Take your Bibles this evening and turn with me to the book of Ezekiel chapter 21. Book of Ezekiel chapter 21. Of course, we have seen in this chapter, it is put in plain terms for the elders and for the House of Judah to understand. Remember, in the last five verses, Chapter 20, the prophet Ezekiel was told to prophesy. And the prophecy was concerning a fire that would be started in the woods, in the south woods, and it would spread to the north woods. And it ended up, the people said, we don't understand. He's speaking in parable. And we don't understand. Well, they didn't want to understand. And so in this chapter, the word of the Lord comes to Ezekiel again, and he says, say to them in these terms. And it was in plain terms for them to understand. I'm against them. And my sword is coming out of its sheath. and it is going to cut off the righteous and the wicked out of the land. And then he was told to paint a portrait. He was to shake and quiver and to beat his thighs shake his thighs, all sign of the terror, the fright that would come upon the people of the land when God's sword struck. And he goes on to tell Ezekiel, did you tell him my sword is polished, it is sharpened, and it is ready to strike at any moment. It's imminent. Verse 13, we looked at began to look at last week, didn't finish our thoughts. It said, because it is a trial, and what if the sword contempt even the rod? It shall be no more, saith the Lord. We were thinking about the fact that God's sword is prepared to test his people, to try his people. Going back up to verse three, two or three, the righteous and the wicked. It was to try, to prove, to test the people. Last week we dealt with this idea and thought that the people of God, the righteous, it is a trial of their faith, a proving of their faith. And not to look at every scripture, but just a highlighted passage in 1 Peter chapter 1, and would like to read verses 6 and 7 again this evening. In 1 Peter 1 and verse 6 says, wherein ye greatly rejoice. In what? In what do we gladly rejoice? Do we greatly rejoice? In what? Well, in God's salvation, in God's electing us, in God's choosing us. and the fact that God did it all. And verse five, we are kept by his power, not our own power, but by the power of God. And we greatly rejoice in this because we have come to realize we are weak, we have no strength, we have no ability of our own to do anything. apart from God. It is God that gives strength. It is God that gives power for us to do anything, even in this physical life. It is God. And it is God that in salvation has saved us. It is God in salvation that keeps us saved. And so we're guaranteed a home and glory with him for eternity, wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness, through manifold temptations, through manifold trials, for a season. What is this life? If you live to be 100 years old, what is this life? It's but a vapor. Here today, gone tomorrow. It's just a vapor. So for a season, in comparison to eternity, which Brother Mike likes to sing because Brother Ron liked to sing an amazing grace that, I believe it's the last verse, unnumbered years. It can't be counted. Eternity cannot be counted in years, in time. For there's no beginning to eternity and there's no end to eternity. And we're going to be in eternity. So in comparison to eternity, our life, even if it's 100 years old, is but for a season. For a season, we endure these trials. And remember to who Peter was writing this. He was writing to those who were scattered because of persecution. They'd left their homes and their homeland because of persecution that had come upon them. Persecution for the cause of Christ because they believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ. And they were suffering sore trials, sore persecutions. And he reminds them that it's just for a season, that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. So the Lord allows our faith to be tried, to be tested, to be proved. Of course, those that are of true faith, they continue to trust in him. I heard a preacher say concerning the thought of fear. Yes, fear's not gone. The fear of persecution's not gone. But we trust the Lord in spite of our fear. We trust him and continue to trust him, our faith. is tried, as he put it, with fire, as gold is tried in the fire, as silver is tried in the fire in the book of Psalms in chapter 66, I believe it was, in verse 10. What about the wicked? We said God's sword is prepared to test his people. It is a trial, he said. It is a trial of the righteous and the wicked. And the righteous are going to continue to trust the Lord in the midst of their trials. But what about the wicked? Why are the wicked being tried? Why are the wicked being tested? Well, the wicked are being tested, they're being tried to prove them, whether they will repent or not. That's why God tries them, that's why God tests them, to prove to them that even when these trials come upon them, they still will not repent. and turn to him. I'd like for us to look at some passages of scripture. Turning with me, first of all, to the book of 1 Kings. The book of 1 Kings in chapter 8. When we begin our reading, it'll be with verse 33, but just to give you the setting here, David had Solomon anointed and installed as king, and then he died. He went away of all men. He passed from in this physical life. And Solomon had become king. And God had appeared to him and asked him what he would like for him to do. And Solomon said, I'd like wisdom. For who can govern this people, this so great a people, unless they be wise? So we ask God for wisdom. God said, I'll grant you that wisdom. I'll grant you that request. And because you've not asked for wealth and riches, I'll also add them to you. But David had desired to build a house, a permanent house for the Lord, a permanent place for the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat and the cherubim to dwell in. And God would not let David build it. because he was a man of blood, he was a man of war. But he told him that his son Solomon, who would sit on the throne after him, would build that house. But David was allowed to prepare many of the materials and was given the plans for the building of that house. And so Solomon begins with the aid of Hiram, king of Syria, who loved David and was kind of favorable to Solomon then as well for much of Solomon's reign. Between the two, they built the temple. Seven years was the temple in its building. And now this eighth chapter, they've come together and they've gathered the Ark of the Covenant and the utensils, the furnishings that were in the tabernacle. And they're ready to bring them into the house of the Lord, into the temple. And they bring it in. And when the Ark of the Covenant is seated in the holy place and taken in by God's prescribed manners, it was bore on the priest's shoulders with poles staged through the the rings in the Ark of the Covenant and it was bore on the priest's shoulders and taken into the holy place and seated there. Just a kind of glory of God came down and filled the temple. so that the priest couldn't see to minister in there and no one could enter in. God was descending upon the holy place. God was putting his approval upon the building of the temple and the completion of it. And Solomon, among offering sacrifices and and everything in the people's offering of sacrifices, Solomon lifts his voice and his hands to God in prayer. And he begins to pray. And what we have here in verse 33 is part of that prayer. And notice his prayer here in verse 33. When thy people Israel, besmitten down before the enemy because they have sinned against thee and shall turn and shall turn again to thee and confess thy name and praise and make supplication unto thee in this house, then hear thou from heaven and forgive their sins, the sins of thy people, Israel, and bring them again unto the land was thou gavest unto their fathers. When they turn, when they are smitten by their enemies and they turn and confess, turning is repentance, they turn from their sin and confess their sin to God. then God hear their prayer and forgive their sins. But what if they don't turn and confess their sin? If they don't turn and confess their sin, then God will not hear from heaven. As he says in one place, our sins have separated between you and me and I'll not hear from heaven. The righteous, the righteous will turn and they will confess. their sins, and God will hear and he will forgive, 1 John 1, 8 and 9. But the wicked, the wicked will go on in their wickedness. They will not turn. They will not confess. Verse 35, When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee, if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin when thou afflictest them. Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servant, and of thy people, Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk and give rain upon the land which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance. And what if they don't repent? What if they don't turn? What if they don't confess? Then God will not hear. Same as in the other scenario. Turn with me now to the Book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 18. Jeremiah chapter 18 and verse 8. Here the Lord says, if that nation against whom I have pronounced, well, let's go back to verse seven. I should have marked that down. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy it. If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. that wicked nation that God pronounces judgment against, if they will turn, if they will repent, then he'll stay his hand, his hand of judgment against them. We have one such illustration in scripture, at least one. of an evil and wicked nation, one whom God had pronounced judgment against. Turn with me to the book of Jonah, the book of Jonah, chapter three. We know the story of Jonah, the record of Jonah. How God told him to go to Nineveh, a great city, a large city. Amazed at some of those ancient cities, how large they were. I'm not sure how large Nineveh was at the time. I know back in Rome when they began to grow and to conquer, Rome was a million people. We think we have big cities today? Well Rome was big in ancient history. But Jonah chapter 3 and verse 4 and God delivers because Jonah repented, God delivers him out of the fish's belly, and tells him, now you go to Nineveh like I told you before, and you preach my word. And Jonah began to enter into the city, a day's journey, and he cried and said, Yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown. He's pronouncing the word of the Lord, the word that God gave him and told him to deliver. Judgment's coming. You're going to be overthrown. Why did God send Jonah to Nineveh? to give those wicked people an opportunity to repent again. To repent, to turn from their evil and their wicked ways. And so Jonah goes in there, goes a day's journey into the city, preaching 40 days. God's going to destroy this city. The people of Nineveh believed God and proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest of them even to the least of them. The great pompous people, the people with great wealth, the aristocrats, the people that are a proud people because of their wealth. Even those people, even the poor peasants, all repented in Shackloff Mansion. For the word came unto the king of Nineveh. And he arose from his throne and he laid his robe from him and covered him with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing, let them not feed nor drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily unto God. Yea, let them turn every one from his evil way and from the violence that is in their hand. Who can tell if God will turn and repent and turn away from his fierce anger that we perish not? And God saw their works, that they turn from their evil way, and God repented. of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them, and he did it not. God saw that they turned. God saw that they repented. He saw that they turned from their evil way. They turned unto God. They cried out unto God. And he stayed his hand of judgment. This is a case of what was said back in Jeremiah chapter 18 and verse 8. If that nation will turn, will repent, then I will stay my hand of judgment. against them. Turn with me to the book of Ezekiel. The book of Ezekiel in chapter 33. Ezekiel 33 and verse 11. Why does God test? Why does He try the wicked so that He might give them space again to repent, space to turn from their evil, to turn to Him? Say unto them, Ezekiel 33, 11, as I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways. For why will ye die, O house of Israel? Turn from your wickedness, turn from your evil. He gives them space. God's long suffering. Why today in 2024, October the 2nd, Why hasn't God destroyed this earth? Why hasn't God destroyed the wicked? Because he's long-suffering. He's given them space to repent. Listen, when they stand before him at the great white throne, judgment, they'll stand without excuse. They were warned. And oh, yes, when that day of great tribulation and trial comes upon the whole earth, known as the tribulation period, oh, it's going to be a terrible time. It's going to be a fearful time, and fear will be in the hearts of the wicked. But they will not turn. They will not repent. Oh, they're evil. and of their wickedness. Turn with me to the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation, chapter 3, verse 10. Revelation 3 and verse 10, the Lord here is in chapters two and three is speaking to the pastors, sending message to the pastors of the seven churches of Asia, five of which is a message of judgment. If they do not turn from their evil and turn from where they have departed from the Lord, he will remove their candlestick. Two of them had, he didn't have anything bad to say about them. And this one in chapter three and verse 10 is the church of Philadelphia. And notice what he says to them in verse 10 of this third chapter, because thou hast kept the word of my patience. You've been patient, patiently waiting my coming, patiently waiting the day of the Lord. You've kept my word of patience. You've been steadfast. You've been faithful to me. You've not departed from me in one thing. I also will keep thee. from the hour of temptation, from the hour of trial, the trial that is to fall upon the whole world, which shall come upon all the world. Listen, he's speaking about the tribulation period, that hour of trial that is to fall upon the whole world. Notice this. Which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. To try all those that are dwelling upon the earth at the time. Those that believe, those that are trusting in God at that time will be faithful to him. They'll not be swayed or moved by those trials. And they will die. Their blood will be shed. Many of them will die. But many, the wicked, They will go on in their wickedness. They will not turn. This is an hour of great trial that is upon the earth, and they still will not repent and turn to God. But though not be able to say, God didn't give him a chance, that God wasn't long-suffering with him, that God wasn't patient with him, for he bore long with them in their evil and in their wickedness. And they delighted in darkness because their deeds were evil. Turn with me to the book of Luke, one more passage, then we'll have to close tonight. The book of Luke chapter 13. Jesus says here in these verses, don't think that any people is greater sinners than anyone else and that because you're a lesser sinner, you should be spared over another because you're all sinners. He says this, I tell you nay. but except ye repent, verse three of Luke chapter 13, I tell you nay, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those 18 upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men? that dwell in Jerusalem, I tell you, nay, you're all sinners, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. The righteous have repented, and they continue when they sin, They confess their sins to God, saying the same thing about their sin that God does. They turn from their sin and God forgives them. But the wicked, the wicked will not repent. They go on in their evil and in their wickedness.