End Time Chips

Title is End Time Gyps. Are you a betting person? No lottery winners here? Players? You don't have to raise your hand.

Are you a gambler? I don't see anybody going, pick me, pick me. If you drive on 95, yes. That is true, very true. I used to love playing poker in my early 20s. As a matter of fact, that's the last time I played poker for money was when I was 21, just before I got married. I won a lot of money one night at a table, and I never came back again. Yes, I figured that was about as good as it was going to get. And those guys I was playing with bugged me for years to get their money back, but I just had good hands that night. And then I went on a cruise ship, because I've never been in a casino. Anybody been in a casino? Yes. Oh, look! Everybody! Okay, now I hit it. Now, okay, now everybody's like, yes! As a matter of fact, it sets some of our people right there, I believe. Yes, and they're still at the tables. Thankfully, you didn't play on the Sabbath. But I went to a cruise ship one time, and the old guy had told me before I went, and that's been 30 years ago, that do this one thing, you'll win money. I said, well, I'm not. I don't gamble anymore. He said, do this one thing. So I took $100. Went down one night when I forget Mary was doing something. You were with me? Oh, okay.

That was you. Okay.

And I played that, played this machine, and won $450 in my first $10, $20, and I walked away and haven't seen it again. But not everybody's that way, because they don't have nice places like this for free, and they do win. That's always tilted to the house to win, but if you're, as they say, lucky enough, you may decide to, you may win some. But I'm not really talking about gambling for money. Talking today about gambling with your life, gambling with your eternal life. Because following, if you're a betting person, following this book is a gamble.

About any way you look at it. Because most people don't believe every word in here. Don't believe it's from God. But if you're gambling on this book, your future is determined by the words written in 66 of these books in here. I want to talk about that today, because if you are gambling with your eternal life, you're gambling that when you die, what's in here is true. A lot of people don't really buy that, and it's getting less and less. Who believe that every word is God-breathed. Are we really that faithful to God's word that we believe them? People will let us down, but will God ever let us down? He's let me down a few times. He didn't do what I wanted when I wanted it. And I was upset because he answered my prayers either no or not yet. And I expected a yes. I wanted a yes. And sad to say, too many times I expected a yes. But that's how you learn to have faith in something bigger than yourself. Ask you another question, because our Bible study today will be mostly you talking, if you will, be interactive. Some questions. Not like last time. Anybody remember our Bible study last time? Oh, okay. People said they liked it. Well, this isn't like that.

So can you see God in this book? I see a couple heads going. Some heads going nowhere.

The country and western singer George Strait. Anybody know who George Strait is? A wonderful song a few years ago that said, I saw God today. And whoever the writer, whether it was Dean Dillon who writes a lot of his stuff, wrote it, I don't remember, but there was a song about a man that walks, walking through life, and he sees various things. And he sees God in all those things. Even a flower growing. A new baby born. And the words of the song tie in, I saw God today.

Have you really seen him? Have you felt him? Have you heard him? Even today? This will be a different kind of message, because it's a message that preps us, and someone may go, Where's Ecclesiastes? I took you through eight chapters. I led you to water now. The last four chapters, you're going to have to drink yourself. I hope you will drink them before the feast and during the feast, as it will enhance that feast. That's why I did not finish the series here, because I was hoping that you would be able to pick it apart and glean those nuggets of gold. Either at the feast or just before. But I bring this up because keeping the Sabbath and the Holy Days are an outward sign of your faith. That this book is the truth, and that it does actually set you free. A lot of people do not really believe that. That it is a book about God. How many believe this is a book about God? This is a book from God, isn't it? So it is about Him. It's the story of Him and mankind, but it's His—if I could say it, not everybody would believe it—it's His love letter to us, to His family. Because, yes, it can be written to the world. They can gain something from it, all those, although it's sometimes mocked and sometimes not believed. But to God's followers, His family, it's His love letter to you. And I want to go just a little bit deeper into that as we actually head into the fall Holy Days. We're in the midst of them now. The foundation of that truth, because He says, you shall know the truth and the true shall set you free, is that God came, He lived, He died, and He was brought back to life. And that is the truth. And we must, as followers of this, believe that wholeheartedly. Because if He did not die and resurrected, you won't be either. So unless you believe it, you're taking a serious gamble, taking a serious gamble with your life and how you live. Which, according to this book, tells us that He is the Messiah. He is the Savior. That's what that belief says when we believe that He lived and died. And that everything we have, everything we are betting on, and take my advice, you are betting on it. You are all in that Jesus Christ, the Savior, the Messiah, is who He said He was. If not, you're wasting your time. You're wasting your money.

And you're wasting your future. It's that big a deal. That's why the fall Holy Days point us to Christ coming back. Christ setting up His kingdom. That's why we go to the Feast of Tabernacles. If you don't really believe He's going to rule as King of Kings, then I wouldn't go. You can cancel your plane tickets, cancel your hotel reservations, and try to get your money back. And what would I recommend? Go to the casino. Just go! Go and play those odds, because this is for those who truly believe.

They really believe that this is the Word of God. Since approximately a third of this Bible is prophecy, we must be all in, because it talks about this. Whether it's a minor prophets, the major prophets, or the major prophets, or the major prophets, or the major prophets, or the major prophets, all the chips have to be moved to the center of the table for us. And these Holy Days shows we are willing to move the chips.

Now, maybe you've never played poker that much before. I haven't in a long time, but you never forget it. And when you have all those chips and you bet everything, on one hand, and we are, we're betting that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. And he is who he says he is.

And as I, last time I played five-card stud at a hand, and I put all the chips in, and so did two other guys playing. And I won all the chips. And I was ready to go home. They weren't excited about that. But there's one thing about this. With Christ, with this belief we have, we have to be all in, or cash in your chips. Cash in your chips and take what you have. And go about your way. It's that, it's that big a deal. Because with God and Jesus Christ, they say you are all in, or you're nothing at all.

That is a serious matter. Because to them, it's not a game like poker, like playing 21, Blackjack. It's not a game. It's for eternity. The reward is eternal life and inheriting everything God has. Everything that exists in the world, he's going to give to his children. Because you're all in. He even says he would prefer that you don't even care than to half-care, as he talks to one of his churches in Revelation. He doesn't like lukewarm. I don't mind a lukewarm bath. I don't really like lukewarm water to drink. And God doesn't like lukewarm people.

As a matter of fact, he even said, I'll spew you out of my mouth. And unless you are all in. Why does he say that? Because the people he's talking to, he's invested so much in you. He's invested the best, the greatest thing he could ever give. His son and part of himself, the Holy Spirit. So let us examine two scriptures. That's really all I have today. Two scriptures? Well, I have else, but I want to examine two scriptures that we must believe if we believe in our Messiah and our Savior.

And all this prophecy in here is true. Because today I want to give you as evidence for you to carry on during this fall Holy Day season so that you won't leave these days lukewarm. You won't leave these days wondering. I guess it's true. It sounds logical, but you will know and you'll know that you know. One is the kingdom of God is headed our way. Why else would Christ say in Matthew 6.33?

Do you remember? Seek first the kingdom of God. Ah, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of God. First, and His righteousness, which ties in there together. Or Matthew 6, the sermon on the Mount. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth. It's coming to earth. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

We're to pray that that does happen. But all that is a mute point. We do not believe in Christ is who He said He was. None of it. None of it. Nothing else matters. None. None of it matters at all. So with that said, let's go to the two scriptures. Two scriptures. Hopefully you will join me in Isaiah 9. Isaiah 9. A unique place in all the Bible as Isaiah is pointing this picture to us. So let's look at it. Isaiah 9 and 6. Isaiah 9 and verse 7. Let's go to 6 first and let's look at it. For it says, for unto us a child is born. A child born flesh.

Human. Yes, a God. So awesome, so powerful that He created the entire universe. It's not limited in power, time, anything else. He was outside of all that, and He decided to give Himself limitations and limited into Himself to be a puny human. He came so far down, as the scripture says. A God turned human for humans, not for Himself. He did it for others. Who were puny like He became.

Amazing as it was. Because when we were in Crete last year for the Feast of Tabernacles, it is believed in mythology that Zeus was born on the island of Crete. And that he was such a great baby. As he grew, he became a God. So different than a God who became a baby.

So it says, for unto us a child is born. Aren't you glad? I am. And then it says, unto us a son is given. A son is given.

Imagine that a former equal becomes less and subservient forever. Because that's what happened. As we read in Philippians, that Jesus did not consider it robbery to be called equal with God, with the Father. Okay? That's all we know. Other than in the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and the Word was with God. So, I mean, they were both God. He was willing to, which he had been for eternity, he was willing to come down and no longer be equal with God.

But to become subservient.

God. Christ. What kind of God does that? Nothing in mythology would do that. And he's willing to do it forever. And he actually says, Father, Father. And when someone says, good teacher, what must I do? He says, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. There is none good but the Father. He didn't even consider himself as a father. He didn't even consider himself at that time to be even close to the Father because he was a human. Because he had taken the form of a human, even though he was fully God and fully man. He considered himself less than God. Who does that? Doesn't he ask us to do that? Let's go on. And the government will be upon his shoulders. Wow. A world-ruling government. See, that's what we get to see. This God born of a human mother who has to have his diapers changed, who has to be fed for the first few years, who can run and fall down and scrape his knees and bleed. He decided to do this, and now God has said, the government of the entire world, a world-ruling government, will be his. That's why we go to the Feast of Tabernacles to picture and feast at that time so that we can just have a small taste.

Nothing even close, but as close as humans could probably get. A human government government orchestrated and run by God's.

King of the world is what Jesus Christ will be.

It's even said Lord of Lords, but he's King of the world. That means there is no parliament. There is no branches of government. He is and will be the government. There is only one answer. He is what he decides. This is what we believe. This is who we push all of our chips in the center because we believe it's what you're doing today. It's what you did of baptism and is what you reaffirm every year. A Passover, but then we come to this time of the year and it's like you need a little more. So God says, I'm going to take you. I'm going to take you closer than you've been all year to the kingdom of God. I'm going to do it with my holy days.

You see, it says, and the government will be, not should be, might be, if government will be upon his shoulders. For you see, Jesus Christ has big shoulders, bigger than we could even imagine. And this is what he is going to do. We must believe that. And then it says, and his name will be called. I loved how those wills will be in it. His name will be called. It isn't might be, should be, could have, would have, should have. No. His name will. I find that very interesting. His name is very correct and descriptive name. Will be called. Or one translation says, shall be called. Isn't that interesting? Because when Isaiah wrote this, it was 600 years BC, 600 years before that baby would be born. This is prophecy. Many people did not believe it. Herod did because he tried to kill the baby. Because he, uh oh, because they could read these scriptures.

Wow. His name will be called future tense. Let's look at it. What he will be called. Wonderful counselor. This is who Christ Messiah is. He is God. But he is so much more than just God. He is this. He is this. These words describe him, describe his character, describe everything about him. And God gave these two verses to us so that we could understand what in the world are we doing when we gamble everything.

Wonderful counselor. That's very comforting. We hopefully ask him for help. Obviously we pray. But see, unlike psychologists today, the words that he gives us, either through prayer or through the written word, he's not confused over the difference between a male and a female. There's nothing he can give you all kinds of counseling and tell you this. Matter of fact, I have a good friend here today that is counseling for marriage. There's nothing confusing. I'm not going to talk her into marrying a woman. Because we're sticking straight to the Bible. This wonderful counselor, it really shows us, and I know I speak from experience. I don't see my counselor as often as I need to. I need to go to the counselor more. That's what we used to have in high school. If you got in trouble, you had to go see the counselor. Who then decided whether you would see the principal? Who then decided whether he would whip you or not? That was my school. Anybody else grow up in that area? Anybody here not get one of those whippings? Oh, wow! You holy and righteous people! You're either that or liars. So I'll take you on your word that you were not like your pastor growing up. But this wonderful counselor, do we do it? And if we come to the realization today that we don't seek his counsel as much as we should, isn't it a good time of the year to start? I think it is. Wonderful counselor. Let's look at it. Then it says, mighty God, mighty God. Remember growing up when I was younger, there was a cartoon called Mighty Mouse. Anybody remember Mighty Mouse? And he was all through there, and he could do these. This little rat, mouse, could fly and did all these amazing things. But here he says he's a mighty God. That means powerful. There's nothing infinite, omniscient, omnipotent. I mean, there's not enough words to describe a mighty God. Go through here. One time I came up with 42 different adjectives that describe God, Jesus, and load it. And then he tells me through this word that I need to be like him.

I got a lot of homework to do. How about you? Because that's what he wants. He wants to be king of kings who think like him, lord of lords who has his mindset. This is what he would love to have. Mighty God! How many times did he show it in this? I mean, this just proves it. Moses Aaron! Stand back and see the salvation of the Lord. And he pulls water up and dries the land like that. And they walk through and he goes, okay, close it. And I loved how the Hebrew word even told me how. Because when the walls of water were actually described in the Hebrew, the word means congealed. Congealed. He congealed the water on both sides so they could walk over. And you know kids did. You know they had to have. There was at least a dozen Chuck Smiths in that group who just had to go over and see if they could punch through that congealed seal. Ah, man, mighty God! Let's go through and look at all this. How long would that take you to write down all the power that God shows in this book? You got that much time? Oh, I forgot. Some of you have to work.

What an incredible, incredible two words. Mighty God. And then he has this one that people have actually written to me through email and called me and said they thought this was a conflicting statement. Everlasting Father.

Who are we praying to? Are we praying to Jesus Christ? He told us not to, didn't he? He told us, don't pray to me. Pray to the Father. Well, wait a minute. He is. So how do we reconcile this? How would we argue if somebody came to us and asked us that? Or told us, well, that doesn't make sense. Oh, I forgot. My, oh, man, I'm sorry, brother. I forgot the Trinity. Except that doesn't exist in the Bible. It's a man-made thing. So let's actually look at that because is he who made Adam and Eve? He was in Christ then. What was he? The Word. He was the Word, you remember? John 1, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and the Word was with God. So it shows that there's two. But go with me if you have your Bible. Go with me to John 1 that I just quoted. That's an easy quotable. We all know. John 1 and verse 3. As John is describing Jesus Christ, John is teaching us about the Word. That's what he does because John met the Word and lived with him for three and a half years. So he's trying to tell us here and he says in verse 1 and verse 3, chapter 1 and verse 3, all things. What is that? All, all, not most, not some, all things were made through him and without him nothing was made that was made almost sound redundant. No, he made it all. There's nothing that was not made that he didn't, that he made. He made it all. There's not one thing he didn't make. Throw me a couple books away. Colossians. Colossians 1. Because am I supposed to just believe this? Am I really supposed to believe? Colossians 1 verse 16. Just because John said so, I'm supposed to believe it. By the mouth of two or three witnesses is a matter established. Well, here's another witness. Colossians 1 verse 16. Talking about Christ and the preeminence of Christ. Here it says, for by him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible. What's invisible? Ah, the spirit world. Yes, yes. Whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created through him and for him. It's all about him. This thing's been set up all about him. And you know, the the most incredible thing. He's all about us. Everything was made for him. And then he goes, no, it's them. I'm doing it for them. I'm doing it for my creation. It doesn't make sense, does it? It's not logical. Somebody would do that. My thoughts are not your thoughts because my thoughts are so much greater than yours. What an incredible, incredible thing. When did he become the son?

Frank? Yes. When he left the heavenly realm and came into the human realm to be born. Yes, born by Mary. He became the son then. He wasn't the son before that, was he? The Bible says they're co-equals. But now, and you know what he asked us to do now? Ask us humans to do because he did it. Him up here and us down here. Because he will raise us up as we saw this past week, didn't he?

That's all he asked.

I better speed this up. That is just such an everlasting Father. Have I called him Father before? Absolutely. I know who the Father is. I know who he is, and I thank him for what he did. I'll go through this scripture as I was doing just yesterday and said, Jesus, thank you, Father. You created everything, and you're willing to become a son. You didn't have to be in charge. How many people we met that had to be in charge? Quite a few. Quite a few. Because he thought that was the worst it was. Okay, let's go. Prince of Peace! Prince of Peace. What does that mean to you? If someone's a Prince of Peace, what does it mean? Don't be shy. You can only be wrong. Yes, Frank? Okay, that's your peace. Peace. Prince of Peace. That's all he wants. He is bringing peace. He has seen what his creation, because he did create everything, right? Everything. He's seen the evil that's out there, too, because he created it not evil. It turned evil. That's a different sermon, but what did he do? He wants peace. He finally has to come here to bring peace, because we can't find it without the Prince of Peace. We have no peace. We can't even have peace in our own life right now, without him guiding us and teaching us. He is the Prince of Peace.

And we're all going to work for him. Okay? We're all going to go work for him. He's the boss. There won't be any, well, let's see, what position do you have for me? That's exactly how it's going to be. You're not going to tell him what position. He's going to tell you what you're going to do, because he knows who knows better than he does. And he's watched you all this time. He knows where you're going to be best fit in that kingdom, where you can help him rule in reign for a thousand years plus another zillion.

So let me ask you, who takes a job? Who takes a job? And you know nothing about the boss. If you do, I might as well say you're stupid. It's idiotic to take a job when you don't know about the boss, because you don't know how you're going to work. You don't know whether he's going to like you. Chances are it probably won't work out. You need to know. And so here you're saying you want the job in his kingdom. You want to rule and reign with him. So let's go see Isaiah 9 verse 7. Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. This is what that government, this is how it's going to come about. This is what the government's going to be like. Of the increase of his government, stop. There will be no end. What is it? What is it? We understand as humans what is a government? Territory, people, and law. Territory, people, and law. It says it will never stop. Of the increase it's going to keep on. How do you do that with no, if everybody's spirit after the thousand years? Huh. Huh. Do you think Christ is going to get there and go, Oh, what? Oh, man, what do I do now? What could I do? That's right. I'm the great creator.

Why didn't he tell us all about that? Because we puny little humans can't even handle a thousand years yet. We have a hard time thinking, I can't even get a thousand years. Wow. The increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. Peace, there will be no end. To have peace, you must be rid of Satan. You can't have peace for eternity, but we've had some. Okay, make sure I don't say this wrong. We've had people even in the Church of God, we have ministers preach that God can't destroy Satan. What? Oh, well, that's the size. He's the size of that rock he can't pick up that he created. This is how it's going to come about. Satan will be destroyed. There will be peace. The increase of it will be forever and ever. It will never stop.

Otherwise, you really want it. You want to just say, take my application back. Because this is it. I want the ultimate. I want the ultimate, and only God has the ultimate. Let's go down. Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom. Yes. Isn't that amazing? He comes from a kingly lineage. And you can follow it through here. Through here. And he has designed it all the way through. And so, here, no matter what twists and turns is going to be, he will be sitting on that throne of David. Yes. 3,000 years later. All right. 3,200, if you will. If it lasts 200 more years, doesn't matter. He's going to be king. And he's on that throne and that royalty to prove that he has been in charge all this time. And all this has been planned and done. And that kingdom will last forever and ever. You remember Daniel 2 and verse 44, that kingdom will destroy the other kingdoms, and it will last for and it says forever and ever. Except I never liked it. I like deal forever and ever and ever and ever to where you people are finally going. Shut up. That's how long it is. Our little brains can't even handle, but that's that's what he's promising. That's what he wants to give us. It's not going up to heaven and playing some harps. Okay. He's going to increase his kingdom. Over and over. It says, he's up on the throne of David and over the kingdom to order it and establish it with justice and judgment. Judgment and justice. Are they the same?

No, they're similar. I can make a judgment, but is it justice? Justice is getting what you what? Deserve. Judgment is somebody has to decide that. Christ is going to decide that. He's going to decide. He has all judgment. All will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. It's what the book says. And then he hands out justice. Nobody else. I'm not going to judge anyone. My future isn't into judging anywhere. As a matter of fact, he says, shut up, Chuck, and don't judge now. But I want to. No. No. You're learning to wait for him. Him to do this. From that time forward, even forever. Man, that's a long time. That's a long time. The zeal of the Lord. Host will perform it. How's it going to be done? He's going to do it. We're going to assess, but no, he's doing all of it. It's not time for us to go, well, God, I think I can do this. I think I think you should do this. He's going to say, no, you don't. It's all my zeal. And. My zeal. The Hebrew word is kana, kana for this word zeal. And and it means intense, passionate. So when Christ does it, when he instills the kingdom, when he makes everything happen, it's not going to be like, OK, now you guys move this over here. Oh, I think, well, I don't know. No, it's with passion. It's with zeal. It's going to happen. And he's going to make sure it's like one of these guys get out of the way.

Because it's happening. And we're going to be part of that team if we can accept it.

Where else do you want to be all in? With your chips. If you find another book, how about Buddha? How about the Quran? How about other religions? You want to be all in? With them? Or you want to be all in with this? Well, he explains what's going to happen. We don't have all the fine little things because we're not smart enough. Yes, he says, Chuck, you're too dumb. To understand it, but you have enough. You have enough. Preach my word. And they'll get there. They'll get there. Keeping the Feast of Tabernacles is a sign just like the Sabbath. That you believe this is your king. This is your future king. This is your Lord of Lords. This is the one that's going to make it happen. This is the boss. And he wants to give you just a taste.

As I can use a gambling term, he wants you all in. And then he says, let it ride. Let it ride. Because this is for eternity.

Last scripture, Hebrews 11, verse 6. Did I even give you this? I gave it to you. Okay, man, my mind's been over on another island for a while. Hebrews 11, verse 6. He said, he must believe that he is who he says he is. That he is the reorder of those who diligently seek him. Brethren, keep his feast. Believe in him. Because it's the best bet you will ever make in your eternal life.