Hope for the Future

I would like to begin the sermon this afternoon by reading from Newsweek magazine, the current issue, December 24th. It has several pages about the tragedy in Connecticut. Let me just read from page 14. In any sane society, events such as these would serve as a shock in the system, but in America it's become sickening routine, what happened up in Connecticut. It's become sickening routine. In the U.S., the U.S. can now claim 11 of the 20 worst mass shootings of the last half century. Half of the dozen deadliest shootings in U.S. history have taken place in the past five years. So we can claim the majority, even in the last half century, and then about half a dozen of these have taken place just in the last few years. Virginia Take, Blacksburg, Virginia, 2007, 32 dead. Binghamton, New York, 2009, 13 dead. Fort Hood, Texas, 2009, 13 dead. Aurora, Colorado, 2012, 12 dead. Geneva County, Alabama, 2009, 10 dead. And now Sandy Hook, 28. For terrified students hid in closets and huddled, crying in the corner of the gymnasium where the surviving children were told to hold hands and close your eyes as they were led past the bodies of their playmates. Of course, this has really struck close to all of us, these children in this elementary school, and it shows pictures here of the faces of people, the suffering and the pain that they had. Questions on the next page, should five-year-olds pack pistols in self-defense? Of course, that's kind of a tongue-in-cheek question in a way. Or perhaps only teachers. Now, there's the question of maybe teachers ought to have pistols, weapons. Why is it, another question, why is it that since 1960, the U.S. has been the site of five times as many mass shootings as the next deadliest country, Finland? Do we simply breed more lone homicidal maniacs? Or do we have a deeper problem? What is going on? That is, these are all questions that are being asked in our country at this time. Two years ago, when a similarly disturbed 20-something shot Congresswoman Giffords in Tucson, America seemed poised for that long-delayed conversation about whether the Second Amendment, which protects our right to bear arms, might permit some modest safety measures as well. Of course, that's under discussion right now whether assault weapons and being able to have shot after shot after shot, they can just keep firing whether that is really something that should be allowed in our country.

Of course, in some ways, as we think about guns, and part of this discussion will be, it's not guns, it's people. And of course, there's a lot of truth in that as well. We had guns in my home when we came up. I knew where the .22 rifle was, and I knew where the bullets were. I knew where the 16-gauge shotgun, or was it a 20-gauge shotgun, was. And I knew where the bullets were.

As I got to be in my teen years, I'd even get some bullets and the gun and go down in the woods and shoot. So, is it the guns or is it the people? What's happening in our country? That's the big discussion underway. We all know that now. Of course, Mr. Obama stood up after the deadly shootings, and he said, concerning these children, they had their entire lives ahead of them. Birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. You know, there's going to be a delay in that, but these kids still have that ahead of them, don't they?

When you understand the Second Resurrection and understand that all of those who have lived in this age and have not understood God's ways or had their lives cut off like this, little babies and infants and children, they will come back to life. And these children will go to school, they will graduate, they will have weddings, and it's going to be a wonderful time in the Second Resurrection period.

But, Mr. Obama will say we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics. Well, it may be that our country will do something that is meaningful, it may be that it will even help to some extent.

It would be nice if that were to indeed happen. There's going to be a lot of debate about this, we can be sure. This has driven our nation to a national discussion of what can be done to prevent things like this happening and what is going on in our country.

You know, even this past week after Connecticut, there have been killings. Wasn't it in Texas that there was this argument about some sneakers and buying of a special type sneaker in a store. And two people were killed. I think I just caught that on the news. I'd not take a note of it if it happened before yesterday, but just the latter part of this week, there's been killings going on here and there since. Maybe one person here, a couple or two or three other places. You know, there's something dramatically wrong, isn't there, with our culture? What is it? When you get right to the bottom of what is going on, what is happening to us?

I want us to discuss this afternoon. We know this, that there is an effect here that we don't like. But what is the cause? Are we getting to the root of it in our country?

Basically, no. We are so far treating the effect. We are not getting to the real cause of what is happening in our country. Cause and effect. We would have to get back to some more, much more basic things than just gun control. Though the assault weapons, that certainly may be, you know, something that should be addressed. All right. But we still need to get to something even more basic than that.

Almost all of what we have been doing so far has been talking about the effect and not really getting to the cause. What is the cause?

You know, this issue of the Good News, the November-December 2012 issue, is an issue devoted to, many articles are devoted to, marriage and the family. We would have to get back to the basic building block of any society, our family, and make basic changes. Many, many changes would have to be made in our culture as far as marriage and family. This article, or this issue, rather, has articles that point out things that would really begin to get to the cause of our problems.

I'd like to just read a little bit from the Good News magazine, the November-December issue. On page two in the article, Does Marriage Matter?, consider the costs when marriage is debased and discarded, as it is in our country. A landmark 2008 study titled, The Taxpayer Cost of Divorce and Unwed Childbearing, concluded that breakdown of the family costs U.S. taxpayers a minimum of at least $112 billion each year, or more than $1 trillion in a decade. So, you want to save a trillion dollars that would help our national economy?

Then just begin to eliminate divorce and unwed childbearing. That'd be a good way to begin to save money. But this article goes on down that figure includes major costs for higher rates of crime, drug abuse, education failure, chronic illness, child abuse, domestic violence and poverty, more welfare expenditure, increased remedial and special education expenses, increased Medicaid and Medicare costs, and increasingly expensive and harsh crime control measures, among other things.

There's something else to throw into consideration as far as getting to the cause of our problems. The National Fatherhood Initiative website cites a number of studies showing that children in father absent homes are almost four times more likely to be poor. This website then gets into the importance of fathers in a family. Children born to single mothers show higher levels of aggressive behavior than children born to married mothers. Infant mortality rates are 1.8 times higher for infants of unwed mothers than for married mothers. A 2002 Department of Justice survey of 7,000 inmates revealed that 39 percent of jail inmates lived in mother-only households.

There is significantly more drug use among children who do not live with their mother and father. A poor parental bond with one's father was highly predictive of depression, a well-known predictor of alcohol abuse and related problems for both females and males.

Youth who have experienced divorce, separation, and non-union birth have significantly higher levels of behavioral problems at school than to youth who have always lived with both biological parents. So, you know, we'd have to get father very much back into the family. If we want to get to the cause of our problems, we've got to get to that building block, the family, and we've got to get father and mother and get them staying together, working together, and having children and rearing their children. What a dramatic difference that would begin to make.

The next article on page four in this issue of the Good News, who will win the battle over marriage?

You know, we know that it's going to turn out good that God is going to win this battle, but on page five, just to read a little bit from this article, as a society, we've drifted far from God's intent. Consider a few sad facts. More and more couples are now living together without marrying. Among those who do marry, a shockingly high number of divorced, about half of U.S. marriages, end in divorce. That's not healthy for a society. One out of every five children in America is born to an unwed mother. Three out of every five children born this year will live in a single parent household for at least part of their childhood. That's 60 percent. Only 25 percent of Americans live in a traditional family arrangement. I came up in a traditional family arrangement. I had a father. I had a mother. They lived together over 50 years. They had six children, and it wasn't until death did them part that they stayed together. I had the privilege of coming up and, after getting away from home, also coming back to a traditional family arrangement. If you had that, then you were very blessed. But today, only 25 percent of Americans live in a traditional family arrangement. Seventy-five percent live in a non-traditional arrangement.

Are we beginning to see the cause of our problem? It's the breakup of the family.

If we want to get to the cause, we've got to turn this around. Are we going to?

Well, as a nation, that is doubtful. About 50 percent of Americans define same-sex partners with children as a family. I think it's just slightly over 50 percent. I feel that's just fine. People of the same sex want to get married, have a child, then that's a family.

Now, we have this program, and this is brought out on page five of this issue of The Good News. I've not seen this program. I didn't even know it existed until this article. But mention of changing societal norms brings us to another new television show, NBC's new fall comedy, The New Normal, already has won up on the competition, says Maggie Furlong.

They've had the distinct honor of being the first new network show of the season to be boycotted.

The reason they're boycotted? This is a new normal as a family. A family is a family, and love is love, says leading Lady Goldie, played by Georgia King, says in all the promos, it's a touching moment and not the only one in this truly well-done plot. Why are people calling for a boycotted to show? Well, maybe it's because the show is about a gay male couple having a baby through a surrogate mother, the above mentioned Goldie, and this is declared to be normal. It's the new normal. It's not going to be the new normal, cast member Justin Bartha added when talking about frustrations with the boycott. It's about people are going through because it's what people are going through now.

And so, you know, they say this is going to be normal. It's going to be accepted by everyone. It's not going to be the new normal very long. It will be the normal. People will accept it. That's what they're saying. So, you know, it's kind of sad, isn't it? There's a section here on page 7. Hope you're reading our magazine. This is a powerful issue. We're warning. It is crying out with the truth of the Bible and what is happening in our country and why we're facing so many of the problems. You know, I think if we look at the ones who have committed the mass murders in our country, we would see family very much a part of it, the breakdown of the family. On page 7, there's a section on media's assault on traditional values. It's going on all the time. There's an article on page 8, Living Together. What Aren't You Being Told? And it brings out in this article that that a growing number of people are just living together. It's jumped from the year 2000 to 2010. It's doubled from 3.8 million couples to 7.5 million. You know, that's each couple, of course, is two people. So that's 15 million people living together unmarried. The actual number may be higher since such couples may describe themselves as roommates, housemates, or just friends living together. This growing figure now accounts for 12 percent of U.S. households. In some cities, large cities, a third or more of couples living together are not married. And so, they go on to show that there's a lack of commitment on the part of those who look together unmarried. It's more likely just not to work because there's not that same love and that commitment. Then another article that certainly affects the family very much is beginning on page 12. What's Behind the Gay Agenda? And I'll tell you, this article is very straightforward. It brings out that this is certainly a growing problem and there's a growing acceptance of the gay lifestyle. On page 14, it gets very plain. In recent years, the Gay Rights Movement has changed the target of its agenda. Thirty years ago, gay activists made little effort to try to change the definition of marriage. But today, this change is central to the gay agenda in most of the Western world. They want marriage now defined as not being between a man and a woman only, but also it could be between those of the same sex. And they've gained considerable political support. American President Barack Obama's policies have consistently favored the expansion of gay rights. And, for example, on June 29, 2009, the 40th anniversary of what established Gay Pride Month, Obama welcomed 300 gay activists to the White House stating, Welcome to your White House, assuring them that their goals would be realized in his administration. Last spring, Obama became the first sitting president to publicly declare support for legalization of same-sex marriage. This was followed by the Democratic Platform Committee unanimously endorsing it for the 2012 presidential elections, a first for a major party platform.

So, you know, still there are many people that are against same-sex marriage. Our own state and 42 states have instituted some, their own, supportive marriage act defining marriage as a union of one man and one woman. But the trend is all going toward this legalization of it. Ultimately, it will no doubt go on to be able to come to be a court issue and be allowed.

Eight states so far have approved gay marriage by legislative or court-ordered action, but none by the popular vote of citizens. So this issue of the Good News Magazine is full of articles that get to the cause of what is going on in our country. We really are going to turn things around. We have to get back to the building block of any society, strong family units.

You think that's about to happen in the U.S.? I don't foresee us turning that around. This has not been brought up. At a time or two, I heard a little bit of an allusion to, hey, it's our culture, but I didn't get any, I haven't heard any comments yet that we have to really get back to the traditional family structure if we're really to solve the problem of our country. Begin to have children that are balanced and not going to go off on the deep end and do something like massacre children and kill people. There's an article here on an inset on page 14. Children need both a father and a mother. Let me just read a little bit from that. Marriage was designed to connect children to a loving relationship with their mother and father, offering stability for them and society at large. Studies show that children from a stable marriage with both father and mother in the home have a better opportunity for a successful life in creating a stable family life of their own when they get married. God seeks godly offspring, Malachi 2, 15-16. That is why he hates divorce or any other violation of the sacred covenant of marriage, like same-sex relationships. Sexual immorality destabilizes husband and wife relationships and can often destabilize the family unit, negatively affecting children. There's strong evidence that children need both a mother and a father. It seems that the absence of fathers is particularly damaging to children. In a new book, Life Without Father, compelling new evidence that fatherhood and marriage are indispensable for the good of children and society, researcher Dan Popenow noted that the absence of fathers was strongly linked to many societal ills from crime to academic failure. Marriage must be reestablished as a strong social institution, he argued. He went on to say that the father's role must be redefined. It must relate to the unique attributes of modern societies, so the new roles for women and to special qualities that men bring to child rearing. That's brought out in this book. Later, he gave some of the statistics demonstrating the importance of fathers in the lives of proper social development of their children. 60% of America's rapists come from fatherless homes. 72% of adolescent murderers grew up without a father. 70% of long-term prison inmates are fatherless. So there's a lot of information that is available to us on the importance of the family, the traditional family, where there's a father and a mother and a strong family unit for children to grow up in. So, you know, to get to the real cause of our problems and these mass murders that are going on, we would have to get to the family as one of the major, or as I said, the breakdown of the family is one of the major causes of what is happening, and we would have to get back to that traditional biblical type family to really solve the problems. Restoring traditional biblical-oriented or model marriages would begin to turn things around and get us heading in the direction of the same society. Well, such a society is coming, I want to say, and that is our message. But there's going to be a few more evil years, but then there is going to be a same society where the traditional family, even much more than we've ever had in our country, is going to be a reality. Today, what I'd like for us to do is to read some encouraging prophecies. I would not want us to come out of this sermon feeling bad or discouraged. We do feel bad about what is happening, but to come out of this sermon with hope and encouraged about the future, because there is hope for the future. Let's read some prophecies today. 1 Timothy 3 foretold a time such as we are seeing happening and further developing in our country and in the world.

In 2 Timothy 3, verse 1, know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. We're living in the last days, and these are perilous times. For men will be lovers of themselves, not considering anybody else, just loving themselves. Lovers of money. There's a lot of greed. Boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving. King James version has without natural affection, without that affection that is natural. You know when someone kills his own mother and then goes and kills innocent children, there's certainly not a natural type of affection there. Unloving without natural affection, then unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal. And there's brutality in these mass murders and, of course, any murder that occurs. Despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure, more than lovers of God.

Having a form of godliness but denying its power from such turn away. Brethren, we are seeing these social conditions, aren't we, all around us today? But, you know, in this very book there's indication of that time when things will begin to be different. 2 Timothy 4 and verses 7 and 8, just before the Apostle Paul died, he said, I fought the good fight. I've finished the race. I have kept the faith. So he says, there's laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge will give me on that day. And not to me only but all of those who have loved his appearance or his appearing. So when Christ returns, the Apostle Paul knew that he would be given a crown of righteousness. You know, that's the time when things are going to begin to turn back towards sanity. When Christ returns, let's go to Jude. Jude writes about it, turning the world back to sanity. We're getting more insane all the time.

In Jude, verses 14 and 15, there's good news. When Christ returns, he's going to return the world to sanity, or he's going to give the world a sanity that it's actually never had.

The sanity of keeping God's laws that work and produce blessings and good things. And all these evils will be a thing of the past. In Jude, verses 14 and 15, now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints. The Apostle Paul will be one of those that will have his crown of righteousness. And there will be ten thousands, many, many ten thousands of others who will have their crowns of righteousness as well. And we are being trained to be among those saints of God who will receive their crown of righteousness when Christ comes. And verse 15, and what will Christ and the saints do?

To execute judgment on all. Begin to judge the world. Begin to restore God's holy and righteous ways to the world.

To convict all who are ungodly among them. You know, it doesn't say we're going to destroy everybody, but we're going to convict the ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way. Things such as we are seeing develop in these senseless massacres and killings and other things happening in a world that's going more insane all the time.

We'll turn the world away from the ungodly ways. All the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. We're going to turn things around. Isn't that good? That's our calling.

Are you preparing for it? That's part of the mission of the United Church of God, is preparing a people, those saints that are going to reign with Christ. And turn things around. Turn to Acts chapter 3, a passage that we often read at the Feast of Tabernacles. But it's good to read it anytime because it's encouraging. Again, I don't want us to go away from the sermon today feeling discouraged. But I want us to go away feeling encouraged because there is hope for the future. There's not hope in this present world, and it's not likely to get better this year and next year and the year after. But not too many years away it's going to begin to get dramatically better.

It's going to get dramatically worse, in fact, though before that time comes. In Acts chapter 3 and verse 19, repent therefore and be converted. That's the message we preach. We preach repentance. Repent and believe the gospel is our message. Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be bludded out so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, that He may send Jesus Christ and all the ten thousands of saints also who was preached to you before, whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. It's a time of restoration. That's hope for the future, isn't it?

That is our only hope.

I tell you, we've got to continue to thunder it out. I'm glad to see our magazine thundering out the truth about family. Not sparing any punches.

Even right down to some of the things done at our top leadership levels in our country, that, hey, these things are not going in the right direction. They're not going to bring us the good result that we would like.

There's a warning.

The Ezekiel warning, you might say, the ways we're going are the ways that don't produce the results that we desire.

So, times of restoration are coming. Let's read from Romans 11.

As far as Israel, when Christ returns, what He will do.

In Romans 11, in verse 25, What God is doing is certainly a mystery today in this world. The mystery of His kingdom and His way.

But we're striving to proclaim that mystery for those, and those who understand that God draws to understand will come to understand that mystery. But it's a mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits, that hardening in part has happened to Israel. Yes, our nation is from Israel, in particular the tribe of Joseph, in particular from Manasseh.

And we have realized the birthright blessings that God promised to Ephraim and Manasseh. But a hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

But then Christ returns, verse 26, so all Israel will be saved. That's encouraging. All of America, all of Britain, and all of the Israelite-ish tribes will be saved. But when, as it is written, the deliverer will come out of Zion, and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. Well, we read about turning people from ungodliness in the book of Jude. The ten thousands of saints in Christ are going to turn away ungodliness from Jacob then, under the leadership of Christ. We'll turn away all these things that are happening.

That's encouraging. For this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins. So when Christ returns, He's going to turn things around.

That's exciting to think about. You know, life for us to take maybe 15 minutes or so and read some of those prophecies that are written.

There's bad news, yes, but there's good news. We want to not leave out the good news. Let's go to Isaiah chapter 5.

We'll read about what is happening today. It gives us an understanding of what is happening in the news.

I tell you, we don't know. You know, we have how many sociopaths are there out there?

It's amazing that so many of them are young males, aren't they?

As far as I know, we haven't had any female mass murderers. Have there been any? Maybe so, but most of them are young males. Even in their 20s, they're just getting started in life.

We're likely... How many are going to then perpetrate crimes in the future? We're in a precarious position right now. I'm not saying that you shouldn't go to a shopping mall. I'm not saying you should take your children out of school. We should look to God and do our best. Trust Him, but we should also realize that our country has bred a lot of problems, what might develop in the years ahead. In Isaiah 5 and in verse 20, Woe to those who call evil good and good evil!

We have a lot of that going on today. People want to say, living together? That's good. No, it's evil.

Same-sex marriage? That's good. No, it's evil. The only definition of marriage can include same-sex marriage. No, that's evil. How can man take something that God has created and designed and say, well, we'll give our own definition. There's only one definition of marriage. It's a man and woman.

There's only one true definition. Anything else is a falsehood.

But that's where we are. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil! Who put darkness for light and light for darkness! Who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

What are those who are wise in their own eyes? We're so wise today. We allow anything and prudent in their own sight! What are those that are mighty at drinking? We have a lot of that that goes on. We justify the wicked for a bribe. A lot of that. Verse 24. The fire devours, the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff. So their root will be as rottenness. That's what we're coming to. And their blossom will ascend like dust. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. And we have.

We no longer can have Bible reading in school. We no longer can have prayers in school. But understand that some of those people did pray at Newtown as they were huddling with the shooting going on.

So, you know, it's too sad that we don't have regular prayers. Remember? I remember Bible reading and prayers when I was in school.

Things had really turned around.

When I was in elementary school, that would have been about 1946, I guess, when I entered the first grade. But as I came up in school in the 40s and the 50s, there was never even a thought of anything like this going on.

Like happened in Connecticut and in Colorado and other places.

Things have changed, haven't they? They've changed a lot.

And it's getting worse even year by year.

Let's go to Isaiah 10. Let's get some good news here. Don't want to leave out the good news today. I want us to really soak in that there's hope for the future.

There's hope for the future if we are close to God and looking forward to His Kingdom.

In Isaiah 10 and verse 20, It shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, those who survive the time of captivity and punishment, such as have escaped to the house of Jacob, will never again depend on Him who defeated them, but will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. In truth, the remnant will return the remnant of Jacob to the mighty God.

So that is encouraging to know. Americans and British and Australians and all the tribes of Israel will turn to God in the future.

Isaiah 11 and verse 9, They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain. The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

In that day, there will be a root of Jesse who will stand as a banner to the people. To Him for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place will be glorious. Not just Israel, then. All of the nations are going to seek God in His way. In verse 11, It shall come to pass in that day, the Lord will set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people that are left from Assyria and Egypt and pathros and these other nations. And in verse 12, He will set a banner for the nations and assemble the outcast of Israel. So God will gather Israel. He will also teach the Gentiles His way.

Let's go to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah writes the same thing. He writes about the prophets. It's interesting. We talk about the law and the prophets. The prophets, though, talk a lot about the law. They talk a lot about the breaking of the law. And what it leads to, they talk about sin and punishment. The prophets are full of a message warning about sin and resulting punishment. But then, at the same time, the prophets are encouraging. They give hope. They talk about repentance and restoration. Let's notice it in Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 5 and verse 1, Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem.

See now and know and seek in her open places. If you can find a man, if there's anyone who executes judgment, who seeks the truth, then I'll pardon her. Though they say, as the Lord lives, they swear falsely. We have a religious side to us, but it's not really seeking the truth of the Bible.

O Lord, are not Your eyes on the truth? You have stricken them, but they have not grieved. You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than rot. They've refused to return. It seems like that's about where we are. We're not really willing to make the basic changes. But guess what? In chapter...

Well, God, in the message of warning, He does have the message of repentance. In chapter 7 and verse 5, If you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and a neighbor, if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place or walk after other gods, then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave your fathers forever and ever. To hold you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before me in this house? Let's call by my name and say, We're delivered to do all these abominations. Somehow we think today we are delivered to do whatever seems right. In Jeremiah 23, though, there's good news. After a time of sin leading to punishment, after a time of punishment, then God is going to restore. There's going to be repentance. Jeremiah 23 and verse 5, Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise up to David a branch of righteousness. A king shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely. This is his name by which he will be called, the Lord our righteousness. Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that they shall no longer say, as the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt. But as the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country, and from all the countries where I had driven them, and they shall dwell in their own land.

So there's the good news.

Our people are going to eventually come around to God's ways after a time of punishment, and then after repentance there will be restoration. We could read so much about it in other prophecies that in the Bible we... I don't know that we have time to read them all, but let's go to Hosea. Hosea 4.1. The minor prophets, we are skipping over Ezekiel. Might come back to one passage in Ezekiel later. Ezekiel has a lot of the message of sin and punishment and repentance and restoration. In the book of Hosea 4.1, hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel. For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land. There's no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint with bloodshed after bloodshed. Isn't that so true today? This was written to ancient Israel. It applied to them, but it certainly is here in the Bible. It applies very much, maybe even more, to modern day Israel.

Verse 3, Therefore the land will mourn, every one who dwells there will waste away. And we certainly do mourn, don't we, these things that are happening. The beast of the field, the birds of the air, even the fish of the sea will be taken away. Let no man contend or reprove another, for your people are like those who contend with the priest. Therefore you shall stumble in the day, the prophet also stumble with you in the night. We're all kind of groping in the dark. I will destroy your mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, true biblical knowledge of ways that really work. Because you've rejected knowledge, I will also reject you from being priests for me. Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children. The more they increased, the more they sinned against me. Interesting. Isn't that about the way it has been? The richer we have become after World War II, the 1950s, 1960s, then the more we went the way of the sexual revolution, the way and family life deteriorated, all during the 60s and the 70s and the 80s and until our time today. Let's read, though, in the last chapter of Hosea, last chapter, Chapter 14, that in verse 1, O Israel, return to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. And it goes on down to indicate that this is a prophecy for the end of end time Israel for us today. Verse 4, I will heal their backsliding. I will love them freely. My anger has turned away. I will be like the dew to Israel. He shall grow like the lily and lengthen his roots like Lebanon. His branches shall spread. His beauty like the olive tree. Verse 8, Ephraim will say, What have I to do anymore with idols? I have heard and observed him. And like a green cypress tree, your fruit is found in me. And so the indication there is Israel turning to God. Verse 9, Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Who is really smart? Let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right. The righteous walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them because they disobey.

So there is so much in the Bible about this and for our nation. It gives hope for the future for our nation and for our world. It is not just in our country that there are problems. Look at other nations. There are problems all around, all over the earth. In fact, other nations need God's kingdom just as much.

But Israel will be cleaned up. Also, the Gentile nations will be cleaned up as well. I'll read a couple of passages on that. Ezekiel 37.

Now we'll get to that book of Ezekiel. You know, all nations are going to be cleaned up, and that's the good news. The bad news is we have a few years before it will happen.

Hang on. Be faithful.

Keep your hope for the future alive because, you know, it's a real hope that we have.

Well, let's just read from Ezekiel 36. I think that is a good one beginning in verse 17. Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds. To me, their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in their customary impurity. Therefore, I poured out on them, or fury on them, for the blood they had shed in the land and for their idols. Verse 19. I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries. I judged them according to their ways. But coming on down to verse 22. Therefore, say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God, I did not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake that you have profaned. I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of the countries, and bring you into your own land. This is after Christ returns. This is when He turns away ungodliness from Jacob. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and a new spirit within you, and will take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep my judgments and do them.

Therefore, you shall dwell in the land I gave to your fathers. You shall be my people, and I will be your God. Say, that is encouraging. That is truly encouraging.

In one verse in Ezekiel 20 says that we are going to loathe ourselves at all the abominations that we've gotten into. We're going to look back and say, boy, proving same-sex marriage, people just living together.

The way that we have become today, we're going to shake our head at the abominations that we have gotten into. The guy is going to clean us up. That's the good news. We look forward to that. It gives us hope for the future. Let's go to Ezekiel 19.

Isaiah 19 brings out how Gentile nations are going to join with Israel.

Nations, all nations, are going to be converted, and they're going to be keeping God's laws. We're going to solve the problems worldwide. God's going to turn ungodliness from all over the earth.

In Isaiah 19, verse 23, In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land. We believe the modern-day Assyrians are the Germans. The Germans are very talented people.

They have one of the most powerful nations in the European Union, and they have one of the strongest economic bases in the world today.

So the Assyrians, the Egyptians, have been a great power in the past. They're kind of under a curse at the present time, but they have been very great when you read human history. So the Egyptians and the Assyrians and the Israelites are going to all work together, even a blessing in the midst of the land. And the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed is Egypt, my people, and Assyria, the work of my hands, and Israel, my inheritance.

So each nation will...

These three nations will be three of the leading nations in the millennium.

So there's hope, brethren, when we look at the Scriptures. And as things like have happened, and are happening more frequently in our country, let's keep this hope in mind. So what must we do?

I want to give two or three things to think about, things that we must keep doing. Number one, of course, is to preach this good news to the world. I'd like to see us to intensify it, wouldn't you? I'd like to see us to be able to, just on television and in the printed literature, and on the Internet and any other ways, the Kingdom of God Bible seminars, we want to keep preaching this message. And then those who believe to baptize them and teach them, and help them prepare to reign with Christ.

We want to continue having that warning in our message. Turn to Hosea again, chapter 5 and verse 9.

Hosea, chapter 5 and verse 9. We want to continue sounding that warning, that Ezekiel warning, as a watchman for the house of Israel.

Hosea, chapter 5 and verse 9. Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke.

You know, there's going to be a correction upon Ephraim and Manasseh. I think you could throw in both of the tribes that come from Joseph here. We'll be desolate in the day of rebuke. Among the tribes of Israel, I make known what is sure.

So our warning needs to continue going out to modern day Israel, the tribes of Israel. Go to Amos.

Amos chapter 3. It's God's way of operating, his mode of operation that he warned first of all before he takes action. Amos chapter 3 and verses 6 to 8. If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it? We believe our message is a trumpet that is sounding. In verse 7, surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals, He first of all reveals His secret to His servants, the prophets. God has revealed a lot to us at this end time. Today we understand a lot of prophecy, don't we? We understand where modern day Israel is. We understand Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 and Revelation 17, those four empires that were to rise, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. And the last one was to continue until the Second Coming of Christ. We understand the revival of the Holy Roman Empire, the ten nations to arise in Europe. So a lot of God's secret has been revealed for our time.

Verse 8 says, A lion is roared, who cannot fear? We want to cry aloud and thunder God's message. The Lord God is spoken, who can but prophesy? Let's also read from Amos chapter 5 and verses 4 through 6.

Amos chapter 5, beginning in verse 4, Thus says the Lord to the house of Israel.

This is again today will be directed toward America and Britain. Seek me and live. We want that to be a part of our message. Seek God and we will live, we'll be blessed. But do not seek Bethel or Gilgal. Those were ancient places in Israel of false worship. Don't seek the false religion of this world, nor pass over to Beersheba, for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing. These false religions don't then have the answer. Verse 6, Seek the Lord and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph and devour it.

So that's part of our message then we need to sound to our nation.

We also, personally, there's something we need to be doing, and that is to come out of this world and its evils. Don't watch any of these evil programs on television, ones that glorify maybe same-sex marriages or infidelity, sexual immorality.

So be selective in what you watch on television. Most movies of Christian would not want to go to.

They just are not decent for human beings. Have whore these evils all around us and come out and be separate from them. Let's read a couple of verses from Ezekiel. Ezekiel 6 and verses 10 and 11.

Ezekiel chapter 6 verses 10 and 11. They shall know that I am the Lord, and that I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them.

You know, we're about ready for these calamities to be brought upon us. I do believe we're getting closer and closer to it.

It could happen so quickly and so suddenly. Our economy, which is driving us as a superpower, could just collapse just anytime, so suddenly.

But maybe it's not quite yet, we shall see. But God says He's not spoken in vain to bring this calamity upon them. Thus says the Lord God, pound your fists. That's what we need to do, and stamp your feet and say, Alas, for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, for they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.

So, brethren, we need to pound our fists and stamp our feet, and pray that God will bless our leadership as we do.

Our nation needs to hear.

And I'm just very thankful again that, you know, this is very powerful speaking, and recently a program against abortion was very straightforward on the Beyond Today program. I think the day may come that we can't get away with this the way the country is going.

It might not even be allowed to say things of this type in public media. So we have to cry aloud and spare not at this time. Let's go to Ezekiel chapter 9. So that's what, as an organization and as individuals, these are things for us to do.

In Ezekiel chapter 9 and verse 4, the Lord said to him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem. Put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it. This is one mark we want on our foreheads. We do want to sigh and cry, just like righteous Lot did in Sodom and Gomorrah.

Verse 5 to others, he said, In my hearing go after him through the city and kill. Do not let your eyes spare nor have any pity. Verse 6, Utterly slay old and young, maidens and little children and women, but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark. So we do want to sigh and cry at all the abominations that are going on. I'd like to say one final thought before we read a final scripture.

I hope that as we have a sermon like this, that we don't go away discouraged, but we do not go away afraid. We live in the world, and what we've talked about today is the reality that we all face.

It's a dangerous world that we live in.

And we have, in our breakdown of the family, we have bred a culture that can produce massacres and death and destruction.

But we should not be afraid.

We should not be afraid. We should be careful. Yes, we should. We should be as careful. We should do our part. Be just as careful as you can. Use your head. Just don't go anywhere, any, some places. It's not safe day or night. So, you know, be careful what you do, where you go, how you conduct your life. It's good to lock your doors, your car, your home, even. Yes. If you walk outside and you're going to be out of sight of your home, lock your door. You never know who might come in. We should just be extremely careful in the times in which we are living. Just never know. Do your part in being careful, but do not be paranoid. Trust in God. Stay close to Him in prayer and study. Have faith.

Faith and works. God's not going to let anything happen to us without His permission. Something could happen, but it won't be without God's permission. But we should do our part. Anything does happen, then God will be the one that allows it to happen.

We should brace for the end time. Brace for events ahead. Stay close to God in prayer and study. But don't lose hope. Do not be discouraged or afraid, but have faith. Let's have one final scripture now in Luke 21.

Luke 21.

This is the Olivet prophecy, Luke's version of it. It talks about the end of the age and the time that man would come to, where he would be ready to destroy all life. Unless the days were cut short. And Jesus says something very nicely here that applies so much to us and our mindset as we face the end of this age in Luke chapter 21 and verse 28.

He talks about the coming of the Son of Man in verse 27. He'll see the Son of Man coming in the cloud with power and great glory. Then he skips back to before Christ returned and says, When you see these things begin to happen, this is before Christ's actual coming, when you see these things begin to happen, aren't we seeing them even now? It seems to me that we are. When you see these things begin to happen, then what? Look up. I think that's what we need to do. Look up to God and total trust toward Him. Lift up your heads.

Lift up our heads with faith and with hope because your redemption draws near.