Turning Point KOG

Well, brethren, today is the Feast of Trumpets, a very exciting, a very hope-filled festival.

It's the fourth holy day in God's plan of salvation for all of mankind, and it's exciting every year to walk through these days, one by one by one, and recognize the work that God is doing in the plan of salvation that He is bringing to pass.

As such, this, again, as I say, is a hope-filled day, a day filled with purpose and rich meaning. And although there are many catastrophic things that we can point to in the Bible associated with this day, the end result is not catastrophic. The end result is light and hope and truth and victory and righteousness. The establishment of the kingdom of God will usher in an age of glorious hope for all of mankind. And so the Feast of Trumpets depicts nothing less than God's righteous judgment on the earth, culminating in the return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the saints, and the establishment of the kingdom of God at the seventh trumpet. Let's begin today in Revelation chapter 11. Revelation 11, because it contains a verse I want us to always hold on to. No matter what challenges we may face in the world, no matter what challenges the world may face around us, and there are many things happening around us right now, whatever we may encounter, I want us to hold our focus on these words because our hope is tied up in this day and in these words. Revelation chapter 11 and verse 15 says, "...and the seventh angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever." This is the moment, brethren, we long for. This is the moment we look for and yearn for and we pray for daily. Jesus said, pray, thy kingdom come. And if indeed that is in our heart and we pray that daily, don't let it just be rote repetition. Let it be something that you desire and yearn for each and every day because this day is the fulfillment of that prayer. The Feast of Trumpets, which we're observing today, represents the most pivotal turning point in the history of mankind. You know, I'll say at least as we look forward. I was sitting thinking about turning points this week and in terms of the plan of salvation of God, I would say probably and definitely the most pivotal turning point was the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the opportunity for sin to be forgiven. And then the trajectory moving forward from this point now is the pivotal turning point of the return of Christ and the establishment of the kingdom of God. It's a time when God will intervene dramatically into human affairs in order to head off the collision course with destruction that this world is on and He will take them on a dramatic 180-degree turn. But understand it's going to take a little coaxing to coax that turn. But this world is on collision course with destruction and there has to be a change. According to vocabulary.com, a turning point is a specific, significant moment when something begins to change. A point at which motion in one direction ceases and another or contrary direction begins.

It almost sounds like how we would describe repentance in many ways. I was going this direction away from God and now I've turned and my focus is now towards Him. I've repented. That by definition is a change in direction. So understand a turning point is not just the dramatic moment but it is a decisive change in direction. We probably all heard the phrase turning point in recent times. Kind of hard to avoid if you've turned on the news or you've scrolled through social media. It's been front and center in the headlines and that's because Turning Point USA is a 501c3 nonprofit organization which was founded by Charlie Kirk. Again, this has been in the headlines. This is the event of our day. As you would understand and recall, I believe it was September 10th, Charlie Kirk was assassinated. He was conducting a rally at a college university in Utah and he was killed by a sniper as he was there presenting, debating, doing what it is that that he does. He was putting forth his positions both personal, religious, and political. And hopefully we could all understand and agree that that is a very sad event, his death. Very sad event for anybody to be killed in that way, to leave behind a grieving widow, to leave behind a young family. That is a very, very sad event. I'll have to admit I had not heard of Charlie Kirk prior to that time. I don't know, maybe I'm out of the loop. But after having heard about him, after having watched the news, I decided to do a little bit of a research trip myself. I watched a number of his videos. I went on to the Turning Point USA website and I read a number of statements from him.

And what I will say is that he stood for a number of positions that we would agree with as the Church of God. And he spoke them boldly. He also stood for positions we would not agree with as the Church of God. And he spoke them boldly as well. Now, I want to emphasize the boldly. You know, he was willing to, to whatever degree, stand up and give an answer for what he believed to do not just kind of put a basket over the lamp and hide it in the corner. He was out there. He presented his message and ultimately he died for it. But my point is this. Brethren, in times like these, we must take heed to ourselves not to lose perspective, never forgetting who we are as the Church of God and what our message to the world must be. We're living in an age where so many so-called Christian churches are blending the religious identity with a political ideology. And frankly, what is shifting is the message. It's shifting from a message of a gospel of Jesus Christ in the kingdom of God, and it is shifting into an hybrid message of gospel and political ideology. It's shifting the message towards a system rooted in man. Our message must be different than that.

Indeed, our calling is different than that. Our message must be the good news of Jesus Christ in the soon-coming kingdom of a God. It is a message of repentance, of salvation, of restoration, ultimately a message of righteousness and spiritual transformation. And it comes with the commission. Jesus Christ gave the commission before He ascended, before He left the disciples. He said, go and preach these things. Jesus preached it as He walked the earth. He said, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And He handed that to the disciples, and that has been handed down to us. It's called the Everlasting Gospel. It will be preached all the way to the end of the age. The church will preach it until the church can preach it no longer for various circumstances. The two witnesses will preach it for three and a half years, for, you know, the length that God gives them breath to preach it. And then an angel will preach the Everlasting Gospel. It started in Genesis, and it goes through Revelation. And indeed, brethren, this is our calling, the gospel of the kingdom of God. This must indeed be our focus. The title for the message today is Turning Point KOG. Turning Point, Kingdom of God. Because that is what, indeed, this day portrays. It's my purpose today to remind us of where the true solutions for this world's troubles will come. Life's full of turning points. Our personal lives are full of turning points. When a man and woman get together in marriage, that's a turning point in their life. When their first child comes along and things change dramatically, that's a turning point in their life. And for those of us sitting here, hopefully, I think we would agree the greatest turning point in our life was baptism. That spiritual commitment to live according to the calling of God. An incredible turning point in our personal lives. You know, nations have turning points as well. Oftentimes they're realized through revolutions, through wars. Maybe incredible inventions of man. We were hearing today about some of the incredible inventions that men have brought forth that has literally changed the course of mankind. Change how you and I live daily. I mean, somebody bringing the invention forward could change the course and be a turning point in history.

And so turning points can happen in all different directions, but no turning point can compare to the world-shaking pivot that the Feast of Trumpets portrays. This day does not just represent a change in leadership or a change in political party. It's the end of the age of man and the beginning of God's righteous rule over the earth. As the Church of God, as the Ecclesia, as we are called, we're not simply religious observers to world events, okay? We don't just know the truth, sit back, and simply watch what's going on around us without any kind of involvement. We are the called-out ones, okay? That's what Ecclesia means, called out of the world, called into assembly, called to be the body of Jesus Christ with a divine purpose. We're not here to prop up the current world's governments, nor are we to fear their collapse. Our job is to announce their replacement, the soon-coming kingdom of God. And we do that by preaching the gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. That's who we are as a people and as a called-out nation. 1 Peter chapter 2 reminds us of who we are as the people of God. 1 Peter chapter 2 in verse 9. 1 Peter writing to the church. He says, But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people. And notice why, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. As a holy nation, brethren, we're citizens of the kingdom of God. We live under its reign today. And as such, we stand for the righteous standards of the kingdom of God. We profess its reality, its coming, and we are today people who are literally citizens of that kingdom.

Its laws, its standards, its righteous King reigns over us. And that makes us lights in this world. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Philippians chapter 3 verse 20, For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. So this is not just a nice concept. You know, the kingdom is coming, and we pray, Thy kingdom come. It's not just a nice concept that makes us feel good. No, this is a literal kingdom, a literal government, reigned over by a literal King, a King that lives and sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven. And it has Jesus Christ again as the King of that kingdom with the Father who was above all. As ambassadors of Christ, we're not here to represent a democracy, a human monarchy, or even capitalism. We're here to represent a theocracy. Theocracy is different than all of those things.

A theocracy is a direct rule by God Himself, a government that is ruled over directly by God Himself. It's the only government with righteousness as its foundation. I appreciated the first message, and I especially appreciated the reference to foundations, because brethren, foundations are important. Our youth this year at the United Youth Camp learned about foundations. The theme this year was building on the foundation. And at camp they were reminded of the importance of building their life on the rock, capital R, because no other foundation can anyone lay except that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. And as we've heard already, Jesus said, if you listen to these words of mine and you do them, I'll liken you to a righteous man who built his house upon the rock. The rains came, the winds blew, the floods came, but that house remained, because it was founded on the rock. Okay, so foundations are important, and building the framework of our lives on a solid principle of God's Word is important. Without a proper foundation, a building, or a life, or a nation, may appear functional for years before major cracks begin to appear. But eventually the result of a flawed foundation will always come to the surface. Okay, you will see it. The house will start to settle, the building will start to crumble, cracks will appear all over the place. The problem with all human governments is that their foundation is flawed. It comes back to the foundation. We'll often hear people say things like, if we can just fix the government, or we can elect the right leaders, things will turn around as though the real solutions to our national or global problems lie in political reform or human leadership. I will agree that who is in charge and is at the wheel has a huge impact on the influence of the country. Okay, so, speaking to you today as a representative, I pray, of the kingdom of God, I will say I am not blind to the world we live in in the cause and effect of different types of leadership even in this system.

And my personal preference of what I desire to see in the country in which I live physically is actually leadership that would point to principles of God's Word, principles of righteousness and truth, and would direct people to to live in that way. I do desire that. I do yearn for that to see that happen as well, but understand every human system is flawed. No amount of reform can save something that is built on the wrong foundation. You might be able to slow the decline for a time. You might be able to patch a few cracks, maybe put a fresh coat of paint on, and it looks good for a little while. But if the foundation is flawed, eventually the structure will fall. And there's nothing you can do to prevent the fall of a system that is fundamentally flawed at its core.

Jeremiah the prophet lived thousands of years ago, and yet he declared something very similar. Jeremiah chapter 10 verse 23, he said, Oh Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself. It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. In other words, human beings, apart from God, his direction, his spirit and leadership, are incapable of governing themselves in righteousness. And actually, that is the key in righteousness. Our best ideas, physically human speaking, our strongest leaders, our most clever systems, all fall short without the divine wisdom and righteous foundation that only comes from God. And that's what exactly we see today. If you turn on the news, if you go through your news scroll feed, see what's going on, check out the headlines.

Nations are grappling with crisis after crisis, grasping for solutions, reforming policies, replacing leaders, and yet never arriving at a lasting peace or justice or righteousness. Why? Again, you can put a Band-Aid, but why is the solution not there? Well, the solution is not there because the system itself is built on the wrong foundation with the wrong values and a rejection of the only true source of wisdom, which is God and His Word. Don't get me wrong, I love where I live. I'm grateful to live in the United States of America because four times a year, roughly, I travel halfway around the world and I see a whole different place under a whole different system.

And actually, I see benefits tremendous by how we are structured in this country. So whenever I come home, I thank God that I'm here. And frankly, everywhere I've been in the world, there's nowhere other place I would rather be but here. But the difference is between good, according to the standards of man, and righteousness. Let me ask you this question. You can think about it and require an answer. Is freedom of religion righteous? Under the reign of the kingdom of God, is freedom of religion righteous? You can be a Buddhist, you can be a Muslim, you can be a Christian.

You choose freedom of religion. What do we see? The Bible shows the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Okay? So I am glad to live in a country with freedom of religion. If I have to live in man's system, it allows us to preach the gospel and be a light in the world in the way that we are. But let us be careful not to confuse good with righteous. In the garden, there was the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And there was the tree of life, which represents righteousness.

And so the way I look at it and read at it is, you know what? There is good in the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but it's still the wrong tree. It's still the wrong foundation. The kingdom we look for is one whose foundations are grounded in righteousness. That's why the message of the kingdom of God is so important, because it isn't about just adjusting the old system or rehabilitating or remodeling something that's broken.

It's about replacing it entirely with something new, something just, and something holy. King Solomon similarly noted in Proverbs 14 verse 12, there was a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way of death. Under the direction of man, this world has never seen an age that's free from war, free from turmoil, or suffering. The Constitution of the United States has often been called the greatest governmental document ever written, and indeed, I would say in the arena of man's systems, I agree.

Greatest governmental document ever written. I've traveled the world, and again, I've seen it done so many different ways, and I'm grateful for where we are and what we live under. I thank God for that, but it is not the kingdom of God. No human system, no matter how well-meaning, no matter how effective, can ever be righteous. And yes, it may produce good fruit by the world's standards. Again, its source will ultimately always be the wrong tree. And so I would suggest to all of us, brethren, that our role as a church of God in light of this day is not to help the world pick the good fruit off the wrong tree.

It is to proclaim the righteousness of the kingdom of God, the kingdom that is coming, the kingdom that will be ruled over by Jesus Christ, in which the tree of life, righteousness, will be available to all. It's a calling that requires us to cry aloud, does it not? To cry aloud, to spare not, to lift up your voice like a trumpet. We've seen somebody who did that. He was killed. Okay. Again, we would not subscribe to everything that he proclaimed, but I do think we can look around the world, we can look at people, and we can see their example, and we can learn lessons good, and we can learn lessons of how not to do things.

Okay. Boldness. Sure, I'll grab that from his example. Let's be bold in what it is that we believe, willing to raise up our voice like a trumpet to proclaim the goodness of the kingdom of God that is yet to come, declaring a message of warning and repentance, for the kingdom is at hand.

As a church, we must embrace this role with boldness, knowing that what is coming will be built upon the right foundation, and that kingdom will not coexist alongside governments of man, religions of man. In fact, it will replace them in the greatest turning point this world has ever known. I pray you long for that day, just as I do. Zephaniah chapter 1 gives us a stark insight into the dramatic turn of events that this day of trumpets holds for the world.

Zephaniah chapter 1.

Zephaniah chapter 1 and verse 14, it says, the great day of the Lord is near. It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter. There the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. Verse 16, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities, against the high towers. It will bring distress upon men. They shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood shall be poured out like dust and their flesh like refuse. Verse 18, neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath, but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy, for he will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land. Why such a terrifying picture, brethren? Why such a terrifying picture of the day of the Lord? Well, because the nations of this earth will not yield, will not submit, will not bow the knee to the reign of the kingdom of God. Not willingly. Satan the devil, the current God of this age, holds them captive spiritually. We can probably all remember in the history of the church going way back, even to our modern day, there's been a few publications, I think, that has had this cover, but it was the globe on the cover of the magazine. You know, it's the earth with prison bars over it. And the caption was, world held captive, soon to be set free. This is a world held captive. This is a world ruled over by the king of darkness. 1 John chapter 5 verse 19 says, the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. The whole world. Okay? Therefore, God's response will not be dialogue. We have dialogue. It's right here. Whole earth has access to dialogue, to the Word of God. So when this day comes, the end result is not going to be at the intervention dialogue. And it's not going to be diplomacy. It will be judgment, because evil will not be negotiated with. Understand, the God we serve is a God of love and a God of mercy, but He is also just. And He will judge the earth in righteousness. Again, that's the key. Righteousness, the righteousness of God, is always the key. But He will not compromise with evil.

Instead of representing and acknowledging their Creator, most of humanity has been snubbing their noses at Him in a pretense of religion. And they are suffering the consequences of these things. But a time is coming when He will intervene, intervene dramatically. Again, this world will not yield a prime. An intervention must be dramatic, but He will ultimately send Jesus Christ to rule over the nations and to save us from ourselves. That's what this day portrays. That's what we look forward to and yearn for, the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, as Paul says. So let us be clear on what this day portrays. The trumpet blasts of Revelation chapter 8 through 11 describe earth-shaking and catastrophic events, not only to punish sin, but to prepare the world for the complete governmental change that is coming. And let's be clear again, brethren, Jesus Christ is not coming to conduct a remodeling project. He's not coming to fix up the current structure, the current system. Shortly after Darla and I were married, we bought a piece of property which had a house on it that was built in 1910. We still live on that property today, but the house had not been lived in in 15 years. The roof was rotted through, the floor was rotted through, the mice took up residence, and we thought, hey, this would be a brilliant idea, let's remodel this house. And we did. It took about a year, but there were many times in the course of that year where I thought, you know what, it would have been just easier to knock this thing down and start over from the ground up. Ultimately, it was built on sand in the mudslide. Made the decision for us. But again, what is Christ coming to do? It's not remodel a system, maybe spruce up something that's a little dilapidated. No, he is coming back to sweep it away and replace it with the righteous rule of the kingdom of God. Daniel chapter 2. Daniel chapter 2, here Daniel's interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar's dream about an image. It's a great image he dreams about, and it represents kingdoms, kingdoms through time, and even kingdoms that will be at the end of the age. It includes the final resurrection of the Roman Empire, a great end-time superpower that will stand in opposition to God and the people of God. I'm not going to go through the whole dream and the whole prophecy, but I do want to I do want to cut to the chase for a specific point, because again, this is not a remodeling project that God will conduct.

Daniel chapter 2 and verse 44, let's pick it up there. Daniel 2 verse 44, and in the days of these kings, okay, you had the toes and you had the iron mixed with clay, and so we've got ten kingdoms here that are together in sort of a loose collaboration. It's not really an iron-clad unity, but let's just say, in the days of these kings, verse 44, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people. It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

Shall stand forever. Verse 45, and as much as you saw the stone that was cut out of the mountain without hands, the stone that represents Jesus Christ, that represents the soon-coming kingdom of God, cut out of the mountain without hands, that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, all these kingdoms of the earth. The great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure. King Nebuchadnezzar's dream reveals the fact that the kingdom of God will crush and replace all the governments of man, all the systems of man. He will not merge with them. He will not borrow from them. You notice the stone does not coexist with the statute. It smashes it to dust. It's blown away, and the kingdom of God remains. The establishment of the kingdom of God will come with such overwhelming power and might that nothing proud or lifted up will be able to withstand it in that day. And believe me, many will try. That's what the word tells us many will try. Isaiah chapter 2. Isaiah 2 and verse 12. The pride of man will have to be removed. Let me get in the right book. Isaiah chapter 2 verse 12.

It says, For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up, and it shall be brought low. Anything proud, anything mighty, any heart raised up, the day of the Lord will come upon it, and it will be brought low. As the people of God, we want to be so careful, brethren, not to be holding up the hands of anything or anyone that is proud, even if it seems to be the lesser of two evils, even if we think, hey, I kind of agree with that point. I won't mention any names, but I was recently watching an event and a prominent leader stood up and said, I hate my opponent and I don't want the best for them. I said, this is how I disagreed with Charlie Kirk. See, he cared about his opponent. He ultimately wanted the best for them, which was the comment. His follow-up was, I don't. The day of the Lord will come upon everything proud and lifted up, and you and I want to be careful what we throw our weight of support behind, because we represent the kingdom of God. Everything that stands in opposition to God will be brought low. Upon all the cedars of Lebanon, verse 13, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Beshan, upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, upon every high tower and every fortified wall, upon all the ships of Tarshish, upon all the beautiful sloops, the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the hotiness of men shall be brought low. The Lord alone will be exalted in that day, but the idols he shall utterly abolish. Verse 19, they shall go into the holes of the rocks and to the caves of the earth, from the terror of the Lord and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily. The seven trumpet blasts represented by the day of the Lord aren't festive fanfare.

They're not, hey, let's have a party. They are warnings of judgment, one after the other after the other. If you read through Revelation and you read the trumpet blasts and you read the impact of them, what you find is there's time and places where essentially God pauses for a second and says, but they would not repent of the evil of their heart. And so it carries on. The trumpet blows again.

Seven trumpet blasts, the warnings of judgment upon the world that God has been rejected by them, and yet His way will reign. At the complete fulfillment of this day, there's going to be no exalted kingdom apart from the kingdom of God, and that's by God's design. Again, He doesn't want to revamp the world's systems. This isn't a remodeling project. He wants to tear down the sinful ways of man and completely rebuild from the ground up in righteousness. And when He does so, when He does so, that is when the true solutions to what ails this world will come. From our vantage point, that's a ways away, isn't it? And there's a lot that has to take place between now and then. And we're not there, we're here. And so, you know, I agree. This is kind of tough to see some of the things that we see in this day and age, and somehow there's a process that has to take us from here to there. From our vantage point, we're seeing the unraveling of many things in our day, and it is hard to watch. I hope you sigh and cry. I hope you grieve over what you see in the headlines. I hope you cry out, oh God, how long? And pray for the coming of that kingdom, okay? But I think sometimes, brethren, we feel like we have to grab the wheel of the political bus before it goes over the cliff, and I want to encourage us not to. We all make our own decisions, but I want to encourage us not to. I worry greatly about religious movements that mobilize in order to uphold political ideologies. It's very concerning to me. I personally do not believe it is of God. In fact, such a movement is what will one day give rise to an end-time system. A system will rise will be a hybrid of religious and political. It will be a machine that looks very much like a lamb, but it speaks like a dragon. It's Revelation 13 11.

Looks very much like a lamb, but it speaks like a dragon, and it seems like in their zeal, in their zeal, many who call themselves Christians won't actually listen to the words that are being spoken. They will actually ignore the pride behind it. In fact, all will worship the beast whose names are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life. You want to make sure your name is there, and if it's there, that it remains there. That it remains there by the mercy of God and your your pliable heart. All will worship the beast. That's a pretty shocking statement. All whose names are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

That's sobering. That's sobering. So I would say, yes, brethren, be good neighbors in your community, in your job, wherever you have influence, wherever you have impact, be good neighbors. Be a light to the world. Stand upon principle. Stand for the things of God. Stand up. Don't be afraid to stand up. Please do so. Be good neighbors. Do what you can to be a force for good in your sphere of influence.

Stand shoulder to shoulder with people on principle of decency and morality.

Please do. Please do. But the rallying cry of the church, brethren, is not, get out the vote. The rallying cry of the church is, preach the gospel. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. That's our message. That's our identity. That's our idea from God. Indeed, it is our calling as a holy nation. It's the message Jesus Christ brought with him when he walked the earth, and it's the message we must carry forth with in boldness today. The world around us is entering a time of global crisis. Political upheaval, religious deception, economic uncertainty, and military conflict. And you know what? It is all prophesied to happen. It's right here. You can read the end from the beginning, and we know the end. We know the righteous victory, but we know what must come between now and then. But take heart, brethren, because God has not left us in the dark. And again, his word tells us exactly how this story ends. The chaos we see rising up around us is not the end, but it is the precursor to the end-time climax. This must take place before that takes place, before that takes place, before the kingdom of God comes. And we pray, thy kingdom come. There's coming a time long prophesied and unstoppable when an end-time B system will rise up out of the chaos of this world to oppose God and the people of God. But Jesus Christ himself will return, not as a suffering servant, but as a conquering king. And he will put down the rule of the nations of this earth, and he'll establish in victory and in glory the kingdom of God.

Revelation 19. Revelation chapter 19. This is the one whom God is sending to set things in order. And rest assured, they will be put in order. Revelation chapter 19 verse 11. Now I saw heaven open and behold a white horse, and he who sat him him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

This is the turning point. This is Feast of Trumpets points to God's direct intervention of judgment upon the earth, the putting down of the nations of the earth when the righteous judgment of God will stand here in the form and the actions of Jesus Christ. Verse 12 says, his eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself.

He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. No question who this is. This is the Word of God and the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Verse 13, in the armies in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should strike the nations, and he himself, Jesus Christ, will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This is one of the most dramatic and powerful prophecy scenes we have in the Bible. At the seventh trumpet, Jesus Christ returns, not to remodel this world, but to sweep it away and to establish the kingdom of God, and he will judge it with righteousness. Every human government and every religion will fall before him. Every knee will eventually bow, and the saints who have kept themselves faithfully will share in his triumph. Brethren, the Feast of Trumpets, with all its catastrophe, with all of its dark connotations, because it does say this is a day of darkness, but understand God brings it in order to bring the light. But with all of that, let us understand that the ultimate result is light and truth and glory and hope for those who look to the kingdom of God as the highest governing authority in their life. The kingdom of God is where the future good of mankind lies. It is where true liberty and freedom exists. It's where prosperity will spring forth for the entire earth. It is from the kingdom of God that true solutions to the pain and the suffering and what ails mankind will come forth under the kingdom of God. Peace will abound.

Isaiah chapter 9 contains a beautiful prophecy concerning the future reign of Jesus Christ and the kingdom that God will bring to pass. From our perspective, I call it a prophecy. From our perspective, it's part historic and part prophecy. Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder. You've probably all heard the phrase somebody's got the weight of the world on their shoulders.

It means they're walking around with an incredibly heavy responsibility weighing upon them. Jesus Christ will have the weight of the kingdom and the weight of this judgment and rulership on his shoulders, and it will be an eternal government unlike anything this world has ever seen. The government will be on his shoulder. Verse 6, His name shall be called wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. God says, this will be done, and indeed it will. And, brethren, this is our message. This is our rallying cry. This is our identity of who we are as a people. We proclaim to the world the good news of the coming kingdom of God, the reign of Jesus Christ, no other human leader, no human leader, has ever carried this kind of responsibility. And at that time and at that place, you and I will be given the opportunity, if we remain faithful, to reign alongside Jesus Christ. And in that place, you can make a change.

You can make a difference.

1 Thessalonians chapter 4.

1 Thessalonians 4 focuses on another notable event tied to this feast of trumpets, the resurrection of the saints. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 13, Paul says, But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if you believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. He says, Therefore comfort one another with these words. And these words are an incredible comfort. We use them in times of sadness and loss, but I hope they're our comfort at all times. But I just love this concept that Paul mentions here, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. I want you to think about that for a minute. Think about what that means when you see him as he is, and you are in his likeness, and you are by his side. What will you do by the side of the King of Kings? What opportunity will you be given to set right the wrongs and to restore and to bring righteousness to things that grieve you about our human condition today? And thus we shall always be with the Lord. It's not an isolated Scripture, and there's actually a number of them that reinforce this point. I'm just going to shoot a few of them quickly at you. Revelation 14 verse 4.

Revelation 14 verse 4 tell us that the firstfruits follow the Lamb wherever he goes. We are by his side. Revelation 19 verse 7 says the marriage of the Lamb has come. Of course, we understand the firstfruits to be the bride of Christ, and as the bride of Christ, we are his helper. We are by his side. Revelation 20 verse 4 says, and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years, the Millennium, as we call it, time of peace and righteousness on the earth, where true reign will bring liberty to all of mankind. Revelation 3 21 says those who overcome will be granted to sit with Christ on his throne. And so the Bible gives us a clear understanding through all of this that we will one day have a part to play in setting things straight, assisting Jesus Christ to rebuild this world from the ground up, not repairing Babylon, but replacing it with Zion, with the seat of the rule of the King of Kings that will then spread out across all the earth. The Feast of Trumpets is that turning point. It's the divine solution to what ails this world. It's the coming hope for all of mankind, whether they realize it or not, because the kingdom of God is coming. And if we remain faithful to the end, brethren, we will have a part to play. Does your heart yearn to fix the trouble in this world? I know mine does. I know we sigh and cry for the things and the abominations of the land, and we would just like to grab the wheel and fix it. The time is coming. The time is coming. I'd like to conclude back where we started today, because our focus must always be on the hope.

Revelation chapter 11 and verse 15. Revelation 11 verse 15. Then the seventh angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. This is not a message of doom and gloom, brethren. It is a message of hope, because on the other side of this turning point is a new world order, one reigned over by justice and righteousness forever. Indeed, the remaining holy days we're going to be observing. There's a few left. What a blessing. They're gonna walk us through the Age of Light that will be coming as God establishes His kingdom. Stay tuned. Stay tuned. Enjoy those days. Absorb the message. Set your heart on that future that is set before you, and you can make the difference. Brethren, our current world is groaning for a change. We know that real change is not going to be found in the systems of man. The real answer will come with a trumpet. Seven of them, in fact. The real answer will come through the Second Coming of the King. The real answer will come through the resurrection of God's faithful saints. The real answer will come through a divine kingdom that will never fade away. Brethren, let this be our message. Let this be our hope. Let this be our cry to the world. Raise your voice like a trumpet. The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.