Maintaining Strong Hope in These Evil Times

I'd like to begin the sermon this afternoon by reading from a letter which came from our President just yesterday. It's a very sobering letter, and I'll read quite a bit of it and make a few comments here at the beginning of the sermon. Dear brethren, while I yearn to write a positive and happy letter to all of you, I simply cannot now when I see all the terror and violence occurring in the world. We need to regularly remind ourselves about the meaning of the times in which we live so that we can have hope.

I'm sure that all of us are very sobered as well by things we are seeing happening in the world. Continuing, Mr. Kubik wrote, What do you think when you watch the news today? The mindless brutality of Middle Eastern terrorists is unspeakable beyond shocking. You likely heard or read of the barbaric execution of the Jordanian pilot who was burned alive. Mr. Kubik, and I'm sure we all have heard of that, things are happening that just never happened before in this same way.

Mr. Kubik mentions that in the Ukraine where he has friends and relatives and is in contact with Sabbath keepers that they've had an extremely difficult winter as separatists and terrorists attack civilians and are inflicting thousands of casualties, many among them children. He says, My heart aches, and I think ours aches as well.

Almost everywhere you turn you can see unshakable proof of what John wrote 2,000 years ago. The whole world is under the control of the evil one. You know, the world itself sees evil but they don't realize the real source of it. Satan the devil is inspiring things that is happening and is getting worse. His influence is worse and worse all the time. Mr. Kubik goes on to write, What does that mean to us?

We may hope against hope that it will all pass, just pass away. But that reaction leaves us with questions like, Where will this all lead? When or will it stop? Can we truly have confidence that God knows what is going on? That he has a plan and that this all has a purpose. He then has a paragraph on this research that was done a number of years ago about what Americans thought life would be like by 2050.

Almost 60% believed there would be another world war. Over half believed a nuclear attack would occur on the United States. And interestingly, most interestingly of all to me, and I think to you as well, over 40% of Americans surveyed believed that by 2050 Jesus Christ will have returned to earth. Well, you know, I hope they're right. And I think with all that is happening in the world today, we're getting closer to the end time, it would seem.

It is certainly a very good possibility, or likelihood even, that he will return by then, if not well before. Well, Mr. Kubik said, when people see what is happening in today's world, they know this cannot go on escalating. And he talked about communication, how you would think it might lead to better relationships, but this has not been true. The instant communication has actually accelerated hate, extremism, and its outcome, terror. He mentioned Mr. Winston Churchill's book that he wrote after World War II, The Gathering Storm.

He actually wrote it after the war. But unlike Churchill's account, God authoritatively reveals beforehand what will happen. The Bible explains the reasons that we have so much mindless and brutal conflict. It reveals the base nature of humanity, and that's something we ourselves need to really think about and make sure that we see our own human nature for what it is. Jeremiah 17 and verse 9, the human heart deceitful above all things. And Romans chapter 8 and verse 7, the carnal mind, enmity against God, not subject to the law of God.

So Mr. Kubik says, when you see then the reason for such brutal contact or conflict, the base nature of humanity separated from God and under the relentless influence of a powerful evil being, Satan the devil, who has deceived the whole world. Revelation 12 and verse 9. He then mentions the infamous doomsday clock, which has been moved forward to three minutes to midnight, a grievous possible time of literal human extinction.

With the current focus to modernize nuclear weapons, humanity will likely use them. Without forcible intervention, man would certainly destroy himself. That's what Jesus said would happen. Brother, we ourselves, we've heard these things over the years, but we ourselves need to be certainly very sensitive to what is going on. He goes on to write in this letter on page 2, in this terror-stricken world, how can we make sense of today?

Can we have hope? And yes, in Matthew 24, Jesus gave a chronology of end-time events, and he said there will be great distress, great tribulation and other translations, unequaled from the beginning of the world till now, Matthew 24, 22. And speaking of this time, Jesus said, in those days, or if those days had not been cut short, no one would survive.

But here's the good news in verse 22, the very same verse. But for the sake of the elect, the people of God, those days will be shortened. Humanity will survive. And that is the message we want to certainly make sure that we proclaim. In spite of all the escalating evils and problems that we see in the world, humanity will survive. Mr. Kibbit goes on to write, This time of end-time tribulation is predicted in thirty different prophecies. The outcome, however, is always intervention and salvation from Almighty God.

That is where we secure our confidence and hope. We don't need to live in fear. No, we don't. We don't need to bury our head in the sand. Our faith needs to be in the comforting and authoritative words of Jesus Christ, our Savior. And the respondents of that survey are right. Jesus is the one who will be returning to restore this earth.

He then refers to Acts 3, verses 19-22, the time when there will be times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. Our Father will send Jesus Christ, whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things. A time of restoration of all things is coming, but is not here yet. Oh, that it were here at this time. We desire it greatly, but the time is not yet. Maybe we're more at that time that Jesus mentioned the beginning of sorrows.

At the same time that we approach these critical days of survival, the world is almost universally sunk to the lowest levels of behavior. Even so, the Bible instructs us to embrace hope and the ways of God, holding fast as we approach the end of this age. Because Jesus said, watch therefore and pray always that you may be kind of worthy to escape all these things.

We are to look up. We might read some of these verses in a moment, but we don't want to lose hope. In fact, as these things escalate, our hope can even be stronger than ever, because we know that God is going to step in just the right time. Last paragraph or two, watching the almost unimaginable accounts of terror in the news, should make us stop and think.

I hope that it has. It's kind of sobered me up to see that Jordanian pilot, nice young man in this cage, and then to think that he died, that he was just burned alive. What a horrible thing to think about it. It does make us think. And ones that have been beheaded, friends and others who have been beheaded. Mr. Kibbit goes on to say, through your continued support we are able to help people discover for themselves these critical biblical truths.

They enable people not to be fearful or live in denial. As God opens people's minds, we want them to understand the clear, timeless message that he gives us about the meaning of seemingly barbaric current events. We want them to have hope, to have the opportunity to repent and change.

And if anything, I'm sure that we want to intensify our message on the Yondadeh program, the Good News magazine, our Internet sites. We need to cry aloud and spare not even more. Mr. Kibbit ends by saying, may God bless and establish you. Yes, may we be blessed and established in your journey of faith, especially in this time of uncertainty and distress, which is only going to get worse as we know in the days ahead. Yes, brethren, I think we all realize these are unusual times in human history.

And so today let's look ahead just a bit and see what we need to be doing about it. I want to read a question that came in that ties in with this. This is a letter that came in personal correspondence some time back. Does your church believe in the pre-tribulation rapture? Many people believe there's going to be a rapture just before the tribulation takes place. This lady's name is Linda. Linda goes on the right. Noah had warning of the flood to save his family, and Lot had warning to save his family. Am I to believe that God does not care to save us from the tribulation and wrath of God as Christian?

Please help me to understand. Am I having unnecessary fear for the wrath of God is going to be a terrible time? Well, it was my privilege to write back to Linda, and I wrote, The Bible does not teach that there will be a rapture of Christians. The word rapture does not appear in the Bible, and neither does the teaching of the rapture.

And I recommend that she get our article, our study article, Have You Been Misled by the Rapture Theory? And when I'm willing to say many verses in the Bible state that God has promised to watch over and care for his people during the great tribulation and the day of his wrath. Matthew 24 and Mark 13, Luke 21, the Olivet prophecy chapters mention a fleeing. Jesus said there would be some kind of fleeing of God's people just before the tribulation, and that God's people should watch and pray always that they might or may be a county worthy to escape.

So we see that God will watch over and care for his people during the tribulation and day of his wrath. That protection and care will be right here on the earth. God doesn't have to rapture people up to heaven, but the protection and care will be right here on the earth, not in the form of a rapture. We should not have unnecessary fears of the coming events at the end of this age, I wrote to her. Instead, we should go forward with faith and understanding. Well I got a reply back from Linda a little bit later, a couple of weeks later.

She wrote back, thank you for your response to me about the rapture. I knew the rapture was not in the Bible. Recently I read the book of Revelations, well there's only one book, but she put it the book of Revelations, and was so terrified about fire coming from the sky, 100 pound plus pieces of hail hitting the earth, not being able to buy or sell unless you have the mark of the beast, which means I would starve, not have to not have a home to stay in.

I then had to leave the Bible alone for a couple of weeks, and I refused to read Revelation because of just too upsetting to me. That's kind of like burying your head in the sand. I did not want to live through the end times and the tribulations. I am 54 years old and I want to die an old woman in bed, in my sleep, natural causes, without feeling pain or shortness of breath.

I think we all would like to go that way. I know this all sounds crazy, but Revelation is a book that frightens the dickens out of me. I will read your article and I will get copies of the books you recommended. Thank you for your response. You know, that's the last. I think I may have written back in response to that, but don't have it with me. Does Linda express some of the fears and anxieties that we could have as well? And should we be frightened as many in the world? You know, the Scriptures indicate that no, we should not be frightened at all because we can have the complete trust and faith and confidence in God and also in the hope of how things are going to work out in the end. Let's read just a few Scriptures that are very reassuring to us. They do certainly give us things that we need to be doing because rather than these things are real, aren't they? What's going to happen this coming week and in the weeks ahead? You know, even things could happen in our own country, right here in the homeland, and we just don't know how rapidly things could develop. Let's go to Daniel chapter 12. God has given us understanding that is very reassuring and certainly helps us to not have the fear and the fright that people have in the world today. Daniel chapter 12 and verse 4, "'But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end.'" So this knowledge, these prophecies have been sealed down through the ages, but the indication they will be opened up at the time of the end. "'Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.'" Certainly the age that we are living in today. Well, in verse 6, one there said to the man that was clothed in linen above the waters, "'How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?'" The wonders that Daniel was writing about in previous chapters. "'I heard the man clothed in linen above the waters of the river. He held up his right hand and swore by him who lives forever, it would be for a time, times, and half a time, as a three and one half year period of great tribulation coming. And when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.'" I'll tell you, that shows that the work that God is using us to do is going to... there's going to be a night where no one can do work. There's going to be a time we cannot do the work that we're doing now. The power of the holy people will be completely shattered.

In verse 8, "'Although I heard, I did not understand.' And I said, my Lord, what will be the end of these things? And he said, Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end." Daniel wrote down things he did not understand, but which are given for us to understand today. In verse 10, "'Many shall be purified and made white and refined.'" That would be us. We are being purified and made white and refined. "'But the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.'" And so God has given understanding to His Church.

One of the things that we understand that is so vital to the age that we live in is the identity of the United States and Britain, the identity of modern-day Israel. To know that we are descended from the 12 tribes of ancient Israel, to know the birthright promises have been given, and to know that prophecy mentions that Israel at the end of this age is going to have a time of trouble. It's called the time of Jacob's trouble. We know what to expect then. We know why the United States is going the way, why things are going the way they are in our own country. And we're kind of vacillating on the world scene, and we're losing our power. And also, there are so many social things that are happening in our country that we can no longer be great. We just want to make abortion, kill little fetuses, and we want to condone people just living together un-married. Millions and millions of Americans don't bother to get married anymore. They just move in together and live with each other until they can't get along with each other, and then they move on out, and maybe get involved with somebody else. So many are doing it that way. And then what about same-sex marriage? We want to accept it and condone it. And even though most Americans don't want to go that route, they want to say, well, if somebody wants to have a same-sex marriage, that's their legal right. We want to make—we want to approve it. And I tell you, that has done something to the character of our country, that we have so many people, the majority of Americans, believing that same-sex marriage should be legal. And it's becoming that way, of course, in more and more states, and it's coming up for a hearing by our Supreme Court, and no doubt, eventually, the whole country that will be the law of the land. So we see the way things are going in our own country, and the Bible has prophecies that say we're going to have a time of trouble, but then the good news is restoration afterward. Brethren, we understand these things, and it is very reassuring. We don't need to then be afraid, even though I sure don't look forward to these events getting worse, do you?

They're already bad, and it weighs upon us to see the suffering that takes place. To see people being held dressed in orange, and we know that they are now ready to be beheaded, or to be burned up live. That just really hurts very deeply, as Mr. Kubik wrote. He says, my heart aches. It makes all of us to ache when we see that. It's not something that we ought to see. It is not something that ought to happen. But Jesus talked about these times.

Let's go to Mark chapter 13. What kind of chapter is Mark chapter 13? It's the same as two other chapters, Matthew 24 and Luke 21. Together, these three chapters are called the Olivet prophecy, because Jesus gave these prophecies when he was on the Mount of Olives, the Olivet prophecy. He gave these prophecies three days before he died, on the Sunday before he died on Wednesday. Just shortly before he died, Jesus gave the Olivet prophecy. Mark chapter 13 and verse 14 comes right down to the end of this age. Things that are going to happen just ahead of us. I want to read quite a few verses in here. Mark chapter 13 and verse 14. We don't often turn to Mark's account, but I think it's good to turn to a different account of the Olivet prophecy. Verse 14, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, let the reader understand. Well, we just read in Daniel that we can understand that understanding has been opened up. And these prophecies which have been sealed have been opened up here at the time of the end. Let the reader understand this abomination of desolation is something that is going to come out of Europe. Ten nations are going to unite.

They're going to come storming into the Middle East, and they're going to set up their political and religious headquarters eventually in Jerusalem. So when we see this system come in with its false religion and imposing the mark of the beast, we'll begin to understand better about this abomination of desolation when they impose the mark of the beast. And you don't buy or sell. You don't do anything unless you go along with this system. It's going to force its false religion upon the world. So when we see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, let those in Judea flee. God's people then here are to flee to the mountains and let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house or enter to take anything out of the house. Let him who is in the field not go back to get his garment. You know, we may not understand the fullness of this instruction to the people of God yet, but it's good that we know it's there. There's an urgency then in this fleeing. Verse 17, woe to those who are pregnant and to those who have nursing babies in those days and pray that your flight may not be in the winter. Tell you what, when it's about zero or 10 degrees, it's not a good time to be out there fleeing somewhere. In verse 19, for in those days there will be tribulations such as has not been from the beginning of creation, which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. Same thing as Mr. Cubitt quoted from Matthew 24. Verse 20, unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved, but for the likes sake, whom he chose, he shortened the days. So God is going to cut, He's already purposed to cut short these days and bring hope and restoration to mankind, which only God can do. Mankind would go on to destroy himself. And there are those of a religious persuasion that think if they just wipe out the infidels, wipe out everybody else, even if it involves killing themselves, that they're going to be rewarded for doing so. We see that mentality. So they're willing to take their own life. They'd be willing to take the life of the world. And so we see that developing right before our eyes. He talks about then the coming of Christ. That's how the days are going to be cut short. There's going to be, after the tribulation, verse 24, heavenly signs. In verse 26, the son of man, they'll see the son of man coming and with the clouds in great power and glory. And he'll send his angels and gather the elect, the time of the resurrection of the righteous. So we see then Jesus foretold the times we're living in. And what did he tell us to do? Let's go down to verse 32.

We need to be reminded of this constantly. And I was very glad to see in the first message, this reminder, that we stay spiritually focused on the true riches of God's kingdom and God's way of life. That's where the blessings are going to really come in. The eternal riches recapture in the true values, the spiritual values. And seeking God's kingdom first. Well, verse 32, but of that day and hour, no one knows. So we don't know just how close we are. We might be a lot closer than we know, but still we don't really, it could be a little bit further also than we think.

Neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. But here's what we are to do. Take heed. Be careful. Really be on guard. Watch and pray. For you do not know when the time is.

It's like a man going to a far country who left his house and gave authority to his servants and noticed to each his work. Each of us have a work. And that work actually is to grow and prepare to reign with Christ, but to prepare them to be in God's family and be a king and priest. But that also our work is to help in preaching this message, helping preach the gospel to the world. To each his work. To each of us consider that we have a work that we need to be doing. To each his work. And commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming. In the evening, at midnight, or the crowing of the rooster in the morning. Lest coming suddenly he finds you sleeping. And what I say to you I say to all, watch. So Jesus said we need to be vigilant and we need to be watching. We need to be close to God.

Well, there's a fleeing. We remember those verses. Verse 14, you're to flee to the mountains.

And verse 18, pray that your flight may not be in the winter. What is this fleeing of the people of God? Let's go to Revelation 12. There is a flight mentioned here. And again, we don't understand just how this is going to unfold, but we believe there is something. We at one time thought it would be Petra. The church would be taken over to Petra. You know, that could still happen. We just don't know. But we'll see that it is described as a place in the wilderness. Okay, let's first of all establish the time factor here in Revelation 12. And it talks about verse 9, the great dragon and his angels are cast out. And verse 10 says, salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ have come. So we're very near then the setting up of God's kingdom on the earth. And verse 12 says, rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them.

Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you having great wrath because he knows he has a short time. So this casting down of Satan is right before the tribulation, just shortly before that final three and one half years of the great tribulation.

Now, what about the church? Verse 13, when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. This woman represents the church of God.

The church is represented as a woman in several verses in the Bible, a woman that is going to become the bride of Christ, actually, at his return. So Satan persecutes the church. And in verse 14, the woman was given two wings of a great eagle. You know, John saw all of this in symbolic vision. He saw a woman representing the church, and this woman had the wings of an eagle coming out, a woman with two wings of a great eagle. She might fly into the wilderness.

Okay, there's some kind of flight here again that we read about in Mark 13. She might fly into the wilderness to her place. Now, some have thought that this fly here means airplane, air flight.

We don't know. It may or may not be air flight. But this is, again, what John saw in his vision.

She might fly into the wilderness to her place where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman to try to destroy the woman, but the earth helped the woman and opened up its mouth and swallowed up the flood. So God will protect those who are in this place in the wilderness. So you see there's no secret rapture. I wanted to read this partially because of that, but God has promised to watch over his people and care for his people right here on the earth.

You know, we don't need to fear. The bottom line of all of this and Mr. Kubik's letter also, we don't need to fear. God has given us understanding. We can trust him. He's in control.

He's with us. He has promised if we watch and pray that he will certainly watch over us.

And who knows? Maybe we will be a county worthy to be in this place in the wilderness. But we should not set our minds on just physical protection. If God were to allow something to happen to us, if he were to allow us to die, if he were to allow us to be murdered, we believe there will be those that God allows to be murdered at the end of this age.

Now, it may be that some in the Great Tribulation have been more lukewarm as the Laodicean attitude. It may be that God will allow martyrdom for some of those that will be in the Tribulation because they lukewarmness, because of not really being zealous as they should be. But could there be even righteous people, holy righteous people, that God allows to be martyred? He has down through the ages. All the apostles that were martyred were righteous and holy. The Apostle Paul, the holy man of God, was martyred. The two witnesses, which recently we had a program on, will be martyred.

So, you know, righteous people of God can be allowed to be martyred. We should realize that.

But those who are zealous and really have their hearts in the work of God, who are watching and praying, it seems like the prophecies indicate the broad majority of them, most of them, will be taken to that place in the wilderness. Let's go to Luke 21. We see a little bit more, and this is that other Olivette, or account of the Olivette prophecy. Luke chapter 21, and just read a few verses here. You know, I'm glad that God has inspired the Bible, well, the Gospels, for example, to have more than just one account. When you put them all together, you get a more complete understanding.

And so we have, well, the life of Christ. We have four gospel accounts, four different gospel accounts, which harmonize perfectly. There's no conflict in them, and they just give a complete, a more complete story of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. If we just add Matthew, we'd be missing some of the things in Mark and Luke and John. If we just add Matthew and Mark, we'd be missing Luke and John. If we didn't have any, if we just had three of any three of them, we'd be missing what the other brings out that is different, a little bit different perspective. And some things, of course, are only found in one gospel. For example, the foot washing. You don't find the foot washing in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. You find the past, that final Passover, where Jesus instituted the bread and the wine, but you don't have the foot washing, except in John, John 13. So there are things in each gospel that is found only in that gospel and not in the other. So I'm glad we have all four, and we have three separate accounts of the Olivet prophecy. Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. Let's pick it up in Luke chapter 21 and verse 20.

Luke 21 and verse 20. When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Let those in Judea flee to the mountains. Verse 22. These are the days of vengeance, that all things that are written may be fulfilled. Woe to those who are pregnant and those who have nursing babies. So some of this does overlap, as you can see. So Jesus said in verse 28, when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draws near. It seems like that is where we are now. These things are beginning to happen, and we need to lift up our head and realize that God's kingdom is near. Well, I see that my time is running down very, very quickly, and I just wanted to end with a couple of things. And that is that there's a verse in Zephaniah chapter 2 that says if we... Well, let's read that verse. I'm going to take just a moment. This will have to be one of the final scriptures in Zephaniah chapter 2, and it shows that if we do strive to walk with God and strive to be close to God and do what is pleasing in His sight, that He'll be watching out for us. In Zephaniah chapter 2 in verse 1, gather yourselves together. Yes, gather together, O undesirable nation, before the decree is issued, before the day passes like chaff, before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you. Well, that's now, isn't it? We are now before that day of anger or the day of the Lord. So verse 2 is talking about now. What should we be doing? Verse 3 shows what we need to do. Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth. We want to be lowly in our own mind and heart. We don't want to be high and lifted up. This is talking about the meek of the earth, those who don't have a high opinion of themselves. Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. We do strive to uphold God's ways, and we do want His righteousness and what is right and fair. Seek righteousness, seek that which is holy and righteous in God's sight. Seek humility, not pride not being lifted up. This is something we seek. Do you seek humility? Well, we should. That's what it says we should do. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. It may be. You know, we put our lives in the hands of God, whether we live or die. If God lets us be a martyr, He'll give us the strength to do it. But who knows? It may be that we'll be spared that as well.

But you know, think of this. If we are spared that in that wilderness place, how is it going to be to realize what is going on on the outside? I don't think the place in the wilderness is going to be an easy place when we realize the suffering and pain that is going on. Because, you know, one Jordanian pilot being burned alive is nothing compared to millions and even billions of people that are going to suffer during the tribulation. Well, brethren, we are clearly living into evil times. I just didn't really have this. Well, during the week I kind of struggled exactly what I would give today. But yesterday when I read the letter from Mr. Kubik, I just realized, you know, we're living in perilous times and we need to be making spiritual preparation.

So what should we do? Don't lose hope or be discouraged. Don't be afraid. Have faith.

Keep your faith strong. Don't lose hope or heart. Remember Psalm 23, "'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.' And I wonder, you know, about myself, the valley of the shadow of death, will I be strong enough to fear no evil? How about you? What about Psalm 91?

A thousand may fall by one side and ten thousand on the other side. But God is watching up for us. No plague will come near. Psalm 91 promised that God is with us. We have hope.

And so let's brace for the events of the end time. Stay close to God and study in prayer.

Don't be afraid. Trust God to protect you. But by all means, let's realize that with what is happening in the world is not business as usual, is it for us? We need to intensify our own prayers and study and draw in close to God. And look up. Lift up our heads with hope because our redemption and that of the world draws near.