In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of following the Word of God rather than the traditions of men. He encourages listeners to listen to the entire series of tapes in order to fully understand the teachings. The sermon references the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the book of Daniel, highlighting their faith and God's deliverance from the fiery furnace. The speaker also warns about the coming day of the Lord and the powers of darkness that seek to shake the foundation of believers who are not standing on the Word of God.

When anyone receives revelation in the Word of God, it sometimes conflicts with what he has previously been taught. This causes you to have to deal with old traditions or wrong teaching. These tapes may contain some new light from God's Word, and it may be opposed to some traditions you have previously learned. Therefore, follow through these messages in your Bible, in sequence, in order that you may be able to make a choice for the Word of God rather than the traditions of men. This is tape number 12 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 the series. Now, verse 17, My soul is been rejected from peace. Don't have any peace. I've forgotten happiness. Do you see that? Now, let's look down there in verse 37. Who is there who speaks, and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Now, I want you to understand where all these things come from. I want you to know who is in charge of the whole thing. I don't care what somebody is. People who don't understand the judgment of God don't understand that God is in charge of all these things. Now, look at verse 38. Is it not from the mouth of the Most High God that both good blessings and ill curses go forth? Why should any living mortal or any man offer complaint in view of his sin? What you better do is examine and probe your ways and letters to return to the Lord, and then start lifting up your heart and your hands in which direction? Lift up your hands toward heaven. Amen? It doesn't matter what somebody else thinks. Now, in chapter 4, verse 11, The Lord has accomplished His wrath. He has poured out, now there is a flood, His fierce anger. That's Satan, isn't it? He has kindled a fire, that's a fire He's burning. Babbling with, He has kindled a fire in Zion, which has consumed its foundations. Is that what the powers of darkness come against? The foundation, if you're not standing on the word of God, that's what they come to shake. Folks, is this plain? The kings of the earth, that's the leaders of the earth, they didn't believe, nor did any of the habitants of the world. They didn't believe that the adversary, the powers of darkness, the enemy, could enter the gates of the church, Jerusalem. They didn't believe they could get in there. How did they get in there? Because of the sins of her prophets, preachers, and iniquities of her pastors, priests, who have shed in their midst the blood of the righteous, by teaching the traditions of men and doctrines of men. Now, I want you to see something with me in Ezekiel 39. Just turn to your right a little bit in Ezekiel 39 quickly, and there are just a few verses here that we need to tie together. Ezekiel 39, I want you to read about three verses. Let's start in verse 17. Now, who's the birds of the sky? Did we see that? Hey, let me ask you something. I want you to remember something. Look at me here. I want you to remember that you just looked at a corpse in Lamentations. Now, I hope you all don't remember. I hope your mind's not somewhere else where you're listening to me now. But in Lamentations, you saw a dead church. You saw a corpse. They're a dead body. They're doing things on their own. The powers of the doctrines are their masters, and God and them, and destroying them. Are you hearing me? Do you know what those powers of the doctrines are called? They're called the birds of the eye, beasts of the field. They're called birds of heaven, vultures. It's just different names, you know. Birds of prey are coming against their own every side. Are you hearing what I'm saying? And they descend. Now, every time it says beasts of the field or birds of the sky, it's not talking about the powers of darkness, but sometimes they use it in reverence, just like it does other things in the Word of God. They're types. And so you can clearly tell when it does. But look there in Ezekiel 39, verse 17. As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God, speak to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field and tell them to assemble and come and gather from every side to my sacrifice, which I'm going to sacrifice for you as a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. You're going to eat flesh and drink blood. May I suggest something to you? Do you believe the powers of darkness come to eat flesh and drink blood? Of course they do. But now in verse 23. And the nations will know that the house of Israel went in exile. How did they go in exile? Because of their sin, iniquity. Why? They've acted treacherously against me, the Lord. So the Lord removed his presence and he said, I hid my face from them. So I've given them into the hand of their adversaries and all of them fell by the sword. Now these adversaries, if you draw your line right there, it's every kind of bird that's going to assemble and eat flesh and drink blood. Is that plain? Now look at verse 24. According to their uncleanness and these unclean spirits, according to their transgression and not walking in covenant, I've dealt with them and then I hid my face from them. His presence is gone. Amen? Well, now look at Revelation 19 and let's see this same thing again. All right? Revelation 19. Revelation 19, you know what you're going to read about here? There are going to be two suppers. God's going to have a sacrifice and he's going to have a supper right there. And I hope you're in the marriage supper of the Lamb. That's the one I recommend. Now look at verse 2. We're still talking about Babylon. "...because his judgments are true and righteous, for he judged a great..." That's a harlot church. "...who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and he's avenged the blood of his bondservants on her." Now we know the bondservants are those apostles and saints and prophets. And he's avenging it. He's turning judgment loose on her. Now look at verse 7. "...Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride..." Has what? I can't hear you. He's made herself what? Oh, she gets ready. Now I want to ask you something. How do you get ready? I'll tell you a good idea to put right there. If you want to put on James 4, 6 through 10. First you humble yourself. You submit to God. You resist the devil. You draw near to God. You cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. And your laughter turns into mourning. And you're crying. And you weep and cry before the Lord in brokenness. And then you get in the presence of the Lord. That's how you prepare yourself and get ready. Unless your heart's somewhere else. Amen? So there's a marriage supper of the Lamb. Now if you get yourself ready, you go to this supper. Is that right? Okay. And then you eat the Lord's Supper. Is that right? May I ask you something? Are you eating the Lord's bread right now? A lot of people don't want to do it. Luke 14 talks about a people that hadn't got time to eat the Lord's bread because they've got oxen, they've got farms, and they've got families, they've got things in the world. They haven't got time to eat this kind of bread. They've got this world bread out there they're after. The soup line bread. The bread of the world. That's where you and the Lord talk. Don't worry about what you're going to eat or drink or what you're going to wear. That's what the world's after right here. Hey, we're just passing through this thing. We're just going to be here for a season. Let's let God be God in our lives and be strong in the Lord where he can touch others and so we build our kingdoms in hell. We don't build nothing here. Amen? Well, let's just continue. And it was given to her, verse 8, to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. And he said to me, Right and blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true words of God. Do you think Babylon goes there to this supper? Let me ask you again. Do you believe Babylon goes to this supper? Let me tell you, I don't think she does either. I don't think she does either. Now, I want you to look with me in verse 15. We're going to see this wine press. Here's the other supper. There's going to be two suppers. If you don't make that other one, you make this one right here. Now, verse 15, And from his mouth comes a sharp sword, this from the mouth of Jesus, so that with it he may smite the nations. He will rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God. And on his robe and on his name, Thy, he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. And I saw an angel standing in the sun and cried out with a loud voice. And what's he saying? Now, he's coming to tread on the wine press. Is that right? Look at me, folks. Is he coming to turn loose the wine presses on the people? Well, how do we see in Lamentations he's going to do that? He's going to move the hedge and he's going to speak with this sword curse. He's going to move the hedge. And there they go. Judgment. Amen? That's a judgment you've been reading through Revelation. Amen? That's a judgment. So we see right there 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 fly in the midst of heaven. Now, look at me, folks. And I know that... Do you want me to tell you who those birds are? That's them. You probably sat in a teaching with me, Beverly, where years ago I remember where someone was telling us that time is drawing near right now because they've been counting the buzzard eggs, so we know the time is near. See, that's the natural, not seeing the spiritual. So some people are counting buzzard eggs and looking at the natural, and they're not seeing the spiritual right here. These are the powers of darkness right here. They fly in mid-heaven. Now come and assemble yourself for the great supper of God. Well, what is this great supper of God? In order... Here's what they're going to do. Let's look in verse 18. In order that you are going to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, and the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses, of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and great and small and great. What about that, folks? Now look at me. Let me just explain what you just read here. If you want to go to the marriage supper of the Lamb, you're going to get yourself ready, and you're going to be holy and blameless, and your heart's not going to be defiled. We already saw that over in Revelation 14. The first four verses, the ones that are going to have the mark of God are not going to be defiled. One through five. The fifth verse says you're going to be blameless. Either you're going to get yourself ready, and you're going to die to all rebellion, or else, let me just tell you something. You're going to have the mark of the beast. You're going to have a harlot's forehead, because your heart's defiled. And if you don't go to that supper, to eat the marriage supper of the Lamb, the Lord, then you go to this other supper, and you get ate. You'll get eaten. You'll be eaten, because the birds of the sky, the birds of the air, the birds of mid-heaven, will be turned loose. That's the hedge coming down on Babylon and the people that won't cleanse and purify their hearts. Are you hearing what I'm saying? Now, let's understand that a little more. Let's turn to Isaiah 63. Isaiah 63. Isaiah 63. In Isaiah 63, verse 2, Why is your apparel red, and your garments like one who treads in a winepress? He says, I have trodden a wine trough alone, and from the peoples there was no man with me. I also have trod them in my what? Anger. I trampled them in my what? Wrath. And their lifeblood is sprinkled on my garments. And I stained all my raiment. For the day of vengeance was in my heart. Is that what we've been reading about? The day of vengeance? And my year of redemption has come. Now, look in verse 6. I trod down the peoples in my anger. Who is this anger? Satan. I made them drunk in my wrath. He didn't let it. He gave them a famine of the word. They couldn't even see and understand. I poured out their lifeblood on the earth, destroyed them. That's the judgment of God. That's what's left out. When you're speaking blessings, you build some other things. You don't use this part of it. Verse 8. For he said, Surely they are my people, sons who will not deal falsely. So he became their Savior. Now, verse 10. But they rebelled and grieved this Holy Spirit of God. Is this plain, folks? Therefore, he turned himself to become their enemies. He turned around on them. He fought against them. Now, that's the wine press. Is that right? We see in Revelation, he turned against his own people, and that's what he's putting in the wine press. Now, let's look in verse 17. I've got a lot of patience turning pages. Now, verse 17. Why, O Lord, dost thou cause us to stray from thy ways? And, O Lord, why do you harden our heart from fearing thee? Now, are you seeing why it's so important to fear the Lord? When you don't fear the Lord, you're not going to obey him, folks. Hear me? A hardened heart does not fear the Lord. A hardened heart will not go into a rage. Thy servants, the tribes of thy heritage, thy holy people possess thy sanctuary for a little while. We become like those over whom thou hast never ruled, like those who were not called by thy name, because when you act like the devil, you don't act like you have the name of the Lord, or follow in the Lord, do you, when you bear that kind of fruit? Amen? Now, turn with me over to the right to Zephaniah 1. And in just Zephaniah 1, I'm going to show you who these folks are. It's coming in just a little bit. Let's look in verse 7. See, this is the day of the Lord. Now, Zephaniah 1, verse 7. Be silent before the Lord God, for the day of the Lord is near, for the Lord is prepared to sacrifice. That sacrifice is what you've just been reading about. That's where he's going to turn loose the birds of midheaven. He has consecrated his guests. In other words, he just set them aside to be eaten. He's put a mark on them, in other words. Verse 8. Then it will come about on the day of the Lord's sacrifice that I'm going to punish the princes, the king's sons. Now, that's Satan's sons. See, all who are clothing themselves with the wrong kind of garments, they've got foreign garments. Amen? Now, look at verse 14. Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming very quickly. Listen, the day of the Lord, in it the warrior cries out bitterly. Now, I'm going to show you that these are troops of the Lord. Powers of darkness in that day. It's a day of trouble. This is what's going on now. It's a day of distress. It's a day of destruction. It's a day of desolation. It's a day of darkness. It's a day of gloom, a day of clouds, and a day of thick darkness. Do you, folks? It's a day of trumpet and battle. Do you believe we have trumpets blowing today, folks? And it's all against who? Against who? Look at me, folks. The fortified cities, and what's the other part behind it? And the high what? Corner towers. That's Babylon. The fortified city. You know why it's a fortified city? Because it's a stronghold to them. Because people trust in the house instead of in the Lord. They trust in their doctrines and men. And it becomes fortified because people find security within these towers and fortified cities. They find security in them. Look at verse 17. I'm going to bring distress on men, and they're going to walk like blind. And I'm going to see where they're going. That's when you stagger and stumble. Because they've sinned against the Lord, and their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh is going to be like dung. Now, you want to see who carries this out? Turn back to Isaiah 13. Turn back to Isaiah 13, and I'll show you who carries this out. Isaiah 13. In Isaiah 13, verse 3. Now, here's the birds from mid-heaven. Here they are, the power of the darkness. I have commended my consecrated ones. That's what we're seeing. Even call my mighty warriors. My proud, exalting ones. That's the powers of darkness. And what are they going to do? Execute what? The anger of the Lord. I already told you Satan was the anger. The powers of darkness is the anger. They're proud. They're proud, exalting ones. That's the powers of darkness. A sound of the tumult on the mountains, like that of many people. A sound of the uproar of the nations, of kingdoms and nations gathered together. The Lord, a host, is mustering the what? The army for battle. And hopefully on Friday I can show you and Joel that this song that we sing, that the army of God that's running on the walls, is this army right here of the powers of darkness that's running on whitewash walls to destroy people. And they're running on the walls. And so this is going to come up a little later, and I'll show you clearly that that's what it is. I mean, it's plain. So we've been singing about the wrong army. We've been singing about the demon army. I don't want to sing about them anymore. So they're called the army for battle. Now they are an army, and they're the ones, the army that gather around Jerusalem. And I'm going to show you, we're going to get into that and see that. Amen? Because when you see these things taking place, your redemption is drawing nigh. Amen? You better get ready. Lift your head up. He's coming. Amen? People being destroyed. Now these powers of darkness, verse 5, they're coming from a far horizon. Now, what does your margin say? It says from the end of heaven. Isn't that right? I told you it's birds of heaven. Amen? They're coming from the ends of heaven. From the Father's horizons, the Lord, and what are they going to be? His instruments of indignation, which he's going to use for vengeance. And what's he going to do? He's going to destroy the whole land. He's going to take, I mean, he's going to destroy everything. It can be shaken. It's not standing on his word and obedience. Amen? Well, for the day of the Lord is near. It's going to come. It's destruction from the Almighty. Therefore, all hands are going to fall limp. There's fear. Every man's heart's going to melt. They're going to be terrified. Pains and anguish are going to take hold of them. They're going to writhe like a woman in labor. Look at me, folks. They're going to be, a woman in labor will be holding herself. Such pain, such torment. And that's the kind of pain and torment that's going to be on people. That's the judgment of God, and there's going to be no relief or no release from it. Amen? There's going to be no relief, no release. They're going to be like a woman that's birth pains. And this is what we're going to see later on in the New Testament. They're going to look at one another in astonishment, and their faces aflame. Look at me. How did this ever happen to me? What is happening to me? Where is God in all this? And again, no more relief. They're going to look at one another in astonishment. It's going to be too late. The door is shut, and a judgment of God has come. And this is what's on you right now. I'm going to tell you what. They're just going to be out reviving for a little while. And then the end is coming. And before you take on, you get about a thimble full of truth, and you're going to take off and think you know something. You better get your heart to you. You take your thimble full of truth and go back to a pig pen somewhere. Amen? All right, now let's just continue. Their face is going to be aflame. That's the fire, that the powers of night. Behold, the day of the Lord is coming. It's cruel, and it's with fury. And the burning anger of God is going to make the land a desolation. He's going to exterminate its sinners from it. And the stars of the heaven are constellated. They're not going to flash forth any light. They're not going to be any light, because everything is going to be darkness, spiritual darkness. The sun will be dark when it rises. The moon will not shed its light. No one is going to know. Thus I'm going to punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their iniquity. I'm going to put an end to the arrogance of proud folks and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. I'm going to make mortal man scarcer than pure gold, and mankind than just gold oil. May I remind you of something in Matthew 7? It says this way is narrow and the gate is small. Do you believe that? I suggest you head for the narrow and the small gate, verse 13. Therefore I'm going to make the heavens tremble, and the earth is going to be shaken from its place. There is the earthquake. At the fury of the Lord of hosts, that's the day of the Lord, and the day of his burning anger. This burning anger. Now, folks, I want you to see something right here. We're warned about the trumpet blower. Now I want you to turn... Well, I'll tell you what I'd like to do. Turn over to Daniel with me a minute, and I want to show you something. Turn over to Daniel. Daniel, let me see. Daniel 4. No. I've got this new Bible. Daniel 3. Let's try there. Okay? And I want you to look at me when you turn to Daniel. Now I'll tell you something, folks. We're warned. We were told how we started this meeting out by sharing how Eve was deceived by the doctrines of Satan. She had a gospel from God that you don't walk in rebellion before me. If you do, you're surely going to die. Eve was holy and blameless. So was Adam. And so they're warned about you. Don't eat off that tree. Your heart's tested. I'll let your heart be tested, because I don't know if you really love me with all your heart. If you don't love me with all your heart, you're not worthy to spend eternity with me. And so, I'll test you to see if you're worthy. I'll give you an opportunity, but don't you eat off that tree of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boast of pride. Don't you have any rebellion in your heart, because you're holy and blameless, because I can't fellowship with you unless you cleanse your hands and have a purified heart. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? He has clean hands and a pure heart. And so Eve had encountered Satan. Satan immediately twisted the word of God, and he said pervertedly, You surely shall not die. He gave her that doctrine. She believed it. She ate off the tree of death, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boast of pride of life. And then she said, The serpent deceived me. You were warned in 2 Corinthians 11 that just as the serpent deceived Eve, so you can also be deceived from the purity of devotion to Christ as having a pure heart. A pure heart. The Lord have all your heart. And so how does it say he's going to do it? In 2 Corinthians 11, 13 and 14, it told you by the servants of Satan. Servants of Satan are going to come along who are going to disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. And we read about those in 2 Peter 2. They come along. They think they're really helping God out, but false preachers, false prophets, false teachers, they don't know they're false teachers. They're deceived. And they're going to come along. And we saw back early in the chapter there they're going to pretend to be servants of righteousness whose deed, their walk and their fruit is going to... the judgment is going to come on according to their deeds. But what they're going to bring you is another Jesus. This is how you're going to be deceived, just as that serpent did to Eve. They're going to bring you along another gospel and another Jesus, and you'll be led by another spirit to the tree of death. For you think you can practice sin and obey unto God and have some kind of... they'll give you a false security in it. And you'll go to hell forever. This is what we've been reading about in Babylon. Well, what are these doctrines? 1 Timothy 6, 3 through 5, they're doctrines that do not conform you to godliness. They're another doctrine. It's another gospel, another Jesus. And when a doctrine does not conform you to godliness, 1 Timothy 6, 3 through 5 says, you're without understanding, ever learning. You can't come to the knowledge of the truth. You're blocked from it. You are deprived from the truth. You're without understanding. And you have a morbid interest in controversial questions. Always want to argue and dispute and analyze the Word of God instead of being doers of the Word and walking in love. Which arouse evil suspicions and these kinds of things. Now, what does Babylon do? Babylon is full, as we've seen, of false apostles, false prophets, and false saints. What are they gathered around? They're gathered around doctrines that do not conform you to godliness. Well, what are these doctrines? They're doctrines that tell you that you can have rebellion in your heart. They're carnal doctrines. And they have a gold cup that you can drink of their immorality and sin and rebellion to God. This gold cup, these abominations, that you can drink out of, and they'll tell you that it's alright. So therefore, when you drink of these abominations, you walk in rebellion to God and you've got yourself a false security. So what does that mean you're bound down to? You're bound down to an image. It's a false image. What is that image? The doctrines, carnal doctrines, are an image of Satan. They're an image of ungodliness. Are you hearing me? False doctrines are an image of ungodliness. They're an image of Satan. So what would you say? Then another way to say this is that these doctrines of ungodliness and these structures that do not conform you to godliness shows that you're bound down to an image of the beast. So when your heart bows down to the image of the beast, you become like a beast. Let me just tell you another one. When he was in the wilderness, did he make a gold cave? Did he bow down to it and say, This cave right here is what led us. It's the image of the beast. Alright, now what are people saying today? Where are their hearts? My structure, my doctrines are leading me. Amen? So they're both idols. They're both idols. And your heart's bowed down to them. You're worshiping the image of the beast. Now, we're told in Revelation about the image of the beast. And when you bow down to it, what you become, you have a harlot's forehead and you become the image of Satan. This is how you look like a lamb. And you speak like a dragon, Satan. You act like you're the church. But what's coming out of your mouth is these abominations, blessings, and curses that we saw in James 3 and 4, which is the world, the flesh, and demonic. That's where that wisdom comes from. That's Babylon. So now we see a type of this, and Daniel, we see a people. Now, I want you to hold your place right there. And I want you to look with me over in Revelation 18 just a minute. I want you to look at something that we saw over there. Hold your place, and Daniel, turn with me to Revelation 18. Okay, in Revelation 18, we saw verse 20, "...Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints, apostles, and prophets, because the Lord God has pronounced judgment for you." Now, we saw a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it in the sea and saying, "...Thus, O Abaddon, this great whore harlot church is going to be thrown down to violence, that's perversion, the powers of darkness, and she's not going to be found any longer, going to be destroyed." Now, that part's clear to you so far now, isn't it? Now, if you look at verse 22, here's the next part. "...The sound of the harpists, the musicians, the flute players, and the trumpets are not going to be heard in you any longer." Now, look back up here at me. See, when you come in to Babylon, when you come into Babylon with your heart full of abominations and a defiled heart, what do you do? The music cranks up and then you start bowing your hearts. All the flesh and sensuality starts going and you're bowing your heart not really to the Lord, proud, arrogant, rebellious, selfish, but your heart's really worshiping your own Lord. You're bowing to the works of your own hands right there. They're worshiping men's veins, teaching these doctrines and opinions of men with defiled hearts we saw in Mark 7 and Matthew 15. And so then the music and entertainment starts and there it goes. Well, now here it is right here. Who's Nebuchadnezzar the type of? He's the type of Satan. Now let's look in Daniel 3, verse 1. Nebuchadnezzar, the king, made an image of gold. The height of it, I want you to see right here. Do you know about, it's talking about he who has wisdom. Do you know about the 666? Let him understand these things. See if this gold image. Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold and the height of it, there's 6666 cubits and its width was 6 cubits. And he set it up on the planet during the providence of Babylon. Now we're talking about Babylon. Here's the gold image of Babylon, okay? Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the perfects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces. All important folks, come to the dedication, the image that Satan the king has set up. Now look at me folks. When I say Satan the Nebuchadnezzar, Satan has, this is the type of what Satan has done. He's set up an image and he's fixing how people come and worship it. Amen? This is the gold image. See, just like he worshipped the image of the beast, here it is right here. You're fixing to see it. You worship the image of the beast when you worship a form of godliness, which is ungodliness. So here we go. Then the, verse 3, the satraps, the perfects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. There's a gold image, isn't it? Amen? Then the whole world proclaimed to you the commandments given to all peoples, nations, and men of every language. At the moment you start hearing the entertainment of the horn, the flute, the lyre, the trident, the psalmetry, the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, here you go. Just fall down and worship this gold image that Satan and Nebuchadnezzar had set up. You hear? You see it? Just bow your little hearts down. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast in the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. In other words, the powers of darkness are going to bring on you all kinds of persecution and everything. They're going to attack you and you're going to have to die. And you know you don't want to die to your flesh. But they'll throw you into the fire because they'll start attacking you if you don't. If you start out here, they'll bring persecution and have people come against you and everything else. If you start following Jesus, you'll get thrown into the furnace of fire. You see it? Huh? And so if you don't come and bow down, you're going to be thrown into the furnace. So, therefore, at that time when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, here goes entertainment again, the horn, the flute, the lyre, the trident, the psalm, the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, the nations, the men of every language, they fell down and worshiped the gold image which Nebuchadnezzar, the type of Satan, the king, had set up, the king. For this reason, at that time, certain Chaldeans came forth and brought charges against the Jews. Now, who's the Jews? The Jews are the people of God. They're a type of what? The Christians. Is that right? The people that belong to God. Let's see what happened to them. And they responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar, The king, O king, live forever. You yourself, O king, have made the decree that every man who hears the sound of this entertainment, the horn, the flute, the lyre, the trident, the psalm, the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, is to fall down and worship this golden image of Satan, the beast. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast in the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. They're going to be persecuted. Now, there are certain Christians or certain Jews whom you've appointed over the administration of the providence of Babylon. Name me Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. These men, O king, have disregarded you. They do not serve your demons. They do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you've set up. Now, look at me, folks. Let's get a clear understanding. Everybody look when I say, look. See, that's the thing. The people of God do not worship idols. They do not worship the demons. You don't take the table of demons and the table of the Lord. You don't bow down to the world or anything in the world. You don't bow down to men or form, a form of goddess or anything. They don't have your heart. Now, that's the people of God. They're not going to do it. The persecution, they're going to rejoice in it. Amen? That's what we're learning to do. Is that right? Okay. Then, he's talking about those, the certain Jews, and they've disregarded the order and they won't serve your gods or worship this golden image which you've set up. They won't worship this form of godliness. Then Satan, Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and anger, he gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then these men were brought before the king and Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you don't serve my gods or worship this golden image that I've set up? Now, if you're ready, you Christians, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn and the flute and I start my entertainment, the lyre, the trident, the psalm tree, the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I've made very well, but if you're not going to worship, I'm going to immediately, I'm going to cast you right in the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. I'm going to put persecution all over you. I'm going to bring the fire that harkens against you. I mean, it's going to be bad for you to get in the fire. And, of course, when you go through the fire, you come out like silver and gold. Is that right? And what God is there who can deliver you out of my hands? And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this. If it be so, our God, when we serve, is able to deliver us from the furnace of the blazing fire and he's going to deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if he does not let it be known to you, O king, that we're not going to serve these demons, these gods who worship this gold image as a form of godliness that you've set up with your entertainment, then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It came like wrath and hate. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated and he commanded certain valiant warriors who were in the army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in order to cast them into the furnace of fire. Then these men were tied up. And look there, they've got their weapons on. Here they are. They've got their trousers, their coats, their caps, their other clothes. They've got all their weapons on and they were cast in the midst of the furnace of the blazing fire. They've got all their armor on. They've got Ephesians 6 on. And for this reason, because the king's command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they fell into the midst of the furnace of the blazing fire. They were still tied up. Then Nebuchadnezzar, the king, was astounded and he stood up in haste. He responded and said to his high officials, that's his princes and leaders and the kings there he set up in Babylon, Flesh, was it not three men we cast and bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said to the king, Certainly, O king. And he answered and said, Well, I'm counting another one in there. Look, I believe I see four men loose walking down there in the midst of the fire without harm. And the appearance of the fourth one is like the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. The Son of Man. Glory. Then Nebuchadnezzar Satanic came nearer to the door of the furnace of the blazing fire, responded and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Cry out, you servants of the Most High God. Come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the midst of the fire. The satraps, the perfects, the governors, the kings, the high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on their bodies. The fire had no effect on the bodies of these men. The fire had no effect on the body of these men. The fire had no effect because they had no armor on, the armor of Jesus. Nor was the hair of their heads singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them. And Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who sent his angel, Jesus, and delivered his servants who put their trust in him, who violated the command of Satan and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve and worship any God except the God in heaven. Glory be to God forevermore. I've got chills. Isn't that good? Turn to Ezekiel 33. Just back just a little bit. Ezekiel 33. Now in Ezekiel 33, if we begin looking in verse 2, Son of man, speak to the sons of your people and say to them, If I bring a sword, that's a curse upon the land. And a people of the land, take one man from them and make him their wife. And he sees this curse and sword coming upon the land. Do you see it coming upon it right now, folks? And he blows on the trumpet and warns the people. Is that what we're doing? Blowing the trumpet and warning the people? That he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning and this sword and curse comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet but he didn't take warning. His blood's going to be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have delivered his life. But if this watchman sees this curse, this sword, the works of darkness, they're coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned and the sword, it comes and takes a person from them, these watchmen over. He is taken away in his iniquity but his blood I require from the watchman. And that's the preachers, the pastors, the prophets, the apostles. Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman. I have appointed you a watchman, a watchman for the house of Israel so you'll hear a message from my mouth, the Word of God from my mouth and you're going to give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die, you shall surely die, Satan says you surely shall not die but God says you shall surely die. Satan comes along with doctrines that says you surely shall not die. God says you shall surely die and you do not speak to them to warn this wicked from his way or expose their sins. That wicked man shall die in his sin and iniquity but his blood I'm going to require from your hand but if you own your part you warn that wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way he's going to die in his iniquity but you've delivered your life. Now as for you, son of man, you say to this house of Israel, you say this church thus you have spoken saying surely our transgressions and our sins are coming upon us and we're rotting. We're rotting. We're rotting. We're rotting away and just slow decay like a moth and rottenness. We're rotting. How then can we survive? Now that's what happened in sickness. You say to them as I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked but rather that the wicked should turn back from his way and live. Turn back! Turn back from your evil way! Why will you die, O church, house of Israel? Verse 18, when the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, then he shall die in it. But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness and we saw that the righteous practiced righteousness in 1 John 3, 7, he's going to live by it and that's exactly what we saw there. Yet you say the way of the Lord is not right, O house of Israel. I'm going to judge each one of you according to your ways, your fruit and your ways. Now verse 27, Thus you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord God, as I live, Surely those who are in the waste places, waste places, you don't have the spirit of God, will fall by the sword. Whoever is in the open field, the world, I'm going to give to the beast to be the bowers. That's the powers of darkness. And those who are in the strongholds and the caves are going to die of pestilence. And I'm going to make the land a desolation. No fruit, no word, no water is going to dry up and a waste. And the pride of reparel, all the pride, the pride, the power is going to cease. And the mountains of Israel are going to be desolate so that no one will pass through. Then they're going to know that I'm the Lord when I make the land a desolation and a waste. Because why? These abominations which they committed and that which is what the Babylon, the whore church fills them full with a gold cup full of abominations. Verse 31, It warns that they're going to come to you as people come and they're going to sit before you and they're going to act like my people. And they're going to hear your words but they're not going to do them because they want to do these lustful desires expressed by their mouth. It's still coming out of their mouth because it's in their heart because their heart really goes after gain. And behold, you're going to be to them like a sensual song, one that has a beautiful voice and they don't hear anything but flesh and play well on them for they're going to hear your words but they're not going to practice them. Isaiah 59, Isaiah 59, just back up just a little. Isaiah 59. Folks, is it getting plainer? Isaiah 59, verse 2, But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God. Your sin has. And your sin has hidden his face from you. His presence is gone. So he doesn't hear what you're saying or praying. Verse 3, For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity and your lips with iniquity have been speaking falsehood, lust. Your tongue mutters wickedness. Look in verse 7. Their feet run to evil and they hasten to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of sin. It's all the lust of the flesh. You don't fake thoughts, captive, or even resist the devil. Devastation and destruction are in their ways. They do not know the way of peace. The way of peace is resisting the devil and the flesh. And there is no justice in their tracks. They have made their past crooked which is stumbling and staggering in spiritual darkness. Whoever treads on them does not know peace. Now verse 9, Therefore justice is far from us. Righteousness does not overtake us. We hope for light but what do we get? Behold, just darkness. For we look for brightness but we're walking in gloom. That's the day of the Lord. We grope along the wall like blind men who can't see where we're going. We grope like those who have no eyes, blind, spiritually blind. We stumble at midday. Now you, look at me folks. You see us stumbling at midday. Now that's what we talk. That's stumbling and staggering in spiritual darkness. Is noonday the most light part of the day? There's more light then and then when you're stumbling at noonday you can see good with your physical eyes but you cannot see spiritually. So that's what it's saying. When you stumble at noonday you're stumbling in spiritual darkness. It's not stumbling in the natural, you're stumbling in the spiritual. Do you follow me? Alright, we stumble at midday as in the twilight. Among those who are vigorous, those who have strength. We're dead, like dead men. Why? There's no strength. You're robbed of all your strength by the powers of darkness. Is that right? Cursed. Now, let's look at verse 12. For our transgressions are multiplied before thee and our sins testify against us. Our transgressions are with us and we know our iniquities are sins. Transgressions and what? Been denying God, denying the Lord. Transgressing the covenant we swore to and turning away from our God. Speaking our mouth, you see that? Speaking oppression, that's double-minded. Speaking blessings and curses and revoke. Conceiving in and uttering from the heart. Now, when you utter from the heart that means what's in your heart comes out your mouth. Is that right? Are you seeing that? That's Babylon, folks. Uttering from the heart lying words. Justice is turned back. Righteousness stands far away. It can't come in when this kind of thing is going on. For truth is stumbled in the street and uprightness cannot enter. Righteousness cannot enter a congregation. see, God said come out from the midst of them and do not touch what is unclean. Now, look at verse 18. According to their deeds to walk and talk but to speak and act he will repay. He's going to bring wrath to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies, to the coastline he's going to make recompense. So they're going to fear the name of the Lord from the west and his glory from the rising sun to the east. He will come like a rushing stream which the wind of the Lord drives. And a Redeemer, folks, a Redeemer, I want you to know that a Redeemer is coming to design the church. He's going to come to those who turn from the transgression and the sin that's on Jacob, Babylon, and the church today. That's who the Redeemer is coming to. And one last place in Jeremiah 23. He's coming, folks, and he's coming for those who are going to turn their back from transgression and are going to turn to obedience. Do you see that? Just turn to the right there. Jeremiah 23. Jeremiah 23. Start with me in verse... Let's just start in verse 1. "...and woe to the shepherds who have been destroying and scattering the sheep of my pastor. Therefore, thus says the Lord God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who are attending my people, you have scattered my flock, you have driven them away into the world, really. You have not attended them. Behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds, declares the Lord." And then during this time, here's what the Lord is going to do. Then I myself say, I'm going to gather the remnant. I'm going to gather the remnant. I'm going to gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them. And right now is what he's doing. I'm bringing them back to their pastor and they're going to be fruitful and they're going to multiply. I like that. And I shall also raise up shepherds over them and they'll attend them. And they're not going to have any fear any longer. And they're not going to be terrified any longer. And none of them are going to fall away or be missing, declares the Lord God Almighty. Do you hear what I'm saying, folks? But I'm going to tell you something. I want you to notice something very carefully. He said he's going to raise up the shepherds after they've turned from sin. He doesn't raise up the shepherds, I don't think, before they've turned from sin. They've got to see that he has their hearts and that he's going to feed them. This concludes tape number 12. Please fast forward this tape to return it to the beginning. Please proceed to tape number 13 where this message continues.