 This morning I want to bring to you part two of this teaching that I gave last weekend called Israel, Iran and the Rising Storm. This is part two of that. I had not intended at the beginning of this fall on teaching on this, even though it's always something that's constantly stirring in my heart. I think it's important that as followers of Jesus, we are prepared for the days in which we live in and that we also have a grid and a context for the things that are happening in the world because the things that are happening in the world are not distinct and separate from the things that are happening in the spirit and in the kingdom of God. God is the Lord over all and everything that takes place in this world has biblical significance and relevance. However, in light of what took place in Israel on October the 7th, I really felt compelled the week after that to teach on this specific subject and there was absolutely no way in the world I could get everything I wanted to share in part one of it. So this morning is part two. This is Israel, Iran and the Rising Storm. And I want to begin by reading a statement that I made and then I'm going to share with you what I believe is coming next because that's the question that I'm asked most often is what does this mean and what is coming? Everybody wants to know not just what the news is saying but what does God say we can expect to come in the future? Let me read this statement first. I don't know which is scarier, the fact that thousands of Hamas terrorists stormed the nation of Israel by land, sea and air with the express purpose of murder, rape, torture and abduction or the fact that two weeks later the world is standing in support of these demonic forces and gathering for protests against Israel at the moment of her greatest grieving. Channing for the destruction of Israel with the chant from the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free. I understand clearly 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 do find it interesting that not a single Palestinian leader or Arab leader in the Middle East or political leader here in the US that is connected to the Palestinian cause has been willing to publicly condemn Hamas or the atrocities that they committed, not one. Instead, they've shifted the narrative away from October 7th and Israel's right to defend themselves and their innocence and they've shifted it away from those things towards what the media and the left-wing propaganda machine has focused on which is Israel is actually the terrorists. Israel has been blamed for bombing a hospital in Gaza that was plastered on the New York Times and other media outlets even after it was debunked and it was clearly proven to be a missile from the Islamic Jihad, another terrorist organization that intended that missile to do destruction and death in Israel and not in Gaza. This is the modern equivalent of watching the towers fall on September 11th, 2001 and then watching in the following days as in the Gaza Strip, as well as the West Bank, they erupted in celebration. Imagine if on that day, America's greatest tragedy, if world leaders instead of sending their condolences chose to side with Al Qaeda, burn the American flag in every major city of the world and chant, destroy America. It would be the equivalent of protesting against the Jews of Germany in 1945, waving Nazi flags with swastikas on them as the death camps are discovered by the Allied forces. Never again has been replaced with do it again until the job gets done. This chant is not just echoing out of Gaza or the West Bank. It's actually resounding on state university campuses here in America is a genocidal call for the Jews and the nation of Israel to be exterminated and it's reminiscent of the pogroms of Russia under Stalin. Even here in our own pure Michigan yesterday, the president of a Detroit area Jewish synagogue was brutally murdered outside of her home, stabbed several times, just days after massive anti-Israel rallies were held in the streets of Detroit in favor of Hamas and Palestine. We are living in perilous time, saints. The Bible clearly speaks about the days in which we are living in and those that are to come. It is imperative that we clearly understand more than what is on the news cycle. We must see through the lens of the spiritual battle that is and that it will continue to be. If you're looking for this thing to die down and to go back to life as usual, you are living blindly to 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 days and it's time to realize that Israel is a test. How we respond to Israel is how we respond to the promises and the covenants of God. This is a statement that I made because over the last couple of weeks I've been incredibly surprised. I've been surprised at the lack of empathy. I've been surprised by the organizations that have been silent. I've been surprised even by the church that has been silent. When I say church, I'm talking about big C, talking about pastors and leaders that have not spoken out. And even if your eschatology does not line up with the eschatology of this church, there should at least be a gratitude and an empathy and a compassion for the people that have been attacked. I've been called out by pastors and other leaders and people on social media as my message and the Instagram posts have just exploded. I've been confronted by several people saying, well, we don't necessarily hold Israel in that high of a regard in our eschatological framework or what about the Palestinians that are caught in a crossfire? Here's what I think is interesting is that Israel has given almost two weeks of warning to the citizens of Palestine to evacuate because they're coming in. They are intentionally not targeting civilians, even though Hamas on October the 7th did target civilians and even now is using its own citizens as a shield, citizen shields, so that when Israel comes in and does what it has to do, they are going to be on the other side of public opinion because of their cruelty and their terrorism. This is illogical, it's irrational and I believe it's insidious. And I believe it's indicative of what is coming because it's not going away. And this morning, from the focus of Israel and Iran and their complicity, as well as the rising storm of end times that we are seeing all around us, I wanna speak to you this morning about where this is all going. What is to come? What is to come? I know people are talking about Israel's going to respond but this is, this far surpasses, listen, just the natural realm that the news media wants to present this as and that's fine, that's all they've got. All they've got is geopolitical, all they've got is conflict, all they've got is war. But as Christians, this thing is so much deeper than just what is on the surface. This is ancient, it is spiritual, it is prophetic and we need to be understanding people of what is taking place. So I'm gonna give to you what I believe is coming. What the Bible says. You know what's incredible is that the Bible, unlike any other book that's ever been written, prophesies with complete accuracy about the days in which you and I are living in. In a world where politicians don't have answers, God does. And in a world where people are motivated by fear because they don't know what's coming, we as the people of God can be motivated by faith even though we do know what's coming. So I wanna share with you what the Bible says is coming. And by the way, I'm skipping a stone across the surface of the prophetic scriptures. This is not a deep dive, this is a Costco sample for you and hopefully it's going to stir a hunger on the inside of you to get into God's word and become familiar because this Bible, thousands of years ago, prophesies the very things that we're seeing in front of us. Number one, so what's coming? What can we look forward to? Where is this all going? Number one, as you're going to see, Israel and Jerusalem increasingly become the focus on nations of the world. Israel and Jerusalem is going to continue and increasingly so become the focus of nations and the world. Do you know that God said this and spelled this out over 3,000 years ago in Zechariah chapter 12, a prophetic passage. It says in chapter 12, verse two and three, "'Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness, "'all the surrounding peoples "'when they lay 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 gather against it.'" God said thousands of years ago that there is going to come a day at the end of human history when all eyes are going to be focused on this small New Jersey-sized nation named Israel and specifically its capital, its ancient capital of Jerusalem. He says that all eyes are going to be on it. I'm going to make it a cup of drunkenness. In other words, all the nations both that surround it and as he says here, all the nations of the earth, think about that, over 230 nations of the earth, are going to be drinking from the cup of confusion, animosity, anger, and jealousy. And just like happens when we drink from a cup of wine, the more you drink from it, the more intoxicated you become about it and then you begin to make decisions that are not logical. You begin to say things that are not rational and you begin to act in a certain way towards those that are in your proximity. And that's exactly what God says is going to happen with Jerusalem. Listen, this is not going away, this is going to increase. Jesus spoke of this in Luke chapter 21 verse 20, asked by his disciples. He said, what is going to be the sign of your return? How about he believed that Jesus Christ didn't just come one time, he's coming again. And his disciples knew that and they asked the question, how are we going to know? How are we going to know when you're going to come back? In Luke 21, Jesus answers the question. And part of his answer was when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. A couple of things that you need to identify. For 2000 years, the Jewish people did not occupy the nation of Israel. They were there, but they were not allowed to be an independent nation. They dwelt as nomads with a dream in their heart as they had been scattered among all the other nations of the world, a dream of someday going back. And the reason for that is like Genesis chapter 17 says, the covenant that God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who became the 12 tribes of Israel is deeply connected to the everlasting covenant and to the everlasting possession of the land that God had granted to them. And so for 2000 years, this scripture could not have been fulfilled. Jesus said, my return, you want to know what it is? It's when you see Jerusalem surrounded by all nations. Okay, well, what's that in reference to? It's in reference to Zechariah 12, where God himself through the prophet said, in the end of times, Jerusalem is going to be the focus. It's going to be such a focus. People are going to be inebriated with the subject of what do we do with Israel? What do we do with this conflict and this Middle Eastern term oil? Ultimately, it's going to make all nations come and surround the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel in order to destroy it and attack it. And Jesus said, that's going to be one of the things that takes place right before I return. What's required for that to happen? Israel to be back in the land. And that took place in 1948 and they gained possession of Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967. We are living in the only generation that this scripture could have been fulfilled. So you want to know what's coming? Pay attention to the irrational delusional focus on the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. It makes absolutely no sense. And yet there it is. Number two, what's coming? Is anti-Semitism or the hatred of the Jewish people will continue to masquerade in our society as social justice here and around the world. It's going to masquerade as this is a social justice issue. This is happening right now around the world and here in America on our major university campuses. Just this last week, a journalist from the New York Times had to be fired because on our social media tweet, she said, Adolf Hitler had it right when he wanted to get rid of all of you. A professor at a major university posted on her social media that basically calling out Zionist students and staff and journalists and that we should post their addresses and then finished with the emoji of blood drops, knives and butcher knives. These are not unsophisticated individuals. These are people that call themselves social justice warriors. These are people that are out to set free the oppressed from the oppressors and while there are legitimate social justice issues in our society that we should be passionate about because Jesus is passionate about, we need to pay attention that there are going to be anti-Semitic demonic spirits that are masquerading in social justice clothing all around us. Here's just some of the pictures of some of the protests that took place this last week. Look it, one person's waving a Palestinian flag. Do we believe in the dignity of the Palestinian people? Absolutely. Look at the sign next to it. Put it back up if you would. Go back. Notice the star of David in the trash can. People are boldly communicating what Adolf Hitler and what the Nazis were advocating for and what Hamas is advocating for all around the world. This is in a Western city. Put up the next picture of a protest if they would. Look at this. Stop the genocide. It's interesting. Genocide means the wiping out of a ethnic people. That's pretty interesting that that's being applied to Palestine since their population is twice as large as it was two decades ago. That doesn't sound like genocide to me. Genocide is when you take 6.5 million Jews in Europe and you exterminate them on alters to Satan that are nothing more than furnaces that you're left with nothing but ashes and jewelry. That is genocide. And to compare what is happening in Gaza to compare what happened in Germany is a complete travesty. Let me show you another picture here. A social justice movement that's been on the front pages the last three years. Black Lives Matter posted this days after the atrocities of October 7th. I stand with Palestine and the paragliders are the way that Hamas came into Palestine in order to surprise and kill over 250 who were at a party in southern Israel. That is not social justice. That comes from the bowels of hell. Let me show you something else. Put up another picture if they would. This is the name. This is the face of Samantha Wall who is the president of the synagogue in Detroit who at 40 years old was stabbed to death just yesterday outside of her Detroit home. Businesses have had the star of David sprayed upon them. Jewish students all across America are communicating to their professors that they are not feeling safe to come into classes because they're being beaten and persecuted and these protests are calling from the land to the sea, Palestine shall be free. That's not just a chant about freedom. That's actually a call for extermination. You go back and you look at the history of that statement. It means we're marching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, which is where Israel is and we're pushing all of the Jews into the sea. This is happening on all of our major universities and presidents are not making statements about it. In a time when we're supposed to be people that have yard signs that says hate has no home here, unless you hate Christians and Jews, then it's okay to hate. Pay attention because this is not going to decrease. Antisemitism is going to be on the rise. Why is it that the devil hates Jewish people so much? Why is it that the Jewish people are the only ethnic group that has been persecuted over three millennia by every empire that has arisen on the face of the earth? Whether it was Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Assyria, Greece, Rome, the Ottoman Empire, even the Holy Roman Empire in Europe and most recently the Third Reich, the Jewish people have been under assault and almost exterminated more times than any other group in human history. It defies logic, rationality, and the reason for it is simple. It's a spiritual hatred. It originates in the unseen spiritual realm. The devil hates the Jewish people because the Jewish people were the ones that God, when he saw a broken and a lost, sin-ridden world, initiated a covenant relationship with one man. His name was Abraham and then gave him a promise and said, through your seed, Isaac, I am going to bring a redeemer into the world. And Isaac begot Jacob and Jacob had 12 sons who became the 12 sons of Israel, the nation of Israel, through whom the seed of Messiah, the savior of the world, Jesus Christ, was born. And he was born in Israel. He was born in a manger. He was sat on the throne of his father, David. He's of the seed of David. He's from the root of Jesse and he's still in his resurrected form. A Jewish man with nail scars in his hands that represent the oppression and the murder of an empire that hated him because it hates God. And when he returns, let me tell you, he's coming back as a glorified Jewish man with nail scars still in his hand to sit on the throne of his father, David and rule from the city of Jerusalem. And the devil hates it. The Bible says in Revelation chapter 12 that that serpent, the devil is filled with rage and anger and he still sits waiting for an opportunity to destroy Israel because the promises that God made through Abraham are not just for the Jewish people, although they include them. You and I as Gentile believers have been included in the family of God. And now we are part of Jesus. It's Jew and Gentile alike. And in the kingdom, Jews are going to be fulfilling and living in the fulfillment of all God's promises to Abraham, but baby, so are we. We've been grafted in to the blessings of God. And at this moment, the church must respond by standing as intercessors and friends that ultimately by our love for Jesus and our love for them provoke the Jewish people in the nation of Israel to jealousy, just like Romans chapter 11 says would take place at the end of the age, the mystery of Israel. It says, Paul says, Israel stumbled in order that they might fall by no means, rather that through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles. That's us. So ultimately to make Israel jealous. We should love them and provoke them under jealousy and stand on the Isaiah 62 wall of intercession for the nation of Israel. Number three, what's coming? Iran is going to fuel Islamic jihad against Israel in the region and around the world. Islam right now currently is the fastest growing religion on the world. It's outpacing Christianity because of their birth rate. In Europe, it's estimated that Europe, specific nations like Belgium, Germany and France could very possibly become Islamic majority nations by 2040. What began as an incursion by the followers of Muhammad several hundred years ago, ultimately they're gonna finish the job. That's their goal. And Islam is spreading. And while there are wonderful Muslim people that even though we might disagree, theologically and about the nature of God and the nature of who Jesus is, make no mistake about the spirit behind Islam is a militant. It is a aggressive and it is a take no prisoners spirit that is fueling Islam. And no one is perpetuating that version of Islam more than Iran. That took place during a revolution in 1979. The Itola Khomeini came back from exile in Europe. And since that time, they have made it very clear what their intentions are against the Jewish people. The Itola Khomeini declared two years ago, our view regarding the issue of Palestine is clear and obvious. We believe the solution to Palestine is in destroying the Israeli regime. Don't say that it can't be done. There is no can't be done in the world. All the great mountains that serve as impediments to the movement of people can be moved. Let me tell you, there's one mountain that you're not gonna move. And it's Mount Mariah. It's the mount where God establishes Covenant with Abraham and there's another mountain you're not gonna move. It's Mount Calvary. And that's where Jesus' blood was shed for the redemption of the world. But it's very clear that Iran is pursuing nuclear capability in order to exterminate and remove every Jew from the face of the earth. And they are the funders, the trainers and the ideological masterminds behind Hamas, behind Hezbollah and behind much of the Palestinian authority that has taken up residency as surrounding nations around Israel. Explain to me how you negotiate with people whose stated goal is your death and your destruction. How do you negotiate with that? You can't negotiate with that. You see, Iran's actually even named their most elite troops, the Quds Force. How many have ever heard that phrase before? The Quds Force of Iran. The reason why they call it the Quds Force is because in Arabic, the mount that the temple was built on where right now exists the Dome of the Rock is called El Quds. And they've named their military after it because they believe it is their manifest destiny to kill the Jews, even those that hide behind every tree and hide behind every log. They actually have a saying in their Islamic tradition that says at the end of the age, we're talking about the end of the age eschatology from God's perspective, Islam has an eschatology. And in their eschatology, it says there's gonna come a time when every tree is gonna say to every Muslim, oh, Muslim, come over here and kill the Jew that is hiding behind me. And every Muslim, it has a duty to go and to kill every Jew because that will initiate bringing Prophet Jesus back and initiating a global wide Islamic caliphate. Now, if you think that's extreme and you wanna tone it down a little bit, then you need to realize there's two billion people on the planet who right now believe that that's their manifest destiny. Iran believes this and they believe that their forces will march on Jerusalem and stand on the temple mount after fulfilling that prophecy. Ezekiel 38 is a prophetic scripture that speaks about Israel at the end of the age and the latter days of their history before Jesus returns. And it talks about Israel being invaded after a time of peace by a man named Gog of Magog and a confederation of nations. Says they're gonna come out of the North and their intentions are to destroy and to steal from Israel. And this individual that the Bible calls Gog of Magog is going to be surrounded with a confederacy of nations. One of those nations that the Bible speaks of at the end of the age that will be part of a confederacy to ultimately confront, attack, and destroy Israel is the kingdom of Persia, which is Iran. Along with Libya, along with Put, along with Tugarma, Beth Tugarma, and Meshach and Tubal. You wonder what those nations are, by the way, it's Turkey, it's Russia, it's Syria, it's Lebanon, it's Jordan, and it's Iran. Those nations, isn't it interesting that out of all the nations that surround Israel, every single one of them is Islamic and has become breeding grounds for anti-Semitism and the hatred of one nation more than any other, it's the nation of Israel. I believe the reason why Iran is at the front and center of it, and by the way, let me tell you something about Iran. The Iranian people are under the tyrannic control of these mullahs and demonically motivated religious leaders. The people of Iran are beautiful, wonderful people. Jews for hundreds and thousands of years have lived there since the Babylonian exile. And today, Iran is both the center of some of the most demonic hatred of the Jewish people, but in recent years, Iran has become the epicenter of the fastest growing Jesus movement on the planet. Muslims are getting saved left and right in Iran. The fastest growing church in the world is in Iran. People are having dreams of a man in white coming to them and saying, I am Jesus, not the Jesus of the Quran, but the Jesus of the Bible. They're getting saved, they're being persecuted, and they are exploding. They're baptizing more believers in Iran and Afghanistan than any other nation on the face of the earth. And you know what's happening? Here's the beautiful thing, is in Iran as they're getting saved, God is changing their hearts. They no longer hate Israel, but the greatest army of intercessors for the Jewish people right now is in Iran. The devil wants to launch nuclear warheads at Israel from Iran, but heaven is raising up nuclear intercessors as an iron dome of protection on the wall over the people of Israel. It's beautiful what God is doing. I believe that from ancient times, there is a significant demonic ruler who is embedded in Iran. When you go back and you see Ezekiel 38, you also have to consider Daniel. Daniel, who was a prophet in exile, in Persia, was praying while they're in exile saying, God, when are you going to bring us back into the land and fulfill your promises? Because they understood clearly that the promises of God, covenantally, to the nation of Israel were connected to the land. And as he was praying, fasting for 21 days, asking God, as he's studying the book of Jeremiah, he's saying, God, what's your purposes? When are you going to do this? Gabriel, the archangel, was sent to Daniel, the same angel that was sent to Mary to announce the birth of the Messiah. But Gabriel came to Daniel as he was praying and fasting. And in Daniel 10, verse 13 and 14 says, Daniel, on the day that you began to pray, I was sent by God to give you the answer. But I was detained and here's what he says, 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 I came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. That's the days we're living in. For the vision is for a time yet to come. So think about that. Daniel's praying, God, reveal to me your purposes and how you're going to fulfill your promises to us as a people when here we are, we're exiles in Persia. When are you going to bring us back into land? And he knew Jeremiah had prophesied that the exile would be 70 years. And he's like, Lord, we're about at that time. God sent a holy messenger named Gabriel. But Gabriel got involved in a spiritual conflict in the heavenlies that took 21 days. Think of these massive principalities and angels battling it out. And the one he's battling it out with was the prince of Persia. And it took Michael, the chief prince who is the assigned archangel over the people of Israel. They took Michael coming to give him leverage so that he could get to Daniel. And then when he gets to Daniel, he gives them the Daniel 9, 10 and 11 prophecy that lays out all of God's purposes from that point and how he was going to fulfill it all the way to the end of this current age. It's one of the most difficult passages in the Bible to study. It's also one of the most exhilarating because God in that scripture has prophesied things that have taken place over the last 2500 years and we're seeing in our very day. But make no mistake about it. Daniel had his answer detained and delayed by a high level demonic principality and power. Do you know that there is an unseen realm that you do not see? And there are spirits and there are angels that at work. This world that we think is so real is actually temporary. But the unseen realm is eternal and it is spiritual and it's more real than this realm. And everything that happens in this realm is affected first by what takes place in that realm. Our prayers matter, our intercession matters, our faith matters, God matters. And there are angels and there are demons and there is a hierarchy to them. And the one that is over Iran is a high level ranking. We are seeing the physical, political and spiritual manifestation today through the nation of Iran that was the exact same principality that Daniel was encountering 2500 plus years ago. You're going to see Iran continue to fuel it in Hezbollah, Hamas, across Europe and around the world. It's not going away. Number four, oh Lord, okay, I'm looking at the clock. Number four, the conflict will ultimately lead to a new world war, global chaos and a new world order. This is what's coming. The conflict that we are experiencing right now is not going away. Now it may come with multiple waves and reiterations, but the conflict that is happening is going to be a spark that ignites a global attention and a global war that ultimately is going to result in a global chaos. Lawlessness is already present in the world. It's going to accelerate and incinerate and it will ultimately bring about a new world order. This is happening right in front of us. You can see it all around us. In Luke 21, verse 25, Jesus is describing the days in which you and I are living in, the end of the age. And he says, there will be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars and on the earth to stress of nations in perplexity. Because of the roaring of the seas and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding because of what is coming on the world for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. When you see that phrase, the powers of the heavens will be shaken. It's talking about spiritual warfare. You think it was something in Daniel, let me tell you at the end of the age, spiritual warfare is ramping up that will then literally affect what is taking place in the natural realm. It's going to manifest itself in global climate phenomena that's taking place. Massive, it talks about waves of the sea. Look for even nature itself to begin to manifest the conflict that is actually spiritual in its origin. The rest of the world's going to look at and say, well, this is climate change. It's climate change, but it's spiritual change first. And in the midst of that, it says nations of the earth are going to be in distress of perplexity. Why? Because what is happening on the earth and what is happening in the Middle East and the wars and the lawlessness and the chaos that is coming on the face of the earth is literally going to be a problem so big that human governments do not know how to solve the problems. Nations are going to be perplexed. The United Nations are going to be perplexed. Old alliances are going to break down. There is going to be literally a powder cake that explodes, I believe in the Middle East, whether it's now or in the years to come that is going to be a game changer in a history shifter. And out of the ashes of that conflict is going to emerge a global chaos. The Bible describes it very significantly and out of the ashes of that global chaos, the new world order and a leader that emerges out of it. I'm gonna read to you nine verses from 2 Thessalonians chapter two. Paul writes to the Thessalonians. He says, let no one deceive you in any way. For that day, talking about the day of the Lord will not come unless the apostasy comes first, people falling away from the faith. And it says, and then the man of lawlessness is revealed. The son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called God and object of worship so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know that what is now restraining him, talking about the man of lawlessness so that he may not be revealed or so that he will be revealed in his own time for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he's taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his 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. And therefore God sends a strong delusion so that they may believe what is false in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure and unrighteousness. There's a lot there. But let me just describe to you in the midst of this teaching on the end of the age. Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is telling the Christians, this is what's coming. We don't know when it's coming but when it comes here's how it's gonna come. And one of the things to look for is he says there is going to be a manifestation of the mystery of lawlessness. That's going to be the result of society breaking down. When Paul talks about that which is restraining many commentators and theologians disagree on this. I personally believe that the restraining power that's holding back the manifestation of this mystery of lawlessness is both civic government and the hand of God. What happens when government breaks down? And what happens when God is ready for it all to unfold in a very quick fashion, removes his hand of restraint. And out of that we're going to see a man of lawlessness emerge. But before there's a man of lawlessness there's going to be a culture of lawlessness. Jesus said it in Matthew 24, verse 12 because lawlessness will be increased. That word lawlessness let me break it down for you. It means riots, violence, anarchy and the destruction of civic order. This is what's coming. And so lest our hearts are gripped with fear my prayer is that what happens is it wakes us up church to realize the hour in which we're living in and that we be sober minded. That we don't fall under this that it describes a strong delusion. At the end of the age there's going to be a spiritual delusion that takes place. A great apostasy where people reject the law of God and reject the leadership of the Lord because we want it for ourselves. I don't know if you know this but we are living in the first generation ever on the planet that has reversed the effects of the Tower of Babel. Remember in Genesis it says they God wanted them scattered but they all gathered. They build a tower so we're going to make a name for ourselves and we're going to get up to the heavens and we're going to be like God and it's going to be awesome and God came down scattered their languages scattered the people and left their tower abandoned. It took us about 4,000 years but we have undone the effects of it and guess what we're doing? We're gathering, we're uniting we have a common language and a common culture and what starts as a tower in the book of Genesis the Tower of Babel ends up as a city babble on the great in the book of Revelation. That's human society that's standing under a delusion and rebellion against God. Number five what's coming and you're going to play for a minute. Number five what's coming is a man of lawlessness is going to emerge out of the chaos out of the new world order and out of the perplexity and distress of international global chaos. When this whole thing in the Middle East blows up when governments cannot suppress the anarchy any longer there's going to be a man that Paul writes about as the son of lawlessness the man of lawlessness who will step on the scene and at first will seem to be a hero and a peace broker. The Bible calls them by many names calls them the antichrist. It calls them the beast. Daniel calls them the little horn or the one who speaks pompous arrogant things. He's also called the son of perdition. A man who comes and is going to answer the problems that the nations cannot resolve. I believe he's going to be a Middle East peace broker. He's going to step out of nowhere. He's going to be political. He's going to be attractive and he's going to be charismatic and he's going to have wisdom that nobody else has ever been able to foster. He's going to step on the scene. He's going to solve the problem, bring peace, seeming peace to the Middle East and to the rest of the nations of the world. And in the midst of that, the way he's going to do it is Daniel chapter nine says he's going to make a strong covenant with many nations for one week or seven years. And for half of the week, three and a half years you put an end to the sacrifice and the offerings and on the wings of abomination shall come one who makes desolate until the decree end is poured out on the desolator. Track with me for 30 seconds. Paul said it, Daniel said it, that out of international chaos and when lawlessness has its full maturity in human history and nobody's got answers for it and people are stressed out and perplexed and all of our human best efforts and technology have not been able to solve the problem. There's going to come an individual who steps on the scene as a false messiah. He's going to broker a peace deal between Israel and all the other nations of the world. And it's going to seem like we finally can be one global family. But halfway through that week he is going to step into the temple that is rebuilt in Jerusalem and declare himself to be God and cause the whole worship to have to worship him and to receive his mark, the mark of the beast. And it is going to be under the delusion of a demonic spirit and fog that covers the populace that many, many, many, many, many people are going to say yes for the sake of peace. Yes for the sake of security. Yes, he's a hero. Yes, he's got to be the second coming of Jesus. Everybody's going to worship him. And those that don't are going to pay the ultimate price. And if you think it's not possible for an individual like this to emerge, realize it was only 80 years ago that a prototype named Adolf Hitler rose to power and turned a first world European Christian nation into a killing machine and conquered all of continental Europe. He did that without our technology. He did that without our transportation. And he did that without social media. Imagine what Adolf Hitler could have done with live broadcast fiber optic streaming internet and social media. It's going to happen in a moment and many people are going to be deluded. It's going to lead us into number six, a time that is coming on the world and the church that we are not prepared for. It's going to lead into a time that the Bible describes as the great tribulation. Jeremiah calls it Jacob's trouble because it's centered on Israel. All of these things are because of this nation and this city that God has marked for his eternal kingdom. You mean God is concerned about the earth? Yeah, he loves all the nations and all the people. He wants all the nation to be covered with the knowledge of the Lord like the waters cover the sea. And he wants his son, his Psalm two, Messiah anointed one, the rule and the reign from Jerusalem. But the enemy who has then become the God of this world is resisting that leadership and resisting that kingdom. That's what this is all about. During that time, Jesus describes the tribulation of Matthew 24 as a time when has not been before from the beginning of the world until now and never will be again. 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. How do we respond? How do we respond to what's coming on the face of the earth? Jesus gives us the answer. Luke 21, verse 28, when you begin to see these things taking place, straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near. Church, when we begin to see these things take place, we're not gonna be motivated by fear. The sky is not falling. It's not out of control. The devil's not the God of this world for long. There's coming a king, number seven. There is coming a king and he's coming to reign. And his name is Jesus. And his government is a governmental piece for all nations, swords turned into pruning hooks, lion laying down with a lamb. The enemy locked away so he cannot tempt the nations any longer. Sin and disease put away. He is coming to reign and righteousness and he's not gonna be elected and he's not consulting polls. He's already been declared to be the king of the world and the Lord of all nations. He's coming back. So when we begin to see these things happen, what do we do? We lift up our heads. I love the ESV, it says straighten up. Some of us need to straighten up. We don't look down in fear and trepidation. Listen, at the end of the age, the days in which we're living in, it's going to increase in accelerate. But those of us who know Jesus, the Bible says they shall know their God and they will do great exploits. It says this gospel of the kingdom is gonna go to all the nations of the world as a witness and then the end will come. It's talking in Matthew 25 that there are going to be people who have their lamps filled with the oil of intimacy, looking for his soon return. Our eyes on the horizons, our heart bursting forth on the inside of us because we are gonna see face to face the one that we have worshiped by faith for so long. And we are longing for his return. The bride and the spirit say, come Lord Jesus. And the cry of the church in the last days is not gonna be, oh, what was me? It's going to be Maranatha. Even so Lord Jesus, come, come Lord Jesus. I want you to stand with me all over this room if you would. I know this is a sobering message but I'll tell you what's even more sobering. Please don't shift, don't move, don't get up and leave. This is not the seventh inning stretch. This is a sober moment. I'm speaking to you as your pastor today. What's most sobering is that so many of us are not ready for that day. Jesus in describing the end of the age, he said it's gonna come on many as a snare and a trap. They're not ready for it. He said it's gonna come like a thief in the night. We're not ready for it. Jesus said at the end of the age, many, many will have their heart grow cold because they're offended at what's taking place on the earth. There's a call that Jesus gave. He said, stay awake. Don't fall asleep. Don't be motivated by fear. Have your eyes wide open. Stand on the place of prayer. Jesus' solution to the end of the age was not avoiding the external signs but it was preparing our hearts internally. He said, stay awake. Here's what the new King James says. Take heed, watch and pray. Why? Because we've got to be so tapped in to the kingdom of God when all these things like a flood are coming on the earth and many are being swept away. Many are walking away from the faith. Many are offended at what's happening. Our heart is actually coming alive. Our head is being lifted up and we're ready for the return of the King. I want you to be ready. One of the calls of my life is to prepare the church to be ready for the return of the Lord. Are you ready? Are you ready to see Him face to face? I'm not talking about the Jesus framed picture in the vestibule of a church. I'm not talking about the flannel graft Jesus. I'm talking about the resurrected glorified Jesus whose eyes blaze with fire and passionate love for you. I'm talking about the one whose face radiates eternal glory and light in majesty that you have never seen on this side of eternity. I'm talking about the Jesus when He speaks, demons flee and hell trembles. I'm talking about the Jesus who knows everything about you. And when He was on the cross 2000 years ago, you were on His mind. He was paying the price to redeem you from your sins so that you could have eternal life. You know, the Bible says the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life. Here's the thing about a gift. A gift cannot be earned, it can only be received. Have you received it today? With every head up and every eye looking around and nobody shifting today, when I ask the question, are you ready? Are you ready? You may say, I don't know if I'm ready because I believe, but it's not really the kind of belief that's changed the way I've lived. You might say, I know I'm not ready because I've never received the gift of salvation through Jesus. I've never asked Him to save me personally. I've known about Jesus going to church, but I've never asked Jesus to be my savior. I know I'm not ready. And you might say, I'm not sure if I'm ready because I've been walking my own path, being my own master, doing what I wanna do in the world. And if He comes back, I don't wanna have to stand before Him and give an account for my life. I wanna know that I'm saved. I wanna know that my sins are forgiven. I wanna know that I have eternal life that I've received the gift of salvation that I'm right with God, that I'm right and I'm ready and I'm leaning in and my head is lifted up. So I'm gonna give you an opportunity today. The Bible says if we believe and we confess Jesus is Lord with our mouth, we will be saved. This works every single time, but only for those who decide to reject everything else and say yes to Jesus. You ready? I'm gonna count to three. And when you hear me say three, with every head up and every eye looking around, if you know you need to get your life right with God and you wanna be included in this prayer, when you hear me say three, you raise your hand and you hold it up and we're gonna pray together. Ready? One, two, three. Raise them up and hold them up all over the room. And whatever location you're at, whatever, hold it up, hold it up, hold it up, hold it up, hold it up. If you not raised your hand yet, come on, raise it now. Don't let the enemy steal this moment. Hands all over the room in every location. You can put your hands down. I want you to know it took courage for you to do that. And it takes faith. The Bible says if we believe in our heart, you just demonstrated that and confess with our mouth, Jesus is Lord, we will be saved. We'll be ready. I want everyone in this room to buy your heads with me and we're gonna pray this out loud. If you raise your hands, you're saying this to God, He is going to hear you. Say, Heavenly Father, I come in Jesus' name and I confess Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the Son of God who died for me, paid for my sins and rose from the dead. From this day forward, I repent of my sin and of my apathy. And I ask you to come into my heart and be my Lord. Save me, Jesus. Fill me with your spirit and write my name in the book of life. From this day forward, I turn my back on the world, on sin and the devil. And I am a follower of Jesus. Heaven is my home. God is my father. The Bible is my guide. The church is my family. I am a new creation because of you, Jesus. Thank you for loving me and saving me and accepting me in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. Come on. Amen.