Prepare to Meet the Bridegroom

Prepare to meet your God. And we know from Matthew 25, that at the midnight hour the bridegroom came, the knock upon the door, and five were foolish, and five were wise, and they were all asked to go out and meet the bridegroom. Some were prepared and some were not. Let's note the warning in Revelation 16, verse 15. Revelation 16, 15 is like an inset verse.

Revelation 16 basically describes the seven vials of wrath. And then in Revelation 16, 15, Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. So will that day come upon us as a thief in a night? Now in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, and verse 1. We have a similar warning here in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, and verse 1. But at the times in the season, brethren, we have no need that I write unto you. The average tenure of baptized members in the United Church of God is 30 years plus. Many of you could give basically the same sermon that you heard this morning and the one you'll hear this afternoon. And we can come to the point where we take it all for granted and think we're ready when really we aren't. But are we ready? Verse 2, For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them as surveil upon a woman with a child, and they shall not escape. Apparently, world conditions are going to continue to get worse and worse. Perhaps great warfare and then coming out of that some form of peace. And of course, Daniel 8 talks about the beast coming in peacefully and deceiving the whole world. And we know that Satan the devil is behind it and he's already deceiving the whole world. But you, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. We are all the children of light and the children of the day.

We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. We know that the Feast of Trumpets is the fourth of the seven holy days, in the annual holy days, the feast days. So there are three holy days on either side. We've already observed first and second holy days and then eleven bread and Pentecost. And now the Feast of Trumpets, the fourth one. This day is, of course, in the middle and indeed it is the pivotal point in human history. The Feast of Trumpets pictures a time when the world is at its darkest hour. And yet it is a time when the firstfruits will come forth from the graves or be caught up in the air to meet the Lord. And we will help God and Christ bring light and truth to all the world. The holy days have several essential elements I want to review quickly. And perhaps you've never thought of it this way. I have a chart that I did we used to use in Fundamentals of Theology about the holy days. On the one hand, you have the physical events that have already taken place in the figurative sense. I should say, I misspoke there really in the literal sense. Passover has been fulfilled literally in the sense that the Israelites sprinkled blood on the doorpost, the blood of the lambs, and as a result of that, God passed over their households and they were spared.

Today, Jesus Christ is our Passover. And there are doctrinal parallels. The Jesus Christ is our Passover, and through faith in Christ, we can have our sins passed over with the blood of Christ sprinkled on our hearts in the figurative sense. Israel left Egypt on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and so we leave Egypt spiritually through repentance and faith. So Jesus Christ came and paid the price, and so through His death and His burial and resurrection, we can leave spiritual Egypt. Then on the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Israelites journeyed toward the Promised Land, they thought. They came to the Red Sea, and of course it was a great test of faith, and God opened the Red Sea, and Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10 that that was their baptism. They were all baptized under the cloud in the sea in Moses. We have been baptized.

We have made that final demarcation, baptism, between spiritual Egypt and the New Man, the New Light, the resurrected light. Then the Israelites journeyed to Mount Sinai where they received the Ten Commandments, and according to Jewish tradition, they received the Ten Commandments on the day of Pentecost. Many years later, the day of Pentecost came in 31 A.D., and the Holy Spirit was sent, and the Ten Commandments no longer just written on tables of stone, but can be written on our inward parts. And of course, the doctrinal parallel from Hebrews 6 would be the laying on of hands, where we receive the Holy Spirit. Then we come to the Feast of Trumpets, where in the time of Israel, as you heard in the sermon this morning, trumpets were blown at different times. Trumpets were blown to call an assembly. Trumpets were blown to signal war, danger. Trumpets were blown at the beginning of the New Moon in certain holy days, and trumpets were blown in celebration and at the Jubilee. So, doctrinally speaking, we are to live the resurrected life now, and judgment is now on the house of God. And we're to go on to perfection right now. I want us to briefly review in Hebrews 6 these seven basic doctrines.

Now, we had a paper titled, The Seven Great Doctrines of Hebrews 6. Some people might say, well, what are the doctrines of the church? Of course, we have our fundamentals of belief, and they are more detailed, but just the basic things that parallel the holy days. That is, the Passover, having our sins covered, leaving Egypt, our baptism, receiving the Holy Spirit, living the resurrected life now, and realizing that judgment is on the house of God. We're to go on to perfection. Perfection cuts across all six of these doctrines. In Hebrews 6, verse 1, therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ. In other words, these six should already be mastered. Let us go on to perfection. So, perfection cuts across all. You can't go on to perfection, of course, unless you really receive the true Passover in repentance and faith. Not laying again the foundation of repentance. Repentance from dead works, faith toward God. The doctrine of baptisms. Some people ask about that being in the plural. The doctrine of baptisms. There is the baptism by water, which man can do. Man can baptize you in water, but only God can baptize you with His Spirit.

In 1 Corinthians 12, verses 12-13, it says that we are all baptized into one body, and only God can do that. And of course, there is the baptism by fire, the incorrigibly wicked. The doctrine of baptisms and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. So, Paul says, let us go on to perfection. In verse 3, and this we will do if God permits. And the only way that really this is going to happen if we actively engage ourselves in the Word of God, communication with God and Him communicating with us, and then us responding to that Word. So with regard to the literal fulfillment, we are in the period of time between Pentecost and trumpets. That is the literal fulfillment in the spiritual sense. So the Holy Days also provide for us somewhat of a prophetic framework. It's been 2,000 years since the Holy Spirit came upon the Church, or at least almost 2,000 years in 31 A.D. So we are in that period of time between Pentecost and trumpets. It's a time of tribulation, travail, trouble, persecution for us now.

The Church, the Israel of God, because judgment is now on the house of God. We're being judged now, and the world will be judged later on, and especially during the Great Tribulation. The world is obsessed and fearful. The world is fearful of many things of war, war and rumors of wars you've never heard before. Fearful of terrorism. Fearful of financial turmoil and financial collapse. By the way, someone said that their wife had called them, and the stock market is up 350 points. At least it was at that point.

So there are so many things that the people of the world are fearful of. They're trying to scramble to gain financial security and other kinds of security, and they have forgotten where the real battles are fought and won. And I think at times, perhaps, we forget. Ephesians 6. Less we forget. Ephesians 6. Ephesians 6 and verse 10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might, put on the whole armor of God. Why? That we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers and the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. As the saying goes, Satan is alive and well on planet earth. And if none of the other things that we are facing and worried about in this world that we're anxious over, just the fact that we have turned our backs as a nation on God, and we're going our own way, would be sufficient within itself to lead to our destruction. You know, I look around and I notice the young men, the boys, especially those 12 and under. And I think, what has happened to our boys? Why are they so soft and effeminate? And the way they look, the way they walk, the way they talk. This is a generality. It may not apply to you or your children. It's an observation that I have. Yet, at the same time, I see the young girls, and I see that they are maturing earlier and earlier, that they are the ones who are going places.

And they just seem to be developing their skills, their talents, and all of those things more rapidly than the young men. We don't want Satan to get the upper hand on us in any areas of our lives. Let's go now to 2 Corinthians chapter 10, where Paul reminds us what the true weapons are.

Of course, the rest of Ephesians 6 describes the armor of God, concluding with, pray always, I believe, with all my being, and seeing what I have seen of ministers, faculty members, students, brethren, and all kinds of people leaving the church through the past several years.

One of the main reasons had to do with the fact that they stop praying and they stop studying. You know, it's the old, big three, as it were, pray, study, and obey. There's no other way. And we turn to various books and self-help and that kind of thing, and some of those can be helpful. But the real answers are in this Word, in the Word of God. Christ said, the words I speak, they are spirit and they are life, and there is great power in the Word. In 2 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 2, but I beseech you that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk into flesh, we do not war after the flesh. Paul was not a striking physical feature to look at it, it seems. It seems that he was small in stature, that he didn't look that strong or that healthy or have the characteristics that you might think of a strong warrior or soldier, but he was one of the most fierce spiritual warriors that ever walked the face of the earth. Why? Because he had on the whole armor of God.

So though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh, for the weapons of a warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations. Now, what are those imaginations? Many of those imaginations have to do with saying, I can't make it. It's too tough. The way is too rough, and I can't make it. See, that is a vain imagination. It's to say, nobody likes me or so and so is against me, and every time they see me coming, they go the other way. Well, that's their problem if that is true.

But casting down imaginations and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. See, casting down those imaginations and those strongholds in verse 4. Those strongholds are things that come upon the mind and grip the mind, and they whisper low or sometimes loud that you cannot make it, but you can. The more and more that our metal is tested, the more and more we can be refined into that precious goal that Peter talks about in 1 Peter 2 and also 1 Peter 1. So we know the church is being tested now, and the tests will continue until the day of the resurrection. Some people talk about, well, when this trial is over, when this test is over, and I know at times it seems like we really do need a break, but we're always going to have tests and trials as long as we are in the flesh. As we mentioned earlier, judgment is now on the house of God. It will be on the world later. Let's notice now in Jeremiah 25, Jeremiah 25 verse 30, that the time is coming in which all nations, all flesh, is going to be tried, is going to be tested, and it ties in with this day in Jeremiah chapter 25 and verse 30. Therefore prophesy against them all these words and say unto them, The eternal shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation. He shall mightily roar upon his habitation.

He shall give a shout as they that tread the grapes against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth, for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations. He will plead with all flesh. There will be no place to hide, as it talks about in Amos 8. You can go to the pits and bottoms of the sea, or you can go to the tallest mountain.

He is in being outer space. There will be no place to hide. He will plead with all flesh. He will give them that are wicked to the sword, says the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great coral wind shall be raised up from the coast of the earth. Do you think Ike was something that was less than a little duster in West Texas? In the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth, even unto the other end of the earth.

They shall not be lamented, neither gathered nor buried. They shall be done upon the ground. How you shepherds and cry and wallow yourselves in the ashes, you principle of the flock. For the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished, and you shall fall like a pleasant vessel.

So that day is coming upon all the peoples of the earth. You know, God is not slack concerning His promises, and judgment is going to come upon the whole world. And of course, that principle judgment is during the day of the Lord of all the nations. Of course, it begins during the Great Tribulation, and we hope, of course, that we're protected during that time. And according to Revelation 12, there will be some protected, but not all. In Joel chapter 3, we see more about this test and judgment in about this day. In Joel chapter 3 verse 1, For behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and shall bring them down in the valley of Jehoshaphat.

They are gathered at a place called Armageddon, and the valley of Jehoshaphat is sort of like a funnel, beginning upon the plains of Jezreel and coming down, so that there will really be no place or no way to escape. In verse 9, Proclaim you among the nations, prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beed your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears, let the weak say, I am strong. So now you see the weaker nations, at least historically speaking, like one of the reasons why we went into Iraq was supposedly because they had weapons of mass destruction, which I think they did have some.

They had gassed the Kurds, some of their own people, living in that territory in their war with Iran. You know, just a few years ago in the late 80s, Iraq and Iran were fighting a bloody war, in which there's no doubt that Saddam Hussein used gas on the Kurds. Now, whether or not, you know, back even in the 70s, the Israelis flew a mission into Iraq and destroyed their beginnings of nuclear power development. And of course, the Israelis are wanting to do the same thing now with Iran. There was a new story that circulated just this week. I think maybe it started last part of last week, that the Israelis asked the Bush Administration for permission to bomb Iran, and he said, no, because you don't know for sure what's going to happen there.

But we do know that all the nations are arming themselves with as many weapons as possible. It's absolutely the opposite of what the United Nations says it represents. Now, for years in the plaza in the courtyard at the UN in New York, there was a statue in Isaiah 2, verse 4, inscribed under it, of a man beating a sword into a plowshare. Well, there was so much talk about this look to be too religious. It was too Christian and too biblical.

So they removed that statue from the plaza and locked it up somewhere out of sight. No, you don't want to be religious in today's world, they say. Assemble yourselves and come all you nations, gather yourselves together round about. There cause your mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the inhabitants be wakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat.

For there will I sit to judge all the nations round about. So we don't want to be in that group of people. We don't want to be judged with the nations. Hopefully, each one of us will be protected from the terrible plagues that are going to come during the Great Tribulation, the Day of the Lord, and the Seven Vials of Wrath. We have an individual and collective responsibility to perform until the time of the resurrection. So what are we doing? Are we discerning the urgency of the times?

Is there a sense of spiritual urgency in your life and in mine? Or are you saying in your heart, My Lord delays His coming? Let's notice Matthew 24. Matthew 24, verse 46.

As you may or may not know, the Olivet prophecy, as it is called, contains all of Matthew 24 and Matthew 25. It ends in the first part of Matthew 26. But in Matthew 24, verse 46, Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he comes, shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you that he shall make him ruler over all of his goods. But, and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delays His coming. Now whether or not the literal return of Jesus Christ is within our lifetimes or not, the day of the Lord for us is now. Judgment is on the house of God. We're in our day of trial, trouble, and tribulation. This is it for us. And we cannot put off until tomorrow the things that we should be doing in the spiritual sense today. So he that is doing is going to be rewarded with rulership, verse 47. And verse 48, But, and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delays His coming, and shall begin to smite his fellow servants. And we know we've had a lot of smiting of fellow servants in the past 10 or so years especially. And to eat and drink with the drunken, the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him, and in an hour that he's not aware of. And shall cut him a sunder and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the kingdom, when then, when then, when people began to say in their hearts, they might not say it verbally, but when they began to say, My Lord delays His coming through their actions, and that would be becoming lackadaisical, that would be coming lethargic, apathetic, not really fired up. And when that happens, the oil in the lamp begins to diminish. And so you get this parable of the five wise and the five foolish virgins. Five wise and five foolish. In verse 5, while the bridegroom tarried, here we are almost 2,000 years since the spiritual fulfillment of Pentecost, so there's been quite a while. The way that man marks time, they all, not just some, they all, slept and slumbered. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes, go ye out to meet Him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish said of the wise, Give us of your oil, our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so lest there be not enough for us, and you, but go you to them that sell and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came. You see, you can't literally buy this with silver and gold or any other currency. This oil is attained through spending time and prayer and all the other things that go with Christian living. All of those things put together is the way that you keep your lamps filled with oil. So you go out into the marketplace, the arena of life, and you experience what life has to offer, and you respond to it in the way that God says. But when the bridegroom knocks on the door, it's too late. It's too late to go out and buy, though there may be a scrambling as there was there. Verse 10, While they went to buy, the bridegroom came.

And they that were ready went in with him, till the marriage and the door was shut. And afterward came also other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, barely I say unto you, I know you not. That would be so frightful for the master to say, I know you not.

Watch therefore, for you know not neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man comes. And then the parable. And he gives three parables there of how you can be prepared. I would encourage you to study those parables in the next week. The events that are going on in this world, even as we speak, are preparing the way for the final countdown and the fulfillment of this day. If you would now, let's notice Zechariah 12. We've already mentioned Jerusalem. Now in Zechariah 12. And more and more we see this coming to pass. Of course, Syria to the north of Jerusalem is in league with Iran. The Russians are also in league with Syria and Iran. The Russians have stationed battleships just off the coast of Syria. Then you have in Lebanon, somewhat northwest of Jerusalem, mainly north. You have a terrorist group that's also loyal to Iran. And then to the south, you have another terrorist group loyal to Iran, Hamas. They have been elected to various seats, some members of Hamas in the Palestinian parliament. Then to the east of Jerusalem, you have Jordan. And Jordan is somewhat of a neutral state at this point, though many of the Palestinians after the 1948 war fled into Jordan. In fact, when I was in Amman, we went down to the Gol Suq. Suq is the Arabic word for market. And I bought this ring I have on my finger, the Gol Suq in Amman. And the man who was running that was a Palestinian. And he began to ask me where I was from, and I told him we were living in Pasadena, California. He said, oh, I have some friends, I have some relatives in Altadena. Just stuck away from you. So even though Jordan is neutral at the present time, they are Islamic by faith. And many Palestinian refugees fled into Jordan after the 1948 war, and also since that time as well. So Jerusalem is already surrounded, and the tiny nation of Israel, by hostile enemies. In Zechariah 12, 1, the burden of the word of the Lord for Israel says the Lord, which stretched out forth the heaven and lays the foundation of the earth and frames the spirit of man within him. I mean, God has the authority to say what he says, because without him there would be no heavens and earth, and there would be no humankind. But because of God's great love and mercy, because he wants to share who he is and what he is with humankind, we exist. All that our young people could learn the purpose of human existence. Why we are here. It is not through some evolutionary process by chance. It is through the will of the great Creator God, through His love and mercy, who wanted to extend His family, His love to everyone and have a family relationship and share His being with others that we exist. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people, all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the peoples of the earth be gathered together against it. And eventually, what the world falsely calls the Battle of Armageddon. Armageddon is a place where they are gathered. The battle is literally called in the Bible, the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty in Revelation 16.

The pivotal event that will trigger the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord will be placing the abomination of desolation. If you go to Matthew 24, verse 15, we'll see this clearly. I remember the afternoon after 9-11 when the World Trade Center was bombed, I had one lady calling and she said, Oh, Dr. Ward, do you think the Great Tribulation has begun? And I said quickly, no, and then talked about some of these Scriptures. Now, to me, this was perhaps the most visible sign that you find in the Bible with regard to marking a certain event and a countdown, as we shall see. In Matthew 24, 15, when you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken out by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, who so reads, let him understand. And then in the succeeding verses, he tells those who are in Judea to flee.

Some of this could be dual as to what happened in the siege against Jerusalem in 6970 AD, but the following context makes it clear that the principal application is for the end time. In verse 21, notice this carefully, For then shall be great tribulation. When? Then. When? When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation. Then you see the instructions. And then, verse 21, for then, when? Then. Then shall be great tribulation. Such as was not since this time known, or ever shall be.

Now, there was great tribulation, and thousands of people died when the Romans seized Jerusalem, 6970 AD. In fact, the hunger became so great that people literally ate their own children, as talked about in places in the Old Testament.

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved.

But for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened.

Now, notice quickly in Daniel 11, verse 31, Christ says, When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, which lends validity to the book of Daniel, that it is a prophecy for us. You know, the Jews had lots of trouble with the book of Daniel and placing it into the canon. They debated for quite a long time.

It should have been placed with the prophets, but they reached a compromise, as it were, to put it where they put it at the beginning of the minor prophets, because they wanted to minimize it as much as possible.

So it was one of the last books of the Old Testament that was canonized, because it speaks very clearly of the Messiah coming in the end of the age.

In Daniel 11, verse 31, An arm shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength.

Now, some of the commentators talk about Antigua's epiphanies in 167 BC, in which he polluted the altar with swine's blood and placed an idolatrous statue in it.

Arm shall stand on his part, they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, they shall take away the holy sacrifice, the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate.

Christ said, when you see this, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, then, when then, shall be great tribulation. Now, Jerusalem, as we've already read, continues to be a burdensome stone for all nations.

The so-called Palestinian question still looms on the horizon.

Will an independent Palestinian state be created with Jerusalem being divided with East Jerusalem? That's where the temple site is, is in East Jerusalem.

Will East Jerusalem be given over to the Islamic world?

Right now, the Temple Mount is under the control of the Islamic world, and the Jordanians are the protector of the Temple Mount. They're the ones responsible for maintaining it and keeping it up.

Now, the Jews, on the other hand, some of them say, especially the Orthodox Jews, that Jerusalem undivided, united, it will never be divided. We will never assent to that.

In 1947, November 1947, the United Nations passed a resolution.

I would encourage you, most all of you have computers and internet, you just put in resolution 181, resolution UN resolution 181, and you will see the things that contain. One of the things that contained was that the Jews and Arabs would be given the opportunity to develop independent states, and Jerusalem would be internationalized. Jerusalem would be under the control of the UN.

I encourage you once again to look that up and read. It's not all that long, it's several pages, but it will give you the ins and outs of that resolution.

The Arabs rejected the resolution, and in May of 1948, they launched an attack against the Israelis.

Then we had what's called the 1948 war. Israel, with the help of Britain and the US, won, and they became a member of the UN. Many, in fact, thousands of Palestinians were displaced.

When we went to Jerusalem, our tour guide was an Arab, a Palestinian, whose family had been displaced during this time. And of course, they are very bitter. And there's no way short of, I don't believe, the return of Jesus Christ that you will have peace in the Middle East. Of course, there may be pseudo peace and temporary peace, but not permanent peace. And since that day, the tension has mounted since the 1948 war with two more wars and hundreds of terrorist attacks. Israel now has a new Prime Minister. I suppose I've sort of lost touch with the news the past three or four days. I suppose, I don't know if she's yet been able to form a coalition government. She'd be the first woman Prime Minister since Golda Meir.

Her name is Zippy Livy. Zippy, Z-I-P-P-Y, Livy, L-I-V-I. And she is more or less what you would call a hardliner. She doesn't view favorably the creation of a Palestinian state. She also takes a hard line against Iran, and the Iranian question still looms large on the horizon.

And Russia becomes bolder and bolder each day. In the past couple weeks, Russia moved one of its largest battleships into the Caribbean, not far off the coast of Venezuela. And Hugo Chavez and Vladimir Putin were seeing photographs in the newspaper of them being very chummy, very friendly.

So Russia is now saying, of course, it might have been somewhat retaliation of the U.S. involvement in Georgia when Russia moved into Georgia. But anyhow, Russia is becoming more bold.

Now let's go to Revelation 11 and see what the Bible says. According to Bible prophecy, Jerusalem is eventually going to be divided and given over to the nations.

In Revelation 11, in Revelation 11, verse 1, And there was given to me a reed like unto a rod, and the angel stood saying, Rise and measure the temple of God.

Now some have talked about the duality of this, the temple of God.

In the New Testament, it says that we are the Church of God as the temple of God today.

But I think it can apply to the Church, but it also applies in an international, world kind of situation and view, as we shall see.

If you rise and measure the Church of God, and the Church of God is being measured at the present time, judgment is upon the house of God, the wheat is being separated from the chat.

So rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and them that worship therein.

Now verse 2 especially brings it down to a physical place and time, and not just the spiritual organism, the Church of God. But the court which is without the temple leave out and measure it not, for it is given unto the nations. The Greek word for Gentiles is ethnos.

In Gentiles, of course, most of the time, well, it refers to non-Israelites, but it can be just as easily translated nations as the word from which we get ethnic. It is given unto the nations, and the holy city shall they tread down forty-two months.

Jerusalem. So for three and a half years, the nations are going to tread down Jerusalem.

This is the Word of God. This is not fable. This is not legend. This is not newspaper.

This is what the Bible says. And you know, you can believe the Bible or you can believe other things. I would choose to believe the Bible. They shall tread it down forty-two months.

And then the face of that and the view of that, "...a power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy twelve hundred and sixty days clothed in sackcloth." And it talks about the power that is given to the two witnesses.

In verse 7, "...when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, shall overcome them, and kill them.

And their dead body shall be in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified." So it doesn't seem that true religion would be restored in Israel before the return of Christ. Here it is called Sodom and Egypt.

"...And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, shall not permit their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, because Satan, the beast power, false prophet, will deceive the world into believing just the opposite." That is, Satan, the beast power, and the false prophet will pose themselves as God, as it says in 2 Thessalonians 2, that it sits in the temple of God, saying that he is God, and make the world believe that really the tormentors are the two witnesses.

"...And after three days and a half, the Spirit of God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon them. And they heard a great voice from heaven, saying unto them, come up here. And they ascended up to heaven, and a cloud, and their enemies beheld them.

There was a great earthquake, quake-tent part of the city fell, and the earthquake were slain seven thousand, and the remnant, the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The second woe is passed, behold, the third woe comes quickly, which is the seventh trump, and the seventh angel sounded, and then the resurrection and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of God and His Christ. The placing of the abomination, let's go back to Daniel 12 now, the placing of the abomination of desolation marks a countdown toward the fulfillment of this day in Daniel 12.

In Daniel 12, verse 1, And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince, which stands for the children of your people, and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was, same language as Matthew 24, verse 21, a time of trouble, such as never was, since there was a nation even at that same time, and at that time your people shall be delivered everyone that shall be found written in the book, at Lamb's book of life. You know, it says in Revelation 13, verse 8, And everyone worshiped the beast, except those whose names were written in the Lamb's book of life. That's what the Bible says.

And many of them that slept in the dust of the earth shall awake resurrection, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars, for ever and ever.

Then Daniel is told to shut up the words of this book that is going to become able to be understood. Apparently, at the end time he says many will run to and fro, knowledge will be increased. We have seen that explosion in the recent decades, especially the past couple of decades. Then verse 5, Then I, Daniel, looked and beheld, there stood other two, the one on the side of the bank of the river, the other on the side of the bank of the river.

And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be from the end of these wonders? How long do we have to wait?

And he tells, And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, which he had held up in his right hand, his left hand, unto heaven, and swore by him, that lives forever, it shall be four, three times, and a half. And when he shall have accomplished, he being this evil power, accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. And I heard, but understood not. Then said I, Oh, my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed and sealed till the time of the end, sealed, locked, until the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and tried. But the wicked shall do wickedly. None of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate, remember Matthew 24.15, from the time that the abomination is set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred ninety days, twelve hundred and ninety days. Blessed is it that waits and comes to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days, thirteen hundred and thirty-five days.

But go your way till the end, till the end be, you shall stand in your lot at the end of days.

So we see there is a definite countdown that begins at that time.

So what about us at this time? Let's briefly note what some members of the Church of God will be doing who are not prepared for the bridegroom in 2 Timothy chapter 3. In 2 Timothy chapter 3.

Verse 1, this, Know that in the last days perilous time shall come.

And all these various rebellious unlawful kind of behaviors are described here.

You look at verse 5, Having a form of godliness, but denying the power of from such turn away. Apparently, he's talking to people who have a form of godliness, they must go to church.

They must look like they believe. For of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with different lust, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. And, brethren, we sure don't want to be numbered with those.

In 1 Timothy 4 verse 3, I mean verse 1. 1 Timothy 4 verse 1. 1 Timothy 4 verse 1. Now the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, commanded to abstain from meats, which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them that believe and know the truth. I read some interesting research in the past few days, and you could look this up with regard to vegetarianism and those who eat meat.

And this study came, I forgot exactly who put this study out, but it was from a very well-known source. See, the brain is about 90 percent fatty acid. That's one of the reasons why they say, well, maybe you ought to do flaxseed oil because it is rich in omega-3 and all the fatty acids. And most of the lean meats are also rich in these fatty acids, along with fish and poultry to some degree. But actually, they said those who go on a strictly vegetarian diet, that over a period of time, it causes the brain to begin to deteriorate, especially in younger people, in young children, because their brains are still in the developmental stage. And we know from third world countries where protein is usually at a premium at very scarce, that many of those children do not develop as they should physically and mentally. So, this here, this is the Word of God. This is not Don Ward, and this is not any other nutritionist you want to name or research source. It says, "...doctrines of devils abstaining from meats." That's the Word of God. Can I change that? Can you? I don't think so. For every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused, and I don't want to get into the clean, unclean meat argument, and it just means that those that are clean is to be received with thanksgiving. And the Old Testament, of course, gives you specific instructions with regard to those that are clean. In Matthew 24, once again in Matthew 24, verse 9. Of course, all of that prophecy is in response to the question the disciples asked Christ, when shall be these things, the sign of your coming and the end of the age. Matthew 24, 9. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and they shall kill you, and you shall be hated of all nations for my namesake. Then shall many be offended, shall betray one another, shall hate one another, and many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Of course, our children will have to live in a world that is awash with the lawlessness of this world, and it is very difficult to go against the tide. And at times, I don't think our parents even have a clue of the battle that they have to fight. Because iniquity shall abound, it's everywhere.

The love of many shall wax cold, but he that endures into the end, the same shall be saved.

You know, one of the reasons that the religious world of Jesus' day put him to death was because he exposed them for what they really are. There is a whole global economy based on sin and evil. Change even one major sin, and the entire world's economy, you talk about the stock market being in trouble now, would really be in trouble. What if you were to stop the flood of internet pornography, Playboy, Penthouse, Playgirl, Pat Pong Road, Amsterdam, other red light districts, sex trafficking of young girls, sexy movies and books, revealing clothes, films, drinking drugs, condoms, birth control pills, medicines to treat STDs, abortion clinics, and all the kinds of things that go along with trying to help mankind avoid the punishment for their sins. That's what a lot of medicine is about. Now, I know that a lot of medicine is about things that really count and that we need, but a lot of it has to do with trying to prevent the breaking of God's law in many areas, especially in the world of the sex and the drugs. If no one did any drugs, what would happen to the manufacturers of the millions and millions that are employed in that?

What about if we were to stop Colombia's drug trade? And we could go on, and what about if there were no more children born out of wedlock? How much would that save the U.S. economy?

So what should we be doing spiritually speaking? As we heard this morning, we're to sound the trumpet, sound an alarm for the coming of the day of the Lord and the literal fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets. We're to live the resurrected life now and gain the victory over Satan.

In the Jewish wedding ceremony, a marriage takes place over a period of time known as the Bridal Week. A groom comes from a bride like a thief in the night to take her away, takes her into the Bridal Chamber, and for that week, the Bridal Week, they're at his father's house.

They are at his father's house during the Bridal Week. During the Bridal Week, the groom and the bride are together in the Bridal Chamber. At the end of the week, there is a marriage supper.

The betrothal of the members of the body of Christ, to some degree, parallels the Jewish wedding custom. Let's notice now Joel 2. Joel 2.

The first two verses read this morning a blow to trumpet in Zion, in a member letter that Mr. Armstrong sent to the church in the New Year of 1983. He called it fast on New Year's Day. We were living in Pasadena at that time, just off Orange Grove Boulevard. There was a vacant lot in our house on Mayhew, I think it was, or Malin, and we started our fast, of course at sunset, and then all the celebration for the Rose Parade, and it was one bad time. But in that letter, he as the Apostle Paul did in Hebrews 12 and verse 22, where it says in Hebrews 12-22 that you will come to Zion to the city of the living God.

And here, blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain, and let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord comes, it is nigh at hand. And so, especially every year on the Feast of Trumpets, as we heard this morning, the trumpet is sounded.

And the wise shall understand. Verse 15, blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, and call a solemn assembly. Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, those who suck the breast. Let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber. Are you prepared to meet the bridegroom? Let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber and the bride out of her closet.

This harkens back to the Jewish wedding ceremony in the Bridal Week. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar. And let them say, Spare your people, O eternal, and give not your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? Then, when, when the people of God turn with fasting and prayer, then will the Lord be jealous for his land and pity his people.

And now in Revelation 19 verse 7 again.

Also, as we heard this morning, this is a time of joy, jubilation, and celebration. Revelation 19.7, let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come. Let the bridegroom come forth from his chamber and the bride out of her closet. The marriage of the Lamb has come. His bride have made herself ready.

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. And he said unto them, Right, blessed are they which are called unto the married supper of the Lamb.

So, brethren, now is the time. Prepare to meet the bridegroom.