Safety from Terror

As you turn on the news, you tend to see the states of affairs between nations and peoples and the world deteriorate. It seems like it's always sinking. Instead of getting better, it seems to be getting worse. We've seen a sniper and follow-up murder similar to his. We have seen a situation over in Russia where an individual tried to hold hostage and threatened to blow up nearly a thousand people who were attending a symphony or similar event. We see the FBI warning Americans to be wary of terrorists using trains or perhaps nuclear weapons now. The latest thing, some type of nuclear weapon, may already be in this country. We are warned that a war may break out with Iraq. Walter Cronkite said recently that if the United States declares war on Iraq, it may trigger World War III. These are serious times that we live in. We know that prophecies in Scripture foretell a hell on earth before the return of Jesus Christ, a time that Jesus said was the worst of times that we'll have ever been or will ever be. I'd like you to turn with me back to Revelation 8. We'll begin in verse 7. Revelation 8, beginning in verse 7. Just note a few of the things that mankind has in its future. We see here these seven angels, these trumpets that the seven angels blow are, in a sense, celebrated or noted at the Feast of Trumpets that we keep every year. The first angel sounds his trumpet in hail and fire followed, mingled with blood. Revelation 8, verse 7. They were thrown to the earth and a third of the trees were burned up and a third of all green grass was burned up. Just imagine a world for which you live in. Suddenly, a third of all living plants are burned up.

These are the plants that give us food. These are the crops. These are the trees. These are the things that convert carbon dioxide into oxygen in which we breathe. Suddenly, humanity will be in a very precarious fix. The second angel sounded in something like a great mountain, something like, he's trying to describe what he's seeing here, burning with fire was thrown into the sea. Some man-made object, some nasty thing is thrown into the sea and a third of the sea became blood. Perhaps it's man-made, sounds like it. A third of all living creatures in the sea died and a third of the ships were destroyed. Terrible things happening that impact what man eats out of the ocean. Fish and all the other little crustaceans that humanity is gobbling up with such a frenzy that the ecosystems out there are weakening and some are just disappearing. But imagine what this would be viewed as. The third angel sounded and a great star fell from heaven burning like a torch and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of the water. And the name of the star is wormwood and a third of the waters became wormwood and many died, many men died from the water because it was made bitter. Something is blowing here and something is happening and that very source, which would kill us sooner than anything else if we didn't have that water, which is already in short supply, it is a precious commodity on this on this planet. A third of it disappears.

And then the fourth angel sounded and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened and a third of the day did not shine and likewise the night. Now you see an event that results from something which affects the very light, the eyesight that we have, the perception that we have. Our world has changed. No longer do you go out and see stars at night. No longer do you see the sun come up and have nice sunrises and sunsets and the moon come up. Suddenly all that changes. You're living in a different looking thing where you're only seeing part of this. Your food is impacted. Your water is impacted. And now the very world around you that you see is impacted. A third of the day did not shine and likewise the night. And I looked and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven saying with a loud voice, whoa, whoa, whoa, three woes to come for the inhabitants of the earth because the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who were about to sound. And then the fifth angel sounded. Here's what we believe is the great tribulation really kicking off as the bottomless pit is opened and the sun and the air were darkened and out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. Probably some military machines as the tribulation and Satan, this mindset and some of the angels that have been restricted, some of the dark angels, the demons that have been so evil, they've been restricted, begin to get let loose. And they do terrible things.

Verse four, they were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, the remaining grass. Or any green thing or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were given authority to kill them, not given authority to kill, but to torment them for five months. And their torment was the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. Just deep misery.

Maybe some type of warfare tools that just cause people to just arrive in pain. And yet protecting the plants, the food, in other words, that remains, not trying to hurt them. In those days, verse six, men will seek death and will not find it. They will desire to die and death will flee from them. We see down in verse 11, they had a king over them, the angel of the bottomless pet whose name in Hebrew is a baton, but in the Greek he has the name of polyon. These mean destroyer. So the king here would be Satan the devil. He's the destroyer. The sixth angel sounds.

And in verse 14, we see the four angels who are found at the Great River Euphrates are released.

And these four angels who had been prepared for the hour and a day and a month in the year were released to kill a third of mankind. Major destruction. We could correlate to that time when the beast launches a strike against the people of the east and there's a counter-strike back, probably from Russia and China over in there. And many, many, many people on earth die.

As we see these things happening around us and everybody begins to wonder, you know, is Armageddon coming? The newspapers will say, is World War III, is the end of the world coming?

As we see these things happen and we begin to say, well, is the tribulation starting? Is the fifth angel sounded yet? We have to ask ourselves some questions. In the end time, what will happen to you and me? And during the Great Tribulation, what will happen to you and to me? Do we need a gas mask in the cupboard? Do we need a bomb shelter in the backyard? Is it time to move to Montana and, you know, get a big gun?

Now, these questions are important questions. Will you and I, during the times that Jesus Christ called the end, the end of this age, if we are living at that time, will we be carried along with humanity through and into the destruction? Or will we be provided safety? And when I say we, I'm talking about the people of God, and the timing of all of this is up to God. So the people of God, whether we are alive at that time or not, will they be floating along with humanity into all these events that we've just seen? Or will the people of God be given supernatural safety? I have a question for you today. What should you and I be focusing on in times of tribulation, trial, distress? What should our focus be during times of terror? What role will God play with his people? in times of terror? The title of the sermon today is Safety from Terror. And I want to take a look at the relationship that God has with his people, his begotten children who are faithful to him, and to his way of life, to his laws, faithful to him as a father. Now each of us committed to God, those who are baptized, and the new covenant for us began at baptism. We had a covenant arrangement, a contract that we entered into with God, and we promised to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, our High Priest in Heaven, and our soon coming King, to be Lord over us and to rule us, and that we would follow him, and that we repented of our old way, our old self. We weren't going to live that way of life anymore. And from God's side of the contract, or the covenant, he gave us his Holy Spirit, a helper in our mind, to help us to begin to think and act and live like he does. And his promise is that he would never, ever, under any circumstance, leave or forsake us, as long as we maintain our part of that covenant. And so here we have people of God entered into a covenant, and then we have mankind at large. And I have four points that I'd like to go through with you today on the subject of safety from terror. I'd like to begin with point one, and that is, God sometimes shelters his people. God sometimes shelters his people.

In Psalm 17 and verse 6, one of our former brothers in the faith, David, made a statement. Psalm 17 beginning in verse 6 says, I have called upon you, for you will hear me, O God. So we have a relationship with God, for he hears. We have a relationship with him. We're his children. Notice verse 8. He says, keep me as the apple of your eye. God's children are special to God. They are the apples of his eye. They're the precious first fruits. They're the ones that he calls holy, righteous, his children, kings, priests.

He thinks a lot of his children. Jesus Christ said that God the Father even knows how many hairs are on our head. And if anything should happen to us, it is a big thing to God. Not just like sparrows who would die, but to us, we are very, very important to God. And David brings this out. He says, keep me. Retain that relationship. I am the apple of your eye. He's saying, keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me under the shadow of your wings from the wicked who oppress me, from my deadly enemies who surround me. We begin to see here a relationship that God has, an expectation that God's people can have of God. In the 27th chapter of Psalms, verses 1 through 6, we also find a promise. David is inspired to write. It's a statement. And all the words of the Bible are true, so we can have confidence when he says here in chapter 27, talking about the Lord is my light and salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?

If we have that kind of relationship with God, then he becomes that shepherd that comforts us with his rod and staff, even though we might be walking through the valley of the shadow of death. We will fear no evil. Notice verse 5. David states, for in the time of trouble, he shall hide me in his pavilion. Notice what David expects here and what David actually states, that God will do the protecting. He didn't say, I will run and I will hide and God will bless me in my hiding. Now, he says, in the time of trouble, he shall hide me in his pavilion, in a place. In the secret place of his tabernacle, he shall hide me. He shall set me high upon a rock. Not in some windblown, iffy situation, but it's something here that's stable, something that is solid. In Psalm chapter 31 now, in verse 19 through 24, Psalm 31 verse 19 through 24, I'll just read a little bit of this. Oh, how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you.

Notice what God has laid up is different for those who have a relationship with him than for those who do not, which you have prepared for those who trust in you in the presence of the sons of men. In verse 20, it says, you shall hide them in the secret place of your presence. Notice this, God will hide them in the secret place of his presence from the plots of men. You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strike of tongues.

Let you turn with me, if you will, to Isaiah chapter 2 and verse 10. Just in little contrast here, Isaiah chapter 2 and verse 10, let's read what God says to humanity at large. See, also promising similar things here.

It says in verse 6, for you have forsaken your people the house of Jacob because they are filled with eastern ways and they are pleased with the children of foreigners and goes on how the physical descendants of Israel have really profaned God's ways and left. He says something a little different to them. Verse 8, land is full of idols. Verse 10, therefore, enter into the rock and hide in the dust. Here's also a rock, but hide in the dust from the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty. Is this what God wants us to do? Have we departed from his ways? Have we departed from his commandments? Have we lost a relationship with them? If so, we would be counted like the ancient Israelites in this in time.

We would need to hide ourselves in the dust, not in the high rock, solid, but in the dust from the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty. Verse 11, the lofty looks of man shall be humbled. Do you have lofty looks? Are you proud of yourself? Are you self-determined and self-defiant in all these things? The lofty looks of man shall be humbled and the hottyness of men shall be bowed down and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. Do you see this day of the Lord is coming? At the end of the tribulation, we're going to find the seventh trumpet comes in and seven divine trumpet plagues from God. And the anger of God is going to step out and correct. It's going to correct and recruit. Do we need to be part of that? Well, we can see here David has a totally different frame of mind than the other Israelites who departed. Let's look at point two.

End time safety is not just figurative. Some people have tried to convince you that end time safety is only just a phraseology. It's just figurative. It's not anything definite for the people of God. So let's turn back to Revelation 12 and verse 6 and begin to put a mortal wound on that philosophy. Revelation 12 and verse 6, the woman, the church, fled into the wilderness. Now this woman says, fled together. The church fled into the wilderness. What is the wilderness? Wilderness just means an uninhabited place. It's an unpopulated place. It might be green, it might be brown, it might be forested, it might be rock. It's just somewhere that's not habitated. Where she has a place. So this church that's being spoken of has a place. Not places, not figuratively.

And this place is not something that she went over and built and had a whole bunch of programs to create this and like a massive huge bomb shelter or something. This place was prepared of God. This God who loves, like David said, loves, preserves. He will take me, He will protect me, He will put me in His pavilion, His secret place. This church has a place prepared by God. Notice that they should feed her there. She doesn't take food, she doesn't take water. I'm not sure who they are, but they feed her for 1,203 scored 8 for three and a half years. The same length of time of the tribulation, same length of time as the time of the Gentiles, same length of time two witnesses are doing their work. Now let's go to Matthew chapter 24 and verse 20. Matthew chapter 24 and verse 20. Here's Jesus Christ giving an instruction on the Mount of Olives about the coming great tribulation. The end of this age, as the disciples asked the question, when will it be? What will be the sign of your coming? After He goes through the grisly events and says that, as we see, that it's going to be almost genocide for mankind, He states this, not to the whole crowd, but to us, to the disciples and those who are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Pray you, or turn it around, you pray, pray you that your flight be not in the winter. Now why would you want to pray that your flight is not in the winter if you're not going to have a flight and you're not going anywhere? It's all just figuratively. Here He brings out some specifics that a person with God's mind, outgoing concern, would have for others. We don't want to have people trying to take a flight, an emergency trip, in the dead of winter. I mean, it'd be okay here in Phoenix, but if we're thinking of other people in other places, we would not want that to happen to them. And if we are thinking maybe a little bit further outside of our own sphere, we might be thinking of people on the bottom side of this planet who also have winter when we have summer and we say, please make it spring or fall so that no one has to be traveling or flighting in the winter. And then He says, neither on the Sabbath day. Love your neighbor as yourself than on the Sabbath day. Well, this is God's hallowed day. We don't want to be trampling over it. I'm saying, oh, I want to save my skin. I want to get out of here. I need to move or whatever, and just trample all over the special day that God has created as His people's family day each week. So Jesus Christ gives specific details and follows it up with, for then there will be great tribulation such as not since the beginning of this world, indeed, or until this time, nor ever shall be. That has never happened. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved alive. That's how close mankind will come to killing itself off. Jesus Christ has to step in with those seven last plagues. He has to come in on that white horse and stop the madness, or there would be no flesh saved alive. But for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened. Here we see it's for the sake of God's begotten children, the ones He has called out now, the first fruit, so that those days will be shortened. Again, we see clearly a differentiation in the relationships between God and two types of men. Point three, who is given safety?

Who is given safety? I have a question to sort of throw out at the beginning of this.

If you make your life's endeavor to study on this subject, and you could determine where it was and when it was and what it was going to be like and everything else, would that of itself give you any special favor or edge in actually being there? Well, of course not. You might just be looking at it from a selfish standpoint or a theological or just a head scratcher standpoint. It's just knowledge, and prophecy can be like that. If you knew when all the things in the future were going to happen, you might just be like the person who shows up when Christ is there and say, hey, hi, and he says, depart for me, I don't know you. But wait a minute, you know, I studied all these things and I was really up on all what was going to happen. And he says, yeah, well, I don't know you. Depart from me you who work lawlessness.

Does knowing about God's protection give anybody special favor?

God's people could say, oh, well, we know that God is giving special protection to his people. Does that mean we'll be there just because we know about it? No, it doesn't. We're going to see that if you knew where it was and when it was and how to get there, he might not even be there.

So who is given safety really raises a question. What should a person concentrate on when he is not one, desiring protection? It's kind of the opposite, you might guess, of looking out after yourself and wanting to save your own skin. Zephaniah chapter 2 verse 1 answers this question. Zephaniah chapter 2 and verse 1. Therefore, I just say these things because I want to put this whole topic into perspective. It's not one that we really need to be worried about. It's like David said, you know, God's going to take care of me. It's like Jesus Christ said, pray these things, but we're going to find out here the people that will apply to, and really, don't even need to know about it. Zephaniah chapter 2, beginning in verse 1.

Gather yourself together. Yes, gather together, an undesirable nation.

Before a decree is issued or the day passes like chaff, before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you, seek the Lord who all you need of the earth. A meet person is one who has utter self-worthlessness predetermined. I'm not worth anything. My human nature is not worth anything. The things that I personally would aspire to are self-centered and not worth anything. Therefore, I am totally God-reliant. I want to do God's will, not my will. I am 100 percent nothing in my own eyes, and therefore God is everything. And so he says, seek the Lord, all you who have that mentality, all you who follow God's will, unique of the earth, who have upheld his justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. Notice here he doesn't say seek to be in a safe place.

For just to be going on about being the people of God, becoming Christ-like.

And he's telling others that the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you, and he says this twice, once with emphasis, and he says, seek the Lord all unique of the earth, it may be, and I think this is an important phrase, it may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. Who is given safety? This answers it. Those who are God-reliant, those who are pursuing godliness, those who are developing a stronger relationship with God, it may be that they will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger, and we know what that day is. In Luke chapter 21 and 36, verse 36, Luke 21 verse 36, notice what Jesus Christ tells us to be thinking about, doing, in advance of this time, and this time to come in various fashions to and has down through time. Not everyone faces the great tribulation, but a lot of people face great tribulation. Notice what he says, watch you therefore. The term watch in the Greek means be alert. Be alert to your spiritual state. Watch. Don't go to sleep. Don't, you know, go to crowds and drink and slumber like the rest of humanity, but be alert. Watch full to your situation and pray always.

Have this relationship with God. Notice that you may be accounted worthy. Does it say that you will be worthy to escape? No. That God will count you worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and stand before the Son of Man. You analyze the Greek words in this whole sentence. They come out just about like the English. That's what the intent of these words are. That God may account you. He may declare you worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man. And these things are all types of terrible things that come on humanity. And it talks about the same things essentially that Matthew 24 talks about, just a little different angle. It was the same event Jesus Christ talking to them on the Mount of Olives. And they were wondering when the end will be.

Job chapter 5, remember, say, you can just listen to this if you want. I want to put three passages together here. In Job chapter 5 verse 11, he makes a statement.

He sets on high those who are meek. Matthew 5, in the Beatitudes, it says, Blessed are the meek, or the poor in spirit. I'm sorry, blessed are the poor in spirit, for those is the kingdom of heaven. In Job 5, which I just read, he sets on high those who are lowly. See that mentality? The lowliness of mind, the humble, I am worthless, it's not my will but thine, I'm meek, I'm lowly, I'm humble. It says, are very, very blessed on the one hand.

And on the other, he sets on high. Remember, he put those on a rock, he set them on high, he lifted them to safety. Matthew 5, it says, the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven. So that mentality is headed for the kingdom. That's what God is supporting.

And back in Job, the second part of that, those who mourn are lifted to safety.

Back in Matthew 5, it says, Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Mourning the sighing and crying for the abominations that take place in the world, the hatred of sin itself, the disgust that we have for that, identify us as people with a mind like God. And that comes from him through his Holy Spirit. And those people, he said, will be lifted to safety. They will be comforted. And theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Whatever course they're on and whatever happens to them in this physical life, theirs is the kingdom that is now of heaven. And God's kingdom is coming with Jesus Christ to this earth. They're going to be in the right place. And some are lifted to safety.

In Isaiah chapter 33 and verse 14 through 17, Isaiah 33, 14, we're going to see something here that really compares the people of God to society at large during the tribulation, during this end time, during the day of the Lord.

Isaiah 33 verse 14, the sinners in Zion are afraid.

Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites, the sinners, those who break God's law, and the hypocrites, those who claim to be godly but are not, have fear and have seized them. Then the question comes, who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Some of those events that we read of in Revelation. Who among us will dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? It's answered in verse 15. He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly. He who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing a bribe. No, that's not me. That's not my way of life anymore. Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, did not entertain with murder. He doesn't want to hear about other people being hurt, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil. He will dwell on high. Notice the next phrase in verse 16. His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks. Now many people would like to take this fortress of rocks and make something out of that and say, oh, let's look around and find where there's a big old pile of rocks. And maybe that's it. You know, maybe pet your ark.

Well, the whole concept here is it's going to be a fortress that's solid in the sense that there will be no need for fear. And notice what it says next. Bread will be given to him. Didn't we read that before? A member of the church, taken to a safe place in the wilderness, and her food will be given her. Bread will be given him. His water will be sure.

And your eyes will see the king and his beauty. They will see the land that is very far off. The kingdom of God, they will be in the right place. They will have the right mentality. Just as it says, those who are meek, those who are humble, those who mourn will be in the kingdom. The kingdom that is now the kingdom of heaven. So this shows us, brethren, very clearly who are given safety. And we do not see here a selfish preoccupation by these people. We do not see here a sort of a personal pride. Oh, well, we have it all. We have it right. We're the people. We're the chosen. No, these are people who say, I just don't have it. Only God knows. And God, through Jesus Christ, showed us that he is more pleased with the prayer of the sinner who says, you know, wouldn't even look up to God, says, just woe to me. I am a sinner. I'm just not worthy. I'm just not worthy of anything. We're humble. So that's what we need to be focusing on. And exercising righteousness, the love, the outgoing concern, emulating our Father in heaven and our older brother, Jesus Christ, continuing to have that relationship with God. That brings us to point four.

A question. Are you guaranteed safety? That's a question we'd all like to hear a big yes to.

I know I talk to God about this subject on behalf of all of us, all of God's people, no matter what they're named by religiously, whoever they are, God knows them. And I just beg God regularly to give them protection from the great tribulation. And I plead with him, because I know I am a great big chicken when it comes to pain. And I'm a big chicken when it comes to some of the events that I read of in Revelation, where men's legs tremble out from under them, and they go crawl and hide in the caves, and pray that the rocks would fall on them. This is a natural human tendency. And God loves his people, and he does not want any of us to be harmed in this life. And God is providing a way of escape for some who will be given safety during this most terrible times. And I just pray that will apply to everyone, and I hope you will too. Pray that we are all counted worthy in God's eyes, even though we know different in our own eyes. We know we are not worthy.

And just pray that events will work out to where we could be counted among those that will receive these blessings. Are you guaranteed safety? Do you have a rock-solid promise from God in this book that you will not suffer persecution, or that we as a group will not suffer persecution, or go through the tribulation? I want to show you the context of the Scripture we read earlier. Let's go back to Revelation 12 and verse 6 again. Revelation 12 and verse 6.

This woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God that they should feed her there for three and a half years. And then we see war breaking out in heaven, and some other events happening, skipping down to verse 13. Now, when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman, the church, who gave birth to the male child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, givenness, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place. It's afraid that it was also used of the nation of Israel, as it was given two wings of a great eagle to fly out of Egypt to its place, where she is nourished for a time, one, times, two, and half a time, three and a half years, from the presence of the serpent. So this woman goes to a safe place for three and a half years from the presence of Satan. Now, in my dream state, I would hope that those people who get to go there for three and a half years are not only just separated from him in presence, which it says, the presence, but also wouldn't it be nice to be unhooked from the mentality, from the sort of the broadcasting of the nature that comes from Satan and his demons? Wouldn't it be nice to just be totally protected there and have a three and a half years of kind of final training, like Mr. Gerald Waterhouse used to project about that time? It really would be a wonderful, profitable thing.

But nevertheless, certainly from the presence, if not the influence of the serpent. And so, verse 15, the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman. And there's a lot of different things that this could mean in prophetic terms, but we'll just let it stand as it does, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. So it's not that it's kind of like the Israelites. They got out of Egypt for about two days, and suddenly here comes Pharaoh and the armies. Same thing seems to happen. That the earth helped the woman. Just as the Red Sea opened and swallowed up Pharaoh and the armies, the earth helped the woman and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood, which the dragon spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman. How would you like Satan the devil to be enraged with you? Well, that's what this little group of people, this little group of sheep lambs scurrying away with the help of God, has come in after them.

He was enraged with the woman, but he couldn't get at her. And he went off to make war with the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. There is a differentiation made in Revelation 3. If you want to just turn there very briefly, just digress a little bit. One of the churches that are being spoken to, the church in Philadelphia, is said in verse 10, because you have kept my command to persevere, that relationship of God is not broken with don't suddenly get into times and we just got all self-absorbed with it. Okay, I've got to quit acting like a Christian now and start worrying about myself. I have to learn to love myself first, you know. The command is always to love and they persevere in this. I will also keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. Why? You've been tested. Why? You've already had trials. Your human nature got buried and you continued to kill it off and you did not become a slave to sin. You don't need the tribulation to wake you up, you see. You don't need these trials like humanity is going to get them as some sort of a wake-up message. You're already alert, you know, that watch or be alert, wake up, you're already awake and therefore I will keep you from that hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. That would indicate there's a group of people here who do not need that test. Verse 14 talks about another church, Laodiceans. Verse 17, because you say, I am rich and have become wealthy and have need of nothing, no doubt in a spiritual sense. Oh, yes, I am holy and I'm righteous and I'm just like that with God and I'm cool and I'm waiting for Christ to come back. It's me and the Lord, you know, and you do not realize that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked spiritually. I counsel of you to buy from me gold refined in the fire. There are believers who will not have shown to God that they are, in a sense, worthy or that they have made the steps necessary in order to miss this.

That you may be rich in white garments, that you may be clothed. Those white garments, synonymous with righteousness. And we see others elsewhere in the book of Revelation who gave their lives and received white garments. Verse 19, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. It's not that God doesn't love these people. It's not that they're not the people of God. Satan went off to make war with the remnant, didn't he, who will keep the commandments of God. But God here has to chase him and he has to rebuke them, therefore be zealous and repent. In Daniel 11, verse 32, we see a sobering prophecy about some of the people of God in the end time. Not all of them avoid trial and trouble and even their lives. Verse 32, referring to the great false prophet at the end time, because those who do wickedly against the covenant, he shall corrupt with flattery. So are we doing wickedly against the covenant, that new covenant that you made with God at baptism? And will you be corrupted with some sort of a flattery?

But he says, the people who know their God shall be strong and advanced. The term great exploits, I don't believe, is any proper translation of the Bible. It's not in any manuscript. I know that. They shall be strong. This is not a period when they fall back, you see. It's not a period where they deteriorate in their relationship with God. They actually advance in that relationship. And those of the people who understand shall instruct many.

Yet for many days they shall fall by the sword and flame, by captivity and plundering. Some, as we see, will go into that tribulation. Now, when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help, but many shall join them by intrigue. So there will be deceivers coming in and all kinds of things to watch out for. And this will strengthen their spiritual state as they fight against it. Verse 35, And some of those of understanding shall fall. Why? To refine them, to purify them, and to make them white.

This seems to be a direct parallel with the group that Jesus Christ was talking to at later to see them. They will fall to refine, purify, and make them white until the time of the end, because it is still for the appointed time.

So some will be spared. Some will lose their lives during the great tribulation. I want to digress just a little bit. Since I have been a little child in the church, I was born in 1951. I went to my first Feast of Tabernacles when I was two years old, but Belknap Springs, Oregon.

And growing up in the church and sitting like two weeks old, I say two years old. And so growing up in the church, I sat as a child and listened and listened, and many, many times through the years, the last 51 years, I've heard the question come up about the place of safety.

Where is the place of safety? I've seen articles written about it. Sermons preached on it. Is there a place of safety? Where is the place of safety? Will we go to the place of safety? Here I am preaching about the subject today. Just to put this in perspective, the early church writers in the New Testament were in the thick of tribulation. They lived during a real messy period of the Roman Empire in the area that would become Palestine, which was called Judea. It was a Roman, second-level district of the Roman Empire. And that church suffered all kinds of persecution, and the very writers of the Bible were probably all killed themselves, save the Apostle John.

Members were killed and persecuted by individuals such as Saul. It was a real terrible time. And yet, as we even go further into time, history records that some faithful members, as late as the third century, were being tortured to death. And one leader under, I believe it was under Domitian, was sent down to find this group of people who were being accused of all kinds of nasty things.

You know how it goes when somebody doesn't like your religion accused of sacrificing their children and eating them and all these things. And so he goes down there to wipe them out and starts torturing them and killing them and torturing them and killing them. Finally, he wrote back to the Emperor, he said, listen, I'm sick of this. There's nothing wrong with these people. They do not do anything wrong. They love God to death. And I find absolutely no fault of it.

And I am just sick at my stomach of what we've been doing here. I just like to not do this anymore. Sometimes there have been and will be people who are martyrs for what they believe.

Where in the New Testament, when all this is going on, do you find even a statement or any preoccupation with the writers or with the church members about their physical safety during the tribulation that they were going through? Where are the letters and the comments and the pleas and the preoccupation? Well, what's going to happen to me? I don't see it. I see Paul commending the members for their outgiveness and their thoughtfulness during times of trial and tribulation and famine and people who are holding to the truth and helping others.

I just bring that up because what is important is not how our physical life ends. What is important is what happens after this physical life.

Matthew 10, verse 28, Jesus Christ addresses the loss of life or the danger that we would face as Christians for what we believe. He says, Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. The word there, suke, in the Greek, means the light or the heart. You can't take your... don't fear those who can kill the body but can't take your spiritual life, your eternal life. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul or life and body in Gehenna, the lake of fire. Are not two sparrow souls for a copper coin, and not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will, but the very head of your... tears of your head are all numbered. Do not fear, therefore. You are of more value than many sparrows. We're not to fear. The New Testament Church we don't see had a preoccupation with fear. The people of God don't have a preoccupation with fear in the end time, in Scripture. Let's notice a couple of goals that David talked to God about. Psalm 17, verse 13 through 15. Psalm 17, verse 13. Arise, O Lord, deliver my life from the wicked with your sword.

With your hand from men, O Lord, from the men of the world who have their portion in this life. David could separate this. These have their portion in this life. And he's saying, deliver me from these short-sighted individuals.

And he is asking for deliverance as an intermediate short-range goal. He said, I'd like to have this carcass delivered from these men who would like to take my physical life.

Christ told us to pray for that. You know, pray. Pray that you may be counted worthy to escape these things. But notice his supreme goal in verse 15. As for me, I will see your face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake in your likeness. That's the real goal, isn't it? That's the one that you and I need to have. We want to awake from our sleep at the end of this life, however it comes, in the likeness of God. We want to see his face. We want to be in his presence.

Some will have to face some challenges. Some will not.

Though many righteous will die in the great tribulation, some will definitely be spared. The indication from the Scriptures we've read today is that there is a relationship between what happens to an individual at that time and what their relationship with God is at that time. In other words, each individual has a responsibility as to what happens to them. If you need to be waked up by an outside force, you need to finally find your spiritual foundation and get serious about being a member of the family of God, then maybe God will deem that you need the help of the tribulation period. If you are persevering no matter what in the commandment to love, then Jesus talks to one group of people about sparing them from the need of the spanking that will come upon all humanity.

Again, Revelation 3.10 says, because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial, which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. So there is a relationship there.

I'd like to share with you a favorite passage about end-time safety that I've had through the years. Maybe you have a passage that you like. Here's mine. It's Isaiah chapter 26 and verse 20. Isaiah chapter 26 and verse 20.

Here, God is talking to his people. Isaiah 26 and 20 says, come. That's come to me, as it were. It does not go. It's come, my people. I just love all the words in this whole passage because it tells you so much. Come, my people. Enter your chambers. Something that God is calling yours. Something that has been prepared for you personally. It's your chambers. Now, the chambers doesn't mean a whole lot. I haven't used the word chambers this week, I don't believe. I didn't say, hey, let's all go to our chambers.

So I had to look that up in the Hebrew. The Hebrew definition in English for chambers is apartments. So apartments can mean different things at different times. Of course, we have a sort of a modern view of what an apartment or a flat might be.

But he's talking about something like that, a room or rooms that are yours and you're to come. And he's calling you, my people. Shows who this is for. And the next thing, which I really love, is and shut your doors. They're wondering where you're going to be and some of the things you'll have. Well, I can tell you, you'll have doors if you're there. And I thought, well, what if that meant something else? So I looked it up and the Hebrew word is something swinging. Okay, something swinging. He says, come into your apartment and shut your doors behind you. This is not figured, this is down to some little details, small details. Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment until the indignation is passed. What are we talking about here? So we'd be talking about, you know, some other thing. Verse 21, for behold, the Lord comes out of his place. He comes out of heaven to earth to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. Only does that one time. That's the day of the Lord. And this is what the people of God can look forward to. Apartments with doors, hiding, as it were, from the wrath which God is bringing, not to them, doesn't apply to them, it's not needed by them, but to the inhabitants of the earth who are living in iniquity. So in closing, between now and the return of Jesus Christ, what should our focus be on? Should it be on saving our skin from the wrath to come? Oh no, that would put us with the unrighteous, wouldn't it? Jesus said that our prayers should include the fact that we could pray that we might be counted worthy to escape these things. It'll be coming on the whole earth. But a big focus on that would be out of place, wouldn't it? Let's conclude by reading the words of Paul on this very subject to the church at Thessalonica. What shall we be doing between now and the end of our lives? First Thessalonians chapter 5 and verse 1.

I'm just going to skim through this entire chapter.

He begins here in verse 1, but concerning the times and the seasons, brethren. Isn't that the way we started today? We're concerning the times and the seasons. We're trying to look at world events and where they're going and also the prophecies of the Bible. We're beginning to see, as it were, little scraps of new growth coming on that fig tree. Things like spring might be around the corner. Of course, you know how the little scraps are on trees. They can just stay that way for a long time. You're back in the cold country. You see those little new leaves start to come out. Those buds, and they just stop. You think, oh, that spring might be here. I want spring to come, and they can stay there for months before they ever pop out. He says, I have no need that I should write you about the times of the season, for you know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a feast in the night. Everything we're talking about. For when they say peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they shall not escape. We don't know when that will come. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a feast. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. Let us therefore not sleep, as others do, but let us watch the alerts, be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, those who get drunk or drunk at night, these are things of darkness. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and a helmet of hope of salvation. Not digging bomb shelters, not, you know, getting a bazooka, you know, mounted on the roof, but putting on faith, love. For God did not appoint us to wrath, to do things that were harmful to others, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 11, throughout the rest of the chapter, he begins to say, comfort, edify, recognize those who are among you, praise them, esteem them highly. Verse 13, in love, be at peace among yourselves, warn those who are unruly, comfort the faint-hearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. Sometimes we're not patient another with one another, with the obvious mistakes and faults and sins that we have and that we see in others. But we should warn them, we should encourage, we should urge them not to fall down, but to step back up and keep going, not rendering evil for evil to anyone, but pursue what is good for both yourselves and all. Verse 19, don't quench the spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Not just the prophecies like we think of prophecies, but that Greek word means the teachings, the things that you are taught, abstain from every form of evil. Now, may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. So, brethren, we can have confidence that if we are the people of God, we will be the apple of His eye. We, being individuals, responsible in our relationship, persevering in our becoming the true children of God, we will continue to be the apple of God's eye. We will be in the right place at the right time for what our Father has for each one of us.