Watch and Pray

Let's turn to Luke 21. The scripture that many of you may have memorized, watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man. Now, it says here to escape all these things. If you'll go back to verse 8, he talks about many deceivers coming, false prophets, wars, verse 9, rumors of wars, nations, and verse 10, rising against nations, earthquakes, famines, pestilence, and verse 11, fearful signs, persecution, in verse 12, and talking about being thrown in prison, Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies.

You'll know that the desolation is very near. The days of vengeance, when all these things that are written will be fulfilled. So then we are told, watch. The word watch means to keep oneself awake, to make an effort to learn of what might be a potential future threat, to be alert, to look out for, to be vigilant. So we're told to be vigilant, to look out for, to be alert of things that are going to come. Then he says, pray always. Not only are we to watch, but on the other hand, we're to pray that you may be counted worthy to escape.

The word escape means exactly that, to become safe from danger by avoiding it or escaping it. To avoid. As the ESV translation says, but stay awake at all times. Pray that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.

Now, brethren, watching doesn't make us worthy. You can watch all day long, but that doesn't make you worthy. Forgiveness offered by our Savior Jesus Christ makes us counted as worthy to stand before Him without guilt, without sin. This is why we need to pray always. This is why we need to have that relationship, that contact with God. Now, today, I want for us to take a look at seven significant events that the Bible says will occur before the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. We want to focus on things that we need to be watching.

Because the Bible says here to watch, therefore. So what is it that we should be watching for if there are things that we are to watch? We need to know what to watch for. We need to know what to anticipate. So let's take a look at some of the significant events that the Bible predicts. By no means are we going to cover everything that the Bible says, but we will cover some of the major ones. Number one is the continual decline of the Western nations. That the continual moral and just overall decline of the Western nations.

Bible prophecy portrays the decline of the United States and many of the nations in Western Europe today. That decline could come from a number of factors. Probably a combination of war, of financial collapse, and of our social breakdown that would contribute to this. Let's notice in the book of Hosea.

You'll turn over to the book of Hosea, chapter 4. Hosea chapter 4, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Verse 1, hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel. For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land. Chapter 4, verse 1. There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. Now, the book of Hosea here is talking about our day today also. It's one of those prophecies that's dual. Notice, there is no truth, no mercy, no knowledge of God in the land.

By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, committing adultery, they break all restraints with bloodshed upon bloodshed. It pretty well describes what we see going on in society today, where people rob, and steal, and murder, commit adultery. All restraints are broken. Therefore, the land will mourn, and everyone who dwells there will waste away but the beasts of the field and the birds of the air, and even the fish of the sea will be taken away. Now, let no man contend or rebuke another, for your people are like those who contend with the priest. In verse 5, therefore you shall stumble in the day, and the prophet shall also stumble with you in the night.

Now, notice in verse 6, my people are destroyed. Why are our people going to be destroyed? Why are we faced with national captivity here in the future, unless we repent? My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

It's not technical knowledge. It's not physical knowledge. We have reached the zenith of man's ability to have knowledge. We can send men to the moon and back. Eventually, we will try to send men to Mars, other planets. So, we're destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priests for me, because you've forgotten the law of your God. So, what kind of knowledge is it that they forget? It's God's law and commandments. I will also forget your children. The more they increase, the more they sin against me. I will change the glory into shame. Beat up the sin of my people that set their heart on their iniquity. You shall be like people like priests, so I will punish them for their ways and reward them for their deeds, God says. They shall eat, but not have enough. They shall commit harlotry, but not increase, because they have ceased obeying the Lord. This is why God is going to bring these calamities upon us. So, what do we need to be watching for? Remember Luke 21.36. Watch, and pray always. Well, we need to watch out for the continual moral and cultural decline of the United States and Western Europe. We need to watch out for our continual obsession with celebrities. Just another example of roting leadership, moral depravity, in the United States. What about our multiculturalism that we see today? One time we were considered a Christian nation. Today, it seems like every religion is respected except Christianity. The whole tenure, the whole very nature of our country is changing. We're beginning to take on the culture of other nations and not continue with the values that we've been taught. Today, society tolerates almost anything. If you speak against somebody, then you're being intolerant. Watch out for the United States to become a secular post-Christian nation. Something else we need to watch out for. In values and beliefs, our society today worships the Almighty Dollar, more than the Almighty God. Greed is what has led us to our recent financial crisis that we have. Watch for the breakup of the United Kingdom.

As Scotland, Wales, and North Ireland go their separate ways, become semi-independent nations with different agendas than England would have. Watch out for the cultural tensions in the United States as we become more and more divided, hardened and opposing views, and virtually not able to get anything done. Just look at what's taking place in the government right now. Our politics are no longer founded on compromise but on partisan narrow politics. And so we find that people are just simply following their own self-interest. So, brethren, we need to watch and look out for what the Bible talks about of the continual decline of the Western nations. Now, a second significant event that we need to watch out for that you can see begin to happen and is happening right before our eyes today is the rise of regional world powers, the rising up of regional world powers. The new world order of globalization has resulted in the creation of regional power blocks in the place of just one domineering nation. These powers are based upon regional trade and are formed for financial benefits, mutual protection. The Bible speaks of this at the very end time. Let's go back to Daniel 11, the book of Daniel, chapter 11. Daniel 11 describes power blocks that will exist at the time in the end.

There is going to be a united Europe that will arise. It's called in Daniel 11 the king of the north. The king of the south is a group of Islamic Arab and Persian nations that will band together to protect their oil interests and their Islamic culture. Notice in verse 40, Daniel 11 and verse 40, at the time in the end, the king of the south shall attack him, referring to the king of the north. So sometime in the end time, the king of the south is going to come up against Europe, the king of the north. And then the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind with chariots, horsemen, many ships, and he shall enter the countries and overwhelm them and pass through. And he shall enter the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown, but these shall escape from his hand, even Edom and Moab. We think that Edom could possibly be part of Turkey, Moab. The prominent people of Oman would be Jordan in that area. And he shall stretch out his hands against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. So the king of the north will come down against Egypt. And then verse 43, And he shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt. Also the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall follow at his heel. So here we find two power blocks described, a king of the south, a king of the north, and there are others, as we will see, that will begin to develop. What would cause this war between the king of the north and the king of the south? Well, there could be many different reasons, but probably oil is going to be one of the major ones. The European Union right now is energy dependents, is 50 percent on other nations. That was in 2000, year 2000, and it's estimated by the year 2030 it will be 70 percent.

When you begin to analyze it, 45 percent of the European Union's imports originate right now in the Mideast. By 2030, it's estimated that 90 percent will. What if these nations in the Mideast stop giving oil to the European Union? Well, they cannot exist without it, so it could facilitate a war taking place. So the Bible indicates that there will be these regional struggles and power blocks that go on at the end time. So what should we be watching for then when it comes to this major trend? Well, watch for increased tensions between the Muslim world and Christianity. This increased tensions will result in eventual warfare. Do you think the Catholic Church will simply sit by and allow Islam to dominate traditionally Catholic Europe? Are they going to allow Islam to get such a foothold in Europe that Islam becomes the dominant religion? Do you believe that ancient nations like France and Belgium will not have civil unrest between their native citizens and between the new immigrants as they become more and more dominant within their nations? Right now, 19% of the French population is foreign-born.

How much of the population of the United States is not what we would call European extraction and tradition? Well, you find it's becoming a much greater percentage, actually going up towards 50%. Now, will the concept of democracy survive in the nations that are being controlled by Muslim citizens? The U.S. is pulling out of Iraq. How long will they remain a democracy? What about Afghanistan? Will they remain a democracy? Will Pakistan? Will these nations? We know that here recently, with the fall of the government in Egypt and Hosni Mubarak, or Alster, that there's been elections. And I think in the West, Western nations thought it's going to be a new day, the Arab Spring and all of this. And yet, the ultra-conservative Islamic parties are the ones who've come to the forefront. The Islamic Brotherhood, a very strict Islamic nation, or not nation, but people, organization, is having the dominant influence. They will eventually impose Sharia law on that nation. And this is true in many of the Arab nations. And so, even though we would like to see them become democratic, we find there's a different mindset, there's a different culture, there's a different background that they've functioned under. And they don't have the same outlook that we do. So watch for regional trade blocs to develop in North Africa, in Europe, and Asia, and for all of these to become powerful political partners that eventually will lead to trade war between the different regions of the world. Watch for the United States to lose its power, because now you'll find that nations become based more on economy, on currency, rather than simply on military strength. The U.S. is the only superpower in history that is not interested in conquering the world. Everybody else, when they became dominant, tried to take over the world. Well, we don't do that. Well, today you find that financial dominance is going to hold sway. There was an interesting article put together by the Heritage Foundation showing the amount of debt as a percentage of gross domestic product. Gross domestic product is what we earn as a nation in a given year. What is the percentage of debt in the United States compared to what we earn? Well, just to give you an example of some countries, and some of these that I mentioned you may remember, been in the headlines and the news recently, what about Greece? In 2007, their gross debt was 104 percent.

By 2011, it was 130 percent, meaning if they took every dollar produced in that country, paid their debt off, they couldn't wipe it out in a year because it's 130 percent of their gross national product. Italy, 112 percent in 2007 and 119 percent in 2011. Both of these countries are having difficulties.

Japan, you wonder why Japan has not come back, even though they are still a formidable trading power, they're not the dominant nation in Asia as they once were. Japan in 2007 had 167 percent gross debt as compared to the gross national product.

And in 2011, it was 204 percent. The United States in 2007, our gross debt was 62 percent of the gross national product. In 2011, it's 100 percent, and it's going this way. It's still climbing. And that includes the debt by the federal government, state governments, personal debt, and so on. Now, it is interesting that Asia, the nation's in Asia right now, in 2007 only 31 percent of their gross debt was a percentage of their gross national. Today, it's 41 percent. And Latin America is the only region of the world, where in 2007, it was 41 percent. Today, it's 35 percent. So, their debt has gone down. All of the western nations are going up. So, brethren, we need to realize that the debt and the amounts of money that are being spent and the fact that we just go out and print money today and think that, you know, we can, you know, cover everything. It's not going to work. Eventually, you have to pay that. And eventually, it catches up with you. Okay, now a third area that we want to look at. Third significant event is the rise of 10 European nations into a regional superpower. The Bible predicts that there will be the last resurrection of the Roman Empire. Collectively, these nations are referred to in the Bible as the beast power in the book of Revelation.

After the decline of democracies in Europe, there will be a strong Germanic influence that will basically control this regional power. The rise of the beast power in Europe is the first wall or the fifth trumpet mentioned in the book of Revelation. Let's go back to the book of Revelation, chapter 17. Revelation chapter 17 in verse 12.

The 10 horns which you saw are 10 kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. So these 10 nations will give their sovereignty over to a charismatic autocratic dictator, a powerful political being who will then they will rally around him, and we will have what is known in the Bible as that final resurrection of the Roman Empire called the beast. So what is the beast? The beast is a short-lived, in time empire ruled by Satan the devil. It's the 10 toes of Daniel chapter 2, if you'll remember, and the 10 horns in Revelation 17. Satan the devil will cause the human dictator of this empire to be worshiped worldwide. Satan will transform his political military might into a great religious crusade. He is also the final beast mentioned in Revelation 13. Let's back up here to chapter 13 of the book of Revelation, and notice beginning in verse 1, I stood on the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads, ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his head a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard. His feet were like the feet of a bear, his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. So notice the power behind the throne, so to speak. Where does it come from? Well, it's the dragon, Satan the devil. And I saw one of his heads as it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. Well, in 476 AD, the fall of the Roman Empire in the west. 554, it was healed under Justinian the rise, again a resurrection of the Roman Empire. And all the world marveled, and followed the beast.

So verse 4, so they worshiped the dragon.

Satan the devil is the god of this world, and he's the one who was worshiped. They worshiped the dragon, he gave authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast. They worshiped this political religious system.

Excuse me, saying, who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?

And so you find the rise of this power at that time. Going on to verse 5, he was given a mouth speaking great things, and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for 42 months, three and a half years. He opened his mouth and blasphemed against God to blaspheme his name, his tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. And it was granted to him to make war with the saints.

To overcome them, an authority was given to him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.

So here we have a dominant power rising up.

So, brethren, we need to watch for the rise of this power. Watch for the continual unification of the European Union in Western Europe, and a merger of 10 powerful nations with the world's largest economy that will eventually dominate even the United States.

Watch for the decline of a democratic influence in the European Union, adrift into autocratic leadership, in other words, beginning to look to a dominant leader that will be dominated by Germany. And this may be a reaction to the Islamic immigration or financial and social collapse.

According to Wikipedia concerning the EU, it says the EU has established a single market across the territory of all of its members. A monetary union, the Eurozone, using a single currency comprised of 17 member nations. The EU in 2011 generated a nominal gross domestic product of 17.6 trillion US dollars, representing approximately 20 percent of the global gross national product when measured in terms of purchasing power parity. So, as a group, they have outstripped us as a nation. So watch for the abdication of Britain and other nations from the European Union as it moves away from democratic principles.

This will eventually leave only 10 nations. Out of the 17, only 10 are eventually going to come together to form that final union. Watch for the continual decline of Russia as it finds itself outside of both Western Europe and outside of Asia. And so, they're going to be sort of an odd man out at times. So, brethren, we need to be watching for the union of Europe as the Bible predicts that it will take place. Now, another significant event we need to look out for is the prominence of a powerful church over the European superpower. That there is going to be a powerful church arise that will dominate the superpower. As the European political power develops, there will be an influential religious leader who will arise to provide leadership so that you will have a dominant political power, or man, the beast, and you will have a dominant religious power referred to in the Bible as the false prophet will come on the scene.

He will arise to provide leadership and unity to this regional power. The book of Revelation refers to this church as the great whore and the leader as the false prophet.

Notice chapter 17 in verse 5. Revelation 17 verse 5. Talking about this woman on her forehead as the name was written, Mystery Babylon, the Great, the mother of harlots and of abominations of the earth. And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. But the angel said to me, Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her which has the seven heads and the ten horns. So we need to be watching what takes place in that church. Watch for Pope Benedict to die within the next few years and be replaced probably by a non-Italian Pope who is even more autocratic and exclusive in his theology.

Watch for a resurgent in Catholic dogma, Catholic teaching, and an increased number of visions and miracles that will take place. I don't know if you saw this the other day. There were over 300 people who had come to this tree. Somebody looked at it and thought it looked like Christ or Mary.

And so they were coming up and kissing it and praying there before this. Well, there will be all kinds of odd things taking place. And people will look to that and it will help to strengthen people's faith and Catholicism around the world. Look for increased Marianism signs, supposedly the Virgin Mary appearing to people. Watch for the political leaders of the European Union to look to the Catholic Church as a cultural bond for the new union. What's going to hold this union together? Well, you've got the political power, you've got the economic power, and then there will be the religious power that will go along with it. So you have three things working in their favor. Political power, economic power, and religious power. And when this prophet begins to prophesy, begins to perform miracles and signs and wonders, then the church will be looked up to. The Church of Rome has a unique way of bending to politics or political opportunities. And this will be an opportunity to bring Europe back into the fold. Right now, Europe is not a Christian in their approach. So this will be one way of getting them back. Watch for increased tensions between Catholicism and Islam as the Catholic Church aggressively responds to the Islamic influence in Europe.

Don't forget why these tensions are there. Muslims consider the Catholics as predatory.

They consider them heathen because of their belief in the Trinity.

And Islam's eyes of belief in the Trinity is a belief in many gods. So therefore, they couldn't be true. On the other hand, Catholics view the conversion of Muslims as necessary to save them from eternal damnation. So both are going to work on the other to try to convert them. And there's going to be this conflict going on. So watch for this to take place.

A fifth major trend. Number five is the creation of a powerful Asian regional power.

Creation of a powerful Asian regional power. The Bible does indicate that there is going to be a great Asian regional power whose massive armies will attack Europe in the latter days.

Its cultural influence is so deep that even after Jesus Christ is on the earth, the millennium has begun. They will rise up in rebellion once again. Revelation chapter nine. Let's read it here. Chapter nine and begin to read in verse 14. Revelation chapter nine verse 14.

Well, let's back up to verse 13. Six angels sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God, saying to the six angels who had the trumpet, release the four angels which are bound at the great river Euphrates. And so the four angels, which have been prepared for the hour of the day and the month and the year, were released to kill one-third of mankind. We don't know how many people will be left alive at this junction. Today there are over seven billion, but however many billion there are, one-third will die in this holocaust. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was 200 million, and I heard the number of them. So here is an army that will come out of Asia of 200 million. This attack will be on the European armies by this Asiatic colossus here, as it's described in this plague. Notice chapter 16, in verse 12, which adds some more information. This is talking about the seven last plagues, verse 12. It says, then the six angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and the waters were dried up so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.

So watch the Far East. Watch for China to become the dominant financial and military power in Asia.

And again, we see that transpiring right before our eyes. They're now beginning to develop a navy.

They have some of the most sophisticated flat-top boats yet designed. Chinese officials are not wringing their hands over global warning. They are as fast as they can developing their, not only their military power, but their economic power. Watch for Japan to have a declining secondary influence in Asia and the rest of the world. Remember what I quoted to you about their percentage of gross national product in the chart and to debt? China also has up to 3,000 nuclear weapons. Many of them are hidden in tunnels. Supposedly, China only has 80 to 400 nuclear weapons, but they have found that there are over 3,000 miles of underground tunnels dug by the Chinese, and they've been hiding and squirreling away all kinds of weapons, and especially nuclear weapons. These were found out as a result of some recent earthquakes that they've had in China. So we need to be watching for that. As of May 2011, the largest single holder of U.S. government debt was China, with 26 percent of all foreign-held U.S. Treasury securities.

China's holding of government debt as a percentage of all foreign-held government debt has decreased a bit over the last year, but are up significantly since 2000, when China held just 6 percent of all foreign-held U.S. Treasury securities. In 2011, they hold 26 percent, so that's a huge percentage of our national debt. So watch for an unstable peace between many of the Asian nations.

That will eventually lead to warfare. Problems between India and Pakistan will continue.

Watch for political instability to increase as millions of people in India enter into the middle class, seeking greater political freedom and wealth. Modernize China will intervene to stabilize and become the dominant power in Asia, the major trading power, the major military power in that part of the world. So these are things that we need to be watching for. Remember, watch and pray always. So we need to know what to be watching for.

Now, another major significant trend is the Church of God will complete the Great Commission that God has given us to do. The Church of God will complete the Great Commission. The work, the job, the responsibility that God has given us here at the end time.

The complete gospel message of the Kingdom of God must be preached to all nations of the world.

This is a commission that God has given to the United Church of God and to other groups. Remember in Matthew 24, 14, this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, not just Israel, but all nations. Then the end will come.

That's when the end will occur. Revelation chapter 7 and verse 9.

Revelation chapter 7 and verse 9 here. I want you to notice something.

First part of chapter 7 talks about 144,000 being sealed. Then in verse 9 says, After these things I looked, and I beheld a great multitude which no one could number of all nations, all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands. In verse 10, crying out with a loud voice, saying, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.

Now, so here is a great multitude of people who are converted. As verse 14 says, notice, verse 14, I said to him, sir, you know, because in verse 13 he asks, who are these who are arrayed in these white robes? Where did they come from? And I said to him, sir, you know, and he said to me, these are the ones who come out of the great tribulations. So here are people who had to go through the great tribulation. They've come out and they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. So they have been converted. So here are a group of people who are converted. 144,000, whoever they are, are sealed at this time. Going over to chapter 10, in verse 11, the book of Revelation, Revelation chapter 10, and verse 11, he said to me, you must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.

So John was going to have to prophesy again. Then in chapter 11, I want you to notice, chapter 11 continues right on with the end of chapter 10.

Then I was given a read like a measuring rod, and the angel stood saying, Rise, measure the temple of God, and the altar and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside of the temple. Do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles.

And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty and two months, and I will give power to my two witnesses. And they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of earth. So John is told that he is going to have to go prophesy again. Then he sees a vision in the future of the temple in Jerusalem, and that God gives power to two witnesses to carry the warning message at the very end time.

So today, collectively, we as a church have a responsibility to preach the gospel to the world.

And yet, it's not going to stop when we stop preaching it. God is going to raise up two witnesses who will carry that message. So watch for the church of God to preach the gospel until it's literally shut down, until we are told we can't do it anymore. Watch for the church to expand its technology, to preach the gospel in many languages, to reach literally billions of people. The gospel is not simply a limited warning message to the United States, to the nations of Israel. It is also a message of hope to all the world in as many languages as possible.

So, brethren, right now, with the new networks that we've gone on—I mentioned Last Sabbath, not that that many people are listening, but potentially four billion people could tune in to the Beyond Today program on the various networks that we are now preaching on.

There is going to be a message of hope given. Watch for God to use two uniquely called individuals to receive international media attention, to powerfully preach the gospel as a warning message to the entire world. When they come on the scene, they don't need to tell you that they are the two witnesses. Everybody will know who the two witnesses are. As we sometimes joke, I've met probably a dozen two witnesses, and you have all kinds of people who claim they are the two witnesses. They are not doing anything. When these two individuals come along, there will be no doubt who they are, because God will back them with power and authority, and they will preach a very powerful message. Watch for God to use the technologies that mankind has discovered to instantly reach billions of people of all languages with the gospel message. When these two began to confront the false prophet and began to say, well, there's going to be famines take place, or floods take place, or bring fire down out of heaven, and signs and wonders are done.

I'll guarantee you that the people of the world are going to look up, wake up, they're going to see, and they're going to pay attention to what is going on. That brings us to the last point, the seventh significant event to take place. That is, the Bride of Christ will be prepared for His return. The Bible says so. The Bride of Christ will be ready, will be prepared.

The end-time Church of God prepares itself spiritually and mentally to serve along with Jesus Christ at His return to the earth. The preparation time now is to become ready.

It's necessary for all of us to get ready to be prepared so that we can help rule in the Kingdom of God. Revelation chapter 19, beginning in verse 7, says, Let us be glad. Revelation 19.7, And rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her was granted to be a raid and fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. Then, He said to me, Right, blessed are those who are called to the married supper of the Lamb.

And He said to me, These are the true sayings of God. Rather than watch for God's Church, those who have God's Spirit, to become more fired up, to become more zealous, and committed disciples. Not to be lukewarm, but truly turned on, truly zealous.

Watch for the true servants of God to really focus on their growth, development, the fruits of God's Holy Spirit, doing the work of God, supporting God's work. Let's notice in Galatians chapter 5. We'll read one last scripture here, beginning in verse 19. I'd like to read this out of the GWT translation. Galatians 5.19 says, Now the effects of the corrupt nature are obvious. So here are the obvious effects, fruits of the corrupt nature. Illicit sex, perversion, promiscuity, idolatry, drug use, hatred, rivalry, jealousy, anger, or angry outbursts, selfish ambition, conflict, factions, envy, drunkenness, wild partying, and things like that.

So if you see those in your life or in other people's lives, that's the corrupt nature.

That's not the godly nature. I've told you in the past, and I'm telling you again, that people who do these things will not inherit the kingdom of God, will not be in God's kingdom.

Verse 22, But the spiritual nature, God's spirit in us, produces what? Love, and joy, and peace, and patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There are no laws against things like this. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their corrupt nature, along with its passions and desires. If we live by our spiritual nature, then our lives need to conform to our spiritual nature. Our lives, how we live, what we do, what we think, what we see, observe, and so on, need to conform to our spiritual nature.

Brethren, all of these events are going to transpire.

And then one day, real life will begin for us. Jesus Christ will come back to this earth, His Second Coming. There will be the resurrection of the dead in Christ, and those who are zealous and on fire and alive when He returns, the kingdom of God will arrive, and we will be changed and made immortal, given eternal life. And real life, eternal life, uncorruptible life, and mortality will take hold, and we will live forever. That will be the true beginning for us to be able to live for all eternity.

So, brethren, we look forward to that time. But up until that time, we need to realize the Bible says, watch. So today, I've given you things that you need to watch out for. But it also says to pray always that you might be accounted worthy to escape all these things and to stand before the Son of Man.