A Lion Has Roared

Well, good afternoon again and afternoon. Good afternoon to all of you online as well. Here with us this afternoon. One way from today is the first day of Unleavened Bread. About 3,500 years ago, God began fulfilling His promise to Abraham to make Abraham into a great nation and to make his name great. God began His initial fulfillment of that promise by bringing Israel out of Egypt by night. As it says in Deuteronomy 16.1, they came out by night.

It's the night to be much observed. We're preserving this coming Friday evening. As it says in Exodus 12, verse 42 in the Old King James, the night to be much observed. And we'll remember and observe that night again, like I said, this coming Friday evening. But God then delivered Israel with a great deliverance and eventually established him as a great nation. Just as He had promised Abraham before that. And Israel reached the heights of His glory probably during the time King David and even going on into the time of King Solomon as well.

But then after King Solomon's reign, towards the end of King Solomon's reign, Solomon had forcedly turned against God a little bit and the nation began to turn away from God. And they went on to decline after Solomon's time, even though they had been warned what would happen if they did that. And after Solomon died, the Kingdom of Israel began divided, became divided into two kingdoms, as we know, the northern ten tribes of Israel to the north and then the Kingdom of Judah to the south. Both kingdoms eventually fell because of their disobedience and turning away from God. But there was yet another miracle in the making to fulfill an end-time prophecy that God made to Abraham.

And that was that end-time miracle. It was the miracle of America, the miracle of the United States of America. That was documented in a recent book. I think I've mentioned it, but it's a very interesting book I just purchased not too long ago. By the same title, the title of the book that I'm going to refer to and quote from here briefly. It's called the miracle of America, the influence of the Bible on the founding, history and principles of the United States of America. The influence of the Bible on this nation and its founding.

It's written by Angela Kamrath, K-A-M-R-A-T-H, just published last year. And with the miracle of America, God fulfilled his latter-day promise to Abraham. I want to briefly quote from chapter 7 from Angela Kamrath's book, The Miracle of America, which reveals why she, at least, considers the establishment of the United States of America to be a miracle. Something that had to be done by God and accomplished by God, not just men. Quoting, she says, the American quest for self-government is practically unknown in history.

It challenges and questions an existing authoritarian government model known for centuries throughout the world. Americans wanted to create their own laws, not have Britain impose laws on them. The Americans were heading into uncharted territory, she says. They found themselves propelled down paths none had dared to travel before. And to a destination none could clearly perceive. The Americans would look to a higher source for their blessings, for their foundation, for their establishment. They would look to a higher source, they would look to God and to God's Word. So this is unprecedented in history.

That a nation would want to form and look to God and God's Word as its foundation for its constitution and for its form of governance. The Americans would look to a higher source to God and the Bible and to a higher law, which she calls the law of nature and nature's God.

And the basis for the Constitution of the United States of America is going to be the law of nature and the law of nature's God. That's stated in the Constitution. Or I should say it was stated in the Declaration of Independence, not in the Constitution, but Declaration of Independence.

Of course, the law of nature's God. That's the Ten Commandments. And the law of nature is based on a scripture in the Bible. Probably most of us don't realize it, but the founding fathers, they wanted everything. Their foundation of their nation was being based on the Bible on God's Word on the Ten Commandments and on what they call natural law.

And they derived that natural law from a scripture in the Bible. Romans 2. Let's turn there. Turn to Romans 2. Romans 2, verses 14 and 15, where Paul wrote this, For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, they don't have the law of God, as Israel is given, When they by nature do the things that are in the law, These, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, Who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also a very witness, And between themselves their thoughts, accusing or else, excusing them of what they are doing.

In other words, what she's saying there, what she's using in the scripture, She's saying, you know, there's like a natural law that any human being made in the image of God, If he goes way back in the recesses of his mind and his heart, He knows by instinct that it's not right to just murder somebody and slaughter children to kill them.

It's not right to cheat on your wife and go lie with anybody you want to lie with. That's in our conscience, in a sense. God kind of put it there. Some people ignore it, but that's what they call the law, the natural law, the law of nature.

And here's what Ansel al-Kamath writes in regards to the law of nature and nature's law. The law of nature, or natural law, is understood as an eternal, unchangeable, universal moral law, given by God to all mankind as created in his image, to which all people and nations are subject at all times. It doesn't matter what they believe or who they are or where they are. This law is naturally revealed in a person's right reason and conscience or moral sense. They should know this by a moral sense that was created in them. It is considered a general, rational version of God's moral law revealed in the Bible. The law of nature, like God's law, cannot be repealed, abolished, or altered by man, or any earthly power. It simply exists as the will of God in man that are created in his image.

The aim of natural law is the morality and preservation of mankind and the fulfillment of God's purposes. Originating from the Creator God, this law rules over mankind before any human laws or civil states existed. It is superior to all man-made laws. It sets down standards of right and wrong, ethical truths, norms, and rules of governance in society. This law would become a moral foundation, a source of natural, unalienable rights for all people in the United States of America.

You see, there's no nation in the history of the world had ever set up their own form of governance based on the law of nature and the law of nature's God on God's law, as revealed in the Bible. And that's what she calls the miracle of America. No nation ever got established with that as its basis and foundation.

America reached the peak of its glory immediately following World War II. But since the 1960s, as we know, it's been a state of moral decline. Which brings us to the subject of today's sermon. I actually planned this for the first day of Unleavened Bread. I'll give it next week. On the first day of Unleavened Bread, I'll give you an adhered today, since I won't be here on the first day of Unleavened Bread. So where are we then today? Where are we right now headed as the United States of America? And what does the more immediate future hold for America today, right now, than the times we're living in? And more specifically, how does America's future tie into the meaning of the days of Unleavened Bread? And have we been warned? Have we been warned about where our nation could be headed? Those are all questions we'll address today as we look at the broader meaning of the first day of Unleavened Bread here on the Sabbath prior to that. My title, which you'll understand in a little bit, my title is, A Lion Has Roared. A Lion Has Roared. I want to begin by asking this question. How does America's future tie into the meaning of the days of Unleavened Bread? Does that tie in at all? When we think of the days of Unleavened Bread as they portray leaven as a type of sin, we always think of that in a personal lever of pulling sin out of our lives, which is very right to do that, very applicable. And we rightfully think about that in a very personal way. We think about how important it is to strive to put sin out of our personal lives, as we look forward to observing the days of Unleavened Bread, and we're reminded of that every year. But have you ever thought of it in a broader sense? Now, we know the world is leavened. But have you ever thought of it, especially in the sense of a nation that was miraculously founded on God's law, on natural law that God put in man, to know basically, by instinct, what's right and wrong in many ways?

Have you ever thought about the days of Unleavened Bread, and how a nation would be affected if it all of a sudden goes in a direction where it's becoming more and more leavened?

What would happen if the nation founded upon the Bible, upon the law of God, became saturated with leaven, saturated with sin? What would happen if it's going in that direction? What would happen if that took place? And what would happen if its leadership fell asleep at the wheel, refusing to correct the course our nation was now headed on, or not even wanting to see the course it's headed on? See, how does America's future tie into the meaning of the days of Unleavened Bread? See, what is a nation anyway? A nation is nothing more than a group of individuals, a large group of individuals that have come under the umbrella of a certain form of governance. And if a nation turns away from God and becomes saturated with sin, it will suffer the same consequences as an individual who did the same. See, leaven or sin collectively will affect a nation as it does an individual. It will lead to its decline, downfall, and ruin.

Is that the direction we're now headed as the United States of America? Are we headed in that direction? Is there anyone who's going to correct the course we're on? I want us to go to the example of Josiah. I want to go back and look at the example of young Josiah who became the king of Judah at a very young age. He was only eight years old at the time, and he became the king of Judah at a very critical time because Judah was going the wrong direction when Josiah became king. Let's go to 2 Chronicles 34. 2 Chronicles 34, beginning in verse 1. Sit back and rest because I may go a little overtime today. A lot to cover. 2 Chronicles 34, verse 1. Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. He did what was right in the sight of the eternal, and he walked in the ways of his father David. He did not turn aside to the right or to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign, when he was still young, he began to seek God. At the age of sixteen, he began to seek God. And in the twentieth year of his reign, or excuse me, in the twelfth year of his reign, when he would have been twenty years old, when the twelfth year of his reign, at the age of twenty, he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, of the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. So Josiah, at the age of twenty, he began to purge the nation of Israel of sin, as vividly described in the next few verses. But let's jump forward here to verse 33. Second Chronicles 34, verse 33. If I can find it.

My papers are stuck together. Verse 33. Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the eternal of their God. In all his days he did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers. Then all this is tied into the Passover in the days of Unleavened Bread. Chapter 34, verse 1. Then Josiah kept the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover lambs in the fourteenth day of the first month. And he set the priests on all their duties, and encouraged them for the service of the house of the Eternal. Then he set to the Levites, who taught all Israel, who were holy to the Eternal, put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. It shall no longer be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel, he told the Levites. Dropping down to verse 17. And the children of Israel, who were present, kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. And there had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet. And none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept. And the priests and the Levites and all Judah and Israel, who were present, and in Heavens of Jerusalem. In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah, this Passover was kept. Eighteenth year. He was eight years old. He started reign about twenty-six years old.

Then about five years later, he reign for thirty-one years, about five years later, Josiah was killed in battle. And the nation of Judah began a rapid decline, which tells us what? It tells us that leadership can make a great difference in the direction a nation is going to go. Leadership is extremely important to have the right kind of leadership. Did Judah continue to decline until there was no remedy? Second Chronicles 36 is turn over one page, probably in your Bibles, to Second Chronicles 36, verse 14. More over all the leaders of the priests and the people transgress more and more. Josiah is gone. They no longer have a king who is keeping the nation on track.

More and more all the leaders of the priests and the people transgress more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations. And they defiled the house of the Eternal, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem. The Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers. He sent warnings, rising up early and sending them. Why? Because He had compassion on His people, on His running place. He wanted every opportunity to change the course they were on. What happened? What did they do? But they mocked the messengers of God. They despised His words. They scoffed at His messengers and His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy. It got so bad there was just no remedy.

And when I look at that and I read that, I have to ask, where are we today as the United States of America? Where are we? Are we getting close to the place where there might not be any remedy? That's scary to think about.

Verse 15, we just read that the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers. So I have to ask that question then, has America been warned? You know, we got it in God's Word that God always warns first. Let's go back to the book of Amos. Let's go to Amos chapter 3. In the minor prophets, Hosea Joel Amos. Daniel Hosea Joel Amos. Amos chapter 3, beginning in verse 1, Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O children of Israel, and against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, You only have I known of all the families of the earth. I've got a special relationship with you. Therefore, I'm going to have to punish you for all your iniquities. Then He asked them questions. Can two walk together unless they are agreed? Will a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den if he has caught nothing? Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth where there is no trap? Will a snare spring up from the earth if it has caught nothing at all? And of course, the obvious answers to all five of those questions are no, no, no, no, and no. Now verse 6, If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If they hear a warning sound of a trumpet? Well, normally, yes. But will that be the case for Judah? And will that be the case today for the United States of America?

Verse 6, again, the last part of verse 6, If there is a calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?

Or will things have declined so far that the hand of God is no longer acknowledged? Instead, it's ridiculed. So no matter what God does, people are just going to ridicule that and discard it. Pay no attention to it.

But even if a people refuse to listen, refuse to acknowledge God, will God still send out a warning first? Verse 7, Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

God sent His prophets to warn Judah. For what are we reading in Chronicles 36, verse 16? We read that they scoffed the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets. What about our time today? Have we received a warning? Notice in the next verse, verse 8, A lion has roared. Hence my title for today's sermon. A lion has roared. Who will not fear? Lord God has spoken.

How God can speak to us in many ways, individually or collectively. And He can speak to many individuals. But it would take a special individual and a special position for God to speak to us as a nation. God's word is living. We know it's a living word. It's the living word of God. Now, what do I mean by that? What do you mean, God's word is a living word? What do we mean by that? It means that God's word can apply to all individuals at all times, applied to anybody in any culture, any background, any situation, any circumstance, at any time in history and at all times in history. It's a living word. It applies to anybody, whoever they are on the earth, whoever they are, what situation they're in, at any and all times. For example, Amos 3-8 can have special meaning at one particular point in history, maybe, that it might not have that same meaning at some other point in history. Might Amos 3-8 have a special meaning to the time we're in right now, as the United States of America? That's the question I have.

Verse 7, Sure, the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals the secret to His servants, the prophets. Or maybe you say to a special servant who gives a prophetic warning message, A lion is roared, who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken. See, how might that apply? To the very time we're now living in, and to the time just ahead of us. Let me ask this. What tribe of Israel is symbolized by a lion? Let's go back to Genesis 4.

Genesis 4, verse 1, chapter 49. Genesis 49, excuse me, I don't know what I said. Genesis 49, verse 1 is what I meant to say. Genesis 49, verse 1, Jacob called his sons and said, this is the end of Jacob's life here, and God's moving him to prophesy of his sons, He said, Gather together, and I may tell you what you befall you in the last days. This is for the last days, for time leading up to Christ's return.

Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel, your father. What did Jacob say that pertains to the last days in regard to his son Judah? Verse 8, Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise. Your hand in the last days, your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies. Your brothers are going to praise you. Why are they going to praise him? They're going to praise him because his hand shall be on the neck of his enemies. Remember, all this pertains to what's going to befall you in the last days, it says. In the last days before Christ returns, Judah's hand shall be on the neck of his enemies. Think of that. In other words, Judah will be in a position to defend himself if his brothers will not come to his aid. He will take it upon himself to defend himself. His hand will be on the neck of his enemies to defend himself.

In any case, in the last days Judah will be surrounded by enemies who will threaten to destroy him, but that he would also be like a particular animal that can be very ferocious and that can strike back at the neck of his enemies, if need be, by means of his own strength and determination. That's a praiseworthy quality to have. To have the strength and determination to defend yourself against enemies who surround you, even if your brothers refuse to come to your aid. I want you to think of all this and how it might apply today.

What highly respected animal is Judah then likened to? Judah, verse 8, again, you are he whom your brothers shall praise, your hands shall be on the neck of your enemies, your father's children shall bow down before you. Because, why? Verse 9, Judah is a lion's whelp. Judah is like a young lion with vigor, energy and determination. Judah is a lion's whelp. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down. He lies down as a lion. As a lion, who shall rouse him? Who's going to attack Judah? Because he knows he's going to strike back, like a lion will strike back, very ferociously, at the neck of his enemies, like a lion does.

So who will attack Judah? Because they know Judah will strike back. If they do attack him, because if it's here if attacked, his hands should be on the neck of his enemies. Main point I want to make right now, though, for this point is that Judah symbolized by and likened to a lion. To a lion. Also, as we know, Christ descended from the tribe of Judah, didn't he? What is Christ called in the book of Revelation? Well, let's turn there and read it for ourselves. Let's turn to Revelation 5. Revelation 5, verse 1. And I saw on the right hand of him who said on the throne, A scroll written inside and on the back, a seal with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose the seals? And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll or look at it. But then when the elder said to me, Do not weep, behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals. The point I want to make is, Christ is called the lion of the house of Judah, which also ties into Judah being likened to a lion and being symbolized by a lion. Christ is called the lion, not a lion, because Christ is the ultimate head and leader. But in Amos 3a it says, A lion has roared.

Since a lion represents the tribe of Judah, this verse could then be saying that a lion or a lion means a leader of Judah. A leader of Judah, the tribe of Judah has roared, referring to a lion back in Amos. And the God has spoken a warning message to that particular lion or to that particular leader of the tribe of Judah. Now what nation today is the nation of Judah? Today Israel is the nation of Judah. Is the nation of Israel surrounded by enemies who want to destroy them? You don't have to give you any facts. We all know the answer.

Are they afraid? Is Israel afraid? Are they like a lion ready to strike back if attacked? Even if the U.S. and other nations will not come to their aid. And has a lion recently roared? Has a leader of Israel recently given a warning message to the United States of America? Who is the current lion or who is the current leader of Israel? Benjamin Yahu is. He is the current lion of Judah or the Prime Minister of Israel. Did he recently give a warning message to the leadership of the United States of America? And are they going to ignore that message? Was President Obama even there to hear it? He ignored it before it was even given. You know, only two leaders have spoken to the United States Congress three times. One was Winston Churchill. The other was Benjamin Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister of Israel. Winston Churchill first spoke to the U.S. Congress on December 26, 1941, back when I was only eight months old. It was less than three weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, at a time when German submarines were also appearing off the coast of California. And Winston Churchill came to rally two brothers. He came to rally Ephraim and Manasseh, to become strong allies in their war against the Japanese and German terrorists who were seeking to destroy the world and upset the entire world.

As allies with God's blessings, the Germans and Japanese were no match against the combined strengths of Ephraim and Manasseh. They were no match against the allies' strength of Great Britain and the United States of America.

Now our brother Judah has come to us to solicit our support and their fight against a new group of terrorists who are threatening the whole world. As the leader of Israel, a lion has roared. What did Benjamin Netanyahu say to the United States Congress on March 3rd, just about a month ago, or just a few weeks ago? I want to read a few excerpts from his warning message. You know, you can download the entire transcript of his message online, even with large print, abundant spacing, and noting the 42 pauses for applause, the entire transcript is only 18 pages. The one I'm going to read from now is from the Washington Post. I'm just going to read portions of it. I want you to think about what he said. He said, I've come here today because as Prime Minister of Israel, I feel a profound obligation to speak to you about an issue that could well threaten the survival of my country and the future of my people. And that is Iran's quest for nuclear weapons. In our nearly 4,000 years of history, many have tried repeatedly to destroy the Jewish people. And when he said this, he said, tomorrow night, that would have been March 4th, tomorrow night on the Jewish holiday of Purim, we'll read the book of Esther. We'll read of a powerful Persian viceroy named Haman who plotted to destroy the Jewish people some 2,500 years ago. But a courageous Jewish woman, Queen Esther, exposed the plot. And they gave for the Jewish people then the right to defend themselves against their enemies. And what happened in the book of Esther when Judah defended itself against its enemies, they were given that power, they destroyed their enemies. They were like a lion with their hands around the neck of their enemies. The plot was foiled. Our people were saved, Netanyahu said. Today, the Jewish people face another attempt by yet another Persian potentate to destroy us. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, spews out the oldest hatred with the newest technology. He tweets that Israel must be annihilated.

But Iran's regime is not merely a Jewish problem. Any more than the Nazi regime was merely a Jewish problem. The 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis were but a fraction of the 60 million people killed in World War II. So too, Iran's regime poses a grave threat, not only to Israel, but also to the peace of the entire world. Iran's regime cries death to America, that same America that it calls the Great Satan. Don't be fooled. Remember, he's saying this to the U.S. Congress, to the leadership of the United States. Don't be fooled.

The battle between Iran and ISIS doesn't turn Iran into a friend of America. Iran and ISIS are competing for the crown of Milton Islam. In this deadly game of thrones, there's no place for America or for Israel. So when it comes to Iran and ISIS, the enemy of your enemy is your enemy. The difference is that ISIS is armed with butcher knives and captured weapons in YouTube, whereas Iran could soothe the armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear bombs. The greatest dangers facing our world is the marriage of Milton Islam with nuclear weapons.

To defeat ISIS and let Iran get nuclear weapons would be to win the battle but lose the war. We can't let that happen. Then he goes on and says, but that, my friends, is exactly what could happen if the deal now being negotiated with Iran is accepted by Iran. That deal will not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. It would all but guarantee that Iran gets those weapons and lots of them.

The foremost sponsor of global terrorism could be weeks away from having enough enriched uranium for an entire arsenal of nuclear weapons, and this with full international legitimacy. And if Iran's intercontinental ballistic missile program is not part of the deal, Iran could have the means to deliver that nuclear arsenal to the far-reaching corners of the Earth, including to every part of the United States. That's why this deal is so bad, he said. It doesn't walk Iran's path to the bomb. It paves Iran's path to the bomb. This deal will not be a farewell to arms.

It would be a farewell to arms control. And the Middle East would soon be crisscrossed by nuclear trip wires, a region where small skirmishes can trigger big wars would turn into a nuclear tinderbox. He said, history is placed in a fateful crossroads. We must now choose between two paths. One path leads to a nuclear-armed Iran whose unbridled aggression will inevitably lead to war. The second path could lead to a much better deal that would prevent a nuclear-armed Iran and a nuclearized Middle East and horrific consequences of both to all humanity. If you heard the speech, you might have heard him make this statement, and you might not understand why he made it or how it ties in.

He said, you don't have to read Robert Frost to know the answer. Now, what in the world does that mean? Who is Robert Frost? Robert Frost is an American poet. He was born in 1874. He died in 1963. And the poem, hidden in Yahoo!, was referring to as, The Road Not Taken. That was the title of this particular poem that he was referring to by Robert Frost, which was published back in 1916, just before the United States ended World War I.

It's interesting to go back there and read it. It's a very short poem, only a couple of paragraphs. It's about a man standing in a field and having two rows to choose from, not knowing exactly where either road is going to lead. In the poem, he said, well, come to know the outcome of the final destiny of the road that we take. But what would the outcome have been if we, in our lives or if a nation, had been...

How would it have been if we had gone down the road not taken? We had to take one of them. We know how it was going to lead to if we go down this road, but what would it have been like if we had taken the road not taken?

That was the idea of the whole poem. As Netanyahu said in his speech, history has places that are faithful crossroads. We must choose between two paths. Even as a man in Robert Frost's poem had to choose between two roads. In the case of a nuclear-armed Iran, it would be far better if that would be the road not taken. And we shouldn't have to read Robert Frost to know that. That was a point that Netanyahu was making there at that point in his speech. Then he goes on at the end of his speech.

He says, With us today is the Holocaust survivor, Nobel Prize winner, Eli Weisel. He said, Eli, your life and works inspire to give meaning to the words never again. I wish I could promise you, Eli, that the lessons of history have been learned. I can only urge the leaders of the world not to repeat the mistakes of the past. But I can guarantee you this, he said. The days of the Jewish people remained passive in the face of genocidal enemies. Those days are over.

We are no longer scattered among the nations. We are no longer powerless to defend ourselves. We restored our sovereignty in our ancient home. And the soldiers who defend our home have boundless courage. For the first time in 100 generations, we, the Jewish people, can defend ourselves, he said. That is why, as prime minister of Israel, I can promise you one more thing. Even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand. Then he ends his speech by making an interesting statement.

As he's looking up there in the gallery of Congress, because you know, above them, the gallery of Congress, they have a picture of Moses and the Ten Commandments. He's facing me right up there in the gallery overlooking all of us in this chamber, is the image of Moses. Moses led our people from slavery to the gates of the Promised Land. And before the people of Israel entered the land of Israel, Moses gave us a message that has steeled our resolve for thousands of years.

I leave you with this message today, and you spoke in Hebrew, which means, Be strong and resolute, neither fear nor dread them.

A lion of Judah has roared, a warning message to the United States of America.

What about the lion of Judah? What about Jesus Christ? Has the lion of Judah roared as well? See, what warning message has Christ given us for the times we're now living in? A message that could directly relate to Benjamin Netanyahu's speech and to a nuclear-armed Iran. Let's go to Matthew 24.

Matthew 24, verse 1. Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and disciples came up to show Him the buildings. He said to them, Do you not see all these things? And surely I say to you, Not one stone shall be left upon the other, that shall not be thrown down. And He said to the mount of all His disciples, came to Him privately, saying, When will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? And He said, Take heed that no one deceives you. What else did He say? Verse 16. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Why? Hold your place here, and let's just turn quickly to Luke 21. Luke 21, let's begin in verse 19. Luke 21, verse 19, a parallel account of Matthew 24. But it adds this, By your patience, possess your souls. Verse 19, verse 20, But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

And all this is going to bring about what? Let's go back to Matthew 24.

It's going to bring about this, Matthew 24, verse 21. And this finally is fulfilled. Then there will be great tribulations. This has not been since the beginning of the world, until this time known or ever shall be.

Unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened. Verse 22. Or as it could properly read, Unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved alive. But for the elect's days, those days will be shortened. So the sentence, here Christ is prophesying about a time would come in the history of man, when mankind would have the capability of destroying all life from off the face of the earth.

It's indicating that that is what would happen if Christ didn't intervene to shorten those days. On August 6 and August 9 of 1945, back when I was only eight months, or excuse me, when I was only four years old, the potential to destroy all life off the face of the earth was demonstrated with the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. From that point in history, how long would it be before the days of vengeance that all things which are written may be fulfilled? How long would it be? Matthew 24, verse 34. Assurely I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

It takes about a hundred years for the entire generation to pass away. There are still a few Holocaust survivors, like Eli Weissel, still living, but that generation of Holocaust survivors is soon going to pass away. How much longer before all of us who were born prior to the atom bomb, how much longer before that generation will pass away? Again, assurely I say to you, this generation by no means pass away till all these things take place. That is what the lion, that is what Christ has roared. I want to just talk about for a few more moments here. Does the Bible directly relate to the times we are now living in?

Let's ask this. We have the United Nations. It was formed to maintain peace in the world. How's it been doing? Formed what, 1948? How's it been doing? Will the United Nations save the world from a nuclear Holocaust, or is the world's only hope in the Lord our God? Let's go back to Jeremiah 3. Jeremiah 3, verse 23, it tells us the answer to that question. It says, "...truly in vain is salvation, hoped for from the hills and from the multitude of mountains." Small nations and large nations or multidonations, or United Nations, in vain is your salvation going to come from there. United Nations is going to save the world. Prophesize that right here. Truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel and the salvation of America. It's the salvation of God's people.

Let me ask this. Because we see something else taking place right now. We see the leadership of the United States trying to make Iran into an ally. Well, that saves us. Will we be able to make lovers of our enemies? Jeremiah 4, verse 30, "...and when you are plundered, what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with crimson, though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, no matter what you do, no matter how many concessions you want to make and what you want to offer to the other country, though you enlarge your eyes with pain, and you try to make things look really good and rosy for that other deal, the deal you're going to make. In vain you will make yourself fair, because your lovers will despise you, and they will continue to seek your life. They'll continue to seek to destroy you.

We will not be able to make our enemies our allies. We will not be able to make Iran our ally, no matter how much we court them or offer them concessions. They will still despise us and seek our life, seek to destroy us, no matter what we do. Will we heed the warning of Netanyahu? Will we heed the warning of a Lion of Judah?

And will we heed the warning of Christ? Will we heed the warning from the Lion of Judah? Jeremiah 6, verse 10, To whom shall I speak and give a warning, God says, that they may hear? Indeed, their ear is uncircumcised. They cannot give heed. They've gotten in a place where they're not going to listen. Behold, the word of the Lord is to them a reproach. They don't want anything to do with it. They want to hear it. They have no delight in it. You know, sadly, that is where the leadership of the United States of America is today. Today we're going back to our pre-World War I and pre-World War II days, where we as a nation, we want, back at that time, they wanted to isolate themselves from the world, stay out of it, let the world take care of itself. It didn't work. We had to get involved. Otherwise, we're in a much different world than it is today. We didn't want to engage in battle, even though there were warning signs back there prior to World War I and World War II. And that also seems to be our position again today, when it comes to the war on terror. Let's back off. Let's isolate ourselves. Let's just let other nations' problems, not our problem. We don't want to be involved. We don't want any boots on the ground. We don't want to go to war. We don't want to maintain peace in the world. Let's just step back and let them fight it out. If we've done that before World War I and World War II, what will the world be like today? Let's go to Ezekiel. Ezekiel 7, verse 14. They have blown the trumpet and made everyone ready. But no one goes to battle. My wrath is on their multid. They've blown the trumpet. We have an army. We have a military. But no one goes to battle. We don't want any boots on the ground. Let them fight it out over there. Let them take care of it. We want to isolate ourselves and stay out of the game. That's a very dangerous position for the United States to take.

What about our economy? We've got to still have the strongest economy in the world. Will our economy be able to save us? Ezekiel 7, verse 19.

They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be like refuse. Their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them. Their money, their economy is not going to be able to save them in the day of the wrath of the Eternal. They will not satisfy their souls nor fill their stomachs because it, their money, their economy, became their stumbling block of iniquity. You know, wealth can be a stumbling block if it is gained at the expense of others or if it is looked to for security.

And wealth can be lost very quickly.

Notice what else Jeremiah wrote that directly relates to the times we're now living in into what Netanyahu said in his address to Congress. And again, I want to report first what he said, what Netanyahu said. He said, if Iran's intercontinental ballistic missile program is not a part of the deal, Iran could have the means to deliver that nuclear arsenal to the far-reached corners of the Earth, including every part of the United States. You know, Jeremiah prophesied of that very possibility, a prophecy that only applies to our time today in a very real sense, but let's go back to the book of Jeremiah. Let's go to Jeremiah chapter 5.

Jeremiah chapter 5, verse 15. And I'm going to get to another verse here in a minute, which is what I'm talking about, but let's lead up in verse 15. Behold, I bring a nation against you from afar, O Hossefir, says the Lord. It is a mighty nation. It's an ancient nation. A nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. It's a very strange language. Now, I know who that was before. I'm not saying that it isn't, but I'm saying this. Is it possible it could also include Iran?

They have a very strange language. Can't even read the writing. But verse 16 is the one I want to look at. Verse 16 of Jeremiah 5. Jeremiah 5, 16, their quiver is an open tomb, and they are all mighty men. Whereas the old King James has it, their quiver is an open sepulchre. Think about that. What is a quiver? A quiver is something that holds arrows. They used to go hunting, and they had a quiver on their back, and they had the arrows in it. A quiver holds arrows. And this is their quiver is an open sepulchre. It's an open tomb. An open tomb or an open sepulchre would be like a modern-day silo for holding missiles, for holding intercontinental ballistic missiles to shoot at an enemy nation.

See Jeremiah 5, 16 describing in very simple terms a modern-day guided-missile silo. See the Bible directly relates to our time today. Let's move to an end with a very positive note that will describe the times we're now living in. Because it's very clear that God's going to save those who trust Him from the troubles sometimes we're heading into. Regardless, it's going to end up the time of Jacob's trouble, the lead in the end time. We don't know. I don't know. Could be. We'll see. We live under many threats today, even the threat of a nuclear holocaust. But for those who trust in God, God will reduce those threats and save His people from those threats. Even as He saved ancient Israel from Egypt and even as He saves us from the consequences of sin, we'll repent and turn to Him. Let's go to Isaiah 25. Isaiah 25, verse 1.

For you have been a strength to the poor, for those who are poor in spirit, a strength of the needy and is distressed, those who need God and call upon God and depend on God, even under times of terrible distress. A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, for the blast of the terrible ones as they storm against the wall. Just think about how the terminology there is very interesting. Notice the words here could be describing the effects of a nuclear warfare. A refuge from the storm, a nuclear bomb creates a storm. A shade from the heat, a tremendous heat from a nuclear bomb, an atom bomb. The blast of the terrible ones against the wall, the atom bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leveled everything within a few miles of the epicenter. Notice verse 5, You will reduce the noise of aliens as heat in a dry place, as heat in the shadow of a cloud. The song of the terrible ones will be diminished. Think of that as heat in the shadow of a cloud. That's exactly what a nuclear bomb produces. It produces heat in the shadow of a cloud, a big mushroom cloud. But as it says here, the song of the terrible ones will be diminished. Or as my margin says, will be humbled.

What is the good news that will come in the aftermath of all this? Isaiah 25, verse 6, And in this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all people a feast of choice pieces, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of morrow, of well-defined wines on the lees. And he will destroy on this mountain the service of the covering, the cast over all the people. All that worry and dark cloud that's cast over the world today, he's going to remove that. He's going to destroy it. And the veil that's spread over all the nations, God's Christ is going to destroy that and move that. Verse 8, He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces. The rebuke of His people He will take away from the earth, for the Lord has spoken. And it will be said in that day, Behold, this is our God. We have waited for Him, we've trusted Him, we've waited for Him, and He will save us. This is eternal. We have waited for Him. We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. And this is all going to end with the return of Christ, with the establishment of God's peace in the Holy Days, and with God's salvation for the entire world. You know, today, leaven is leavening the whole lump. More and more sin is saturating the world we live in, and it's, and sadly, it's even saturating the United States of America, to where there is no remedy except the return of Jesus Christ. And warnings are going out, but very few are listening. And today, the United States is even turning against its closest ally in the Middle East, against Israel. And instead, it's even trying to ally itself with Iran, our enemy, and the enemy of Israel. See, on March 3rd, Benjamin Netanyahu spoke for the third time at the U.S. Congress, and he spoke a very strong warning message. A lion has roared. And if we don't heed that warning, another lion will roar. That lion being Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah. If it comes to that, we will indeed be in the last days. We'll then be in the days of vengeance that all things which are written may be fulfilled, and to the time when this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. So as we look forward to the first day of 11 bread of 2015, remember that a lion has roared.