Next Year in Jerusalem

Well, as I said earlier, welcome back from the feast. It's great to see you all, and we're looking forward to having everyone back next Sabbath. You know, the end of the feast is a time where I've begun to hear, and I have heard over the years, this phrase, next year in Jerusalem.

Right? We look forward to that true fulfillment of the feast, and what it really means, because we've lived those seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles and that eighth day and what it means.

We're so filled with that joy and that hope for what it means for all mankind, and then we get in our car and come home, or we get on the plane, or whatever it might be.

Or, if we're at home, we sort of turn off the webcast and, okay, another cycle is completed. And so, sometimes we say, well, next year in Jerusalem.

And it's a phrase the Jews have used since the Middle Ages, actually, and they actually use it in relation to the Passover. It's something they say at the end of a Seder, and a Seder is a Jewish service ceremony that takes place on that Jewish Passover, which is not the same Passover evening that we keep, which we know. And it describes this longing to be reunited, finally, in Jerusalem with the Messiah. That's where it comes. Again, it's post-Biblic. It's from the Middle Ages. But many in God's Church have used the phrase in reference to the Feast of Tabernacles, as a way of saying goodbye, but having a hope of what the future might bring the following year. Let's turn over to Isaiah 2. Isaiah 2. And let's read verses 3 and 4. You might have read this during the Feast. This might have been something that you read before or during the Feast. I think a really encouraging passage. And I think this phrase, next year in Jerusalem, does have biblical origins for the Feast of Tabernacles. Isaiah 2, beginning in verse 3, many people shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways. We shall walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And the word of the Lord here, really, as we understand, is referring to Christ. Because it says, beginning in verse 4, he shall judge between the nations, that is the Messiah, the return, and shall rebuke many people. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. And nations shall not lift up sword against nation, and neither shall they learn war anymore. Next year in Jerusalem. Will I be there? Will you be there?

We know it's metaphorical, really, because we understand that there's this three and a half year period that has to take place, right? So we know that Jesus Christ is not going to stand on the Mount of Olives a year from now. I mean, that doesn't prophetically sort of work. But we understand, nonetheless, the sentiment that comes from it. We understand that there's going to be a great time of trouble between now and when that actually happens. And that's the good news that we proclaim of the time after that time of trouble. But could we imagine that this year, that we've observed the feast, and now as we come back, that we would look forward to next year, being part of that plan, that true set of events that will take place, not just the metaphorical or just the future fulfillment that we celebrated. How exciting that will be to be part of that true fulfillment next year, if that were to come. How exciting, right? Right? Maybe. We'll go over it in Matthew 24. Matthew 24 verse 37. Because, again, I think we know the answer must be yes, right? I mean, that's why we celebrate the feast. Right? Of course, we want to be part of next year in Jerusalem. Except that there's some really difficult things that are going to happen between now and those three and a half years it would take place until his return. Matthew 24 verse 37 says here, "...but as the days of Noah were, so also will be the coming of the Son of man.

For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So also will the coming of the Son of man be, eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage." That's such an interesting metaphor because what is more hopeful and exciting than the prospect of marriage. A young married couple considering their lives together and what it will mean and the future of what that means. And then actually all that being changed by the flood and that hopefulness of marriage being dashed by the flood coming. Right? We often think about, oh that's just he could have chosen, you know, they were going to work, right? They were getting on the bus. They were brushing their teeth, right? We tend to think of in those sort of, you know, month, but he chose marrying and being given in marriage as one of those examples. Eating and drinking, right? This was a time of hope. And are we prepared to lose our home, to leave our home, to lose our job, to be displaced, maybe to a place of safety, maybe not to a place of safety. Are we prepared for what's ahead and what this might be to see our country fall into chaos and to see the cumulative effects of debt and moral decay and overspending and confusion and division actually play out in captivity? All right, I mean this is what we're, this is what we talked about, leading up to the Feast of Tabernacles, and those would be the types of things that would take place to be next year in Jerusalem, again metaphorically. To let go of the things we hold dear in this life, to truly participate in what the Feast of Tabernacles would mean in the future in a true fulfillment, are we ready? Are we ready to move forward in faith when the time comes when they say, let's go next year in Jerusalem? Will we be there?

Today I want to ask some questions of ourselves about what it means to be ready to keep the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem with Jesus Christ in the future. How ready are we to walk away from our lives as they exist today? How ready are we to walk away from our lives as they exist today? Will we maintain our values and our faith in the face of great adversity? Will we maintain our values and faith in the face of great adversity? And three, can we be joyful today in the life we have now, whether that be good or bad, knowing that we will face great trials in the future? Can we have joy today knowing we're going to have trials in the future? I mean, you know, given all the terrible things ahead, you know, that should, you know, we should sigh and cry, right? And we should walk around moping. And can we have joy today? The message today is not designed to create fear, right? Because we've been there before. We scare people. But I hope we can appreciate that one of the reasons that we have prophecy, one of the reasons that we look into prophetic writings, is to understand what's ahead that changes our behavior today. And that's what the true Feast of Tabernacles will picture when Jesus Christ returns. We know when He returns on the Feast of Trumpets, He puts away Satan on the Day of Atonement, and He celebrates a thousand-year reign beginning with the Feast of Trumpets, excuse me, the Feast of Tabernacles that year, that there will be three and a half years of devastation that precedes that. And so if we want to really celebrate with Him those Feast days, we're going to have to go through three and a half years of difficulty. But hopefully we know that the end of that, there is a great vision of a world without tears, a world without suffering, a world without pain, as we read in Revelation 24 verse 4. We need to have that vision that we heard in the Feast of Tabernacles for the last eight days, fresh in our minds, that vision of what that world is going to be like, because the time between now and then could be very difficult. Let's start with the first point. How ready are we to walk away from our lives as they exist today? Let's go over to Revelation 22 verse 7. Revelation 22 verse 7. Revelation 22 is the last chapter, as we have chapters and verses in the Bible. It's the very end of 66 books, right? The very end of what's in the Bible. And there's a theme that's consistent in these final words of inspired writing. Revelation 22 verse 7. Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words, the prophecy of this book. Now look in verse 12. And behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me to give to everyone according to his work.

Verse 14. Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. That's what we look forward to, isn't it?

And now look in verse 17. And the Spirit and the bride say, come, and let him who hears say, come, and let him who thirsts come, and whoever desires let him take the water of life freely. Hopefully you read John 7, 37. Let him who thirsts come to me, and he shall have rivers of living water. Verse 20. And he who testifies to these things says, surely I am coming quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Do you sense a theme in here? Behold, I come quickly. Behold, I come quickly. Let's go back to verse 7.

Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.

What does that mean? What does it mean to keep the words of the prophecy of the book?

Let's go back to the beginning of the book of Revelation.

Revelation 1 now, verse 3, and we'll see that in the beginning of the book of Revelation, John writes the same thing. Revelation 1 verse 3, blessed is he who reads, and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it, for the time is near.

See, this is a theme from the beginning of Revelation to the end of Revelation. The time is near. Behold, I come quickly. Keep the things in this book. Now, the book of Revelation contains horrific scenes of violence. If the book of Revelation was a movie, it would be R-rated.

This is an R-rated movie. There's a lot of blood. There's a lot of pain. There's a lot of torture and terror. It is an unpleasant movie that, frankly, most of us would say, you know, I don't need to go see that. That's an R-rated movie. I don't need that in my head. So what does it mean to keep the words of the book if it's such a R-rated movie?

Well, because it's not violence for violence's sake. It's violence with a reason. There's a sense to that violence. It provides a road map to end-time events that lead to the return of Jesus Christ and the ultimate hope of all peoples to be reunited with our Creator. To keep the words means that we don't fight against those events. We let those events flow over us. We embrace those events when they come. We are ready to accept those events and that violence because we know that it has a meaning and a purpose which is much greater than we can understand.

Now, this is a very important point because I think in God's Church we can be seduced by an alternative way of looking at the world, which I think, unfortunately, has been propagated or pushed by a lot of mainstream Christianity. This alternative view of the universe, which I'll call national repentance, goes something like this. You see, if our nation would only repent and follow God, He would restore our national greatness. But, see, that's not what the book of Revelation says. It sounds very biblical, this national repentance, doesn't it? It says, well, you know, because if our people who are called by His name would just pray, well, that's true in the nation of Israel. God was looking for that national repentance. But the book of Revelation was written after that. The book of Revelation fits in with a theology that we preach in the Church of God that goes back to the Garden of Eden, right, and the two trees. We understand from those two trees that these were metaphors for the tree of life being God's way of life, that God was going to give His Spirit to His creation, that they might dwell with Him and be one with Him, and that they might be one family. There was another tree, and there was the only tree that man could not take of in the Garden of Eden, and that was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And that is a metaphor for man choosing his own way. And so what did Anab do? Well, he chose his own way. He says, I'm going to decide what is good for myself. And so there is good in the world. Wonderful good. There are people who are willing to lay down their lives for others. There is good in this world, but there is evil in this world, too. And that's what our world is. It's this mix of good and evil, because man decided he was going to make his own choice. And so because of that, Adam and Eve were expelled from God's presence, and there was an angel placed in front of this tree of life that they might not have it until some period of time in the future, which we read about in Revelation. And man was basically given a period of time to prove for himself that he could not possibly survive in the long term on his own without God, that he would destroy himself from off the planet and everything that God created without God's presence. That is what the Church of God teaches. The Church of God does not teach national repentance. There's no national repentance in the book of Revelation. In the three and a half years, there's no national repentance. Right? What we see from Genesis to Revelation is a message that says man is going to destroy himself from off this planet unless God intervenes. Go over to Matthew 24, and let's just read that. Let's not take my word for it. Let's read what Matthew 24 says on this subject. 24 verse 21. Matthew 24 verse 21.

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved.

No flesh would be saved. That means that mankind would wipe himself off the planet.

And you know what? There's lots of people who don't read the Bible, who don't believe it's the word of God, who have no desire to believe that God even exists, who completely agree with Matthew 24 verse 22. Carl Sagan being one of them. Great scientists. One of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century said, we are going to annihilate ourselves from this planet because of nuclear weapons. We've got to get this under control. In 1947, there was this clock that was created, which we now call the Doomsday Clock. People have probably heard of the Doomsday Clock. All right? Doomsday Clock was set up because the risk of mankind annihilating himself off this planet was so great that these people set this up because they wanted to warn the world that we are so close to annihilation. In 1953, the United States tested the first hydrogen bomb, and the Soviets responded by testing another hydrogen bomb, and they set the clock to two minutes to midnight. Two minutes to midnight. And from 1953 until 2017, that clock has been above two minutes to midnight. At one point in 1991, it was 17 minutes to midnight. In 2018, they set the clock to two minutes to midnight. We are at the worst point in the Doomsday Clock ever since 1953. And those are the two lowest points the clock has ever been at. Why? Because the risk of nuclear annihilation and they're putting the risk of climate change are so great, they're going to put that at two minutes to midnight. We have scientists telling us that broad swaths of the Earth will be uninhabitable in 100 years, certainly in two and 300 years, if current trends continue. Now, we can debate climate change. We can debate nuclear risks. We can say Russia is our friend. I'm just telling you what people are saying out there. And I'm telling you what Matthew 24 verse 22 says, unless those days would be shortened, no flesh would be saved.

Things are going to get difficult, and we cannot get deceived by this thing that says, well, we just need to repent and it's going to get better. No, that's not what the book of Revelation says. And we have to be prepared to walk away from our lives today when the time comes, because that may actually happen. Now, I could go down the list and I could enumerate all sorts of things that, you know, threaten mankind's existence on this planet, but there's a lot. There's a lot of things that threaten our existence. As one writer put it so well, life is short.

Make sure you spend as much time as possible on the internet arguing with strangers about politics.

I think you get my point, right? We've got some important work to do, and it's not that.

So obviously, that's not true. We do not need to be entangled in the things of this world with some view that we're going to put our finger in the dike, and if we just scream loudly enough, we can get all our friends, and they can put their fingers in the dike, too, and we're going to stop this thing from crashing over us.

Now, the Bible says that we have to follow the things that are written in the book. Revelation 1, verse 3, right? As we said, Revelation 22, verse 7.

Do the things that are written in this book, and that means we don't put our finger in the dike. We get out of the way of the dike, because that dike is going to go over, and it's going to cause a great deal of destruction.

As we heard last Sabbath and on the sixth day of the feast from Mr. Cubick, we are pilgrims on a journey. That's what we are. We're pilgrims on a journey, and this is not our home. We are sojourning here. We are sojourners. We are not to become too comfortable. That's what the Feast of Tabernacles is all about. We're intense. That's the point of the feast. We're intense. This is not our home. We must be productive. We must make a difference in our communities as we can be lights of God's Spirit dwelling in us, in a dark world.

But our roots are not in this place.

Are we ready to pull up stakes and move to that next encampment on our way to the Kingdom?

Point number two. Will we maintain our values and our faith in the face of adversity?

We're in Matthew 24. Let's look at now verse 45. Are we going to maintain our values and our faith in the face of great adversity? Matthew 24 verse 45. Let's read this now.

Who then is a faithful and wise servant whom his master made ruler over his household to give them food and do season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.

So that's great. He's going to be doing what Christ said to do. Assuredly, verse 47, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. This is what we want. This is the place we want to be in. Verse 48, But if that evil servant says in his heart, my master is delaying his coming and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The fate of the evil servant is not a pretty one. I think we're back into our rating again. It's not a pretty sight what is going to happen, and the parable is here for a reason. We who await God's kingdom are at risk of losing heart. We're at risk of losing heart if there's a delay in his coming. Now, we know there's not a delay in his coming. God has a plan, but we might think there's a delay in his coming, because we might think that it's delayed in some way. We got more time. It's okay. We don't need to worry about this now. So we might look around, and you know, people sitting next to us, you know, other church members, our neighbor is not in the church, and say, why is he doing that? Why is she doing that? Look at her! That's so inappropriate. Look at that man. How could he be in God's church? Right? We start looking around at the other people instead of looking at ourselves, and we start beating our fellow. It's an interesting analogy, beating them, right? Beating them. You know, the implication here is a lack of control, because when he's talking about eating and drinking with the drunkards, what's a characteristic of a drunkard?

Person who doesn't have control, lack of moderation, right? Lack of sort of wisdom and how you behave, right? Because you kind of lost control. I don't know if you've ever seen somebody really drunk, but they, you know, they have a hard time actually even standing up. You know, it's like, wow, you should sit down. You know, you might hurt yourself. That's what a drunkard is. And so they're eating and drinking with those people who don't have control, who don't have moderation, who've lost their sense of what is right and sensible, because they're impaired. They are mentally impaired by their drunkenness. The Scripture doesn't say the fellow servant was undeserving, you know? I think it's interesting, you know? Sometimes, did it say the fellow servant was, you know, and then they started beating this person who didn't deserve it. Doesn't say anything like that. Maybe the person was out of line. Maybe the person was completely out of line. Does that mean they're supposed to be beaten? Does that mean we have to take it upon ourselves to beat that fellow? Get back in line. I can't believe you're doing that. That's really inappropriate. Sometimes we're more interested, as I've said before, more interested in being right than we are in loving our brother. I know that was so wrong, that person to do that to me, and I can't believe they did that, and how can they be in the church?

So we start beating our fellow servants instead of looking at ourselves and giving other people a chance to make changes because we lack control. We lack moderation. I think this parable tells us that frustration is a real thing in God's church, and I think this parable tells us that frustration over our expectation around Christ's return and God's expectation of when Christ will return might become disconnected, and that frustration can lead to things that are not good.

And I think that, I think, unfortunately, in our faith, in our ancestors, as we say in the church, we might have read too much into biblical prophecy in terms of world events around us.

I grew up in the church hearing things like the gun lab. I heard ministers say, Christ will return in five, ten, fifteen years on the outside. I heard that. Now, when people tell you that, you have certain expectations. Okay, five years, ten years. I mean, you know, I'm probably not alone, and in eighth grade I was thinking, wow, I'm not going to have to do finals this year.

You know? I mean, Christ is going to flee! This is going to be so cool! I don't have to study for that test.

I mean, I think we know this, right? And so what happens is that because of our ancestors, because of our ancestors in the church and this sort of sense of, it's got to be coming, it's got to be next, you know, there's after a while, you know? And then we're like, well, what happened?

Maybe this isn't the church. How could this be going on? Look at all these people. I think there's a reason this is in. I think frustration is a real thing, and we have to get our mindset of when Christ is going to return aligned with God's timeline and off of our own timeline and how we read things into the Scripture. I think sometimes we have confused our culture. Our culture has been confused by confusing watching always with watching only. Right? We've got other things to do.

We have to always be watching, but that's not the only thing we're going to do.

Look over in verse 43. I think this is interesting. Verse 43, just a couple verses up.

But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming, and an hour when you do not expect him. He's coming at an hour when you do not expect him. So what we'll do is we'll create timelines and timetables that tell us when to expect him, and that's when we'll expect him. Do you see a disconnect in that? It doesn't say that. It says we don't know when he's coming. Therefore, be ready, because you don't know when he's coming. Just always be ready. Always be ready. Look over in 2 Peter 3 verse 10.

We'll see the words of the Apostle Peter himself in this regard. I think he gives us very wise instruction about anticipating the return of Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3 verse 10 says, But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. Sounds familiar, right? He was with Jesus. He heard these very words, and he repeated them. It will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat.

Both the earth and the works that are in them will be burned up. All of this prior world will be destroyed. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? How should you be? What? You should have holy conduct and godliness. In the face of adversity, we have to hold to our values. We can't start beating our fellow brethren.

We can't start looking at others and quit looking at ourselves. All these things we've been taught. Now, verse 12 is a continuation of that. Sometimes we think about verse 12 because it's a different verse as a different thought, but it's just the same sentence. There's just a comma after the word here, godliness. Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat.

We keep our holy conduct looking for and hastening the day of God. And verse 14 now, therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by him, calculating timelines to Christ's return. I guess it doesn't say that, does it? Arguing with strangers on the internet. Hunkering down in a bunker with food and ammunition. No, it doesn't say this, right? It says peace. We're supposed to be in peace.

That's our response to all of the adversity that will come upon us. That we will be in peace without spot and blemish. In peace. Peace of mind that comes from God's Holy Spirit. That no matter what is going on out there in the world, no matter what we see on the news, God is in charge.

God's will will be done. God established who is responsible in this country and in countries around the world. And he has a plan and we don't need to worry about it. Peace of mind that God has a timetable and he's going to execute to that timetable and we don't have to worry about our own timetable. And without spot and blemish, as it says, if we're to be vigilant, it's around guarding our hearts and minds that we're ready always to receive our Lord and Savior when he returns.

Verse 15, an account that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation. God's patience with us is because he wants us to be in his kingdom. And maybe we need more time. Maybe we need just a little bit more time. Let's go over to Galatians 6 verse 9. Galatians 6 and verse 9. Galatians 6 verse 9. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. We should not be beating our fellow servants. We should be doing good to our fellow servants. If we've kept the feast for 30, 40, even 50 years, looking to the actual fulfillment of the return of Jesus Christ, it can be disappointing at times that it has not yet come. We can be disappointed sometimes after the feast that it is another cycle that will begin. But it doesn't need to be disappointing if we understand that God is in charge and that Jesus instructs us to pray, "'Thy kingdom come,' and that he will not delay his coming, as some say he might." I think Matthew 24 verse 45 about servants being one another is as much a prophecy as it is a warning.

Let's not be that servant who lets his frustration lead him to lose control and let his frustration be taken out on others. Let's be in peace. Let's be righteous, as it says. Let's remain true to our calling. Point number three. Can we be joyful in this life, whether good or bad, knowing the kinds of difficulties that are going to be coming in the future? Go over in Philippians just a few verses over. Philippians 4 verse 11. Philippians 4 verse 11 through 13. Let's read here about Paul. Can we have joy now, knowing that we've got this ugly, awful violence that's going to take over this world and our country that could displace us, that could lead us in captivity, that could put us and our families at terrible risk?

Are we to walk around dour because of that, or can we have joy now despite that?

Philippians 4 verse 11. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I know how to be abased. Now, in my margin, it says, I know how to live humbly, and I know how to abound. Again, in my margin, it says to live in prosperity. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. One of the fruits of God's spirit is joy. It's joy. Can we have joy and rejoice when we live in need? Paul says he can. Can we have joy when we are in troubles?

Paul says he can. Can we have joy when we know troubles are coming?

Look at Paul's response. I think he concludes this so well in verse 13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We can do all things through Christ that strengthens us, even when we are having difficulties, even when we know difficulties are ahead.

We can have joy knowing that the things that are coming in the book of Revelation are coming. Why? Well, we know before because we know at the end we win, right? We know that's why we celebrated seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles and an eighth day. That's why we celebrated because we have hope of what that means. And the time between now and then is just the short period of time. And if we are faithful to God, God will protect us or God will lead us where he wants us to be.

We will certainly weep for the pain we see around us. I weep. I know we weep for the slow-moving train wreck that we see in this country, right? The division, the rancor, the anger, the outburst, the lack of moderation, the lack of wisdom, right? The attacks against our leaders, right?

I mean, President Trump has got to be one of the most polarizing figures in our national, you know, identity. But God established him, right? He allowed him to be president, and we have to accept that. If we like President Trump, that's great. If you don't like President Trump, well, you have to accept that. God put him in place. We have to respect that office and that man.

People in France right now do not like President Macron. He has lower ratings than President Trump in this country. And President Trump has some of the lowest ratings. They don't like him either.

But to the people in France, they have to understand that God placed President Macron in place and put him in place for a reason. And I weep for the full-on accomplished train wreck that I see in West and Central Africa. If you were to come with me to Africa, you would see it, too.

Tomorrow is election day in Cameroon. Most people don't know that. October 7th.

President Paul Bea is seeking a seventh term in office. He's 85 years old. He will be elected tomorrow to another term of seven years. And when he's 92, he will sit for another term of seven years.

He took office the year after Ronald Reagan became president in this country. To give you some perspective. 36 years. Cameroon is a little bigger than California. Only a little bit. And its population is only slightly larger, too. So Cameroon and California are actually very, very similar in size and population. Yet the GDP of California is 100 times greater than Cameroon.

100 times greater. Now let me put that in perspective for you. Last month I was working with some of our church members there on different projects that they could do that require certain levels of investment that would earn them a monthly income of $50.

A monthly income of $50, which is enough to get by in Cameroon. And if you don't have $50, well, you're not getting by. So if you could get a guaranteed $50 monthly guaranteed in quarters, there's nothing guaranteed in this life, but you could have some assurance of having $50 a month to live on, then you can survive.

A hundred times $50 is $5,000.

And that is the median wage in California.

$5,000 a month is the median wage. That's the difference of a hundred times.

They live on $50 a month, and we live on $5,000 a month. That's a hundred times difference. And yet they're the same size, same number of people, roughly.

Can you imagine making $50 a month and living on $50 a month?

What would your life be like living on $50 a month?

Cameroon is a country like Canada. It has two official languages, English and French, but the French have dominated the country for decades. And so they're fighting a bloody civil war right now with their English-speaking regions that I'm sure you never hear about. We have church members that I've written who are literally have family who are living in the wilderness.

Women giving birth in the plains. No electricity, no water, no shelter, nothing on the ground with a blanket.

We have members who have been driven, members' families who have been driven from their homes, not able to cook, living off the land as best they can, and nobody hears about it. If you want a foretaste of the Great Tribulation, all you have to do is get on a plane and fly to Africa and pick Cameroon or many other countries who are in very similar situations. It's there. It exists right now.

In Diwala, where our church hall and office is located, they have not had garbage service in years. What happens when people don't pick up the garbage? Well, you throw it on the street, and it just accumulates and accumulates and accumulates. And that's the condition that people live in. Most people have no running water in their homes, so they walk to buy water from local wells. We have a well at our church hall, and we have somebody that sits there all day long, and people come up and they give a little bit of money, and they get some water from us, and they carry it back to their house. And this is in the capital of commercial capital. This is not in the middle of nowhere. This is the commercial capital of the country. The roads are unpaved. The electricity is uneven. Unlimited Wi-Fi. You know how much you pay, right? You'd pay $1,600 a month.

Remember, $50 a month is the average wage, but you pay $1,600. So obviously, people don't have internet to communicate. Hospitals are cash only. People will die, and do die, in front of a hospital because they don't have cash. And getting a visa to come to the U.S. or France is practically impossible. So if you live there, you are trapped with no opportunity of any kind to take a break from that. It's only a six-hour flight from Douala back to Paris, and many times when I return to France, I wonder whether I have already had a foretaste of the Great Tribulation. And for several days, I find myself angry and guilty. Feeling that way. Feeling guilty. Why am I living in this way that we live here? All right, as I've shared with you, a blue sky. What a concept, a blue sky. Well, you don't have blue sky if people are burning their trash. You don't have a blue sky if there's so much pollution that you can't really see it. And so I've had to struggle with myself with these feelings, and I know that it's not right. Because I didn't choose to be born here. You didn't choose to be born here. This is where God put us. God put us here at this time, and this is our life.

And we do not need to walk around upset and angry because people live like that in Cameroon. That's what I had to come to. I can't come here and be angry that we have good lives here, and they don't. That serves no purpose. There's no purpose to that. How am I serving God by having those feelings? Just like there's no reason for us not to have joy, even though difficult times are coming.

Because this is where God has placed us, to be lights in the world and to have the fruit of his spirit of joy. Look back in verse 4 here. We have the same chapter. What does Paul say in Philippians 4 verse 4? Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. Isn't that amazing? He says this because he was in prison when he wrote this letter. If you were in prison, how would you feel? Would you be joyful? I think people in Cameroon are in prison. They literally cannot leave. But they rejoice. The word is the same for them as it is for you. They sing hymns of praise. They sing hymns of joy. And our brethren in the north of the country camp in tents around a large building, which is our church hall. And they live in tents and they rejoice for seven days with no running water and no electricity and limited means in very hot weather. And they rejoice just as we should be rejoicing now. If we can learn to rejoice even in difficult times now, we can learn to rejoice always.

Let's go to conclude this point in Luke 6 verse 20. Luke 6 verse 20. Words of Jesus Christ Himself in this matter.

Luke 6 and verse 20.

Then He lifted up His eyes towards His disciples and He said, Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and cast out your name as evil for the Son of Man's sake. And verse 23. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!

Exclamation point. For indeed your reward is great in heaven, and in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. Just like your ancestors did, rejoice. Rejoice now. Don't let all those worries about today and tomorrow get you down. Rejoice! Now is the time to rejoice. How ready are we to walk away from our lives as they exist today? Will we maintain our values and our faith in the faiths of adversity? And can we be joyful today in a life we have, whether good or evil or bad, knowing that we will face great trials in the future? I hope you can think about some of these questions as we consider coming back from the feast, as we deal with our feelings of reentry into our regular lives, looking forward to the God's kingdom and what it will mean. They're questions for us to consider when we think about next year in Jerusalem and what that means. Let's be ready to make that time when we'll rule with Christ our reality.