In this sermon, the preacher tells the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being thrown into the furnace of fire for refusing to bow down to the image of the beast. He emphasizes that when believers face persecution and affliction for their faith, they should not compromise but remain steadfast. The preacher warns against seeking teachers who only teach partial truths and cater to selfish desires, instead of enduring sound doctrine. He emphasizes the importance of enduring trials and challenges, as it leads to maturity and completeness in one's faith. The sermon references the story of the rich young ruler who loved greed more than the Lord, highlighting the need to let go of worldly possessions to follow Christ.

This is tape number 7 in a series. We urge you to listen to all the tapes in the series in numerical order, so that the whole teaching can be received and understood. Listening to a part of the series or to the tapes out of sequence can lead to a misunderstanding of the nature, the intent, and the importance of this series. And a congregation are parched with thirst, and a multitude are on the way to hell, they're on the feet of death, and the web, they're stepped on the webbing, and they're trusting horses and men, and with all the curses and hell that's on them, they go to the world, instead of repenting. But they can't be healed, because it's the effective prayer of righteous men that he'll bring healing from God. Now, chapter 5, verse 20. Woe to those who are called evil, good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness. Verse 21. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and are clever in their own sight of fleshly achievements with God. Verse 23. They justify these wicked people for a bribe. In other words, they'll justify wicked people who walk in selfish ambition and lie, steal, and everything else, so they can fulfill their selfish ambition and get to count them and boast in their flesh. And they take away the rights of the ones who are in the right. Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble and dry grass collapses into the flame, the fire is the powers of darkness. They're wood, hay, and stubble, so the roots are going to become like rot, and the blossoms are going to blow away the dust. And when the blossoms are gone, there's going to be no fruit. And when there's no fruit, you're being destroyed by the powers of darkness. What is their problem now? They have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts. They have despised the gospel and word of the Lord Jesus Christ of Israel. On this account, the anger of the Lord has burned against His people. He has stretched out His hands against them. He's struck them down, and the mountains quake. The flood comes against, and the mountain quakes. That's the spiritual earthquake. You're going to see a lot of this between now and tomorrow. The spiritual earthquake comes because the powers of darkness, this army, this fire comes and checks your foundation. If you're not standing on the power, the word of God, the fire and the flood sweep you away. And that's the mountains quake. And their corpses are going to lay like refuse in the middle of the street. But all His anger is not spent. But His hand is still stretched out right now. He's warning right now. And the Lord's hand is stretched out. He said, Hear the trumpet, and the foolish virgins will never, never, never, never hear. But they'll persecute and hate this work of God that He's trying to prepare Himself a bridegroom. And then the remnant is going to go through some things. It's not going to look too much fun to what the world church sees right there. They're going to start going through fire. They're going to be joyful in this fire. And then when He gets through burning this up, He's going to turn right around. And the first ones that God is going to kill is the ones who persecuted and spoke against Zion, His holy remnant. They're the first ones that's going to die on this earth. And their sons are the ones who persecute this, are going to come to bow and lick the dust off your face and say, Zion, you're the church of God. Do you believe God means business? Do you think God is saying, I've had enough now? Hmm? Folks, I didn't even plan to go this way. I think God messes up your plans a lot. I mean, I'm getting these from the Spirit of God. I already told Him I don't like my plans. So you're going to go through the fire. All right, then. Here the fire comes. Verse 26. So He's going to lift up a standard to a distant nation. You know what distant nation? That's the army you saw in Matthew 22. That's the powers of darkness. He will whistle for the ends of the earth. Behold, it's going to come and speed swiftly. No one that is weary or stumbled. Here comes your powers of darkness, the demons, the army of God. No one slumbers or sleeps. No one's belly or waist is undone, nor are sandals strapped broken. They're God's weapons of indignation. His hairs are sharpened, His bows are bent, The hoops of His horses seem like flint, And His chariot wheels are like a whirlwind. That's when you sow the wind. Words, you reap this whirlwind, which is the army of God. Destruction. Its roaring is like the roaring of a lioness, And it roars like young lions. There they are. They growl as it seizes the prey. It tears it off, and no one's going to be able to deliver this harlot church. And it shall growl over it. In that day, you see this same thing over in Luke 21. Right here, you're fixing to see it in 30. And it shall growl over it in that day like the roaring of the sea. It's talking about the army around Jerusalem there, but you're taught that's Russia and everything. And Luke 21, 20 through 28 and 30 through 36. Oh, my goodness. Let's go over there. Can you hold these places? Luke 21. Let's go over there. And its roaring's going to be like the roaring of the sea. I want you to keep... I tell you what, let's just... Well, all right. Let's just go over to Luke 21 and just look at this just a minute. Luke 21. You're going to see the roaring of the sea of these powers of darkness. Verse 20. But when you see Jerusalem, that's this harlot church. They're surrounded by the armies, and no one ever figured these armies. They see that's got to be Russia, and you look at the flesh, Israel over there, and you don't see the... Then recognize that their desolation, their abomination that come to make desolation, is at hand. Therefore let those in Judea, the way they're going to flee to the mountains. If you look back in Isaiah 3 right there, you see the mountains of God is Zion. That's a holy mountain. That's the one you flee to. And let those in the midst of the city, that's this harlot church, depart, and let not those who are in the country enter the city. You better stay out of there. Because these are days of vengeance. It's the days of judgment and destruction, in order that the things which are written may be fulfilled. Woe to those who have child, and those who nurse babes. They're going to be babies, and they're not going on to pursue righteousness. And there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to these people. But if you're not bearing a fruit of righteousness, you're going to be... and you're just a baby or whatever it is, woe to you. And they will fall to the edge of the sword. The sword is a curse. And they will be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem, the harlot church, supposed to be the people of God, is going to be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles. That's the lost people are taking the holy things of God and saying they're the church today, that Jesus is the minister of these things. And they're being trampled underfoot, the church is being trampled underfoot, until the times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled. And there will be signs in the sun, the moon, and stars, and upon the dismay among the nation, in perplexity at the what? There they are right there, the roaring of the sea. And the roar of the seas are the powers of darkness. That's how they sound when they come, the roaring of the sea. And men are going to be fainting from fear. And the expectations of things which are coming upon the world, all of a sudden, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then we look there in verse 34. Be on your guard, you're warned, that your heart may not be weighed down with dissipation. That's a careless, undisciplined life and the worries of the world. And drunkenness, that you're not caught up in spiritual darkness and drunkenness. And the worries of this life right here, your mind is set on the things of this world. And that day is going to come on you suddenly like a what? Do you remember there in Job 18, we saw that trap and snare, they'll come upon you. It's going to come upon those who dwell on the face of the earth. And you better keep on the lurk at all times, praying in order that you may have the what? Strength at this exhaustion and weakness and disease is not going to come on you to escape these things that are about to take place. And if you come to it, you're going to be a vessel of gold. And then you can stand before the Son of Man. Amen? Now we're back in Isaiah 5. And this army, the Lord's going to send in verse 30. It shall growl over it in that day with a roar. This harlot church will act the roaring of the sea. If one looks to the land, behold, there's just going to be spiritual darkness and distress. Even the light is darkened by its clouds. The clouds are the powers of darkness. Now I want to ask you, I want you to see something right here. Everybody look at me. You know the clouds are going to be when the powers of darkness move in. And the clouds come over, let me ask you something. Can you see the sun? Can you see the moon? The clouds of this army, the powers of darkness. And when they move in, all spiritual light is cut off from people. They can't see the sun, who's a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. The moon is a type of the church who reflects the light of the sun. And they can't see it. And the stars of heaven lose their brightness. When you're walking in lawlessness, you see the brightness. You're a light if you have the divine nature. You lose your brightness when you're walking in lawlessness. And then that's where you fall out of the heavenlies. Stars fall out of heavenlies. If there's no fear of God working on you right here, you'll never walk in it. But go to chapter 6. Then Isaiah said, I swore it's me. I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips. Speaking lawless is double-mindedness. I live among a people of unclean lips. Is that where we are right now, folks? I can't hear you. We're living among a people of unclean lips, double-mindedness. For now our eyes have seen what? The King, the Lord of hosts. Since we've seen this, we now know that we're among a people of unclean lips. Is that right? We're ruined. Is that what you think? When I was a brand-new baby Christian, 43 years old, I was in a fishing camp in Florida. A deserted fishing camp. I was staying there because I went to a little church fellowship there, and that's the place they had me stay. It was the most lonely place there ever was, with a deserted fishing camp with a linoleum floor. Boy, I just had a love of prayer of God. I'd been dying, and he was sparing my life. While I was in there, the Spirit of God just came all over me, and the presence of God came in there. I turned to this right here, and I looked here, and I didn't know anything about the Bible at all. But I read this verse. I'm fixing to read it to you. Verse 8, Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I, send me. And when I read that verse, I began crying all over the place. And I didn't know what was happening to me. I didn't know what this meant. But here God needed somebody to go tell something, and it just absolutely broke my heart in two. And I stopped right there, and I said, You know, God, I'll go. I don't care what it is. I'll go. I didn't know what was going on. I said, I'll go. Please let me go. I just knew it was all over the place. I didn't understand it. And I understand it now. Verse 9, he said, You go and tell these people that they keep on listening, and they don't perceive. They keep on looking, but they don't understand. And he rendered the hearts of this people insensitive. They hardened to the word of God. Their ears are dull. Their eyes are dim. Lest if they'd go ahead and see with their eyes and hear with their ears, then they could understand with their hearts, and then they could repent, and I could heal them. When I said, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities are going to be devastated and destroyed. They're going to be without spiritual inhabitants. Houses are going to be without people, and land is going to be utter desolation. The Lord has moved men far away from him. And the forsaken places, that's the vessels of the Lord. They have no spirit of God in them. They have no all, no spirit. There are many in the midst of the land. Yet there's going to be a tenth portion, and it's going to again be subject to burning. Back up to Isaiah 4. Verse 1, For seven women are going to take the hold of one man in that day and say, And we'll eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name. Take away our reproach. In that day the branch of the Lord, that's going to be Zion. The holy branch is going to be beautiful and glorious. Verse 3, It's going to come about, here's the remnant, that he who's left in Zion, the only one, the ones that's not destroyed and remains in Jerusalem, they're going to be called holy, and they're the ones that's going to be saved, and they're the ones that's going to be recorded for life in Jerusalem. The only ones that's going to be saved are the ones that's holy. When the Lord has washed away the filth, they come to eat the bread and the meat, the choice pieces of meat, so that the filth can be washed away and the daughters of Zion can be purged of their bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst. By the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, it's on us now. And become vessels of gold. Then the Lord's going to create of this whole land of Zion, that's the holy remnant of God, and over assemblies of cloud, bidet, and even smoke and brightness, flaming fire by night for over all the glory. There will be a canopy, and there's going to be a shelter there for the remnant. There's going to be a shade from the heat, that's the fire that's going to destroy everything around you, and a refuge and protection from the storm and the rain, and only holiness will save you. So Jesus, as he did with the Pharisees, when John 8, when John 8, and he tells them, you're going to, verse 24, I say therefore to you that you're going to die in your sins, unless you believe that I'm He, you shall die in your sins. And Jesus is coming right now again to a very same identical situation. A fallen away people that says they're the people of God. And verse 38, he says, I'm speaking of things which I've seen my Father, therefore you're doing the thing you harlot, which you've heard from your fathers. Verse 44, you're of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father, he's got your heart. Verse 43, he said, why is it you can't understand what I'm saying? It's because you can't hear my word. Look at me, folks. The false virgins, the foolish virgins, cannot hear the words of Jesus today, because it won't fit in their traditions, which is the commands of men, and the precepts of men. And they're going to be destroyed with hell and death and torment, like there's never been a day on this earth like it. And when they die, people are going to stand at a distance, and they're not even going to walk over and want to touch them, because with the fear that something will come on them, if they touch them. That's the wrath of God. And he says, why is it you can't understand what I'm saying? You can't hear my word. You can't hear. And he said there in verse 47, he is of God. Can hear the words of God. For this reason, you're not of God. You don't hear them because you people are not of God. You can't hear what I'm saying. Verse 42, he said, Jesus said to them, if God were your Father, you would love me. For I proceeded forth, and I've come from God. Let's look at Owen James 3 again. Now, look at me. Does defilement come when you're loving the Lord with a whole heart, when the deeds and works of the lawless in flesh come out of your mouth? Is that what we saw, the defilement of Israel? Is that correct? And they were not a people of God, and they went to hell. And they followed their doctrines and traditions. So is what's called church today. Here they are in verse 6. And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity. The tongue is set among our members as that which what? There it is right there. The whole body is defiled when your tongue speaks lawless. And it's set on fire. And when this lawless comes out, it's set on fire. And the course of our life is set on fire by hell. That's a judgment of God. Verse 9. With the tongue, that's what the defilement is. And listen to me. This is where the women, this is where the holy church leads you to be defiled. And it brings judgment, and it sheds your blood. And judgment will come on those who teach these things first. The princes and the kings of the Lord's heritage, made themselves kings, who got people in bondage, bringing their fleshly achievements to brick and straw to build up the reputations of men who will not repent of selfish ambition. And they lead others. And people get fully trained to become like their teachers. And it's set on fire by hell. Verse 9. With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with this same tongue we curse men. There it is, your defilement. From the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. This is the way it's not supposed to be. Chapter 4, verse 11. My brethren, do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, he's speaking against the law of God, which said, you're going to love your brother. And if you judge the law, then you're, if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law. And through Jesus Christ, it's not the hearers of God's law that's going to be justified, but the doers of God's law will be justified. Therefore I warn you, verse 12, it said, there is only one lawgiver. Don't let him get a case against you and judge the one who's able, he can save you or he can destroy you. Who are you going to be to judge your neighbor? I'm the judge, God says. What you're walking in, you harlot, whore, church, in verse 15, 315. This wisdom you're walking in is not that it comes from me. It's not coming from heaven. It's not from above. But it's worldly and it's fleshly and demonic. And you want to do the desires of your father. And chapter 4, verse 4, you whore, you harlot, you adulteress, do you not know that friendship with the world, to walk and talk like them, is hostility toward God? Therefore if you want to be a friend of the world, you're making yourself an enemy of God and you're being destroyed instead of saved from the wrath of God. And we jump back up to James 2. To James 2, verse 8. If however you're fulfilling the royal law, according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. You're doing well if you're walking there. But if you're showing partiality, that's because of some selfish ambition, you're committing sin and are convicted by the law, you're transgressors and you're going to receive judgment for it. And we see in verse 12, so you better speak and you better act as those who are being judged by this law of love that God has. Love God and love your neighbor for judgment will be merciless to the ones who walk after this lawlessness and show no mercy to others. But if you walk in this love and mercy, it's going to triumph over all the judgment of God. So back in chapter 4, you're warned as a harlot, verse 8. Now draw near to God. If you'll draw near to God, and Isaiah 58 tells you how to give up all your desires and come to Him, all your selfish desires and come to Him, fasting and weeping, that's the old book of Joel, it's telling about to remove this army from you. Draw near to God and then He'll draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners who walk in lawlessness and judging and condemning your neighbor and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Verse 7, submit therefore to God, the whole counsel of God, not just part of it. Start resisting the devil, taking your thoughts captive, and he's going to flee from you when the Lord has your heart. And we go on to chapter 5. Well, let me just go ahead and, yeah, chapter 5. Verse 1, Come now, you rich who love greed, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have what? You're going to see the moth and rottenness here, your riches have rotted and your garments have become what? Moths eaten. In other words, the curse of hell is all over you. You'll find your portion in this world. Your heart is going after the possessions and material things of this world. Hell is all over you and you just slowly decay right here. You might not feel it or know it until one morning you wake up about 4 o'clock in the morning and someone of Amos has to come and pick you up in the hospital. And then that's, and then they mix all their potions to try to get you well from your spiritual problem right there. And you'll die and everything that you live for you'll not take with you. And you'll spend an eternity in hell and judgment. Thus says the Lord. Verse 30 Your gold and your silver have rotted and the rust is going to become a witness against you and it's going to consume your flesh like fire. It's in the last days you've stored up your treasure. Verse 9. Do not complain brethren against one another that you yourself may not be judged. Behold a judge is standing right at the door and you'll not get in that door if that's the way you walk. And then he winds it up saying now since you've confessed your sins to one another and you've purified your hearts is anyone, and you quit because James 1 said double minded people are not going to receive anything from God. And he said verse 14. Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders, that's the righteous of the church and let them pray over him anointing with oil in the name of the Lord and the prayer offered in this faith will, will what? There's the blessings of God. He's going to be restored. The one who is sick and the Lord's going to raise him up. His committed sins are going to be forgiven him. That's the righteous church of Jesus. Therefore everybody says repent and confess your sins one to another and pray for one another. Anoint with oil so that you might be healed because it's going to be the effective prayer of what kind of men? Righteous men. Who's going to what? Accomplish much. 2 Timothy 3. Now let's look at this harlot. 2 Timothy 3 verse 1 But realize this that in the last days difficult times will come for men who call them people of precepts the people of God they're going to be lovers of themselves. Flesh. They're going to be lovers of money. Greed. They're going to be boastful as they walk in pride. They're going to be arrogant and revilers. They're going to revile one another. That's the ones it's talking about in James 3. They're going to be disobedient to parents. In other words they don't keep the commandments of honoring your father and your mother because they're not a people of the law. They're ungrateful. They're unholy. They're unloving. They're gossips. Without self-control. Brutal. Haters of good. They're treacherous. Reckless. Conceiters. They love pleasures of the world rather than love of God with all their heart. They hold to a form of godliness. They don't walk in godliness. It's a form of godliness. They don't lay down their life. And they deny the power of this gospel right here to cleanse them. And to make them whole and righteous. They walk at works rather than let the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of the Word perform its work. Your Bible said of you better avoid such men as these. And we know in 2 Corinthians 6 that righteousness and lawlessness can't walk together. Verse 7. They're always learning. They're never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. They're boxed in to a lie. And just as Janus and Jameris, these are magicians who opposed Moses who was a type of Jesus. See they were the false prophets of that day in the religion of Egypt. So these men also what? These men today that walk in this form of godliness, they oppose the truth. They're men of depraved mind. You see a depraved mind right on the screen up there, the works of the flesh. Mind set on the flesh. Watch this word right here. They are what? They are rejected as regards the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But they'll not make further progress for their folly. It's going to become obvious to all of you. As also that of those two magicians that opposed Moses came to be. Verse 13. But evil men and impostors who hold the Bible and teach it are going to proceed from bad to worse. They're going to be deceiving and they're going to be deceived. Verse 14. You however continue in the things that you've learned and become convinced of knowing from whom you've learned everything you know. You unlearn it. Now verse 12. And you remember this. Indeed all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus. What's going to happen to you? You persecute. If you love the approval of man more than you do the approval of God you're going to run from it. Now let's back up to chapter 2. Nevertheless the firm foundation of the Lord stands having this seal. The Lord knows those who are his and let everyone who names the name of the Lord. What's he going to do? He's going to abstain from lawlessness, wickedness and sin. And we see there are two different kind of vessels right there. Gold and silver and vessels of wood and earth and water. Only the gold is going to come through the fire. The wood, hay and stubble are going to be destroyed in him. Verse 21. Therefore if a man cleanses himself from this wickedness and lawlessness if he cleanses himself from these things he will be a vessel for what? Honor, gold and silver. He's sanctified. That means a pure heart, cleansed. And then if you're sanctified you're useful to the master and you're prepared for every good work of love. Now flee from these youthful lusts. See you're no longer a child. You're no longer a babe in Christ like they were in 1 Corinthians 3. You're going to be mature so flee from these youthful lusts and start pursuing righteousness as active. You're pursuing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You're pursuing love the divine nature of God. You're pursuing peace. You have a hedge around you all the time and walk in peace and your fellowship with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart because everyone else will not receive this word and the wicked and the righteous are separated by the word of God. Verse 24. And the Lord's bond servant must not be quarrelsome now but you're going to be kind to all as we saw Paul in 1 Corinthians 9. You're going to be able to teach. You're going to be patient when you're wronged and with gentleness you're going to correct those who are walking in this harlotry right here who walk in opposition. Those who are in opposition who oppose the truth. Are you seeing the ones in 2 Timothy 3? You're going to be kind. You're going to teach. You're going to love them instead of condemning them and judging them. We condemn their doctrines and the work but every time we could still love them. Amen? And we're going to correct those who are in opposition if perhaps God may grant them what? God may grant them repentance and then they can be led to what? If they repent from these doctrines and traditions they can be led to the knowledge of truth and then when they know the truth as we're learning the truth now, they can come to their senses and escape from the snare of these powers of darkness. It's the devil that's been holding them captive to do the will of Satan. And that's what the powers of darkness are holding people captive. Right there. Amen? Now, chapter 4. Preach a word. Verse 2. Be ready and season out a seed and reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience instruction. For the time is coming right now when they're not enduring sound doctrine. They won't walk in love. But they want to have their ears tickled and they're accumulating with self teachers in accordance to their own desires. Look at me, folks. Look at me, folks. They go to teachers. They don't want to endure sound doctrine. They want to go to a man who will teach partial truths out of the word of God. So that they continue to walk on their selfish desires after flesh and think they have a place in God. Because their heart does not love God. It loves the world. And the love of God is not in them. And then when they're captured by these doctrines and these teachers right here, verse 4, they're going to turn away their ears from the truth. And they turn aside to the myths. Back up to verse Timothy 6. First Timothy 6, verse 3. If anyone advocates or teaches a different doctrine and it doesn't agree with the gospel, the sound words, those of Lord Jesus Christ, and with a doctrine or gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ which conforms us to godliness, the image of Jesus, this congregation of people, they are conceited. They're proud. They understand nothing. They're veiled. They're blinded. It's right in front of their eyes. They have a morbid interest in these controversial questions which protect their ignorance. And they always have disputes about words out of which arrive in envy, strife, abuse, and blame. They always have evil suspicions toward one another. And it's constant friction between these men, once again, of a depraved mind. You see it right up there on the screen. Flesh. They're deprived of the truth. They're ever learning, never able to come to the truth. They suppose that godliness walking with the Lord is a means of gain, that you can have your gain here in this world. And walk in selfish ambition after the flesh. Look in verse 8, verse 7, For we have brought nothing into this world, and so we cannot take anything out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich, they fall into temptation and a snare, and many foolish and harmful fleshly desires which plunge them into ruin. The result of it is going to be ruined and it's going to bring their destruction. For the love of money, if you love money, it's going to be a root right there, a greed. Put it up there, brother. Find a root of greed up there. This root is going to have all sorts of evil and some belonging for it. Have one away from the faith, and then what do you do? You pierce yourself with many a pain and that's the birth pains. That's the judgment of the powers of darkness that come upon you. Now see, here's a root right here. Can I lift it up a little bit so I can see greed right here? Here's a root of greed. Here's what comes off of it right now. There's pride and stinginess and strife and deceit and jealousy and cheating and hoarding and flattery and discontent and possessive and selfishness and manipulation covetousness and material lust and all these things. The powers of darkness fill your mind full of these things so your heart will love these things instead of God. All right, you can put the other one back up there, brother. And it produces, look here, many harmful desires because the powers of darkness just come in and flood your body to build strongholds and bring sickness and disease to it. It's the judgment of God. Fortresses. Amen? But you better watch. What does your Bible say in verse 11? One more time, what does it say? You're going to take off as hard as you can from these things. You man of God and what are you going to pursue? You're going to pursue righteousness. You're going to pursue godliness. You're going to pursue faith. You're going to pursue love. You're going to pursue perseverance. You're going to pursue gentleness. And verse 14, and that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen? Now, I want you to look with me back there in 2 Timothy 3. I want you to just look at one verse right there. Verse 5. These people who walk in these blessings and curses, bless God and curse your neighbor. Let me show what they're doing right there in verse 5. They hold to a form of godliness, but what are they doing? Denying the power of the gospel. Now, when you deny the power of the gospel, what happens? The wrath of God's law and curse comes on you. Is that right? Is that right? Now, in Romans 1. Back up to Romans 1. Romans 1. Now, Paul says, Paul says in verse 16, Romans 1, 16, I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it is what? It's the power of God for what? The gospel will cleanse you and perfect you so that you can be saved from the wrath of God. Amen? But when you walk in a form of godliness, you deny the power and you walk in lovers of money, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, and gossip and slander and covetousness and all these things. Amen? Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of God, because it's the power of God to be saved from the wrath of God. Verse 17, for in this gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed. That's where you can walk, bear the foot of righteousness against such things. There is no law, and that's what salvation is, to be saved from the wrath of God's law. Amen? For in this gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed, and from faith to faith, it is written, the righteous shall live by faith. Hold your Bible right there just a minute, and I want you to turn with me to Hebrews 10. The righteous are going to live by faith. In Hebrews 10, Hebrews 10, we're going to look at verse 26. Hebrews 10, 26. For if you go on sinning willfully, after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there is no longer remains to sacrifice for sin. Jesus Christ is not going to be the place for your sins anymore, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, that's the wrath of God, and the fury of fire, which is going to consume the adversaries. And verse, if anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on a testimony of two or three witnesses, man must collect him wood, and numbers 15, 17 through 40, and God said, stone him to death and kill him. Because, see, that was the type of walking, not doing any work. You and I are supposed to walk and rest in peace. We don't walk and work. We've ceased our work. He had the priest not to wear wool with anything. He didn't want him to sweat. It's all him. And he didn't want the flesh to think they were doing any of it. Amen? Glory be to God, that's good. And verse 29, how much severe punishment do you think that he's going to deserve who tramples underfoot the blood of the Son of God, you continue sinning willfully, and is regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he has sanctified, and you insult the spirit of grace, for we know him who said, vengeance is mine, I will repay, and again the Lord will judge his people. It's a terrifying thing for you to fall into the hands of the living God. But verse 38, it says, My righteous one shall live by faith. And the righteous one live by faith, we saw it over there right now, that you will not deny the power of the gospel. The ones who do not live by faith, the ones denied the power of the gospel to clean all of these works of lawlessness out of their lives so that they be holy and righteous. They do. And so they suppress the truth in unrighteousness. And that's exactly what's happened today. So we go on to the next verse right there. Verse 39, But we are not those who are going to shrink back from the power of the gospel, we're not going to shrink back from the word of God to destruction, but we are those who are going to have faith to preserving their soul. And we know that we saw in 1 Peter 2 that the works of the flesh war against your soul. And then we see verse 36, For you have need of endurance, so that when you've done the will of God, the will of God is love, walking righteous in the love of the Lord with all your heart and your neighbor's heart. You're going to receive what is promised, and that's all the blessings of God. Now we're back in Romans 1. Verse 18, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. The wrath of God stands right there, that's the wrath of God's law to oppress the truth in unrighteousness. And we see those, they walk in unrighteousness. We see it in verse 29. Here is unrighteousness, exactly what's on your screen up there. They're filled with all unrighteousness and wickedness. Here it is. Greed, malice, that's a harlot. Full of envy, murder, strife, that's a harlot. Deceit, malice, and their gossip, that's a form of godlessness, a harlot. They're slanders, haters of God, and insolent, that's a harlot. They're arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, that's a harlot. They're disobedient to parents, which is exactly all these things we saw in 2 Timothy 3. They're without understanding, their veil is in front of their eyes. They're untrustworthy, they're unloving, they're unmerciful. And although they know the ordinance of God, that the law of God's commandments says that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but they give hearty approval to those who, what? Practice sin. And you'll not enter the kingdom of God if you practice sin. And then in chapter 2, verse 2, and we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who are practicing such things. And you look in verse 13, for it's not the hearers of God's law, it's going to be just before God. But it's the doers of God's ordinance who are going to be justified. And then we see back in verse 4, Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God is leading you into repentance, so you'll turn from all these things, His love and patience? But because of your stubborn and unrepentant heart, you won't lay down your life. You're storing up wrath as these powers of darkness move into your body. They're storing up wrath for yourself in a day of wrath. A day of wrath is a day of the Lord which we're in now. And it's a revelation of the righteous judgment of God. The righteous judgment of God, the revelation of it is what I've already told you here. The revelation of the righteous judgment of God is this. The standard of measure, it's measured on you. If you give out these works right here of lawlessness toward your neighbor, every time it comes out of your mouth, the hedge comes down and wrath is stored up in you as the powers of darkness take your life like a moth and rottenness work in you and you'll die. Verse 5, but because of your stubborn and unrepentant heart you're storing up wrath for yourself in a day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God who will render every man according to his deeds. Do you see that? I want to remind you of a scripture. I told it just a minute. And I want you to turn to Revelation, the very last chapter there. This is the final word from the Lord Jesus Christ in Revelation 22. And here's what the Lord says in Revelation 22, turn quickly to it. He says in verse 11, let the one who does wrong, Revelation 22 11, let the one who does wrong just still do wrong. Let the one who is filthy, let him just still be filthy. Let the one who is righteous, oh, he's going to practice righteous and let him who is holy, he's going to keep himself holy because I'm coming quickly and my reward, there it is, the righteous judgment of God is what he's bringing. He's going to be with me. And I'm going to render to every man according to his needs when he brings what he has done. In other words, when Jesus comes, his army, the army is going to precede him and go forward in front of him right there. He's first going to pick out the terrors and those that commit lawlessness and they're going to be put in a bundle and be burned while they're waiting for rapture. They're going to go down. And then I'll make that clear to you. And as he thinks that they don't have little crowns and big crowns, he's going to render to every man according to what he's done. You better be ready when he comes because when he comes you better not be caught in the cares of this world and dissipation. You better be caught in the ark. You better be in the ark because if you're not in the ark, this flood will sweep you away and you're not going to understand there's never been a hell and destruction on this earth like it's coming right now. You're hearing the final gospel and the final word and the end comes and tribulation comes and the flood separates the fleet from the terrors. That's exactly what it's doing. You don't have any time to go get people to vote on it. You better receive the word of God and it's all over the Bible. I can do this for days and days and days right here. I'll tell you the same thing I tell you with every book in the Bible from Samuel onward and show you the last days. That's exactly what Acts 3 told us. Just so you'll understand. He's going to render every man according to what he's done. Look at verse 13. Jesus said, I'm the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed. Here's the one that receives the blessings. Blessed are those who wash their robes that they may have a right to the tree of life and may enter this narrow and small gate into the city which is heaven. But outside here's the one that's cursed. They're the dogs. They're not walking in covenant. The sorcerers and the immoral person. They're murderers, idolaters that love other things more than God and everyone who loves and practices lying. They don't get through the narrow gate into the city. We're back over in Revelation 2. But because of your stubborn and unrepentant heart, verse 5, you're storing up wrath for yourself in a day of wrath in Revelation, the righteous judgment of God, who's rendered every man according to his deeds. And here it comes, verse 7, to those who by perseverance in doing good. Do you know what the good works were? We saw it over in 2 Timothy 2. You're sanctified so you can do the good works of love of God. What are they going to receive? They're going to receive glory and honor, immortality, and they're the ones that's going to receive eternal life. There's another salvation scripture if you care to mark it. But to those who are of selfish ambition, look on the board right here. Here they are right here. Here's your selfish ambition that won't give up selfishness, that continue to love those things more than they do God. They're walking in idolatry. But those who are of selfish ambition, they do not obey, will not obey the word. They won't obey the truth. They won't receive discipline and reproof. But they obey unrighteousness, and you see it on the board. They're going to receive wrath and indignation, which is a very opposite. They're walking under the judgment of God's law. They're not doers of God's law through Christ. And verse 9, watch very carefully. There's going to be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil. Now I want you to know the army of God brings it. And if you walk in your fleshly sins, it's going to war after your soul. But verse 10, there's going to be glory, honor, and peace to every man who does these good works that you saw in 2 Timothy 2. Amen? And now I want you to turn with me to Revelation 14. And I want you to turn with me to Hebrews 12. Hebrews 12. I'm going to read Hebrews 12 first. And here we go. Verse 6. Hebrews 12, verse 6. I'm going to give you a little more time to find. I want you to hold both places. It's important that you hold both places. Hebrews 12 and Revelation. I might read something in Revelation 13 first. OK? I'm going to read first in Hebrews 12, before I read in Hebrews 14. Here we go. Hebrews 12, verse 6. Everybody ready? OK. Hebrews 12, verse 6. For those whom the Lord loves, the Lord loves those who obey Him. For those whom the Lord loves, He's going to discipline. And He scourges every son whom He receives. Every son, every true son of God receives discipline and reproof. Verse 7. It is for discipline that you, what? Endure. God deals with you as son, for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? So if you're a son of God, you receive discipline. Verse 8. But if you're without discipline, if someone has got you in some religious setting that you've already got your ticket punched and you've got a false assurance, I want you to notice carefully that this is in your Bible. If you're without the discipline, which the Lord leads you to do, to remove all lawlessness from your heart, of which all that's the sons of God, the true sons of God, have become partakers, then you're illegitimate children, you're false sons and you're not sons of God. You're a harlot and you're a whore. Verse 9. You're adulterer because your heart's not turned to the Lord, it's turned to someone else. Verse 9. Furthermore, we have earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respect them. Shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of the spirits of God, so we can be able to live? For they, our earthly fathers, discipline us for a short time. Verse 10. As seen best of them, but the Lord disciplines us for our good, he disciplines that we may share his holiness. Because we'd already seen in 1 Corinthians 1 Peter 1, 14, as obedient children, we no longer conform to the former lust, which was yours in your ignorance. But now, like the holy one, we're going to be holy in all of our behavior, because it's written you'll be holy because I'm holy. And then, you better conduct yourself in fear during your time of stay on earth. Is there any reason you think that you might need to conduct yourself in fear during your time of stay on earth? I believe so. So then, we receive discipline. That's the only way you can become holy. And verse 11. All discipline. Now, I want you to hold your place right there and turn back to Galatians 5. Hold these places and turn back to Galatians 5. Galatians 5. Galatians 5. I've got these three and maybe one more place, and then we're going to finish. But I want you to listen very carefully, and I wish you just sit real still now and listen to this. Now, we're going to read in Hebrews 12 first, and then I'm going to read something in Galatians 5, and then we're going to Revelations. Now, let's go to Hebrews 12. And we're going to read this first. Now, verse 11. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful when you're going through this fire, but it seems sorrowful. Yet to those who have been trained by this discipline afterwards, after you've been trained by it, it's going to yield the peaceful fruit of what? Righteousness. And this is what the Spirit of God and Jesus does for us. Hebrews 12, 11. That's how we receive this discipline through the Spirit. And with small voices, do it! And we do it, because He loves us, and He's perfecting His love. What is the fruit of righteousness? Look back over in Galatians 5. Now, keep holding to Hebrews 12. And Hebrews 5, we see right here, verse 22, but the fruit of the Spirit, the Spirit's one that brings you discipline is love, joy, peace. Put it up there, Frank. Patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control against such things. There is what? That's what the discipline of the Lord brings in your life, to bring you that you bear the fruit of righteousness, and then that's how you fulfill the law of God, and you do not die in your sins. That's what eternal life is. That's what salvation is. And then when you don't believe it's possible for you to walk in this, you're denying the power of the gospel, and you join yourself up with the harlot, and you get in the works of the flesh, to try to earn your way into heaven. And you're destroyed. We see there, let's look at chapter, here's why the fruit of the Spirit is the fruit of righteousness, because you look in verse 16, but I say, Galatians 5, 16, but I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh, because the Spirit of God leads you in the love relationship with the Lord with all your heart. You don't care about the desires of the flesh, and we see the result of it, verse 14, for the whole law is fulfilled in the Word. You shall love your neighbor as yourself, and when you bear the fruit of righteousness, you are walking in it. When you're led by the Spirit of God, that's the way He's going to love your neighbor as yourself, and this love is going to grow. Your mind is going to be renewed. Your heart becomes purer, and you become conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, verse 24. Now, those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. And Paul went on to say, verse 12, chapter 6, verse 12, though, uh, we've already read that. Well, let's go ahead and read it. Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply they may not be persecuted by the cross of Christ. They don't want to hear this part of the Word, but those who are circumcised do not even keep the law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may boast in your flesh, because that's where the heart is. But may it never be that I should boast in anything except in the cross of Christ, because that's the only place there is to put my sins, through which the world has been crucified to me. The world has died to me, and I've died to the world. I'm not interested in anything in this world, Paul says, verse 14. And verse 15, for neither is circumcision anything or uncircumcision, but it's going to be you become a new creation. Old things have passed away, all things become new. As Jesus Christ is in the world, so are you. And verse 16, and those who are going to walk by this rule, they're going to have peace around them, they're going to have mercy all over them, because this is the Israel of God. Amen? The new creation. Now, watch, look at me. The old Israel fell away from the faith, and he has a new Israel that's going to be protected, perfected in love. It's a righteousness not of the law, it's a righteousness through a love affair with the Lord Jesus Christ, which fulfills the law. And through this love affair with the Lord, and a rest and peace that we walk in, it's all grace. He said, faithful is he that called you, and faithful he will bring it to pass. If you'll walk in peace, that's a sign to you. He's given the Spirit of God in you as a pledge, he's going to perfect this nature in you. That's how you keep from denying the power of God. Now, we go back over now to Hebrews 12. Let Galatians go, we're back over in Hebrews 12. And we see it in verse 11. All discipline, verse 11, for the moment seems not to be joyful but sorrowful. Yet to those who have been trained with this discipline, after it is going to yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness, which against such things is no law, that's a pure heart. Verse 14, therefore it says, Pursue peace with all men. You don't have any anger, unforgiveness, resentment, slander against anyone. You're going to pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification, which is the discipline to purify your heart, without which no one is going to see the Lord. There's another salvation scripture for you. You will not see the Lord unless you're sanctified and have a pure heart. And verse 22, because you have come to Mount Zion. That's that holy remnant we're seeing over there. You've come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God. This is a spiritual and holy mountain. It's going to be the chiefest of the mountains in the last day, and there are going to be people that stream to this mountain. They're going to come out of the harlot church. They're going to come out of Babylon, and their face is going to be set toward Zion. And they're going to be weeping as they go, because they're repenting, and they're talking about the judgment that came on Babylon. But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the marriage of angels, to the general assembly, and this is the church. It's the church of Jesus Christ, the firstborn, who's rolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all. And who makes up this church? The spirits of righteous men, who've been made perfect. And James 1, turn over about one page, two pages. In James 1, one page there, you see in verse 2, you say, oh, he believes in sinless perfection. Write it down in your little book that I do. Verse 2, I believe in it because God believes in it. And James 1, verse 2, consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter these various trials and the fires coming on you, knowing that this is a testing of your faith, and you just stand in this fire and please God. It's going to produce endurance, and God's going to let you suffer a little bit, and He's going to remove all this stuff, all that nature out of you, that nature and character, so He's going to remove it from you, because when you stand in this fire, you're proving you love God more than anything else. And verse 4, and let endurance, it's going to have a perfect result that you may be what? Perfect, and what else? Complete. One more, what's that word right there? Complete, you're lacking in nothing. Now, that is the mature man right there. What did he tell a rich young ruler? He said, how can I have eternal life? He said, rich young ruler, obey, you know, he said, obey the law, and he named him. And he said, rich young ruler, he said, I've done this from my youth. He said, and he said, what am I still lacking? And he told him, he said, there's one thing you're lacking, rich young ruler, you still love greed more than you do the Lord. If you want to be complete, you go sell your possessions and get rid of it, and then you come and follow me. And the rich young ruler, who was very rich, he turned and walked away, because he loved greed more than he did the Lord. He did not make it into heaven unless he repented later on, and then the Lord said later on, how hard it is for those who are rich to enter in the kingdom of God, because they put all their confidence in their treasures here on earth, and they love them more than they do God, so they find their portion in this world, and they destroy it, and they don't take nothing with them. They're destroyed by these pains, because it's the wrong root. Greed is the wrong root. Amen? It's not the Lord. And, uh, so then, we see, so then, I want you to turn me to Revelation 4, 13 now. Now, we see in Revelation 13, we see, I'm on one beast. Beast is Satan. Another beast is the powers of darkness. Another beast is the false prophet, the false church today, who does false signs and wonders. And we see there in verse, we see it right there, in verse, uh, let's look in verse 10. And if anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he'll go. The powers of darkness will do it. If anyone is killed with a sword, if he goes, what, I came to my Bible. He goes into anyone kills with a sword, with a sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints. Now, here's the harlot here. And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. That's the harlot church. And he had two horns like a lamb. It looks like Christian, but they speak like a dragon. Here they are, right here. They speak like a dragon. And they hold up, look at me. They hold up an image right here. It's an image of the beast. And they start the music and all the sounds of music right there. And at the sound of the music you bow your heart. When they start the music up in the harlot church you bow down to your doctrine in your heart. You bow to it there. That's exactly what they did in the wilderness when Jesus brought, when the Lord brought them out of, uh, of Egypt. They got in the wilderness and they made a gold cave. It's an image of the beast. And they stopped and bowed to it because their hearts turned back to the world. That's what's happened to the harlot church. Her heart has turned back to the world. So she's made her an image of beast so she can walk and talk like the world. And you become a part of it. You get another Jesus, another gospel, and you establish your own righteousness. And then the music starts. You bow your heart to the beast. Adam and Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar, who is a type of Satan. He built a gold statue of himself. And he said, everybody, when you hear the sound of music you're going to bow to this gold image. And then all the people at the sound of music had bowed. And then they found three Jews. The three Jews is a type of the Christian. You and I are the true Jews in Romans 2 of God. And then they found three Jews. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. And he said, these men are not bound. So Nebuchadnezzar had them brought to him. He said, now at the sound of the music you're going to bow to this image or we'll throw you in the furnace of fire. And he said, you can know one thing, Mr. Nebuchadnezzar, that we don't bow to nobody but God. And if we either have a God, he'll go in that furnace, he'll save us from it. And so he said, heat that thing up seven times. And he threw them into the furnace, these three men and they were thrown into the furnace of fire. And the men that threw them in was burned. But the Christians they went into that furnace of fire. And then after a while, they looked in there and they saw the fourth man in the furnace of fire. Today, if you will not bow to the image of the beast, the powers of darkness bring persecution and affliction all over you and bring people against you. Put you in the furnace of fire. But then if you'll compromise and back up, they'll take their pressure off of you. But just like it was that the Jews Shadrach and Meshach have been to go, the fourth man was in the fire. And he looks like the son of man. When you go through the fire, when you go through the fire and you cross the rivers, the fourth man will be there with you. He's always with you in the fire. Shadrach and Meshach had on their coat, their cap, their clothes, their shoes and it wasn't singed with fire. They had on their weapons. They had on Ephesians 6. And the fire didn't touch them. Neither was there smoke on them. There's no smoke on you and me. Verse 11. And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. But they have two horns like a lamb and they speak like a dragon. And we see there, here's what they do. In verse 16. They cause all the small, the great, the rich, the poor, the free men, the slave to be given a mark on their right hand and on their forehead. And then we have another people that have a different mark on them. We see in chapter 14 verse 1. And I looked and behold the lamb was standing where? He was standing where? That's where Jesus is coming to. He's coming to Mount Zion. That's where the holy and righteous will be. And the armies of destruction will go everywhere else. He's coming to his people on Zion. And we see in verse 3. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living elders and creatures and elders. And if you look through that new song, there's all two psalms all over the word. That's the people of God. These are the ones who have not been what? They haven't been defiled with women. They have the mark of God on them. They have not been defiled with the harlot church. Because why? They have kept themselves pure. That's the bride that gets ready to meet the bridegroom. They're not defiled with double-mindedness and a harlot church with a woman. Are you hearing what I'm saying? And these are the ones who follow the Lord Jesus Christ wherever he goes. My sheep hear my voice and they follow me in a stranger's voice. They will not follow. That's the elect. Verse 5. And no lie, no deceit was found in their mouth. And they were what? They're blameless. Verse 12. Here is the perseverance of the true saints of God. The ones that do what? Uh-oh, they do what? Uh-oh, they encourage salvation again. They keep the commandments of God and their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And you can only keep the commandments of God by having your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen? Back up to Revelation 12. And the serpent poured water. Verse 15, I'm sorry. And the serpent poured water like a river. God has a river. It's the word of God. You want to see what? Let me show you Satan's river up here. Look at me, folks. That's Satan's river right there. Anger, envy, jealousy, pride, unforgiveness, stealing. Criticism, revenge, retaliation, sarcasm, bitterness. That's his river that he pours in his mouth. You know who carries out the river of Satan? The powers of darkness come out and whisper them to your mind. God has a river that comes in his mouth, and the Spirit of God brings it to you. Amen? So you've got two rivers. One from God and one from Satan. Here's Satan's river. Verse 15. And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman so that it might cause her to be swept away with a flood of words. Verse 11. Let's look at verse 17. And the dragon was enraged. Verse 17. It's Satan. He was enraged with the woman. That's the church of Jesus Christ. He went off to make war with her and with the rest of her offspring. And who does Satan come to make war with? The ones who do what? They keep the commandments of God by how? Holding to the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. Can I tell you something? That's where the furnace of fire is, brother. That's the ones they come against. They come to test your heart. And in this fire, you keep like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you keep entrusting yourself to a faithful creator. You don't try to please anyone else. Your confidence is no longer in any man. Your confidence is in God only. Amen? And verse 11. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony. And they did not love their fleshly life until death. Amen? And I want you to hold your place right there and turn to Luke 17. Luke 17. Now Luke 17. Luke 17. Verse 26. And just, Luke 17, verse 26, and just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall be also in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating. They were drinking. They were marrying, doing all the things the world's do. They were being given into marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark. And a flood came. And it destroyed them all. Verse 30. It'll be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. The five powers of darkness are going to come in destruction. Verse 33. Whoever seeks to keep his fleshly life, wants to hold on to it and not lay it down, is going to lose it. But whoever loses and lays down his fleshly lifestyle in this world is the one that's going to preserve it alive. And they're going to be with much joy and peace. I'm going to tell you on that night there are going to be two men in one bed and one will be taken and the other will be left. That's not rapture. They're going to be taken to destruction. There'll be two women grinding at the same place, one will be taken and the other will be left. Two men will be in the field, one will be taken and the other will be left. They're going to be destroyed. And answering, they said to him, Where, Lord, are they going to be taken to? And he said to them, where the dead body is, there are also the vultures. That's the birds of prey, the birds of heaven. They're going to be gathered on the dead. Do you remember in 2 Corinthians 2 Ephesians 2 that you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you formerly walked. That's who the dead are. And then we saw the dead were sons of disobedience that walked in lust of flesh and desires of the flesh and we saw that the demon spirits were in them. The demon spirits are the birds. They fly in mid-heaven. Now, if you look over in Revelation 19, Revelation 19 In Revelation 19 Well, let's look at 18 there just for a second. Revelation 18 Verse 1 After these things, I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority in the earth, and have illuminated with this glory. And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is this harlot church. The great, Babylon the great, the false prophet, she has become a dwelling place of demons. She's being destroyed. Here's a righteous judgment of God. In verse 6, Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds. By their standard to measure, let it be measured to her. In a cup which she has mixed, she's been feeding other people. Give her twice as much for her. To the degree she walked in this selfish ambition, and glorified herself and lived sensuously. To the same degree, give her tormenting and mourning powers of darkness, the army of God. For she's saying in her heart, I'm the queen, and Jesus is the king. She's saying, I'm the widow. In other words, I can't be lost. She said, I'll never see mourning. No curse can come on me. No calamity come on me. For this reason, verse 8, In one day, the plagues and the curses, the powers of darkness are going to come with plagues and pestilence and mourning and famine. She's going to be burned up with fire for the Lord God who judges her as His throne. And the kings of the earth, the leaders of this world who committed acts of immorality with her and lived sensuously with her, because they became rich. We see up there in verse 3, by the wealth of their sensuality as she built fleshly monuments. Because, verse 9, And the kings of the earth who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously are weak with lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning and this smokish destruction. And they're going to stand in the distance. They're not going to want to get around there because of the fear of her torment. They don't want the same torment on her saying, whoa, whoa. The great church babbling. The strong city for one hour, their judgment has come. Verse 15, And the merchants, that's the businessmen of this world who became rich from her will stand in the distance because of the fear of this same torment, weeping and mourning. And then verse 22, The sound of the harpist and the musician the flute players and trumpets are not going to be heard in you any longer. You're no longer going to, all the jubilates are going to descend into hell. No craftsman of any craft, there ought to be a true prophet, apostle, pastor, teacher in it. No craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer. The sound of the mill is not going to be heard in you any longer. The light of the lamp, your lamp's gone out, foolish virgins, will no longer shine in you. Arise, my dead, and let the right Christ shine on you as we saw in Ephesians 5. And the voice of the bridegroom of the Lord Jesus Christ and the bride of the true church of Jesus Christ is not going to be heard in you any longer for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery, witchcraft, false prophets. And in her was found the blood of the prophets and the saints and all have been slain on the earth. And we see back there in verse 4, And I heard another voice from heaven say, Come out of her, my people, and do not participate in these sins and lawlessness that you may not receive of her plagues, which of course is coming on us. And we see in Revelation 19 verse 1, After these things I heard as it were a loud voice of great multitudes in heaven saying, Hallelujah, salvation and glory and power to belongs to our God, because the judgments, his judgments are true and righteous for he has judged the great harlot who has corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the blood of his bond servants on her and upon her. And we know a harlot is those, a group that blesses God and curses her neighbor. And we see in verse 7, Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come and his true bride has made herself ready. She has come out from the midst of her. And it was given her to clothe herself in linen bright and clean. For the fine linen is what? That's the righteous acts of the saints. They walk in righteous. And he said to them, Right. Blessed. Here's the one that's blessed. These are the ones that's blessed by God are those who are invited to the marriage of the Lamb. And we know that Jesus comes out of heaven. And then we see in verse 14, The armies which are with him are clothed in fine linen, white and clean. They followed him on white horses. And from his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it he may smite the nations. He will rule them with the wine of iron, and he's going to tread the winepress. I'm going to show you how the winepress later on is the powers of darkness. It's army. It's turned loose. He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God. And then here he calls them in verse 17, And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice saying to all the birds which were flying in midheaven, There they are! Come on army! Come and assemble yourself for the great supper of God in order that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men. In other words, folks, those who don't make the marriage supper of the Lamb, go to the marriage supper of God, which is a sacrifice for his instruments of indignation. And these powers of darkness, these vultures, the birds that fly in midheaven, he's going to call them down to destroy the whole bunch. And we see, where is he coming to in 2 Thessalonians 1? I'm going to go until the Lord as long as he gives me two of me here, I'm going to go. So now, Tim, in 2 Thessalonians 1. Turn to 2 Thessalonians 1. And we see, starting in verse 3, we're going to see where Jesus is coming to bring his destruction to. And we're going to start in verse 3. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as it's only fitting because your faith is greatly enlarged and you're what? The love of each one of you toward one another is just growing and greater and greater and greater. That's what it's all about. Therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and your faith in the midst of all your persecutions and affliction which you endure, the fire and the wrath come on you, the fire and the persecution. And this is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment so that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God for which indeed you're suffering. For after all, it's only just for God to repay with affliction those who are afflicting you. And He's going to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire. And He's going to be dealing out retribution. He'll be dealing out judgment and retribution to those who do not know God and to those that harlot that does not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we see over in Jude, we see this exactly in Jude. Turn to Jude, the one chapter before Revelation 1. Right before Revelation we see it in Jude. We see it in Jude verse 14 and about these also. Jude verse 14 about these in the seventh generation of Adam prophesied saying, Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment upon all and to convict all the ungodly of their ungodly deeds which they've done in an ungodly way and all the harsh things which these ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. These are the grumblers, they're finding fault. They fall after their own lust of flesh, that who He's bringing judgment to. They speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining their advantage because they're walking after selfishness and selfish ambition. Verse 17, Be you of it ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ that they were saying to you in the last days, last time, there's going to be mockers and the mockers that mock the truth of God are the ones who follow after their own ungodly lusts. They don't turn from these lusts, they don't repent and lay down their lives. These are the ones who cause indivisions today. They are worldly minded and they're devoid of the Spirit of God and that's who God is bringing His judgment on. You back up there if you will please for verse 4 and you see them. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who long ago marked out for this condemnation. They're ungodly persons, they're ungodly persons who follow the lusts of flesh, who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and care and love for the world, doctrines that do not conform you to godliness and in this way they deny only Master and Lord Jesus Christ. Now I desire to remind you folks that Jude says though you know all these things once for all that the Lord after saving the people out of Egypt, He subsequently destroyed those who did not believe and that's the destruction of these men. Verse 10 But these men revile the things they do not understand and the things which they know by instinct like unreasoning animals by these very things they're destroyed. Woe and cursed are them for they've gone the way of Cain, which is a way of works instead of holiness. For pay they've rushed headlong into the Arab realm, in other words they're fulfilling gain and selfish ambition and then they've perished in the rebellion of Korah their might is not right they're walking with the wrong fire it's the fire of the flesh not the fire of the spirit these men are those who are hidden in your love feast the marriage, the Lord's supper which they feast with you, they don't have any fear and because they totally walk caring for themselves they're clouds without water, they're carried about by the winds, the autumn trees, they're without fruit, they're double dead spiritually and physically in God's eyes they're uprooted 2 Corinthians 6 verse 14 yeah 2 Corinthians 7 verse 8 2 Corinthians 7 verse 8 Paul says, for though I caused you sorrow by my letter the letter is the gospel, I do not regret it, though I did regret it, for I see that the letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while if some of the things you've heard here caused you a little sorrow, you know what it's going to do, it's driving you to repentance, though, and that's good I now rejoice not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, that's love of the Lord with all your heart and your neighbor's yourself, fulfill the law of God in order that you might not suffer loss in anything through us verse 10, for the sorrow that's according to the will of God, to have a divine nature, love of the Lord with all your heart and your neighbor's self, it's going to produce a repentance without regret look at me folks, you turn, you lay down your life, you turn away from all the works of flesh, and you walk away from it that's a repentance without regret, you're not like Lot's wife, you don't have to look back there, cause that's not, you're looking for the city not made with hands, you're not building one here on earth, amen for the sorrow that's according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, and this is the kind of repentance that leads to what? that's the only kind of repentance that's going to lead you to salvation, there's another salvation scripture but the sorrow of the world which a harlot church walks in, it produces death so therefore in 2 Corinthians 6 verse 14 do not be bound together with unbelievers for what partnership have you who want to walk in righteousness, going to be able to walk with those who walk in lawlessness selfishness, and what fellowship have you who want to walk in the light going to have with those who walk in darkness verse 17, therefore come out from their midst that practice lawlessness, be separate says the Lord, and don't touch any unclean or impure thing if you'll do this, the Lord says I'll welcome you, and then I'll be a father to you, you'll be sons and daughters to me then, says the Lord almighty chapter 7 verse 1 therefore having these promises beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all of this defilement of the flesh that we've been into in a harlot church and we're going to cleanse our spirit because it's the spirits of righteous men made perfect we're going to be perfected in holiness and we're going to walk in the fear of God Amen now folks if this doesn't lead you to repentance I fear for you now I'm going to tell you right now, you're in a move right now that's a move of God man can't make it work don't touch the ark you're going to become accountable if you're going to claim to walk with God and you can get ready for some changes in your life you're going to be accountable or you're going to be destroyed you no longer can do the things that we've always done because they seem best in our eyes because you're going to drop dead all kind of stuff is going to come on you we continue to walk in these things and they're all nice the Lord has a lot of grace and mercy a lot of love I just thinking about some of the things that I've come to in the last few years Joyce and I have been the last three years two of the most lonely and unhappy people just about anywhere we had to go through it didn't understand it but I'm sure glad it happened the way it did I didn't understand it I just have some understanding about it now because there's a lot of things that need to be removed from the life of Joyce and me and they're still being removed now and I'm in agreement with it