War and Peace

Good afternoon. Beautiful afternoon, beautiful music, beautiful God, beautiful truth, beautiful people. If there is one true God, then Beethoven must be his one true composer, because he certainly does know how to write songs of praise. That was just absolutely beautiful. Also, I want to say thank you very much to David Wallach for the message that he brought to us this afternoon, and I do hope to build upon that in the course of my message. Again, I want to say thank you very much to the Garden Grove congregation for hosting LA. It always seems when God's people come together, we bring congregations together, that one plus one does not only equal two, but begins three and five. We just expand, and that's just think what it's going to be like after that trumpet sounds, and all of the body of Christ is gathered together. Can you imagine the energy and the synergy and the enthusiasm and what that day is going to be like? And that's why God does give us this festival, to be able to picture that and to lift ourselves up and to imagine what our great God does want to bring to us.

Nearly 100 years ago, or we might say four human generations ago, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. What was called then the Great War, and or the war to end all wars, came to an end. Armistice Day had come. The monstrous guns that roared over the plains and the fields and the woods of Belgium and France finally, after four murderous years, stopped. They were still. You could, for the first time, once again, and be able to hear the birds sing. Everybody was elated, for indeed everybody was shocked that war could literally be that horrible. Nobody ever imagined that it would have gone on so long and so many deaths occurred. That young men, the flower of England and France and Germany and Austria, would be caught up in the barbed-wired muddy fields of Belgium and die the deaths that they did.

Surely there would be no more war. There would be this, the war to end all wars.

Hope was alive, but the answer had not yet come. Simply 20 years later and one human generation later, the unfinished business of the first world war would become that which what we call World War II. And World War II, that would last from 1939. We do forget that as Americans sometimes because we did not enter it until 1941 when trouble came knocking on our door. But from 1939 to 1945, it has been estimated that 55 to 60 million people died, whether in service to their countries and or civilians. Perhaps more people died in those six years than perhaps human history as a whole. Now why do I mention that to you, friends? Because that's not too far from the memory of some of those that are living today, our grandparents, some of you that are out there, some of our even grandparents or great-grandparents that were in the first war. And all of this came after the 1900s in which evolution had been spawned in the universities of Europe and transformed itself into what we call social Darwinism, that man was moving forward, that things were getting better, that there was survival of the fittest, and certainly now we no longer needed a god, and that's what the German rationalists would tell us. And then obviously everything was getting better. And so yes, we go off for a momentary skirmish because the kings of Europe could not get together, but we would get it together very rapidly and we could move on with our lives. But it did not happen. And even after the nuclear holocaust that was visited upon Nakashima and Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Hiroshima during World War II, we thought, oh, this will certainly end war. There'll be the beginning of the United Nations and everything will be okay. And yet you know and I know, and you don't even have to be a history major to know some of the conflicts that have happened around the world. Even so, here just last week, we again memorialized the tragedy that was visited upon our country on September 11th. And even as that tragedy was being memorialized, we had the Islamic Yahadist insurrection begin to redevelop in North Africa and the Middle East and all the way to India. And to recognize, brethren, that there is indeed a turbulence that is occurring across the world. And it simply will not go away. As you and I look forward to going to the Feast of Tabernacles, the entire world right now is visited by an unsure future. We do not know what is going to happen with the nation state of Israel and its concerns about the Islamic state of Iran. We are not, brethren, in a fairy tale world. And this world, your world, my world, our world, is a world at war. Always has been and always will be. And perhaps there are some reasons that we need to understand. In the epic novel written by the Russian author Tolstoy, there's a character that utters this astute observation in war and peace. And it simply this, drain the blood from men's veins and put in water instead and then there will be no more war. Perhaps the Russian novelist was on to something here. He understood that something incredibly essential had to occur for world peace to break out.

Wouldn't that be a glorious banner to be across the spreadsheet of the New York Times, the LA Times, the Chicago Tribune, the London Times? World peace once and forever has broken out.

But you know and I know that's not necessarily tomorrow's headline. I have a simple question for you, dear friends, and it's simply this. You might want to jot it down. Why won't war simply die a death? Why won't war simply die a death and go away? The answer lies in what we are rehearsing and observing today on the festival of Trumpets. And it leads us to ask us, why are we here today?

And I want to answer that question for you in the course of my message. We come together today in faith to come into alignment with God's purpose and saving plan not only for ourselves. Salvation, while personal, is not personal alone, but we come together in faith looking forward to a divine interventionism not only in human history. I want to make that clear to you, and some of you are hearing this message for the very first time today. We are not gathered here together just to simply see an epic force, the divine enter into the human realm. That is the first thing that's going to happen. But you and I are here to observe, to celebrate, and to learn that God is not only going to intervene in human history, but he's going to intervene in the spirit and the hearts of men and make the comment that Tolstoy made, and in that sense, God is going to divinely drain the blood from men and put something else in there. That is what these autumn festivals are about. Brethren, you and I are rehearsing the incredible. We are learning about the miraculous, and you and I have the privilege to understand the divine. We come together also to stir up faith in looking forward to a future time when the trumpets do sound. Whether it's a French horn, whether it's a shofar, or whether it's a Louis Armstrong kind of trumpet, something is going to sound to announce the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. And that is the best news that I can give you today. You, my friends, and brethren in Southern California, I've got an announcement for you. I do not know who is going to win the presidential election come November. And by the way, neither do you. But I can tell you with all authority based upon the Bible that Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, is coming to this earth. And by the way, as He comes to this earth, He does, and we will discuss it for a few minutes, He brings war to this earth. He brings a war to end all wars once and for all. It's a time that we rehearse today when war and peace come together. But here's good news. Anybody want a good news out there today? I sure do. Only peace will remain. War is going to go into extinction. Today, in this message, we need to understand three things. You might want to jot them down so you can stay in the message. They're very short, very succinct. Number one, who makes this war that is coming to end all wars? Who makes this war? Number two, why does it have to be fought? Why does it have to be fought? And number three, who brings the peace? And thus, the title of my message to you this afternoon, War and Peace, the Message of Trumpets. Now, as we contemplate the magnitude of what this festival portrays, when the trumpets of God do sound and Christ does return, we need to grasp and fully understand the landscape of the times in which Christ returns and why. Scripture itself, this word that you have on your lap and that I would appreciate it if you open now and turn with me to the Olivet prophecy in Matthew 24. Scripture indicates it will be a time of all-out war and total violence, and unless Jesus Christ intervened, there would be no flesh saved alive. Let's take a reality check for a moment and understand what those days are going to be like. In Matthew 24 and verse 21, let's please notice, for then there will be great tribulation, such has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened.

You know, we're talking today about Mr. Salsedo's message that God has in that sense an election, that he's called us into this process of salvation by its various steps, and to recognize that indeed God does have a special people. He calls them firstfruits in the Bible. He calls them called and chosen. He calls them the body of Christ. These are scriptural terms, and it is these people that he has an eye on, a heart for, and it says that he's not going to ultimately allow anything to happen to them, and that if he did not intervene, there would be no flesh left alive. Verse 29, and immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun's moon will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven, and the power of the heavens will be shaken. In a sense, this is depicting that sixth seal of the book of Revelation of what is oftentimes called the heavenly signs. And then verse 30, then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send his angels notice with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the earth till the other. Now, interesting, the word a great trumpet is mentioned.

As Christ ascends, what does he do as he intervenes in the human history? We need to ask ourselves that question. Does he just simply come down and say, now gentlemen, understand there's somewhat of a misunderstanding happening down here. I'd like you to kind of please go to your, just go to your corners. Let's try to deal with our anger issues, and you need some anger management courses. You need to kind of respect one another. Kind of, you know, the old Los Angeles quote, you know, can't we all get along down here? Is that what Jesus Christ is going to bring with them?

No, it's not. In the truest sense, the Bible is not quite on this matter for those who care to read and truly believe. I'd like to have you join me, please. Let's go to the book of Jude, which is right before the book of Revelation. In Jude, the Bible speaks to this. In fact, it's always been a hope that's been laid out before humanity almost since the very beginning, especially when you recognize who Jude is quoting about and from in the book of Jude.

Now, you might not say, well, I don't know where the book of Jude is. It's on page 850 in my Bible. So I hope that can kind of be a lighthouse for all of you to get over the shoals of not knowing. But let's notice the book of Jude chapter verse 14. Now Enoch, and he's the seventh from Adam. That's a long way back there. This is pre-noation. Prophesied about these men also saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints. Long before Noah and after the exit from Eden, this hope and this understanding was embedded within those that are set apart by God, even then, that God was going to return, that God was going to intervene, that he was bringing an army with him. Notice, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all of their ungodly deeds, which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him, to first of all have to intervene and to level the course so that ultimately he can teach humanity how to return to that which they rejected at Eden, when humanity themselves, through Father Adam and Mother Eve, rejected the tree of life and took upon themselves and bit into that lie that we shall not surely die.

So this is, in a sense, of course, correction. Join me, if you would, in Romans 16.

We often think of the Apostle Paul speaking about the majesty of Christ or talking about Christian living or giving us a treatise on salvation, as in the book of Romans, but he is also, in a sense, a prophet. In Romans 16, in verse 20, let's again notice the power and the energy depicted in the meaning behind this festival of trumpets. The Romans needed encouragement as have the people of God down through the ages, whether it's the first century, the 11th century, or united day in 2012. And this is put out before the saints of God. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. In the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

This is dynamic usage of words to crush. Not to molly coddle, not to pat on the on the back, not to kind of give Satan and his minions a hug, saying, oh, you had a bad day. No, it speaks of a crushing of a culture and of a society, of an entity that is opposed to God, confronts God, and his system, which is bestial, which comes down from long ago, is going to be crushed. God is true to his word, friends, and that's why we come together today in faith. God is true to his word. This age, this age of man, this age of rejection of God's ways, is going to end. The world's not going to end. God's plan is not going to end. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached unto all the world, and then the end shall come.

The reason that is mentioned is to give us encouragement and hope that there is an end to Satan and his forces, and to the uneducation that is extant amongst us about God and about the gospel that has been hindered by a veil that has been placed over man. Genesis 3 and verse 15.

And Genesis 3 and verse 15, picking up on this thought of being crushed, where God is speaking to the serpent, God is speaking to the woman, God is speaking to the man. And basically, this is the area of what we might call the curse, the curse that is laid upon each of them in order because of their misdeeds. And notice what he says here, speaking to the serpent, and I will put enmity between you and the woman, speaking to the serpent, speaking to the one that we've come to know as Lucifer and Satan, the adversary, and between your seed and her seed.

He shall bruise your head, but you shall bruise his heel. Now, some of you hearing this for the first time in opening your Bibles may not understand, but this is the very first prophecy in the Bible. This is the first prophecy that is given, and this prophecy deals with two things. Number one, confrontation and number two, hope. It's basically saying that the seed of the serpent is going to strike at the heel of the woman's seed, ultimately being Jesus Christ. And yes, indeed, Jesus was, in a sense, in the heel, he was, in that sense, nailed to a cross, nailed to a piece of wood. He did what was not asked of Isaac that we heard this morning.

And for a moment, Satan thought that he had the plan of God by his hand. But the prophecy goes on. Notice what it says here, and he shall bruise your head. Now, when you take a serpent and you bruise his head, I used to be a boy and I used to bruise... I don't know if I should bring this out or not, being a little boy. This is Dean. You guys understand, don't you? Are we into this or not? But, you know, a couple of snakes went down and under my reign from age six to about age 11.

And you don't crush the tail. Actually, as a little boy, you guys remember that you pull the tail off and you see it wiggle, whether it be a lizard or a snake. That's boy talk. But if you want to do the serpent in, you crush the head. Because what happens when you crush the head of a serpent? You're all looking like there's three answers to this.

The serpent is dead all over, just like the dog rover. And that is exactly with a little humor, but with the power of what's happening here, combining this with the words of the Apostle Paul, that brethren, don't worry. Help is on the way. And the one that was rejected by humanity is coming back. And the one that was accepted by Adam and Eve as their savior with a small s, his head is going to be crushed. That's good news. That war, which is bred by human nature, by the blood that runs in our veins and the spirit that inhabits our persons, is going to go out of extinction. It's all about hope. The Feast of Trumpets is all about hope.

There are so many facets to each and every festival, whether it's discussing the resurrection or discussing God's work in us right now, as Mr. Salcedo is bringing out today, so that we are prepared to be his servants in the wonderful world tomorrow. And or in this aspect that I think some of the despair that some of us have been feeling this past week, some of this gloom and doom that's been happening in our headlines, or am I the only person who can get a little overwhelming? And then you get into the cable news cycle of every 24 hours you're seeing these pictures again and again and again. And as the saints of God, you can say, Lord, what's taken you so long? What's taking you so long? Don't you see the suffering of your people and of those that are made in your image down here below? And as Mr. Wallach brought out, deliver us! We notice then there is a deliverance on the way. Revelation 19. Join me there, please, in the book of the apocalypse, the unveiling, the opening in Revelation 19 and verse 11. Let's ask ourselves when that trumpet sounds in the future, what does it bring? It is defined here in Revelation 19 and verse 11. When we hear the sound of the trumpet, now I saw heaven open and behold a white horse and he who sat on was called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and notice makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns and he had a name written on there that no one knew except himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood and his name is called the Word of God. Verse 14. And the armies in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. And now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should strike the nations and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the wine presses of the fierceness and the wrath of Almighty God and he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Now this is amazing because this is the same one with a capital O-1 that the Bible also calls the Prince of Peace. And yet the one that comes as and is entitled as the Prince of Peace comes and one of his very first acts is to wage complete and total war that can only and does end in complete unconditional surrender and destruction of the enemies of God. Now I've got a question for you. When is the last time that our nation, the United States of America, has been involved in a conflict or a war in which there was unconditional surrender?

This is not hard. Most of you have not seen one for a long time. I know Mr. Helgi was alive but when is the last time that our nation was involved? And you young people that are out here have never been and neither was I born at that. I know some of you thought I was but I was not. I'm Korea so anyway that's what got my dad out of Korea. No, I just won't go into that. Semper Fi. His father's a Marine too. So that no, the last time we saw unconditional surrender in war was in World War II with the dropping of the bombs on Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and of course, and finally, Berlin capitulating. And it is only then that America could go in and do what it did.

Since then we've had conflicts that, well, as you know, we're still... what's that? Korea? Korea? I was in diapers back when Korea was happening and last time I noticed we're still there.

We're still fighting around the 38th parallel. We have troops here, we have troops there, we have troops there. There is no finality. What I want to share with all of you brethren today, and you might want to jot this down in your notes to give you encouragement. I'm not saying that it's going to be easy or pleasant, and I mean to take no voyeuristic pleasure in war and recognizing what this means to many a person. But we cannot have the world peace and the way of peace desired by God the Father and Jesus Christ until humanity will unconditionally surrender.

Now, that is what's unique about the fall festivals and this Feast of Trumpets. Perhaps more than any annual Holy Day, to this point it brings us into a reality check that Jesus Christ is not an absentee landlord having someone else to collect the rent. His kingdom does not merely rest in our hearts alone. The reality of the festival of trumpets portraying that time when Christ does come back, that he does intervene literally. See, some people believe in Jesus and their belief, I'm sure, is very real and very sincere, but they might have him simply locked up into a that's not a picture of Jesus.

Please understand it's just a stained glass window, but that people can have a picture of Jesus in their Bible. They can have a picture or a portrait of Christ embedded in a stained glass window. They can study about Jesus the Christ, the man of Nazareth in their books, but the reality is he is coming back to this earth. That's what the Feast of Trumpets is all about. He is coming back. Why? I don't want to share this with you. This is going to get personal because he has a claim on us.

He has a claim on each and every one of you. He is not simply a first cause, but intervenes in human history and human lives. Now, for some, this revelation of what I'm talking about right now is bewildering. Such words as Paul's and John's that we've talked about here seem out of alignment with the more soothing considerations that we think sometimes are visited upon Jesus. We think about the babe in the manger. We think about a man nailed to a cross. We are comforted by the aspect of him indeed being the Good Shepherd. Please hear me. I've spoken to you many a year.

I love to consider the words surrounding Bethlehem. The words dealing with Golgotha are incredible and a part of the workmanship of the Father and the Son, but we cannot leave it there alone. Our Savior, our King, our Champion, the Great Gideon, the God of Gideon is one who is going to intervene in human society. Sometimes we are also reminded that we hear out there so often about the social gospel. That seems to be very relevant right now in the political season that on one side on the right, the right wants to deal with the moral gospel. On the left, they want to deal with the social gospel.

Is there anything specifically wrong with the social gospel of and by itself that you treat your neighbor as Jesus would? If you see him in the way, absolutely not. But here's what I want to share with you. Are you ready? Christ, as God's agent to realign this earth with the Father's will, is coming back down. Not only with a social gospel, He's coming to change society as a whole, from the inside out. So you might say, yes, as Jesus comes with His armies from heaven, He is bringing a social gospel.

Because that social gospel deals with society. And the ways of this world are going to turn into the ways of God and the patterns of Christ, how Christ thinks, how Christ lives, and Christ is going to come and He's going to bring this, and He's not going to delegate it. One thing I want to share with you, which is very, very important, is simply this. The power of the Scriptures, when looked as a whole, remind us, tell us simply this. Jesus Christ did His own living. He sheds His own blood.

He did His own dying. And He will do His own fighting. Understand this.

Oftentimes, we think of the mythology of Saint George and the dragon, all the symbolism that's behind that, for those of you that have read English literature or literature out of the Church of England, and or we can open up the Scriptures and we can read about Michael, that great archangel, the superhero, the protector, the defender of the covenant people of God, whether in the Old Testament or in the New Testament. But here's what I want to share with you. The Feast of Trumpets. Jesus Christ does not delegate to anybody else other than Himself. He leads the charge. First Thessalonians. Think Mr. Garnet was there this morning. Come back to First Thessalonians 4. First Thessalonians 4. Let's pick up the thought here.

Again, verse 15. 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. Notice in verse 16. For the Lord Himself. No delegation here. He is leading in a sense the divine celestial parade.

Will descend from heaven with a shout. And with the voice of an archangel. And with the trumpet of God.

And then it speaks about the dead. And Christ will rise first. We often reflect on this set of verses as the great hope and the wonderment of resurrection. And it is a verse of tremendous beauty and tremendous comfort to all of us. But you can also go into the commentaries for where it says in verse 16. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout. There are other translations of that. James and Foster and Brown speaks of a Greek word that basically speaks of this as a shout of war. It is not only the voice that wakes up the dead as the voice that woke up Lazarus saying, come forth. But it is also a voice of leading the armies of heaven. Not just simply saying, come forth. But be prepared to meet your maker. I am coming down. Just as it said I would in Genesis 3 and verse 15. We need to understand that. But why this ultimate fight? Why the need? Why this war to end all wars? Why this seemingly piling on by the vine upon its creation. Man. Again, let's place in full focus for a moment a reality check.

Any study of history will basically tell you that in 6,000 years of recorded human history, there have only been about 350 years absent of war. 350 years. Now, for those of you that are math wizzes, you can kind of figure that down to about only 4% to 5% of humanity's time on earth has been absent of war. Such a statistical analysis brings us to a realization that you and I must confront. That war is not marginal to the human experience, but it is central. It is because there is something that is inside man. As Tolstoy said, it is not water. He was concerned about the blood. He said, drain the blood from man and replace it with water and perhaps then there will be a change.

There is a change that is coming. Come with me, if you would, to Daniel 2. Daniel 2 is the story of Daniel, one of the wise Jewish men that were in the court of one that was known as the Beast. His name was Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that was granted him. He needed interpretation.

It alarmed him. When a king begins to even begin to think that his power is slipping, the king is not happy. Finally, Daniel does come forth after a number of things happening in the court, and he gives the interpretation of his dream. I want to share that with you because I think it's important for us to understand on the Feast of Trumpets the finality, the bottom line. This is called bottom line of what Daniel's vision is telling us. He is in this dream, reinterpreting it. And it comes to us as the people of God to help us understand something, to magnify what it says in the book of Amos, for surely God will do nothing but that he doesn't first grant it to his servants, the prophets. And thus, we read the prophets. We come into understanding by the guidance of his spirit. And we notice here then that in Daniel 2, verse 41, or 42, it's speaking about, and as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. It's dealing with what we might call that fourth element of this image, which comes down to basically being that which today we would know as Rome. And then it says in verse 44, because the image is revealed. I don't have time to go through that right now, but we know the sequence of the image that we have babble on the head of gold. We then have Persia with the silver. Then we have the Macedonian Hellenistic Empire down here. And then finally, you have these this last element of Rome. And look what it says here.

And in the days of these kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. And the kingdom shall not be left to other people. And it shall break in pieces, consume all of these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. And inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke into pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to you, to the king, which will come to pass after this. This dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure. Remember what I mentioned to you earlier about why we come to convocation together to have our faith stirred up, to be galvanized by the Word of God, and to know that God has not taken us down some dark, winding path without results, but that what he says that you and I can believe in, that even as this was being spoken, let's understand that the Jewish people were in Babylon.

And so this literature is basically apocalyptic in that sense. It has future hope. It uses figures to bring out realities in God's plan down the line, the same as the book of Revelation. But what we gain from this are very cardinal points. Number one, it says in verse 42 that it will be destroyed. Notice verse, it says, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people. The one thing that the Feast of Tropans introduces, you might want to jot this down, is simply this. There will be no more age of man. I did not say that there will not be men, but it will not be known as the age of man.

The kingdom will not pass on to human beings apart from God that confront God. Now I say, well, I already knew that. No, I'm going to tell you why. Because what happened is, what you see from time immemorial, you see a sequence of human history where an empire basically overstretches, wears itself out, becomes an inner corrupt implode, or explodes, or is conquered by the next empire. Let's just take a real quick roll of text down history. We have the Egyptians, then you have the Babylonians, and then you have the Assyrians, then you have the Chaldeans, and then you have the Persians, and then you have the Macedonians, and then you have the Romans, and then you have the Byzantines, the Eastern Roman Empire, then you have Islam. Did I miss anybody yet? And then you go later on, then you have certainly the Crusader, Incursion into the Middle East, and then you have the Turks, you have the Seljuk Turks, later on you have the Ottoman Turks, later on you have the European powers becoming great, you have Spain going over to the New World, and on and on and on and on and on. Has anybody here been in Western Civ? Yes. And so you have this domino effect. Every human empire, every human civilization falls to what? Another human civilization. The power in the book of Daniel is telling you and me, on this day there is coming a time when humanity will no longer be left alone. Jesus Christ is coming to intervene, and His Kingdom is going to be established on this earth. And notice again what it says here, verse 44, and it shall stand forever.

Most great civilization and empires last basically from beginning to end, other than Rome, approximately 200 years. That is normally the sweep of empire. This civilization, the social gospel, the society that Jesus Christ is bringing to this earth, is going to stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, the stone that dashes the image of the beast that shatters it is made without hands, comes from God. The same stone that in the book of Psalms and in 1 Peter is called that stone, which was disallowed. That stone which was rejected by man. That stone that came to this earth, the one that we know as the rock, the one that we know as Jesus Christ, the one that was rejected by man, the one that was killed at Golgotha, nailed to a piece of wood like a pig, condemned by both Jew and Gentile, placed into the earth. And yet, the supreme court of heaven, God the Father, overturned the judicial rendering based upon this stone that was rejected down here below. He overturned it and resurrected him, had him ascend to him. Now is at his right hand and waiting, hearing your prayers, hearing my prayers. How long, O Lord? How long? How much more?

How worse can it get? Don't you know that humanity is tired? Don't you know that your saints are tired? Don't you know that we say, thy kingdom come? It's looking pretty dark down here.

God hears your prayers. He wants you to, he wants to hear your prayers. They're not for naught.

He says there's a blessing upon those that sigh and cry over the sins of the earth around them.

This day brings us into full focus to understand something very important.

To go back to what Tolstoy said, that it is in the blood. The final war to end all wars will be waged by God's design and by his timing. It's very important for you and me to understand that God alone has full provision. Thus we must, as we've heard several times through several speakers today, are you with me friends? Be still and know that I am God. Because if Jesus Christ comes to this earth and intervenes too soon, humanity will say, what are you doing down here? We could have taken care of this ourselves. Now we've already read that, on the other hand, if he comes too late, as we say in Spanish, nada. I'm bilingual. Nada! California dropping the G. Nothing! Nothing!

Dear brethren, friends here in Garden Grove and Los Angeles and others I haven't even met, I think what it basically comes down to is we just have to leave some things to God. And rather than trying to figure out God, allow God to figure us out through the molding and the impression and the image of Jesus Christ that we heard about this morning. Trumpets is the day of judgment. The day of the Lord, not the tribulation. The tribulation is the time of Satan's wrath, of man doing his thing with Satan's spirit fully embedded and stirring up things. The day of the Lord, when we speak of Jesus Christ coming back from heaven to this earth, that's something different. That's the time of God's judgment upon humanity. And Jesus Christ is coming back to this earth. He is going to land literally, I so do believe, on the Mount of Olives. We don't know when He is coming back. That is in the domain of God. But the Bible clearly shows us that X marks the spot. Jerusalem is the bullseye of biblical prophecy. And the Mount of Olives is where He is going to land. And we that are in the body of Christ, I believe, are going to join Him and then come right back down. I remember many, many years ago, somebody asked Mr. Herbert Armstrong. He said, Mr. Armstrong, he said, they asked him, he said, are we going to heaven? He says, yeah, but we're coming right back down. Now, you heard about the going to heaven this morning at the resurrection, but then we're coming right back down and joining our elder brother and our king and the defender of the faith and land on that Mount of Olives. Please let him go first. I think it'd be a wise thing to do. So we know where it's going to happen. And that's why God says, pray for the peace of Jerusalem in Psalm 122. I do not just simply pray for the peace of Jerusalem now. And I, my heart goes out to our Jewish friends, our Israeli friends over there, and recognizing the incredible tension that is beginning to heat up in the Middle East. But I pray for a greater peace.

I pray for that peace that comes by the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the one on the white horse, as our champion coming down to this earth, of beginning to correct that which went wrong at Eden, not by God's design, but by man's rejection of the kingdom of God, the tree of life, and taking upon himself being his own God. With that stated, with the day of the Lord spoken of, I want to conclude with this. This is indeed a day of judgment, but it is not only a day of judgment upon the world, but it is a day of judgment upon all covenant peoples. The Jewish community has an expression employed on what they'd call Rosh Hashanah, and it is simply this, may your name be written in the book of life. I believe that there is a book of life. I do believe that God does do the writing. I am so very happy that the one that is on the other side of the table as well as Jesus Christ, he is that judge. He is that righteous judge, and he does not, you know, when you say judgment, you go, you kind of, judgment? No. Can I share something with you? And maybe you're having issues in your life right now. I want to share something. If you don't hear anything else in this message, remember, it's always the last five minutes. Mr. Garnett, she says, this is about the last 20 minutes when I speak, but this is what I want you to get out of this. On this day of judgment. Dear friends, you do not want anybody else on the other side of that judgment table than Jesus Christ. He is the Son of Man. He is the Son of God. He has experienced our humanity. And yes, he who, the worst thing that he ever did was to be perfect, was put to death by man, understands what unjustice is. His justice upon us. At the end of the day, it's not even the justice that we merit, but it's by God's grace. But he sees our desire. He sees our devotion. He sees that our heart is striving to be about our Father's business, to emulate that example, even in our human weakness. He is our judge. He does judge both the quick and the dead. And you do not want anybody else other than Jesus Christ on the other side. How do I know that? How do you know that? Because all he has to do is open his hands, and you see the wounds. You see the holes, and you know that the light of God is in him, and he will judge you accordingly. This is a day of judgment. We are under judgment. 1 Peter tells us, for judgment has now begun on the household of God. You and I are not just simply a part of an organization or a corporate body. Each and every one of you that are here gathered and gated together have been elected and selected by God Almighty, called out of season, chosen and called to be first fruits of God, to be members of the spiritual organism called the body of Christ, not because of what we are, but because of who he is. And yet, with tremendous opportunity comes responsibility. With responsibility comes accountability. Remember what I mentioned earlier about unconditional surrender. See, there's going to come a time when Jesus comes back to this earth, and he is going to impose his kingdom upon a mankind that starts shooting at him. And that's not friendly fire. But he is going to be victorious, and he is going to plant his father's flag on the top of the Mount of Olives. I say that figuratively. Don't go looking for the flag.

Are we all together on this one?

But it is kind of symbolic, isn't it? And this world is going to have to unconditionally surrender.

You today, as members of the body of Christ, at your baptism, said that you unconditionally surrendered to God Almighty and to his Christ. That you turned over all territory and all your personal sovereignty to God Almighty and to Jesus Christ. You gave in faith and blessed surrender your past, your present, your future. You said, I can't run my personal empire at all well any longer. I've come up against a wall. I am a sinner, and I have sinned. And therefore, I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and my Savior, my Messiah and my King.

And I have surrendered the territory of my heart and my life and all that I have, you own. You, Father above, through your Christ, have a claim on me. You see, the body of Christ in a sense is already experiencing in type the Feast of Trumpets that is going to be visited upon the world in years to come. And that's why you and I now have the incredible privilege of being groomed and molded through the festivals to be anchored in the ways of God and in the mold of Christ, to give Him glory, to magnify His name, and to be prepared to be in His family as immortal children in a kingdom that will no end, a kingdom that will not be handed over to men, and in a kingdom that solves the issue that pestered Tolstoy.

Join me in conclusion in Ezekiel 36. In Ezekiel 36, and I've gone over a few minutes, but remember I am a representative of the timeless kingdom. Ezekiel 36. And we'll conclude with this. Remember what Tolstoy asked or stated, he said, drain the blood from men's veins and put in water instead, and there will be no more war. Well, that's kind of answered over here in Ezekiel 36. And I believe Mr. Garner or somebody else touched on it earlier. And we look at Ezekiel 36 in verse 22.

Therefore, say to the house of Israel, which is in pipe, and God has unfinished business with that house of Israel, which is going to be carried out during the millennium. Thus says the Lord God, I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst, and the nations shall know that I am the Lord.

Remember, whatever festival that you and I participate during this year always goes back to this echo, that you may know, that you may know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of the countries, bring you into your own land. Then notice verse 25, and I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean, and I will clean you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

Verse 26, and I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. In a sense, he's going to drain that blood, as it were, out of man and transfuse, thus to be able to allow to transform one that is made of dust into one that is the son of the Spirit.

And I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep my judgments and do them. A social gospel, a new society, a world that unconditionally surrenders to the one who comes with a war to end all wars, that peace might abound forever. On this day, brethren, let you and me, as members of the body of Christ, rejoice, praise God, stir one another up by faith.

It is quicker coming than it was yesterday. We do not know the time, but we do know our God. We do not know when, but we do know our Christ. And that day is as assured and more assured than the sun going down tonight. May God bless you. May God keep you. Let us go up to the Feast now, the Feast of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, the Eighth-Day Vestal, and let's allow the ways of God to enrich us, to transfuse us, to transform our worries and our doubts and that passionate blood that might be in us.

Let us remember it is not our blood, but it is the blood of Jesus Christ that allows us to be the sons and the daughters of God Almighty above. May God bless you. May God keep you. It's been an honor to be able to be here today to share the Scriptures with you, the hope of God, and the revelation which only is His.