Toward What is God Moving the World?

Transcript

GRM 927
1/02/2005
Toward What Is God Moving the World?
Selected Verses
Gil Rugh

We have come through another year and experienced God’s goodness and blessing. That’s always a good time for us to reflect on the fact that the Lord has promised He is coming again and for those of us who know Him it is with anticipation that we look forward to His coming. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that every year as we end a year and start another year, there’s an emphasis on oh the Lord’s coming again. For the world that is just an endless cycle of meaningless promises, empty hopes of religious people. But for those of us who are believers, it is to be an ongoing expectation. The danger is that with the passing of time it becomes rather flat, even for us as God’s people. I realize 40 years ago I remember yes; they were saying well the Lord didn’t come this year, but we hope He comes the coming year. After time you think well maybe He will, maybe He won’t, doesn’t make any difference, there’s a new year and we’ll move on. We are to be living with an expectation and a hope, and of all people we, in the day in which we live, have added reasons from the scripture to be expecting the return of the Lord.

Turn to II Peter chapter 3. All the way toward the back of your New Testament, and we’re going to jump around some in our study today. Just want to highlight some matters to remind you of what God has said about the coming of Christ. Peter did that in his second letter, in fact chapter 3 of II Peter opens with Peter saying, this is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder. That you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets, and the commandment of our Lord spoken by the apostles. Here he says I want you to remember, I want this to be clear in your thinking. You need to know, verse 3, first of all that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts saying, where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation. The attitude of those who do not believe God’s Word— religious people have always been talking about the end of the world is near. Repent, Christ is coming. Nothing changes. One year goes into the next and it's hard to tell if we didn’t mark it out and have celebrations, we’d just say one year runs to the next, runs to the next. All this talk about the coming of the Lord and so on, there’s no point to it, there’s no support for it.

It’s interesting to me that the Spirit of God directs Peter to use as evidence for the coming of the Lord the acts of judgment in history. The fact that people would say there’s no coming of the Lord, all things continue as they were. Note verse 5, when they maintain this, it escapes their notice. What escapes their notice is it was by the Word of God that the world was created. In verse 6 it was by the Word of God that the world was destroyed in the flood. Everything hasn’t continued on in an endless pattern. God brought the world into existence and then in an act of judgment He destroyed it. The emphasis is on the judgment because verse 7 applies it. By His Word, the same Word that brought it into existence and destroyed it with the flood is the same Word that is holding the present heavens and earth for a coming judgment. The present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and the destruction of ungodly men. Even the patience of the Lord in this present day is an act of kindness to give men and women the opportunity to repent of their sins and turn to the Lord. He doesn’t desire anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance. But you must know that those who do not come to repentance will come under the judgment of God.

In chapter 2 of this letter Peter laid out some of the judgments of God in the past as a reminder that judgment is real and sure. If we do not present clearly the reality of the Word of God regarding the future of the world we have failed in our responsibility. The world is not moving toward a better day, things on the horizon are not bright, the election did not change anything in that sense, whether you were pleased or unhappy with the results. The fact of the matter is the whole world is moving toward cataclysmic judgment, and that is why there is the need for repentance and salvation. History supports the fact that God intervenes in judgment. The calamities that go on in the world are a reminder of coming judgment. We’ve recently had a great calamity where well over 100,000 people died in the tsunami. I want you to listen, so you don't get frustrated or upset or close me out for the rest of the message. It’s important to understand that was not an act of nature. Even we as believers get comfortable settling in and talking about these matters the way the world does. Oh, the power of nature, oh the forces of nature can be so overwhelming. You understand the Bible says God caused that calamity and brought it about. Over 100,000 people, many babies, children, women, along with men died in a calamity of nature that God brought about. It’s an indication as all these calamities, the terrorism in the world—a reminder that the world is moving toward judgment. God is serious about these matters. Now be careful. Not saying that those who died in that calamity or other calamities were worse sinners than others. Jesus clarified that’s not the case. The Jews thought that some other Jews killed when a tower fell on them were probably worse sinners than other people. Jesus said that’s not the case. But it is a reminder of the judgment of God coming on the world.

Turn back to the book of Isaiah, and these are chapters you ought to read regularly, picking up with about Isaiah chapter 42 and read on there for several chapters, where God in a clear and direct way declares that He is the unique and only God. There is no other God, there are no other gods. In verse 10 of chapter 43 of Isaiah look at the last two lines of verse 10, before me there was no God formed and there will be none after me. There is no God before Him, there is no God after Him because He is the only God. I, even I am the Lord, there is no Savior besides me. The only God is the only Savior. Verse 13, even from eternity I am He and there is none who can deliver out of my hand. I act and who can reverse it. This is in the context of judgment that’s going to come upon Israel, it’s an act of God.

Come over to chapter 44:6, thus says the Lord the King of Israel and His Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts, I am the first and I am the last. There is no God besides me. The end of verse 8, is there any God besides me or is there any other rock? I know of none. Look down in verse 18, they do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so they cannot see and their heart so they cannot comprehend. Because they have rebelled against Him, and so He has brought judgment on them.

In chapter 45 is where I want to take you, verse 5. I am the Lord and there is no other. Besides me there is no God. The last line of verse 6, I am the Lord, there is no other. A relentless emphasis through this section of the Word of God, I am God. Now note verse 7, the one forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity. I am the Lord who does all these. You know who creates the calamity? The word often in the King James Bible translated it evil. It’s sometimes used of moral evil, but God does not create moral evil, ethical evil. It’s also used often through the Old Testament in contexts like this. He brings disasters, He brings the bad things, He brings the calamities that come upon the world, the acts of terrorism. That does not mean the terrorists are freed from their responsibility, but it’s the hand of God who brought it about. I’m glad to know that. I won’t die accidentally at the hand of a terrorist, only by divine appointment. No one of the 100,000 plus people who died in that catastrophe of nature died accidentally, but the God who rules over all brought calamity.

Turn over to Amos chapter 3. While you turn there let me read Isaiah 45:9, woe to the one who quarrels with His maker, and earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth. Will the clay say to the potter, what are you doing? Does the thing you are making say, he has no hands. You say I don’t like to think of a God who would bring calamity like that. It grieves me to see the body of those little children and you say that God brought it about. I could not love or worship a God like that. Woe to the one who quarrels with his maker. This is a serious matter. Even believers don’t want to consider the awful horror of God’s wrath and God’s judgment. But we must if the gospel of Jesus Christ is to make any sense. The calamities that were going to come upon Israel that the prophet Isaiah was writing about were the judgment of God on a world and on a people that had rejected Him.

Amos 3:6, and you’re back through Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. I say that for my benefit so that I can find it while you’re getting there. Amos 3:6, if a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? The sounding of a trumpet in the city was the sound of alarm and enemies coming, a disaster had happened, something bad had taken place. When the people in the city heard the trumpet blast they trembled, something had happened. Then note the next statement, a rhetorical question. If a calamity occurs in the city, has not the Lord done it. You hear the trumpet sound; you tremble because you know something bad has happened. You also know that it was the hand of the Lord at work in bringing that calamity. The answer to that rhetorical question and the calamity that occurs in a city, has not the Lord done it, is of course the Lord has done it. Yes, He’s the one who is sovereign, He brings judgment and wrath and that goes on. We as believers look around, we watch the news and say oh that’s so terrible and it is. We ought to be grieved at the sin of a world that has rejected the living God, and that ought to grieve us so much, concern us so much, that we ought to be taking the truth of God’s salvation. For understand, these are simply glimpses of what is yet to come.

The book of Revelation from chapters 6-19, you know what it’s about? It’s about wrath. The Bible lays out the framework of future things. This church age will end with the removal of the church at the rapture. That will be followed by a seven-year period on this earth and it is a time of what? God’s wrath. We think it’s awful that well over 100,000 people died in a catastrophe. Think of what it’s going to be like in that period of time when the numbers of people who died during that seven-year period is going to be in the billions. Can you imagine what it will be like? Wipe out every single man, woman and child in the United States and you don’t have a fraction of the number of people who are going to die in the catastrophes that God is going to bring upon this world in the days that may not be very far in the future. Those are the days that lead up to the return of Christ to this earth, and He’ll bring more judgment. He’ll rule and reign for a thousand years and then He will bring final judgment.

Awesome scene. Turn to the book of Revelation chapter 14, Revelation chapter 14. You know we have corrupted the message of God’s Word in a serious way. Again, this week I was listening to some preachers. Everybody wants to talk about come to Christ and oh the Bible is wonderful, and I want to speak to you about you can have a happier life, how you can have a better marriage, how you can have children that are an enjoyment and a blessing. But you know that’s not why the Bible talks about salvation. It's true that when we come to the salvation that is found in Jesus Christ, by God’s grace we enter into true joy and happiness and peace. But you know the Bible says that we need to come to salvation for a greater, more serious reason. We must be saved from the wrath of God. I can’t tell you if you come to Jesus Christ, you’ll have a better marriage. Your marriage may go down the tubes. You may get saved and your spouse won’t, and they’ll turn your home into hell because they don’t like the new you. I don’t know whether your children will do well if you come to Christ, there are no promises. What God does promise if you come to Christ, He’ll save you from wrath to come. He will produce His joy and peace in your hearts and life, and through misery and turmoil and heartache and pain you will experience the presence of the living God in your life and have hope for something beyond this world.

Revelation chapter 14 describes where the world is going, not only to the judgments of God’s wrath on this earth during those seven years coming up to the return of Christ, but then ultimate judgment in the presence of Christ. Those coming out of that seven-year period is the focus in chapter 14, but they’re true of all who do not know Christ as we’ll see in a moment. He will drink, verse 10 and you’ll note it’s personal because it’s an individual, of the wine of the wrath of God which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger. We’re talking about a time when there will be no mercy from God, no kindness from God. He’s a God of infinite mercy, of infinite kindness, of infinite love, but you understand that does not mean that that will be extended to you forever. It is offered to you without limitations now, but there’ll come a time when God’s judgment on those who have not repented of their sins and placed their faith in His Son, that they will experience wrath to a depth and degree that you and I are not able to comprehend.

Reading an article by a man this week who said he could not believe in a true hell because he could not believe that God could do something so terrible. Well, you’ll note here it’s God’s wrath, verse 10, mixed in the cup of the full strength of His anger. He will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. They have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image and whoever receives the mark of his name. That’s an awful, awful section of scripture. I would like not to believe that it’s that way, but I would lie if I told you, there was any doubt. Here is what Almighty God says is the destiny of all of those who do not bow in repentance before Jesus Christ and place their faith in Him. The future could not be any bleaker, it could not be anymore awful. We have God’s wrath manifested in a variety of ways in the terrible things that go on in the world today, moving toward that ultimate time of catastrophe on the world known as the Great Tribulation, culminating with the return of Christ and ultimately the sentencing to hell of every single person who has not repented of their sins before the living God and placed their faith in His provision for salvation.

Turn over to Revelation chapter 21. You have the Great White Throne which is the last judgment of scripture. Every single person who has not experienced God’s salvation will appear at this Great White Throne and be sentenced to the hell that we have just seen described in chapter 14. Look at Revelation 21:8, but for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Make no mistake, some of you sit here and you’re immoral. It’s not so bad, I’ve been attending this church for some time. You understand what it says here, immoral people are going to hell. Oh no I remember when I made a commitment to Christ. If it didn’t change your life, it didn’t do anything. Immoral people are not going to heaven. Could it be any clearer? Hebrews 13 says adulterers and fornicators God will judge. Immoral people are not going to heaven, don’t be deluded. I know I’m a Christian, I just you know, I’m in immorality. I’m a Christian, I just lie. You ought to underline the word all with liars here. Nothing has changed since the Spirit of God directed John to write this. We don’t think lying is that big a deal. You understand liars are going to hell. Well, I sat under your preaching, you didn’t make clear to me. I didn’t think immorality was that bad. It’s become generally accepted and the church doesn’t even think it’s so bad anymore, and everybody lies. Well, be sure to understand most people are going to hell. The way to destruction is broad, the gate to that road is wide, there are many going there. Don’t be deluded by I feel I’m in good company. Didn’t do any good for those who went down on that beach when the tsunami was coming and gathered fish and said I’m all right, there are other people with me. Didn’t help a bit, did it? Doesn’t matter how many are down there with you, they’re all going the same way to the same place.

You understand sin sends you to hell. The reason people need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ is not so they’ll have a better marriage, not so they can have a happier life, not so they can know what it means to have the emptiness inside fulfilled. Not saying some of these things don’t happen, I’m saying the Bible says you need to be saved because there is wrath to come, and you need to be saved from the wrath of God. We are saved from God’s wrath; we’re not saved from a miserable marriage. We’re saved from God’s wrath; we’re not saved from kids who cause us trouble. Hopefully they’ll get married and take care of that. We’re not saved from the difficulties of life; we’re saved from the wrath of God. I mean how do we talk to people today? They say oh the power of nature, when Mother Nature turns loose it’s serious. There is no Mother Nature, there is only Father God. What did you think of that it was a terrible catastrophe. Did you know the Bible says God did that? Oh no, God wouldn’t do that. Those children, did you see the bodies of those children? That’s a terrible thing to say God would do that. Does calamity occur and I’ve not done it, God asks. Why would He do that? Do you think He could have not done it? Then what do you think the explanation is? What do you think the explanation will be if you drive out of here today and are killed in an intersection accident? You should have gone another way. There is no hope in that. My God is in charge. That is a terrible calamity, how awful to see thousands of people die. You understand that is a declaration from God that judgment is coming on this world, a reminder that His wrath will be terrible. Why would He do that? Why would you continue not to respond to His love and mercy and kindness? You know that’s just a little sampling of what God says is going to happen in the future.

You know you need to be saved from the wrath to come. People are making decisions for Christ because they want to have better marriages, because they want to be more successful with their teenagers, because they want to be better fathers and better mothers than…….. I’m not saying that there’s not an element of truth in all that, but that’s not what the Bible says you need to get saved for. Where in the book of Acts do you find Paul or any of the apostles saying, come to Christ so you can enjoy life more. I want to present to you Jesus Christ died on a cross so your marriage will be better. It’s just not there. Now again I believe that in Christ there is true happiness, true joy, true peace. I think when a man and a woman know the Savior and live in obedience to Him their marriage will be more fulfilling and so on, but that’s not why you get saved. Paul’s life went downhill from the day he trusted Christ, from being successful, looked up to, prosperous he went to being rejected. Then he joined a group that were the scum of the earth, he became identified with the one who was despised, so he was despised. Did he have wealth? No, people sent him offerings to take care of him. What a step down. Do you think you could have offered to Paul a gospel, your life will be better, Paul. I’m sure he’d say in one sense it was better but don’t misunderstand. Paul getting beaten—why don’t you come to Christ, Paul. Being a Pharisee with all the honors and all the position and all the comforts and all the wealth. Come to Christ, that way you’ll be able to go to prison, get beaten, stoned to death, die a martyr. Come to Christ, He’ll make your life happier and better. It’s a delusion. Come to Christ and be saved from the wrath to come, and you experience no greater blessings than when you come to Christ. But if you come to Christ for any other reason than for salvation from your wretched, vile, sinful condition you can’t be saved. You come to Christ because you want a better marriage, there’s no salvation for that. Christ died for sin. You must humble yourself, see yourself as God says you are, a sinner doomed to His wrath, condemned by His righteousness. Cast yourself on His mercy for salvation.

That’s where the world is going. You and I as believers in Jesus Christ have a hope. God has promised to deliver us from the wrath to come, not all the calamities and displays of God’s wrath that take place. But for that ultimate time of wrath when God’s judgment is poured out on the world, you and I will be removed to go to glory in what is called the rapture of the church. Then there will be a seven-year period where God’s wrath will be poured out on the earth. I believe we’re living very close to that time. I want to spend the rest of our time just talking about a few events that I think ought to be very significant as we look at what is happening.

The natural catastrophes in the world ought to cause us to take note of where the world is going in the seven years preceding the return of Christ to earth to establish His kingdom, a time of disaster and catastrophes like we’ve never seen. We look around and say, too many things are going bad and going on in the world. We ought to look around and say, we must be moving toward the coming of the Lord. There are other things going on. Israel is in the land; Ezekiel 37 says that God will bring Israel back into the land and they will be dry bones. The dry bones represent Israel’s spiritually destitute condition. I think it’s significant that Israel is back in the land today, spiritually destitute. The Bible indicates that a future time Israel will rebuild the temple and there are articles right down to the present day being written about the rebuilding of the temple and the possibilities and the options and so on. Israel is the key player in God’s plan for the future. The very fact that Israel, you can’t turn on the news. What is one of the major solutions to the problems in the world? Israel, if we could solve the problem in Israel, that would resolve the tensions and problems with the Palestinians and the Arabs. What would that do with the Muslim world? We need peace.

A second key ingredient is the rise of the revived Roman Empire, noted now as the European Union, the European community where we have the revived Roman Empire take place. I want to talk just a little bit about that and then tie some of these things together. Go back to the book of Daniel chapter 2, and we have to go quickly. That implies that you must be going slowly, couldn’t be that I’m talking too much. Daniel chapter 2. While you’re going to Daniel chapter 2 let me just tell you just before Daniel you have the book of Ezekiel and Ezekiel chapters 38-39 we’re told the ultimate destiny of Russia and her Muslim allies, and the nations are laid out there. Just about all those countries in Ezekiel 38 are Muslim countries. They’re not going to get any closer to Israel in the true sense, and ultimately in that seven-year period Russia, and her Muslim allies are going to attack Israel and suffer very complete destruction. That’s where we’re going with that.

Daniel chapter 2. What Daniel does is lay out, as you’re aware. Nebuchadnezzar has seen an image of a man, he calls Daniel in to give him an explanation, so Daniel gives it. What Nebuchadnezzar has seen is the empires of the world from his day as the king of Babylon and the Babylonian Empire. Then he sees the subsequent empires, four empires coming. The last will be the Roman Empire, Daniel 2:40, there will be a fourth empire, fourth kingdom as strong as iron. Iron crushes and shatters all things. Then in verse 41, you saw the feet and toes, part of potter’s clay, part of iron. It will be a divided kingdom; it will have in it the toughness of iron because you saw iron mixed with the clay. But as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of pottery, some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. Verse 43, the iron and the pottery don’t mix together. Here you have written 2500 years ago as clear a picture of the European Union as you could have, as it grows in power you see the strength of iron. Look what’s happening to the euro compared to the dollar. There is a strengthening going on there. We begin to realize, and if I have time here, I’ll read you an excerpt from an article on that. Then you’ll note……… Some would say well the days of those toes, and there are 10 toes, some say we don’t know there are 10 toes, it just says toes plural. Well, I don’t know when you last counted your toes, but the image of a man, and if there’s any doubt when you get to chapter 7 Daniel tells us there were 10.

The last form of the Roman Empire, you’ll note it’s the last part of the man. It’s still the Roman Empire, the iron continues, but now it’s mixed with pottery. In verse 44 we’re told in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, a kingdom that will not be left for another people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will endure forever. I mention that because some people say well these ten kings refer to ten Roman emperors and that all happened in the days of Christ and the New Testament period of time and shortly thereafter. These kingdoms, four kingdoms starting with Babylon and ending with Rome were literal earthly kingdoms. While on the cross Christ shattered and now rules in a spiritual kingdom in the hearts of men. We sang about that. That’s not the kingdom we’re talking about here. All earthly kingdoms replaced by an earthly kingdom that shatters all other earthly kingdoms and endures forever. That hasn’t happened.

Turn over to Daniel chapter 7. The same material is repeated in a different vision, now given to Daniel directly and the empires of the world are pictured as wild beasts. But you have the same empires portrayed. You start with Babylon and then you end with Rome. In Daniel 7:7, you saw the fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying. It had iron teeth and it crushed and trampled. The same thing you saw in chapter 2 with the iron. Note at the end of verse 7, it had ten horns. You’ll note the ten horns are on this fourth beast. So, it is part of that fourth empire. While I was contemplating the horns, now you’re going to get more material, another horn, a little one, came up among them and 3 of the first horns were pulled out by the root. So now you have ten kingdoms united together, and chapter 2 told us they had the strength of iron but the brittleness of clay. They were joined together but they were brittle, and they didn’t adhere like a true kingdom. Now you find there is one person who rises to power by displacing three and he became dominant, and you know where we go from verse 8? We go to verse 9. You know what happens in verses 9 and following? There is a kingdom set up and in verse 13, one like the Son of Man came before the Ancient of Days. Verse 14, to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away, His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. The kingdoms of this earth are replaced on this earth by the kingdom of the Son of Man, Jesus’ favorite title for Himself during His earthy ministry—the Son of Man, Messianic title. Is that happening? Have all earthly kingdoms disappeared now and only Jesus Christ’s kingdom reigns? Not so. Why people say well the first part of this is literal, but then we have to spiritualize it. It only occurs in the heart. I can never understand how you handle the Bible that way and come up with anything that makes sense.

The Bible promised that the final phase of the Roman Empire would be a revival and you would have the iron which characterizes the strength of Rome, but now it would be mixed with brittleness. In our local paper, this goes back to the end of October so it’s a couple months old, but 25 Government Leaders Signed the First European Union Constitution is the headline, and you have the picture of different leaders in Europe. Let me just read you some of this to remind you. In a splendorous ceremony atop a hill that was once the center of the Roman Empire. This is from a local newspaper; this is not from a religious publication. This ceremony took place atop a hill that was once the center of the Roman Empire, 25 European heads of government signed the European Union’s first constitution. But for it to take effect all the nations then must ratify it. They have two years to do it. The constitution was the result of more than two years of negotiations to move the European Union states toward closer cooperation, faster decision-making, and a bigger role in the world. But the constitution doesn’t create the federal superstate that some members would like.

Another article I’ll read you part of. Countries like Germany, France, Spain, they’ve already ignored some of the provisions they agreed to because they do want to make a superstate, a world power that will compete with and supercede the United States. When it says that it doesn’t create the federal superstate that some members would like, you ought to understand even in recent months it’s become clear in news publications that some of the key people like Germany, France and Spain are ignoring what they agreed to because they are committed to building a superpower. If ratified, the constitution will provide for selection of a continent-wide president, somebody who will be president of the European Union, foreign minister and increase in the powers of the European Parliament and strengthen influence for the union in such areas as agriculture, foreign trade and the environment. The dignitaries, I’m not reading consecutively, gathered inside a palatial city hall and museum complex on Capitoline Hill. Capitoline Hill was one of the seven hills that Rome was built on. A marble statue of Julius Caesar dominated the room. These are not people writing to show how the Bible could be being fulfilled, this comes from the Washington Post and was reprinted in our local newspaper. In case you’re not aware, the Washington Post doesn’t make a point of trying to find biblical fulfillments. After the gathering in that room, they moved to yet another Capitoline Hall, this one featuring a monumental head of the emperor, Constantine. The selection of Rome as the site of the signing ceremony was aimed at adding historical heft. We want to make this as important as it can be. Rome not only was the center of Europe’s first great stab at unity two millenniums ago, it was also the site for the 1957 birth of the European Economic Community, forerunner of the European Union.

Twenty-five hundred years ago Daniel wrote that the Roman Empire would come together in ten states. Oh yes but that says 25. Give it time. I will tell you without fail it’s going to end up being ten. That’s a minor detail. Who would have ever though that with Israel beings scattered throughout the world that they would come back and be regathered in the land. While they’re there in a dry bone condition, Europe would come together again, the Europe that in World War II tore itself apart. Now Germany and France are key allies in opposing the United States and in trying to build a superpower; and they are. They have all these individual states and each one wants their own power, but they want to have the power and influence of one great superpower.

I have to skip around, that’s why all my studies turn into series. But you’re just getting the series in one message. Yasser Arafat recently died, maybe you heard. Isn’t amazing how quickly he’s forgotten? You know his name gets mentioned, but now his successor, you know his successor was going to be the hope for peace. But I turned on the news this morning to watch and there he was speaking and Hamas, one of the major terrorist organizations over there, there he is saying he will protect them from Israel. Any hope for peace there. Russia and her allies will attack Israel in the seven-year tribulation yet to come. During the ‘60s, and this is from a political magazine, not a religious magazine. During the 1960s endless cross border incursions by the Fedayeen that was started by Yasser Arafat, provoked Israel into a pattern of escalating retaliations. Understand what Arafat understood from a predecessor, from the organization he started in the 1950s was the way to defeat colonial powers, the western powers, was to provoke them with terrorism into retaliating. When they retaliated, they would kill civilians. When they killed civilians the population would turn against the West—the purpose of terrorism. They used this with Israel. Israel responded and the Arab world became increasingly enraged. They didn’t get enraged at the acts of terrorism that caused the response, they got enraged at the response.

Moscow sensed the opportunity to seize control of the Eastern Mediterranean at long last. Here I’m in a political magazine, as far as I know none of these writers are believers, but Moscow’s desire is to control the Mediterranean. In the ‘60s they thought they had the chance. They moved with their Arab allies, and you ended up with the six-day war and that shattered the Arab hopes and set things back a little bit.

Going on with Arafat. Remember we talked about Europe. We’ve got Israel in the picture, we’ve got Europe, the revived Roman Empire. Arafat realized that the most important dimension of his struggle was in the arena of international opinion, especially in Europe. He made it his goal to win support and gain favor in Europe. His greatest propaganda victory was on Europe’s university campuses. They talk about here and I'm not reading consecutively, for the European left they always admired the Israeli kibbutzim. The Israeli kibbutzim, the kibbutz, was the communal farm. Europe’s left loved it because it was socialism, communism. People gave up their private ownership of the land and came together in communes and farmed the land together and ate together and lived together. We stayed at a kibbutz on one of our trips over there. Israel was held up as something to be admired by the European left. Arafat was successful and in a generation against nearly insurmountable obstacles of plain fact Arafat succeeded in creating the image that Israel was the racist aggressor. This image, the dominant view in Europe today, has always been a fantasy. Now you’ll note, the dominant view in Europe regarding Israel is that they are racist aggressors against the Palestinians. By embracing Arafat as the hero of the liberation movement, the Europeans legitimatized his methods. Arafat tapped into latent anti-Semitism, which permitted the Europeans to view the anti-Israeli terrorism as somehow different from terrorism generally. It’s understandable that the Arabs would commit acts of terrorism against Israel because Israel has been aggressive against them. Of course, there is an understanding of terrorism against the United States because the United States has supported Israel in its aggressive actions against Arab terrorists. At the root of it all this man, that underlying anti-Semitism that pervades Europe.

Arafat’s seduction of Europe bore its ultimate fruit, not in the Middle East, this article goes on to say, but in Stockholm where in 1994 he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Rabin and Perez, Israeli leaders. At the time the greatest terrorist in the world. Amazing. Arafat so thoroughly hypnotized European’s elites, blame the victims, blame the Jews, that it may take a generation to recover. They’ll never recover. General De Gaulle thought that terrorism was the religion of murderers, pure and simple. The present ruler of France, Jacque Chirac, now shamelessly proclaims that the sources of terrorism are the Israeli and American occupation of Arab lands. It’s not calculated for advantage, like almost everything else he says, he actually believes it. Chirac actually believes that the problem for all the terrorism and turmoil in the Middle East and thus in the world today is because Israel occupies Arab lands and America supports them. Now you know the solution to this—get rid of Israel. If Israel weren’t there, they wouldn’t be occupying Arab land. If they weren’t occupying Arab land the United States wouldn’t be supporting them because they wouldn’t be there, and we’d have peace in the world.

You know the problem of the world—it’s those dirty Jews. That is where we will come to the ultimate solution in the Tribulation, where the leader of the revived Roman Empire attempts to wipe out every single Jew on the face of the earth. He would have great success but for the intervention of Jesus Christ. Goes on to talk about the growing resentment in Europe toward the West. The next article, do you know what it talked about? The problem of Europe. We don’t have time to go on to it, but you know what we find out? The Europeans are saying that the re-election of Bush is one of the best things that could happen to us for unifying Europe. Because now the Europeans realize we need to become a strong enough power to offset the United States, that cowboy country intervening in the world and compounding the problems by supporting Israel. European elites see the antipathy of their citizens to the American president, and it is a sided asset in their fight to forge the ever-closer union for which they have been striving for decades. Those who favor a more tightly unified European foreign policy are convinced the Bush victory strengthens their position. The French foreign minister took Bush’s re-election as the occasion to emphasize France’s desire to create a European Union that will be a counter force to America. Our world needs several powers, we are in the process of gathering the pieces and the will to become another power. Jacque Chirac says Europe today has more than ever the need and necessity to reinforce its unity. That is the goal of the constitution. Remember we read that some of those weren’t satisfied that the constitution they are putting in place does enough to create a superpower. Jacque Chirac is one of those. So, like our courts sometimes do, they reinterpret the constitution to say what they want it to say. That’s what’s going on here.

The goal is a more powerful Europe. Then they quote the leader of Spain. Europe must believe that it can be in 20 years the most important world power. Spain, France and Germany are the driving force in the European Union to build a superpower. Here’s what Zapatero, the leader of Spain says, Europe must believe that it can be in 20 years the most important world power. He says this in the context of creating a European defense system that will replace NATO. Naturally it will still last some time until we, Spain, France and Germany, develop a closed defense policy. The European constitution is an important step in that direction. NATO will last a little while longer until we can get our own military power in place. The article notes that Washington’s policy makers now realize that their historic support for a united Europe is a disaster for America, because it’s turning into a power that stands against and in opposition to the United States and intends to subvert American interest.

All that interest to us is why? We look around and see so much taking place in the world. We are moving toward the world’s ultimate disaster. The tsunami—just a glimpse. The terrorism—just a glimpse. Thousands of people die, hundreds of thousands of people die, well we have to move to millions of people die, then to billions of people die. That’s where the world is going. Then we’re not done, then we move to men and women who have never come to trust Christ standing and saying well it will all work out in the end. No, standing before the Great White Throne, finding out all immoral people, all liars, all false worshippers, they’re going to hell. Oh, I don’t think God will do that. What can you say? Look at history, look at what the Bible has recorded, look at what takes place in the world. God is serious, His wrath is a serious thing. Woe to him who quarrels with his maker. You say I disagree with God on this point. I wouldn’t say I disagree with God; I just don’t believe what you say is true. What I say is what I read you in the Word of God. If you don’t believe it, you’re quarreling with God. The end will be as God says it is. Remember there are no options, there is no God before Him, there is no God after Him. He’s the one who decides. Oh, I don’t think God, if He’s really loving and merciful could do that. Believe it. How can you worship and love a God like that? Because He is a God of love and mercy and kindness. Because He's a God of righteousness, holiness and justice. Why won’t you respond to His mercy? He says right now today He’ll forgive you; He’ll cleanse you, and He’ll deliver you from the wrath to come. Your destiny can be the glories of heaven. But you won’t have it. But you want to say it’s not fair He brings wrath. You won’t have His mercy, you won’t have His love, you won’t accept His kindness, but you refuse to believe He’ll deal in justice. What more can He do?

You know what the Bible says, God is commanding all everywhere to repent, for He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness, having furnished proof to all men by raising Jesus Christ from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was a glorious event, but you know what it does as well to the world? It testifies to the fact that He is going to judge the world in righteousness. You understand the wages of sin is death, you understand the penalty for your sin includes eternal suffering in hell day and night in burning torment forever and ever. That’s too awful to think of, more awful than I want to think of, but the reality won’t go away because I put my head in the sand. The reality is God is commanding all men everywhere to repent. Why? So, they can have a better marriage, so they can have a happier life. No, because He has appointed a day of judgment. You must deal with your sin. Don’t sit here being deluded saying you know I was born here; I’ve been raised in this church. Just because I commit immorality doesn’t mean I’m not saved; it means you’re not saved. The immoral will be sentenced to hell. Doesn’t matter that no one else here knows about it, we do it in secret. Oh, so you’ve covered it up with a lie. You know where all liars are going. Our sin multiplies.

God is a gracious God. There is salvation but the salvation is only found on God’s terms. Come now and let us reason together says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they can be as white as snow.

Let’s pray together. Thank you, Lord, that we can begin a new year, remind ourselves of what you have promised is going to take place. It’s important that we as your people be reminded again of the wrath that is to come, that the world around us is moving toward judgment, that family and friends and coworkers and neighbors who do not know salvation in Jesus Christ are doomed to judgment. Lord, around us in the world we see what you have prophesied would take place. The catastrophes remind us of catastrophes to come. Israel is in the land, Rome is reviving again, Russia and her Muslim allies oppose Israel, the church is collapsing. Yet, Lord, your grace is at work in salvation, you patiently hold back judgment because you do not desire any to perish but for all to come to repentance. God, you know each one of us even as we sit in this church building. You know our hearts, you know our condition, you know those who have been saved by your grace and cleansed and made new, you know those who are here in external form but are liars, immoral and uncleansed. Lord, by your grace may their eyes be open to see that this is the day of salvation. That you offer them forgiveness and cleansing so that they might not have to face the wrath that is to come. We praise you for salvation in Christ name. Amen