age. And that other age we celebrate every year at the Feast of Tabernacles. We're so excited about the millennial reign of Christ and all the blessings that will come. But the transition between those two ages. The old dictator doesn't want to leave. He wants to kill off any and everybody possible, just randomly, exclusively, kill them all, including the one who has the right to rule, Jesus Christ and his bride. And so in verse 3 he begins, Do you not see all these things? Assuredly I say, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down. That's in verse 2. So he says here in verse 4, to these who are now looking at a civilization that's so beautiful, as they looked at the buildings there that Herod the Great had made over a 40-50 year period, beautiful temple, gorgeous society, everything's sort of functioning well. He's saying, all of this is going to go away and they're perplexed by that. And so they say, really? It's kind of like us today. We look at the nations, we look at the structure, we look at civilization, we look at the way things are. They seem so powerful, so intact. One's own country seems so stable in a way, so impervious to destruction. And he says here, take heed that no one deceives you. Don't listen to the rhetoric, for many will say, I am the Messiah, and will deceive many. You'll hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you're not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. So he's not leaving that easily. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you. Remember who is being replaced here? He doesn't want to go. And so those who will be rulers in the future become targets. Those who have an end with God, a relationship with a family of God, with the kingdom of God, instead of the kingdoms of the world that are fighting, they will become targets, and they will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. This isn't pleasant to read, but it makes us ask the question, what family am I of? What real nationality am I? Am I of the of the heavenly country? Am I of the family of God? Am I a son and a daughter of God? Am I the future bride of Jesus Christ? Am I betrothed to that family?

Then many will be offended. And this, we believe, is referring to church people. They'll be offended and betray one another, and will hate one another. And many false prophets will rise up and deceive many, but he who endures to the end shall be saved.

So, when we think of where we live in history, it's wonderful to have the things that we do, the technologies, the conveniences. I'm often driving a car, and we're zipping somewhere, and I stop and think, oh, you know, just what would it be? A hundred years ago or so, we'd be doing this on foot. You know, you'd have your wagon, and maybe those who weren't on the wagon or your load of the wagon, you'd be walking beside it. It's a 20 mile a day maximum journey, and here we are flying on 70 miles an hour thinking, oh, I can do this in 10 hours and get clear across, you know, this vast stretch of territory. Or we can hop in a plane and fly almost anywhere in the world in one shot. Or we can have air conditioning, homes, cool things. We can have running water. We can have grocery stores full of food. I mean, the things that we can have and experience and see and envision right on televisions and through internet, it's a wonderful time to live. It really, really is. It's just marvels of technology. But we see right here what comes along with that is a civilization that Paul warned in 2 Timothy 3 in verse 1, is a dangerous time because men will be lovers of themselves and they'll be haters of God and anything to do with godliness and it'll all be about one's self.

They will despise good. And so that puts us in the crosshairs, doesn't it? If we're going to live and obey the words of God, this will be a very dangerous time. However, there is another divine prophecy that accompanies this one. Let's go to Revelation chapter 12 and verse 14. This is the one I want to focus on today. This is where the the brightness comes, some of the hope, some of the lack of fear. In Revelation chapter 12 and verse 14, speaking of that same in time that's coming, it says, but the woman, the church, was given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness to her place where she is nourished for a time, times, and half a time from the presence of the servant.

We are of the woman, of the church, firmly in that relationship with God led by God's Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, represented by a woman.

She would fly into a place where humans aren't. That's what a wilderness is. She'd go into an uninhabited place. We just saw the nations are fighting against others, everybody's doing all this stuff, but she goes into the unoccupied area to her place where she is nourished for a year, years and half a year, three and a half years, from the presence of Satan and all of this focus and all of this terror that he wants to bring on the church. So today I'd like to examine some elements in Scripture that demonstrate why God will favor those who will go to this place of safety and also why God will not favor some who do not go to this place of safety. The title of the sermon today is Worthy of Protection. Worthy of Protection. It's not something we can earn. It's not something that somehow we are naturally worthy of, but worthy for protection is a favor that God will give to some. We're going to look at that today, and the purpose of the sermon is to let us know in advance how we can be developing in God's eyes a state of worthiness in his eyes to not have to go through all of the misery and destruction that's coming on humanity.

If you remember the parable of the ten virgins, there are five wise, five foolish, but if you really examine that parable of ten virgins, it's a parable that says there's an event coming in the future. It's not here now. It won't be here for a while. It's somewhere down the road, but what you're doing now relates to whether you will participate in that event then.

So now, you see, is our time. That's what Jesus's parables largely are about. It's we need to become ones that will be pleasing in God's eyes. The ten virgins weren't suddenly wise or foolish. You know, they woke up and went, oh, well, I guess I'm one of the dumb ones. Now, it was over time the wise had developed character. They were those who were associated with oil.

They probably had trees and harvested their olive trees, and part of that went to the tithing for the temple service, and part of it, you know, went for your own food needs. Part of it went for other less important needs, like fire candles, all your lamps, you know, your third pressings, the rough stuff, the crude stuff. You would burn that, but you only had a short harvest in the fall.

It came right after the feast of tabernacles, and that had to last you the whole year. And if you weren't really into that, sometime later on before the feast next year, you just wouldn't really have much oil left. And here comes the Messiah in that parable, roughly associated with the feast of trumpets, and some people weren't really in the oil business, let's say.

They weren't really into developing that character. Today is our opportunity. If we live into that time, this is our opportunity to become one who will be, at that time in the future, counted worthy for some future event. You know, for 2,000 years, Jesus has been telling us the words of Luke 21 verse 36. Let's go there. Luke 21 and verse 36. Watch, therefore. He's talking about this snare that's going to come on all the earth.

It's going to happen. It's going to be an event that, you know what a snare is? It's a trap. You might call it a mousetrap. You might call it a bear trap. You might call it some type of a trap. But having a nice day and all of a sudden, bam! The trap is got ya! Just like that. And so he says, be careful that this day comes upon you unexpectedly and it will, tells us it will, for it will come as a snare on all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Watch, therefore. Look to your state, to your spirit. Be a person who is watching means be alert, almost as if you're on guard, if you're a watchman. You're analyzing, you're assessing. So let God's Holy Spirit make you a person that's assessing. And pray always. Be a person who has a relationship with God. Be prayerful. So if we are steadily overcoming, putting that leaven out of our lives on a daily basis, asking God for correction and for forgiveness and obeying what he says carefully in Scripture, we're watching. And then praying, being a person of prayer, being prayerful, starting our days with God in the day and throughout the day, giving him thanks at times, great prayer, and a prayer at times, great examples in Scripture about that from Daniel and David and Jesus and etc.

Then he says that you may be counted worthy. Not that you're worthy, but you'll be counted worthy by God to escape all these things. Well, that sure puts that dark period in a different sort of category, doesn't it? A different view. We don't have to worry and fear, but rather, if we are really true children of God, we would hopefully be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man. Imagine being able to escape all these things that will come to pass.

That's pretty bright. It's pretty cheery. But just remember, this future is going to be bleak and dark and terrible and like the worst of the worst. So our spiritual character at that moment of time, Jesus' inferring will be assessed with regard to being given favor. Do you want God's favor? Do I want God's favor? Honestly, I've lived a pretty, let's say, safe, comfortable, easy life in this country and in this set of years.

I would say that future would be something I'm not prepared for. I've never seen that type of thing. I've never witnessed that type of thing. I'm not toughened up by the horrors of what society can do. I would say I'm a wimp with regards to what's coming. Jesus is saying, therefore, be alert and prayerful so that you can escape all these things.

I don't see this as a great badge of honor that some would be taken to a place of safety, rather probably an assistance of spiritual survival under extreme pressure that may just be overwhelming to people who are weak like people are in this age. That's just a personal thought. Nevertheless, this worst epoch that will ever affect humanity is coming, and there will be an assessment made. Now, who does God favor in times of crisis? So we just think of the Bible, the whole Bible. Who does God favor in a time of crisis?

Well, we actually have quite a few examples. Let's look at some of those today.

We can see Noah, time of crisis. The whole world would be annihilated, and in a time of crisis, God gave favor to Noah to survive peacefully. Another one would be Lot. You know, horrible fire coming down on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, but Lot was given the favor of avoiding that. The first example that we find in the Bible is actually the reverse of that.

It's found in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 22. It's two people that God sent away from favor, away from safety, away from a place in the wilderness that was their own, where He fed and kept them, and He sent them out into an evil world. Genesis 3 and verse 22. It's important for us to notice why He did this.

Then the Lord said, Behold, the man has become like one of us to know good and evil, and now lest he put out his hand and also take of the tree of life and eat and live forever. Therefore, the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So he drove out the man and he placed carobim at the east of the Garden of Eden and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way of life. Why was this? Because they had sort of gone over to the other side. They were following Satan. They were letting somebody else give them direction. Now we go to the next individual, Genesis 6 and verse 5.

So the Lord said, now we come down quite a few years, and He says, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth. So we're going to have genocide of the human race. Both man and beast creeping thing and birds of the air, for I'm sorry I've made them. Whoa, this is going to all flesh. This is like Jesus said is going to happen at the end time if He didn't intervene. But verse 8, we find a second example of an individual to whom God does show favor with protection from destruction. And it says in verse 8, But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

This word, grace from the Hebrew, is Strong's 2580, it means favor. He found favor in the eyes of God. Why did He find favor? And why will those at the end time find favor to escape annihilation? Well, let's drop down to verse 9 of Genesis 6. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man. That's what he was in God's eyes. He was a just man. He, it says here, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. So that tells us that God gives favor to one who is just, according to his word. It's perfect in his generations. And in his generations means during his lifetime. So generations in the Bible, according to Matthew chapter 1 and verse 17, last about 35 years per generation. So it's not just he was righteous at the last second. He was righteous in his generations. Noah lived right for 27 generations. 27 generations. He was consistently living right. And he walked with God. Now notice the result of that. In verse 17, God says, And behold, I myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life. Everything that is on earth shall die. Wow! Verse 18, wow! Verse 18, But I will establish my covenant with you, Noah, and you shall go into the ark. What was the ark? The ark was a place and it was safety. It had God's blessing. It was specially created for Noah. Noah worked 110 years to get it ready. It had food. It had water. It had God's blessing. God even sealed him inside. It was his place of safety from destruction that happened to all flesh. You and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. And in verse 22, Thus Noah did according to all that God commanded him. So he did. Now that's important for us. If we want to be delivered from almost genocide that's coming, we want to do all that God commands us. All of it. And careful to do it. Noah was consistent. He did right. He did right in God's eyes.

We go to chapter 7, verse 1, Then the Lord said to Noah, Notice these words. Come, come into the ark. Come, come into the ark. You and all your household, because, because I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. So looking at the world, the generation that's there, and you and I looking at the generation that exists, that we were to come out of, not be part of, we should be doing right in God's eyes. That's what righteous means. Doing right in God's eyes. And Noah was saved because I have seen, I have assessed you, and I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. So once again, there's a, there's a holy righteous character here. Noah wasn't putting on something, wasn't trying to selflessly grab something. That's who Noah had become. It was his character. It was righteous character, right character, character to do what God said. And it was holy because it's for God. So you and I have these very same components in our life, if we want them. And we can be growing in them and developing them. And God could say, come in.

He could say, I have seen that you are righteous in this generation. And we should be living our lives that way.

So from Noah's example, we can see the importance of this character development and the endurance of it, as Jesus said. He who endures to the end with that same character, that individual will be saved. Now let's go to the New Testament in Romans chapter 13 verse 8. Romans 13 verses 8 through 10. And here we're going to see an encouragement for what we need to be doing as well or similarly. Romans 13 will begin in verse 8.

Oh, no one anything except to love one another. Jesus, you know, summarized all the law and the prophets as being love for man or love for God and love for man. So he says, he's focusing on the second part. He says, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. This is agape. For the commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet. And if there's any other commandment, they are all summed up in this saying by Jesus, namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. We need to be focused on that. Not as the dangerous perilous times of the end where people are focused on themselves and loving themselves. We need to continue to ask God for the help to love and serve others, consider others better than ourselves, and really have that mind of Christ that would lay down our lives for the brethren as he laid down his life for us.

There are four more commandments, of course, that Paul doesn't give here to the Romans, but they are to love God with our heart, soul, and might if you want to summarize those. And those need to be at the forefront of our daily life, who we are. And we're to do all these things carefully. Let's go to Deuteronomy chapter 28 in verse 1. I come here often because, as Mr. Rick Shaby often mentions in some of his messages, we need to diligently and carefully do what God says, not casually and sort of hit the bases. I'm always amazed why people say, oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm a Sabbath keeper and I don't eat pork. Really? What does that even mean? There's millions of, quote, Sabbath keepers. We're not told to keep the Sabbath. We're told to keep the Sabbath holy. See, now there's something you can focus in on and be careful of. Am I keeping it holy? That's just one commandment. When we look at the law here in chapter 28, it shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God and observe carefully all his commandments. You know, are we just sort of, well, I keep the Sabbath and don't eat pork, therefore I'm obeying God. I'm good to go. See, that can kind of get us where Israel was and where the Jews were in Christ's day.

But if we carefully obey all his commandments, that the Lord your God will set you high above the nations of the earth, just like he'll set Israel high above the nations of the earth one day, he will set you and me high above the nations in reigning with Jesus Christ. But we've got to carefully and diligently make sure that you are a person that is doing that. Drop down to verse 13. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail. You shall be above only and not beneath. If you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. You know, let's go back and look at the things in the Bible individually as we study and be careful. It doesn't matter what the group is doing, what others are doing. Be careful. Careful to observe it.

So when God favors his people with end-time protection, that's actually something that's important to him. He's going to call them my people who go to a place of safety. My people who are his people. Well, they're part of his family. They're like him. They think like him. They do like him. They're part of the kingdom or the government of God. Jesus Christ ruling over us now. And this end-time protection, sometimes people look at it a little skeptically and say, I don't know about this or whatever. This has been so important to God, he has been prophesying it for thousands of years. This has been on his mind. Jesus Christ talked about it 2,000 years ago. Daniel spoke of it. David spoke of it. How far back do we need to go? John spoke of it on the island of Patmos in the book of Revelation.

This is something that's important to God. And hopefully it'll become important to you and to me while we have the time to develop the character necessary for God to count us worthy. Then it's an individual thing.

How important is this to you and me while we have opportunity to grow? That really becomes the question. Today's safety doesn't seem so pressing. This topic even probably sounds a little out of touch, out of time. Really? Really? I mean, it's so nice. It's so comfortable. You can go hop on a cruise. You can do so many things today. Why would we think about this? Some aren't concerned. Some even belittle a concept. But it's not like in Noah's day or it's not like in Lot's day, in a sense. Let's go to Luke 17. I am not at all thinking that things are imminent. I'm thinking of a future time that nobody knows when. And we should be living our lives so that when that day comes, whenever it comes, if we're still alive, we are counted worthy. That's all. And it's not something we should be doing in order to even get it or obtain it. We should be doing it because we want to be God's children. Except the five foolish virgins didn't have time. So we go here to Luke 17, verses 26 through 32. Jesus says, As it was in the days of Noah, so it will also be in the days of the Son of Man. They ate, they drank, they married wives, given in marriage, till the day that Noah entered the ark—that was a nice sunny day— didn't seem like there was any apparent danger, and the flood came and destroyed them all after a week.

They were all sealed inside for a while, all sealed with pitch, and the doors were closed. And then, about a week later, the flood came and destroyed them all.

Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot. Nice day in town.

They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built.

But on the day that Lot went out of Sodom, when he went out actually into the wilderness where nobody was, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

Even so it will be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

So, these times and these events will happen at unexpected times. And I'm just wanting to encourage all of us to really be people of God at all times, because that's what the Bible wants us to be, and not later on say, oh, I should have, would have, could have, should have, you know, been a different person or had more character development.

So, Jesus wants us to be selectable for this favor. What am I doing to encourage that favor in the future, if that would apply to me? When the event happens, it will have been important to have had a life developing holy righteous character, not sort of living on the edge and double dipping, well, a little of the church, a little of the world, you know, I think I'm getting away with everything here and it's not going to work. You drop down to verse 22 here in Luke 17. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Verse 23, the last part of that verse, for there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.

They will fall by the edge of the sword. They will be led away captive into all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

You find in Revelation 11 verses 2 and 3 that the Gentiles will trample Jerusalem. For 42 months, they will be three years and six months.

And meanwhile, the two witnesses will concurrently prophesy for that same period of time, short one month, it'll be three years and five months for them.

And so this toughest time ever is coming. Jesus warns that and God has been planning safety for his people all along.

What does Jesus encourage us to do? Well, let's look in verse 34.

Now we come to this passage again in this context. But take heed to yourself lest your hearts be weighed down with carosing, drunkenness, cares of this life, and the day come upon you unexpectedly. For it'll come as a snare on all who dwell on the face of the earth. So watch, therefore, be a person who is involved in the overcoming and growing process so that you may be counted worthy and be a person of prayer to escape all these things.

This gift of escape is something that is very important to God. It's important to Christ. He wants to be able to favor people. We saw there in Revelation 12. Let's go back there. Revelation 12. Let's start in verse 3.

Get a little context to this.

Because this is part of a greater sequence that's involved Jesus Christ, the church, for a long time. Revelation 12 in verse 3, A sign appeared in heaven. Behold, a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and seven diadems on his heads.

His despotic autocrats are represented, and his tail drew a third of the stars of heaven. A third of the angels were taken in by him and corrupted. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth. The church, the early church, to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, and her child was caught up to God and to his throne. It's within this counter, countering between Satan and Jesus Christ, that the church is there, and then this woman gets caught. And the woman, verse 6, now flees into the wilderness where she has a place.

She has a place prepared by God. See, this place of safety isn't some one-off. This is in the context of what Satan has been doing to the apostles and the prophets and the church, Jesus Christ himself, and at the end time. And so the woman here flees into the wilderness. She has a place prepared by God that they should feed her. Feed her there for 1,260 days, three and a half years.

So while all of this great tribulation is going on, and the ransacking of Jerusalem, and the two witnesses, and all that terror that would wipe out humanity, she is in a place of safety.

In verse 13, Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. So once again, you have this persecution that took place down through the last 2,000 years.

But now we see in verse 13, this is the end time church. This woman that's being persecuted, this woman is given the wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time, times, and half a time from the presence of the servant. So verse 15, guess what happens? Satan doesn't like this. This is very reminiscent, in fact, like in verse 14, the woman is given wings of a great eagle. That was said of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.

That they came out on eagle's wings.

When Satan persecutes the church, he hates the church, and it's much like the Israelites' journey here. She is going out to the wilderness, just like Israel went out to the wilderness to be with God. She goes out to this uninhabited place, to her place on the wings of eagles, led by Jesus Christ, and she is nourished. What happened to the Israelites? They were out in the middle. There's no food out there. There's no water out there. They were fed water out of rocks. They were fed food from heaven as manna, and from the presence of the serpent at the end of verse 14.

Pharaoh is a type of Satan in the Exodus.

So the serpent spewed out water. He did not like to see these individuals get away and go to safety, like Pharaoh did not like to see the Israelites leave Egypt and go with God to the wilderness. So he sent the armies after them, and so the serpent here spews water out of his mouth like a flood, quite possibly armies, after the woman, after the church, that he might cause her to be carried away by that army, brought back in his objection. Verse 16, But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood. When Pharaoh's army came after, the waters were opened, the earth opened, the waters were parted, the army came in, and the water swallowed up the army. And here we see the earth opens its mouth and swallows up the flood, or the army, which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

God has long planned to protect the church at her place. It's part of his plan, and we have no idea whatsoever about the details.

We see some of these passages. We get some general indications, but that's it. But one thing we can see from Scripture is why God has been planning this for so long. Verse 17, The dragon was enraged with the woman. That's why God is planning this. Not because she's so righteous and special or whatever. It's because the dragon will be enraged with the church.

And he went to make war with the rest of her offspring. So he will be departed. She will be safe, as we saw, away from the devil, away from Satan.

And he will go to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. We don't know why they could be like the five foolish and the five wise. They all had oil. They all had truth. They all, to a degree, were part of it.

You know, you have the seven churches of Revelation. Christ has a lot of correction for them, but he says, these are my churches.

We can draw some, perhaps some conclusions there.

But why is because the devil is enraged with a woman.

God spoke to Noah back in Genesis. Come into the ark. Remember those words? Come into the ark. Let's go to Isaiah chapter 26 and verse 20. God is preparing the same thing, preparing to say the same thing to those wise virgins in the future.

Isaiah chapter 26 and verse 20.

And believe me, there are some individuals who are going to be wonderful martyrs at the end time. Like I said, the group that he's speaking of here, it may be because of their own weakness, because Satan is going to be so strong. God's not going to put anybody in a place where they're tempted more than they can handle. So once again, there will be martyrs and those who keep the commandments and the testimony of Jesus Christ that will be killed.

There's no comparison to this. What we're talking about here is how we might gain the favor of God to be saved, according to what the scripture would say. Isaiah 26 and verse 20. Come, my people. Just like come into the ark. Noah was right. He was God's people. Come, my people, God says. Enter your chambers. Shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment until the indignation is passed. There is this time of indignation. It's interesting here. If this is real, they will have chambers with doors.

And notice that they will hide themselves for a little moment. Police and safety is not some destination. It's not salvation. It's not eternal life. It's just a spot for three and a half years. It's just a place of safety from destruction and terror for a group of people for a short time. Just like the ark was. The ark was a place of safety, but only for a year or so. And then they got out and they went on with their lives.

We've got other things to do after the place of safety with Jesus Christ.

In chapter 32 and verse 18 of Isaiah, let's check a couple other passages. Chapter 32 and verse 18, God says, My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.

So if that's an indication of where these individuals will be in the wilderness, that they will come to, they will be peaceful. They will be secure, quiet, and resting. Other potential details could be found in Psalm, like Psalm 27 and verse 5 and 6. Psalm 27 and verse 5.

For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion, in the secret place of his tabernacle he shall hide me. He shall set me high upon a rock, and now my head shall be lifted above my enemies all around me. You know, there could be a place where, yes, they are sequestered, and yes, it's peaceful, but there may be an opportunity to see visibility.

My head will be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and only God can provide that kind of protection. Doesn't mean it'll be on Mars. Doesn't mean it'll be out in the middle of the Pacific, on some little new island that'll pop up.

Enemies all around me.

Psalm 31 verse 19.

O, how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have prepared for those who trust in you, in the presence of the sons of men. Others can see this. You shall hide them in the secret place of your presence from the plots of man. You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

It says here in verse 21, Blessed be the Lord, for he has shown me his marvelous kindness in a strong city. O, love the Lord, all you who saints, for the Lord preserves the faithful and fully repays the proud person. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord. The next chapter, chapter 32 in verse 6.

For this cause, everyone who is godly shall pray to you in a time when you may be found, surely in a flood of great waters, I might say armies, they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place. You shall preserve me from trouble. You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Verse 8, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will guide you with my eye. We go to Psalm 91. Psalm 91. We know a lot of the Psalms are prophetic.

Psalm 91 is very interesting.

Lord, oh, sorry, he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in him I will trust. Surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you shall take refuge. His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.

Only with your eyes you shall look and see the reward of the wicked. There could be a vantage place or telecommunications where you can see the reward of the wicked, because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High your dwelling is. For he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways. We see at this time, specifically in Daniel chapter 12 and verse 1, that these end times and Daniel 11 and 12 are just amazing prophecies that are chronologically in order. And it comes down to chapter 12. Speaking of right at the end time.

Daniel chapter 12 and verse 1.

At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people, and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was an end time. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. At that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who was found written in the book.

We want to be among those individuals. You know, those who remain alive during that end time period are apparently spoken of in contrast to those end time martyrs by the apostle Paul. Let's go to 1 Thessalonians 4 and verse 15. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 15.

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. So notice here, apparently place of safety or those who are alive at the return of Christ, saints, are not better than those who have died either previously or through martyrdom. Verse 16. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. It looks like they have the appreciation. They will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. So we see these scriptures and they could be argued and dissected, but in general God knows that Satan's wrath is going to be on his people like it never has happened in history. And God is preparing to protect some of them. This is not equated with eternal salvation. Place of safety is not required for salvation. We just read that those who are alive and remain will be second to be changed. Not first, but second.

Perhaps the faithful even have stronger holy righteous character than those who are alive and remain. Don't know. There's just some things that you might postulate from scripture. So, as we wrap this up, why is being favored for safety at that future event important? Why is it important? We find this in Isaiah chapter 26 and verse 21. Isaiah chapter 26 and verse 21.

This really clarifies for us why we want to be among those that God would consider worthy. Worthy. Isaiah 26 verse 21. For behold, the Lord comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. We don't need to be part of that.

That doesn't relate to us. That has no purpose for us. We want to be with God. We want to be with Jesus Christ. We want to be His people.

And we, as we read, we would somehow be able to witness the result of disobeying God around us by what's going on in the world. Why is virgins with holy righteous character do not need punishment for iniquity? They don't even need to be associated with that punishment. So in conclusion, remember Noah did not need punishment for iniquity. He was favored. Just as Job was favored and Job was exalted before Satan, exalted before Satan in God's eyes as being wonderful and righteous, a man of character, that's what we want to be in God's eyes.

Noah, remember, was just and righteous in his generations, and he was righteous in the generation in which the flood occurred. So, brethren, let's strive to be deemed just and righteous by God among this generation as we live.

I'd like to close with reading Zephaniah chapter 2 and verse 3. Zephaniah chapter 2 and verse 3.

Right before Malachi.

Zephaniah Zechariah. Right before Zechariah.

Zephaniah.

Hagia. Right before Hagia. Zechariah. One of the Z's. Zephaniah chapter 2 and verse 3.

Let's close with this.

Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld his justice. Be just.

Seek righteousness. Seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger.