Placing a Place of Safety in Biblical Context

I hope today that I'll be able to bring you a message that will cause you to pause, to consider, and to be able to think about the Word of God. A couple weeks ago, when we were in Temecula for Pentecost services, we got to talking over our lunch table and got a little bit into the subject of prophecy. And I thought, well, probably a good time, well and good, to be able to touch on prophecy. Because whenever we touch on prophecy, what we're really doing is we're going back to what is stated in the epistle of Peter in dealing with prophecy and in discussing it.

It's not just simply about personalities and events that are in the future, but it always comes back to, as Peter says, therefore, with all of this that is about to happen, therefore what manner of men ought we to be?

So I'm going to talk a little bit about prophecy today. And I like to begin, as I always have over the last many years, in discussing prophecy, just to take that word apart for a moment, because it's germane to understand what I'm going to be bringing to you in the minutes ahead. And that is to understand that the word prophecy comes from the Greek word prophetaea. Prophetaea. And prophetaea, like so many Greek words, has more than one meaning.

Prophetaea, first of all, means to forth tell. In other words, to share what God has either done and is or doing. In other words, dealing that which is past and or the past which comes in to the present. So prophetaea has that meaning. Also, prophetaea has another meaning, and that is to foretell, to point to the future, and to share of what God's purpose and plan is in the future, to bring his ultimate plan all together, to glorify him, to glorify his son, and to bring many sons to glory.

So we need to understand that in the message that I'm going to bring today, because we're going to be dealing with the past, the present. We're going to be dealing with the future. If we only deal in prophecy or prophetaea only with what has been already foretold, we might be wide of the mark. And if we only deal with the foretelling of that which is in the future, we might draw wide of the mark.

And what I hope to do with this message is to bring it all together for all of you to understand something very important. With that stated, and some of you are going to be hearing a prophecy sermon for the very first time, but prophecy is not just events and imagery and facts. It figures prophecy is about you and about me and what God has in store for us personally. So it always comes down to WIIFM. What is in it for me, and why does God share the things that He does in the Scriptures?

I'd like to allude to what is commonly called the Olivet prophecy for a moment. The Olivet prophecy are the words of Jesus that He shared with His apostles before He ascended. They're found in Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13. And He shares with the disciples, based upon their question, when will these things be? And so then He gives a broad answer, a wide margin of thought, to have them understand what's going to happen between the time that He ascends and upon His second return.

And in doing so, Christ revealed to His followers that before His second coming, there would be incredible human turbulence down through the ages that would actually maximize right before He does return to this earth. So much so that He states this, that if God did not intervene, and if Jesus Christ did not come back to this earth, that humanity would be extended except for one cause.

Let's understand what that cause is by joining me, to Matthew 24. In Matthew 24, come with me if you would, please, and let's pick up the thought here in Matthew 24, 21. For there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world, until this time, no nor ever shall be. Now, this is important because in the context of Matthew 24, the word tribulation has already been mentioned once, which is of note. But now, verses down, it is tribulation, we might say, on steroids, maximized.

Great tribulation, such as has never been. And now notice, and unless those days were shortened, no flesh will be saved. But now notice the cause for the salvation at that moment. But for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened. Friends, here in Los Angeles, God goes on record.

In this, there are two things that we draw out of simply out of this verse. Number one, God makes a declaration. He makes a declaration. And number two, He offers you and me, as well as all humanity, but you and me, He gives us a promise. And something that we can put in the pocket of our heart and wake up every day and know that it is there, that God's declaration is not only a statement, but it is a promise. It's an incredible promise. How many people out there today, with the troubling times that we have, with the world that we're in, can know and state that they know, without a doubt, that humanity will not terminate itself of and by itself? How many people out there know what you know and have the confidence that you and I can have, that humanity is not headed for ultimate disaster, but an ultimate intervention by none other than God Almighty? Now, it is very interesting that it says all of this is going to occur. He's going to intervene in human history for the elect's sake. Now, that bears the second question. Who are the elect?

Just who are these individuals that God is going to stop human history, intervene, and save them, and save humanity from itself? Who are the elect? This message is designed to answer that later. During this incredible time of Satan's wrath—and it is Satan's wrath because he knows his time is going to be short—we commonly call this the tribulation. We just noticed it in verse 21. We're here. Did you notice it's called the Great Tribulation? In verse 9, the word tribulation is used, and we'll define that a little bit later on in the message. The question simply is this.

Exactly where will the people of God be during the Great Tribulation? Do you know? Do you know?

Can we go to Scripture and find out where this elect will be? We're going to discuss that in the course of this message. Before I give you the title of my message, let me give you just a few more thoughts. Many professing Christians sincerely believe in a supernatural rapture.

What do I mean by rapture? They believe that there's going to be a divine intervention, and they're going to be whisked away to heaven to, as they might say, be secure in the Lord.

And I partake of what's going to happen here on earth. All of us at one time or another have met people that are very sincere about their understanding of the rapture. Historically, in our own church of God culture, there's been a systematic concept that was developed over years, if not decades, of an earthbound safe place. And it was commonly called the place of safety.

Many people, over many years, sincerely prayed to be spiritually worthy, to be rescued in what is commonly called the place of safety. And much of this centered on Luke 21, verse 36. Would you join me there, please? In Luke 21, 36. Because if there was a term called the place of safety, then perhaps Luke 21, 36 were the rockets to sustain that thought. In Luke 21, further to 36, it says, watch therefore and pray always that you may be accounted worthy to escape all of these things that will come to pass and then notice and to stand before the Son of Man. So much of it centered there, and we noticed to watch, we noticed to pray, we noticed the concept, and we noticed the statement to be counted worthy, to pray so, to be counted worthy to escape all of these things that will come to pass. So in this construct, there certainly was fuel to bring forth the thought that has been in our Church of God culture for many, many years. With this stated now, let's ask some questions to develop a framework of interest that will draw you in. Here are the questions. You might want to jot them down or just kind of nod as we go through them.

Is the place of safety a specific place? Is it a specific place? Is it possible to be many places?

Are all of God's worthy saints going to be there? Are you less of a saint if you are not there?

Will everyone who flees, to use the terminology of the Bible, is everyone that's going to will they be in one specific location? The big question I'd like to ask you now, here you go, here goes the thinking cap on. Here's the question I'd like to ask you. Is the term the place of safety mentioned in Scripture? The place of safety. If so, how safe is it?

And who in or is it safe from? The reason I mentioned that is I remember many, many years ago, and it's been many, many years ago. I think the first time I heard that message over the radio by a very strong voice. And the voice over the radio, as my mother and I were listening, is on a different topic, is, I will give you one million dollars if you can show me where Christmas is mentioned in the Bible. How many of you remember that statement at all? Very common statement 50 years ago on the broadcast. I'm beginning to date myself, I'm sorry. But that that was a very common statement, and having grown up in Pasadena, I heard it from that gentleman time and time and time again.

If you can mention where this word is in the Bible, I will give you a million dollars. I would say the gentleman was pretty secure in his wager with the audience. It's very important to understand what the Bible says and what it doesn't say. And sometimes we can hear things for so long that we think an actual phrase or an actual title is actually in the Bible without going to the scripture itself. Remember, we are a Bible-based church. So I mentioned that to make us kind of aware of where this is going. With this said, it may come as a surprise to some, then, that the place of safety isn't found in the Bible in that succinct terminology. It's been a part of our Church of God culture, absolutely. It's a construct that was developed over years and different decades.

And sometimes we keep with us with that which we first learned, rather than continue to go to the pages of the Bible. So I want to expand on our understanding on this subject today, so that we can be spiritually responsible, so that we can be prepared. And not only look to an event that is in the future, but be living spiritually, dynamically today, relying on God.

And we will wrap up this message with it. Let's go to Revelation 12 for just a second. Revelation 12, and let's pick up the thought in verse 13. In Revelation 12, 13 through 17, it'll kind of give us a feel of where this is all coming from.

Revelation 12 verse 13, now when the dragon, and the dragon, for those of you that are just beginning to study the scriptures, now the dragon refers to the serpent and or to Satan, the adversary of God. Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. So there's this linkage between Jesus of Nazareth and the church. The church, not being a temporal organization of and by itself, but church in the Greek means those that are the saints of God, sanctified, called out, the called out ones.

And we're going to find out what they are later on. And it says here that he persecuted the woman and or the church who gave birth to the male child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness. Notice, to her place. To her place. That terminology, her place, may be the closest wording or the closest title that we can have in dealing with this subject.

And it's not four or five words, it's actually two words. To her place, where again she is nourished for time, and half a time from the presence of the serpent. And then it goes on to talk about how the serpent is going to attack the woman. And then that God himself is going to intervene. So here's what we want to do in Los Angeles. I'm going to give you the title of my message and why I'm giving this to you. So for those of you that like titles to stay on course, here we go.

Placing a place of safety in biblical context. Placing the place of safety in biblical context. To do so, let's begin by considering how God has... are you with me? How God has protected his people down through the ages. And the question that we need to become informed in, the answers are here, is we're going to find that it's not always in the same way. The biblical narrative clearly shows is that much of the time, much of the time, God removes his people from divine judgment. Let's just kind of think about it as we go down through the Bible for a second.

We think of Enoch, and that is pre-Noah. That is in the time of the preachers of righteousness. And there were the sons of Cain, the descendants of Cain that were after the preachers of righteousness. It was an evil time, as we know, and it says that Enoch was translated. By that translation, as we understand the broader range of Scripture, is to understand that he was removed supernaturally from one location to another. So God does at times transport his servants. We also think of Noah, and we think of his family, where Noah and his family were insulated within the confines of the ark to protect them from divine judgment.

Also, we think of Lot, we think of his family, of how God came through his servants that night to draw Lot and family out of Sodom and Gomorrah, to remove them from the divine judgment of God upon those communities. Ancient Israel, ancient Israel, while it went through the first three plagues that were visited upon Egypt, were also protected in the land of Goshen. They did not experience all of God's divine judgment against Egypt. In a part, they went through part of it, and a part of it, the major part, they did not go through it.

Yet, in contrast now, because again, remember we're discussing this in a biblical context, not your favorite verses or my favorite verses to prove our point. That's why we look at the Bible as a whole. In contrast, Daniel was not removed from the court of Babylon.

No, not at all. He was not removed from the court, which was a type of the beast.

In fact, he had many a conversation with the beast, Nebuchadnezzar. We also recognize it's probably frightening enough to meet one beast. I'm saying that with a little bit of a smile. But he also had to confront other beasts as Persia conquered Babylon, and he would be in front of Darius, and that he would, in that sense, be tossed into the lion's den. And yet, right there, on the grounds of the palace or nearby, God spared him and saved him. And he went on, and from every understanding that we have, Daniel died a natural death in Babylon, as he was spiritually guided from above. Another aspect, as far as movement of people of God, covenant people, we recognize that Ezra and Nehemiah led the people back to Jerusalem after the 70 years. But not all of the people, not all of the Jewish community, went back to Jerusalem, even as it was opened up. Did you know that? Only about a tithe, it is estimated. Only about 10 percent of the Jewish community actually went back to Jerusalem. 90 percent of the community actually remained in Babylon.

And Babylon became a center of Judaism well into 300 to 400 AD in a center of learning. Esther stayed within the court of Persia. We also recognize, then again, when we look at the New Testament accounts, we notice that God rescued Peter from jail. He also rescued the disciples from jail one time. And then they went right back in and they preached at the temple. We know that there's another time that Peter was again offered an angelic prison break. And yet he went right back to the church home to preach and to share. It is very interesting that within that chapter in Acts 12 that Peter was rescued. Peter was divinely rescued by God and given another day to glorify him and to be a blessing to other people. But in that same chapter in the book of James, excuse me, in the book of Acts, James the apostle died. James, who is one of those three companions of Jesus, John, Peter, and James. James the first apostle died in the same chapter in which Peter is released and sprung by an angel from prison. I have a question for you. This is Jermaine to the discussion. Are you with me? Does God have favorites? Did God love Peter more than James? Or did both of them on different locations for different reasons and different purposes give glory to God and to serve his purpose? That's what we want to talk about a little bit. So we see this display this variety of God's interventions. Sometimes he has his servants remain on locale. Other times, the divine guidance, he moves them to specific locations to serve another day. What we come to see as we just look at the Bible in context and the many personalities that you and I know and the stories that we know that we come away with this thought that God can either preserve his servants right where they are and or based upon his will he can remove them, take them out of the mainstay of society for a while to serve another day. So when we say all this, this establishes a framework now in which we can have discussion. I'm going to go through four different items and then we're going to conclude. And let's start with this number one. Let's go to Luke 21.20. First discussion. What happened in the 60s AD? In Luke 21, join me if you would there, please, and we'll pick up the thought in verse 20. Luke 21.20. In Luke 21 verse 20, we find this statement, but when you see Jerusalem surrounded it by armies, then know that its desolation is near. And then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains and let those who are in the midst of her depart and let none excuse me 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. Now, when we look at this, it's very interesting here. When we see that Jesus speaking about what would happen, it says that when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Now, this is important to understand. And when we deal with Jerusalem, I have a basic question for you. And all of us know history a little bit. And over the last 4,000 years, when has Jerusalem never or ever not been surrounded by armies?

Jerusalem has always, to a degree, been the center of conflict. There's something about Jerusalem that everybody wants a part of, and there is a reason even to our day and beyond our day as we read the Bible. So we notice this, and we see this, and let's understand what is happening here. Because if I can explain something, and I've done this for years as I went on the prophecy tours around the United States and Canada, we need to understand that there's a term, and some of you will be familiar with, it's called dualism. That the Bible has dualism in nature, that there's a type and there's an anti-type. There's a forerunner, then there's something that follows. And that's very important to understand. A lot of the things that we read in Luke 21, Mark 13, Matthew 24, it starts somewhere, and there's a buildup, and there's a buildup, and there's a buildup. Type and anti-type. We call it dualism. There's a forerunner, and then there's a larger play later on. I've often used the concept, and the one that I like using is that Scripture and even prophecy is layered. In other words, we often think of a stream for a moment as it brings water down from the mountains and brings the rocks and the gravel and the sediments down, and that settles into the stream bed, doesn't it? And then later on there's another rain or whatever, and it brings more sediment, and it layers down. It keeps on layering on top of one another. There is a difference, but there is also a commonality. There's a common foundation, and that's what Scripture is. That Scripture is layered to recognize that even in Matthew 24 it speaks of tribulation, and that later on it says there will be great tribulation, and to recognize that there is a layering effect. And that is one of the things that we find here. I'd like to talk about the immediate, because a lot of this was always when you're thinking about reading Scripture and even prophecy, what did it mean to the first hearers of this word, and what was their impact on them? I'd like to describe for a moment what the Roman Judeo conflict was like in the mid to late 60s A.D. In the fall of 66 A.D., a Roman army under Sestius Gallus besieged Jerusalem, came down from the north, came down from Syria, where the Roman legions were normally stationed. But then as suddenly as it had occurred, the siege was lifted.

There was a two and a half year pause between that siege abatement and the siege of Aspacean and Titus in the spring of 69 A.D., which I think we are all to a degree more familiar with, which actually led them to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

So we understand that, and it says that there was a two and a half year period.

And the word there, when it says in Luke, when it says to depart, the word there means to withdraw out. That specific Greek word means to withdraw out. So we have to understand what was happening then. We have to go to extra-biblical literature to maybe gain a little focus of what was happening here. Josephus in his wars, book six, chapter five, section three, reports on a number of unusual events that occurred during this specific time, this two and a half year pause between the initial siege and what would come. One was a voice of a great multitude heard coming out of the temple, interesting. Are you with me? During the time of Pentecost, with a warning, let us remove hints. Now Eusebius three centuries later adds more from his ecclesiastical history, chapter three, section five, quoting, but the members of the church in Jerusalem were instructed by a prophecy revealed to the leaders to abandon the city before the war and take up residence in the cities of Pareia, one of which was named Pella. Now what is interesting in all of this, and there's some points that we're going to draw upon, while the church did depart over this two and a half year period, this was not a fleeing or a flight, as other Greek words will be used in prophecy, fuego, in the classical sense. This was a migration. Time was given for them to move to the hill country over a period of time. This did allow the church to be preserved and to persevere. They took seriously God's warning. Even with a gradual departure, there are two lessons I want to share with you, the elect of God today, the people of God, that we can just learn from this first lesson. Number one, because remember what I said about fourth telling and foretelling, bringing propheta together, that we learn not only what the future will hold, but how we live today. It is encouraging and it is noteworthy, number one, simply this, that God does reveal events ahead of time to His servants. There are a lot of things that at times I may not remember in Scripture. There are things that I may not fully understand in Scripture, but there are certain proclamations and promises of God that we can tuck in the pocket of our heart and hold near and dear that no man or any event can take out of us. And this is one of them. Some of you that might be in this room may be 11 or 12 years of age or just may be a little bit older. And that is that what you're hearing in church today can go with you for many, many decades. It did with me. I first heard Amos 3 and verse 6 when I was 11 or 12 years old. Join me, if you would, in Amos, the book of Amos, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Amos 3. And let's notice a promise that God gives down through the ages to those that will hear. It says in verse 6, if a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is a calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it? Surely the Lord God does nothing, nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants, the prophets.

That's a promise. He's already revealed one thing through the greatest prophet that ever lived, that humanity of and by itself, or of and by itself, it would be headed for destruction.

But He makes a declaration and He makes a promise that there is going to be an intervention.

You say, well, I know that, Mr. Weber, so let's move on. No, I'm going to tell you something.

I remember when I first heard that when I was 11 and 12 years old, I was living in San Diego, California, and this was in 1962. And we weren't even attending services yet, but we heard this man over the radio giving these prophetic teachings. And I remember him mentioning Amos 3, verse 6 and 7. For those of you that are a little bit younger, that was the year of the Cuban missile crisis, the October crisis. And the world, for you that are younger, the world held its breath for three days, not knowing what was going to happen. President Kennedy had thrown down the gauntlet.

The Soviet Union vessels were headed to Cuba. Nobody knew exactly what had happened. We that were younger had already grown up for years and years under the threat of the nuclear mushroom cloud. We all remember those pictures, and we all remember having nuclear alerts of getting underneath our desk as if that was really going to help. I think we were a little naive.

I knew that if anything did happen, I was 11 or 12 years old, but I was not dumb.

That one of the first cities that would have gone up in smoke would have been San Diego, and you know why, with the harbor and with the Navy and with the Marines and with the military and with Miramar. But I knew something more. And I went to bed at night comfortable, even while my knees were shaking as an 11 or 12-year-old boy, knowing Matthew 24-21, that God would intervene, that he said that man was not going to blow himself up. No, brethren, that was 1962. I still have that confidence. I still have that faith. That's how I preach to you as your pastor when I come, that God has made declarations, he made promises, and you can bet—if you are a betting Christian, a wagering Christian, that sounds nicer—or just a believer that what God says he is going to do. Secondly, when a window of opportunity comes, take it. The big question for God's people down through the ages and even into the future and or even future generations is simply this. Will they focus on doors being shut, or will they focus on a window of opportunity being opened? Almost like the glass, whether it's half empty or half full. Where will be our vision? Where will be our spiritual sensitivity? Because it's not even if you know that the window of opportunity has been opened. It is equally important to move through it after prayer, fasting, study, and asking God's Spirit to guide you. Sometimes those that hesitate are lost. There was that two and a half year period in the 60s AD when Christians, if they heard the word of God and or if they heard their leaders migrated and moved, I would suggest most did. Some didn't. Again, windows of opportunity, whether it's dealing with world scene or in your private life, because the lessons kind of come together. When there's a window of opportunity, it's only going to stay open so long, and they who hesitate are lost. Let's use a historical perspective for a moment. May I? Back in the 1930s, back in the 1930s in Europe, European Jewry got a little ruffled and a little concerned.

There were millions of European Jews at that time in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Austria, more than a million, maybe two million, Germany itself, and of course Poland and Ukraine.

They began hearing about this little man, this wallpaper hanger, this little corporal out of World War I, and he wrote a book. It was called My Way. Mein Kampf. My Way. But everybody kind of brushed him off. The leadership of Germany brushed him off. The Jews said, oh no, this isn't really going to happen again. This has been happening to God. If we're God's chosen people, you know, it's happening again. No, no, but it's not going to happen again. It can never be as bad as back in the Middle Ages. It can't be as bad as being during the Crusades. And after all, I fought for the Kaiser. Here are my medals. I wear my medals proudly as a good German. Certainly this is not going to happen. And yet it did happen. Six million of European Jewry died in the concentration camps. Some, many, oftentimes the privileged few, or those that could afford to, escaped. They, in that classical sense, withdrew from Europe. That's a lesson for all of us to consider. It's not only knowing that the window of opportunity is open, but so often, whether it is in this discussion or a future discussion for a future generation to consider for us to consider.

Windows of opportunity came in the 1990s within our church community. There were people at that time that said, oh, this is not really happening. No, we've always been this way. We've always believed this way. And I know what I'm reading, and I know what I'm saying, but it isn't really going to happen. And I'll just stick around. I'll just come, and I'll hear a message that is not what I was taught, not what I was understood, not when I came to baptism what I considered. But, you know, it'll just blow over. It'll be all right. How did that work, brethren, for some of those that we love that stayed too long and did not stand up and listened to heresy and listened to scriptural wrongness from the pulpit? I know one of my favorite parts of entertainment is on Saturday night when nothing else has happened. I'm going to the stations as to to watch another Spider and Fly show. You ever seen those on Saturday night? You know, the nature shows where there's the spider and the web, and there's the little fly. Little fly is going like this, you know. Then all of a sudden, here it comes, and you're going, I can't believe it. Am I really going to watch this again? I know who's going to lose. Come on. But you know what? You get fixated, and the poor little fly probably still thinks that it can be a little fly, a cute little fly. Well, you say flies aren't cute, but when you think of the spider, it's cute. Little fly's there, and here comes the spider. What's the spider going to do? The fly stayed around too long. And brethren, the lesson here, when we have this discussion, is simply this. The window of opportunity remains open so long. Let's go to another discussion, Matthew 24. In Matthew 24 verse 16, in Matthew 24 and verse 16, this parallel account of the Olivet prophecy is also in response to when will these things be. In Matthew 24, 16, we notice, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let him who is on the household not go down to take anything out of the house, and let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days, and pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then notice there will be great tribulation. Not just tribulation as in verse 9, which is more during what we might call the first four seals found in Revelation 6 of the story of cycled human history, but this is now history on steroids. This is something different. For then there will be great tribulation such has not been since the beginning of the world, nor ever shall be. It is of note here that the terms flee in verse 16, that those who are in Jerusalem flee to the mountains, and also in verse 20 where it says about flight, it comes from the Greek word fuego, meaning a sudden fleeing or taking immediate flight. Now let's understand a few things. It's of note that this additionally inspired rendering of Christ's words, and he knew what he was talking about. Within this particular account, places us firmly in the context of what I suggest is the future beyond us now, and beyond the immediacy of the first century departure. That was also indeed a prophetic happening. We need to understand and appreciate that. Again, prophecy is dual. Let's understand for a moment the framework of when you see these things. What does that mean when you see these things are revealed? Let's understand there comes a time in human history when humanity, number one, was capable of self-annihilation. That started in 1945 with the dropping of what we call colloquially the bomb.

We also recognize then that later on the Soviet Union, the then Soviet Union, just a few years later, developed the bomb. Later on, we had the hydrogen bomb. Later on, they developed the hydrogen bomb, and on and on, and there's other nations that now have it now. It was only then that that prophecy could be fulfilled. Number two, we notice further up here in verse 15, if you'll come with me, therefore when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, whoever reads it says, let him understand. It doesn't say just read.

It says to understand. Prophetic literature is just not an almanac of personality stats, times, and events. It does take understanding and biblical context. Again, you'll remember why I talked about dualism and or layer. There have been many abominations of desolations for the last 2,600 years. We can go back to Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans entering the holy place and sacking it of the sacred vessels and taking them back to Babylon. We can go to Antares Epiphanies in the second century BC, the seriogrecho emperor who went down and blasphemed the holy place. We can talk about Pompey around 67 BC when he goes in and opens up the curtains, wondering what's going on there in the Holy Apollis. Later on, we know what Titus did at the fall of Jerusalem. Later on, we know what happened during the Barcofa rebellion, about 135 AD, in which during the Barcofa rebellion, again, whatever was standing on the temple was completely decimated. Then they salted it and then they changed the name of Jerusalem to Ayleia Capitolina. Capitolina being where in Rome the temples of the gods were. And they put—are you with me?—they put a statue or they put a temple of Jupiter on the holy mountain. How many of you think that qualifies for an abomination of desolation? Yes, it does. You'll have to show your hands. I know you're a smart audience. And yet there is yet going to be another one before the time of Christ. So we use wisdom, not only reading, but praying and watching, and wisdom will allow us to know where this stands. And number three, then, another thing that's going to happen is that the armies of the earth are going to fight Jesus Christ. Now, if you have never heard that before, that can really seem strange. You've got to be kidding me. But that is what it actually says in the scripture. Join me, if you would, in Revelation 17. In Revelation 17 and verse 12—and let's put our eyes on this—it talks about a conglomeration of kingdoms that are going to come under one king. And in verse 13 it says, they are of one mind and they will give their power and authority to the beast. And notice in verse 14—some of you have never seen this verse, but it's in the Bible—and these will make war with the Lamb. And it says, and the Lamb will overcome them. I don't have time to take you there right now, but you might shot down Joel 3, verses 9 through 12. This is going to be right at the doorstep of Jerusalem.

This is going to be in the valley of Tohosaphat.

God's going to say, come, you want to get it on? Come, you will be drawn to Jerusalem.

And that is why, brethren, if you're just beginning to study the scriptures and prophecy, always recognize one thing. Jerusalem, which is holy to God, which is where heaven has touched earth, is the bullseye of human prophecy—or of biblical prophecy. It's the bullseye.

That's right where it hits. So we notice all of this and what's going on. When this happens, this is going to be a get out of there. Now, get out of dodge. Get out of there. Don't go back. If you're down on the ground, don't get back on the roof. That analogy is used there, and it's going to be a very important time.

Revelation 12 and verse 6, another consideration in Scripture as we broaden and as we look at the entire biblical context. In Revelation 12 and verse 6 and verse 7, notice what it says here. Then the woman—again, the woman being Bible talk, apocalyptic talk for church. And again, we recognize when we use the term church, we've got to go to the Greek sense. Those that are sanctified, those that are set apart. We're not just simply speaking of a temporal organization.

God knows who are His. And we're going to define that in a moment. Then the woman fled into the wilderness. The woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place, notice, prepared by God, and that they should feed her there 1,260 days. Now, this is a different verse.

Broadens our understanding and something to consider here. We noticed up here in verse 14, it spoke about her place. And down here it says, a place prepared by God, and it is in the wilderness.

Now, I'm going to build upon this in a few minutes, but is there every possibility that God will shelter and put an umbrella over a certain portion of His people in the future? Scripture certainly allows for that. I'll be just upfront and honest with you. I don't know where that is. I don't think the Scriptures point to where that is. You can talk, you can conjecture, but I don't think you'll find it on your GPS right now. But God is fully capable of taking a portion of His people and creating a prepared place and an umbrella that is very much within His domain and according to His purpose. It's very interesting, though, if you want to broaden it again, it says, a place prepared by God that they should feed her 1,260 days. And or if you use the biblical measuring gauge of a day for a year, that could be 1,260 years. When you use that consideration—and I am very careful when I say that consideration and that supposition—you could, in a sense, say that from the time of Constantine in 325 AD, you could go 1,260 years out and go into the British Empire a time in which there was a nation by 1585 in which there was a safety for the people of God to read the Bible without fear, to have the Bible beginning to be spoken in its own language, and that of freedom came out. Let's understand what happened with Constantine in 325 AD and later on Theodosius under 381, that everything shut down, that what happened under Constantine was that there became a grip on every religion, and one being Christianity, where there was a standard orthodoxy. And you either believed it or you did not believe it. And what happened was, Constantine, coming in as a Latin man, as a Latin general from the West, basically gave over everything over to the Greek Christian philosophers, and the Trinitarian formula began to develop under that time with the Council of Nicaea. But it was not only that, but there were regulations against the Sabbath and the biblical Sabbath. And from that time forward, the Church had to begin to move out of the cities. There would be a persecution and to recognize that, again, they would have to, in that sense, in a sense, go into the wilderness just for self-preservation.

And during that time, if you look at that 1260 years, you can talk about an Asia minor, that there were what was called the Paulistians. Later on, in the 11th century, what is now Bosnia, in the Bosnian Alps, in the valleys, and in the Dells, and in the Hollers, the Bosnian Alps, there were the Bogomils. Later on, within the Waldensian community—not all Waldensians, that's a mistake—but within the Waldensian community, there were people called the Sabatini that were Seventh-day Keepers.

And we know the story of others that ultimately came to this country. What was the commonality that you and I could identify with these people? Number one, they were God-fearing people. They were God-fearing people. Did they do and know everything that we practice today in the United Church of God? I wasn't to fly on the wall. But there were great commonalities. They loved God. They did not allow any man to come between them and God. They looked at God as being their father, and their sole allegiance was to God through Jesus Christ. They did not believe in a vicar that has been put here on earth, but their sole allegiance was to God. They were observers of the Seventh-day Sabbath. They were also people that kept the 14th Passover down through the ages. And we also find at times, not every time, but at times, they would also keep other of the biblical festivals. In general, they were pacifists. They needed to be, especially with the world that was around them at that time. We recognize that by the 13th century, the pope himself actually developed crusades against certain of these people that were in the wilderness.

The pope! You know, so often we think of the crusades going to Jerusalem or going to Constantinople, the Fourth Crusade, and or Jerusalem the First, the Second Crusade, or Egypt and the Fourth Crusade.

But the pope actually sent out the armies of this earth against our spiritual ancestors.

And tried to obliterate them in the wilderness, but not all of them. That truth would come down to us in this day and in this age. But now let's skip to the fourth point. Let's go to Revelation 12, 13, for a moment. Revelation 12, 13, 14. Please bear with me. I'm not going to be here for several weeks, so we're just going to go pad over. I want to get this into you today. Now, when the dragon, and we know who the dragon is now, that's a name for Satan the devil, who is the confrontor of the kingdom of God. Now, when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness, notice to her place, where she is nourished for a time, times, and a half a time, and or three and a half years from the presence of the Lord. It's interesting that the word flight here, as your eyes fall upon, the word flight here is in the Greek pedomai, and that's the term pedomai, and it literally is like that of a bird to take a wing or as a feather. But it doesn't necessarily mean airborne. It does not mean airborne. In Ezekiel 19 and verse 4, you might want to chop this down, look at it later, Israel was born on eagle's wings. But the last time I read the book of Exodus, they walked out of the land of Egypt. But it's talking about a flight. Now, dear friends here in Los Angeles, it's of interest to consider here her place is singular. It's not plural. It does offer consideration that there may be a focused location during the time of the tribulation where a portion of God's people are miraculous preserved. The Scripture allows for that. If you look at the Scripture, it can allow for that. It even says that Satan is going to try to destroy that community, but God will preserve it. What makes this potential spiritual safe place her place will be that it is divinely protected. God's not going to allow a spiritual genocide. God's Word will stand. You know how much Satan the devil would like to break God's Word? He tries to do that every day, down through history, and in your life in particular today. You as an individual, not those in the past, not those in the future, but God would like to shatter your understanding of his promises. God said in Scripture long ago that the Savior, Messiah, would come from the seed of David. Right? You know that story. Absolutely. You know that story? That's where you nod your head. You know that story. And to recognize that Satan, through Haman, the egotite, during the times of Persia, tried to destroy the people of God.

In one day, can you imagine that? It took Hitler years in Europe to carry out what he called the final solution. But it's not just to Germans, folks. It's humanity. And to recognize that during the time of Persia that in one day all of Jewry, all of the diaspora, from Thrace, which is in North Eastern Greece, to the borders of India, would be killed in one day. Satan wants to destroy the covenant people. Get it? Those of the old covenant and those that are under the new covenant, you and me today, he would want to destroy us. God is not going to allow that. There's two things he's not going to allow. Humanity is going to continue on. There is great hope. And that's the hope that we preach in our prophetic message. Man is not going to destroy himself, not at all.

And that the church, the sanctified, sacred, called upon, called out people of God are not going to be exterminated. God will not be stymied in this. Not at all. But can I tell you, in a sense, the location? No, I can't.

That's what Bible chat is for. Message chat. You can suppose, you can think, you can consider that GPS is not in the Bible right now. But here's something I want to ask you again.

Do you remember what I asked you early on a question? Are all of the righteous people going to it? If there is a her place, if there is a specific location, does that mean all of the good Christians and all the righteous people are there? Is that solely their domain?

In all the lukewarm, in all the second class, Christians are out there. What do we learn from this? Join me, if you would, in Revelation 12, verse 17. Let's notice something here.

When Satan is stymied of going after a portion of God's people, he's enraged with them, and he went to make war notice with the rest of her offspring. That offspring that has the testimony of Jesus Christ, he will go anywhere to destroy the promises of God and strive to make God a liar.

But there are going to be people that stand up. They are not only going to have faith in Jesus Christ, they are going to have the faith of Christ in them. Notice what it says here in verse 11. Speaking of these people, that may not be in a safe place.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives. Notice unto death. That's interesting. That's precious. That's beautiful.

And that falls in line with all of the saints of God down through the ages. And those that have been murdered, when you think about, let's remember the context of the church, some spectacular spiritual people have died in the service of God the Father and Jesus Christ. Starting with James that I mentioned. Starting with James. Jesus, the head of our church, he died. 11 out of the 12 apostles died, murdered. Two of the witnesses, at that time the two witnesses, are going to die.

What am I sharing with you? What am I trying to get across to you, dear friends? Death is not a stigma. It is a badge of honor for a Christian to consider and to live up to.

Look at Acts 5 and verse 40 for a second. In Acts 5 and verse 40, this talks about when the apostles were seized and they were beaten.

Then notice what happens here. When they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak the name of Jesus and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were noticed, counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. They considered it now an honor and a badge of honor. They were now like their master. Jesus had said, if they have done it unto me, they will do it unto you. He says, blessed are you when you are persecuted of men for my name's sake. Brethren, the understanding of what I'm talking about is to recognize that Christians don't flee the wrath to come.

They walk daily with God the Father and with Jesus Christ in faith and not in fear.

Many years ago, when some people would hear a message, they'd say, well, if this is the place I want to be there. They were good people. Some were lovely people. Some were my friends. Some I grew up with. But either they or their families, in a sense, were looking for love not in all the wrong places but in the wrong ways. A Christian's role is not to flee the wrath to come of and by ourselves. It's not to get out of here. It is to engage, to engage as Jesus Christ engaged, to engage as the apostles engaged, to engage as the two witnesses will engage in the future and give their lives for that.

Oh, now, yes, God says in Luke 21, 36, watch and pray that you might be a kind of worthy to escape.

Nobody wants to die. You've heard me say before about Woody Allen, I don't mind dying. I just don't want to be there when it happens. Nobody wants to die. I'm not asking us all to go out and die today. That's not my point. My point is our focus, that our focus when we're reading prophecy, when we're reading the words of the Bible, is to be galvanized in faith and in confidence that God's promises are true to each and every one of us and to have that kind of faith, to have that ability to endure and to engage. What we see here in the future is not a rapture.

What we do see is a resurrection. Join me if you would in Matthew 24, 31. Interesting thought.

If all of the saints would be in one place, Matthew 24, 31 may not make sense. Join me if you would there for a moment. In Matthew 24, verse 31, and it says, and he speaking of the age will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they will gather together, notice his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other.

If the elect are all in one place during the tribulation and then with the sounding of the seventh trumpet, why would all of this have to happen with the four winds from every corner of the earth? Our God is a great God. His purpose and his love is played out on a great plane and on a great stage. It's called, as Shakespeare said, the whole world is a stage. What we see in the Bible, as we look at the broad context of the biblical context, is that, yes, indeed, there can be a safe place for a portion of God's people. We also recognize that there's a portion of God's people that are not going to love their life unto death and be murdered during that time.

Oh, that I would have that spiritual strength and courage to do so, and I pray so.

There are also going to be the two witnesses in Jerusalem. This is going to be like three rings going on, and God is in control, and he knows exactly what's going on. To me, it's very encouraging. It's exciting. And to recognize then who are the elect in Revelation 14. Join me if you would there. Revelation 14, 12.

Revelation 14, verse 12. Notice what it says here. Here are the elect.

Here is the patience of the saints. Saints are the elect. Here are those, notice, who keep the commandments of God and notice the faith of Jesus. And again, this is exactly what was stated in verse 17 of Revelation 12. Those who keep the commandments of God and notice and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. That's why one of the reasons in the United Church of God, our mission statement states simply this, that we preach the gospel and or the testimony, if you put it, of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. So we understand that. At the end of all of this, just summation. In Luke 21, part number one, in Luke 21, 36, it says, watch and pray that you may be accounted worthy to escape and to stand before the Son of Man.

Let's understand that's a two-fold response. We are to watch. We are to keep our eyes open. We are to discern the times, not just read the news, especially today. It's very hard to read the news because it's so biased on all sides, every side, five sides of a square.

Got that? You have to discern more than ever. But we are to watch. And we are to pray because prayer softens our heart and molds our heart to not only understand what is wrong with this world, but what we are to do right to glorify God and to be a blessing to other people and to understand the conditions that are around us. In Luke 21, verse 36, it also says, watch and pray that you may be accounted worthy to escape and to stand notice before the Son of Man. It's very important, brethren, and always the last five minutes is probably what I should have gotten to and just end it with. But here's the point in Luke 21, 36. Our goalpost must match the goalpost of God Almighty. God's goalpost does not end with a place of safety. It does not even end with the millennium.

This is all yardage for the kingdom of God, but that's not the goalpost.

The goalpost is standing before the Son of Man and being able to be told by God the Father, well done, thou good and thou profitable servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.

The goalpost is experiencing not only existing, but experiencing God the Father and Jesus Christ in eternity. John 17 in verse 3 will offer you that definition. Our goalpost have got to be God's goalpost. Another thing that comes up is simply this, the famous discussion that was in the book of John, where Peter, who had been rescued twice, two angelic jailbreaks, plus who knows what else, and Jesus says to him in that statement, he says, one day you're going to go to a place, and you're going to wish that you could have gotten out of it. You're not going to be able to move. You know, Peter was always on the move, whether it be on land or water, but you're going to be tied down. He was basically talking about the manner of death that Peter was going to go through. And of course, and Peter, like all of us, because there's a little Peter in all of us, he says, yeah, but what about that guy? What about John? And Jesus said, don't worry about him. I will deal with him my way. But as for you, I will deal with you this way. What I will do with you will glorify me and glorify my father, and what John will do, even if he lives until I return, that is my business. See, that brings all of the context of the Bible together. There are people that will live for God through a natural life in many spots, and there are people that will die for God. They all serve his purpose. God and Christ, they own both worlds. They are one to them. They're one to them. And some will live and some will die, just as much as when I was a teenager and I was divinely healed of spinal meningitis. That was to the glory of God. And perhaps another teenager whose parents had their child anointed and went through a wrenching night, but in faith. That also was to the glory of God. That whether, as Paul says, we live or die, it is to the glory of God. I will wrap this up simply by going to Psalm 32 verse 7. Psalm 32 in verse 7. I'm going to read out of the Living Translation. This kind of says it all, wherever we are, wherever God chooses to put us in whatever arena that he is in control of, for you are my hiding place. You protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.

The Lord says, I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and I will watch over you. And it is with that confidence that as Christians we often repeat the 23rd Psalm.

In that journey, in that pathway that God sets before us, a green pasture, of still waters, of meadow, of the valley of the shadow of death, where it is stated that I know that you prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.

Surely I know goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. As we're watching world events, whether it be in this generation or future generations, and as we watch, let us pray that prayer. Let us have confidence that God calls us both in life and in death, either here or there or wherever it is we. Look at the different stages of activity in prophecy, that God said that he would never lose a one of us, that we are called for a purpose. So I hope that I have placed the place of safety in your hearts and in your minds in a biblical context on this Sabbath day.