Watch and Pray

Thank you, Mr. Henry. Of course, you could have said Mr. Dave Van Heusen, who, by the way, is here with us if you haven't already noticed and will be giving the message this afternoon. Appreciate him coming. And I know, then, Mr. Henry, how you would have felt. I would have felt like you did. Oh, that's fine if you want to have Mr.

Van Heusen. He—and you probably would have been ready, wouldn't you, Mr. Van Heusen? You ready to go? Yeah. Okay, okay, okay. All right. Well, brethren, this is a special day. It has a lot of special meaning in the plan of God. And let's turn over to Leviticus, chapter 23. You know, we talk about these holy days and how important that they are, and actually, they're God's holy days.

A lot of people think that they're the Jewish holy days, but God doesn't relay that information in that regard here in this particular context, Leviticus, chapter 23. I know this is a review for a lot of you, but for some of us, it may be brand new. So let's take a look at Leviticus, chapter 23, and we'll pick it up in verse 1. And we see here in this context that God is beginning to speak to His servant, His prophet, Moses, and He wants Moses to relay His words through Moses to His people.

He says in Leviticus, chapter 23, verse 1, And the Lord spoke to Moses, and He said, Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, the feasts of the Lord. And so these are His feasts. He's the one that thought of them. He's the one that planned for them. It wasn't something that man thought of. It wasn't something that was designed by man. But it was thought of very carefully and designed by God. And of course, it has so much meaning here as far as it begins to explain to us what God is doing and how He is doing it as He works with us, the pinnacle of His creation.

He says, These are the feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations. And so God commanded, I want this to be known, that these are holy convocations. And of course, that term holy convocations means to be convoked out, means to be called out, to have an assembly of God's people that come together.

And it's a holy assembly because God's going to be with them. He's the one that makes things holy. You and I can't do that. We don't have the ability to do that, but God does. And so He calls us out of the world. He calls us to assemble before Him. He convokes us to come together for these particular days. And then He shares information with us here on these holy days so that we can understand more perfectly and have our eyes opened ever wider to what He is doing.

And so He says, The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are my feasts. They're not necessarily the Israelites' feasts, but they're the feasts of God.

And His people, no matter who they are, are commanded to observe these festivals. You know, a lot of people believe that, well, they were only for the Jews. They only had meaning for the Jews. And yet we'll see, as we see here, that it has meaning that transcends God's people, the children of Israel in the Old Testament, but it also has meaning for you and I as Christians.

You know, as He talks about the first one, verse number 3, 6 days shall be work be done, and the seventh is a day of the Sabbath. But the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest. So a weekly holy day. And you've probably heard the comment, many of you over the years, that, well, it seems like such a long time from the fall holy days to the spring holy days, but we have a weekly holy day, every seven days, don't we?

So God doesn't leave us with this long drought. It says, 6 days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. And you shall do no work, it is the Sabbath of the Lord in your dwellings. And again, He emphasizes these are the feasts of the Lord. He emphasizes it to help us to understand holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. And so this is one of the appointed times. And I think we understand an appointment.

It's where you go somewhere. You either go to the doctor or heaven forbid the dentist, which seems to be one that nobody really likes to go to. But we understand the concept of having an appointment. And so we have an appointment with God today. And God says, I am here. Or two or three of you assembled together, I will be in the midst of them. So He's here. And we come before Him to give glory and honor. He goes on to say in verse 5, on the fourteenth day of the first month that twilight is the Lord's Passover.

And we know what that meant for the children of Israel. They had to slay a lamb. A lamb had to die in order for the firstborn to live. So we understand that from Scripture. But that has transcendent meaning for more than just the children of Israel. It has meaning for us as Christians because Jesus Christ was the lamb. They had to be slain. So that His firstfruits, His firstborn, could be saved from eternal death.

So we see the connection there was pointing to Jesus Christ all along, definitely having Christian meaning. We see in verse number six and on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you must eat unleavened bread. And on that first day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no work.

But you shall have an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. And the seventh day shall be a holy convocation. So we understand that this is something that the children of Israel came out of the slavery of Egypt. And we, as Christians, come out of the slavery of sin. We were in prison, spiritual prison, so to speak, the slavery of sin.

And then we go on, verse nine, and the Lord spoke to Moses and He said, there's more I want you to tell them. Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, when you come into the land which I give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. And so that sheaf was the very first produce of the fall agricultural season, the very first cut grain.

And that was to be waved. Before they could eat of the harvest of that fall, they had to offer this to God. And sometimes we think about waving as you know, waving your hand back and forth. But it actually was raised up, was waved in that sense, up and down. It was offered to God. In a sense, Jesus Christ was the wave offering. Because remember, before He ascended to His Father, was at Mary Magdalene in the garden. And Jesus said, don't touch me because I have not yet been ascended to My Father.

And so He was the first of the first fruits, the first born into spirit life. And there were going to be others to follow, which is pictured, of course, also by the feast of Pentecost. And so, verse 11, it talks about the wave sheaf. And then it goes on and talks about Pentecost in verse 15. And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheep of the wave offering.

In other words, when Jesus Christ was offered to God, as well as this wave sheaf being offered back in the days of the children of Israel, then you had to count. From the time that that wave sheaf was offered, you counted for fifty days. Seven Sabbaths, it says, shall be completed. Verse 16, count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath, then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two tenths of an ephah. And they shall be baked with fine flour. They shall be baked with lemon.

Leaven. Wait a minute, I thought leaven typified sin, and it does. But this offering was a leavened offering that happened on the day of Pentecost, and there were not one wave loave, or one loaf here, but two wave loaves that were waved to God, that were waved, pictured by the Feast of Pentecost, pictured by that there was going to be the first fruits of God that were going to be offered. And hopefully, brethren, you and I are part of that group. There will be a harvest later.

But this is a Feast of First Roots here, the Feast of Weeks as it talks about. Well, brethren, as we look at some of these things, we see that, in a sense, some of these things have been fulfilled. Now, Christ has been sacrificed. You know, in a sense, God is already calling us out of spiritual Egypt. We're trying to delaven our lives. We're trying to examine ourselves to see where it is that we need to change.

And then, many of us here have received the gift of the Holy Spirit that was given on that day of Pentecost. And so we have started our journey towards the Kingdom of God. But the day that we cover today, this festival day, this Feast of Trumpets, the reality of that day has not yet been fulfilled, has it? The reality has not yet been fulfilled. That's still ahead of us. So we know exactly where we are in the plan of God. In a sense, God has called us.

We're coming out of spiritual Egypt. We're in the wilderness like the children of Israel. We're in the wilderness, but we have not yet come into the Promised Land, have we? We haven't. We're on our way towards the Kingdom of God, but we haven't entered the Promised Land, so we're in the wilderness time. And the return of the King is coming.

Further, I want to get into the sermon here as we begin, as we enter the fall Holy Day season, because of God's Holy Day plan of salvation, we know where we are in this human journey. We know that the next reality is the return of Jesus Christ. Thanks to the Holy Days, we know where we are. So there are several things that we commemorate in regard to the actual reality of the fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets.

We're going to address some of those here and why it's important for us to understand, because, brethren, it's not going to be an easy time. Some of the things that are ahead of us here, it's not going to be an easy time, and I think it's necessary for us to understand and overview, because Jesus Christ gave us an overview. He is a prophet. That's one of the titles that He has, and God spoke powerfully through Him, and He gave us an overview.

And I think it's necessary for us to understand it. You know, for those of you that heard a sermon that I gave not too long ago here, it was entitled, God's Prophets Speak to a Nation Such as This.

And I really intended to stress in that message how important it is to understand how God looks at the world, how He looks at things, and how He views things, and how we need to view things as well. Not only in the context of looking outward at the world and watching things, but also watching ourselves in the context of looking at ourselves inwardly. You know, if we look at the mess that we're in today as a nation, if you think that it's bad now, just wait. Just wait. You know, we may look back later on in our lives to this particular period of time and think, you know, that was actually a pretty good time because our freedoms are beginning to slowly be eroded away.

You know, we've got the freedom right now to come and go as we please. We have the freedom to get into our car and come here. We have the freedom to meet and assemble here together in peace without worrying about somebody knocking on that door. We have those things here today.

But, brethren, what we're beginning to see is that slowly slipping away. In a sense, that's a very sad thing to see. But, brethren, eventually, because of the lessons of the festivals and what they teach us, is that victory will finally be God's and ours in the end.

But we will have to go through a lot of difficulties and a lot of pain and a lot of suffering, I'm sorry to say, before that eventually comes, before we get there. So, as we're about to enter the fall Holy Day season with trumpets here today being the first day, let's take a look at trumpets here in Leviticus chapter 23. Leviticus chapter 23, because there are some foundational scriptures that we'll refer to here, and we'll look at it here. And I think it's interesting that when it comes to this particular Holy Day, there are really only two verses that are addressed here in Leviticus chapter 23 on this particular Holy Day. We'll pick it up here in Leviticus chapter 23 and verse 23. It says, Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, so again these are God's words, not Moses. He says, Speak to the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath rest, a memorial of the blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. So here we are. That's today, first day of the seventh month. You shall have a memorial, the blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it, so we're not working today. And you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. And that's all it says about this particular Holy Day. And then it goes on to talk about atonement. And there's several different scriptures in that particular context that address that particular festival, which is coming up here a week from this coming Saturday. And then it goes on, and there's another larger explanation with several scriptures that talk about the Feast of Tabernacles. Have you ever asked yourself why the Feast of Trumpets is mentioned in only just a very short description with just a very short explanation? Only two verses. Well, possibly part of the reason is because it's going to happen quickly. It's going to happen very quickly. Man, in a sense, could not survive. There was no flesh that would be able to be saved alive if God did intervene. If God Himself didn't intervene. That's what's going to happen. No flesh, it says, will be saved alive if what God says is going to happen on earth is prolonged. But Christ said He's going to come back. He will come back and save mankind from human extinction. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any life left. But when we read about what's going to happen on that day or during that period, you will see that it couldn't continue for very long. Let's turn over to Mark 13 and verse number 5. Mark 13 and verse number 5.

It's going to be a short period of time. Exactly how long? I don't know. But it's not going to be too long once these things start to happen. Christ will eventually appear and victory will finally be God's. But let's take a look at Mark 13 and we'll pick it up here in verse number 5.

Jesus Christ is asked by His disciples, well, when is the end of the age going to be and what's going to be the sign of your coming? And Jesus Christ says a lot of things here. If you've got a red letter Bible, beginning in verse 5, we see that verses 5 and onward, all through the rest of the chapter, are Jesus' words. And He says in the latter part of verse 5, He says, Well, take heed that no one deceive you. So He begins to tell you one of the first signs will be deception. And verse 6, And many will come in My name, saying, I am. I am He. I am Christ. They'll say that they're the Christ. And they won't be, of course. And they're going to deceive some. So some will believe that Christ has returned. Verse 7, when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don't be troubled, for such things must happen, but the end isn't yet.

So Christ said wars and rumors of wars. And verse 8, And there's going to be nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there'll be earthquakes. And there'll be famines.

And there'll be troubles. And Matthew 24 says there'll be famines and pestilences, which talk about diseases. So there'll be difficulties. There'll be troubles.

But watch out for yourselves. So he tells us to watch out. They will deliver you up, verse 9, to councils, and you'll be beaten in the synagogues. You'll be brought before rulers and kings, for my sake, for a testimony. And then the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. But when they arrest you, deliver you up. Don't worry beforehand or premeditate what you will speak, but whatever is given to you in that hour speak. Brother will slay brother, betray brother rather, and father, child, and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. There are all kinds of things that are going to be happening at this time. Verse 13, you will be hated for my name's sake, but he who endures to the end shall be saved. So we see all of these things, and then it talks about the abomination of desolation in verse 14, and then let's jump to verse 19. It speaks of the tribulation. Verse 19, For in those days there will be tribulation such as not been since the beginning of the creation, which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.

Brother, we have to realize that this is our elder brother that's talking to us here. This is Jesus Christ that's speaking to us here, who is giving us a warning, an overview, so that we will be aware of what is going on at the time. He's giving us an overview. It's not a totally detailed explanation, but it's an overview of highlights of what's going to transpire, so that we'll be prepared, because God wants us to be prepared for what's coming.

Verse 19, For in those days there will be tribulation such has not been since the beginning of the creation, which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. Now, that's quite a statement, isn't it? I mean, for those of you that heard Mr. Victor Cubick's sermon, he talked about his own parents in World War II, and then they came into the church and began to understand the truth, and they understood what tribulation was, because they said, we have been through tribulation.

For those of you that heard that message, there were some terrible times that his parents went through in World War II. We know what tribulation is like. We have been through our own tribulation. They knew how bad it was, but it says there's not going to be any other time like this ever.

Never a time like this in the past, as bad as this, and there will never be a time as bad as this again in the future.

Never a time ever like this.

That's going to be painful. It's not going to be pleasant.

And it has to be something that's endured, and whether it affects us directly or whether we see it happen to others, it's not going to be a pleasant experience. Let's go to verse 20. And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh will be saved.

For the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days. So God is going to shorten the days.

Then if anyone says, do you look, here's Christ, or look, He's there, here or there, don't believe it.

Christ is warning us. He's saying, look, beware of this ahead of time. Because in verse 22, Christ's false apostles, or prophets, will rise. It's like they're going to come out and they're going to be very, very visible. They're going to rise up and they're going to do wonderful signs and wonders why? To deceive. That's what's going on. If possible, even the elect, which means it's going to have some logic. It's going to make some sense to you and me that this is going to be so stupendous and such wonderful signs that even we could possibly be sucked in. So there will be all kinds of crazy things going on. People proclaiming to be Christ.

Some people saying He's in the desert. Some saying He's in the inner room. They'll do signs and wonders, which will be very impressive. And if we didn't know better because of what our elder brother has shared with us, you know, we could be deceived. We could be tricked. We could be fooled.

Verse 23, But take heed. See, I have told you all things beforehand.

So he says, pay attention. Be aware. Listen to what I'm telling you because I'm telling you this in advance. I'm warning you about all of these things ahead of time. Verse 24, But in those days after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. Some wonder, well, when are the heavenly signs? Well, it says clearly here it will be after the tribulation, as it says in verse 24. In those days after that tribulation, then the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. The stars of heaven will fall and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then after the heavenly signs, which is after the tribulation, then it says in verse 26, then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. So if somebody says, hey, he's here or he's there and you haven't seen any heavenly signs, Christ returns after the heavenly signs. He tells us all of these things beforehand.

The tribulation comes first, then the heavenly signs, and then the return of Christ with great power and glory. So this is a basic overview of what's going to transpire, but he's letting us know that there are going to be some incredible things that are going to be happening. The sun and the moon and the stars all affected, Christ coming back with power and glory. Verse 27, And then he will send his angels and gather together his elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven. So wherever God's people are, dead in Christ or alive in Christ, he's going to gather them all together. They'll be resurrected from the dead. If alive, they'll be changed in a moment and a twinkling of an eye. If dead, they'll be raised together with those that are alive, and they'll meet Christ in the year.

Verse 28, Now learn this parable of the fig tree. So he said, Listen to this principle of the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So they knew that. God often uses agricultural things to help us to understand, and He was speaking to them on the ground, that they know what season it is when they see the tender twigs or the leaves begin to come forth. You know that it's summertime or that summer is about ready to start. Verse 29, So also, or as some translations say, in like manner, when you see these things happening, know that it is near. Just like when the leaves come forth, it's near summer, when these things are happening. So we know it's going to happen fairly quickly.

He says, Assurely, verse 30, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. All of these things take place. This generation. Now a lot of people have misunderstood what that means. Now if He was speaking to them, those things didn't happen in their generation. But I think what He's saying is, is that when these things start happening, they're going to happen quickly. And the generation that is alive at that time, once these things begin, they're going to happen rather rapidly. And they're going to be fulfilled quickly. Verse 31, Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Verse 31. There is verse 32, But of that day and that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven nor the sun, but only the Father. So Christ is saying, I don't even know. I don't know the day, I don't know the hour. And so He says in verse 33, Take heed, watch, and pray, for you do not know when the time is.

Watch, keep your eyes open. But He also says to pray and to stay close to God, brethren. And that's something that you and I have to do individually.

You and I have to do that individually. We can't do that for anyone else.

It really is an individual thing. It's interesting that each of us individually has to have that relationship with God and we have to maintain it.

Talk about talking with God in prayer. It's just a conversation, but staying close to Him, having a relationship close to Him.

So Jesus says, take heed, watch. And I think He's not only talking about watching world events, but also watching Me, watching ourselves, looking at ourselves.

As we go forth, I think we'll see that.

So the title of today's message is, Watch and Pray. Watch and pray. To review what I'd like to do today, specifically in the message and the time that I've left, is to review what God would have His people to be doing and what they would be thinking about and what our focus should be as we enter the next phase or the reality of His plan. That period of time leading up to and just prior to the return of Jesus Christ and the coming King of God. Christ said, look, take heed, keep your eyes open, and pray to stay close to God. Because, brethren, we're not going to be able to do this on our own.

We are not going to have the power to do this on our own, to be able to endure to the end, no matter what is coming. Verse 33, take heed, watch, and pray, because you don't know when the time is. It's like a man going into a far country. That's what Christ did.

After His death and resurrection, He went up to heaven. He sat at the right hand of God, the Father, and He's waiting to take over the responsibility on the earth. In the meantime, He's training us. He's helping us. His job is to build the church, the spiritual body, and so it's like someone has gone off, and then He's going to come back. Verse 34, And He left His house, and He gave authority to His servants. Remember the commandment that He gave His disciples to go out and teach all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them whatever I have taught you. Nurture them, help them, serve them, support them.

So He had given some of His authority to His servants, and He does give authority to help, to serve, and notice unto each His work. So He gave everyone a job. He gave everyone a responsibility, and He commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Verse 35, Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning, and lest coming suddenly He finds you sleeping.

In other words, not watching and not praying, not talking with God, not having that relationship with God. And I hope we understand it's just not putting in our time necessarily and talking to God, but it has to be genuine. It has to be sincere from the heart as we talk to Him. So He says, you better look. Christ says you better keep yourself close to God, lest coming suddenly He finds you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all.

So it's like He's speaking down to every generation to come, and any of the disciples. Not just talking to the people on the ground at that time. He says, what I'm saying to you, I'm actually saying to all to you and to me. He says, I say to all, watch. So He says, keep your eyes open. Let's go over to Luke 21. Luke 21. These are all part of parallel accounts from different perspectives. We've heard Mark's perspective, and this will be Luke's perspective here. Luke 21.

And we'll pick it up here in verse number 34.

Again, He says, but take heed to yourselves. So He's telling us to take heed individually, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing drunkenness in the cares of this life.

So now He's saying to watch ourselves, not necessarily just watch world events, which is important, which is an important part, but also to watch right here, our own life, our own character, our own tendencies. He says, take heed to yourself and lest your hearts, so we see hearts are involved, be weighed down. So apparently, the people of God's hearts can be weighed down with various things, carousing, with drunkenness, and with the cares of this life. Now, the worst distractions, distractions that are out there. You get involved with the way of the world, the way of the culture. You know, there's nothing wrong with working hard and becoming involved with things and doing things and helping other people, but it can't be your overriding motivation.

Because if it is, then that can begin to take you away from God. Never forget Him.

Don't let those things push God out of the picture or God out of your life or God out of your mind.

Our brother, our elder brother, is saying, don't get overwhelmed. Don't get weighed down with doing other things, certainly not with drunkenness, and don't let the cares of this life take you away. And this is possible. Otherwise, Jesus Christ wouldn't have spoken this way.

Let's turn to 2 Timothy 4 and verse 10. 2 Timothy 4.

2 Timothy 4 and verse 10.

I gave this message last Sabbath in the Elendale Southern Minnesota congregation. I know some of you were there. Hopefully, the review won't be hurtful but helpful.

But the sermonette was talking about how that can happen with youth. It's a very important time in their lives, and they need guidance and help because there's a lot of dangerous doors and influences at that time in your life. But it can happen at any age. Not just with youth, it can happen with adults. Paul is saying to Timothy, he says, for Demas has forsaken me. Now, Demas was a fellow laborer. Someone was helping him in the church.

Demas has forsaken me. Notice having loved this present world.

So Demas started the journey. He started the journey with God, most likely baptized, and committed to God, entered into a covenant relationship with God.

And it says, Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and he's departed for Thessalonica. He's going back to what he wants to do.

So it can happen, brethren. There are things in this world that can be pretty enticing. Things that have a lot of draw to them. They're enticing. You can have some pretty nice places to visit. You can experience some pretty nice things. And this life can offer a lot in that way, and you can enjoy them. But when they begin to lead us away from God, and they help us sometimes to forget God, and we get to the point where we think, well, I'm doing pretty well. I'm pretty comfortable. You begin to think, why do I need God? I've got all of this. And that can happen.

God says, look out. Don't get overwhelmed with that, because if it takes you away from God, well, then there's a real problem. Verse 34, but take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing drunkenness and the cares of this life, and that day come on you unexpectedly.

Because we're not watching, we're not alert, and possibly it's not just unaware of the sense that you don't see what's happening. It could be very well that we've drifted away from God.

We're not close to Him. We can't always get that relationship restored immediately. For those of you that know the parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew chapter 25, the bridegroom heard that He was coming, and the five foolish didn't have enough oil. And they thought they'd try to go buy some oil. They'd have the time to buy the oil, and so they'd be ready to meet the bridegroom.

Christ gives us a whole other lesson there that addresses that question, too, is that we may not have time to get ready. Like that. We don't have time to get ready. The lesson, I think, is to be ready. So we can't always get back into a relationship with God in just a matter of moments.

We have to be in a relationship. Verse 35, For it will come as a snare. You know how a snare works? It's a trap. To entice an animal into a trap with something that looks good, something that appears good. The definition of a snare here in the dictionary, a contrivance, often consisting of a noose for entangling birds or mammals, a trap, something by which one is entangled, involved in difficulties or impeded, something deceptively attractive. So we know, in a sense, how that works. It looks good! It looks good. It seems to make all the sense in the world. How could it be a problem? Set up that way. It would be a trap. It says, verse 35, It will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. So they're not going to be expecting this. Verse 36, Watch therefore. So understanding what's been said before, he says, watch therefore. And that's not just watching world events. That's a part of it, and that's fine. But it can't just stop there. Just watching does not necessarily make us righteous or make us ready because there's more to this verse. This is what I want to make sure we understand. Watch therefore and pray always. So we have a constant relationship communication with God. We're in a prayerful attitude. We have that mind of Christ renewed in us day by day. Notice that you may be. So that's not the person sitting next to us. That's not our neighbor, necessarily, or another person in the room or our spouse. But that you, not the person next to you, but you may be counted worthy to escape all of these things which will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man. Brethren, who counts us or designates us worthy to escape?

Well, it's God. So this is really an inescapable situation. We either have a relationship with God or talking with Him on a regular basis so that God counts us worthy to escape, or He doesn't count us worthy because we're not maintaining a constant relationship with Him. And, brethren, it's an individual thing. You can't just be on the bandwagon and say, well, I'm married to this wonderful person that's got a relationship with God, and I'm going to be able to just hang on to that coattail. It's not what Christ is telling us. Some of you old-timers that have gray hair like me may remember back, and I don't remember a lot of this because I started attending church with my parents back in about 1971. The first feast of Tabernacles was 1972 in Wisconsin Dells. Some of you were probably there. There were 12,000 or 13,000 of us that were there at that time. And prior to us just starting to attend, there were some that had thought that there was a possibility that Christ was going to return in 1975. And, of course, there was a thought that there would be a place of safety to go to and there'd be some protection three to three and a half years prior to that. So when 1972 came and went, there were several people that were disillusioned thinking, you know, I was thinking this was going to happen and it didn't happen. And so they left the Church of God. They left the church talking with one of the ministers that was there at that time and said they had some personal conversations with some of these people. And they even admitted, they readily admitted, you know what? I was really just trying to save my own life, my own skin. That's really what it came down to. I thought Christ was going to return and I wanted to be protected from what was going to happen. So I was just trying to save my own life, my own skin in that sense. And that's why I did what I did. And so, the brethren, you know, we think about it, that's not really the way to save our lives, our spiritual lives. It's just to look after our fleshly protection.

God says right here, you need to pray. I need to pray. Stay close to me, God said, so that you'll be counted by me, by God. In other words, worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and then to stand before the Son of Man because He is going to come back.

And we want to be able to stand there and receive Him and not think, oh, I wonder what's going on. I'm not ready. I need more time.

So I just want to emphasize the fact that it's an individual situation between us and God. Let's notice 2 Peter 3. 2 Peter 3, we've seen the viewpoint from Mark.

We've seen the viewpoint from Luke. Let's take a look at what Peter has to say here in 2 Peter 3. And I think this is a really important verse, brethren, because some people think, well, you know, Christ isn't going to come back in my lifetime, so I don't need to be ready.

I don't need to watch and pray. I don't need to watch world events. I don't need to watch my own life because I don't think He's coming back in my lifetime. But, brethren, when you think about it, things can change very rapidly. You know, I've talked to people that have been diagnosed. I think of Mr. Dennis Luker. Most of you know his story. Diagnosed with cancer and two weeks later, approximately just a few weeks later, gone. Dead. And in a sense, when he wakes up, he will wake up in the kingdom of God. In that sense, you know, he'll be resurrected and Jesus Christ will be there.

And so, in a sense, Christ can return a lot faster than what we think.

For Him, it's going to be one long night's sleep. A good night's sleep. A sound night's sleep.

And Christ will be there. So, in a sense, we don't know when these things are going to happen, or when we will have a medical condition ourselves. We just don't know. And in a sense, that's Christ returning, in a sense, a little bit faster than maybe what we would be ready for.

So, this context addresses that attitude, I think, brethren, very, very well. Peter says this.

He says in 2 Peter 3, verse 3, Knowing this first, that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts. You know, they want to do really what they want to do.

And so, they scoff about some of the things in Scripture. It's hard to scoff about this one.

Scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, well, where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers have died or fallen asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. Nothing's changed.

Verse 5, But they've forgotten something, or they've forgotten it willfully, it says in verse 5, For this they willfully forget that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. God says there were consequences for the way that they lived their life. We know the story of the flood. And He saved Noah and his family. He says God created the heavens and the earth by His word. They're standing out of water in water. Then they perished. It says that world, verse 6, that existed then perished, being flooded with water. But He says next time it's not water that's coming. He's already promised He wouldn't do that again. It was a covenant. But He says next time it's not going to be water, it's going to be fire. Notice that in verse number 7. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, so in other words this is going to happen just as sure as the flood happened, that are preserved by the same word are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and the perdition of ungodly men. Says this is going to happen.

Verse 8, But beloved, don't forget this one thing. He's talking to God's people here.

He says that with the Lord one day is a thousand years and a thousand years as a day.

And then He goes on to say that Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but He's long suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Maybe God's taken longer than what we thought, but it's because He's merciful.

He doesn't want anyone to go through some of the things that are coming. He doesn't want anyone to perish. God is not willing that any should perish, that all should come to repentance.

You want to know what our God's will is and what His wish is? It's pretty clear here, part of it, in verse 9. Then He says in verse 10, But the day of the Lord is going to come as a thief. It's going to catch us by surprise. Even in the parable of the Ten Versions, it says they all slept. Some had enough oil, but some didn't. He'll come as a thief in the night in which the heavens are going to pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Both the earth and the works that are in it are going to be burned up.

Brethren, if all of this physical stuff that we have is to teach us things, that's why God allows us to be here in the flesh and to have this earth, to have what we see around us, these material things that help us to learn lessons, is here to help us to train us for an ultimate conclusion, for an ultimate destiny of why we were born, then why do we make such a big deal out of it?

It's just to help us. It's temporary to train us. Why do we make such a big deal out of the physical stuff? He says in verse 11, Therefore, since all of these things are going to disappear, they're going to be dissolved. We know what dissolve means. It just kind of disappears into nothingness. What manner of persons you and I to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God. He says if you want to focus on something, look forward.

Look forward to what's coming, a new heaven and a new earth, not to be wrapped up with what the cares of this present age. Verse 12, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, again, a transitional word there, based on what we've read, look forward. Look forward to these things. Anticipate these things.

Strive for that day to come. And notice why we're doing that as we're looking forward to these things. Be diligent and be found by Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

So there's God's inspiring Peter to tell us, as we look forward to these things that are coming, to be found without spot and blameless and in peace. And you know, we can't be blameless of ourselves. We can't. We need God's help, brethren.

By constantly keeping in contact with God and examining ourselves, we can repent of the things that we see there.

And we talked about all these things happening quickly, you know, in a generation. I'll just refer you to Isaiah 66 and verse 8. Isaiah 66 and verse 8.

It talks about things happening fast, like a woman in travail, and suddenly she gives birth, and when the pain starts, you know, it starts slowly, but then the contractions get closer and closer and closer, and then birth happens. Jesus Christ said some of these things were the beginning of sorrows, and that can also be translated the beginning of a woman in travail.

So once it starts, it moves along quickly. Isaiah 66 verse 8 says, Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day?

Yeah, that's exactly what's going to happen.

You know, the dead in Christ are going to rise. Those that are alive will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and together they'll rise up and meet Christ in the year.

Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day, or shall a nation be born at once? Yes!

Exactly what's going to happen. Suddenly, there's a spiritual nation, a spiritual people.

For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth.

And so we see, brethren, these things will happen quickly. Let's go over to Revelation 3 verse 10. Revelation 3 verse 10.

I want to cover a few Scriptures here, brethren, to show that there will be some that will be protected from some of the things to come.

In Revelation 3, we see a letter here that's written to seven churches.

It actually picks it up here in chapter 2. It begins with the first church. We get into chapter 3, and we come to the church at Philadelphia.

And these were people that were very much on board. They were very zealous people. We're not a dead church, but very much a faithful and alive church.

It says here in verse number 10, he's speaking to them, Because you have kept my command to persevere.

So, I remember you maybe haven't thought about it before, but God commands us to persevere.

You have kept my command to persevere.

I will also keep you from the hour of trial, which is going to come upon the whole world. To test those who dwell on the earth, Behold, I am coming quickly. Hold fast what you have.

And so we see that He tells us to hold fast, that no one take our crown.

So He says, better hold on to it. I've given it to you. You have a crown.

Don't let it slip. You can let it slip if we don't maintain it.

Brethren, we can't do this on our own.

We cannot do this on our own. We think we can quit praying, and we think God opened our eyes. We understand the truth. We don't have to have a relationship with Him, because I kind of know where things are. I can just kind of coast along and just be fine and be about my business.

If I'm thinking that, I'm kidding myself. I'm not going to be able to do this on my own, and neither are you. Brethren, that seems to be humanly what can come.

We have to persevere. We have to bring every thought into captivity. We have to fight.

So He wants us to stay alert, not let that crown slip away.

That's what He says in verse 11. Hold fast what you have. Hang on to it. Stay close to God. Let's go over to Revelation 5. Revelation 5.

We know and understand that Jesus Christ is a prophet. He was sent from God the Father. He didn't speak His own words. He didn't have His own doctrine. He talked about what the Father told Him to say, and we'll see that He's going to give us a few more details in regards to this overview here in Revelation 5. It says, I saw on the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals? And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open it or look at it.

So John is right. He said, I wept much. So he must have been important. He thought, we need to know what's in these scrolls.

So I wept much. No one was found worthy. Verse 5. But one of the elders said, Don't weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals. And I looked and behold, in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures, in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns, seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out throughout the old earth. So we know we're talking about Christ. He was worthy. Verse 7. He came and He took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne, referring to His Father. He came up and He took that scroll out of the right hand of His Father.

Verse 8. And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls of incense, notice which are the prayers of the saints. Brethren, do the prayers make a difference to God? Here, they are listed as incense, golden bowls full of incense, a pleasing, sweet-smelling savor to God. Like any father likes to hear from his children, have a relationship with them, have a conversation with them. The prayers are very important, aren't they?

Verse 9. And they sang a new song, saying, You were worthy to take the scroll and opened its seals, for you were slain, and you redeemed us to God by your blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

And notice, verse 10, and have made us kings and priests to our God.

And we shall reign on the earth to offices there.

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was ten times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.

I asked the question, Elendael, how many are ten thousand times ten thousand?

A hundred million that were around the throne.

Brethren, there's another place that's mentioned in the book of Daniel, also a prophet. Let's go back to Daniel 7 and verse number 15.

Daniel is one of an amazing book with only twelve chapters, and it has so much prophetic information in here.

So it's a wonderful book that's been given to us by God.

Daniel asked for more detail. He wanted to know more about what was going on. Daniel 7 and verse number 15. Daniel said, I was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions in my head troubled me. He saw visions, but he didn't know what it meant. He was troubled by their meaning.

Verse 16, I came near to one of those who stood by, and I asked him the truth of all of this. Tell me what this means.

And so he told me, and he made known that interpretation. He said, verse 17, these great beasts, which are four that you saw, they are four kings which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. It's pretty condensed.

There's going to be four great kingdoms, and after that, there's going to be the kingdom of God. But Daniel wants more detail. Verse 19, he said, I wish to know the truth about the fourth beast which was different from the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron, its nails of bronze, which devoured, broken pieces, trampled the residue with its feet, and the ten horns which were at its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows, and I was watching, and that same horn was making war against the saints.

Against God's people. That horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them. Brethren, we don't know what's going to happen to us individually.

Some will be, as it says in Revelation chapter 3, will be protected from that hour that will try the whole earth. Others, the horn is going to make war against some of the saints and will prevail against some of them. There could be difficult times ahead. Verse 22, until the ancient of days came and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom. So we know how it's going to end.

It may be difficult for a while, but then it's going to end with peace and victory.

Verse 25, He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High. He shall intend to change times and laws. Then the saints shall be given into His hand for a time and times and half a time, about three and a half years is what the interpretation of time times and half a time.

But then the court will be seated and they shall take away His dominion to consume and destroy it forever, so it will eventually cease.

Let's go over to Revelation 6. Revelation 6, we know that Christ has been found worthy to open the seals and He begins to open them. Let's just take a look here. We'll briefly look at these seven seals that are found on this scroll. We'll look at an overview and then we'll get into some of the details of each one. Revelation 6, verse 1, I saw the Lamb opened one of the seals, so He opens the first one. I heard one of the four living creatures, same with a voice like thunder, come and see.

So John sees and describes what he sees here, and we'll see that each one has a specific prophetic significance. And we'll see this is the first of the four horsemen that you may have heard about of the apocalypse. Further, before we get into the details, though, the first five seals that we, as we look at an overview, tell us why God's judgment is needed. They correspond to the adversities of God's enemies and your and my enemies that afflict the vast portions of humanity.

They have to do with our enemy in the first five seals and what He's going to do.

They'll occur prior to the day of the Lord, prior to God's judgment that begins with the seventh seal, actually, the seven trumpets that make up part of that seventh seal. But interestingly, these first six seals are all found in Revelation 6. They're all found right here in one chapter, where the seventh seal takes up about two-thirds of the book of Revelation. The first six seals are all found right here in Revelation 6. Well, we'll take a look, and we'll go back and forth a little bit between Revelation 6 and Mark and maybe Matthew, based on the time that we have.

The first seal, brethren, is false religion. False religion, the first horseman of the apocalypse. It says in verse 1 of Revelation 6, Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, Come and see. And I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow. So that was his weapon. He had a bow and a crown. He had one crown that was on his head, and he went out to conquer and to be conquered.

And to conquer. So what's the meaning of this mysterious rider? What's the object of his conquest? Is this Jesus Christ, or is this an imposter? Well, keep your finger here, but let's notice Revelation 19 and verse 11. Revelation 19 and verse 11, Christ is pictured as returning also, victoriously, on a white horse here.

Revelation 19 and verse 11, we know it's Christ based on the context here.

So does this mean that the first seal pictures the returning conquering Christ? Well, we'll take a look here in a moment. Revelation 19 and verse 11, I saw heaven open, behold, a white horse, and he who sat on him was faithful and true. So we see here some things that are talked about this rider. And in righteousness, he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. And he had a name written that no one knew except himself. And he was clothed with a robe dipped in blood. His name is called the Word of God. So we know we're referring to Christ. John chapter 1 talks about that's why his name is the Word of God. And the armies in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. And out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that he should strike the nations, and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of God. Further, this is the same person as the one back in Revelation chapter 6, the rider of the white horse and the first seal. Well, let's notice there's some significant differences. Christ, in this context here, is wearing many crowns.

Back in Revelation chapter 6, the rider was wearing one crown. The weapon for Christ here is a sword here in this context in Revelation chapter 19. But remember the weapon back in Revelation chapter 6? It was a bow. So these are significant differences. Jesus is pictured with a sword as his weapon rather than a bow, and he has many crowns rather than one. So let's go back to Revelation chapter 6, verse 1. And we see here that this is an imposter. Looks good. Riding the white horse going out to conquer. We see it's an imposter. And it ties into Mark chapter 13 in verses 5 and 6. I'll just refer for sake of time. But Christ said, Take heed that no one deceives you. Many will come and say that they are Christ, but they're not. And take heed that nobody deceive you. So Jesus warned His disciples that the first adversity that they would face would be deception.

People claiming to be Him and they're not. Let's go on to the second seal. Revelation chapter 6 in verse number 3. The second seal or the second horseman is the horror of war.

Revelation chapter 6 in verse 3 says, When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come and see. And another horse, fiery red, went out, and it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth. Christ is coming to bring peace. This one takes peace from the earth.

And notice, and that people should kill one another. So that's what He instigates. He tries to stir up situations where people will harm each other. They'll kill each other.

And there was given Him a great sword. So this horse has the color of blood. It's red. It matches Christ's second warning that we read about already in Mark chapter 13 verses 7 and 8, where nation will rise against nation and kingdom will rise against kingdom.

So we see those things happening in the seals here. Again, Satan inspired. The third seal, or the third horseman. So we look at Revelation chapter 6 in verse 5.

The third seal, the third rider, is famine. It says, When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius.

Do not harm the oil and the wine. It's like a loaf of bread for a full day's wage.

And so it was expensive. Things were rare. There was famine.

That corresponds to what we read in Mark in Matthew chapter 20 verse 7, where it says there'll be famines and there'll be pestilences, which is diseases.

So there's a scarcity of food that happens here and famines. And that's often a natural result of war that begins to take place.

Let's go to the fourth seal, Revelation 6 and verse 7. When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come and see. And I looked, and behold, a pale or sickly looking horse.

And the name of him who sat on it was death.

And Hades, or the grave as it could be translated, followed with him.

And so we see there's disease.

And power was given to them, referring to all four of the horsemen, over a fourth of the earth to kill a sword, in other words, with war, with hunger, in other words, with famine, with death, various ways, and by the beasts of the earth.

Rather than the fourth seal describes widespread disease epidemics in the wake of war and famine from the previous seals.

And again, verse 7 of chapter 24 of Matthew, Christ talks about pestilences are going to come.

So Christ gives us a pretty good idea of what's happening with these seals.

You know, he adds to what is written in Revelation 6 via Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.

Let's look at the fifth seal.

After the first four horsemen, Jesus opens yet another seal, and the fifth seal is religious persecution. Let's notice that in Revelation 6, verse 9.

And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been killed are slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held, and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood and those who dwell on the earth? Then a white robe was given to them, each of them, and it was said that they should rest a little while longer until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who would be killed as they were were completed. So symbolically pictured at the altar of God's temple, you see the lives of those who have been martyred and that there would still be some to come. Brethren, there are some difficult times that could be coming. God wants to warn us to take heed, to watch, and to watch ourselves as we go further along here. Jesus Christ Himself said in Matthew 24, verses 9 through 12, He said, They'll deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My sake, and many will be offended.

Brethren, we're not going to be able to do this on our own. We're going to need God's help. We're going to need to help one another to encourage each other to go forth in times of difficulty.

In the sixth seal, things change. There's a transformation. There's a transition, a major transition that happens on the sixth seal. Let's take a look at Revelation 6, verse 12.

This is when God begins to intervene. The first five seals have to do with the present evil age, the present leader of this evil age. Things start to change with the sixth seal. He says, When I looked, He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black, as sackcloth of hair and the moon became like blood, and the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its late figs when it's shaken by a mighty wind, and the sky receded like a scroll when it's rolled up. I can't imagine what that is like. And every mountain and island was moved out of its place, so the heavenly signs. And the earth is being shaken, and the heavens are being shaken. Christ talked about the heavenly signs earlier.

Verse 15, In the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave, every free man hid themselves in the caves and the rocks of the mountains, said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. And so God finally steps in, begins to happen in the sixth seal, and goes into the seventh seal. For verse 17, for the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand? So, brethren, we see the order of these events. First comes the tribulation, as described in the fifth seal. Then comes the heavenly signs, as described in the sixth seal.

And then comes the seventh seal, the day of God, the day of His anger.

Let's go to Revelation 7, verse 1. We begin to see the seventh seal, which we understand that God is going to protect His people when He intervenes.

After these things, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, and the wind should not blow on the earth or the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God, and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea. And notice verse number 3. Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. Brethren, once God intervenes, He is not going to harm any of His people. They're going to be protected. Verse 4, and I heard the number of those who were sealed. It was 144,000 of all the tribes of Israel. They were sealed. And He goes on in verses 5 to 8 to talk about 12,000 sealed from each tribe. Verse 9, He says, And after these things I looked, and behold, there was a great multitude which no one could number, of all the nations and tribes and tongues and peoples standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed with white robes and with palm branches. In verse 13, one of the elders answered and said to me, because John says, Who are these people? So one of the elders says to him, saying to me, well, he's asking the question to John. He's asking the question so that John will think about it. Who are these that are arrayed in white robes and where did they come from?

John says, Sir, you know. So he said, Well, these are the ones who came out of great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Brethren, there's going to be several people that are going to come to God in the tribulation. When things get tough, when our adversary begins to roll out a lot of things, there will be some people that will listen to God.

Verse 15, Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in this temple.

And he who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore. The sun shall not strike them nor any heat. For the Lamb who is in the midst of them will shepherd them and lead them to the living fountains of waters, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Let's go to Revelation 8. Seventh seal. We'll wrap this up here.

So they opened the seventh seal, and a lot of the Scriptures have to do with this seventh and last seal in the book of Revelation. And there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

And I saw the seven angels who stood before God and to them were given seven trumpets. And that's part of the meaning of this day, the Feast of Trumpets, is these seven trumpets.

Then another angel having a golden censer came and stood at the altar, and he was given much incense that he should offer it notice with the prayers of all of the saints. So there it is again, the importance of the prayers of God's people. That ascended before God from the angel's hand. Verse 5, Then the angel took the censer, filled it with the fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightings, and an earthquake. And then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. And then begins the seven trumpets, where God intervenes mightily on the earth prior to the return of Christ.

And there are other Scriptures we could turn to. I'll have you write down Revelation 9 and verse 4.

This was the fifth trumpet. There's four that go before. But it says, don't do anything until you protect God's people. So you put the seal of God in their foreheads.

And so God protects His people during His intervention.

Further, let's go to Revelation 14 and verse 1. Revelation 14 and verse 1.

I guess we've already read that.

Let's go to Luke 21. We'll wrap this up.

Brother, there's an exciting plan that God has revealed through His holy days.

You know, sometimes it gets dark before dawn. But let's be reminded of the individual journey that we're on. You know, Jesus Christ, our older brother, has told us to watch and to pray.

He said in Luke 21, verse 34, to take heed to yourselves, that your hearts not be weighed down with various things of this life, that that day approach us and catch us sleeping and come upon us unexpectedly.

We'll conclude here with Luke, chapter 21, verse 36.

He says, watch and pray always that you may escape all of these things that will come to pass and be able to stand before the Son of Man. So, brethren, let's prepare now to hold fast, to stand firm, to keep that relationship going with God, so that we will be there at the glorious return of Jesus Christ.