you Welcome back to Bible time. We're ready for 2 Thessalonians 2 in verse 8. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. Now, if I could be just a little bit ornery, get your espresso coffee ready, get ready for an all-night expose, get your little book out on the Illuminati, turn the lights down low, get ready for some conspiracy theory. No, we're not doing that today. But what we are doing is looking at what the Bible says here in 2 Thessalonians, and it deals with the end times. And listen to me, this is not a spook fest. God wants you to be comforted. Comforted. The emphasis here in this verse in 2 Thessalonians 2.8, And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." Some of you out there major on the minor. You're constantly consuming yourself with the coming of the Antichrist and terrified over the darkness of his coming. And the whole emphasis in the Word of God is exactly the opposite. Let's get into this today, let's pray, and let's dig into this Bible verse today. Father, in Jesus' name, I pray that you would help us today to be comforted through the scriptures. I pray, Lord God, that your word would bring us peace and joy in believing the Lord Jesus Christ and his coming. And I pray, Lord God, that you'd give me wisdom and power and ability and unction and utterance, Lord, that I do not have. Help me, Lord God, just to preach what you'd have me to preach. In Jesus' name and for Christ's sake, amen. Now, I'm not against people who want to dig into all that stuff, but I will say it's real dangerous because you can get your focus completely off of Christ if you're not careful. And all of it, you know, it's amazing to me that you can meet I have met, I would say probably two dozen people in my life, not just a ton of them, but probably two dozen people or so that have all of End Times eschatology completely, perfectly figured out. They've got it nailed down. They know the names of every person that's ever been involved in the rise of the Antichrist. They've got it all figured out. They know what every little darkroom deal is. They know all the secrets. And the amazing thing is they all disagree with each other. Isn't that amazing? I think sometimes we get so focused on minutiae that we miss the main thing, and that's what we're trying to focus on here today is the main thing. You know, maybe they're right. Maybe, you know, they can't all be right because they all disagree with each other, but maybe they're right about some of the things that they're saying. Maybe they've really got some of this figured out. Maybe some of these YouTube movies that people post out here about these conspiracies. Maybe some of them are absolutely true and accurate, but you know what? At the end of the day, Christ is coming and he's going to destroy the wicked one with the spirit of his mouth and the brightness of his coming. And it's all going to end right, and Christ is going to rule and reign. And that's the part that we're supposed to focus on. And then we're supposed to, guess what, be working on what God sent us to work on. Our focus, our work, our mission, is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and carry it to all the ends of the earth for Christ's sake and His glory. Our mission is not to hide in some kind of bunker somewhere with our cyber security all set up around us and our little secret circle of friends that knows how we're going to social network when the grid goes down. God's goal for us is to be getting God's purpose for us is to be getting the news of the gospel of Jesus Christ into all the world. That's what he sent us to do. He didn't send us to hide. He didn't send us to tremble in fear. And he didn't send us to be experts on the workings of the world. So here in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, Paul's talking to a church that was born in trouble. He's talking to a church, O Father, help me, Lord. I have no power except of Thee, and I cannot preach Thy word without Thee. Help me and fill me, Father, in Jesus Christ. I do not deserve to even preach your word. Help me, Father, in Jesus' name, amen. He's not talking to a church that was around, has been around for 300 years or 600 years or 800 years. He's not talking to a church that can claim to be the original church. He's not talking to a church that has any major claim to fame at all. They're just a little fishing town, a little trading post on the corner of the northern, northeastern border of Greece and Turkey in our map of today. And he's talking to this little town that he stopped in at for a little over a week, about eight or nine, maybe 10 days at the most, something like that. Or was it three Sabbath days? So that would have been 15 or 16 days that he was actually there. And he was there a very short amount of time. He got ran out of town. Persecution rose. He sent Timothy back to preach to them and to establish them in their faith. He's had limited communication with them except by epistles. And epistles in that day were not that fast. It's not like email. It's not even like the postal service. When you write a letter, in those days, it's a pretty laborious task. You gotta buy the paper that's not easy to come by, you gotta get somebody to come and be your scribe, and then you gotta, if you do it like they say that they do it in all reenactedness, you gotta walk around pacing and gesticulating while you speak, and the other guy writes furiously trying to keep up with you. But in any case, this is a process. And then when you finally finish the missive, you finish the letter, you get it packaged up, and you have to send it by courier. In those days, being a Christian, you can't just send that thing on the next camel train. You got to find another Christian that's willing to risk going back to that city where the persecution is and carry the letter to the church. They go to the church, show up with the letter, they gather the whole group together and read it all together. And that was the only communication that Paul really had with this church at Thessalonica. And yet, as we noticed, this church at Thessalonica is miles ahead of your average modern church when it comes to eschatology. And Paul treated the topic of eschatology, he treated it as if it was basic beginner food. He took it like this is the most basic stuff and he's exhorting them to move on beyond the milk that he fed them and get into the meat of Christianity. So in first Thessalonians, we find him saying to the church in chapter four and verse 18, where for comfort one another with these words, here you have the most distinct statement by the Apostle Paul in all of Scripture about what some people call the rapture of the church, which is the catching away of the church to meet the Lord in the air. And it's explicitly written out here in 1 Thessalonians, for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So shall we ever be with the Lord." And a side note on that trump, it says, the Lord shall descend from heaven with the shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. There's all kinds of arguments about which trumpet that is, and people try and make it the trumpets in Revelation. Pastor Reg recently hit the nail on the head with this, and he pointed out in the Old Testament how there were two trumpets. There was the trumpet for assembly and the trumpet for battle. And the ones in Revelation are trumpets of judgment, trumpets of battle. This trump of God here is the trump of assembly. And he says, the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So shall we ever be with the Lord. He says, wherefore comfort one another with these words. Well, somewhere between the first epistle to the Thessalonian church and the second epistle to Thessalonica, Greece, they now call it Thessaloniki in our day, knew a good man, a beloved brother in the Lord who worked there in Thessaloniki for years, labored in the Lord there. here this church at Thessalonica had gotten troubled. So in chapter two, verse one, he says, now we beseech you brethren, this is the second epistle, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him, that's all stuff he covered in first Thessalonians, he says, I beseech you by this fact of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together unto him, that you be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled neither by spirit nor by um word nor by letter as from us is that the day of christ is at hand we're not going to rehash all of this right now we're just touching on it for the context we've studied these in in a lot more detail and they certainly could be studied out in even greater detail than we have there's a lot of room here this is god's infinite word there's lots of room for your personal study i encourage you to do it you're not going to grow very much If you're completely dependent on other men's study, you need to study the word of God for yourself. But here in the second epistle, he had somebody or some group was trying to disturb and disrupt this church on fire. If you read Paul's commendations of this church and the advancing of the gospel that was possible through the efforts of this church, this church was being derailed and disrupted by troublemakers trying to trouble them and cause them to think that they had missed the second coming of the lord and this spurred paul to give a short exposition on the coming of the antichrist and the purpose of his exposition on the coming of the antichrist was to point out to them the obvious fact that they had not missed the coming of the Lord because the coming of the Antichrist comes first and he obviously hasn't come. Nowhere here do you find the Apostle Paul warning the church at Thessalonica that they are going to get in trouble And they're going to have to go through this time of Jacob's trouble and to be on their guard and stockpile and network and set up their hidden tunnels and hidden cameras and everything that they need to do to make sure that they can survive this coming tribulation. Instead, you find him telling them, no, don't worry about it. You didn't miss the Lord because if you had missed the Lord, the Antichrist would be here and he's not here. So you didn't miss the Lord. He's using this as proof to comfort them. This has been twisted in our day and is used for the exact purpose that Paul sent the letter to, the exact purpose that caused Paul to send the letter was to comfort the church because they had been attacked with lies about it. And today people take this very passage and they twist it up and they use it to preach the same lies that Paul sent the letter to defeat. The Bible talks about unstable souls who rest the scripture to their own destruction. Now, this wicked that we find in verse 8, that wicked, what a name. What a name for an individual in all the time of history. You don't have anybody that's called that wicked except this individual. that we call the Antichrist. God literally names him after sin. He's the embodiment of sin. But this wicked, it says, and then shall that wicked be revealed. What is the and then? The and then is verse seven. He that letteth will let until he be taken out of the way. The wicked that God is talking about will be revealed after that one that lets is taken out of the way. We looked at that in detail last time. Who remembers that here? Who remembers talking about he that now letteth will let? Okay, until he be taken out of the way. So he that now letteth, we talked about how that, a lot of people will really strongly argue that that is specifically the Holy Spirit. I believe that it does apply to the Holy Spirit, but in a sense, I kind of lean towards it being Jesus Christ's presence in his church himself. which would be the Holy Spirit too. So I know I'm kind of splitting hairs, and I don't have all that nailed down in my own understanding, and I need to read a lot more Bible and get that nailed down myself. So I'm not trying to be very dogmatic about that. But he who now letteth will let. What we do know is that, what I understand the Bible is absolutely clear on, is that he who now letteth is a powerful force that is currently hindering the devil from doing what the devil wants to do. Now that is the presence of Christ. That is the Holy Spirit of God. In Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit of God was given to the church. Now Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, receive ye the Holy Ghost. And they were indwelt with the Holy Ghost before he ever ascended back to the Father. And now you had these indwelt believers who were nevertheless still trying to walk after the energy and strength and wisdom of the flesh, which is why in Acts chapter 1, you've got them casting lots to try and pick God's man to replace Judas, completely out of bounds. That's not their place. Jesus Christ is the only one that can pick one of the 12 apostles, and it's not up to a bunch of straws or dice or whatever else you want to do. So here you have these indwelt believers operating in the energy and the power of the flesh with no strength, no wisdom of God's ways. And then along comes Acts chapter two. And all of a sudden there's a sound of a mighty rushing wind and it fills all the house where they're at. And there appears over their heads the cloven tongue of flame. And they all began speaking. And all these thousands of Jews and proselytes gathered from all these different regions of the entire world And of course we say the known world, well that's a whole other subject for another day. But all these Jews and proselytes gathered from all over the world heard every man speak in his own tongue wherein he was born. So you had a Libyan listening to Peter preach and hearing Peter in Libyan language. You had an Ethiopian hearing Peter preach in Ethiopian. You had a Grecian and he's listening to Peter and Peter is speaking in the same Hebrew he was born in. And yet this Grecian is hearing perfect Greek. What a miracle. This is what's called tongues. And obviously and clearly in the scripture, it is a language. All of them heard in the tongue wherein they were born. And they heard these men preaching and they heard them in the language wherein they were born. And God birthed the church. The very clear, obvious doctrine of the church that is taught is the church was birthed by the Holy Spirit of God. and its power was given by the Holy Spirit of God. Its mission, given by Jesus Christ, was only fulfilled by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. So here the church, just a bunch of scared fishermen, a tax collector named Levi, or was that Matthew? Which one was that? Matthew was the tax collector. You've got this little hodgepodge of little nobodies and ignorant men, as they were called, and all of a sudden they're preaching with power and authority, language experts, even though they didn't even know the languages they were preaching in. Absolutely miraculous power. And what was the emphasis of the power? It was the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world. God honored the preaching of the gospel with the outpouring of His Holy Spirit and He instituted, He activated the preaching of the gospel with the outpouring of His Holy Spirit. Far beyond any other miracle or gift or sign that you ever want to talk about in the Word of God is the miracle of the preaching of the Word of God with power. and understanding. You see, it's a miracle for anyone to understand the gospel. And it's a further miracle for anyone to be able to preach the gospel with power. And another miracle, whenever that person that miraculously came to an understanding of the gospel, and miraculously was given power to preach the gospel, now preaches the gospel, and miraculously, another person miraculously understands the gospel. It's a straight miracle from one end to the other whenever a soul begins to be enlightened to the truth of Jesus Christ, His death, His burial, His resurrection, that He is God in the flesh and died for us and was buried and rose for our sins. They trust Jesus as their Savior and the Holy Spirit moves into them. It's a miracle from the start. to the end it's listen we get this idea that it's like it's my job it's my work I'm gonna go out and I'm gonna tell somebody about Jesus and then that person is going to listen and it's their job to hear and respond and whenever I do my job and they do their job then God can finally get involved and And we have now enabled the Almighty to do what He could not do without us. He can now save a soul. And that is completely false. The whole work from start to finish is God's work. Salvation is of the Lord. It's a miracle when a man understands. It's a miracle when a man stands up and preaches with power and anointing. It is a miracle when another man understands the gospel. It is all a work of divine grace. Is there personal responsibility involved? Absolutely. But how those things mesh together, I cannot fully understand. I know some people who do have it all figured out, but they're pretty ignorant, if you ask me. And every one of them I've ever met that's ever had that all figured out hasn't thought it all through. Moving on from there the church was born in Acts chapter 2 the Holy Spirit was given Christ's presence on the earth was Realized in a way that it had never been realized Jesus said it is expedient for you that I go away For if I go away, I will send another comforter unto you He said if any man loved me he will keep my words and I will come unto him and my father and will make his abode with him and we will dwell with him, he said. And that's, I mixed up some of those words. Read it for yourself, John 15, 16, and 17. So, and 14. So Jesus Christ comes into the believer and Jesus Christ in his church is head over all things to his church. And so the most powerful force at work today in, all right, you ready to have your head blown? The most powerful force at work today, you would say, oh, in the world, that must be the Holy Spirit. Well, let me tell you something. It's the Holy Spirit working through His church. Because the Holy Spirit just doesn't float around like a cloud. Okay? God did the whole cloud thing in the Old Testament, remember? He went before the children of Israel in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. New Testament changed everything. Now the Holy Spirit of God indwelt the believer. And instead of floating above them, being a shade to them, defending them, leading them, guiding them, now God is in them. and the power of God that parted the Red Sea now resides in the heart of a believer. What a miracle, wow, praise God. Now apply this to our text here that when it talks about he that now let us will let until he be taken out of the way and then shall that wicked be revealed. What's happening there? The power of God, the presence of the Almighty. Listen, oh, this is so big it's hard to even preach. I feel like a little tiny creature, like an ant trying to tell another ant about an elephant. And it's impossible. I'm trying to run around the elephant as fast as I can to point you... See over here, look at that. Over here, look at this. And I just can't get around it fast enough to even begin to tell you, the subject's too big! God, the Holy Spirit living in me, me with my brother who has God, the Holy Spirit living in me. And think about this mind blower. Whenever God, the Holy Spirit moves into a man, all of the Holy Spirit moves in because he's God and he doesn't, he's not part out of me. The Holy Spirit, he didn't say, I'm going to move my pinky toe into you. He said, I'm going to let you have a fingernail. No. He said, I will dwell with him. God almighty moves into the man that gets saved. Hallelujah. And then that man has God living in him. But the next man that gets saved also has God living in him. All of God. How is that possible? I don't know. That blows my mind. It's too big for me. But then get this. You get all these believers together. who love God and are born again by the power of God and the Holy Spirit living in each and every one of them and then Jesus Christ preside when he does preside over the meeting which is rare when it does happen it's always a revival that's involved but when you have Jesus Christ over the whole thing Jesus Christ the head You have over his church and the Holy Spirit of God moving through his church. Now you have the body of Christ at work in the world. And this is something that the devil writhes over. This is something the devil is terrified about. This is something that makes the devil absolutely enraged because this is bigger than me and it's bigger than you. This is the nearest thing to a monster the devil can imagine. This is the most terrifying thing the devil can imagine. This is the most powerful force at work in the world today, is the true New Testament church with Bible-believing, spirit-filled individual believers coming together in submission to the authority and headship of Jesus Christ, operating as one body under the mind and leadership of the Holy Ghost of God. And that, by the way, is my opinion of who doth let. Oh, that was hard to get out. I believe it's the church. Told you it might blow your mind. He who now letteth will let. It's the Holy Spirit of God working through the church with Christ as his head, as the head of the church. We are his body, the Bible says. We are his workmanship. So here the church of Jesus Christ animated by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. Animated doesn't mean colored cartoons. It means brought to life. They used the word animated for cartoons because they were trying to make it seem like witchcraft or something. You know, they were trying to make it seem miraculous. Animated means brought to life. It's something that is brought to life. So, the church, animated by the power of the Holy Spirit of God, brought to life, is what stands in the way of the devil! Hallelujah! We're the only ones that don't know that. The devil knows that, and the world knows that, but Christians don't know that. For some reason, it just completely escapes us that such a reality is possible. The devil's fully aware of it. Why is it that the world hates the church on fire? Why? Because when the church is on fire, sin is destroyed in a community. Not just ephemerally, not just philosophically, but literally and practically. When the church is on fire and the Holy Spirit's moving through that church, the bars shut down. The dance halls shut down. Liquor sales drop. Cigarette sales drop. Marijuana sales drop. Drug sales stop. useless trips to the hospital for weird cuttings stop. All these things stop. The medical community won't have the money to buy their big machines anymore. All this stuff stops. And all of a sudden you have a community that's pulling together. Economics go on the up. Jobs go on the rise. We don't need the government as much anymore. All these groups out here that are telling us that they're providing for us are suddenly useless and obviously so. So because of that, They hate the church! They hate the church. Oh, they don't mind a building called a church where a bunch of people gather together in the so-called name of Jesus Christ and go through their little patty cake motions every week. But oh, do they hate the church of Jesus Christ filled with the Holy Spirit of God under the direct headship of Jesus Christ, marching into the very gates of hell and loosing the captives. There is no power on earth like the church. So here this wicked will be revealed when? The wicked will be revealed after he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. when God calls out His church, when the church of Jesus Christ is caught up, taken out of the world. Again, I'm not talking about your church down the road with your smoke and your fog. I'm not talking about your contemporary groups. I'm not talking about your little club houses that you call churches. I'm talking about the church of Jesus Christ bought with His blood and unashamed of His blood, keeping His words, by the way, lowercase w with an s on the end that makes it plural. If any man love me, he will keep my words, not just the ideas, the words and my father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. God has preserved his literal words. And you've got churches out here that don't care about it. They're not real churches. Sorry. You're phony. You're frauds. You're fakes. If you don't love God's words, you're a fraud. So here, the true church will be taken out. And when the true church is taken out, that wicked will be revealed. Some people say, well, obviously that'll be the middle of the tribulation because that's whenever it'll be obvious who that wicked is. The word revealed there does not indicate that every fool on the planet is going to know what they're dealing with. Just because the Bible says the wicked will be revealed doesn't mean that your average Jimmy Joe down the road who never even reads his Bible is going to know who that wicked is or even that he's wicked. The reality is that the whole world's going to be deceived and I doubt we'll even get to that today because we've gotten all tied up and bogged down and had just too much of a good time and we haven't even gotten into the body of our text yet. But that wicked will be revealed in God's plan of end times events. That doesn't mean you will recognize him when he's revealed. Does that make sense to you? Just because something's revealed in God's economy doesn't mean it's revealed to everybody. Did you know that the mystery of Christ's resurrection was not revealed until about 2,000 years ago? But there were people that knew about it before it happened and believed in it, like Abraham. And then after it happened, there were people that heard about it but didn't believe it, and other people that didn't hear about it and didn't believe it, even though the mystery of the gospel was revealed. Do you hear me? And in the same vein, when that wicked shall be revealed, is here, he's talking to the church. You gotta keep your context right. Oh Lord, we've got too much to cover. You gotta keep your context in mind while you're reading this. Who's he talking to? He's talking to the church. The wicked will be revealed, that wicked. The Antichrist, he will be revealed when he who now letteth, will let until he be taken out of the way. When that one that lets, that prevents, that hinders the work of Satan is removed, then that wicked will be revealed. A blind man can be standing right in front of the newest, fanciest, most expensive luxury car in the world and they can have a canvas over the whole thing and everybody's waiting expectantly and they jerk the canvas off and everybody starts clapping and the blind man's spinning circles and doesn't know what's happened. It doesn't change the fact that the car was revealed. Does this make sense? You following? So when this wicked is revealed, it doesn't mean anybody is going to know or understand it. In fact, most of the time when God does things, most people miss it. So this wicked will be revealed. Now, let's look at that word wicked real quick and we'll try and keep moving. Here, that wicked, if you go to Isaiah 55, 7, he says, let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous his thoughts. So the wicked is really, boy, I skipped a whole section. The wicked is dealing with the way of a man, his works. Some people say that every sin is equal, and they claim that, well, Jesus said that if you look with lust, you've committed an altar already in your heart. And then they go so far as this, well, we look with lust every day, so let's just shack up and live it up because we're already sinners and we're all a work in progress. And they turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. But the reality is that not all sin is equal. God will deal with the sin of the heart because God sees the heart. And man is in trouble because of his heart. Man's heart is desperately wicked, the Bible says. But while all sin is equally damning, not all sin is equal in any other aspect. Neither the final judgment nor the earthly consequences for your sin are equal. Let me give you an example using that same last analogy. Jesus said, if you look with lust, you commit adultery with her already in your heart. So here's a man. in a church house, and he looks across the aisle with lust at another man's wife, God sees his heart. It's unrighteous thoughts. God's going to judge the man and deal with the man. But if that man goes across the aisle and kisses that woman right on her lips in front of everybody, it is going to cause massive consequences. And only a fool would say all sin is equal because all sin is not equal. The thought is unrighteous. The act is wicked. The unrighteous thought must be dealt with. And if it's not, it will result in wicked actions. Because what you think about is what you do. And while God deals with the heart, and God sees the sin of the heart, and the sin of the heart is enough to damn your soul to eternal hell, yet the act The action is also wicked and compounds the effect of the sin. The action defiles others. The action spreads the sin. A man can have a wicked thought, but whenever he acts on it, he involves the woman. He involves her husband. He involves her children. He involves his wife. He involves His children. He involves the other families around Him in the church. He involves the pastor. He involves the whole community in His sin whenever He acts on that wicked sin. I'm so sick of that lie that all sin is equal. It is a bold-faced, satanic, destructive lie and a deception. All sin is equal in only one way, equally damning. In every other way, it is vastly different. Now it is unrighteous, again, to think the dirty thought. It is wicked to act on the thought. The act will result in far greater consequences. This individual we're talking about today is described by God as that wicked. So that wicked, and that's all he says, that wicked, not that wicked man, that wicked. God just calls him that wicked. What God is stating here by doing this is that that man is the embodiment of sin. Listen, listen to this. As much as everything that Christ ever did was obedience to the Father, everything that this creature will do, this man will do, will be obedience to the world, the flesh, and the devil. everything. His good deeds will be soaked in ill intent. We already see this seething in the world today. People do a nice deed and underneath it there's all kinds of false motives. This man will do very few nice deeds and the few things that anybody would consider nice will all be soaked in deception and lies. This man will be the embodiment of wicked actions. as desperately wicked as this man is, as absolutely awful as this powerful individual is and this reign of terror that will come with his rise, God's focus in our text is not on that wicked. His focus is on his defeat. It says here, and then shall that wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. So this man gets one phrase out of three phrases. He is acknowledged by God to exist in this verse. He's given a passing acknowledgement. His acknowledgement is an acknowledgement of judgment. He's called that wicked. But then in the next two phrases, total final eternal destruction is the primary topic that the Lord brings out in this passage and that reflects how God wants us to view in times. God does not want us to focus and major on the details of that wicked. He does not want us to try and figure out who who it is or where he's at. He wants us to focus on the spirit of our Lord's mouth and the brightness of his coming that is going to consume and destroy this wicked one. Now, I told you we were gonna try and dive in to some of the separation here between Israel and the church, and I don't know that we really have time for it. Lord, help me to know what to do today. Let's keep moving, and we may get back to that if we can. Let's go to Daniel chapter 7, and then from there we may jump over to Romans 9 real quick. So Daniel chapter 7, trying to fit this in. I thank God. You see, this book is infinite. So really, one of the biggest struggles in preaching, the first struggle is getting your flesh under subjection to the Spirit, so that you can hear what the Spirit saith to the churches as you read your Bible. And the next great problem that you run into is trying to parse it down into a bite-sized chunk that God intends to be delivered. Because there's so much Daniel chapter 7 and verse 1, in the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed. Then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters. Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the heavens strove upon the great sea, and four great beasts came up from the sea to verse one from another. The first was like a lion and had eagle's wings, and I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it, and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl. The beast had also four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly, and it had great iron teeth. It devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it, and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it. and it had 10 horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns, plucked up by the roots, and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire, A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him, and came forth from before him. Thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake, I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season in time. I saw in the night visions and behold one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the ancient of days and they brought him near before him and there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom that all people nations and languages should serve him his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed Now, we're going to look at just a couple more verses because the Bible defines itself. It's going to tell you what these beasts were today. Verse 15, I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit, in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them that stood by and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. So he says, these four beasts, these are these kings which shall arise out of the earth. These four beasts are four nations. As you study, it's pretty obvious and explained in the word of God. You can look through Daniel and get this, especially if you go into Daniel chapter eight, you get even more details. And you can see these beasts. You've got here Nebuchadnezzar the king. He's this eagle. The first was like a lion, had eagle's wings. His wings were plaqued. He was lifted up from the earth to stand like a man. And you have Nebuchadnezzar humbled and eating grass like an ox till his hair grew like eagle's feathers, the Bible says. Not a coincidence. So this is Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon. The second beast is like to a bear. It raised itself up on one side. That's the kingdoms of Media and Persia. It had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it. And they said, thus unto it arise devour much flesh. We're not gonna get into a ton of that, but you have here the kings of Media and Persia who wiped out Babylon. After this, I beheld and lo another like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl. That's Alexander the Great and the kings of the four kings that took over his kingdom when he died suddenly during his great campaign. They are the four wings of it, and the four heads, and dominion was given to it. And then you have this fourth beast, dreadful and terrible and strong exceedingly. which in many ways resembles the Roman Empire, which we have had. The Romans, of course, were nearly defeated, but never completely stamped out. And the ruling powers in the world for the last 2,000 years have been Romish forms of government. over and over again. We're not gonna get into all that right now, but that's a basic history of the world that God's telling you. God's talking about these beasts coming up out of the earth, and he's talking about all these things that are gonna happen, and he's telling you about the history of the end times, and in the midst of it, you have here these thrones cast down. The fourth, of course, the fourth beast, and you have the ten horns and the three horns plucked up, the little horn that plucks them up, who's the Antichrist, and we could go into all that, but we're not right now. These stones are all cast down. The ancient of days did sit. So here is the conclusion of the whole thing. The ancient of days did sit. Now here in Daniel, you have eschatology or end times events given to the Jew. There is no church at this point. The word of God is the churches in the mind of Christ. It exists in the, in the predetermined will of God, but it does not exist in the practical timeline of mankind at this point. And Daniel is sharing these end times events as visions given to him as a Jew, praying for the Jewish people, asking God for answers about what will happen to the Jewish people. So throughout this, you won't find the church. Church won't be mentioned. Over and over again, it talks about the saints here. In Daniel and throughout the whole thing that the primary understanding of it is Israel if they if the church is there at all It's shrouded and hidden in a mystery Ephesians tells us that the church was a mystery Ephesians tells us that this was not made known this was stuff that the Old Testament people the Old Testament Saints completely overlooked Now go to Romans chapter nine real quick. Let's touch on that, see how much time we have while trying to hurry. Romans chapter nine. I say the truth in Christ, I lie not. My conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises, whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all God blessed forever. Amen. So here he goes through Israel, did you notice he never mentioned the church in that whole list? All these blessings, all these wonders, all these things from God that come from Israel, that are part of Israel, the covenant, the promises, the fathers, the law, the service of God, talking about the tabernacle, all these things that came, came through Israel, no mention of the church. Verse six, not as though the word of God hath taken none effect, for they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall they see be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, at this time will I come and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this, but when Rebekah also had conceded by one, even by her father Isaac, for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good nor evil, that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand not of works, but of him that calleth, it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Now most of these verses blow everybody out of the water. You've got your Hyper-Calvinists who get all twisted out of kilter with these verses, and then you have your extreme free willer groups out there, and your Arminiests who all take this to excess and believe in works salvation, and pretty much everybody is wrong because they all think they got it figured out. But if you just get humble and let the Bible say what it says, this doesn't have to be too tough. It's just alright. And if you don't understand part of it, that's the key, is to remember you don't understand it. It'd do you good, maybe someday go look in the mirror and say, I don't have all the answers. Look yourself right in the eye, try it sometime. It'll be good for you. Just look right in the eye and say, I don't have all the answers. God knows more than me. So anyway, we're moving on. For the scriptures say unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up. that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay, but O man, who art thou that replyest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel into honor and another into dishonor? What if God, willing to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy which He had aforeprepared unto glory, get this, even us whom He hath called not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? So here in Romans 9, he begins his arguments here about the nation, the physical nation of Israel, saying they are not all Israel who are Israel, the children of the promise are the children, not the children of the flesh. But then he gets down here to verse 24 and talks about how God called not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. So we have two concurrent, congruent veins of thought running together. You have Jews and Gentiles after the flesh, and then you have the promises, the law, the services, the spiritual privileges that God gave the physical Jews, and then you have the grafting in of the church he's going to talk about here in the next couple chapters. and the spiritual privileges that God gives to the Gentiles who are all saved the same way by faith, by grace through faith. The Jew is saved by grace through faith. The Gentile is saved by grace through faith. They're children of the promise, children spiritually of the promise by faith that is of our father Abraham. That spiritual salvation that is given to all the seed, not to the seed, not to the seed only of Isaac, but to all the seed that in these shall all the nations of the world be blessed. The promise, of course, that's fulfilled through Christ, but the promise of salvation by grace through faith is now extended to all the world, both Jew and Gentile, and we're all saved the same way. But at the same time, there is a thought running through these chapters that Paul is maintaining a physical seed that has physical promises and physical service. that does not get annulled or disappear. So he says in verse 25, as he saith also in Osea, I will call them my people, which were not my people, and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said unto them, you are not my people, there shall they be called the children of the living God. Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved. for he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. Now, just quickly, a remnant shall be saved of what? Of the children of Israel, of the seed of Jacob, of Isaac, of Abraham. So there's a remnant of saved Jews. So you have saved Jews and saved Gentiles, all part of the same church today, if they're saved, but nevertheless distinctly physically different with different physical promises from God. As Isaiah said before, except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom and been made like unto Gomorrah. What shall we say then that the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith? But Israel, again the physical, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore, because they sought it not by faith, but, as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written, Behold, I lay and sigh on a stumbling stone and a rock of a fence, and whosoever believeth in him shall not be ashamed. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. Now, if you want to claim to be Israel, physical, then Paul's heart's desire is that you might get saved. See, this is absolute irony. Whenever you get mixed up on physical Israel and spiritual Israel, you get mixed up. There is a physical Israel that is a literal, physical, chosen people of God that God deals with as his chosen people. You say, oh, they weren't really the ones that God blessed. Oh, really? So you're telling me that during Solomon's reign, whenever they had prosperity, that only the ones that believed God were receiving the covenant blessings? That nation was full of wicked Jews. It was full of Sodomite Jews, read your Bible. And they were literally trading rubies like stones in the days of Solomon, literally. Wealthy beyond human description. There has never been more wealth and prosperity and health than was enjoyed during Solomon's reign. And it was enjoyed by the believing Jews and the unbelieving Jews alike because God has promises to the physical Israel as well as to the spiritual Israel. Right now, the spiritual privilege has been taken from the physical Israel, but there's still the physical Israel. It ain't rocket science. So he says here, for they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe it. This is absolutely incredible. Chapter 10, dealing with salvation and dealing with Israel. Let's just go ahead and read real quick. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven? That is, to bring Christ down from above. Or, who shall descend into the deep? That is, to bring up Christ again from the dead. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart. That is, the word of faith which we preach. that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. So here he's making the case that we are all saved the same way. It's very evident, very clear. Jew and Greek, if you're going to be saved, you're saved by faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. It says, how then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. But I say, have they not heard? Yes, verily, their sound went into all the earth and their words unto the ends of the world. Notice this emphasis on the words all through here. That's going to come in right as we close this message here in a few minutes. He says, But I say, did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias is very bold and saith, I was found of them that sought me not. I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, all day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsame people. So you have here the people that found God and Israel. Israel is not the church. The church is not Israel. Chapter 11, I say then, hath God cast away his people? God forbid, for I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people, which he foreknew. Watch ye not what the scriptures say of the Elias, how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets and decked down thine altars, and I am left alone. and they seek my life. But what sayeth the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more works? Otherwise, grace is no more grace. But if it be works, then is it no more grace? Otherwise, work is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for. If you're Israel, you missed it. Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for. Listen, this ain't rocket science. Just read your Bible. Israel has not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not see here unto this day. And David saith, let their table be made a snare and a trap and a stumbling block and a recompense unto them. Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see and bow down their back always. I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall. God forbid, but rather through their fall, salvation has come unto the Gentiles for to provoke them to jealousy. God's still working on Israel. He still has a plan for Israel after the flesh. The dig down nine altars and killed thy prophets, Israel. The sodomites running in the streets playing with rubies like rocks during Solomon's reign, Israel. God has a plan for Israel to provoke them to jealousy with the Gentiles. For I speak to you Gentiles, verse 13. For inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office. If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead? He's talking about physical, dig down that altar, killed thy prophets, Israel. The casting away of them, the casting away of the Jews that killed Jesus brought life to the Gentile. The salvation of God went to the Gentiles. If the casting away of them He says, be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead? God's not done with physical Israel. Oh, right now, they're going through it. And they say, if we're God's chosen people, why doesn't He choose somebody else? He did. That's why you're having trouble over there, my dear Jewish-Israeli friends. He did. but he still loves you, and he's not done with you, and he's got a covenant he's gonna keep with you, and he's gonna kill a whole mess of you until you get right with him. That's what he said he'd do. But when he does come back for physical Israel, it's gonna be glory like we've never seen on the face of the earth. That's what the apostle Paul's saying. So he says here, if the first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy, and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou being a wild olive tree wert grafted among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree, boast not against the branches, but if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. What's the root that we're talking about here? The root is Abraham. The root is Isaac. The root is Jacob. The root is Ezra. The root is Nehemiah. The root is Isaiah. The root is Jeremiah. The root, the stump, the stalk is Elijah. The root is Hosea. This is the olive tree that we've been grafted into spiritually as a physical Israeli seed. Some of the branches were broken off. But look what he says here. Thou wilt say, then, the branches were broken off, that I might be graft in. Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear. For if God spare not the natural branches, take heed, lest he also spare not thee. Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God on them which fell severity, but toward the goodness, if thou continue in his goodness, otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree, which is wild by nature, and were graft contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more shall these which be the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? He's talking about unbelieving Jews. who are going to be saved and graft back in. physical Jews that God is going to keep his physical promises to. He says, for I would not brethren that ye should be ignorant of this ministry, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. Verse 26, and so all Israel shall be saved. As it is written, there shall come out a sigh on the deliverer. Wait a second. All Israel shall be saved. You can be a absolute ignorant Ignoramus about this and try and pretend like that's the church. The church doesn't exist unless it's saved. Of course it's saved. The church is comprised of born-again believers bought with the blood of Jesus Christ. This is talking about physical Israel. All Israel shall be saved as it is written there shall come out a sign the deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob for this is my covenant with them when I shall take away their sins. What does he say to the church? Thou are all fair, my love, there's no spot in thee. He's talking about taking away the sins of the ungodly Jacob. Look, there shall come out of Zion the deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. That's the patriarch from which the 12 tribes came. This is my covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they, Israel, they are enemies for your sakes. If you want to claim that the church is Israel, then the church is an enemy of the gospel. It's totally roundabout thinking. It's contradictory, self-destructive theology. It breaks itself. You can't even get through one chapter of the Bible with replacement theology without just having to twist the scripture. As concerning the gospel, there are enemies for your sakes, but as touching the election, they are beloved for the Father's sakes. God hates replacement theology, by the way. You think I'm being hard on it? God hates it. God loves his people. He said, I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee. You run around saying, oh, those aren't real Jews. They're Christ killers over there. We're the real Israel over here. You're going to get God really mad at you. God hates that garbage. It's garbage. It's heresy. It's wrong. I don't care who believed it. You can quote whoever you want to believe, whoever you want to follow. The Bible teaches that that is heresy. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief, even so have these also now not believed that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him are all things to whom be glory. forever amen so back to daniel 7 we'll try and wrap this up today a little bit in daniel 7 a little bit in daniel 9 and we'll be done we're a little bit over time but i believe that we needed to read through that passage today if you can read through romans 9 10 and 11 and still believe in replacement theology you are committed to a false doctrine because you've been influenced by people and believe people instead of God. That's just the bottom line. You cannot believe replacement theology and the Bible at the same time. You have to black out whole sections and twist them. Galatians talks about, and the Israel of God, people take that verse and use it. It's talking about the physical seed of Jacob that got saved and is now part of the church. It's not saying the church is Israel. That's ignorant. The whole position is absolutely ignorant, which the Apostle Paul said. I'm quoting him. He says, I would not have you to be ignorant concerning this mystery. And if you don't get it, you are ignorant concerning the mystery. I don't care what kind of doctor of divinity or whatever you ever got. At any university, if you're a replacement theologian, you are ignorant of this mystery. You might still understand that we're saved by grace through faith. You might still go to heaven, but you're gonna do damage to the cause of Christ and the gospel of Jesus Christ with your garbage theology if you keep on preaching replacement theology, because it is heresy. It flies in the face of the word of God. It is defiance of the scripture. God hath not cast away his people Israel. You take it up with God if you don't like that, and you will take it up with God. You can fuss at me, but you're ultimately going to fuss at God because I stand with the scriptures on it. Daniel chapter 7 here, Daniel is talking to physical Israel. He gives them all these beasts that we read about. We've got the Lion with the wings as an eagle, its wings are plucked. You have the bear rising up on one side. There's so much there, we're not going to stop. Leopard with the four wings and four heads, dominion given unto it. And then this last beast with iron teeth, devouring, breaking in pieces, stamping. You have the ten horns, three horns plucked up, little horn comes up. There's so much more scripture. that goes into detail about this. This is an overview that God gave Daniel in Daniel chapter seven. And at the end of this whole thing, you have the ancient of days sitting, garment white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him. Thousand thousands ministered unto him, and 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him. The judgment was set, and the books were opened. So you have here the total defeat of all the beasts. Not one of them lives. Several of them are defeated by other beasts, but ultimately the final beast is destroyed by the ancient of days. And then you have, he goes on here, I beheld... He says, the Son of Man, He came, and then look at verse 15, after all this victory, this wonderful victory, look at verse 15, notice something. I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit, in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. Now why was Daniel grieved over that vision if God won? He was grieved because this vision is a judgment of Israel. These beasts are the scourge of Israel, every one of them. Every one of them. These four beasts, the ten horns, the three horns that are plucked up, and the final horn, every one of these beasts is a judgment to devour and break Israel. These beasts describe what the Bible calls the time of the Gentiles. when God took Israel out of their promised land, sent them to Babylon, and gave power to the Gentiles that was supposed to belong to Israel, and He put Israel under the yoke of bondage, just like Jeremiah prophesied whenever he had the yoke on his neck, and that other prophet came up and broke the wooden yoke, and God said, make a yoke of iron. This is the yoke of Israel, and this is why Daniel is grieved and troubled, and he wept and he fasted and he prayed. Here comes an angel, tells him, these are the beasts, this is what's gonna happen. Verse 21, I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them. This is his grief. This is Daniel's sorrow. He's watching his people be devoured. until the ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High. And the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." And he talks about the horns and the beasts. You get to chapter 8 and he goes on and has another vision. In every one of these visions, Daniel is grieved. In every one of these visions, Daniel is broken in grief. In every one of these visions, Daniel is sorrowful. And if you look at some of these visions, like chapter 9 ends in verse 27. We're not going to get into the weeks here. We're already over time. But the weeks here, the 70 weeks, he talks about Messiah the prince being cut off. The prophecy that Israel would kill their own Messiah. who came to bring them salvation from their sins. And then we find this covenant being confirmed for one week, the time of the great tribulation, the time of Jacob's trouble. All of this is prophesied to the Jew, by a Jew, for the Jews, because of the judgment of the Jews, for the sins of the Jews, the whole thing. I know some of you are totally derailed and not following this at all. Listen to me. The great tribulation is God's wrath poured out on his covenant people. That should be enough to tell you the church is not going through the tribulation because the church is not Israel and God already set this judgment for the nation of Israel all the way back in Daniel. Does that make any sense? Are we getting anywhere? That's why we went through all this, okay? You have, what's Daniel? Daniel's grieved, he's troubled. What is the Apostle Paul telling the Thessalonians? Did he say, I want you all to grieve and mourn and fast so that God can do for you what he did for Daniel and you can intercede for your covenant people's sins and weep and mourn and feel the anguish of the sorrow of the judgment, the thousands of years of judgment that God's pouring out on your people. Is that what Paul told the church at Thessalonica? No! He told them, I don't want you to be shaken in mind. I don't want you to be troubled. I want you to comfort one another with these words. That ain't comforting. Look, this is basic. I know it's basic, but guess what? Paul maintained that it was basic. He's talking to a baby church, and he's telling them, listen, this eschatology stuff ain't what it's cracked up to be. Now he didn't say it that way because he didn't even know what the word eschatology was. It wasn't even invented yet. Now I know we've got guys that are a lot smarter than Paul. They make up words he wouldn't understand and they can tell you what he meant even though he never said anything like that. But the Apostle Paul was telling them this is basic. This is basic milk. for the church, I don't want you troubled with this stuff. I don't want you consumed with this stuff because the Lord's going to come and consume the enemy with the spirit of His mouth and the brightness of His coming. This is basic. This is milk. He says, I want you comforted. I want you to see something here in Daniel 9 as we're closing. that is, or Daniel 7, go back to Daniel 7 verse 26. Again, nowhere in this whole prophecy do you find the church. The church was not here except in the predetermined will of God. The church was not physically there or in any way responsible for the events that caused God to pour out his wrath on the world through the tribulation. This, it is all directly related to the unfaithfulness and infidelity of the physical nation of Israel. The great tribulation, the revelation of that wicked, the time of Jacob's trouble, all of these curses and plagues are a direct judgment of God on the physical seed of unbelieving Israel. That's Bible. Church does not get involved in that part of the plan at all. Hope you've seen that today. So Daniel chapter seven, in our text that we read here in Thessalonians, he says, and then shall that wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. These two aspects are going to really tie in with the verse that follows. So we're going to dive into those more next time whenever we do that. but two aspects to the destruction of this individual called that wicked. The first aspect of his final judgment is the spirit of Christ's mouth. The spirit of Christ's mouth will consume him. The second aspect is the brightness of Christ's coming, and this will destroy him. And I'll leave you with this here in Daniel chapter 7. Very interesting. Verse 26, The judgment shall sit and they shall take away his dominion, speaking of this Antichrist, that wicked, and he says they shall take away his dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end. Now when God was talking to Daniel, God was talking to Daniel about the nation of Israel, and therefore the focus was on the judgment, not on the deliverance. In Thessalonians, Paul is speaking to the church about the judgment that's coming on the Jew, therefore the focus is on deliverance and not on judgment, because he hath not appointed us unto wrath, as the Bible says. The verbiage that God used is the Antichrist will be consumed by the Spirit of Christ's mouth. Here in Daniel 7, it's exactly identical. He says that he will be consumed and then he says he will be destroyed. Thessalonians says that he will be destroyed by the brightness of his coming. So these two words, the consuming and the destroying of the Antichrist are showcased in Thessalonians. The Bible agrees with the Bible from cover to cover. This is an eternal judgment that is going to come. If you look at Daniel 7 verse 26, he says his judgment shall sit and they shall take away his dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end. God is going to do an everlasting work in verse 27. He talks about the kingdom. and the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom unto the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them him. Hitherto is the end of the matter. Again, there's Daniel troubled, and Thessalonians were not to be troubled. Father, in Jesus' name, I pray that you take this and use it. Comfort your church, comfort your people, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, keep us from all these Spaghetti noodle theologians, Lord, who just wiggle and waffle their way through the Bible and twist everything up into knots to make it fit what they learned in their Bible college and have no regard for your words and do not keep your commandments. I pray, Lord God, that you keep us from the heresies, the doctrines of men the slight and cunning of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive with cunning craftiness. I pray, Lord God, that you'd open your word to our understanding and help us to hear from you and to obey you and to look for your coming and to look for that victory that you're going to win. In Jesus' name and for Christ's sake, amen.