to the prophet Habakkuk. Habakkuk is one of those what they call minor prophets. Not that his message was minor, but he's in that section of the list of prophets that closes out the Old Testament. Sometimes it's a little difficult to find, but you'll find him there, Habakkuk. And turn to chapter 2 when you find the book. When you find the book. Everybody got the book? All right. Turn to chapter 2. I don't know how many times I've referred to this passage here and quoted it time and time again. Without reading it, you probably got at least the croaks of it memorized. But I want to read it to you again, read verse 13 with it. Habakkuk, the great prophet, said this. Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts, the Lord of army angels, Is it not of the Lord of hosts that the peoples labor to feed the fire, and nations weary themselves in vain? I've already told him I'm going to bring some tough times on you. I'm going to bring in the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, and I'm going to judge this nation because of its wickedness. Talking about Israel. Talking about his chosen people in that day. And I'm going to bring judgment upon them. And it'd be like a fire burning. Those that try to put out the fire will labor in vain. That's what he said in essence here. But then he gives a promise. My soul with a promise. What a promise. I say it's such a reason, I guess I've referred to this text so many times and quoted it so often. Never preached on it. I went back in all my sermons and a list of texts that I'd preached from and I quoted this many times but never preached from it. But he says, for the earth, here's the promise, for the earth, my friends, will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. As the waters cover the sea. That's a promise. Never been fulfilled yet. Still waiting on it. I will forget our brother E.W. Johnson. Time and time again, those conferences I went to out there and preached in for 25, 30 years. I love Arkansas, brother Johnson. He was a He was a deep studier. I guess probably one of the most knowledgeable modern-day theologians that I've ever met. But he believed this right here. He believed this with all of his heart. I heard him quote it. But time and time again, I had heard him say, as he stood, oh, could it be? Oh, can it be? Can it be that maybe we're right on the brink of something like this taking place, something like this happening? Well, Brother Johnson's been gone to glory for many years now, but he died believing this. He died believing this, that the earth will be covered, filled with a knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. That's what I'm going to try to bring to you this morning. Encourage your heart. That's what I like to do. You know, we're in tough times, aren't we? It don't look like much is going to take place to encourage us today in this nation. But don't give up. Don't give up. You know, I think I wrote a little article some time ago with William Carey, the great pioneer missionary out of England that went to India and preached his heart out. Matter of fact, he preached, I forget how many years, before he had the first convert, before the first soul believed the gospel. But he didn't give up. And before he left England, he had several around him that had been praying for this, that, and the other, and praying for the moving of the gospel. And one of them was Andrew Fuller. And he told those fellows, he said, look, I'm, God's moved on my heart, I've got a burden, I'm going down, I'm going down to India and to those heathen people there and I'm gonna try to preach to them. He said, but I want you fellas to hold the rope and don't let go of the rope. Don't let go of the rope, he's talking about praying for it, talking about praying for it. And he said, I'll go, but you hold the rope. And he went and he preached for many years to those people in India and finally saw some moving of God. But should we expect, should we expect in this day that we live in, the gospel to have a successful time? I think we should and I think we can. I think we can on this promise alone, but there's many, many promises. If you ran the references in connection and in reference to this particular text here, you'll find that there's so much more that would encourage your heart just to keep on keeping on and to rest in God and trust what He's going to do. He's going to do it. He'll accomplish all His will, all His purpose. All his purpose, not a thing in the purpose, the Almighty's purpose, I'm talking about that eternal purpose that the Almighty made, that decree that he made before the world was, not a thing in those decrees or that decree will be frustrated. He'll accomplish perfectly, we'll believe that and rest in that, trust in that. and uh... it'll encourage your heart it'll encourage your heart i think we are to expect the gospel to be successful in this very age that we're living in there are those who prophesy a certain defeat for the gospel in this world it all will get worse and worse and that satan and his forces will increase they preach that Things will get so bad that the church will have to be taken out of the way and then destruction will come to this world. Yet, yet, now listen to me. Are you listening? Yet, is this really what the Bible teaches? How would a God that men would study the Bible? would study, just study the Bible. It's amazing how the Bible will prove you wrong if you'll just study the Bible. And so often it's proven me wrong. I'll confess it, I'll be honest with you. I've been time and time again thought I was on dead right on this or that or the other down through the eight years of my life. But reading the Bible and studying the Bible, I came to a conclusion, well, oh boy, you were wrong there. You were wrong there. But that's not what the Bible teaches. I've been reading a book here recently on the, a fellow wrote on the 24th chapter of Matthew, and bringing other portions of scripture in connection with it. And I was glad to read that that fellow finally, as he read the Bible, found out he was wrong. And just like I did, you know. You know, it had come back to Jesus, made two or three prophecies there concerning Jerusalem. And he said, he told him, this is clear here. He told him, he said, for this generation right here, before it passes away, he said, I'm gonna come back. after the crucifixion, after the resurrection, after the ascension into heaven. He said, before this generation right here passes away, I'm going to come back. And folks, you know, preachers have taken that text time and time again and told folks, get ready people, he's coming back. Well, he's already come. Concerning that particular return, he has. He was talking about the destruction of Jerusalem, the destruction of the temple, and that took place in 70 AD. that to hold that thirty forty years after he'll at the he was uh... resurrection went back to him that took place he took but they took place in precisely as he said he would and he did return he returned and uh... and the the provisions in god made the means that god used to judge your jerusalem and and the temple and uh... to bring destruction upon both when the roman empire sent Titus the great general of the army of Rome in there and sieged Jerusalem. And did exactly what Jesus said that he would do. And so just read the Bible, just read the Bible. And you know, we got a host of folks over here on the left that's looking for the rapture, and a host over here that's looking for the rupture. And very few are looking for the great victory of Jesus Christ in this day concerning the gospel. But he's going to do what he said he's going to do. I mean, here it's going to be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. That's pretty even, isn't it? And that's pretty deep, isn't it? And that's what he's going to do. And I don't care what you do with it, you mess around here and be guilty of actually perverting or distorting the scripture if you try to change that to fit your mold. Don't do that. Just believe what he says here. All right, let's think about this. You know what he says here very clearly. Behold, in verse number 13, is it not of the Lord of Hosts? What? Is it not of the Lord of hosts that I send this judgment on the peoples? And that the people who fight against my judgments are laboring in vain. They can't put out the fire. The fire's gonna burn until I'm through judging this my people. And then he said, but I'm gonna give you some encouragement. He said, for the earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea. So just look for it. the targum the jewish uh... the hebrew the targum is a bible the jews used often it was a translation of the hebrew bible the jewish hebrew bible and the targum says it like this he says that which follows the judgments of god upon the bloody city targum put it this way which they that labor to prevent labor in vain, he says, low, strong, and mighty blows of judgment come from the Lord of hosts. The mighty God, Lord of angel armies, whose hand has stretched out, he says, nine, absolutely nine, can turn back. He does what he pleases, and none can hinder him. And when the decree is going forth, he says from him, it is in vain to attempt to stop what he's doing. That's so. So I don't know what he's doing today, do you? But he's doing. I know this, he's not sitting on his hands. He's doing whatever he's doing. And it'll be complete when he's ready for it to be complete. Our nation is in shambles, but he's doing it. He's brought it about. So just rest assured, he's got a purpose. He's got an end to this thing. Let's wait on the Lord. And so let's look for that great decree. And look again, he says, for the earth shall be filled. And that word with there, it's been translated by, by. The earth shall be filled by knowing the glory of the Lord. as the waters cover the sea. So hang in here with me a little while. Jonathan Edwards, the great theologian of the 1700s, early parts of 1700s, he ministered. Edwards, he makes a comment, he says, now the kingdom of Christ shall in the most strict, and he says literal sense, uh... be extended to all nations and to the whole earth and they say so many passages scripture special to read the book of isaiah that uh... substantiates what he predicted here he could have brought many passages scripture in in relationship to this right here matter-of-fact you know god didn't have to say anything at all but one time for it to be so you believe that? just one time But he makes almost the same statement in the prophet Isaiah, which was right at 200 years prior to what Habakkuk said. And Isaiah was dead and gone when Habakkuk prophesied what he said in the 14th verse here in his prophecy of the second chapter. And Isaiah said this in 11.9 of his prophecy. He says, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Two statements by two different prophets at two different times, two different periods of time, almost identical in word for word. And he said, and as much as to say as there is no part of the channel or cavity of the sea, but what is covered with water. And there shall be no part of the world, no part of the world, of mankind, but what shall not be covered with the knowledge of God Almighty. Wouldn't that be a wonderful day? Wouldn't you like to see that? That'd be encouraging, wouldn't it? To see the gospel all of a sudden take effect. You know, it's been preached, and it's been preached, and it's being preached presently. It's going right now to the uttermost parts of the world. You know, we've got missionaries that are in parts of the world that you and I never knew anything about until we got in contact with these fellows that wanted to go to Papua and places like that and go into those jungles and preach to those poor, ignorant, illiterate Indians. And they're being saved. They're being converted. What about that? Isn't that a wonderful thing? Did you ever hear of those places in which Paul Snyder and Trevor Johnson has gone? Until we started supporting them? Well, there's hundreds of missionaries, good missionaries. that we're unaware of, who took a burden on their heart and went to places that you and I never heard of and preached the gospel and accumulated converts, accumulated converts to the blessed Lord Jesus Christ. Edward says this in his history of redemption. If you've never read it, you need to get in and read it. It's still in print. You can read it. Edwards said this, he said, the latter-day glory is probably, probably, he said, to begin here in America. That's something to think about, isn't it? Now you understand what he's saying there. Probably to begin here in America. You know, when the Gospels left Asia, left Palestine, it went east. Went east, came here. 1620, came here to these shores. But since it's been here and God established it here in America, it's been going west. Missionaries, we send missionaries west. And it's been going west ever since. Reversed from what it was in the beginning. And it's covering the earth, it's continuing to cover the earth. Edwards goes on to say, and he cites a passage out of Isaiah 60 in verse number eight and nine, he says in verse nine, for the coastlands shall hope for me, that's God speaking, the coastlands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from afar. their silver and their gold with them for the name of the Lord your God and for the Holy One of Israel because he has made your land beautiful, your coastlands beautiful. Beautiful by spreading the gospel upon it. In chapter eight, or chapter 16, verse eight and nine, if you read them together, it says, what is this? That's what the prophet said. What do I see out here? He said, what is that that we see in the distance? He said, I see a cloud on the horizon. He said, like doves darkening the sky. It's ships from the distant islands, the famous Tarsier ships returning your children. from far away places, loaded with riches, with silver, with gold, and backed by the name of your God, the Holy One of Israel, showering you with splendor." That's Eugene Peterson's translation of that same text I just quoted to you. So he sees it coming. God says it's coming, surely as I prophesied this thing. Surely as I predicted, it's coming. Great, great numbers of converts coming. If you go into Isaiah chapter, beginning about chapter 40, 41, 42, In the 40s, and through chapter 49, you'll see this again, how they're coming by great numbers, great numbers, as God brings them in through the conversion of their souls by the preaching of the gospel. Coming, sure as we are in this building today, and even more sure. And so, as she talked about that, about seeing this thing as doves darken, clouds of doves darken the sky. I never will forget, Steve, when you and, or when your dad and I went up to, on the invitation of Bill Davis, went up to Delaware to hunt those geese. with Bill. Bill had everything set up. We went up there for a goose hunt. And I never forget the first couple of days that we were waiting for geese. We were sitting on a water blind. Sitting on the Chesapeake Bay. And it was getting late, late, late in the evening, was waiting on geese to come in. We had our decoys out on the water, what have you, hoping might lure some of those geese in there. But I looked across that huge bay, that huge body of water, and back toward the east there, and I saw what looked like a cloud. It was just black, black, huge cloud. And I said, what is that there? And Mr. Davis was hunting with Bill's dad, and he said, that's geese. He said, they darken the sky, they're coming, and they'll roost on the Chesapeake Bay. They're coming to sit down on the Chesapeake Bay. And I couldn't get over that, just a cloud, a cloud, dark cloud of nothing but geese. That's what he's talking about here with the dove. There's a dove dark in the sky, just clouds of them. So it is. with the converts of the Lord that's converted in that day by the preaching of the gospel. We got so much to look forward to, so much to be encouraged in. And we hear too much of this stuff that discourages us. And I've been trying to be an optimistic preacher ever since the Lord began to show me these things. And sometimes, you know, I'm doused with cold water by some of my friends, you know. Oh, Terry, he's missed it, he's missed it. I'd rather talk about the rupture, you know, or the rapture, and not about the truth of the Bible. Isn't that so? Well, I tell you what, we'll just stick with what we believe. Dr. John Gill said this, talking about verse number eight in Isaiah 60, he says, who are these that fly as a cloud? He takes that text there, referring to the vast number of converts, Gill says, before mentioned, already mentioned, who are compared to a cloud for the number of them covering Judah. of Judea as the clouds do the heavens, and for their elevation and situation being raised from an earthly or to a heavenly state. He goes on and says, called with a high calling and made partakers of an heavenly one, and for their being filled, he says, with the grace of God as clouds with water, and for their unanimity. They're coming together in a body, making as it were one cloud. That's the church. That's the church. It's a unified body in Jesus Christ. Not a conglomeration of denominations and cults and what have you. It's a one unified body in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what this cloud represents here, like a cloud of doves all together. all together with one purpose and all publicly professing Christ and joining themselves to his church and in the face of this world. And so the Targum says it, again, who are these that come publicly as the swift clouds? Mr. Edwards said this also. He said divided the world by two continents. He did this, by two continents. concerning the movement of the church in Asia and concerning the movement of the church in America. He says Asia, of course, the old world, and America, the new world. In Asia, the first parents were born. First parents of mankind were born. And God created them there in that old world. And there they dwelt. Also Noah and his three sons dwelt in that old world. And they were born there. And of course there's Shem and Japheth, two of the sons. was the head of the Jews and the head of the Gentile nations. All the nations came out of those two sons of Noah. And so we have it. And he goes on and says, and our Redeemer, Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ, was born there. He was crucified there. He was buried there. And he was resurrected in that old world. And so by him and his commandment, of course, the preaching of the gospel began there and began to spread across Asia and then into Europe and finally here in this world. Matter of fact, in 1620, the church A church made up of Brits and Scots sailed from Plymouth in southwestern England to this new world. They were coming to this new world where they could find freedom to worship the Almighty God. where according to the dictates of their own spirit, their own soul, their own heart, they could honor and glorify and magnify the almighty God. That's what they came here for. That's what this nation was founded on. It was founded on the freedom of worship. And now they're trying to take that away from us. They're not. They're laboring every day and night trying to take that away from us. And they're right close to doing that, folks. They're on the verge of it. Very close. They're starting now in the public schools where your children go to school. And they're after, hey, they're not after you, you older people, they're after the children. They want to get the minds of those children. And once they get those and indoctrinate those children, have you noticed any of these protests that's taking place? And these board meetings? What's all that about? Well, there's some people that are standing up against them. You're not going to take my child. You're not going to indoctrinate my precious child. I won't allow you to do that. And they're fighting tooth and nail to discourage these protests and to get these parents out of the room where they can go about their business and take your child and do with the child what they please. That's to teach them something that you don't want them to teach. You know what I'm talking about? That's what's going on. That's what's going on. That's what we're up against. So we got to fight, just like they're fighting. So the old English ship, Mayflower, left England, headed to the New World. And it was in the month of July when she finally set sail. And, of course, the English ship transported that group of English families known today as the Pilgrims. And from England to the New World they came. And on November the 21st, after a grueling 10 weeks at sea, Mayflower and 102 passengers and a crew of about 30 reached America, landed And they're dropping anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. And so this nation had its beginning right there. And it's been a fight all the way. And the fight's even getting more intense today than ever before, folks, ever before. So the Mayflower of course had to turn back twice because the speed whale, the ship that was traveling with her, brought a leak. After deciding to leave the leaky speed whale behind, Mayflower finally got underway on September 6, 1620. He dropped anchor at Cape Cod. And that's where we started. That's where we started. And so they came here with a decision that they were going to worship God according to their own spirit, according to the dictates of their heart. And so they set up a government that guaranteed that. And they're trying to tear that up. They want to tear that down and do as they please. So the Jewish nation, you see, has from the very beginning, its very beginning, been a standing evidence of the truth of revealed religion, true religion. And those people brought it here. And there's still a few of us around that hold to those ideas today and believe it with all of our hearts. Are you going to give it up? Are you going to give it up? Don't do it now. We're on the verge of seeing something great, folks. We are. I may be dead and gone, but some of you sitting here, you little ones, you may see the very things that I'm preaching this morning. I hope you do. I hope you do. I hope you'll be a part of it. You see, number one, when every other nation under heaven had forsaken the true God and was overwhelmed in heathenism, The Jews had among them the knowledge and the worship of the true God. Another thing to think about, the new Israel, us, we, the church, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, finds it no different today. This world around us is covered with darkness. Our nation is covered with darkness. God's gonna do all His will, do all that He purposed. all that he intended to do. You know, we, his true people, are in this world of overwhelming darkness, but we're not of it. We're still separate from it, distinct as the people of Christ. Here, Christ set up his kingdom. And from here, he began to launch the gospel into the old world, and he is not finished yet. So when the latter-day glory breaks forth, as Mr. Edwards says, he said, the vast continent of America, which now in great part, that was in his day, is covered with barbarians of barbarian ignorance and cruelty, will be everywhere covered with glorious gospel light and Christian love. And instead of worshiping the devil, as now they do, They shall serve God, and the praises shall be sung everywhere. to the Lord Jesus Christ, the blessed Savior of the world. I read a little statement to you this past Wednesday night that old Benjamin Franklin left with us. About 1779, I believe that was the date, when Franklin was walking through Philadelphia, He said there wasn't a street that you could not walk down and hear families in those streets of Philadelphia, in their homes, singing the Psalms and glorifying the Almighty God. Not a street that you could walk down. Well, it's changed somewhat, hasn't it? But just as it changed to the pure ignorance that we're experiencing today in this country, God can change this thing back overnight. God can do anything. Aren't you, you're not assured of that yet? God can do anything that he pleases, anytime that he pleases, with what he pleases, to the glory and praise of his holy name. So keep looking up. Keep waiting upon the Lord, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. No empty places, it'll be everywhere. It will be everywhere. Let me say it again. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. Everybody be talking about it. Everybody just be talking about the Lord God Almighty and giving him the glory, giving him the praise. What a marvelous, wonderful time, see? Amidst the challenges, I say, that Habakkuk is experiencing in his day, the people of God are experiencing in our day. Same thing. Looking for a time for God to change this thing. God had warned the old prophet, trouble's coming. There'll be a time of sorrow and sadness. You're going to see things and face things that you never dreamed that you'd face. But he said, I'm going to change that. I'm going to change that. After I'm through chastising my people, I'm going to change it. Just as sure as you're living. That's what he was writing about. His promise breaks through to him. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. You know, as believers, we have confidence that a day is coming like that, as believers. I do. That's what I believe. That's what I'm waiting on, what I'm hoping for. That's right. Not for the rupture, not for the rapture, but for Jesus Christ, the living Lord, the King of kings and the Lord of lords to move with great power. He's the almighty. He can move and overnight change what we feel is absolute darkness and spiritual ignorance and overwhelm our heart with the moving of the power of the Holy Spirit and bringing forth the gospel. So picture the promise in the New Testament of a new heaven and new earth. This is what Jesus, our Lord, taught us to pray for. Your kingdom come. And what he said, disciples said, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples. He said, you pray like this. Our Father, which is in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it's done in heaven. Isn't that what he said? That's what he taught us. Let's be about the business of praying as he taught us. And praying not my will, but thine be done, okay? All right. All right, Steve. Pleasure seeing you.