This morning I want to speak concerning perilous times shall come, which is found in 2 Timothy 3.1. But if you'll turn to Luke 1, there are a few verses that I'd like to read there, and then a few other places. before we get to our text in 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 1. Before we read any of the scriptures though, if you would, unite your hearts with mine as we approach a thrice holy God. Have no place before him except as we are in the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is his merit and his righteousness alone in which we go before God. So would you pray with me? Our Father, we come again to thy word. and again to thy house, hopefully and trusting that we come for the express purpose of worshipping, of hearing, becoming doers of thy word and not hearers only. Multitudes know at least portions of scripture, but it does little good. But we're asking for the written word to be made the living word in our hearts, that you would prepare them now. That, oh God, you might be pleased, though it is but a human vessel. though you might be pleased to speak to these thy children. Give great help, Lord, for man cannot do what is required here. But hear us in Christ's name and for thy great glory. In Jesus' name we pray. In Luke chapter number one, I want to read three or four verses there, but before I get to that, which will carry us eventually back to 2 Timothy, where perilous times shall come that the apostle has written about. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit that God said, if you do, you die. And they did. And the man, the woman, and the serpent was called before the Lord to give an account. What is it that you have done? Where art thou, Adam? All must stand before me and all must give an account. And it is the goodness and graciousness of God our Lord that brings us into that place during life here. And then when God began to tell them, this is the result. of you having eaten the fruit, I told you not to, to the serpent first, he said, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heels. From that time, Up until the Messiah, Christ, the Lord Jesus was born, every maiden in Israel was looking to birth children. They were looking at that son, their son. being the promised seed of God that would bruise the serpent's head. Eve gave birth, called his name Cain, her first son. And when she looked at him, she remembered what God has said, thy seed. And she said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. She was mistaken, she wrongly identified him and instead of him being in the lineage of our Lord, or the one that she thought would bruise the serpent's head, he turned out to be a murderer and slew Adam and Eve's second born. Now after 4,000 years, approximately, There was a man in the temple of God that was going about performing the ordinances and the commandments of the Lord. He was a righteous man. He was a blameless man. And Gabriel appeared to him. Now in verse number 15 and following, This is the angel telling Zacharias. Verse 15, for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. and he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias. Many are looking for Elijah and Moses to be those two witnesses in Revelation 11 that we'll look at briefly, shortly. And the disciples asked the Lord, Lord, why do these men in Israel say that Elijah must first come? When's he coming? And Christ said, if he would have it, he already has. And they realized that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist. But anyway, John will go before in the spirit and power of Elias to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. For that purpose, a messenger shall go before the Lord, calling a people, warning them, and telling them that the Lord will soon come. You remember in Matthew 25, the parable of the virgins, there was a cry went out at midnight. And so shall it be as the latter days come draw to an end, God will send a messenger or messengers that will warn the people, behold, the bridegroom coming. And then the virgins will all trim their lamps. But half of them had taken no care to see that they carried with them sufficient oil, and their lamps went out. When they returned, knocking on the door, asking the Lord to let them in, they found no answer to their request. Now in Luke 1, 76, and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the highest, for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins. And when Christ comes to the end of his ministry here, he told the disciples, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. So throughout time, God has been, by the Spirit of God, drawing a people to be with him here in time. All those that God draws in time, we call it the effectual call of God. All that the Lord calls, they will be with him in time, certainly in eternity. but those that are not with him in time will not be in his visible presence in eternity. In the prayer of John 17 of the great high priest, he said, Father, I will that those that thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory. Now dear ones, what does the glory of God do to a person beholding it? Paul said to the letter, second letter to the Corinthians, that we, with an open face, beholding in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed from image to image. As we see him in the book, as we hear him in the book and in the closet, and look upon his face, though through a glass darkly, we shall be changed from this old earthly image into the image like unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Now since our Lord returned to glory some 2,000 years ago, Teachers and preachers have been declaring signs for all of us to watch for that would indicate to us the Lord is coming soon. An example of this is in Ezekiel 38, if you'd like to follow along with me. They gladly used this chapter, chapter 39. And in chapter 38, Gog, in the land of Magog, is spoken about. Now in verse number 8, this land, that those that have fallen into the trap of dispensation, the list, they use this passage and say, here, this will take place before the Lord Jesus returns again. In verse number eight, and after many days thou shalt be visited. In the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword. and is gathered out of many people, brought back, gathered against many people, and against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste. But it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely, all of them. Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm. Thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land. Thou and all thy bands and many people with thee. That's what's going to take place, they tell us. Now in verse number 11, in verse number 11, shall say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages, that being Israel. I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates. The mountains were Israel's fortes. They they protected. God would not allow them to accumulate horses and chariots to be used in war, but they must depend upon him. Now verse number 16, still again speaking about God, that Bible teachers and scholars tell us that this is Russia, used to be the Soviet Union, but all that collapsed. But here's one of the signs they give us. When you see that country out of the north, headed down to that one below them in the south, that one that sits secure and safe, they think, and have no outside protection, then that this thought enters into God's mind, will go down, will ravish their wealth and their goods and destroy the people. Verse 16, and thou shalt come up against my people Israel as a cloud to cover the land. It shall be in the latter days. And I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O God, before their eyes. We all were told, okay, this is Russia, when you see them gaining great power and coming against Israel, then the Lord shall soon return. Now look with me please to Matthew 24. Matthew 24, beginning with verse 32. Now learn a parable of the fig tree. When his branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near even at the door. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." That fig tree, we're told by so-called Bible scholars, that that fig tree is Israel. And when it puts forth its tender branch, and begins to grow and blossom, you know that summer is nigh. So likewise, when you see all these things taking place, you know it's soon time for the Lord's coming. Now that fig tree is said to be Israel. And it just so happened in the year 1948, in that seven-day war, I think it was seven, Israel became a nation again. Now according to them, the generation, that's my generation, shall not pass away till all these things be accomplished. The only thing wrong with their interpretation and their charts and graphs and timetable and showing us these events in scripture that would direct us to begin looking for the return of our Lord. Only thing wrong with it is 1 Thessalonians 5, 2, 2 Peter 3, 10, the day of the Lord shall come in the night. Jesus in the parable said if the good man of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched. Now if Christ coming again, the last time, is as a thief in the night, what does that do with all these that have forecast, that have proclaimed, here's what you can look for. It can't be, dear ones. No, if you knew the thief's coming tonight, you would have watched. And these, if they had known, and if there were signs given that they could follow these signs to know, then Christ could not come as a thief in the night. But all these, Matthew 24, 3, as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world? Now, you could begin to think, comparing all scripture about the end times, What all teaches and says before us that you could possibly think, okay, the next thing coming out of Christ's lips will be giving us these signs and wonders so that he will not catch us in his coming as a thief in the night, and it won't be nighttime with us. But here's the answer of our Lord. Verse four, Jesus answered and said unto them, take heed that no man deceive you. You always are to be watching. You don't know if he's coming this night or this day or tomorrow. Or if tomorrow he doesn't come, yet you or I, the one, might be called to give an account before him. Now, the difference between the religious crowd looking for signs and yet the Lord's coming as a thief and a true child is found in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, and I'm drawing close to end of most of what I want you to turn and read with me today. First Thessalonians chapter number 5. We'll begin with verse 1. Writing to the church, to the Christians at Thessalonica, to the Christian people in this year, but of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly well, you know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. No signs will be given this old world. Darkness, and it's getting very dark in the world. But to you, my brethren, I don't have to write unto you because you know the times and the seasons. Now verse 3, for when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them. as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape. That's the religious crowd looking for visible signs that would give them a little heads up so that they could begin making preparation for the coming of the Lord. No signs shall be given. I said, you want signs? You're a wicked generation. You're always looking for a sign, but you're not going to have one except that which has already passed, and that was Jonah in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights. Now, when I, the Son of Man, am put into the earth, three days and three nights, I will rise again. No other sign was given to that generation or to any sense. The difference between them and the true child of God, verse four and five. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light and the children of the day. We are not of the night, nor of darkness. That's the difference. And one day the voice of God through, I don't know how many messengers there might be, or if it might just be one great messenger. One day the great messenger or messengers will arrive on the scene filled with the Spirit of God, and they will begin telling people, repent, believe, get ready, the bridegroom coming. Trim your lamps, making certain that you have the Spirit of God, not just having once been enlightened, not just having tasted the good word of God, but that that word has been your life or the sustaining of your life since your conversion. Get ready, the bridegroom cometh. No bride has ever been caught unaware or without plenty of preparation before her wedding day. I wonder why God made them like that. Is it not because that that's his church? She's looking forward to that final coming when all of us shall appear before the Lord and go in to the wedding marriage of the Lamb. Revelation chapter 11, then after this we'll get back to where I said we would start, 2 Timothy 3, 1. Revelation chapter 11. And there was given me a reed like unto a rod. And the angel stood saying, rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and them that worship therein. What are true believers? Worshippers. Before the altar, which is the Lord Jesus, and the temple, which is the Lord Jesus, we go therein and we worship. But the court which is without, the temple, leave out. Measure it not, for it is given unto the Gentiles, and the holy city shall be tread underfoot forty and two months. If they don't enter into the inner circle, inner temple, if they never become worshipers of the true God, then they are left out. They are not counted as part of the bride. They are not measured. In verse 3, and I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand, two hundred, threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. My two messengers, these are the olive trees and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. So those two, those two olive trees also described in Zechariah chapter 4, the witnesses filled with the Spirit, power from on high, from that olive tree and its prayers wherein all is derived, flowing down through the golden pipes into those the two witnesses of God. As I told you, religion has said that Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets, would be these two witnesses that come again before the coming of the Lord. Moses and Elijah did appear again, but it was on the Mount of Transfiguration. with our Lord. They're not coming back. No sign shall be given this wicked generation. Plan, search, describe, bring in all the verses you want, fix the timetables, and I guarantee you, you're going to miss it. If you ever hear one Proclaiming that the Lord is coming back in such and such a year or the world is going to end on this day. You can mark it that he will not come that day. He might come prior, but he's not coming on that day. But men, they'll swallow a lie easily. all the while fighting against truth. Now we know, we, from Acts 5.32, we know that the two witnesses that he is talking about is the Holy Ghost and the church. In Acts 5.32, we are his witnesses, so also is the Holy Ghost. Now these two lie dead in the streets there, in that holy city. You say, well the church cannot die, and certainly the Holy Ghost cannot die, so it can't be them. Do you think that the church has a witness before the world? She doesn't. It's difficult for you to find one or two here or there that you can sit down with and have a discussion about the Lord Jesus. I know the church can't die, certainly not the Spirit of God, but the effect that they have on society. Do you know any in which the Spirit of God is convicting today? making them in their own hearts to see what they really are, dead in trespasses and sin. Do you know of any that the church might have a testimony to them? If you do, it is very few. When it says in this chapter that they are dead in the streets and without life, that's only the judgment of the world. Church has no authority, the church has no power, the church has no voice, and it's simply because the Spirit of God is not moving in our day. The testimony of each no longer has a voice to the world. You know, you, a Christian, that long to find those that you can tell about the Lord Jesus you can't find any that your words might have an effect upon them, not in our day. Now, in our passage here in 2 Timothy 3, as I speak to you for the rest of the time, on perilous times shall come. 2 Timothy 3, verse one through through five. This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truth breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. Their godliness is no more than the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees. They do not have power in their life. From such, Paul said, turn away. This is the only time in the New Testament that the word perilous is used. It is used one other time, Christ talking about those two living in the cemetery filled with demons, coming out in fierceness, That's what perilous means. Hard to take, hard to deal with. Perilous times. Now of all our Lord said about wars and rumors of wars, about the destruction of the temple, about his people being brought before governors and kings for his namesake, that brother would betray brother, that father would betray son, and that we all shall be hated by all for his name's sake. Oh, Paul, in hunger, in pain, in prison, stoned, left for dead, in perils oft in the sea with robbers, in the countryside, in the cities, everywhere I went. But when Paul speaks of perilous times, when he would warn us of the fierceness of the last days and them being hard to live in and difficult You would think that he would mention wars and rumors of wars, the persecution of the church, men and women hauled off to prison or even dead. You'd think that he would write to us about a famine in the land, a shortage of food, children going hungry, about pestilences destroying crops, vineyards being destroyed. You'd think that he'd tell us about a Christian's freedoms being taken away and church doors padlocked and the government telling pastors what they could or could not preach. You'd think you'd read that after or in the apostle's writings, warnings of the last days. But see, if these things were visible, then all could begin to think Christ shall return shortly. are the last days how dangerous it is for us in our country, our military being depleted. More concerned that our fighting men and women use correct pronouns when speaking to or speaking about others. It's wrong now to use he or she, Mr. or Ms., boys or girls. The reason it's wrong and we can't use these personal pronouns to identify others is we don't know what they might think or call themselves to be. A male might say he's a female and a female might say she's a male. You'd think that would be something that the Holy Spirit would move upon writers to tell us about, or that our educational system was introducing such, as I've just mentioned, beginning in our elementary schools, and that parents no longer had a say in what health did to their children's bodies. If they're uncomfortable as a boy or a girl, surely society should not suppress that feeling. But none of these things that I have mentioned to you are in what's called perilous times. There will be nothing in outward conditions of our world that gives any indication of Christ's soon return. If he is coming back as a thief in the night for all that do not belong to his body or are in his body belonging to his church. If he's coming back as a thief in the night for the rest of them, then outward signs could not give that away. It could not indicate that. No sign. Throughout the Old Testament, even in the early history of the New Testament, the judgments of God were all in the physical realm. Israel taken into captivity because of their rebellion and disobedience. Hunger would often starve many people. Gideon hiding to thresh out wheat just to have enough for he and his family to live. But the Midianites couldn't find him and take away their food. Thousands upon thousands of young men, women, even children, lost their lives to the enemies invading their land. You get to the New Testament and shortly after the coming of the Holy Spirit, Ananias and Sapphira come in, not together, but they come in and Ananias stands before Peter and the disciples. Peter said, why has the Holy Ghost No, no, no. Why has Satan filled thine heart? Peter, how did you know that? He's coming in to give his tithe and offerings. He's bringing in part of what he got for the sale of the land. How did you know that Satan has filled his heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? disarmament, and here again the judgment of God was in the physical, and Ananias fell down dead. Young men came, got his body, took him out to be buried. His wife, knowing nothing about what had just taken place a few hours before, came in. Peter said to her the same thing. Well, we sold the land for this much. He said, you're lying. Satan filled your heart with greed, and you kept back. But you wanted to appear righteous, You wanted to look as the children of God, but she fell down. But it was less than a century before the judgments of God were in the spiritual realm. In the last days, Amos 8, 11, the day shall come that there'll be a famine in the land. Not a famine like was throughout Israel's history because of their disobedience or rebellion. But a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. That means that either God has no spokesman or that the people listening to one that might be God's spokesman has no ears to hear. So that's in the spiritual realm. If perilous times are coming, you and I are living on the brink of a river, or this flood's coming in, or we're living in the shallow edges of an ocean, or this wave coming in, And everybody thinks, well it's just going to be a high wave, let's get out there that far and we can ride our surfboards back, but they found out it was a tsunami killing them. No, a devastating destruction is on the horizon. Everything listed in the last days could be in one of the most moral, respectable people that you know, lovers of their self. But they might hide that well, as best they could, when among the public. Lovers of self. I'm not wicked. Oh, I'm not as dedicated as I ought to be. Not perfect, but I'm better than most people are. Well, who gave you the right to compare yourself with someone else? That'll be your downfall. Well, I'm right in my thinking, in my actions. I am the big I in my world. And anyone that doesn't pander to my way of thinking, they're just wrong. I am not. If I think what I do is right, and how I act is right and not wrong, then that's the way it is. It's right. And any that disagree, they're wrong. I will not condescend of my high ladder to listen to one less in their mental ability than me. I've known some wise people in my day. that never had a high school diploma. And some of the dumbest that I've ever met are those with five degrees after their name. Years ago, in the 70s, when I was in a larger city, a pastor in the a county adjoining this. Where it is, I could not get there. I just know it's to the northeast, the next county over. Asked me to come and spend a week there, running, preaching what they call, we all call, revival, which nothing could have been further than the truth, than the call a protracted meeting, a revival. I went, and one day he carried me in the afternoon down this little road, only wide enough for one car. And those lanes were marked out as without having grass grow in them, but everywhere else, on the sides and in the middle, where tires did not run grass. And this was way back off the main highway. I sat down, we sat down. There was this older lady. And sitting there, sitting there listening to her, I felt I didn't know much of anything. She did not have a high school education, yet she spent her time reading in the scriptures in such depth. unbelievable to me. That kind of people, those type persons, are far and few between. In the last days, those perilous times. Men shall be covetous, never satisfied with what they have. The neighbor's wife is prettier than his. The home a half a mile down is larger and better than his. Boasters Look what I have done, what I have accomplished. All these have a form of godliness. They attend the services somewhat regularly, but they came in and they leave, same old man or woman. There's nothing in their heart. enabling them to overcome sin in their lives. Everything Paul listed in 2 Timothy 3 could be in you or in me. But because I never pause long enough or I never get in front of a mirror with the brightest lights, I don't know who I am. To truly, truly, honestly and soberly look at the inner person which is you, you are not the one I see with natural eyes. The real you is who you are and what you would do if no one saw and you could get away with it. That's the you. In public, you could be one of the nicest, friendliest people known. Seem to be somewhat dedicated, but you get it in a small circle just with your close You could be one of the meanest, most vicious ever known. Look at the Pharisees, the scribes, and the Sadducees in Christ's time. They were ready to crucify the Lord Jesus for doing a good work, healing a blind man, a lame man, a leper, No, they would, to hear them speak, they would leave their ox in the ditch on that Sabbath day. And they had an outward righteousness that would be hard pressed for any of us to come near that. They could point out in public things that other people did making them cruel, mean judges, mean-spirited, self-centered, egotistical. I attain to the righteousness I have. I attain to this status in life because of my ability." But that crowd, drew the sharpest rebukes that our Lord ever said or gave against anyone. Y'all are blind leaders of the blind. You behold a moat that's in your brother's eye. But while you're condemning him for that little straw, piece of straw, you've got a beam, a large wooden beam in your own eye. You make long prayers standing on the corner. long robes, the hymns covered up in scriptural verses. A mom walking down the street with her little boy said, Son, you see that man? It would be my delight and great desire of my heart to see you grow up to be like that. They just had that appearance in public. But Christ said, the publicans and the harlots, sinners, and only sinners, go into the kingdom of God. And they go advanced of you Pharisees and scribes. Now we come to this religious crowd. And they're thinking, my God is like this to me. This is how I interpret that verse. Do you know what you have done? You have put your mental ability and your natural discernment ahead, way in front of the Holy Spirit. And God has nothing to say to you. You have become your own Lord by placing your mental ability, your righteous attributes that you think you have, your knowledge in the place of the Spirit of God. I've had a few, thank goodness, very few, that have said to me, the God I serve is not this God that you're speaking about. My God is love. My God will send no one to hell. And I had one. that fell into a coma just a few days before death. And as far as I know, this person went into the immediate presence of God, holding on to this idol that they had carved out by their own One last, if you would turn with me to Psalm 115. Psalm 115, here's a description of my God, one in which I strive to declare. My God, I know that He is some of you here. This is your God. All here I do not know as to who your God is. But this is the God of the Christians. Our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Other gods, their gods, they do not fit in the category of this. My God sovereignly ruling, doing, his good pleasure. Then they've carved out their own idol out of silver and gold and made him by the works of their own hands. Their God has a mouth, but he doesn't speak. He had eyes, but they do not see. They've got ears, but they do not hear. They have none of the senses. Who and what is your God? Maybe your God is like this that they made. Though I know that no one has gone out to the wood shop and carved you out a wooden idol or taken your gold down to the forger and had him make you a golden idol. I know that. My God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever it has pleased him. Their gods are silver and gold. works of their own hand. How long has it been since sitting down with your Bible that a verse has seemingly just sprung off the page, leaped before your eyes? God saying, and that verse was yours. Does your God hear when you enter into the closet? Idols can't. And these that make them, if they dare pick up their Bible, it's a closed book because their God does not speak. Their God does not have eyes. And he cannot see most of what they do. They really think anything they do is right. Their God has ears. But they do not talk to a living God. They don't have the God of Elijah. The Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand. He sees exactly, knows the intent, knows the deepest parts of the recesses of my heart. An idol can't look within. And so going before their idol, they continue to be their own person because their God never says anything about their wrongdoing. They're like those in 2 Kings 17. They feared the Lord. and served their own idols. Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Lovers of their own selves. Despisers of those that are good. Traitors, heady, high-minded. Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Let me read to you, and before I do read, this was sent to me by a friend, I think within the last month. And before you say, well, this was another one, old, old man, outdated, It came from one in the generation below me." So do not think that this was an old man's opinion when he said it. There was this young woman that had finished up her first year of college, and like so many others her age, she considered herself very liberal. And among other liberal ideas she had, she was in favor of higher taxes to support more government programs. In other words, what she wanted was a redistribution of wealth. She was deeply ashamed of her father, for she looked at him and she thought he was a rather staunch conservative, a feeling that she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in and occasional chats with professors, she felt her father for many years had harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he had. and what he learned to be his. And one day she challenged her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and need for more government programs. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professor had to be the truth. And she said as much to her father. He responded, how are you doing in school? And she was taken back a little by his question, and she answered rather haughtily, I have a 4.0 grade point average. And she let him know it was tough to maintain that, insisting that she had taken a very difficult course load, constantly studying, and left her no time to go to parties like others. And she had just few, very few friends because she studied all the time. Her father listened to her. And then he asked, how's your friend Audrey doing? She barely gets by. She takes easy classes, never studies, barely has a 2.0 GPA. But she's the most popular girl on campus. She's invited to all the parties. And lots of times she doesn't even show up the next day for classes. She's too hungover. Her father asked, then why don't you go to the dean's office and ask him to deduct one point off your GPA and give to Audrey that has a 2.0 grade point average. That way you both could have a 3.0 average. The daughter visibly shocked. by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back. That's a crazy idea. How would that be fair? I've worked very hard for my grades, invested a lot of time and hard work in them the entire year. Audrey's done nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked. I studied, and she went to parties. Her father smiled, winked at her, and gently said, welcome to the conservative side of the fence. Now, folk, I'm not in politics and won't be. I did not bring this up other than to make the point of the last times. If you ever wonder what side defense you sit on as to being a conservative or a liberal, here's a great test. If a conservative doesn't like a gun, he doesn't buy one. If a liberal doesn't like a gun, he wants all guns outlawed. If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn't eat meat. If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned. If a conservative is down and out, he thinks how to better his situation. And a liberal wonders who's going to take care of him. If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels. A liberal doesn't like a particular show host, then he wants him shut down completely. If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church. If a man is a liberal and a non-believer, he wants any mention of God or Christ's name silenced. You're saying, what does that have to do with Perilous Times? Because a little group of liberals are all demanding we bow to their thinking. Their thinking is because they are lovers of their own selves. They are proud. They are boasters. They are blasphemers. They are disobedient to parents, unthankful and unholy. That's the day we live in. That's the day that the apostle called perilous times. The children of God are not children of night or of darkness. But the apostle did say, let us not sleep as others. Arise, dear child of God. and walk towards the light that you might shortly be in the light. Those of you with a very sensitive and tender conscience, a sweet attitude, I hope that the devil took none of my remarks here and condemned you If he did, you just look unto the Lord Jesus and continue walking with him. May God help us and add his blessings to his word. Amen.