[Donald Ward] In view of the current world news, we cannot have, I don't believe, a more relevant topic to discuss here this afternoon – the deadly dilemma. A dilemma is a choice between two equally undesirable alternatives. A choice between two equally undesirable alternatives. That is why it is deadly. Either alternative leads to death. There is only one door to salvation. Let's look at John – the Gospel of John – chapter 10, verse 7, with regard to the One Way. See there is one way. And this way is not a part of the deadly dilemma. It stands alone. In John 10, and verse 7:

John 10:7-11 – Then said Jesus unto them again, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.

Also now I want to turn to Acts chapter 4, and verse 12. As I said, this way that we're talking about, here it says there is only one name under heaven given whereby men must be saved, and, of course, that is the name Jesus Christ. But let's read it. Let's stamp it indelibly upon our minds.

Acts 4:12 – Neither is there salvation in any other – for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

And then let's go to Matthew, chapter 7. In Matthew, chapter 7, we'll also see the way. Jesus Christ, in John 10, says He's the door. Acts 4:12 says that there is none other name given. And here, in Matthew, chapter 7, we'll see the way and what the way is like. Of course, in the world today, as you read the world news, you note that the way has been considerably broadened. In fact, there are really no parameters. There are no guidelines on the highway of life anymore. You can ramble all over the road and it'll be okay. But this says – Matthew 7:13:

Matthew 7:13-14 – Enter ye in at the strait gate – for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in therein. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it. So we want to be on the straight and narrow. We want to enter into the straight gate. We don't want to wander all over the road. We don't want to be caught in the deadly dilemma.

We've heard for years that persecution is coming in the Church of God. People may say they don't want someone to read and remind them of the news of the day. But the overview that I'm going to give today, I believe, is vital to understanding the world of today and life or death prophecies. It is connected with life or death prophecies. Yes, persecution of Christians is prophesied. And what we might call nominal Christians around the world are being persecuted. They are being murdered in the Middle East. Terrorists are murdering them by the scores. Yet it seems that in recent years the Church of God has received very little persecution from the outside. We've been too busy devouring ourselves. Whereas Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

In America today even nominal Christians are caught between two extremes – the liberal left and the conservative right that is often coupled with the religious right. In politics it is the Democrats versus the Republicans. The liberal left is represented by people like Mr. Obama, our ex-president, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson. One time I met Jesse Jackson and shook hands with him. We were at a World Affairs Council in Beverly Hills. We had gone there – not every week – but did have speakers from all over the world – from the Prime Minister of Israel to Jesse Jackson. And I sort of stared him down the whole time that he was speaking. And it just so happened that as he walked off the stage, he and I just met face to face. And he put out his hand, and said, “How are you, friend?” I said, “I'm doing very well. How are you?”. And we both kept walking. …so, Jesse Jackson, the Clinton's, and a host of other politicians, including most of the media, the National Education Association, movie makers, porn kings and queens, and educators. The right is represented by the Republicans and various religious leaders.

Another name for liberalism is secular humanism. Secular humanism. Humanists believe that human beings are the measure of all things – that human beings can solve all of their problems – and more about that in just a moment. Though all liberals are not secular humanists, most of the leaders are. Secular humanists are politically in consort with what is called today the liberal progressives. A brief overview of liberalism or humanism is given here – and I'm going to be reading…this is lifted directly from The Humanist Manifesto. The first Humanist Manifesto was issued in 1933. It was called Humanist Manifesto I. And then in 1973, there was a second one issued called Humanist Manifesto II, and then in 2003, there was a third Humanist Manifesto issued. And all you have to do, when you're in Google – or whatever search engine – you just put in Humanist Manifesto, and you can go read the whole thing – all three. This is from Humanist Manifesto II. And I, II, and III – not a whole lot of difference.

“As in 1933, humanists still believe that traditional theism – that is, belief in God – especially faith in the prayer-hearing God, assumed to live and care for persons, to hear and understand their prayers, and to be able to do something about them, is an unproved and outmoded faith. Salvationism, based on mere affirmation, still appears as harmful, diverting people with false hopes of heaven hereafter. Reasonable minds look to other means for survival.”

“In the best sense, religion may inspire dedication to the highest ethical ideals. The cultivation of moral devotion and creative imagination is an expression of genuine ‘spiritual’ experience and aspiration – so that's spiritualism without God, of course. We believe, however, that traditional dogmatic or authoritarian religions that place revelation, God, ritual, or creed above human needs and experience, do a disservice to the human species.”

“Promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful. They distract humans from present concerns, from self-actualization, and from rectifying social injustices.”

“Humanity, to survive, requires bold and daring measures. We need to extend the use of scientific method – not renounce them – to fuse reason with compassion in order to build constructive social and moral values. Confronted by many possible futures, we must decide which to pursue. The ultimate goal should be the fulfillment of the potential for growth in each human personality – not for the favored few, but for all of humankind. Only a shared world and global measures will suffice.”

Now I'm reading, once again, I've taken this from Humanist Manifesto II. Here the principle tenets of the Humanist Manifesto I.

1) Man in place of God.
2) Social protest, demonstrations, and revolution against traditional values. We've seen a lot of that this past year. They proclaim liberty, but as we have noted, they are actually totalitarian; I think we'll see that.
3) Deeper appreciation of brotherhood.
4) Science will solve all problems.
5) Man evolved.
6) Values are relative.
7) Self-realization in human potential and personality.
8) Share goods with others and practice this. This is for the masses. It's not for the elite, but the elite will lead the battle cry, yet they live in their million-dollar mansions.
9) Humans are the highest order. God resides in humans. Oprah and company.
10) Thus humanity can solve problems – all of its problems.

Yet God says…let's look at Proverbs, chapter 3. What would God's response be to such a manifesto and such a list? In Proverbs, chapter 3:

Proverbs 3:1-6 – My son, forget not my law – put it in your heart – keep my commandments. For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee. Bind them about thy neck. Write them upon the table of thine heart. So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

Also, we look at Ezekiel 22, and verse 23 of the stand in the gap scripture, that I often talk about. God is looking for men and women today to take this up as their mantra to stand in the gap and be there – to be able to be counted on at a time like this. This is Ezekiel 22, verse 23:

Ezekiel 22:23-25 – And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, “Son of man, say unto her, ‘Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation. There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey. They have devoured souls. They have taken the treasures and precious things. They have made many widows in the midst thereof. And you can continue reading there the various things that they’ve done. And in view of that, what is God looking for? In verse 30:

V-30-31 – And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. Will He find us there? Will He find us in the gap representing until our last dying breath that which is right in the sight of God? Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. Their own way have I recompensed upon their heads,’ says the Lord God.” So God's answer says, “Lean not to your own understanding, but acknowledge Me in all your ways and I shall direct your paths.”

Liberal humanism permeates every American institution. And I would equate Liberal Humanism with Progressive Liberalism. It permeates every American institution – government, religion, politics, economics, education, and now the family. And the family unit is especially under attack. Liberalism is at the heart and core of Hollywood and media and all its platforms, ranging from television sitcoms to late night talk shows with a bevy of inane – inane – and I could add insane – movies thrown in to speed up your destruction and fry your brain – special effects and all of these grotesque cyborg kind of creatures and characters mixed in with humans – half animal looking, half human looking – unbelievable kind of stuff. And of course, one of the things that they are trying to do is to merge human intelligence with robots. And this artificial intelligence is said to be taking over much of the world.

The liberals seek to create a New World Order. In theory, they believe that unless man does something, he is doomed. And of course, that is true. But what are we going to do? You can take, for example, global warming as one example. And perhaps there is global warming in some areas of the world. And I think there is some climate change with regards to shifting of seasons and that kind of thing. I remember us planting corn in mid-March, and I was going barefooted there following the mule in Mississippi. And you might think, “Oh, well, that's far south.” Well Mississippi is colder really than east Texas. So because we get eastern winds off of the Gulf and the Atlantic. But anyhow, so, scientists are enlisted, and they present conflicting data, and they contend that we must take measures to save humankind in many different areas, or else man is facing destruction. And how many movies have been ground out in the past few decades of apocalyptic scenes of various sorts?

So the answer to a lot of that is that they ask for restrictive policies, rules, and regulations that are ostensibly designed to protect humans from themselves. And, in a lot of ways, we need it. In a lot of ways, it's overdone. Finding the balance. Is God concerned about the environment? I'd say to you God is concerned about the environment. He told Adam and Eve – He placed them in the perfect environment in the Garden of Eden. Let's go to Revelation 11 while I'm talking here. Revelation 11. He told Adam and Eve to dress the garden and to keep it. God is vitally concerned about the environment, this beautiful orb, this planet we call Earth. And it is so beautiful, but it has been spoiled in so many different areas. So obviously, we do need to take care of the environment. This is somewhat of a sobering scripture. In Revelation 11, we’ll read into it, beginning in verse 15, read into this key verse here:

Revelation 11:15-19 – And the seventh angel sounded – these are the trumpet plagues. And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever.” And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God – this is a very sobering time – saying, “We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which are, and was, and are to come, because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.”

So God has let humankind; Satan, the god of this present evil age; go their own way to a large degree, but a day of reckoning is coming. There is no doubt about it. And the nations were angry – oh yes, the leadership is going to be really angry, and they're going to – the beast, false prophet, and the devil – and they're going to gather the armies of the world together at a place called Armageddon to fight the battle of the great day of God Almighty described in Revelation 16 – and the nations were angry and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou should give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great, and should destroy them which destroy the earth. Just think about what happened at Chernobyl with that nuclear disaster that they had there and the number of people that have been affected with cancer and continue to be affected. And what is going to be the fallout from Fukushima and the nuclear disaster there? And signs of radiation showing up on the west coast affecting the sea life on the coastline there of – California, Oregon and Washington. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament. And there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. Yes, God is going to intervene. There is a day of reckoning coming.

Liberal progressives – liberalism – views religion as the opium of the masses. What I'm about to say now, of course, could be viewed as very subjective, but there have been three great movements in modern times in which their ideology offered people the Millennium on earth, apart from God. And that's what the Bolsheviks espoused with their Communism – that eventually, everything would be so wonderful that we will have rule by the proletariat – that is, the working man – and everybody will have their 40 acres and a mule – to use a metaphor from post-Civil War in the U.S. All of these: Communism, Nazism, then along came Hitler…Hitler was offering a New World Order, and basically since World War II we have slowly – and now greatly – accelerated our fall into Progressive Liberalism regardless of which political party was in control in Washington D.C.

Liberal humanism in the US, as we've said, is called progressivism. All three of these – Communism, Nazism – which is National Socialism in a way…. The government owns the means of production and lets the entrepreneurs run the factories and the businesses. All of this is wrapped in freedom for the individual to choose, yet in reality, it is dictatorial. It is total totalitarianism. Ask the people who lived under the regime of the Communists, those who lived under Nazism, those who have lived under National Socialism. And today you must be politically correct or you are banned from the political synagogue. You are cast out. You are marked. You have had it. The political synagogues are not to be confused, in this case, with the religious synagogue.

You might say there are certain tenets of liberalism that you could identify with. I identify with certain of the tenets. I think that every worker, if he works hard and does what he's supposed to do regardless of gender and social status, should be paid a salary that allows them to live a reasonably comfortable life. Believe me, I know what it is to live at the poverty level. But at the time that I was living there, it doesn't mean you're not happy. It doesn't mean that your needs are not being met. But as far as what the government statistics would say with regard to what constitutes poverty level, I lived in the poverty level for many years. And so have many of you. I grew up on a dirt farm, following a mule until I graduated from high school. My parents started their married life as sharecroppers. And after ten years of marriage and sharecropping, they owned their own place. At first, they had twenty acres and a mule, and then eventually inherited another twenty-four acres, which we still own – my brother and I.

So when I was ten years old, my daddy finally got a job in town at a door mill sanding doors, which ruined two of the best, most beautiful eyes that God ever gave any human – beautiful blue eyes, and eyes that could practically see the red bug climb up the tree. That was one of the things that went around in our community – about this guy and his son, and they were known to be the two greatest liars in the county. So they're walking down the road one day, and the father says, “Son, do you see that red bug climbing up that pole?” And he said, “No, Pa, but I can hear him clawing.” So at ten years old, I was left there to do the plowing. And because of the union – by that I mean, union in the sense of workers’ union – eventually the workers were able to negotiate a livable wage. And so I know what it is to work from sun up to sun down – to live at that level – but our needs were met. We had clothing. We had wonderful food – three meals every day – every day three meals set on the table. And you really didn't think about how poor you really were – and in some ways, how backward you really are. We didn't own a vehicle – that is, a motorized vehicle – until I was twelve or thirteen. They brought that new pick-up home, parked it out there, and went in the house, but they failed to get the keys. So I got in it and took off. Went up to my – which was about a mile away – I went up to my grandfather's house, and showed them the car, and came back home. Of course, I had driven my grandpa's old pick-up a little bit in the fields. But anyhow….

You don't think about…and now I watch some of these old time movies, and they depict life among the elite in New York and places like that, and you see how they were living in the 20's, and the 30's – in the lap of luxury – and then you consider what your life was like. And it's mainly, by that kind of comparison, that you come to know how poor you really were.

Up until the Civil Rights Movement, beginning in the 1950's, the South was solidly Democratic because FDR – of course, the old song, “He’s gonna save us all.” Mr. Roosevelt's gonna save us all. And he was given credit – and I guess a lot of credit was due – for lifting the economic status of the working man. And so various government programs like the WPA – Workers Progress Administration – and many of the schools that you see across the South, especially gymnasiums…. The school that I attended for all twelve grades did not have a gymnasium until I was in the ninth grade. And so they built gyms and schools, and worked on the roads, and improved the infrastructure and things like that, and so slowly came out of the Depression. And of course, then World War II hit and that was another great trial for the whole nation.

In the South, the Democratic Party was called the Working Man's Party and the Republican Party was called the Rich Man's Party. But then came the Civil Rights Movement, Roe vs. Wade, and a host of other moral and social issues, and the South made a giant political switch, and became solidly Republican because of those civil and social issues. But as we have seen in recent years, the direction of the nation and the Western world has not changed much, regardless of the political party in power. Of course, the Republicans of today would point to the time of President Reagan, in which he came on the heels of Jimmy Carter. And I remember…of course I can thank Jimmy Carter a little bit, because I had a little CD – the first CD we ever had – in a bank down in Tyler and the interest on CD's rose to 18%. Now in some places in Europe, you have to pay them to keep your money. I think I'm getting now in our little savings .005%. .005 – that's 5/1000's of 1%. You can have probably $10,000. What do you get? A few pennies in a year. But things did turn around, to a large degree, in the country with Reagan, in the economic sense, but really in the overall social and moral sense, we've not had much of a revival.

Let's go to Luke 17. In Luke 17, let's see what the prophecies say about the end of the age here – in Luke 17, and verse 23:

Luke 17:22-30 – And he said unto the disciples, “The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, ‘See here,’ or, ‘See there,’ go not after them, nor follow them. For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines unto the other part under heaven, so shall also the Son of man be. But first must He suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. And as it was in the days of Noah – the days of Noah before the flood – so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man – when He comes again. See human nature has not changed since the Garden of Eden to the present day. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise, also as it was in the days of Lot – when it rained fire and brimstone down on Sodom and Gomorrah because of the evil – we see a revival of that in our own society today – they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built. But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

So that continual slide toward that point. The Neocons – Neocons are Republicans who strive to create a New World Order with the US being the preeminent nation – they wrap themselves in the Stars and Stripes and wave the banner of democratic rule and freedom. Regime change, nation building has been one of their principal goals. You see how it turned out in Iraq. Not too good. Free people from dictatorial regimes? They will embrace freedom and democracy and love you and live happily ever after. That's an ideology that, of course, did not work in so many places and is not working.

The Religious Right wants to create a New World Order through political means. Designers want to create a New World Order through political means, with them being the preeminent rulers of the world. Note what God has to say through James, the Lord's brother – James, chapter 5. Here's one of the most graphic prophecies in the whole Bible, and one of the most graphic descriptions of the current situation which has been this way for, really, hundreds of years. Those of you who have studied Western Civilization – I used to teach Western Civilization a long time ago – and you go back and you look at some of those civilizations, some of those societies, and the way that the average person lived, I mean, it was a struggle just to survive – a struggle to have food, clothing, and shelter. James 5, verse 1:

James 5:1-11 – Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the laborers – see, I know about laborers. I've been one. My daddy was one. Virtually everybody I knew growing up was one. Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, cries. And the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. God is hearing those prayers.

Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton. You have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just, and he doth not resist you. You watch some of those movies from the past, and you might have nightmares with regard to the way that life was really lived and the way people were treated. Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draws nigh. Of course James wrote this circa 2,000 years ago, a little less. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned – or judged – behold, the judge stands before the door. Take my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. You know, I read last week the prophecy there in Matthew 23, where Jesus said, “Every prophet that I've sent you, you've killed.” Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the result – the end – the outcome – of the Lord – that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Once again, God is going to intervene. The Neocons are striving to create a New World Order, with the US being the preeminent nation, as we've already said, but that nation building has not worked out very well.

Now Satan the devil is in the middle of all of this as he works to fulfill his insatiable quest to be worshiped. The deadly dilemma for Christians is that they are caught between two contradictory philosophies. “How is that?” you ask. As I read from the Humanist Manifesto, liberalism, humanism, at its core, is anti-God. They write it out in plain language. “We don't believe that there is any God going to come and deliver you.” On the other hand, the Conservatives seek to solve the world's problems through political means. Oh, they may wrap themselves in the flag and also thump the Bible. But do they really believe it? Do they really practice it? If it means war, then so be it. To some degree, world leaders regardless of their political affiliation, operate under the banner of the end justifies the means. Whatever it takes. Both parties wave the flag of human rights, yet both are selective in their enforcement. One nation dare not do it, another nation can – that is, abuse human rights. False religion, at its core, is based on deception and lies. And from Satan's rebellion to the present day, it is lead by Satan the devil.

2 Corinthians 4:4 means what it says – that Satan is the god of this present and evil age. The major religions of the world are looking for a Messiah-type person to come on the scene. The people of the world realize that things are different, and they are looking for some Messianic figure to come on the scene and deliver them from the suffering – the agony – that is extant in the world today. The New Agers are looking for Mayatrea. The Buddhists are looking for the Fifth Buddha. The Hindus are looking for Krishna. The Islamic world is looking for the Twelfth Mahdi. The Jews are looking for the coming of the First Messiah. They rejected the true Messiah. Jesus said, “If one comes in his own name, Him he will receive.” The Jews are looking for the promised Messiah. The Christian world is looking for the coming of Jesus Christ. So from East to West and West to East and all around the world people are looking for a Messianic figure to deliver them. A true Christian has only one choice. “I am the door.” “None other name given.” “Enter in at the straight gate.” So he/she cannot choose secular humanism, cannot choose liberal progressiveness, cannot choose false religion, cannot choose political conservatism for deliverance. A union of church and state is coming on the peoples of the world. The end time political religious system that is to come is going to enslave the world and force them to worship the beast and the false prophet. And they will operate under the banner of the end results justifies the means.

2 Thessalonians – let's turn there. 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verses 3 and 4, and then a few verses later in the chapter – 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2 – Thessalonians before Timothy. In 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 3:

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 – Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first – an apostasia – a false teaching – and that man of sin be revealed – the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. And as we'll read in just a moment from Revelation 13, the peoples of the world will be deceived thinking that he is the Messiah.

A big part of the deception – we'll begin in verse 8:

V-8-10 – And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming, even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish – it is through deception – signs and wonders, promising peace, promising prosperity as you read in Daniel, chapter 8, which we read not too long ago in a sermon – because they received not the love of the truth, that they should be saved. And for this cause – now notice this – God shall send them grand delusion. If you don't love the truth, God does permit you to be deceived. God shall send them grand delusions that they should believe the lie. They had pleasure in unrighteousness in verse 12. The lie, of course, is the one posing that he is the Messiah.

Now look at Revelation 13 quickly. In Revelation 13, beginning in verse 6, you'll see how similar that Revelation 13:6 is with what we have just read here in 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2. In Revelation 13, and verse 6:

Revelation 13:6-8 – And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. And power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And if you don't go along with this system what is going to happen? Verse 16:

V-16-17 – And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads, and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. And the number is 666, as we know.

People will run to and fro, claiming that Christ has come. We'll note that. If you would, turn to Matthew 24. People talk about signs and I wonder if we will really be able to discern this sign. Hopefully, we will. One of the most preeminent signs, and it seems like one that you will be able to identify, is this one in Matthew 24:15.

Matthew 24:15-19 – When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation – of course, the abomination of desolation is spoken of in Daniel 11 and Daniel 12, in which they take away the daily sacrifice. In fact, it says, in Daniel 12, that from the times of the daily sacrifice is taken away there will be a number of days, and then closes with, “Blessed is he that comes to the 1335 days.” So a countdown begins when the abomination of desolation is placed. This is Jesus speaking. There can be no higher authority, other than He and the Father. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand). There was a type of this in Antiochus Epiphanes’ reign, when in 67 BC, when Antiochus Epiphanes offered swine's blood on the altar and set up a statue of Jupiter Olympus in the Holy of Holies. Verse 20:

V-20-24 – But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation…. When? When the abomination of desolation is placed. The abomination of desolation introduces the Great Tribulation. For then – When? When the abomination of desolation is placed.  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, “Lo, here is Christ, or there,” believe it not. There will be one sitting, claiming that he is the Messiah eventually. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders – we read that both in 2 Thessalonians and also in Revelation 13 – shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. The only way you're not going to be deceived, or I not be deceived, is having faith in God that He will, in His love, mercy and grace, not allow you to be deceived. If it were possible, the very elect would be deceived.

As the chaos, confusion, terror, protests, rebellion, and revolution continues, with people being gripped with fear and anxiety, they will more and more demand peace and safety. This will be lead by Satan the devil in conjunction with willing human agents. In order to create the New Order, the Old Order must be destroyed. So the measures that are advocated are really what we just read, only putting it into action. Do away with nations. So we have the United Nations today. National sovereignty is under attack. The America First thing is under attack. Create an androgenous society – there is neither male nor female. We're all basically the same. Blur the lines between the genders – gender blenders. Destroy traditional morals. Who's to say you're right and I'm wrong? We're all equally good. Control education Limit the influence of parents. Destroy respect for law and authority. Introduce a universal language. And to a large degree, that has been accomplished, with English being the language in which most of the business and diplomatic meetings of the day are conducted. Economics – redistribute wealth and give everyone a guaranteed income. Family must be destroyed, because parents pass on traditional morals. Make children the wards of the state. Roles of men and women equalized – and of course, that is a hot topic in today's world. But we know what the Bible says about the distinct roles of men and women, and we know that both have the same God-given, God-ordained potential in the Kingdom of God. The mass of humanity destined become sort of a generous blend, a mixture.

Look at Isaiah 59. Isaiah 59 provides us with a graphic description of the times in which we are living. It's as if you picked up today's newspaper – which almost no one reads anymore. Newspapers are going out of business. Either television or internet is the source of news. And a lot of people just get bits and pieces from what people say at the workplace or some other place.

Isaiah 59:1-16 – Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. See, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. God is eternal. Both God and Christ, their values have not changed. They are the same. Their nature has not changed. Their nature is love. God so loved the world. Jesus Christ so loved the humanity that He laid down His life. Greater love has no man than this that he lay his life for his friends – from John 15.  

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken lies. Your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calls for justice, nor any pleads for truth. They trust in vanity, and speak lies. They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web. He that eats of their eggs dies, and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper. Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works. Their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not, and there is no judgment in their goings. They have made them crooked paths. Whosoever goes therein shall not know peace. Therefore, is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us. We wait for light, but behold obscurity, for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes. We stumble at noon day as in the night. We are in desolate places as dead men. We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves. We look for judgment, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far off from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them – in transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. And judgment is turned away backward, and justice stands afar off. For truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

Can you write a more graphic description of where we are? I submit you cannot. Yea, truth fails, and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey. Those who dare to stand in the gap, they become the objects of scorn, ridicule. Who does he think he is? And the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore, his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. Those who will turn to God and Christ will have righteousness – or can have righteousness – and they can be sustained.

Ostensibly, liberals are opposed by the moral majority and the Evangelical Right. But with the death of Jerry Falwell and James Kennedy, the moral majority has no clear leader. And now there are scattered voices, such as Pat Robertson, John Hagee, that cry out – these, of course, are not the only ones; there are many others – but they are largely ignored on the national scene. I believe it was 1982 – somewhere along in there – Wanda and I were blessed to be able to go to the Feast in Hawaii. Before the Feast we go to a few shops to get your usual flowery shirt. So we were in this one store, and we hadn't said anything, we were just looking around trying on things – that kind of thing – and one of the clerks walked up to me, and said, “Are you Jerry Falwell?” I said, “No.” They had heard that we – that the church – was in town, and apparently, she knew a lot about what the church stood for. You see…I think it was '82, '83, somewhere along in there…and it shows you how sensitive. See, that was what? 18, 17, some 35 years ago. And how far have we come since then? The Religious Right was once a force to be reckoned with, but it has basically lost any significant influence. The Moonies – the Moonies espoused Christianity, lead by a fellow from Korea – the Moonies own the Washington Times, and their newspaper is among the most conservative in the US. And you have a conservative talk show host such as Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and others. Of the major cable news networks there is Fox and Newsmax that oppose, or that espouse, conservative politics. And in recent months, there is a new cable network, called One America Now. It is the most conservative and it is an apologist for the current administration.

Then on the other hand you have CNN, NBC, MSNBC, CBS, NBC, who espouse political views of the liberals, and they are trying to outdo one to the other with regard to their position. At an emotional level, we can identify with the values espoused by some of the evangelicals and so-called conservative politicians. We are against abortion. We are against same-sex marriage. We're against the social and moral decay of the time. Most of them uphold the sanctity of marriage and family. At least, they do in word. They oppose abortion, homosexuality, and, to some degree, uphold traditional moral values – talking about the Evangelical Right. But when it comes to teaching the plan of salvation and the law of God, the nature of God and man, we are light years apart – light years.

Historically, the people of God have been persecuted by their enemies. We think of slavery in Egypt, on the way to the Promised Land, the Amalekites, the Edomites, the Moabites, the Philistines, later the Assyrians. However, it's interesting to note that the Babylonians, the Medo-Persians, the Greeks and the Romans, for a while, allowed what's called cultural pluralism. In other words, they permitted their conquered subjects to maintain their culture, including religion. You remember Cyrus the Persian was the one who issued the decree that the Jews could return to the Promised Land and rebuild the Temple. The pagans were very superstitious and sought to please all gods, and some Jews remained faithful even in captivity in Babylon. Daniel remained faithful while he served in the government of Babylon and in the government of the Medes and Persians. Even under cultural pluralism, certain religious factions gained control while the true servants of God were persecuted by scribes and Pharisees. See, under religious pluralism, the scribes and Pharisees were able to control the religious life of the Jews under Roman domination. Look at Matthew 23, verse 1. Here we'll see what I'm talking about in Mathew 23, and verse 1.

Matthew 23:1-2 – Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.” So they did have powerful control, even in a lot of civil matters, but they could not put anyone to death, and that's why Jesus was turned over to the Romans for the actual execution.

But Jesus did not mince words as He opposed them at every turn. The watchword of the Religious Right is cult – label you as a cult. The Worldwide Church of God and the Churches of God today are labeled as a cult. What are the two main things you could say? We do not believe that God is a trinity. We cannot say that there are three in one. There are two distinct beings – God the Father and Jesus Christ. And we're destined…and then the second part is akin to that. We can, and will be, upon resurrection, resurrected as glorious, radiant spirit beings on the same plane of existence as God and Christ. Of course, they would call this polytheism or something like that. In short, they hate the trunk of the tree. The so-called Christian Right hates the Church of God. All you have to do is look at Malachi Martin's book. I saw Malachi Martin interviewed on some cable news network this past week. Malachi Martin, he wrote a book titled, The Kingdom of the Cults. Walter Martin. And of course, we're in it – at that time, the Worldwide Church of God. As I mentioned earlier, we can identify with certain statements and stands that the Religious Right might take. But how do you think the Religious Right will view and treat the Church of God when it gains power, or if it gains power? And as we have noted, eventually, there's going to be a union of church and state. Are we going to be ready? God is interested in what we are becoming. I have read from 1 Corinthians 13, verses 1 through 3 many times in recent years. Though you can do all of these things – you can speak in tongues, you have faith that you can move mountains, you have all knowledge, you can move mountains, understand all prophecies, but if you're not becoming love as God is love, then it profits you nothing.

One watchword that the Religious Right and the liberals have in common is freedom. And according to the evangelical world, Christ came and freed humanity from keeping the law of God. That's how far they've gone in their watchword of freedom. Freedom is advocated by the secular humanists and liberals, producing a harvest of abominable moral filth, crime, drugs, alcohol, pornography, divorce, broken homes, illegitimate children, disease, venereal disease, aids, poverty, yet these are the people who wrap themselves in royal robes, and say that they are ready to relieve humankind of it's misery and suffering, when they are the very ones – their policies and programs – who  have brought much of it on. Denying God.

So the deadly dilemma places you and I at a very difficult situation. We can identify with the values espoused – at least some of them – by the conservatives, but when the world religion, that Satan is going to bring upon the earth comes to fruition, only God can save us. No ideology – whether it be political, philosophical, or otherwise – no person will be able to save us. The union of church and state will force the people in the world to receive the mark of the beast, worship the beast, and observe days that are not biblical. And where will you and I stand? You and I must realize that the truth of God cannot be mixed with any of these ideologies, religions, or the politics of this world. So now is the time to sigh and cry, as it says in Ezekiel 9. Sigh and cry. Those who sigh and cry will be spared.

What does Zephaniah say? Let's read what Zephaniah says – Zephaniah chapter 3. Zephaniah. Where is Zephaniah in the Bible? Probably between…just before Haggai. Zephaniah, chapter 2. Are we all there? Between Habbakuk and Haggai – Zephaniah.

Zephaniah 2:1-3 – Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O nation not desired. The Church will be hated of all nations for His name's sake. We will be not be desired. Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O nation not desired before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon you. Do what? Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth – you know, the Sermon on the Mount – blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the Kingdom. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment – they have exercised judgment, mercy and faith – seek righteousness, seek meekness. It may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord. True Christians will be marked for destruction. And you shall be hated of all nations, as it says in Matthew 24. The Church will be in mourning. Some will be protected.

Let's notice now in Revelation 12, and verse 9. See, once again, that old serpent Satan the devil is identified in 12:9, but note further about him and his actions.

Revelation 12:9-17 – And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world. Everyone who is not written in the Lamb’s book of life will be deceived, according to Revelation 13:8. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” And of course, when you fall into that trap, you're doing his work. And they overcame him – how? By the blood of the Lamb – continual repentance. If we do stumble and fall, we go before God and Christ, and we seek forgiveness, and that same blood that brought our initial forgiveness will still do the same thing.

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore, rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child – Israel. The people of Israel and the Church of God will be under great persecution. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood – symbolic of an army – after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth – mad, angry – with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments – notice they kept the commandments of God – and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Now look at this wonderful news in Isaiah 32. I think Isaiah, once again – I've said it before – is one of the most neglected books – one of the longest prophecy in the Bible – a book about prophecy, of prophecy. Note this. I mean, this is what's coming. How wonderful it is!

Isaiah 32:1-10 – Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. See, it says in Revelation 20, that we're going to be kings and priests. Thrones are cast and they sat upon them. He has made us kings and priest to our God and His Christ. And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest – as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken – they won't be dull of hearing. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge – they'll put away their own opinion – and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful. For the vile person will speak villainy, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. That's what He has done. The instruments also of the churl are evil. He devises wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaks right. But the liberal devises liberal things, and by liberal things shall he stand. Rise up, ye women that are at ease. Hear my voice, ye careless daughters. Give ear unto my speech. Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women, for the vintage shall fail. The gathering shall not come.  And of course the women could be viewed as the virgins. And we must have our lamps filled with oil and be among the wise virgins.

Yes, the world is caught up in a deadly dilemma. Either path is a road to destruction and death. There is only one choice. And it is Deuteronomy 30, verse 19.

Deuteronomy 30:19 – I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.