standing in the souls of men, many today, as you directed in Jesus' name, we pray, amen. Naked and alone Cold cobblestone They beat him until the blood ran Let him die On cross, up on high His spikes through his feet and his hands You can use him, abuse him Mock and accuse him, sell him out for dirty pieces. Betray him, slay him, do the devil's mayhem, but you can't change him. Brown thorns on his brow, his eyes on the crowd, all of God's daughters and sons. They're spitting at him, cursing at him, forgive them for what they have done. If you can use him, abuse him, mock and accuse him, sell him out for thirty pieces. Betray him, slay him, do the devil's mayhem, but you can't shame Jesus. I've had my vows, questions and doubts. I know there are those who deceive. I try to resist, escape and dismiss, but there's one who sheds. I could lose my religion, escape with tradition. Say I'll hold out till hell freezes. I test Him and try Him, but I just can't deny Him. No, I can't shake Jesus. No, I can't shake. I can't shake Jesus. Thank you, Vicky is one of my favorites. Morning, everybody. By way of announcement, Ty and Brad both had their 41st birthdays. So wish them a happy birthday. Happy birthday, guys. Also. Thanks to Greg, who's not here this morning, he had to go somewhere else, do something else. for the call to bring our composition regarding the king to the table, that he's prepared for us in the presence of our enemies, other important exhortations that we are to hear and heed. Thank you, Greg. Now our message for today. From sea to shining sea, the big picture. Continuing in Matthew 24, the prophetic collage, part two. So this will have three parts. Another part next Sunday. We're saving it for Sunday. Sunday, March 12, 2023. Thank you for getting up an hour. early today, earlier, and coming. You won't be disappointed. Matthew 24.1. You're going to need your Bibles today or a pen to write down the verses. These are important things, very important things, so you can understand what's going on and identify where you're at in the plan of God, which we see in the address of Jesus to the seven churches, seven consecutive eras of church history. We can locate where we're at. And so we can watch and wait and be ready, alert and aware and awake to the coming of the Lord. Matthew 24, 1, Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when his disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to him. They look, Lord, aren't these beautiful? And Jesus wasn't impressed with buildings. He was the building. He was the temple. And now you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And the Lord indwells you, lives in you. Therefore, we glorify God in our bodies and our spirits, which belong to the Lord. 1 Corinthians 6, 19. So he said to them, Jesus said to them, do you not see all these buildings? these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another which will not be torn down." Verse 3, as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying, tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? Verse four, and Jesus answered and said to them, see to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and will mislead many. So when will this happen? It's going to happen throughout the generations, and especially after the removal of the church, where this general prophecy is specifically fulfilled as the man of sin, also called the son of perdition, leads many astray by declaring himself to be Christ. and demanding the worship of all, a penalty of their life if they should resist or refuse. Here we have another perspective in this painting or collage of Jesus' presentation of end time events. It is the general occurrence and the specific fulfillment. Remember, we have near, distant, and final. As we saw last time and as is specified in Ecclesiastes 1.9, you have the figurative and the literal, and now also the general occurrence and specific fulfillment. Many will come saying, I am the Christ, but one will come who will mislead far more than any other. He's called the Antichrist. Verse 6, you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars, See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place. But that is not yet the end. He's saying many wars will come and go, and they have over the course of history to the present time. He says, but it's not yet the end. You can't judge the end by saying, oh, well, look at the war in Ukraine and all the other places. It doesn't mean anything as far as the end is concerned. These are going to come and go. The worst war of all, which I call World War III, is yet to come. And thankfully, we as the church won't be here for that one. For the nuclear blast from a nuclear warhead called Wormwood, Revelation 8, 10, and 11, that poisons a third of the earth's drinking water with fallout, that brings about the death of untold millions, or for the four messengers of death, that kill a third of the world's population all at once. Imagine that. And I'll tell you more about that in a minute. So, does that sound like the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD? Not hardly. Verse 7, for nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes, general things that will occur. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Here again, we have general trends that lead to specific events. These Jesus calls the beginning of labor pains. which many of you ladies know, that at first, they're not that bad, they're bearable at least at first, but as labor progresses, the contractions get closer together and far more intense, even excruciating, leading up to the big push, we call it, that is the birth. I remember when my son Matt was born, Susie and I prayed over and over, yea that I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil." She feared no evil. It was tough. For thou art with me. Therefore, like labor pains, these natural disasters and wars will occur with increasing frequency and intensity until at last the titanic contractions give birth to the Great Tribulation and World War III. global nuclear war now before we go any further let me say this the only way any of these things that are slated for Israel can occur is for the nation of Israel to exist and it does exist those who say and teach that God divorced Israel in 70 AD are willfully mistaken and and shamelessly demonstrate that they do not know the scriptures nor the power of God." Jesus said that regarding marriage in Matthew 22 28. He said, whose wife will she be? She married the seven brothers and they all died. Whose wife will she be in heaven? Jesus said, you're mistaken not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. They don't have a clue. Likewise, where Israel is concerned in her intended intimacy with the Lord Jesus, who is the bridegroom and is bride Israel, which is only an analogy of her dependence on the Lord and his unyielding love and protection. It's only an analogy. It's not really married to the Lord. It's an analogy, a marriage analogy of intimacy, closeness, and his unyielding love and protection. Malachi 2.16, what does he say? I hate mean I hate if the Lord says I hate something there pay attention I hate divorce says the Lord the God of Israel he'll never initiate divorce over his people his beloved people Israel for the sake of the patriarchs and for believing Israel down through the ages and generations. See, nor do they know the love of God that never fails to overtake the objects of his love. And the radical redemption solution wrought by Jesus Christ who went to the cross to obtain his bride, even as Adam did, from his riven side. He drove the spear into his side like Adam was put into a deep sleep and flesh was opened up on his side and he took a rip. So, God honors that supremely. By whose wounds we were healed. 1 Peter 2.24. he himself bore in his body our sins to the cross." He's the cause and reason for all of it, from the beginning to the end. The most compelling fact that all of this that Jesus is speaking about will occur, and just as Jesus plainly declares it, is something that happened in the modern era. as is seen in Jesus' brief address to the Church of Philadelphia. We'll get there in a minute. That's Revelation 3. You could turn there if you'd like. Revelation 3.7. This is a remarkable passage that tells a strange and wonderful tale regarding the final fulfillment of the prophetic collage, the undeniable and inescapable facts of history, prophecy, and mystery, Remember, just as in our Matthew 24 passages, in this one also, Jesus is speaking, and John is transcribing his exact words. They're not improvising or summarizing. They're receiving this word for word. In it, we're given a preview of the end of an evil empire, a dictator, the slaughter of Jews, a worldwide war, the use of nuclear weapons, and a door long ago shut and locked by the Lord. Likewise, the key of David, we'll see the key of David, that opens it so that it can never be closed again. Beautiful. All of this in our times. much of which involves our own beloved nation, the United States of America, a nation identified by the name that we share with this, the next to the last church, addressed by the Lord Jesus in Revelation 2 and 3, It was even prophesied by Greg on Tuesday night. He just mentioned it. I told him he's a prophet because he knew what was in my message. It was already done before that. So you're blessed to be here today and to hear these things that few others, if any, are seeing or hearing in these last days. I'm sure of that. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. This is very exciting. Turn to Revelation 3.7. And to the angel messenger, Angelas, who was a human messenger, pastor. John wrote this down, but it was addressed to the pastors of seven churches, which stand for seven consecutive eras of church history. And to the angel in the church, Philadelphia. Right, Philadelphia was the first capital of the USA, first New York for a short time, but then Philadelphia. Therefore this message has great relevance and is even directed first and foremost to the Church of the USA, Church of Christ in the United States of America. Of course Philadelphia the special love between brothers and sisters in Christ, those who are like-minded, who love the Lord and His Word, who are watching and waiting expectantly for Him. Now a history lesson for you. After the Civil War, 1860s, the Lord brought about a miraculous reunification of healed a terrible breach of racism, exploitation, and hatred in one of the bloodiest, most costly wars in all of history. But despite all this, there was a unity in Christ and an undivided loyalty to him, not by all, but by a large percentage of believers, by so many, and though There would be even more hard times, like getting drawn into the First World War in the early 1900s, followed by the Great Depression and other things, also the Spanish Flu. These things, and Prohibition, these things were endured by those who cleaved to the Lord. That's the only way we get through anything like that. claiming his promises. Those who did so weathered the storm and became strong in the Lord, strengthened with might in the inner man. It was these tried, tested, and approved believers that would face even greater challenges in the coming years and would be used of the Lord Jesus to defeat great evil in the world. and would have the great privilege of being used in worldwide evangelism, even reaching to the Jews. This you will see Jesus calls a little strength, you have a little strength because you have not denied my name. He would use this nation, the USA, to do great things. Next he says in our passage, he who is holy, indeed he is. He who is true, indeed he is. who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this. Jesus has the key that unlocks the locked door that until this time and apart from the use of the key was closed and could not be opened. The key of David David the king of God's choosing, the man after God's own heart, the dynasty that would never lack a man to sit upon the throne. This can only mean that Israel would once again, after so long, be open for business. For the purpose of God is the calendar and timeline of prophecy, necessary for fulfilling all end-time prophecy as well as official notification. that the last days have begun. Starts there. Revelation 22, 16, he says, I am, I, Jesus, am the root and descendant of David. In Matthew 22, 45, David's Lord is the key of David. Once again, the church that is addressed and identified by name And as we will see, by numerous historical inferences, is the USA, the nation of many nationalities, largely Christian at that time, and also home to many Jews who found safe haven from anti-Semitism, which was rampant almost everywhere else in the world at that time. Therefore, Philadelphia is code name for the USA. Only one era of church history follows this one, the one of Philadelphia, and it's ours, Laodicea. So you see it marks the last era of history, the last days of the last times. Just as important as knowing who you are, we belong to him, to know who you are, I am who I am says I am, and knowing where you are in the timeline of church history. And yes, you can know and are required to do so. Only Revelation 2 and 3 where Jesus addresses the seven churches of Asia Minor do we have such a timeline. In case you've forgotten, the seven churches are in fact seven consecutive eras of church history, in order, as I've shown you many times, which are identified by name, as Philadelphia is, and by unmistakable historical inferences or references to events that generally date them. Verse 8, I know your deeds. Indeed he does. Behold, I have put before you, Philadelphia, an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power and have kept my word, so important, and have not denied my name. The deeds of our nation were virtuous. Those wrought in God, of course, At this time in our history, we went to church every Sunday morning. We read the scriptures every day. We lived out our motto in God we trust in our financial affairs, supported missionary enterprise, financed the teaching of God's word in hundreds and thousands of solid Christ-centered Bible teaching churches. In our schools, we prayed in Jesus' name. Our presidents were honest and virtuous men who faithfully carried out their duties, and the USA was rapidly becoming the most prosperous, powerful, and enviable nation on earth. There's none like it. There were evil forces in the world, which we engaged and defeated. In World War I, which the US entered in 1917, It was over 1918, near the end when German U-boats sank the Lusitania, which was a passenger liner carrying U.S. and British citizens to England. It was the entry of the U.S. that tipped the scales because we were able to provide mechanized war machines, planes, tanks, and submarines, which gave our side military superiority, which made quick work of the war. The war was partially responsible, also, for the Industrial Revolution that followed, by which the US would become an economic leader as well as a major military and political power throughout the world, despite the brief intermission, as I mentioned before, of the Spanish flu, the Great Depression, and Prohibition. Those were all bad things, but we got through them. The First World War? was only a prelude to an even greater and more global war against a far more sinister enemy some 20 years later, beginning in 1938. Verse 9, behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan. Wow. Synagogue of Satan that sounds just terrible sinister ominous Who say they're Jews? But they're not Jews They lie I will make them come and bow down at your feet and Make them know that I have loved you More evil than any other enemy was Nazi Germany under a demon-possessed dictator, a madman named Adolf Hitler. The book he wrote from prison before he came to power in Germany for sedition and the affairs of World War I, he went to prison. The book he wrote from prison, Mein Kampf, which means my struggle, became the national bestseller. Though it gently introduces anti-Semitic themes, it more so promises great personal prosperity and international prominence through science, industry, and military superiority under Hitler's leadership in order that Germany might rule the world. Then after coming to power, he would develop a more sinister plan. He would plagiarize the works of earlier fascist writers and fashion a book entitled The Protocols of the Elders of Zion that was required reading and mandatory teaching for all German schoolchildren. They taught it in all the schools. This document used blatant lies, revisionist history, to fabricate a Jewish conspiracy to control global enterprise and rule the world. They said that's what the Jews wanted. This national propaganda campaign, along with strong satanic delusion, would lead many, even in the churches, to accept the lie as truth. And anti-Semitism was etched into the national consciousness. The idea was to desensitize and neutralize the citizenry to what would follow. That is, the progressive slaughter of Jewish men, women, and children in the death camps of Germany. In addition, it was widely taught and believed that the Aryan race, to which all pure Germans belonged, was far superior to all others. Therefore, it would be necessary to eliminate the others, and since they were determined to rule the world. And also, not just Jews, but blacks and gypsies, they said, along with all who were physically and mentally disabled, whose existence weakened a gene pool. By the demand for allegiance and zero tolerance of any and all opposition, the Nazis would carry out their systematic, satanic, anti-Semitic extermination of the Jews. By doing this, they believed they could demonstrate that they were the chosen race, the true Jews, the real ones, not the ones who would soon be extinct. so much like the final Antichrist, Adolf Hitler, was a preview of things to come, a historical preview of things to come. Therefore, the Nazi regime would implement what became known in the inner circles as the final solution, resulting in six million Jews being gassed or shot, buried in mass graves, many of whom were later exhumed and burned, the bodies burned, to eliminate evidence of the atrocity. In this sense, these would fit the title, Synagogue of Satan, anti-Semitic elitists who claimed they were the chosen, like he did, like he does, the Antichrist does in the end. And, but we're not, not, they're not the chosen, of course not. In all of this, the U.S. and Allied forces were granted victory by the Lord of the Armies, and the Nuremberg Trials would bring these criminals before the U.S.-led World Court, to whom and before whom they would bow and submit. Verse 9, behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they're Jews and are not, but lie. I will make them come and bow down at your feet and make them know that I have loved you. That's not the end of the story. He says, because you have kept the word of my perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour that is to come upon the whole world. to test those who dwell on the earth. Where the U.S. was concerned, it would enter the war on December 7th, 1941, when the Imperial Japanese Air Force attacked Pearl Harbor, destroying much of the Pacific naval fleet, which was strategically necessary for them to achieve their objectives of conquering the Philippines, and other island nations like Australia, New Zealand, and the East Indies. This worldwide war involved the US, Europe, Canada, some South American countries as well, and Africa, Russia, China, Japan, and many others. was like no other war that had ever taken place. This is the hour being referred to by our Lord that would come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on earth. Not the final war of all wars, but again a modern preview of the final war, World War III, that Jesus promised would be far worse than any other. I believe that the first and only nuclear weapons used against a warring enemy nation, the bombing of Japan, is likewise a preview of the final solution of the dictator, who very well may be the incarnation of Satan himself, having failed to wipe out Israel, and believing humanity, and knowing his time is short, would rather destroy the world. than to have it taken from him by the Lord Jesus. Therefore, he will muster his forces and foment nuclear war, destroying, as it were, in the end, two-thirds of the land, sea, plant, animal, and human life from the earth, turning it into wormwood." You know what wormwood is, don't you? It's eaten. It just absolutely falls. It just falls apart. Completely eaten, falls apart. like the effects of radiation on all things. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the detonation of two atomic bombs over these Japanese cities on August 6th, my wedding anniversary, and August 9th, 1945 by the United States. The two bombings killed between, this was shocking to me to find this out, 129,000 to 226,000, I'm not sure, people, most of whom were civilians and remained the only use of nuclear weapons in an armed conflict to date. Japan surrendered to the Allies six days later after Nagasaki was bombed on the 15th of August and signed the Instrument of Surrender on the 2nd of September, ending the war, effectively ending the war. Though many would fail the test, worldwide conflict. The church being addressed here, identified by the code name Philadelphia, I told you it's the USA, would pass the test by the faith of the Son of God. Galatians 2.20, faith that comes and grows by hearing Romans 10.17, here referred to as the word, he says, the word of my perseverance. Found in those who led the nation, fought the enemies, to bring about a decisive victory. God blessed and promoted our nation to world leadership in order that we might be a blessing to the world. Accomplishes ends. So here comes the Jewish connection. Then because of these victories, by the providence of God, and according to the promises that he made that still needed to be fulfilled to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and David for Israel, The U.S. and Great Britain were given the key of David to open a door that no man could shut to accomplish something so important to history, prophecy, and the mystery for the Jewish people and for the cause of Christ to be shocking to the world. No less than a total miracle, was God raising from the ashes after 1,878 years, from 70 AD to 1948, do the math, it's 1,878 years, once again the nation of Israel, and sending Jews from Europe, Russia, America, and from around the world to the promised land, to the homeland of their ancestors, so long ago sent away, and written off by unbelieving generations for the day Israel ceased to be until she became, miraculously became, providentially became a nation once again. The restoration of the timeline of prophecy. This would be the open door necessary for the fulfillment of the prophetic calendar and timeline to the coming of Christ for his church. saving the entire surviving remnant of Jews and others through the Great Tribulation and the second coming of Christ with his saints to establish the Millennial Kingdom on earth, to the end of natural human history. Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but I will make them come and bow down at your feet and make them know that I have loved you. Because you've kept the word of my perseverance, I will also keep you from the hour of testing. That's not the tribulation period. That hour which is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. Verse 11, I am coming quickly. Hold fast what you have. so that no one takes your crown. The crown signifies rulership, kingship, lordship over nations and regions in the kingdom. Verse 12, he who overcomes, listen to this, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Here comes a temple again. Temple was torn down, but now it has pillars, and it will never again be destroyed. And he will not go out from it anymore, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven from my God, and my own new name." That's something. The temple is the heavenly abode of God Almighty. His name is Elohim. God in three persons. which the overcomers will have permanently tattooed upon their glorified bodies, along with the name of the city of God, the new Jerusalem beside it. And if that were not enough, the new name of Jesus. We don't know exactly what that is. We've got hints. Revelation 22, 16, I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things. For the churches, I am the root and the descendant. David. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Called to be the agent of restoration of Israel as a nation after 1878 years, when on May 14th, 1948, God raised her from the ash heap or garbage dump of nations, and placed her back in history as a modern and powerful nation. making it possible for the events of this collage or mosaic to occur, even as Jesus clearly proclaims in our Matthew 24 passages, which are decidedly Jewish, involving temples, tribulation, and the reiteration of Old Testament prophecy with new details that will be essential to Jewish survival, that is, their temporal survival, not to mention their eternal salvation. To those who teach and those who are influenced to think that God has cast aside racial Israel and has taken up with the Gentile church as a replacement, they neither know the scriptures nor the power of God. It's obvious. that these folks are woefully unfamiliar with God's mystery concerning Israel. To save the entire living remnant, the final compliment that completes Israel, those who survive to the end will be ushered into the millennial kingdom by Jesus Christ himself at his second coming with unimagined blessedness that will be theirs. Likewise, the church, borne by the root as Israel, and grafted into the olive plant, which is Israel, true Israel, unless Jesus Christ is no longer the sovereign steersman of human history, whose testimony is the spirit of prophecy, and unless he no longer establishes nor deposes nations or disposes of nations, then the restoration of the Jewish nation is his doing, which demands a good reason for him doing so. The only one I could think of is that there are promises and prophecies left to fulfill. For those who hope that the church has replaced Israel, the fact that God resurrected Israel after so long a time should make them question, why else would he do this? And this you should be very happy. You know why? Unlike Israel, you won't have to go through the tribulation, but instead will be wisped away into witness protection and return with Christ to rule the earth, and for many other reasons as well. Too many to list. Clear back in Deuteronomy, the Lord told the Jews what he would do in the end. for those who believe in Christ and keep his word." Deuteronomy 30, you can just mark it down, you don't have to go there. I'll read it to you, starting at verse 1. "'So it shall be, when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the Lord your God has banished you, and you return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. The Lord your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. and he will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. Moreover, the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, so that you may live. The Lord your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you, and you shall again obey the Lord and observe all his commandments which I command you today. Then the Lord your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, the offspring of your body, the offspring of your cattle, the produce of your ground. For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good, just as he rejoiced over your fathers. Indeed, this will be a happy conclusion for the entire remnant, those who fled and those who fought, who survived the Holocaust. They will be saved alive, live for a thousand years in the beautiful kingdom of God, and afterward forever in the new universe. For those who tend to believe that God has rejected Israel and the Jewish people, read on! For the sake of time, I'll read these, very little commentary, but suggest that you read them on your own, if you haven't already, to refresh your understanding with regard to the unwavering purpose of God for Israel, his beloved Israel. And we'll define who that is exactly. Romans 11, verse 1. I say then, Paul speaking, God hasn't rejected his people, has he? Forget about it. May it never be. He does no such thing. I love this one. Here's Isaiah 49, 15. Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. How's that? I say then, God has not rejected his people, has he? May it never be. Paul says, here I am. I'm an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham. So he hasn't, has he? No. Of the tribe of Benjamin. I can trace my lineage back to Benji, Benjamin. I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham. the tribe of Benjamin." God's not rejected his people whom he foreknew. See, they really don't know anything about this. Those he foreknew always end up glorified, you know, in the five-link golden chain that can't be broken in Romans 8, 29, and 30. And he goes on to say, or do you not know the scripture says in the passage about Elijah, Elijah thought he was the only one left. who pleads with God against Israel, Lord, I'm the only one. They've killed your prophets. They've torn down your altars. I alone am left. And they are seeking my life. But what is the divine response to him? I have kept for myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal. He goes on to say, verse 5, in the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time remnant of Jews according to God's gracious choice. And if it's by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works. Otherwise, Grace is no longer grace. Not by race, but by grace. It's always been by grace and through faith. Verse 11, I say then, they did not stumble so as to utterly fall. That's what it means, utterly fall. Fall beneath the line of justification? No. Or the potential for justification? Did they? Forget about it. May it never be. Perish the thought. But by their transgression, Salvation has come to the Gentiles to make the Jews jealous. This he's done by the overflowing blessedness of nations, especially the United States, the nation of many nationalities with unprecedented prosperity promised to Ephraim by Israel on his deathbed when he crossed his hands on purpose and bless Joseph's younger son with the blessing of primogenitor, which cannot be revoked. This makes the Jews jealous as it conjures the images of the promised land, the land of milk and honey, the blessedness of the U.S. from sea to shining sea. By and because of Christ and his kingdom in our hearts, We are preserved and prospered by pure unadulterated grace and mercy. Verse 14, if somehow, Paul says, I might move to jealousy, make them jealous, my fellow countrymen, and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be except a resurrection, life from the dead? And if the root is holy, the branches must be holy also. But if some of the branches were broken off and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. But if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. We don't want to say those things. And that's what this particular school of thought advocates and teaches. He's done with them. We're the root. Now we're the root. And we bear them. They don't bear us. They're gone. You will say then, branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in. Quite right. They were broken off for their unbelief. And you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches because of unbelief, he will not spare you either by unbelief, because of unbelief. Behold then the kindness, oh he's so kind, and the severity, he's so severe, also of God, the kindness and severity of God, to those who fell severity, but to you, God's kindness. If you continue in his kindness, otherwise you also be cut off, you just accept his invitation to believe in Christ and have a vigorous spiritual life that follows. Verse 23, and they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in. For God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are natural branches be grafted in to their own olive tree? Now here it comes, the mystery. Verse 25, for I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery. Anytime you see that, you perk your ears up. So that you will not be wise in your own estimation. That's a bad thing to be. That a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the firmness of the nations of the Gentiles come in and then verse 26 which gives people fits and has for generations and so all Israel will be saved in Romans 9 6 listen carefully please this is for your education not your entertainment they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel you know that the fullness of the justified Jews and the justified Gentiles all of whom are enfolded in Christ." Those are the same. Romans 9.27 says, Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it's the remnant that will be saved. For the Lord will execute his word on earth thoroughly and quickly. And just as Isaiah foretold, unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a posterity, we would have become like Sodom. and would have resembled Gomorrah. In other words, there wouldn't be any left at all. The entire company of the redeemed, all the descendants of Abraham, his faith family, not his racial relatives. You need to know these things. Listen to Galatians 3.29, and if you belong to Christ, no matter what nationality or race you're of, then you're Abraham's descendants and heirs according to the promise. You know that. There's nothing mysterious about it. You just have to read it, the plain meaning. Galatians 3.7, therefore be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham, whether they're Jews or Gentiles. Doesn't matter. Galatians 3.16, now the promises were spoken to Abraham. This is my favorite verse in the Bible, and to his seed, sperma, singular, he does not say, and to seeds, plural, as referring to many, but rather to one, and to your seed, that is Christ. All the promises are made to Christ, those in Christ. Galatians 6.16, those who will walk by this rule peace and mercy be upon them, even upon the Israel of God." From the standpoint, back to our passage in Romans 11, from the standpoint of the gospel, they are enemies at this point, at this time, for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice, they're beloved for the sake of the fathers. You know why? For the gifts and the calling, the calling, the calling, gifts, plural, calling, singular, of God are ametamelita, not regrettable, not revocable. They're irrevocable. He says the gifts, charismata, gifts, like the gift of eternal life, Romans 6.23, the Holy Spirit, individual spiritual gifts, and many, many other things given to us, the moment of salvation given to each believer. Those are the gifts. Clasius is calling the divine invitation to embrace the salvation of God. The call extended to all that one must answer. You must answer. All are invited. All are welcome. But everyone who comes must répondez ce buffet, which means, bad French pronunciation, please respond. You must respond. Only those who RSVP are placed on the guest list, given entrance, and seating among the honored guests. If you do not answer, you may not attend. Oh, you were called, invited. but you chose not to go. Verse 30, for just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, and because of the mercy shown to you, they also may now be shown mercy. His mercy rejoices against judgment, for God has shut up all in disobedience so that he might show mercy to all. same as you, same for them, same for you. In the final analysis, this salvation is not, as we're told, to him who wills or runs, but to God who shows mercy, who justifies the ungodly, who only believe who does not save by race, but only by grace and through faith. So let us, with the Apostle Paul, praise him for his goodness and kindness, his grace and his mercy. That's what Paul does in verse 33. Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments. unfathomable his ways, for who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became his counselor, or who was first given to him, that it might be paid back to him again. For from him, and through him, and to him are all things. to him be the glory forever amen romans 9 10 and 11 are inserted in the great treatise of faith which romans is faith salvation as martin luther called it sola fide faith alone for jews first we're told in greeks romans 116 29 and 210 says jews first and also Greeks. So there's a little word between Jews and Greeks, it's the little word, the little particle, te, which means, and you can't escape what it means, it means not only but also to Jews, not only but also to Gentiles, to the Gentiles, that's what he says, or to the Greeks. No one has ever been saved by race, then, now, or in the future, but only by grace and through faith. And that, my friends, is the gift, free gift, of God that he can never revoke. The details of the events of this collage, as I've called it, of the prophetic calendar, would remain encrypted until they were disclosed. You won't find it in the Old Testament, until they were disclosed in two heavenly visits. The first by Paul in 48 AD, 2 Corinthians 12, 1-9, who received the mystery hidden in God from all ages and generations, from men and angels, regarding the fullness of God's purpose for the ages, that all things regarding Christ, the head and the church which is his body, consisting of Jews and Gentiles, melded and amalgamated into one new man in Christ, would in the endless eternal ages redound to the praise of the glory of his grace." Read it in Ephesians chapters 1 through 3. And then there's likewise the Apostle John in 96 AD, who received the revelation of Jesus Christ, the panorama of church history in chapters 1 through 3, the church on earth, and chapters 4 and 22, not 4 through 22, but chapter 4 and chapter 22, with a few vignettes of the church in between. being in heaven. The rest of Revelation is the story of the salvation of the entire remnant of racial Israel who by the extremity of persecution and disaster believe. And by heeding the instructions of Matthew 24 as well as the detailed instructions of Revelation chapter 5 through 21 will be saved alive in a final mass gathering engineered from all eternity for the end of human history for the glory of God. by Jesus Christ our Lord. There you go. Now you know. We have one more message on this passage. We'll do the rest of the verses next Sunday, and then we'll move on to something even neater and better. You said, that wasn't so neater. It wasn't so good. Yes, it was. Thank you for saying that. Let's pray. Father, thank you for the word. It is magnificent indeed. It's not irrelevant to the times that we live in. My goodness, Lord, you've shown us so clearly by these many previews over the course of history, processes to become actual events and general occurrences of things that come and intensify to the very end, the beginning of sorrows and the big push in the tribulation. Thank you that we're not appointed to wrath, but to salvation. And we won't be here for these things, but we need to know it now because it just gives us such a sense of urgency, not to mention reality regarding these things, especially as it's tied by the scriptures directly into human history. You say, how can it be? Well, it's all about human history. It's about history. It's about prophecy. And more than anything else, the mystery of who Christ is and who you are in Christ, who the body of Christ is. What a magnificent thing. The melting and amalgamating of Jews and Gentiles into the body, the very body, corporate body, Jesus Christ, to be that body of Christ forever and ever, in the endless ages of eternity, to praise the glory of his grace. Father, make these things stick in our souls so that we know them. Not that we could tell other people, because most people wouldn't receive them anyway. It's too much for them, but maybe too much for this congregation. Who knows? I don't think so, but perhaps it is. But you gave it to me. You fed it to me, piece by piece, and I love it. Thank you, Lord, for that. It's a wonderful story, a strange and wonderful tale. We thank you for it in Jesus' precious name. Amen. Please stand.