Mike Bickle emphasizes the paradox of the Kingdom of God, where ultimate triumph is achieved through tribulation, as illustrated in Daniel 12. He explains that a time of unprecedented trouble is coming, marked by the rise of the Antichrist and a significant increase in angelic activity, particularly through Michael the Archangel. Bickle urges believers to prepare themselves spiritually, making resolute choices for righteousness before the intensity of conflict escalates. He warns against the deception that may arise during this time, stressing the importance of remaining faithful to the truth of Jesus and the call to righteousness. Ultimately, he reassures that those who endure will shine like stars in the Kingdom of God.

About the triumph of the kingdom of God the ultimate victory, but it's The challenge is it's victory through tribulation that's You know really opposite of the Western mindset We like triumph But we don't necessarily want triumph going through tribulation through trouble Daniel chapter 12 a mighty angel has appeared to Daniel he's Assuring Daniel of the ultimate triumph of the people of God But he said you must know it will be the most challenging time the most difficult time in human history But it will be the most powerful time of human history So there's a time frame that's coming That is the most dramatic of human history The most powerful the most important it's the very greatest hour all of human history is pointing to a particular time frame And if you're alive in that time frame, it's a great privilege, but it will take supernatural power and endurance But the Holy Spirit will be near to the church and manifest glory Now the reason this mighty angel revealed these details to Daniel Was so that the people of God that would live in that time they could Prepare themselves of course nobody knows for sure if they're in that time until it emerges right in front of them That's the problem with the great moments in human history that are on God's calendar that People don't know they're in a dynamic great important moment almost always they don't know till afterwards when they look back I mean even when Jesus was on the earth almost nobody knew it I Mean he goes through the nation for three and a half years and miracles and only a hundred and twenty people make it to the upper room Israel did not know it the greatest moment in history. They did not grasp it the nations did not grasp it and So I believe we're approaching that time frame, I believe it's very possible that we're in the early days of that time frame I've said this for years. It's not a prophecy. It's just a observation of Studying the biblical signs of the times You know there's many signs of the times in the Bible that that declare and describe that generation And right now for the first time in history most of those signs are happening and Escalating on a global level for the first time in history Let's say that again most of the biblical signs that indicate the final generation most of those signs are Escalating on a global level together for the first time they're escalating on a global level together Now the time may stretch out a little bit or it might speed up but it's Typical of humans Even the godly that are not alert not paying attention to be in a divine Timeframe and not know it till they look back on it Well this mighty angel appeared to Daniel and said I might give you some details So that you can make them known so the people of God can be alert and they can because here's what God wants He wants the people of God Resolved that they will be faithful Before the intensity of the conflict escalates Before the conflict escalates. He wants the people to be resolved. They're going to be faithful and obey And it's not just the resistance Escalating, but it's the sinfulness the temptation in the culture escalating you know if you raise children You want to teach them to be resolved to make choices before they're in the heat of the temptation You don't raise children and say we'll just go out there And you know in your teen years you just get out there in the very first time you encounter something Hey make your choice, but you train them ahead of time so in the security of their family life they make strong Resolves long before they face the actual intensified temptation And that's why this information is given 2,500 years ago and As we're approaching that generation and well might be in the early days of it again in my opinion I think we are I think there's people alive on the earth right now that will see these things come to fullness Maybe the 20 year olds Maybe the 50 year olds. I don't know Maybe the two year olds who can tell maybe it's a little bit later down the road But it's not too early to understand what the Bible says about that hour Because the Jesus said in that day In that time frame Luke 21 verse 26 he goes men will faint for fear Even some of his own people they will be so overcome with fear in that day Because they're surprised They don't understand the details of it the main ideas I mean have been laid out ahead of time in the Word of God which means that all these details are sovereignly in God's hands, and they're pointing in a direction for a purpose and The people of God can be confident that their beloved bridegroom King is actually the one orchestrating Where the nations are going in that hour of history and we see it in the Bible ahead of time And we have confidence we have clarity that we make resolves That we will stand in righteousness, and we won't yield To compromise in the temptation or in the persecution But before it intensifies we lock it in and we go. This is what I'm about I'm a man or woman of prayer. I'm a man or woman of righteousness. I'm gonna take a stand even if I lose everything I'm gonna stand as The temptation and the persecution of resistance against righteousness Intensifies because the enemy knows that if you get in fear People of God get into fear they'll compromise they get into confusion. They'll compromise They're not clear about what the Bible says many will be subject to or vulnerable to deception They'll be swayed off the path I mean as I've said over and over and I'll say it all of my days that The great deception, and it's not about just a false You know false religion in you know Eastern religion emerging. You know some new new age religion That's not what I'm concerned about in the church. It's the distorted grace message Many believers are already on the pathway of deception But it's under the banner of the doctrine and the terminology of the grace of God They're already moving in the realm of deception already So the deception I'm concerned about isn't a new Eastern religion a new you know Expression of the New Age movement that believers go wow that must be it It's the use of biblical terminology love Justice grace, but not with a biblical definition and meaning and Because the terminology is biblical many believers They're being discipled by the Internet and by social media instead of the Bible And they don't understand what's happening, and I'm telling you the the Lord Said in Matthew chapter 24 that he spoke more about deception than he did tribulation Tribulation will be real, but the deception will be a greater threat And again, it won't be mostly the deception of a false Eastern religion It will be compromised and yielding to the escalating Seduction in the culture and the fear of being ridiculed and backing away from truth. That's where the real deception lies The scripture makes it clear that there'll be a great falling away from the faith, but it will be on those terms I mean it will be along that pathway So we have a lot of information in Daniel 12 About that grand glorious time frame very difficult time frame but it's the one where the church comes to be filled with glory and the great harvest breaks out and Purity goes to a whole nother level in the church beyond any other time in human history Let's look at Roman numeral 2 The context now this is a review from our last session which was some weeks ago Our last session in this series was about the Antichrist and revelate. I mean in Daniel chapter 11 verse 36 a king a king will arise Daniel 8 23 uses that phrase a king speaking of the Antichrist he will emerge he will arise in the nations That's a chapter 8 verse 23 and here that King is mentioned again. He'll speak blasphemies Blasphemous things about God But the confusing thing is he will prosper So many will go he must be right Because everything he touches seems to work, but it's a temporary prosperity and we don't need to be deceived by his prosperity He'll prosper economically and military since the political sense popularity I mean it will look he will appear invincible and powerful and right But we know this is coming So we're not swayed by the you know the immense popularity of new ideas with deception and distortion in them that use biblical terminology verse 45 Ways gonna invade Israel matter of fact The mighty angel said he's gonna plant his tent the tents of his palace. That's his headquarters It's gonna plant it near to Jerusalem So this man this may not be his only headquarters, but one of his political military economic headquarters Will be near Jerusalem So don't be deceived by that This man will appear good. He'll appear to be a man of peace But he'll be rooted and established near the city of Jerusalem The mighty angel said in verse 45, but have no fear this man shall come to an end no matter how much wealth No matter how big his armies that are in alliance with him no matter how invincible he seems Something will happen where no human power will be able to deliver him and that's something as a Jewish man is coming from heaven To confront him before the whole world confront him openly on a global level and Nobody will have the power to withstand this Jewish King coming from heaven Paragraph B. This is all review from the last session 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 and When the lawless one which is clear the Antichrist in that context when he is revealed on the global stage He'll have three and a half years His reign of terror. I mean he'll be on the global stage for seven years, but three and a half years will be a reign of terror Jesus of Nazareth will appear and Consume him by the breath of his mouth and Destroy him by the very brightness of his own account in its when he appears Jesus will stand before this man who has the armies of the earth around the city of Jerusalem to completely exterminate the Jewish people and the greater David The greater Moses the greater Joshua the greater Elijah all culminates in one man The king of kings the mighty prophet the great apostle the shepherd He will appear with all the power of the nations behind the Antichrist Jesus will consume him by the breath of his mouth. Jesus will simply and Consume him and by the gaze of his own countenance the very brightness of the glory of God that Jesus possesses as Being fully God, but as a man, he's fully man It will destroy this seemingly all-powerful man Well, that's what happens in the verse right before Daniel 12 now, you know in the original there was not a chapter break there the angel didn't say Okay, let's take a coffee break put a chapter in here that angels in the same conversation. He hasn't paused at all here So let's go on to Roman numeral 3 we're going right to chapter 12 verse 1 the same angel is still talking And the verse before talked about the destruction of the Antichrist but paragraph B Daniel 12 verse 1 at that time the time when the Antichrist Has his headquarters planted in Jerusalem At that time there's a number of ideas all come together in the same time frame So we can't mistake what the angels talking about what time frame is talking about when a mighty king The Antichrist is established in Jerusalem and When he is destroyed in a way no other man can deliver him that's the verse before at that time Michael the Archangel Shall arise he shall stand up in other words Michael the Archangel will be Dynamically involved in a way that is manifest in the earthly arena When it talks about Michael standing up it means he will He will be involved in activity that affects Planet Earth that affects the nation of Israel in a very dramatic open way is the idea So at that time when the Antichrist is planted in Jerusalem, and when he's destroyed in that same time frame Michael the Archangel the Great Prince Now Prince he's an angelic Prince the Bible calls him an Archangel now notice He is the Archangel that has been given an assignment to watch over Israel He's the great prince who stands watch over your people now He's talking to Daniel the mighty angels telling this to Daniel And he says at the same time that Michael arises this is tremendous Increase of angelic activity that's being manifest on the earth so Dan Michael arising it's not just Michael alone Michael we find out later We'll look in a minute that all of his angels with them They are involved together in a way that is manifest great angelic activity Will be displayed in the church on the earth in a very dramatic way this will be very exciting time But it won't be only exciting Because it will be a time of trouble on the earth So the mighty angel goes on and says he qualifies it So it's impossible to confuse that time of trouble with any other time frame of history He says that time of trouble is unique It will be a time of trouble such as never was Since there was a nation Since nations have existed No time of trouble has ever happened on the earth. That's equal to this even to that time the end of the age it still will be unprecedented the level of trouble and At that time he uses the same phrase again at that time he uses that phrase twice The nation of Israel will be delivered So there's about five things that come together in one time frame according to Daniel chapter 12 11 and 12 the Antichrist is planted in Jerusalem the Antichrist is destroyed and nobody can protect him or deliver him from Jesus Michael the Archangel stands up and the indication the implication is tremendous increase of angelic activity a Great time of trouble the Great Tribulation takes place and Israel is fully delivered never ever to be threatened again never and At that time so there is no mistake as well. It gives a few more qualifiers of that time frame Many of those who sleep in the dust that means physically they're dead. They're asleep in the dust They shall awake they'll be raised from the dead He says but understand this When that time of being raised from the dead takes place, there'll be two categories of people There'll be those that are raised from the dead to everlasting life But there'll be another category of people that will go through that same time frame they'll be raised to contempt or shame They will be raised up and their eternal future will be filled with shame and filled with contempt and regret and anger and turmoil in their emotions That's a remarkable. I mean terrifying statement And the reason it's important to put all of these events together at that time in our thinking because it's it's it's Unfortunate that many good theologians. I mean men and women that love God and love the Bible They read this and they go that time of trouble happened back in 70 AD Yeah, but the Antichrist wasn't based in Jerusalem he wasn't destroyed Michael the Archangel and Angelic activity was not manifest in any unusual way the resurrection didn't happen The global time of trouble didn't happen. They go. Yeah. Well some of that's symbolic and So many I mean good guys love Jesus. I mean some guys I really Appreciate they relegate this to history. So there's no future time of trouble that's coming They go no, no, it's symbolic if you're looking at it in the future or it already was fulfilled in history Now I want to encourage you that when you read different Scholars that You don't let them convince you to take these qualifiers and separate them Antichrist has to be in Jerusalem. He has to be destroyed. The resurrection has to happen the Great Tribulation Michael the Archangel all of these need to line up in the same time frame And it must be trouble that is Unprecedented and those 70 AD. That's the time frame that the theologians use. That's when Jerusalem was destroyed There's far greater time frame in history since then the two world wars far surpassed what happened in 70 AD in terms of trauma and death tolls and and Carnage far surpassed it World War two surpassed any destruction in history So 70 AD you got it It can't be the fulfillment of what the angels talking about But the angel says even this thing will eclipse any war before that final hour of natural history Now it says here that some will be raised to shame and everlasting contempt Beloved we deserve shame. I deserve shame you deserve shame But the man that delivers The nation's from the Antichrist bore our shame and gave us righteousness as an absolute free gift We don't need to bear that shame whoever is bearing that shame in the age to come Because they refused the free gift of the man who took the shame It's so unnecessary the the tragedy is how unnecessary it is for them But in the context of this great trouble again, the trouble will be increased I mean significantly increased seduction and temptations of the culture significantly increased resistance to people who are standing faithful so many who claim Christ will actually yield and Back away and the angel saying Life and death choices Will be taking place the choices you make about what you believe I mean the big subjects of what you believe about God and Jesus in the Bible and righteousness It's an issue of life and death time and eternity. It's not well, it's my opinion and our group likes this It's an issue of life and death time of eternity It's way bigger than our little group believes this and so therefore we don't have to believe what the Bible said because we got a new interpretation of the Bible the angels with great and Sobriety saying this thing is an issue of life and death It's not a casual kind of religious debate and he that you know the position that gets the most votes wins It's not that kind of deal paragraph D The Great Tribulation Now notice that Jesus in Matthew chapter 24 He verse 15 we're in paragraph D. He is quoting Daniel 12 the verse we looked at just now He says in verse 15 when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel Standing in the holy place and I spent a whole session a whole hour on that uh, you know a month or two ago, and if you uh Don't know what that is. You can get the notes and it's pretty straightforward in the scripture verse 21 for then There will be great tribulation now Jesus uses the same language the mighty angel gave Daniel Jesus is actually referring directly to Daniel 12 verse 1 He says there will be tribulation such has not been since the beginning of the world Until this time and Jesus no Nor any time ever shall be it will be the most intense hour of Any hour before or after it there'll be nothing like it completely unique in history again, Jesus is quoting directly or referencing Daniel chapter 12 verse 1 And he's tying it to the abomination of desolation now here Again, I've emphasized this throughout the entire Daniel course here Jesus said here in verse 15 when you see he's talking to believers believers will be on the earth When you see the abomination of desolation That Daniel the prophet explained the Daniel the prophet prophesied about When you see it, then you'll know the abomination of desolation For those that were not here's when I gave that session. I'll just give you a 60-second view of a 60-minute teaching It is the central Negative evil political and religious event that will happen in the earth It is the primary sign from the lips of Jesus that the great tribulation starts It is the primary Revealing information of who the Antichrist is It's the central Event, but it's more than event. It's a reality. It's a the Antichrist goes into the temple in Jerusalem That's the great abomination. He goes into the temple He sits in the holy place and says I'm God and Then he demands the nation's to worship him as God that's the abomination and the and the other part of the abomination is the nation's do it But it's called the abomination that leads to desolation It will cause desolation because if the nation's refused the Antichrist will seek to destroy him if the nation's accept it God will destroy them either way it goes there will be desolation in the aftermath of that abomination if you accept it You come under the desolation from God if you reject it the Antichrist comes after you it's the primary Religious and political event when they when the Antichrist goes into the city at the Temple of Jerusalem He goes then you'll know verse 21 the great tribulation has began people come to me and goes I think the Antichrist is I think that this guy that guy got I don't even care. I Dream the Antichrist is this guy I go cool. I mean, I don't care Until the abomination of desolation takes place. I'm not weighing in on who the Antichrist is Because that's the event Jesus said now It's begun and it's unmistakable all the other theories between then People can make them if they want but I'm going with what Jesus said about this just so you know it's not a Tribulation look at Revelation chapter 7 verse 14 The angels showed John the Apostle in the book of Revelation. It's called the tribulation. It's a very unique Three and a half year time frame. Yeah, there's a seven-year time frame at the end but the three and a half years beginning with the abomination of desolations when the Antichrist goes into the temple in Jerusalem and declares himself to be God and demands the nations to worship him that's when it begins top of page 2 Notice that in that hour that last final three and a half years Michael Stands up now When it says Michael, it's indicating the entire Angelic army that's under his authority and leadership. We're talking about unprecedented Increase of angelic activity manifest in the church. I mean you read the book of Acts It's just Inspiring to see the times that angels Appeared and intervened in human affairs. It will go far beyond with the book of Acts We're talking about Michael the great warrior angel The mighty archangel he will arise now Daniel Earlier in the very vision he's having here. We're in danger 12 now But the vision Daniel had it's Daniel 10 11 and 12, it's a three chapter description of Daniel's experience So it's Daniel 10 Daniel 11 Daniel 12. You got to read all three together to get the entire flow of what's going on earlier in the vision Michael arose and effectively Drove back the demonic power of Persia, which is modern-day Iran and withheld the demonic attack against Israel in that hour and there was a breakthrough of Holy Spirit activity and God's purpose in that day and Daniel goes I saw it I mean it was historic things happened at that time Israel was released out of Babylonian captivity Israel's released out of captivity and the Persian King paid their way back to go back home to build a temple to worship God of it worship the God of Israel Unprecedented Michael was very involved in the spirit realm and that his story huge reversal of Israel's fortune So Daniel says Wow Michaels gonna rise again now that that's what I just described was Daniel arising in Daniel's I mean Michael arising in Daniel's generation 2,500 years ago with the great miracle of Israel being restored to their nation and all that was involved in that Daniel 9 and Daniel 10 But there's an end time rising up of Michael look at paragraph F John the Apostle in the book of Revelation he develops he elaborates on this idea of Satan I mean Michael arising It says in Daniel chapter 12 Again John the Apostle is seeing the same Events, but he's seeing more details than what Daniel saw He said there's coming a time and this is yet future. This has not happened yet There's coming a time that in the heavenly realm war will break out. I mean literal. It's not figurative. It's not symbolic Michael the Archangel and his mighty angels They will fight with the dragon and with the dragons angels verse 8 but the good news The dragon which is Satan Satan's angels demons They don't prevail and there was no longer a place found for them in the heavenly realm because right now we know from Paul said in Ephesians 6 verse 11 that we I mean verse 12. We don't battle against flesh and blood, but we battle against Powers and demonic powers and principalities that are in the heavens right now in the church age Satan and his most powerful demonic authorities That are against the church are Their position of battles in the heavenly realm because they have more effectiveness from that position But the day is coming in the future When Michael and his host of angels, I mean there might be millions or billions. We don't know. I mean, it's a host They're warring against the hierarchy of Satan in this heavenly realm verse 9 The great dragon was cast out of heaven He says and so you have no question who the dragon is. It's Satan. It's the devil He's cast down to the earth. He's limited. He doesn't have the same sphere of influence and His angels fallen age demons are fallen angels. They were cast down to the earth with him so though they will have a great limitation on their influence But they will be on the earth bound to the earth and there'll be more Demonized people in that three and a half year period in the Great Tribulation because those demons will seek to inhabit people and it says a Revelation 12 they'll be so angry Satan will be so angry that final three and a half years Well, that's and he will be angry against Jesus and righteousness in the nation of Israel and the body of Christ He will be very angry against them, but there will be angelic activity. There'll be Holy Spirit power There'll be a purifying of the church. There'll be the great harvest coming in even though many will be falling away People say well, which is it is there is there gonna be a falling away or a great gathering of the harvest of the nations The great increase of the church both of them are true Many people that are professing Christ at that time will fall away and many people will come into radical conversion experience And the and the believers that were present at that time. They will be purified. I Mean where they're radically obedient. They'll just they will resist this lifestyle of being self-consumed and self Focused and trusting and in themselves and thinking about themselves so much the Lord's gonna help the church get free of that gravitational pull where we're so Fixated on how we feel and what happens and what do who does it and our strength and our lack of strength that will be consumed with the Lord himself in that hour paragraph G Daniel they get mighty angel says to Daniel and the hour that Michael raises up He goes I got good news for you when that happens where it's going is the nation of Israel will finally be Fully and permanently delivered. I mean Israel has been persecuted All of their days I Mean from Abraham that was 4,000 years ago To David that was 3,000 years ago to Jesus 2,000 years ago The Jews and the nation of Israel have been persecuted all the way through for 4,000 years They've never known a time where they were not being resisted because the devil wants to destroy this nation But the mighty angel says Daniel tell them it's 2,500 years ago. He says tell them ahead of time The day's coming their problems will be over forever It's coming. It's real They will be delivered from their unbelief and they'll love Jesus and they'll be delivered from Satan and their enemies They will be completely prosperous and completely safe they'll be delivered from their sin and unbelief and From the rage of Satan because Satan will be thrown into prison And all of his angels all of his demons his fallen angels will be thrown into prison as well Now look at this here. This is your people will be delivered paragraph G Now this mighty angels tell Daniel's excited this angel is What Daniel I don't know if he puts it all together But back in Daniel chapter 9 the vision before this Daniel has four main visions in the and the last years of his life Four main visions the vision and we're looking at his fourth when his final one here in Daniel 10 11 or 12 But one just before this vision the third vision Daniel 9 The Messiah is killed. I mean Daniel can't hardly believe it. You know Gabriel's giving him the information He says they're gonna kill the Messiah when he comes to Jerusalem. They're gonna kill it Daniel's thinking how could they kill the Messiah? He goes what they're going to But what Daniel's seeing here is When you put it all together The man that was killed the Messiah that was killed is raised from the dead seated at the right hand of God the Father Look at here Daniel 7 Daniel's first vision of his latter years This man this Messiah the Son of Man he's coming back in clouds That's the time of the second coming in the rapture of the church. He'll be given dominion. He'll be given a worldwide kingdom that's the Millennial Kingdom and He'll share that kingdom with his Saints He'll take all the ungodly leaders and drive them off the earth and he'll give the government of the earth to the godly at that time, I mean this is Remarkable idea You know one of the things that Adolf Hitler was so troubled by in his hatred of the Jews He made this Known on a number of occasions. He goes the Jewish prophets They want to take over the world. That's what I've seen it in their prophets. I mean like Daniel 7 I mean he's reading it. He goes they believe they're gonna take us all over. Let's kill them Let's let's exterminate the Jews because they want to take us over Their own prophets say it I mean it was a radical idea That God would raise up a Jewish man. He would be killed Then he would be raised from the dead. He would come back in clouds and Then he would share the government of the earth with believers born-again believers Jews and Gentiles Look at Roman numeral four Now the mighty angel goes on to say let's look at the passage. We just glanced at it a moment ago verse 2 Many who are Who sleep in the dust of the earth they shall be awake So it says at the time where Michael arises the Great Tribulation happens. There will be the resurrection now notice That when the Saints are martyred, I mean anytime through history, but there's going to be an there's going to be a Unprecedented amount of martyrdom of the faithful. I don't believe that the majority of the church will be martyred. I Don't believe they'll be the majority but the number will be the highest percentage ever and the percentage will be big enough to where every believer Every believer Sees the potential that they could lose their life for their faithfulness and that very reality that very potential Reality will cause everyone to decide. Hey, am I really in this or what? I mean I was you know, wow I don't really know if I'm in it at that level and everyone will have to decide so that martyrdom will be It will be widespread enough for every single family member and every I mean every Christian family and every believer will have well will reckon that The fact of martyrdom really might touch them and their family in a very direct way That very reality will cause deep decision-making and many people say now I'm not really into it at that level But here's the good news When they kill the Saints the Saints are only asleep Beloved any believer that you know that's died in history. They're only asleep Their spirit is with the Lord. Their body is sleeping in the ground and at the time that Jesus returns He will with his own voice he'll call forth their dead bodies out of the ground and out of the very ashes and The DNA of their decomposed flesh will come forth a Resurrected physical body and that physical body will have the same DNA that they had when they were walking around the earth You will still be you forever But in the perfection of beauty, I know some of your clothes You will be you in the perfection of beauty Physically and of your full of your personality and gifting and temperament in the full beauty of holiness and righteousness and wholeness You will still be you You will have your personality but brought to the fullness of the glory of God Now all the diversity, you know, they say, you know, there's not a snowflake. That's the same I don't know whoever compared all the snowflakes in history, but I Guess it's true, but no one is the same of the individuality You will still be male female black white Asian You'll still be from this country or that country You will have have that heritage forever because it was God's glory that he made you that way You'll have a physical material body But the might your body will actually come out of the decomposed flesh I'm talking about the Saints because I mean maybe the Lord will come in your time and it won't be that way for you But but it literally is the real person raised from the dead It's not a their spirits in heaven and then one day they just get a body. No, it's their actual body that it's raised Glorious physical But I want you to know that Unbelievers catch this They have a physical body in the lake of fire. Not just a spirit man. They have a physical body They will have feeling and sensation Physically just like the righteous will have forever. He goes on in verse 3 and The angel and the reason he gives this exhortation. It's his final exhortation in this vision verse 3 He's saying it's worth it the trouble will be great, but it'd be worth it Because if you make godly choices There are an agreement with the Word of God godly choices wise choices about Loyalty to the truth about Jesus and loyalty to a life of righteousness under his leadership Because those will be the two main Truths that are attacked the nature of who Jesus is as fully God and fully man as the only way of salvation That will be attacked many many ways loyalty to the truth of who Jesus is fully God fully man and the only way of Salvation and the only one that has the fullness of truth if you're loyal to that truth and you're loyal to the truth of Setting your heart to walk in righteousness, and you don't buy into the rhetoric and the deception I mean, it's a widespread in the body of Christ today under the terminology of grace and love and justice and all this Terminology the culture is using but not with biblical meaning They're changing the definition using the terminology so that believers without a biblical foundation are easily tricked But if you'll be true To setting your heart to walk in righteousness that I mean you'll always succeed But I mean when you fail you own it and you repent and you sign back up. That's setting your heart for righteousness The angel said in verse 3 the times are gonna get tough. It's good the great tribulation I mean the Antichrist the embodiment of demonic power will be on the earth but if You're wise You see that it's actually worth it Why is your faithful to the truth about Jesus why is your faithful to the truth about righteousness his leadership in your life You'll shine Like the brightness the firmaments is the stars just put the word stars He says those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars forever What a glorious truth paragraph GB Jesus spoke of The resurrection of the godly and the ungodly himself he he spoke about the two categories of people that be raised from the dead look what he says in John 5 he says don't marvel this because it's such a marvelous, it's such a Indescribably powerful glorious unprecedented concept that a man a man will speak And when this man speaks, I mean this is remarkable verse 28 The graves will open a man will speak one man and graves all of them will open This is don't marvel. He goes don't be lost in the grandeur of what I'm saying because it's true. It's not Hyperbole, it's not symbolic. It's real They'll hear my voice Some will come forth to a resurrection of life and some to a resurrection of condemnation They'll have physical material bodies in one of those two states Let's go to top of page three Now I want you to notice in paragraph D. Here's all I'm making in paragraph D. I'm not gonna read the verses I'll let you read them on your own. I want you to let the scripture links the blowing of the trumpet at the same time where the Saints are resurrected or raptured and Rewarded So I want you to read these that the Bible says that clearly when the trumpet is blown the last trumpet That's when the Saints get a new body That's when they're transformed and caught up to meet the Lord in the air The last trumpet that's when they're resurrected. That's when the rapture is that's when the eternal rewards are given You can read those passages and put them together There's a very deliberate link between the timing of the last trumpet and the rapture the resurrection and the eternal rewards to the Saints Read that on your own. Let's look at paragraph F Now the angel let's let's just press this point a little bit says the wise Are those that turn others to righteousness Now this that's the angels last exhortation in this vision and then the angel gives a few more points of explanation about the Great Tribulation But this is his final exhortation and the idea is that we would be resolved before the seduction in the culture intensifies and we're resolved before the resistance and the persecution against the truth intensifies We say hey, I'm gonna go righteous. I'm not reading the Bible to find out how I can sin I'm reading the Bible to find out how I can receive the grace of God to Recommit myself to wholehearted obedience if it when I fail so I can be empowered to walk in righteousness Yet a lot of folks are searching the Bible to come up with arguments so they can live in they have copper They can have confidence while sinning. I Confidence in sinning without repenting of their sin They're searching it out. They're going well if you really understand what Jesus did it's okay that we live in these immoral lifestyles or etc etc etc But what the angel says here he goes the wise resolve now Again whether it fully intensifies in your your lifetime or you're preparing the next generation Resolve now to be wise to be faithful to the truth about Jesus and faithful to the truth about his leadership with the lifestyle of righteousness It will be worth that he said you'll shine like stars now notice in Matthew 13 Jesus he actually repeats this exhortation again. I Mean Jesus repeated the great tribulation of chapter 12 verse 1 now. He's repeating the promise of chapter 12 verse 3 Jesus really I was a I mean he he made reference to Daniel Quite a number of times in his teaching You'll shine forth like righteousness now. Here's what some people do they say if you turn people to righteousness and They limit this to only if you lead people to salvation I've heard many quote this over the years they go if you're a soul winner and you get somebody to pray the sinner's prayer you'll shine and It surely means that surely means that but beloved it means much more Than somebody's initial prayer to receive salvation like right now tonight I Am wanting to turn some of you born-again believers to righteousness I'm exposing the distorted grace message I'm giving you sober warnings about the futility and destruction of it What I want is the Lord say hey You're doing verse 3. That's good. You're talking some people into righteousness go Lord. I'm working on this one. I want this verse Now you don't need to do it with a microphone in your hand you might do it one-on-one You may do it to just a couple friends Friday Saturday night your friends together. You're all believers, and hey, let's go do this and that you're gonna turn them to righteousness Then they may write you off, but you're not gonna be silent about it That's what this verse is talking about The angel said it it'll be worth it. I sure you speak up. It will be worth it Well, you may lose your friends You may not get invited back to the social event of the believers I'm in a whole lot of believers. They call it fellowship because they're all Born again, but what they're doing is not born-again socializing It's dark socializing and the fact that they're on the same worship team where they go to the same home group Doesn't mean what they're doing is fellowship I'm in a lot of believers They get together and the movies they watch the games they play the jokes they tell and the places they go are dark It's very opposite. It's not fellowship. They go on a fellowship with a few guys get together I go are you kidding you're promoting darkness with each other well We're on the same worship team that is that makes it worse Not talking about all across the The nation's I'm not talking about particularly us, but it's us. It's I want to I want to persuade people that Jesus is who he is is worthy of loving him with all of our strength Worthy of making choices of righteousness again. We fail many times I'm not troubled by the failure what I'm troubled by is the failure and then finding out Bible language To be okay and stay in the failure. That's what I'm troubled by. I'm real big on we failed Let's receive mercy Call it sin declare war on it repent rise up in confidence. I am the Lord's beloved. He is mine I mean first-class citizen within the hour And I mean go start faster hard again right now fell again say oh no here we will go again I mean take the grace of God drink deep of it repent of it call it sin and stand up and go hard again within the hour Beloved that's a that is a right. That's the a heart of righteousness You go well. I keep failing, but you keep Sincerely repenting I mean you you don't like it You're not trying to think of ways to get away with saying you're trying to get think of ways to get free from it I'm talking about that sincerity I'm not talking about how mature you are. I'm talking about the true setting of your heart And when you go out and socialize again the movies you see the games you play the video games the jokes you tell the Slander that you might participate in against other believers the just the places that you go. I want to do righteousness I Want to socialize in a way that builds up my spirit man not that doles my spirit Because again, that's not fellowship that's just promoting darkness believers together, and that's that's such a a Tragic waste of our time and energy because we know him and love him and he loves us, and we know it notice what it says in first Corinthians 15 As one star differs from another star in glory so also is the resurrection of the dead you know you look up at the sky billions of stars every star is different in size weight Radiance, I mean all the properties whatever there's so many ways that stars are different Did you know that in the resurrection every one of you will have a different capacity in the glory of God as? every star is different every one of you in your resurrected body and in your Capacity in the glory of God you will have a varying capacity Based on your choices in this age So I talked to believers. You know all the time. They go. Well. I think they're gonna do this and then I go my beloved I'm contending for your greatness. It really matters what you choose well I don't know it says on the internet. That's okay, and I go no You only got one hour on the earth. It's called 70 years, but it's a moment on the earth one moment Give him all your strength Matthew chapter 5 19 Jesus said if you'll choose righteousness and teach others you'll be called great in the kingdom it doesn't matter if you've got a big teaching gift because if you teach others To do righteousness, maybe one. I want maybe your grandchildren. You're teaching maybe the two neighborhood kids You don't have to have a big education a lot of money a big platform a big ministry a big gifting you teach people to do righteous one-on-one one-on-two you know go serve the The guy down the road that nobody was even paying attention to talk him into righteousness because of the glory of Jesus To set his heart to Jesus said in Matthew 5 19 you'll be called great in the kingdom in the age to come Which means the Lord says I'll call your life great. You know the big thing about the Tribulation is that people are thinking man tribulation I get remember Jesus talked more about Warned us more about deception than he did tribulation Worm what I'm far more concerned about tribulation than deception and again I'm not talking about mostly the deception of some New Eastern religion I'm talking about deception within the community of the church with wrong Ideas, I mean important ideas about who Jesus is and his salvation and his nature And about a life of righteousness living under his leadership. That's the deception talking about well A lot of folks are saying we have at the tribulation. I mean, that's I Mean, you know how to How do we avoid it? I mean, that's a natural thing. I don't want tribulation But it's coming across the earth And I go that the number one issue in that time of tribulation isn't how to avoid dying Well if we store food and water we go over here We don't let anybody know we could the goal isn't to avoid dying You don't want to live with this body you got forever. Trust me You want the new one the goal isn't to avoid dying if you don't die you win that that's a complete false concept the goal is to avoid unfaithfulness We want to be faithful I Don't care if I die. I mean, I I want the age to come I want to be faithful about it But dying is not the point. I mean, I'm counting on getting into a new realm. I mean forever I don't want to be stuck in this realm. I Want to be faithful in this realm, but that's not the goal The goal is to be faithful Beloved a believer that dies or they take all your money in the resurrection. They take your money your honor your friends Everything will be given back to you a hundredfold in the resurrection plus more Whatever money you lose whatever friends you lose whatever reputation you lose Because you're standing for truth. I assure you it will be Multiplied in the revelator Resurrection far more than you ever had it's impossible to lose By obeying there's a temporary loss, but it's very temporary very very temporary It's impossible to lose They'll give it back a hundredfold plus more. It's just a momentary delay. That's all it is So take a stand for righteousness many in the church won't like you they'll call you this that and the other don't worry about it Get locked into the conversation with Jesus Stay steady in the conversation because I'm telling you we're approaching the time frame where many will buy the deception and they'll join into the Cultural conversation against the truth. You will be called haters. You'll be called discriminators You'll be called all kinds of things Stay loyal to Jesus in love And when they're mean and they say these horrible things you don't even need to offend yourself just keep loving them and serving them and blessing Jesus and staying steady and keep that conversation as Main in your inner man because whatever they take from you They really might take your money. You might literally lose money for a while. You might lose real ministry opportunities real Influence real promotions. So what you'll reign with him forever for billions of years You may have no following or anything now Jesus said I'll call you great your choices will be called great in my sight Matthew 5 19 If you'll say yes to righteousness and you'll talk to others about it And again, it's not just about how to get saved certainly that I'm not minimizing that at all I'm excited by this. I I love this Reality that his eyes are on us and every day matters and We're entering in the most dramatic timeframe of human history all of history is pointed to the hour we're going into and this isn't a time to To figure out how we can get away with without being committed. This is the time to be absolutely red-hot for the Lord Deep in the word bold in our confession strong in our stand but tender Loving and when people even in the church write you off and put you down and you know Say all the horrible things about you. Just don't go there. Just stay steady Some people say on the internet social media, did you hear what they said about you? I Go, really, do you know what Jesus and the angels of heaven are saying about you if you're being faithful to him? Honestly, I'm not just trying to be You know some hypey thing. This is real. Don't worry about the Internet That's not there's nobody in the Internet's that's gonna evaluate you on the last day. Trust me I'm interested in the man that's gonna evaluate me on the last day I'll end with this have the worship team come up. I You know when I was younger in my 20s 30s I've said this over the years, but I just want to infect some of you young people with this in a greater way I was in my 20s and 30s, and I'm a young pastor And I'd go to the citywide pastor meetings, you know I was in st Louis for some years for seven years and then in my early My 20s and early 30s here and and I talked to pastors and I heard this so many times I don't mean hundreds, but a number of times and pastors the old guys You know in their 50s, you know, I'm 22 and it I'm 60 now So, you know and they put their arm around me and say young man, if you don't slow down you're gonna burn out You gotta learn how to enjoy life I'm okay for a joy a little bit of life. I go. That's not really what I'm locked into. I Really want to go deep with this man. Yeah, but you're gonna burn out. Well, it's 40 years later And I tell you I haven't burned out at all But I look at a number of these men that told me this and I look at their lives in the next five ten twenty Years afterwards I go. Oh I'm glad and but I used to say this I said this a couple times and it was it was so arrogant I had to quit saying it but But I at least got it clear in my mind when I was thinking but I actually said it a few times and I said if You can convince me That you get to vote on the last day about my life. I'm gonna listen to you But if your vote doesn't count when I stand before that man, you know what I Love you, but I'm gonna scoat intense. I'm not backing down for nothing and I don't want to be like you I Said I gotta give a testimony on the last day. I'm trying to figure out how to get away with stuff I'm trying to learn how to be radical and again I said that a few times and or is it that arrogant little thing, you know, I mean the idea was good But you don't need to say that kind of stuff But I started Locking into the idea of in criticism not being some troubled by it because I've they don't get to vote where I'm going About my life and they don't get a vote about your life. Nobody does but the Lord And I tell you I want to shine bright like the stars. It's not about having a big ministry It's not it doesn't matter how many people listen to you It's about you being faithful to the truth about Jesus and the truth about his leadership. That's what it's about I mean, you may only affect two people. That's all you need Just do it. Amen. Let's stand