with our Bibles open to the 10th Psalm today. We finished last week in the 9th Psalm and we entitled it, Times of Trouble, as we find it there in the passage of Scripture. And today, we continue with the same line of thinking, however, we are looking at more times of trouble. In the 10th Psalm, I agree with many commentators that the two Psalms go together because there is no title to Psalm 10 and there is a sealah, stop, think about this, that concludes the 9th Psalm. So let's read the 10th Psalm and I have given the title of more times of trouble. I briefly remind you this would be that time that's coming to Jacob. It is the tribulation period. That's what the psalmist David is seeing prophetically speaking. There is a personal circumstances, but as is so often with David, his personal circumstances become really prophetic with implications of what's to come, either concerning Christ or concerning the Jews, the nation of Israel. So Psalm 10 verse 1, Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor. Let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. For the wicked boasted of his heart's desire, and blessed the covetous whom the Lord abhorreth. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God. God is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous. Thy judgments are far above, out of His sight. As for all His enemies, He puffeth at them. He hath said in His heart, This is the wicked now. I shall not be moved, for I shall never be in adversity." Notice the singular. pronouns He hath said in His heart. Notice verse 7, His mouth is full of cursing and fraud and deceit and fraud. Under His tongue is mischief and vanity. He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages. In the secret places doth He murder the innocent. His eyes are privily set against the poor. He lieth and waits secretly as a lion in his den. He lieth and waits to catch the poor. He doth catch the poor when he draweth him into his net. He croucheth and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten. He hideth his face, he will never see it. Now the psalmist is speaking again. Arise, O Lord. O God, lift up thine hand. Forget not the humble. Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? He hath said in his heart, This is the wicked. Thou wilt not require it. Thou hast seen it. For thou beholdest mischief in spite, to recline it with thy hand. The poor committeth himself unto thee. Thou art the helper of the fatherless. Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man. Seek out his wickedness till thou find none. The Lord is king forever and ever. The heathen are perished out of his land. Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble. Thou wilt prepare their heart. Thou wilt cause thy nation ear to hear to judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress." There's no title. It belongs with the ninth as far as theme and contents. And so we have paused at the ninth, Selah, there at the end of the ninth Psalm. Our minds have pondered the times of trouble, which were without Israel. But in this tenth Psalm, We see the trouble more so within the nation of Israel. There it was without in the 9th Psalm. Here it is the evil man lurking in the secret places of the villages, lying in wait to catch the poor, to pounce, as a lion would upon his prey. And so if you want to think about it, we'll get into this later, but the time of Jacob's trouble is in Daniel 9, 24 through 27. It will begin when Israel receives the Antichrist as their Messiah. He will confirm the covenant with them for a week. But the character of this evil man emerges in the 10th Psalm. I believe we have a description of the Antichrist in the 10th Psalm, what he is going to be like. The 70th week of Daniel, this prophecy will bring anguish. It will bring adversity upon the people of Israel, upon the whole world, but God is specifically seeking to bring Israel to repentance. And so, the remnant of Israel's seed will believe according to Revelation chapter 12, and they will emerge from this anguish and this adversity, and there will be anticipation in the hearts of some, and we see it in the 10th Psalm. We'll see it in a moment. So in the 9th Psalm, remember, we heard the song of praise. We heard the voice of prophecy and the truth of preaching. All of that caught our attention. And praise was sung before trouble came in the 9th Psalm. Praise is not heard until the end of the trouble at the end of the 10th Psalm. These times of trouble must descend upon the Jews. Scripture has prophesied it. They will descend upon them, but these times that will come will then continue. They'll climax, but then they'll end, okay? And Israel will come into prosperity and the blessings of God again. But first, Israel must pass through days of darkness, days of distress, but the assurance and the confidence of Jehovah is found in the 10th Psalm. God will be faithful to the Israelites. And we could say with David, the Lord is King forever and ever. So here's the exposition. The times of trouble for Jacob will be times of anguish. Look at verse 1 again, please, if you would, just very briefly. We find here, Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? In other words, the Jews will be in anguish. You know what they're going to say? Where is God? It's going to seem as if God has disappeared. Lord, why do you stand so far off? Why are you hiding yourself? Well, the angel in Revelation said this, And I beheld and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound tribulation. and anguish will descend upon this world. You'll find that even mentioned in Romans chapter 2 verse 9. And so there is anguish. But then in verses 2 down through 11, we read here a record of the character of Antichrist. He will be acclaimed and hailed as Israel's Messiah. They will receive Him. They're not looking for Jesus to come. I remind you, they rejected Him. They're still in rejection of Israel's true Messiah. They will hail this Antichrist as Messiah. And we don't see all of that here. We rather see the character of the one they will receive for a while as their Messiah. The words of this man and the ways of this man, who I believe is the Antichrist foretold, agree with the description given in 2 Thessalonians 2 that he is the man of sin. He stands up against God, stands up against the people of God during the days of the tribulation period. He is the Antichrist. He is also mentioned as that wicked. Capital W. What do we read in Psalm 10? The wicked, the wicked, the wicked. But then he says through the pride of his countenance indicating yes, generally speaking of the wicked overall, but specifically speaking of a singular personality, the wicked through the pride of His countenance. So we're looking at this man of sin, that wicked, the Antichrist, the lawless one, the son of perdition, the little horn of Daniel. There's many names, the Assyrian, many names we find him by, but he will be what? an adversarial man. As Christ was God incarnate, the Antichrist will take on the nature of Satan, who is the adversary of God and God's people. So David's perspective personally becomes the perspective of Jews in this day. This is what they will behold in the Antichrist. So I see the adverse ways of the wicked, verses two through five. In pride, he will first of all persecute the poor. You see that in verse two, the wicked in his pride does persecute the poor. In Pride, verse 3, he will praise the perverted. For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous whom the Lord abhorreth. In other words, when the church is raptured out of this world and the Holy Spirit, the Restrainer, is removed, what God abhors, the Antichrist adores. What Christ punishes, the Antichrist praises. What God hates, the man of sin loves. He will bless those whom God abhors. So He will praise the perverted. Verse 4, the wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God. God is not in all his thoughts. The antichrist in pride will pursue the plan. What does this mean? Well, there is the lie of the devil propagated. The propaganda of Satan will go throughout the world. God cannot help you. God is dead. This is your God. Worship Him. Bow before Him. Adore Him. Pledge your allegiance to Him. But this plan will be seen all over the countenance of Antichrist. Through the pride of his countenance, he will not seek after God. But then the corruption, God is not in all his thoughts. Not one thought of the Antichrist will be in reverence for God. God's nowhere in his thoughts. It takes me back in my mind to Genesis 6 where God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually. You compare that with Matthew 24, as in the days of Noah, so shall the days of the coming of the Son of Man be. The antediluvian or pre-flood culture of pride, promiscuity, and perversion will permeate the world of men. in those days. So much so that Jerusalem, it's already a prime candidate for it now, but Jerusalem in that day will spiritually be called Sodom and Egypt. In pride, He will also promote The perversion. Verse 5, His ways are always grievous. Study it out. Policy after policy. The Antichrist will outlaw righteousness, promote wickedness. Perversion will persist throughout society. Got news for you. The world's not going to get better. It's going to take Jesus Christ to set everything straight and right. And in this verse, he says that the Antichrist, as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. Literally means to blow as a breath of air out of your mouth. I find it very interesting. I find it very ironic. And I do not find it a bit funny. But I find it amazing that God said in 2 Thessalonians 2, 8, And then shall that wicked, that's the Antichrist, be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. 2 Thessalonians 2, 8. In other words, the Antichrist who puffs air at all his enemies will be destroyed with the breath of the mouth of the Son of God. So a little blast of air is all it's going to take from Jesus to rid everyone of Antichrist. So much for his pride. The adverse words of the wicked pick up in verse 6. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved. See, he defies God. He denies God. I shall never be in adversity. These are the words of a fool, by the way. Verse 7, His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud. Under His tongue is mischief and vanity where verse 6 reveals the foolish words of Antichrist. Verse 7 reveals the filthy words of Antichrist. We'll be the ruler of a country who uses language that's filthy. I don't approve of it for God forbids it. Then the adverse ways return in verse 8. We find that he will operate covertly. He will make a peace treaty with the Jews. He will protect them for a short period of time. But in the shadows, in the lurking places of the villages, in the secret places, you know what he's going to seek to do? Murder the innocent. His eyes are set privily against the poor. He will lie in wait secretly as a lion." To what? Catch the poor. When he catches the poor, he draws them into his net. In other words, he will operate covertly, behind the scenes, putting things together, awaiting that moment when he will bring forth the abomination of desolation in the midst of this week of seven years, and he will persecute the Jews. in a tremendous and terrible way. But he will operate cunningly, and that's the lion crouching, and he humbleth himself. He gets low, he remains low for a while, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. But then the adverse words return in verse 11, he hath said in his heart, this is what he thinks and says in his heart, God has forgotten. He hideth His face, He will never see it. It seems to me that this is the mocking taunt of the Antichrist concerning the judgment of God, that judgment will never come. The world is mine, the kingdom is mine, the power is mine, the Jews are mine. Where is God? It seems to be what this verse is revealing, that his heart will speak those great words. Daniel says that he shall stand and speak great words against God. The wrath of the Lamb will fall upon the head of Antichrist. Interesting also that the judgments of God are out of his sight. Why? Because God's throne is far above him. Remember, He can set up His throne, He can set Himself up in the temple, but it's all beneath the throne of Almighty God. But then verse number 12, down through verse 18, we move from times of anguish and the times of adversity to now we see light shining. We see times of anticipation. Yes, Revelation 13, that beast out of the earth, the prophet rises. There's another beast that rises up out of the sea. He's the false. I'm sorry. I got that. I got that backwards. The beast out of the sea, the first beast is the Antichrist. But then there's the false prophet who I believe is that beast that rises up out of the earth, the second beast emerging in Revelation 13. It's very possible that the wicked in this context refers to the first beast or Antichrist. I believe that. But it's very possible that the evil man mentioned here is the false prophet or the second beast of Revelation 13. The plea of the persecuted, verses 12 through 15. They plea for God to deliver the righteous. Arise, O Lord, O God, lift up thine hand, forget not the humble. You see, saved folks ought to be humble folks. God's people don't walk around in a proud show of self. That's the characteristics of Satan. Isaiah 14, 1 Timothy 3 talks about this was his condemnation. He was lifted up with pride. Psalm number 10, the Antichrist is proud, proud, proud, proud in all that he does. And so the humble will be those who are persecuted for believing that Jesus is King, that He is Messiah, that He is returning in great power and glory. They will be persecuted and their plea will be, O God, remember us, requite them, deliver the righteous, destroy the wicked. Very imprecatory in nature and very fitting with this period. So the blasphemy of the wicked is recorded. that he contemns God. This is that he scorns God in his heart, says that God will not require this. God's not going to answer all that we've done. That's the blasphemy of the wicked. The behavior of the wicked is in verse 14. Then he says of God that thou has seen it. for thou beholdest mischief and spite. This is their behavior, mischief, spite, the Antichrist and his people. And God will be a helper of the fatherless and he will step in to help the poor. And so the plea continues with the breaking of the wicked, which is requested. Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man. God will deal with Antichrist and that false prophet, and He will do so decisively. In the book of the Revelation, it is revealed. And so, in other words, there is an expectation in the hearts of those who have been persecuted. They are asking, pleading with God, but then they say in verse 14, God, You have seen this. You do behold their behavior. You are the helper. You see the anticipation? Therefore they say, Break thou the arm. And then verse 15 continues, Seek out his wickedness till thou find none. In other words, Lord, wipe their wickedness clean off the face of this earth. remove him altogether and all of his influence. But then there's the persuasion of the persecuted. Verses 16 through 18. Verse 16, the majesty of God has filled their hearts. They have embraced the gospel of the kingdom. They have repented, believed the gospel. They recognize the kingdom of God is at hand. And you know what they say? In defiance of Antichrist, the Lord Jehovah is King forever and ever. The heathen are perished out of His land. It seems here that we're actually looking at the millennial. where they're rejoicing. And then it seems that we step back into the tribulation period, verses 17 and 18, where the mercy of God has fixed their hearts. Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble. Thou wilt prepare their heart. Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear, to judge the fatherless and the oppressed. But notice that the man of the earth, I believe that's Antichrist. May no more oppress. Thank God better days are coming. But bad days are coming. So what's the application? Are you prepared for eternity? Are you saved? Have you been born again? If not, you'd better repent. Believe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He died for our sins, that He was buried, that He rose again the third day. Trust Christ as your Lord and Savior. And then you will miss all of this, period, this seven-year, week-long prophetic period. You won't have to experience the terrors of the tribulation, period, if you'll be born again today. Amen?