 to lift our heads in its tongue. It's time to praise His holy name. Y'all good? Psalm 100, make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come into His presence with singing. Know that the Lord He is God is He who made us. We are His. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving. His courts with praise. Give Him thanks and bless His name for the Lord is good and His steadfast love endures forever His faithfulness to all generations. Amen. So let's go before Him this morning. Lord, we love You. We come into Your house right now with praise, thanksgiving, songs, Lord, we come and we sing to You, Lord. We lift up our voice. We don't go through the motions today. We give You our hearts, we give You our praise. In Jesus' name, amen. When surrounded His praise is, because praise is the water. As long as I'm breathing, as long as I'm breathing. Because You rose and defeated the grave. Praise, because You're faithful. Praise, because You're true. Praise, because there's nobody. Lord, we desire to be in Your praise. Everything. Jesus, I love, this is my life. All the praise is Yours forever. Yours forever. Be glorified in this space. Lord, receive all the worship. It's all because of You, from You, all things to You, all things through You, Lord. It's just, we give You our whole hearts. We give You our whole lives today. Be magnified in this place. In Jesus' name, amen. Hey, we're gonna continue to worship the Lord through baptism. And it's baptism Sunday. How many are excited for baptisms? Come on. You can go ahead and take a seat. You can go ahead and take a seat. Baptism is a beautiful way for us to see, you can go ahead and put them in. Baptism is a beautiful way to see the gospel, the life, death, barrel resurrection of Jesus Christ. And every single person who's getting into the tank has confessed that Jesus is Lord. Aren't you excited this morning that our God still saves? Amen, amen, amen. So that's why I encourage you to do, as people come out of that water, I wanna encourage you to scream and to shout. You can stand on your seats. No, don't do that. Just really celebrate what God is doing in a life here in the body. This morning also, I wanna take a quick moment. We have our new kids pastor, Pastor Nathan, that's gonna help us be baptizing this morning. Awesome. Pastor Nathan, would you take us away? Yeah. All right. If you would, please share your name with us. Aidan Combs, and have you decided to make Jesus the Lord of your life today? Yes. All right, well, based off your profession of faith, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Would you please tell us your name? Dave. And Dave, do you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord? Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, Dave is our honor upon your profession of faith and the belief in your heart that Jesus is Lord to now baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Would you please share your name with us? McKenna Combs. McKenna, and has you made today, have you made Jesus the Lord of your life? Yes. All right, well, based off your profession of faith, I baptize you today in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Would you please share your name? Jane. And do you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord? Yes, I sure do. Amen. Because of the belief in your heart and to confess your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, we have the joy of baptizing you now in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Would you please share your name with us? Jadon Combs. Jadon Combs, and have you made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Yes. Okay, well, today, based off your profession of faith, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There you go, you got in there. That's what I'm talking about. Please share your name with us. Mary Ann. Mary Ann, we are so honored to baptize you as Jesus Christ the Lord of your life. Absolutely. Absolutely. Because of the belief in your heart and the professing your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, we baptize you now in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Would you please share your name with us? Samantha Garrish. Samantha, and have you made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Yes. Yes, well, today, based off your profession of faith, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Would you please share your name with us? Heather. Heather, who is that that just got baptized? My mom. Yes, yes. Isn't it amazing seeing families confess that Christ is Lord, amen? Well, Heather, do you believe Jesus Christ is Lord of your life? Yes, I do. Amen. Because of the belief in your heart and the professing your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord. It's our joy to baptize you now in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Would you please share your name with us? Reagan. Reagan, and have you made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Yes. Yes, well, today, based off your profession of faith, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Awesome. Would you please share your name with us? Kyle. And Kyle, do you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord? 100%. 100%. Because of the belief in your heart and the confession in your mouth that Jesus is Lord, we have the honor of baptizing you now in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Would you please share your name with us? Carson. Carson, and have you made Jesus the Lord of your life? Yes. Yes, well, today, based off your profession of faith, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Would you please share your name with us? Ashley. And Ashley, is Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Absolutely. Absolutely. Because of the belief in your heart and the confession in your mouth that Jesus Christ is absolutely Lord. We have the joy of baptizing you now in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Would you please share your name with us? Mikaela Holton. Mikaela, and have you made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Yes. Yes. Well, today, in the name, today, based off your profession of faith, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I told you it was warm. I told you. All right, here you go. Would you please share your name with us? Bev. Bev, is Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Oh, yes, with all my heart. Amen. Because of the confession in your mouth and the belief in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, we now baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Would you please share your name with us? Shayna Stafford. Shayna, and have you made Jesus the Lord of your life? I have. Yes, well, today, based off your profession of faith, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Would you please share your name with us? Randy. Randy, and it was so great to see your wife, Bev, just get baptized. Now, do you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord? Yes, I do. Amen, sir. Because of the belief in your heart and confession in your mouth, that Jesus is Lord, we now baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Would you please share your name with us? Madison Stafford. And Madison, have you made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life today? Yes. Yes, well, today, based off your profession of faith, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Would you please share your name with us? Renee. Renee, it's Jesus Christ the Lord of your life. Yes. Amen. Because of the belief in your heart and confession in your mouth, that Jesus Christ is Lord, we have the joy of baptizing you now in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Would you please share your name with us? Mariah. Mariah. And have you made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? I have. All right, well, today, based off the profession of your faith, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Would you please share your name with us? Mark. Mark. And is Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Absolutely. Absolutely. Because of the belief in your heart and the confession in your mouth, that Jesus Christ is Lord, we now baptize you, Mark, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. All right, would you please share your name with us? Rebecca. Rebecca. And have you made Jesus the Lord of your life? I have, yeah. Yes. Well, today, based off your profession of faith, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Come on, church. Let's stand to our feet. 30 people giving their life to Jesus Christ. Amen. I want you to remain standing. We want to respond to seeing the gospel made sense right here, tangible, visible for us in worship, right? So would you just lift your hands right now? I'm gonna pray for us, and we're gonna sing. Again, Father, we worship you. Jesus, thank you for giving your life. Holy Spirit, thank you for filling us. And now we ask you, God, that everyone who's been baptized in water, Holy Spirit, we pray that you were baptized in with fire. God, we pray for the baptism of Holy Spirit in our life, and we ask that they will love you and serve you for all the days of our life. In Jesus' name, and everyone said, amen. Let's worship. Come on, thank you, Jesus. We love you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, amen. Hey, would you right now just say, Lord, thank you for saving me. Thank you, Lord. God, return it to us, the joy of our salvation. In Jesus' name, amen, amen. Hey, before you recede it, let's take a couple of seconds and greet one another. Well, good morning, Radiant Church. How are we doing? Doing okay? Doing well? Hey, we wanna thank you all for being here, especially for those of you who are here for the first time, especially families of friends who've come here to witness maybe a loved one or, again, a friend to get baptized. Church, can we thank them for coming today? Thank you so much for being here today. Thank you so much for being with us today. Thank you. It's great seeing new faces. My name is Tim and I serve as the Location Pastor here at Richland. If this is your first time or maybe you're a returning guest, if you will be so kind to take a moment and a seat back pocket in front of you, you'll see this communication card. We'll just ask you for some basic information. At the end of the service, you can hold onto that card, make your way to Radiant Central where we have a gift of appreciation just to say thank you for coming with us. Also want to remind us, this is a great space for you to put any prayer requests that you may have. So even if you're a member and you need prayer or know someone who needs prayer, the pastoral team and our intercessory team, we get these every day, weekend and week out and we pray over them. So if you want to take a moment to share one way that we can pray for you, we would love to do that as well. At this time, we want to invite our ushers to come forward as we receive our tithes and our offerings. Want to remind us that next week we have child dedications. It's a beautiful, beautiful moment. Hey, I have twin girls and I'm baptizing next week. I mean, then I'm dedicating next week which I'm super excited about. So come on out and celebrate with us. Pray that they don't have a meltdown. My wife believes that they will but it's gonna be an amazing time to come together and actually worship the Lord together and celebrate parents and families dedicating their children to raise them up in the way that they should go. Want to remind you there's always two ways that you can give, you can give as the buckets make their way. Also, you can give safely online at radiant.church slash give. We want to be reminded of Psalm 103 verse two it says that God actually gives us a lot of benefits, right? It says, bless the Lord, oh my soul and forget not all his benefits. Aren't you excited that God saved you? That God healed you? That God redeemed you? And as we remember the work of God in our life we allow our giving to be worship unto him. So I'm gonna pray for us. We're gonna continue to worship God through this service. Father again, we love you and we thank you for who you are. God, we do thank you for all your benefits as if the king of glory isn't enough. God, you choose to give us more. You choose to provide everything we need according to your riches and glory. And so Father, we give to you as an act of worship. We also ask you God that you would open up our hearts our minds to receive the word of God today. Holy Spirit, wish you empower your son, Pastor Lee to deliver a life-changing word that will impact not just our lives, but eternity. We thank you for who you are in Jesus' name and everyone said amen. I'm so glad that you're joining us. Whether you're with us in person or online here are a few things you need to know. To stay up to date on everything going on head to radiant.church or follow us on social media at the radiant city. You are designed to live out your faith with others. One way you can do that at radiant is by joining a radiant group. Visit radiant.church forward slash groups or head over to radiant central after service to get connected. To partner with what God is doing here at radiant you can give online at radiant.church slash give or in one of our offering boxes at any location. There are so many ways to get plugged in and grow here at radiant after service head over to radiant central where someone from our team would love the opportunity to meet you, answer any questions and give you a gift. We are so glad you joined us today. Thanks for being here. Filled with new and growing families and we believe that children are blessings from the Lord. In child dedications not only do parents celebrate and dedicate their children to Christ they also devote and consecrate themselves under the Lord's guidance as parents. This upcoming weekend we're hosting child dedications across all of our locations and we encourage you to register your family for this special moment at radiant.church slash weekend. Want to say good morning to Portage and online as well as downtown. It's good to have everybody joining us and I want to just start by saying congratulations to all of the Michigan fans in the house, the U of M fans. It was a close game but you guys eat it out so congratulations. And I say that humbly, I say that humbly. Of the last two years Jane and I have grown to actually have some level of affection for the University of Michigan. They did such an incredible job caring for both of our granddaughters and our daughter at Mott's Children's Hospital and Coach Harbaugh stood for life last year. I was like, what is happening? I feel like the Grinch, my heart is growing like three sizes for maize and blues. So who knows? Revival is happening. Hey, this morning I want to bring to you part two of the series. Did not intend for it to be a series but it is now a two part series entitled Israel, Iran and the Rising Storm. Last week, in response to what is taking place in the Middle East, I brought a message and we were surprised, we're surprised by both the response that we have gotten from it and also, and I use this word but it's the only word and I'm using it in a derogatory sense but the ignorance that people have concerning the times in which we're living in in particular the end times. And so I felt like it was really imperative and important not just for this house but also for the body of Christ to have an idea and to have a grid, not only of what is happening but this message this morning is about what is happening and what the Bible says is going to happen in the days that are ahead. And obviously in 35 or 40 minutes you can't necessarily unpack 4,000 years of biblical scripture and prophecy but I'm gonna give you, I'm gonna skip a stone across the water this morning from the framework of what is happening. I wanna begin by sharing with you something that has been surprising me. I don't know which is scarier. The fact that thousands of Hamas terrorists stormed the nation of Israel on October 7th by land, sea and air with the express purpose of murder, rape, torture and abduction or the fact that the last two weeks the world has been supporting these demonic forces and gathering for protests against Israel at the moment of her greatest grieving. Chanting for the destruction of Israel. From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free. I understand that there is a distinction that needs to be made between Hamas and the Palestinians living in the Gaza and the West Bank. However, I find it interesting that not a single Palestinian leader or Arab leader in the Middle East or political leader here in the US that has any affinity towards the cause of the Palestinians has risen up to condemn any of their atrocities, not one. Instead, they've shifted the narrative away from October 7th and through the power of left wing media propaganda made Israel out to actually be the terrorists. Israel has been blamed for the bombing of the hospital in Gaza, even though it was clearly debunked as a missile that was erroneously shot by Islamic Jihad. This is what we've seen over the last couple of weeks as people have condemned and called for a ceasefire and begun to protest against Israel is the modern equivalent of watching the towers fall on September 11th, 2001 in New York City. How many remember where you were on that day? It's the modern equivalent of watching that happen and then watching in the following days as the Gaza Strip and the West Bank erupted in celebration. Imagine on that day if all of the world leaders, instead of sending their condolences and their prayers chose to side with al-Qaeda, burn American flags in every major city and chant destroy America. It is the equivalent of protesting against the Jews of Germany in 1945, waving Nazi flags and swastikas on them as the death camps are discovered by the Allied forces. Instead of saying never again, that would be replaced with do it again until the job is finished. And I will just tell you this last week on my social media feed, as different clips have been posted about the subject of Israel, I've actually had people make statements similar to that. This chant that is being echoed from the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free, is now being echoed across state universities and major universities here in America in a genocidal call for the Jews and the nation of Israel to be exterminated, reminiscent of the pogroms of Russia under Stalin. Even here in our own pure Michigan, yesterday a president of a Detroit area synagogue was brutally stabbed to death outside of her Detroit home, just days after massive protests and rallies were held in the streets of Detroit in favor of Hamas and Palestine. We are living in perilous times, saints. The Bible clearly speaks about the days that we're living in and those that are to come. And it's imperative that we clearly understand more than what is on the news cycle. We must see this through the lens of a spiritual battle that is and that will continue to be. If you're looking for this to die down and to go back as life as usual, you're living blindly to what is about to take place and what is taking place around you. It's time to wake up and realize that the days in which we are living in are evil and it's time for us to realize that Israel is more than a conflict. Israel is a test. How you respond to Israel is how you respond to what God is doing and what is taking place in the world. What I wanna do this morning is I wanna share with you what I believe is coming because that's the number one question that I'm getting is where is all of this going? Is this just another conflict that's gonna die down? We're gonna go back to life as usual and live our American dream life. Is this just a regional conflict or is there something more that is going on? Well, I believe that there is a lot more going on more than the news media even knows how to pick up on more than people who do not have a grid for the Bible are able to put in any type of a framework or context but God is not taken by surprise. How many are glad to know that the Lord that we serve sits in the heavens and when man is perplexed he laughs because he knows exactly what's going on. And even though at times it seems like it's spinning out of control, God is taking history to a finish line. And so I wanna share with you where this is all going. Several things that are coming as a response to this current rising storm. Number one, Israel and Jerusalem will increasingly be the focus of the nations of this world. All eyes are going to be on this small little nation the size of New Jersey and in particular the city of Jerusalem that the Bible itself describes that God describes as the city of the great king. It's a city that God has marked. It's a city that contains a small 14 acre plateau on Mount Moriah that God has designated for himself. How do we know that Israel and Jerusalem are going to increasingly be the focus of the nations and the world? Zechariah chapter 12 speaks about it. Thousands of years ago God spoke through the prophet Zechariah about the days in which you and I are living in right now and here's what he said. He said, behold I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples when they laid siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples. All who would heave it away will surely be cut into pieces though all nations of the earth gather against it. This is a prophecy about the days in which you and I are living in. Jerusalem was a wasteland. Israel was a non-existing entity for almost 2,000 years but yet the prophecy that is spoken of in Zechariah has never been fulfilled and yet here we are in the 20th century, Israel became a nation in 1948. Jerusalem came under their control in 1967. They've held this territory since 1967 in fulfillment of the very words Jesus spoke of in the Olivet discourse. And what does God say about Israel and Jerusalem? He says it's going to be a cup of drunkenness. In other words, it's gonna be an issue that all the nations of the earth are gonna have their focus on and as they're trying to deal with the issue of Israel, Jerusalem and the Jewish question it's going to be like a cup of wine that as the nations are drinking it the more they give attention to it the more inebriated by the spirit of deception and the age they're going to become until ultimately it says all nations will gather against Jerusalem. Think about that, all the nations of the earth are going to at some point gather around the city of Jerusalem. Luke 21 verse 20, this is hundreds of years after Zechariah prophesies what he says in Luke 21 verse 20, Jesus makes this statement about the end of the age and about the signs that will proceed his return to the earth in response to the disciples who said Jesus when is all this going to happen? Here's what Jesus said, when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies then know that its desolation has come near. It's interesting that Jesus said the end of the age is going to take place and you'll know it because Jerusalem is going to be the epicenter of international and global attention. That can't happen until the Jews are back in the city of Jerusalem in the nation of Israel. For 2000 years that land was occupied by all kinds of different people under imperial powers but was not a sovereign nation, it was a wasteland. How many remember a guy named Mark Twain who wrote several classic fictional books? In the 1800s, Mark Twain took a trip to Israel. He wanted to go on tour of the Holy Land and when he was there he said it's nothing but a wasteland. It's nothing but howling dogs, it's a wasteland, nothing can live there. It's unbelievable that this was the focus of so much history but yet now 150 years after Mark Twain visits Israel, the desert has blossomed and it's one of the most beautiful agriculturally fertile areas in the entire Middle East and what started in 1948 with 600,000 Jews returning to the land, now there's over 10 million Jews living in the land. There are more Jews living in Israel today than in the time of Jesus, David and all the way back to Abraham all combined. It's in direct correlation to the prophecies that God would bring them back into the land and now what we're gonna see is more and more focus is going to be on this little nation. Listen, it doesn't make sense. Why is it that the whole world is looking at this little nation when you've got Europe and you've got America and you've got Beijing and yet all of these nations, Russia are all focused on this nation. Prepare yourself because that's not going to end. It's not gonna end until Zechariah 14 is fulfilled when Jesus returns and the Bible says his feet are gonna stand once again on the Mount of Olives and he is going to reign and to rule over the nations of the earth. You wanna know what's coming? Another thing that's coming is anti-Semitism that we've all witnessed recently will continue to rise and be masqueraded as social justice around the world. This will be an issue that is couched under the umbrella of social justice when really it is nothing but pure hate. When people say hate has no home here what they really mean is accept the Jews and Christians. The only two groups you're allowed to hate on the planet are Jewish people and followers of Jesus the Jewish Messiah and that's because there is a spiritual source to that level of hatred. Anti-Semitism is on the rise. Over the last couple of weeks we've seen major protests if they would put some of these pictures up. Look, keep the world clean. Look at what's in the trash. This isn't just a march for justice. It is anti-Semitism. Show the next picture here of protest. Stop the genocide. Talking about what's taking place in Gaza. What's interesting to me is that the terrorists of Hamas specifically targeted civilians and yet Israel when they're about to go in and take the terrorists out have given over 10 days of warning to the civilians to actually get out. Hamas doesn't do that but yet Israel is the one guilty of committing genocide. This is anti-Semitism at its worst. Even one of the organizations that over the last three or plus years here in America, a social justice movement called Black Lives Matter to show their solidarity with the Palestinians who came in on arrow gliders in order to murder Jews in the wilderness. This is the t-shirt that they put out in very short order. I stand with Palestine in a murderous demonstration. This is not social justice. This is demonic. I mentioned it earlier but a young lady 40 years old, Samantha Wall, president of the synagogue in Detroit was murdered in front of her home just a day ago, stabbed multiple times. You think there's any accident that this is taking place? That two synagogues, one in Tunisia and another in Europe were burned down in the last 10 days. Jewish students are afraid to go to class on major American universities because they don't feel safe and because their leaders and the presidents lack the moral fortitude and courage to condemn what's going on in the name of social justice when it's nothing more than old fashioned hatred and anti-Semitism. I would love to tell you that this is going away but it is not. The spirit of Haman is alive and well on planet earth and here in our own nation. Why is it that there has never been a race of people on the face of the earth as persecuted by every major empire in world history? The Jewish people have been persecuted by, you name them, over three millennia, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Assyria, Greece, Rome, Ottoman Empire, even the Holy Roman Empire. The Jewish people have been under the assault of the Third Reich and almost exterminated more times than any other ethnic group in human history. It defies logic and rationality. The reason for this is that it is a spiritual hatred and it originates in the unseen spiritual realm and it was birthed in the very bowels of hell itself because it is through the Jewish people that God had made a promise that a Messiah, a Redeemer for all the nations of the world would emerge that it was from the descendants of Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob who became Israel, that this Messiah would come and not just save the Jewish people, but a Jewish Messiah would come who would die for the sins of the world and take the covenant that God made with Abraham and make it available for every man, woman, and child on the planet. And while the God who created the world sees it as a paradise, the devil wants to keep it as a concentration camp to keep human beings under the slavery of sin and damn them to an eternity in hell. But God has sent his son, a Jewish man named Jesus who died, who rose and is coming back again. And in response to this level of anti-Semitism, the church must respond. We must respond by standing as intercessors and friends of the Jewish people, not because they've done everything right politically and even in spite of the fact that they are still for the most part in unbelief, the Bible gives us a clear picture that at the end of the age, in Romans chapter 11, that it will be the faith demonstrated through Gentile believers that is actually gonna provoke Israel and Jewish unbelievers to turn their hearts back to the living God. It's gonna be us, the way we love our Jewish friends and neighbors, the way that we serve Jesus. We may be their only protectors, we may be their only intercessors, but may God give us the grace to do it. Number three, you wanna know what's coming? Iran is going to continue to fuel Holy Jihad against Israel in the region and abroad. Let me read to you this quote. They don't have it up on the screen so you'll have to listen to me. But this is from the Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the theocracy, the Islamic Republic of Iran. He said this in 2021, our view regarding the issue of Palestine is clear and obvious. We believe the solution to Palestine is the destroying of the Israeli regime. Don't say that it can't be done. There is no can't be done in this world. All the great mountains that serve as impediments to the movement of people can be moved. This is why they want a nuclear weapon. They've actually named their special forces army the Kudz force because Kudz is the name, the Islamic name for Temple Mount in Jerusalem. And they've named it after that because they believe ultimately their armies are going to invade Israel to destroy every Jew hiding behind every tree and every rock just as they quote it out of the Quran and that they will ultimately stand on Temple Mount and reclaim it and cleanse it from Jewish presence. It's going to continue. This ancient hatred of Haman is going to continue towards the Jewish people and it's going to be continued to be fueled by Iran. Right now, Hamas, Hezbollah, as I said last week, they are nothing more than proxies of the Iranian regime who is dead sent on Israel's destruction. And it's going to continue. The Bible prophesies in Ezekiel chapter 38. A time when all the nations of the earth under a leader named Gog of Magog are going to descend from the north on the mountains of Israel and they are going to invade the Holy land after a period of seemingly peace. And they're going to attempt to destroy it. And he's going to be aligned with the confederation of other nations just as Zechariah prophesies it in Zechariah chapter 12 when he says the surrounding nations are going to gather to attack Israel. Ezekiel 38 says much of the same. And in that list of the confederacy, Persia is listed as one of the nations aligned against Israel, attacking them in the final days. You see, there's something about Iran. Now what's ironic is that Iran is also center stage on one of the greatest revivals in human history. More Muslims are coming to Christ in Iran than any other nation on the face of the earth. And it also happens to be the place where some of the greatest anti-Semitism and hatred of God's people is emerging from. I think that's just like the Lord to break through the darkest place and to reveal a man in white in dreams and envisions that is leading thousands of people to not just love Jesus. But now God's raising up an intercessory army of Jesus-loving Iranians who are now praying for the Jewish people and Israel. Isn't that wonderful how God can do that? But we have to realize that this is not just, this is not just a political rinker. This is a significant spiritual demonic principality that we're talking about over the nation of Iran that has resisted the covenantal purposes of God for Israel and thus all the nations of the world through Israel since the days of the Old Testament and even in Daniel. Daniel in chapter 10 is praying while they're in exile in Babylon, in Persia. And he's praying for God, when are you gonna fulfill your purposes for your people? Here we are in exile and we can't fulfill our covenantal purposes unless we're back in the land. And Jeremiah had prophesied that it would be a 70-year captivity. So Daniel is praying. He's like, God, give me revelation. Give me understanding of Jeremiah's words. And in Daniel chapter 10, it says this, that the angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel while he's interceding. And the angel Gabriel said to Daniel, the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me for 21 days. But Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me for I was left there with the king's plural of Persia and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days for the vision is for a time yet to come. So Daniel started praying. Gabriel was sent with a message from the father, but it took him 21 days of spiritual warfare against a principality the Bible describes as the ruler or the principality, the prince of Persia. That is modern day Iran. A significant demonic principality that has resisted God's purposes and plans for the nation of Israel for thousands of years. Well, how many know that principality did not go on vacation? He's now dressed in clerical garb under the spirit of Islam and using it to not just captivate and terrorize people, but to resist the spiritual internal purposes that God has for the nation at the end of the age. Number four, more that is to come is this conflict that we are currently witnessing right now in Israel will ultimately lead to a new world war, global chaos, and a new world order. You need to recognize this. This conflict is not going away. This conflict, it may take on several different iterations, but ultimately, and there may be delays and gaps in it, but ultimately this is leading to a new world war. And global chaos in the 30s, Chamberlain tried to appease Hitler and it delayed the inevitable for a few short years. But ultimately we saw the world and the United States as well as others pulled into a global conflict. Make no mistake about it, this is leading there. And as a result of that, we are going to see global chaos on a scale that we have never witnessed it before. And out of the ashes of that, at some time, we don't know how long that's gonna be, we don't know how many years that could take to accomplish, but make no mistake about it, out of the ashes of this conflict and this conflict alone is going to emerge a new world order. And it is not a new world order that God puts His seal of blessing on. We are the first generation alive on planet Earth that now has accomplished what has been impossible for 6,000 years, or for at least 4,000 years. And what is that? We have reversed the effects of the Tower of Babel. God saw that man was creating an empire to themselves, making a name great for themselves. In radical disobedience to him, instead of scattering, they were gathering, building a tower, building an empire to get up into the heavens, they were gonna be their own God, make a name for themselves and God confused their languages and scattered them all over the face of the earth by confusing their languages and dividing them along ethnic backgrounds. But now, we are the first generation, because of technology, to see the reverse of Babel and we are picking up right where we left off in the plains of the Middle East. We're building Babel, one language, one people, one family, one globe, and there is going to be a new world order that comes out of the ashes of this. Jesus actually spoke of what is going to take place. In Luke 21, verse 25 through 26. Again, speaking of the signs of the end of the age, he said, there will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars and on the earth, distress of nations in perplexity. Why is there going to be nations in distress and perplexity? One of the reasons is we don't know what to do with the conflict of the Middle East that is pulling the world like a black hole gravitationally into a conflict. He says that there's going to be nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear, with foreboding of what is coming on the world for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. When the Bible uses that phrase, the powers of the heavens will be shaken. It's talking about spiritual warfare. That there is going to be such immense spiritual warfare at the end of the age that it physically manifests itself in climate, in the environment, and in geopolitical terms that culminate in such terrible horrendous things that people literally are falling dead because of the anxiety and the stress and literally producing a time period when nations are completely complex and have no answers and no solutions. Literally it becomes a riddle that cannot be solved and it leads to a radical entrance of an individual that the Bible calls the man of lawlessness. Let me read to you another description from the Apostle Paul about this time period and what I believe in the next several years and maybe even decades we're about to see play out in front of our eyes. Second Thessalonians chapter two, verse three through 12, Paul writes this, let no one deceive you in any way. For that day, the day of the Lord will not come unless the rebellion or the apostasy comes first. In other words, people falling away from the faith are rebelling against God. He says, and the man of lawlessness is revealed. The son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called God or object of worship so that he takes his seat in the temple of God proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was with you, I told you these things and you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains will do it until he's taken out of the way. Then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the coming or with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. In other words, this is leading all the way up to Jesus's coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power, false signs and wonders and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore, God sends a strong delusion so that they may believe what is false in order that all may be condemned who do not believe the truth but had pleasure and unrighteousness. Paul's saying, remember, I told you this when I was with you. Because the Thessalonians were asking the same questions that we ask, Lord, what is it going to be like at the end of the age? And Paul says this. He says, the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. In the earth. In other words, the spirit of antichrist is already at work in the earth. It's chaos, the word lawlessness comes from a phrase that literally means violence, riots, anarchy and ultimately the destruction of civil order. He says that there is going to come an increase in lawlessness. Jesus said this in Matthew 24 in reference to the end times. He says lawlessness will be increased. So we're gonna see this lawlessness increase that spiritual in its origin and it's gonna rise, rise, rise until there is, I believe, a breakdown of civil government and nation's ability to handle what's happening on the face of the earth. And in that moment, what is going to happen is number five, a man of lawlessness is going to come. The Bible describes this man of lawlessness with several different names. The antichrist probably the best known, the beast, the little horn, the one who speaks pompous things, the man of lawlessness. He's a man who comes and I believe will emerge on the scene out of the ashes of global chaos and anarchy and potentially even a third world war that is centered around Israel and the Middle East conflict. He will arise and he will seemingly bring a solution that nobody has and be able to broker peace and security for a world gone mad. And he is going to be viewed as the hero. Look at what he's able to do. Look at, we've never been able to solve this issue in the Middle East and yet somehow this man is gonna step on the scene. Both as a spiritual and a geopolitical leader out of the side in the shadows where no one would expect him to emerge and he's gonna be able to broker a peace deal in the Middle East. We know this because Daniel nine speaks of it. Speaking about the antichrist and says, he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week that seven years. And for half of the week, he will put an end to sacrifice and offering and on the wings of abomination shall come one who makes desolate until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator. Paul says that this way, he's going to emerge out of a lawless environment and lawless world. He himself is a man of lawlessness. In other words, he's motivated by the same demonic spirit that is active in the world, except he's gonna emerge on the scene and he's going to establish a covenant between Israel and other nations and bring about a peace treaty that the whole world celebrates because nobody else has been able to figure out and halfway through that seven years, he's gonna violate it and he's going to do what is described as abominate and desolate the holy place. Paul says he'll enter into the temple proclaim himself to be God and make the whole world worship him. Daniel calls it the abomination of desolation. Jesus in Matthew 24 says, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken out by the prophet Daniel, here's what he says, when you see him standing in the holy place, that's the temple. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. This is gonna lead to number six. A man is coming and then number six, a time is coming in the world that the world and the church is not prepared for. We're not prepared for a church. We're not ready because we've lived under the delusion that life is always going to be, the world is always going to be the way that it is right now and we may have squirmishes and wars but it's just always gonna bounce back. We've been convinced that the greatest ideal and goal of existence is our own happiness and we have failed to understand that ultimately God is bringing human history to a finish line in which his desire is going to be fulfilled, his peace is going to be enacted and his kingdom is going to come. And out of the ashes of chaos when the man emerges, a time is coming, the Bible describes it as the great tribulation. Matthew 24, verse 21 and 22, Jesus said there will be a great tribulation such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no and never will be and if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved but for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. It's gonna be a time of testing. The book of Revelation speaks about it. Most people want to avoid because it's hard to understand. It's difficult to comprehend, it's offensive to our heart. How can this be what is coming but it's coming? And the Bible says that the church is not ready for it just like the world's not ready for it. It's gonna come on the world like a thief in the night and like a snare. It's gonna come on the church and many are going to have been lulled to sleep. This is why Jesus said, stay awake, take heed, watch and pray, lest your heart grow cold, lest you be deceived. When the Bible says many are going to be deceived in the last days, it's because we're believing the narrative of the spirit of this age and we get offended when things don't go our way. How many of you know we get offended when little things don't go our way? Myself included, it's like, man, that was a rough day. God, where were you? What are we gonna do when the whole world seems like it's collapsing in on itself? A time is coming. And how should we respond to that time? Jesus said this, Luke 21 verse 28. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near. Jesus said, when these things begin to happen, come on, be spiritually alive. Get engaged, get activated, not be motivated by fear. Don't get offended by what's going on. Don't get offended at God and don't be drunk with the spirit of this age and don't be deceived by the deception that's going on in the world. Have your heart fully engaged in the presence of God, in the word of God. Drawing near and encouraging one another and begin to lift up your heads because when we begin to see this stuff happening, it's not the end of the world, we're just drawing near to the beginning of the new world and it's not gonna be a new world with the world economic forum ruling the world, it's gonna be a new world with the king of kings, the prince of peace ruling the world. You're not gonna eat bugs and live in shacks, you're gonna eat meat and live in the kingdom. Come on, somebody. Number seven, this is the final one. You wanna know what else is coming? A king is coming. And he's coming to reign. He's coming to fulfill promises that he made to another king by the name of David. When he told David, how did he even enter into your heart to build me a house? God said, David, I'm gonna actually build you a house and because you're a man after my own heart, I'm making you a promise that a man from your body is going to always sit on your throne and rule over Israel and all the nations of the world. And you know what, God fulfilled that. You read Luke chapter one, Matthew chapter one, Romans chapter one, Jesus is from the line of David. He is a direct descendant and this king by the name of Jesus who's the king of kings is coming back to sit on the throne of his forefather, David to reign and to rule and to fulfill every promise that God has made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all of his spiritual descendants like you and I who are Gentiles to reign and rule with him and see peace cover the earth, like waters cover the sea. The Bible describes this return. Woo! Second Thessalonians chapter one says, and he is coming to grant relief to those who are afflicted. The time of tribulation may be terrible but he's coming to grant relief and it says the relief is gonna come when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. And when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at among all those who have believed because our testimony to you was believed. This end, we always pray for you that our God may make you worthy, here's the prayer, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power so that the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you and him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, he's coming again, church. He's coming again. He's coming again. And it's not long off in the distance, I believe with all of my heart. And when he steps out of eternity, when he stands up from that throne, seated at the right hand of the Father, when the Father looks at him and says, Jesus, it's time. And he steps back into history and he calls forth his saints from the grave to meet them in the air and we are transformed and glorified when the saints of old come with Jesus as an army in the air and we come and we return to the earth. He's gonna make all things that are wrong right and he is gonna establish his kingdom on the earth and we are going to reign and rule with him. What do we do today? We wanna live lives that are worthy of his calling. This is what we wanna do. We wanna live lives that are worthy of that moment. We don't wanna be deceived. Church, listen to me as your pastor, I don't want you deceived. How do we avoid deception? Take heed, watch and pray, this is what Jesus said, that you might not enter into temptation. This is not a time to draw away from the Lord. This is a time to draw near the Lord. This is a time to become spiritually awake. The signs are all around us and they're increasing, the birth pangs are on increase. Let me ask you today, are you ready to meet Jesus? Because if you're not ready to meet Jesus today, it's time for you to have your heart awakened to the reality that eternity is real and it's just around the corner. And these are things, listen, these are things that the Bible prophesied, thousands of years in advance and they're coming to pass right before our eyes. I don't know how long it will be, I don't know if it's months, years, decades, but here's what I know, I wanna be ready when it happens. I wanna be ready, I wanna be fully engaged. I wanna be a watchman on the wall, partnering with what God is doing on the earth. One of the things that's coming that I did not include for sake of time is this gospel of the kingdom is going to be preached to the whole world. God is about to stir and activate his church as a prepared bride in the last days who love not our lives even unto death. And in the middle of calamity and in the middle of difficulty, he's gonna raise up a praying love sick people who go to the four corners of the world and around their neighborhood and share the hope of Jesus and we are gonna see a harvest of people saved and brought into the kingdom of God because there are going to be people that are filled with passion and zeal to see his return. That's what God's looking for for us to become a people prepared. I wanna ask you this question this morning. Are you ready? Are you ready? For what is coming? Are you ready? For what he's called you to? Are you ready to see him face to face? I wanna invite you wherever you're at to stand to your feet with me this morning. Would you buy your heads with me, please? This is a holy moment. I'm gonna ask that unless you absolutely have to, please don't move. This is perhaps one of the most significant moments in some people's lives this morning. Eternally significant. Because the Bible says clearly that these things will take place and they have and they are. This same Bible also says that God desires that none should perish but that all should be saved. God doesn't want anybody to perish but that's exactly what happens. If we've heard the gospel over and over and over again and yet we either don't believe it or we reject it, that all that's left is an eternity separated from him but the Bible is very clear that God doesn't want that. The wages of sin is death. That's what happens to us on our own without Jesus. But the gift of God is eternal life. God is offering a gift to everyone. God's offering a gift to you. The gift of his eternal life, salvation. What are the terms? Absolute surrender. You have to surrender everything. You have to lay down your own crown. You have to lay down the sin that you have enjoyed and have turned into an idol but you also get to lay down your shame and your regrets and your mistakes and your trespasses and your pride and you get to take all the weight off of your shoulders and surrender it to Jesus and he in exchange will forgive you as if it never happened, give you a new heart and eternal life and you will live with him forever. How do I get that? How do I receive this gift? You have to confess Jesus as Lord. This morning I want to lead you in a prayer of confession but all over this room as I ask the question, are you ready? If you today would say, I'm not ready. Today I'm not a Christian. Today I want to become a Christian. I want to become a follower of Jesus. I want to be saved. I need to be born again by the spirit of God. I need my sins forgiven. Pray for me. You may be here today and say I don't know for sure. I'm not sure if I'm ready but today I'm committing my life. I'm saying Lord, I'm recommitting my life to you. I've been playing games. I've been apathetic. I've been complacent but today I'm coming home and I'm saying Jesus forgive me, fill me, prepare me. I want to be ready to meet you. If today you know that you need to get right with God and you want to be included in this prayer we're going to pray right now. I just want you to lift up a hand. Indicate that to heaven and to me. Say pastorally pray for me today. I need to get my life right with God. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You're not alone. Thank you, thank you. Who else today? Wherever you're at today, raise it high and God will see it. I see that hand. I'm looking, I'm scanning the room. If you've not raised it, raise it right now. Today is a new beginning. Thank you. You can put your hands down. I'm going to lead you in a prayer. The Bible says this, if we believe in our heart on the Lord Jesus Christ and we confess with our mouth that God has raised him from the dead. You will be saved. It's that easy. So everybody out loud all together, join these who raise their hands by saying, Heavenly Father, come in Jesus' name and I confess, Jesus Christ is the Son of God, Savior of the world who died for me for my sins and was raised again and is the soon incoming King. Jesus, today I surrender and I invite you into my heart to be my Lord and Savior. Forgive me, cleanse me and prepare me to meet you. From this day forward, I am a child of God. I have eternal life. Heaven is my home. Jesus is my Lord. The Bible is my guide and the church is my family. I will never turn my back on you because you've never turned yours on me. Thank you for loving me and saving me in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. Come on, can we celebrate that today? Come on, it's better than that. It's better than that. It's better than that. Amen. It's better than that. If you just prayed that prayer, I want you to know you are a new creation. It's brand new, you're forgiven. It's all different now. If we wanna now help you, walk this out. I'm gonna invite our prayer partners to make their way up over there, over there, down here in the front and here's what we're gonna do this morning as we dismiss. If you raise your hand and you prayed that prayer and you meant it, before you leave today, your next step in following Jesus is a two minute decision and here's what it is. When everybody's walking that way, we want you to walk this way. Come down to one of these prayer partners, tell them today I made Jesus the Lord of my life. We wanna pray for you. If you don't have a Bible, we wanna give you one and we wanna talk to you briefly just about your next steps and now following Jesus and being prepared. And everybody else, come on. Let's lift up our heads. Our redemption draws near. Amen. God bless you, you're dismissed this morning.