In this sermon, Pastor Chuck Smith discusses the importance of standing up for righteousness in a fallen world. He emphasizes the need for young adults to resist the immorality of our culture and remain committed to following Jesus Christ. Pastor Chuck also introduces his new book, "Standing Up in a Fallen World," which is a Bible study based on the book of Daniel. He urges young adults to take a stand against compromise and prepare for the Lord's coming. Additionally, the sermon touches on the concerns about the patterns of rebellion against God and the need for deliverance for God's children.

Welcome to The Word for Today. The Word for Today is a continuous study of the Bible taught by Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California. Pastor Chuck is currently teaching from the Old Testament. And for those of you following along in your Bibles, we'll be continuing today in Isaiah Chapter 15, beginning with verse 1. As we continue with an in-depth message entitled, The Prophecies Against Moab. One thing is needful, O my Father One thing is needful, O my God That I sit at your feet And pour out my love This thing is needful, O my God And now with today's study, here's Pastor Chuck. Shall we turn in our Bible to Isaiah Chapter 15, as he deals with the burden of Moab. Now at this point, it would be extremely helpful to have a Bible atlas and to look at Moab on the Bible atlas. Because he's going to be throwing in a lot of foreign names that won't mean anything to you. Unless you could see them on a map and realize where they are in Moab. But let me try to help you a little bit. The area and the cities that he will be describing are for the most part directly east of the Dead Sea. The Nebo and all are on the northern end of the Dead Sea. Some of these cities are actually at the southern tip and below the southern tip of the Dead Sea. The river Arnon actually comes in right about the middle of the Dead Sea, all on the east side. So if you can, and if you have any idea of Bible maps and geography, the land of Moab that it will be addressed here is that which is directly east of the Dead Sea and then slightly to the south of the Dead Sea. Now, this was written about 704 BC. Two years after it was written, Sargon, the king of Assyria, attacked Arabia. And in his attack of Arabia, he had to pass through Moab, the area that we'll be reading about tonight. And it seems that as he came through Moab, he devastated it, went on and attacked Arabia. And then as they were coming back from their victory over Arabia, again, they gave Moab just another beating for good. And so it's like a wave moving back and forth, the destruction that he's going to be pronouncing here upon Moab that will be coming upon them. And we know from secular history and the records of the Assyrians that Sargon, the king of Assyria in the year 702, made this invasion of Arabia. And no doubt this is what Isaiah is referring to in this prophecy that he writes in the year 704 BC. So it is a prophecy against Moab, because in the night of Ar of Moab is laid waste and brought to silence. Because in the night Ker of Moab is laid waste and brought to silence. Two of the cities of Moab, and again, you need a map to know where they are, but they were besieged at night by the Assyrians and destroyed. He has gone up to Bajith and to Dibbon, to the high places, to weep. Moab shall howl over Nebo, a major city on the north side, just directly east of the northern portion of the Dead Sea, and over Mediba, up in the same area, and all their heads shall be baldness and every beard cut off. Now, in Israel, whenever there was a death in the family, in order to show grief, they would shave their heads and their beards. And then for a period of time, they would not shave. They would let their beards grow and let their hair grow. And then at the end of the period of mourning, they would again cut it off and offer it as an offering unto God. But the shaved head and the chopped or cropped beards was a sign of grief and of mourning over the dead. And thus, the sign of the mourning that would be taking place in Moab because of this invasion by the Assyrians and by the many people and cities that would be destroyed. In the streets, they shall gird themselves with sackcloth, another sign of great mourning. You wear this itchy sackcloth, which they think is probably made of camel hide worn backwards. And a camel is a very sticky kind of a bristly fur on it. And it would be very uncomfortable indeed. On the tops of their houses and in their streets, everyone shall howl. Now, in that culture, there is that wailing for the dead. And a pastor was telling me here just the other day of his first funeral. And it so happened that he was called to do this funeral and the people were Mideastern people. And when he finished the ceremony, he said they all started wailing. And he said he wasn't really ready for that. And he said, Lord, what a way to initiate me in doing funerals. My first one and had all of this wailing. But it again is a cultural thing. And in the Middle East, they often even to the present day, upon the burial of the body, and you've seen it on television, as they like to take the pictures of that to sort of grip our hearts here in the West, you see them wailing over their dead. And so their streets, they will be wearing sackcloth, the tops of their houses and in their streets, everyone shall wail, weeping abundantly or overcome with grief. And Hezbollah shall cry. And their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz. Now, Hezbon is up on the northern part and Jahaz is in the central part. So the wailing will be so loud, he said, up there that 30 miles away, they'll hear them in Jahaz. Therefore, the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out in dismay, in fear. The men of war will be frightened and fleeing. His life shall be grievous unto Him. And so the prophet Isaiah expresses his own grief for the destruction that is going to come upon Moab. Isaiah says, my heart shall cry out for Moab. He is prophesying of the judgment and the destruction that is coming, but his own heart weeps for them, for the things that they're going to experience. His fugitives or refugees shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old. For by the mounting up of Luhith, with weeping shall they go it up. For in the way of Haronim, they shall raise up a cry of destruction. So the whole land, and as Isaiah says, it's like floods just passing back and forth through the land. And thus the cry of destruction just waves after waves. For the waters of Nimran shall be desolate. Now, Nimran is at the southern end of the Dead Sea, a stream that came into the Dead Sea. But evidently the Assyrians stopped up the springs, and this was a normal tactic of the Assyrians, to stop up the water flows. And so the stream of Nimran is desolate, it ceases. And thus the grass is withered away, the grass fails. There is no green thing, an area that was verdant and lush. It is now dry. Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up they carry away to the brook of the willows. For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab, just all around, back and forth, the howling thereof unto Iglam, and the howling thereof unto Ber-Elam. For the waters of Diman shall be full of blood, and I will bring more upon Diman, lions upon him that escape of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land. The land will be so desolate it will be taken over by wild animals. Their streams turn to blood, a horrible destruction coming upon Moab. Now, in chapter 16, it's a continuation of this pronounced destruction on Moab. Send ye the Lamb to the ruler of the land from Sila to the wilderness unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. Now, Moab was captured by King David. And they began to pay tribute unto Israel in David's day. In Solomon, it actually tells us how that each year they paid a tribute to Solomon of over a hundred thousand sheep. And this was continued for a time when the kingdom was divided. The northern kingdom Israel continued to collect this tribute of sheep from Moab. However, later Moab rebelled against the taxation and rebelled against Israel and did not pay the tribute. And now it is being suggested by the prophet that again they pay the tribute, that they would send the Lamb to the ruler of the land from Sila. Sila is the Hebrew word Petra. So from the rock to the wilderness unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. So pay tribute unto Zion. For it shall be that as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon, the stream that comes into the Dead Sea or the river that comes in right about the middle of the Dead Sea coming out of Moab. Now at this point, and it is interesting, at this point Isaiah makes a whole transition and switch. Right in the middle of talking about this destruction on Moab, he now switches scenes, he switches years. That which he is talking about is going to happen within the next three years. But now he sort of switches and prophecy is interesting that way. For in the middle of this, which is going to be taking place immediately, there is yet a prophetic utterance concerning the future. And to give you a little background to what he is prophesying, and at this point it is still yet future. It hasn't happened yet. But as we go on into the New Testament, we get a little foresight and a little more insight to what is going to be taking place. In the 24th chapter of Matthew, when the disciples were asking Jesus what would be the signs of His coming and the end of the age, Jesus told them that when they saw the abomination of desolation that was spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, then flee to the wilderness. Remember that passage? He said if you are on the housetop, don't even stop in your house to get your jacket. If you are out in the field, don't even return to your house. Get out of there as quickly as you can. Flee to the wilderness. Now, that was referring to the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet. So you have to go back to Daniel the prophet. And in the 9th chapter we read of the abomination that causes the desolation. Without giving you the background and letting you go back and fill in the details of the background, out of the federation of European states that will form the final world governing empire, there will arise a blasphemous leader who blasphemes the God of heaven. He will have the economic power of the combined states of Western Europe. He will be the most powerful man on the face of the earth. He will have demonic powers by which he will work wonders and signs in the eyes of the people. This man is known in the scriptures as the beast. He is known as the man of sin. He is known as the son of perdition. And also known as the antichrist. He will come to Israel and make a covenant with Israel, a seven-year type of a treaty. And in this covenant with Israel will no doubt be included the permission for them to rebuild their temple. Now, in Israel today, the faithful of the Temple Mount Foundation have banded together to rebuild the temple. I mean, that's their goal. That's the goal of their existence is the rebuilding of the temple. They have already begun to make the robes for the priest. They've begun to make the furnishings for the offerings in the temple. And there is a plan and a desire to rebuild the temple. About three weeks ago, there was quite a bloody incident in Jerusalem because of this faithful of the Temple Mount Foundation. For on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkoth, they were planning to go to the Temple Mount and place a stone on the Temple Mount which was to be a symbolic act of the first stone of the rebuilt temple. And it was to be a symbolic act by which they were declaring or seeking to make a declaration to the world that the Temple Mount is sacred to the Jews and they have a right to build a temple there that they might worship God. It is just as sacred and holy to the Jews as it is to the Muslims. And these people of the faithful to the Temple Mount Foundation were planning this demonstration on Sukkoth, the last day of the Feast, which is the great day of that Feast, as we read in John, Jesus stood and cried on that day, saying, And any man thirst, come to me and drink. Now, the Arabs, or the Muslims, had received word that this group was going to come to the Temple Mount, place that stone in a symbolic gesture, and pray for the temple to be rebuilt. And thus they armed themselves with piles of stones and bricks on the Temple Mount, waiting for them to come, intending to drive them off with their stones and bricks. The police stopped this group and their march several blocks away from the Temple Mount. And they did not allow them to proceed. They forcibly prohibited them to make this declaration because there was an order of the court in Israel that was an injunction against this demonstration because they knew that it would create tensions and problems. So the group was stopped by the police. In the meantime, there at the western wall where the Jews assemble for prayer, some 20,000 to 30,000 Jews had gathered there to pray on this holy day. As the prayers were being finished and the Jews started to leave that area, the Muslims on top with their piles of rocks and bricks, not having anyone to throw at, decided to throw at the people who were leaving the prayer, those people down below. And so there came this rain of stones over the top and several Jewish people were injured and needed to be hospitalized who were struck by these stones and bricks. Face to face, Lord let me know. Face to face, Lord let me see You. Simply write or call and ask for ordering details on tape or CD number C-3249. Again, that's tape or CD number C-3249. As we come to a close in today's program, we'd like to introduce a new book by Pastor Chuck Smith written especially for today's young generation. Do you have what it takes to abstain from the immorality of our culture? Would you stand up for Jesus Christ in a group of complete strangers? What about in a group of your closest friends? It definitely takes a commitment to follow Jesus Christ. The word for today presents Pastor Chuck Smith's new book, Standing Up in a Fallen World, a Bible study based on the book of Daniel, a young man who took a stand for righteousness in a time when he could have lost his life. Filled with encouragement and application, Pastor Chuck teaches a powerful message for today's young adults between the ages of 12 and 20, urging them to stand up against the compromise in the world today and get ready for the Lord's coming. And now for the first time, the word for today has made available clothing, T-shirts, beanies and hats for a limited time only, equipping young adults to witness and revive their generation. Also available is a study guide especially designed for students and family devotions. To order your copy of Pastor Chuck's new book, Standing Up in a Fallen World, the clothing apparel and study guide, you can call the word for today at 1-800-272-WORD or write to us at P.O. Box 8000, Costa Mesa, California, 92628. Once again, that number to call is 1-800-272-9673. And for those of you that would like to visit our website, you can do so at www.twft.com or if you would like to e-mail us, you can do so at info at twft.com. Well, coming up next time on the word for today, Pastor Chuck will be continuing his fascinating study through the book of Isaiah. That's coming up next time on the word for today. And now with a few closing comments, here is Pastor Chuck. Lord, we see our nation and we're deeply concerned as we see the same kinds of patterns developing as we have forsaken you, the fountain of living waters and people are burning their incense to various gods, the gods of the flesh, the gods of pleasure. And Lord, we see the rebellion against you and against your righteous laws. And we know, Lord, that you are patient and that you are long-suffering, but we also know that you are just. Lord, deliver, we pray, your children. May we be accounted worthy to escape these things that are going to be coming to pass upon the earth. May we be standing before you. There around the throne of God in your glory. When that day of judgment comes. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. This program is sponsored by the word for today. The radio ministry of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California.