Welcome to Bible Believers Fellowship and the ministry of bbfohio.com. I am Pastor Greg and I welcome you to our current events update and then our study in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 14 titled, To the Obtaining of the Glory. The conclusion of this study can be found at bbfohio.com as we now begin part 1. Israel at war, 1115-23. The Gog Magog Confederacy continues to take shape for possible fulfillment of Ezekiel 30. I don't want to be clear, I'm not predicting. I'm not a prophet, nor this son of a prophet. But we're just looking at the Bible and we're saying, wow, it just keeps getting a little bit closer. U.S. media is not reporting, actually, the escalation that is actually happening behind the scenes and out in, you'll find in other news sources. I'm going to show you this. This is an interview with a spokesperson for the Israeli defense. And just listen to what he has to say. I have to say this. He's on Russia Today. which is uh... russian propaganda network but listen what he said he's a he's the real deal understand that i i guess i get with all due respect that i understand you are the russian payroll and i understand this is a russian propaganda but you have to be very careful because let me tell you we're going to finish this war we're going to win because we're stronger after this russia will pay the price believe me russia will pay the price russia is supporting the enemies of israel Russia is supporting Nazi people who want to commit genocide on us, and just Russia will pay the price. Russia also. Now listen to me very carefully. We are going to finish with these Nazis. We're going to win this war. It's going to take the time it's going to take, but we're going to win this war. Afterwards, we're not forgetting what you are doing. We're not forgetting. We will come. We will make sure that Ukraine wins. We will make sure that you pay the price for what you have done. You as Russia, and you as all the enemies of Israel, and you as all the people who are now making everything they can to support genocide of the Jews in Israel. We are not forgetting. We are not forgetting. Remember exactly what I'm saying now. You will pay the price. Amir, I think it's safe to say that this is a very passionate conflict that is happening here. Well, people have been massacred. My people have been slaughtered by your proxies, and you will pay the price. Is it clear? No. Believe me, you will regret this day. No, I don't actually think it is clear. You will regret it. Very, very, very stunning. and if you are not it he goes ahead cut off there but get the point we've we've always said you know I want to want to pull Russia down into Israel that would do it yeah that's he wasn't he wasn't making anything up there also contributing to uh... the gorg may gorg developments is the fact that they're here in america but around the world there is pro-israel which we are i am a christian zionist when you hear people talk bad about christian zionist they're talking about me you know and uh... They, along with their father the devil, can go to hell. I'm going to stand with Israel. I am a Christian Zionist. That doesn't mean I agree with everything Israel does. I don't agree with everything America does. That's a whole boogeyman they throw at you when you say you're pro-Israel. But I am going to defend their right to exist, and I'm going to defend them based on my belief in the Bible. If there are people who call themselves Christians who don't believe the Bible, that's on them. I believe the Bible. God is not done with Israel. And then there are those who are also claiming to be pro-Israel, but they actually just want to use Israel for their globalist agenda. You understand, the Antichrist is going to make peace with Israel first. and then he'll come after him three and a half years into that seven-year covenant. That's the same spirit behind a lot of these pro-Israel people who are just trying to push America into another big war, and they love these endless wars. The fact of the matter is the Republican Party is not that much better. You have the likes of Nikki Haley, who stepped down from her time at the UN. Bankrupt or in debt was her family. Then she becomes a military contractor, she joins the board of Boeing and otherwise, and is now a multi-millionaire. So I think that that's wrong when Republicans do it or Democrats do it. That's the choice we face. Do you want a leader from a different generation who's going to put this country first? Or do you want Dick Cheney in three-inch heels? Now, Vivek is, I'm not totally sold on him, but I love what he said there. I just agree with him totally. And, man, there's something wrong with these people who are in government, and then when they lose their jobs one way or another, they go work for the military-industrial complex, become multimillionaires, and then get back in the political game preaching the very message which would make more money for the military-industrial complex. You gotta listen with that kind of discernment when you hear these people talk. We all got suckered in. I'm not gonna speak for everybody in this room, but all the people I know, Bible-believing Christians that I know, all got suckered in by the Bushes. Because we did not use discernment, but we were just too trusting. The guy said he was a Christian, talked about Jesus and all that, and a lot of Christians, you know, supported him and everything. Not anymore. I won't do that anymore. So what we have going on big time, and it's very important, is the propaganda war. Propaganda is to try to convince you to turn against Israel. And Al Jazeera is a Islamic Arab news source. But here's an interview. Watch this guy. They interview a guy who was there when this whole area was bombed out by Israel. and at first he does say something negative towards israel bombing that area but listen to what he says and then watch when the journalist so-called turns away from him and then we'll keep watching the guy he's interviewing what his reaction is just watch this israeli army is telling people to go south he says yes yes but you were surprised it was not one house that was bombed an entire compound was erased Is this a humane act? No, this is a criminal act. As for the resistance, Hamas, they're hiding among the people. He says they can go to hell and hide there. Now look at it. Look at it, he's still trying to talk to it. Look at it. He was giving an eyewitness report of the Israeli bombing, but he was also giving an eyewitness report that Hamas hides behind women and children. And he says, what are you doing hiding behind a bunch of innocent women and children? Go to hell and hide there. I love that. So these videos are of the same Palestinian man. This is all about propaganda, so I'm just showing you this. One day, he's dying. He's got friends petting his head, he's dying. And somehow, the next day, he's able to livestream. Same guy. Look at him dying over there. Look at him. There's all kinds of videos where they show these Palestinians stage this stuff. I'm not saying Palestinians aren't being killed, but I'm telling you, first of all, don't trust all the numbers. You know, they're saying like 12,000, 14,000 people dead. There's no evidence to support that. They're just throwing that number out. And then you get this kind of stuff. Here's another one. This poor woman. She thought her son had been injured in an Israeli bomb. She comes running in where they're taking care of him. Now watch this. They're showing him he's not really hurt. See, I'm not hurt. Now, once again, I see that. Watch. Here she comes. Look, look, he's not really hurt. That's not real blood. It's all... They're doing this... It's propaganda, folks. It's a very... This next video is a very good and clear explanation, though, of the reality between Israel and Hamas. I was glad to see this guy was on Joe Rogan. But there have been some people out there pointing the truth out. Because most people, like Joe Rogan, most people do not know the real history of what's going on. And they don't understand it. And then when everything blows up, then they try to understand it real fast. And you've got to have people out there explaining things like this guy. Think. I'm Israel. You're the Palestinians in Gaza. Everyone every one of the people in Gaza laid down the arms and Stopped attacking. What would I Israel do to you? It's a good question Nothing nothing They've tried it five different times it literally like stop attack that Israel has never not one time in history and Initiated any conflict every single one of those things that you're pointing to is a retaliatory attack by a terrorist organization But if that's if those if that was switched where I Israel you Hamas in Gaza I take all of my arms and all of my protection, and I laid them down What would what would Hamas do? They would kill every single one of us That's what they do. That's what they're sworn to do. That's their motto and the origin of their existence. Absolute fact. If Gaza laid down their arms, stopped digging tunnels, stopped trying to, you know, there'd be peace. Israel, if Israel were to do that, they would kill all the Jews. So this is a fact. I'm not being mean. This is an honest truth. Stupid white liberal college students are the scourge of this nation right now. America is looking like Nazi Germany right now in the 1930s, and it's because of the white liberal kids on college campuses. This is just an example. Why are you laughing? That's not funny. It's not a genocide. They're kidnapped individuals. She's tearing down posters of the people who've been kidnapped by Hamas, probably being raped and tortured as we speak. And she's tearing them down out of pure ignorance. She has no idea what she's even doing. And that was one of the things that when I was a kid, I was glad I kind of learned quickly, is that I realized how little I knew. And these kids are being told to go take action and do things when they don't know anything. They're ignorant. So hundreds of thousands of stupid white college kids all over the country chanting this chant. from the river to the sea. I mean, hundreds of thousands of these kids out there chanting, from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. That is a call to kill all the Jews. That is no different from anything Adolf Hitler preached. And we showed you this. This is a visual. From the river which is the Jordan River runs from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, from the river to the sea, Mediterranean. If you cleared out the Jews from the river to the sea, that would mean all the Jews are dead. And that's what they're calling for. So number two is the summary where things stand in the United States. This fellow is on Twitter, and he says, they coordinated to unleash COVID during an election year. Fortified the election with mail-in ballots, internet algorithm rigging, and censorship. Banned the sitting President of the United States from all social media. Unleashed anarcho-tyranny with BLM and Antifa riots and kept you in your houses in lockdowns. Set a trap on J6 to justify the Department of Justice and FBI weaponization against 74 million Americans. forced you to be injected against your will, opened the borders, crashed the economy with a run on the U.S. Treasury, and instigated multiple wars, and now they roll out the red carpet for a communist dictator who killed half the politicians in America so he can come and inspect his work like a conquering warlord. That's what happened with Xi of China. and they cleaned up San Francisco, made it look like the beautiful city it could be for his appearance. He says, make no mistake about it, we are already at war, a war unlike anything we've ever been involved with. Two-thirds of the country just doesn't realize it yet. Amen. Wars and rumors of wars. So pray for the rapture, prepare for the worst. I just tell everybody, have cash, have food, have alternate source, get a generator and some gasoline for it so you can run. The electricity, unless we get hit by an EMP, the electricity won't go out for long periods of time, I don't think, but it'll be intermittent. We're going to start having rolling blackouts and things because this administration is forcing us into an energy crisis. And our power went out this week. Every time it goes out, I'm thinking, oh, boy. I don't just think, are the neighbors out? Of course, Jenny checks in with that, because then we know whether to call the electric company. But my immediate thought is, I wonder if the whole eastern seaboard is out, the grid. Be informed, pray, and act accordingly. Amen? 2 Thessalonians 2.14. We read 13 and 14 last week, and as we came to 14, as I mentioned, we weren't going to have time to really dive into the implications of that verse the way I wanted to. And the more I got into this, and I'll be honest with you, well, I think I got a little reminder here. We have a lot of scripture to cover. So we're going to limit comments and questions to the end. And I mean, you know, within reason, I just want to keep moving until we get through it. But as we continue, 2 Thessalonians, we're going to look at the glory referred to there in verse 14. And that's the only verse we're going to read tonight from 2 Thessalonians 2. So if you're there, read that with me. whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen? Paul is emphasizing our thanksgiving, not the holiday, the heart condition, the attitude, thanksgiving to God for his great salvation. Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful day to do that as well. But it should be a day that's marked by more of a gathering together for the purpose of Thanksgiving, wherein the other 364 and a quarter days of the year, we should be thankful individually for what God has done to save us. Now, verse 14 started out by saying, Whereunto He called you by our gospel. The hyper-dispensationalists make a huge big deal about the fact that there's times where Paul will refer to my gospel. That's true, but he also refers to the gospel, and here he refers to our gospel. They come up with this crazy asinine claim that Paul preached a different gospel than Peter. because in Galatians chapter 2, I believe it is, where he talks about the fact that he preached the gospel of the uncircumcision and Peter preached the gospel of the circumcision. That doesn't mean it was a different message. It's talking about the crowd. The circumcision is the Jew. The uncircumcision is the Gentile. That's all it means. And Peter preached the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for salvation in Acts. We've already shown you a couple of instances, and we're only in chapter 9. We'll see it several times later. Peter's the one who first preaches to Cornelius. Coming up in Acts chapter 10, we saw the Hamites preached to by Philip. Wasn't Paul. And then we see the Japhethites preached to by Peter first. And so I won't belabor that, but we also never lose sight of the whole foundation for all of our blessings is the gospel. And you just never forget that. I hope you'd never forget that if you're attending here, because we have it right up on the wall there, and we preach it, and we sing about it, and we thank God for the gospel and for what He's done to save us. But comparing Scripture with Scripture, I want to look at, just turn over a few pages to your right, 2 Timothy chapter 1, beginning of verse 7. And verse 7 is a memory verse for a lot of people, and they kind of take it out of context. They don't really understand it in its context. Verse 7 says, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. But if you read the context, he's talking about preaching the gospel. He's talking about preaching the gospel to lost souls. The verse before that, wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee by putting on of my hands. What's the gift? His ministry. And then it says he hasn't given us the spirit of fear. in that context. Read verse 8 with me. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. You see that? We're not given a spirit of fear in the context of the testimony of our Lord, which is another reference to the gospel. That's what the gospel is, it's the testimony of our Lord. And then verse 9, who hath saved us and caught us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Now read 10 and 11 with me. "...but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, whereunto I am appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles." Paul's giving you a real summary of what really his whole life was about, but that's the context of God hath not given us a spirit of fear. Don't forget that. A lot of times you'll hear people, you know, getting ready to jump out of an airplane, God has not given us a spirit of fear. That's not what this verse is talking about. Although, you know, you can jump out of an airplane and if you're saved, you can jump without the fear of dying and going to hell. Doesn't mean you can jump out of a plane and not fear dying. You know, don't forget that parachute or you're going to die. Don't forget to pull that. You know, don't forget to do what you're supposed to do, or you could still die, but at least you know you don't have to have a fear of hell. But that's not the purpose of that verse, and you'll see people take Bible verses out of context all the time and use them like that. But look what it said in verse 10 before we move on. It's made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, and He came and He died, but He didn't stay dead. who hath abolished death. And then, what's the implications for me and you? He has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. So, we're not only going to be in His presence, as these verses tell us. I've said this before. God has saved you from hell. He's not required to take you to heaven. Aren't you glad He's going to? You're not required to. He saved you from hell. He did not have to adopt you. He didn't have to call you a child of God. He could just say, yeah, you're now a ward of the state. You know? Or he could say, you know, I now own you. We are bought with a price, but he didn't just buy us so that he could own us. He bought us to adopt us. He didn't have to. Think of everything you know already before we start reading some of these scriptures. Everything you know already that you have because you're saved, he didn't have to do any of that. And Christians are just kind of spoiled brats. You know, we just think God owes us, you know. We're saved, so now all that stuff's supposed to be ours. If you look at it the way I just explained to you, you'll appreciate it better. Same thing with kids and parents. Some kids, just because their parents give them everything they ask for, buy them a new car when they turn 16, give them all the latest fashions and $200 shoes and shoes that cost more than the tires on my car. You ever been around kids like that? and they think it's owed to them. If their parents would dare not buy that stuff for them, or when dad loses his job and they can't afford to, suddenly that kid's shocked. You know, lives in shock, the fact that mommy and daddy don't have to provide every little thing I want. And some of us were raised that way. My mommy and daddy never bought me everything I wanted. And I had to beg for something that I really wanted and hope that I got it for my birthday or Christmas until I could get my own job. Turned 15, my dad's like, well, now you can get a job and buy it yourself. Yeah, yeah. And you know what? I'm glad my parents raised me that way. I know some of those kids that were raised getting everything they asked for and they didn't turn out real well. So in addition to the fact that we're going to be at his presence, there's much more to it than that. That's what the rest of the verse goes on to say. To the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's not referring to you just being in His presence. You're going to obtain His glory. It's going to actually be something you are going to more than just possess. It is, we're going to look at the scriptures. You, I'll say this just to kind of wet your appetite before we get in here. You see me up here. All of a sudden, I'm going to have a head full of hair. I'll have hair like Darren. Only it's going to be white like wool. How do I know that? It says we'll be as he is. And when you read Revelation 1, it tells us Jesus right now, he don't look like Kenny Loggins. He's got hair white like wool, eyes like fire, feet like brass. When you read these descriptions of Jesus...