"[Text 16]
Speaker 1: You shouldn't be listening to the prophets of doom all over the Internet. There is a growing number of people who are bringing up all kinds of end-time theories, and a lot of them are simply not biblical. The Antichrist has appeared. 

The Gog and Magog battle has started. This politician is the Antichrist. This is the devil's next move on the earth. There are so many messages out there that are filled with doom, gloom, and falsehoods. But you see, I want to share with you directly from the Bible the most important sign we are given about the end times. When asked about the last days, the first sign Jesus warned us about wasn't to do with war or a demonic invasion of fallen angels. 

It wasn't to do with the rapture or any kind of pestilences. In Matthew 24, verse 4, Jesus gives us seven words that signal the end times. He says, Jesus marked deception as the first sign that would herald the approaching dawn of eternity. 

Of all the things he could have said, why deception? Why not something more thrilling like nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom? And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. Or that Christians all over the world would be persecuted and silenced. 

These things will happen, but this was not the first thing that Jesus said would happen. Why? Well, you think of it. The majority of the end times signs will affect people outwardly, more so than they will inwardly. For example, wars and rumors of war. This has an outward effect as infrastructure is destroyed, a normal way of life is disrupted, and so on. 

Famines or pestilences. Once again, there is an outward effect. Lives are threatened and health and well-being is at risk. But you see, deception has an internal effect, of which I would argue it is far more dangerous because it has eternal consequences. When someone believes a false prophet and becomes deceived, they can live in a peaceful country. They can go through life never experiencing famine or pestilences, but their eternal destination is hell. 

So I believe the most important warning and the first warning that we are given by Jesus Christ is to take heed that no one deceives you, because the consequences of doing so are far more serious than any war or famine can bring. 

Speaker 2: For the next few moments, I want to demonstrate and illustrate why so-called faith celebrities should not be role models. Or people you look up to. And secondly, I want to show you that at the end of the day, it's not about who you are. 

It's not about what you have. But it's about your personal relationship to Jesus Christ. Now, one of the trademarks of the end times that we can look for is the departure of doctrinal and moral beliefs. Between 2019 and 2020, Kanye West went public proclaiming his faith and conversion to Christianity. This was followed by him making appearances at some very well-known churches. 

He was even once quoted saying the following at an event. I want to let you know that I am not here for your entertainment this afternoon. We are here to spread the gospel. I am a recent convert. 

Fast forward a few years later, here are some of the headlines we read. Kanye West claims to be the new Jesus in sexually graphic new album. Kanye West says he has issues with Jesus after unanswered prayers. Kanye West renounces Christian faith, calls himself God. 

So, either. This man was, despite all appearances, never truly a Christian. Perhaps he was struggling with intense doubts and or rebellion, but is still a Christian. Then, the final option is that this person was a Christian, but has now walked away. 

Only God knows the answers to this. But at the end of the day, you have to remember that just because someone says the name of Jesus Christ, that doesn't mean they are saved and have a relationship with him. So, never be too quick to place anyone on a pedestal, especially those in the limelight. Here is a Bible verse to keep in mind. First John 2, verse 19 says, They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. 

But their going showed that none of them belonged to us. As people, we should never anchor our faith in God because this celebrity or this pastor says so. We should never attach God to an individual person who has influence or wealth. In these last days, we will see great apostasy, and this literally means a falling away from the faith. This falling away can happen on two different fronts. Someone can fall away from the truth of the Bible, and this is a kind of doctrinal apostasy. But then, there is also moral apostasy, where a person falls from the moral instructions of Scripture. I believe in these last days, we will see the decay of morality become more evident. The words of Apostle Paul will vividly describe the attitudes and behaviors that will prevail in the last days. People will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control. 

And the list goes on. Across the world today, we Christians can't help but notice the steady decline of people who regularly attend church or openly hold to the Christian faith. It used to be that businesses were closed on Sundays, employees allowed their workers to have Sundays off, and attending church seemed to be the norm against our peers. Times have changed. When I tell people that I prefer having Sundays off of work so that I can attend church, people almost seem offended that I consider myself religious. 

What is happening here? As the zeal and enthusiasm for the Christian faith decline all around us, the hostility and dismissiveness of Christ and his teachings seemingly increase. Is it fair to say that the religion is dying? 

No, this is not a fair assessment. Religion is alive and well, but people have shifted their priorities. People today are more concerned with how they can personally benefit. They are less concerned about how they can humbly serve God and serve others. Religion is still just as prevalent, but the end goal is no longer loving God and loving our neighbors. I submit to you that there is a new religion taking a foothold in the lives of people today. This religion is contrary to the values and teachings of the generations that have come before us, and the very teachings of Christ we hold so dear. This new emerging religion is a religion of self. 

Many churches and Christians today claim that their number one purpose in life is honoring Christ. But is this true? Do their actions support this? I would say that many indeed are convinced that they are putting Christ first in their lives because this emerging religion of self has grown subtly. As Eve was deceived in the garden, I fear many today have been ensnared by this selfish mentality. 

Many people seek to hear things about the Bible that make them feel good, but never stop to consider if these things are true. Christians and non-believers today seem to agree on this one thing. What truly matters in life is happiness. But what does the Bible say? Jesus so perfectly enlightens us in Matthew 16 verse 24 to 26 about what our focus in life should truly be on. Let's establish this portion of scripture as our main text for this lesson. In verse 24 the Bible says, Then Jesus told his disciples, If anyone would come after me, Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Jesus is very clear about what he is stating here. If people want to follow Christ, which many claim they want, they must be willing to put what they desire aside and dedicate themselves to what God desires. 

This is extremely unpopular today. The religion of self teaches that our happiness, hopes, dreams and comfort are the most important pursuits a person can have. Although this idea may sound nice on the surface, it's subtly picking away at the very foundation of Christ's ministry. It's hard to convince a person that they should put God first, in a society that is constantly impressed on them the exact opposite. People are constantly being bombarded with ads of hot new items to buy, pressure at work to become the biggest and the greatest, or music, that glorifies happiness over what is right and wholesome. When people continue to live with this inward focus and lose sight of God, the result is always empty. Consider the wisdom that Proverbs 30 gives us. Proverbs 30 verse 7 to 9 says, Two things I ask of you, Deny them not to me before I die. 

Remove far from me falsehood of lying. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me. Lest I be full and deny you and say, Who is the Lord? 

Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. The religion of self teaches us to constantly acquire more and more. Every year, a new model of popular vehicle hits the market, and people do everything within their power to buy it. Every year, a new cell phone comes out, and people count every penny they have to ensure that they will be one of the first people holding that new phone. But how often do people consider the fact that the car and phone they already have are just fine? Why is it that people are never satisfied? It's because they feel like they deserve the hot new items on the market. They are often too self-focused to realize there are far greater concerns in life to attend to than simply obtaining items that will lift their social status. 

Their desire for material things is a fake counterfeit to happiness and will never truly satisfy anyone. The Bible teaches us that true happiness and contentment are reached when a person seeks God above all else. Proverbs 30 gives us a warning that the desire to obtain items we want, or even need for that matter, should not take priority over our walk with God. Is being full of food, drink, and luxuries worth the cost of denying God? Is living life as a thief, as a means to obtain the things you want worth profaning the very name of God? 

The answer is no. So our priority instead should be on asking God for just the right amount of things we want and need, and being content with whatever amount He chooses to give us. In a world that prioritizes self-preservation, the Bible confronts us with a very difficult truth to accept. This idea may seem counter-intuitive, and yet much joy and peace is to be found when one accepts it by faith. The very act of letting go of even our lives is the key to finding our lives. The religion of self teaches that the ultimate goal in life is discovering who you are and satisfying that selfish destiny. However, we see here from the very mouth of our Savior that the willingness to forsake our own life and purpose is exactly what helps us find our life and purpose. This is possible because our identity is in Christ. 

When we give Christ the proper headship that He deserves, we understand that any worth we have is solely based upon Him and not ourselves. Now, someone might be tempted to say, are you telling me my safety is not important to God? How is it that I need to be willing to lose my life for Him? Friend, we must understand that although God watches over us, protects us, and blesses us, none of this is mandatory for Him. He does these things because He loves us, not because He has to. We must understand that God may allow us to go through certain trials, hardships, or even lose our lives for the sake of bringing Him glory. 

The way a person responds to this truth is a good indicator of how heavily they have or have not been influenced by this mentality of self-worship. Throughout the Bible, we see good men and women of God who have lived with far lower quality of life than you and I. We see God's people belittled, physically assaulted, and even killed. Most people these days would hardly be willing to even inconvenience themselves for God, let alone bodily harm or the laying down of their lives. 

Even now, as I stand and claim that I am a follower of Christ, the thoughts of losing my life or suffering pain because of my faith sounds terrifying. This is something I should work on. I am certain I am not the only one. But as we read through Scripture, we find time and time again little clues that God wants us to get our priorities straight. Is our concern to be with ourselves or with God and His purpose? Notice that God allowed the Apostle Paul to endure a certain health problem for the reason of not allowing him to become too full of himself and prideful. Although Paul asked God multiple times for him to take this away, God chose to allow Paul to continue with the thorn in his flesh. 

We see a similar scenario play out when Job loses his wealth, children, and his health at the hands of Satan. God allows this, like the health condition Paul endures to happen. Does God care for Paul? Does God care for Job? Of course, he does, and very much so, but he also never promised that life would be easy, comfortable, or even safe for God's people. 

What does this mean for us? God never promised us safety either. We must be willing to lose our very lives if that is what God desires from us. We do not have to understand, but we need to obey. The world will teach us that we need to do what makes us happy and to live on what we perceive to be our destiny, but that is false. What truly matters is submitting to what God's will for our lives is, and what will bring him glory. 

We must resist this emerging religion that seeks to elevate ourselves over our Lord and Savior, Jesus. If you were to go home tonight and fall asleep and in the middle of the night, you were to be awakened to the sound of a trumpet, unlike any you had ever heard before. And in the twinkling of an eye, the rapture were to take place. 

Would you wake up traumatized and fearful, or would you wake up with joy and expectation, knowing that you were right with God, knowing that all of your accounts with God were paid in full? Many will be going about their day-to-day business. Some will be on the subway, heading home after work. 

Teenagers will be at the movies, getting ready to watch the latest Marvel film. Doctors and nurses will be clocking in as another group is clocking out, and then suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, we who are alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Imagine it, two people working on their crops in the garden, plowing, weeding, planting, or harvesting. 

The sun is beating down against their sweaty brows, but conversation is sparse. Suddenly, one is gone, with absolutely no forewarning. The other is left standing horrified as the tools drop unmanned to the dirt below. The one, lonely farmer, finally realizes that all those stories he had heard through the years were true. 

Now, he is alone to await the terrifying events of the Tribulation period. Now, perhaps, you might imagine two women working on gathering supplies to make their weekly allotment of bread. As the dusty, flowered dough is slapped onto the weathered board, kneading it to produce the beautiful pre-baked love. One woman vanished into thin air, as her clothes fall to the floor, cutting through the cloud of flour floating in the air. The other woman can only stare in disbelief as her breath catches in her throat. 

Suddenly, the words of some distant conversation echo through the chambers of her mind. Don't wait. You must be ready. 

You can't get ready, because the rapture will happen in the twinkling of an eye. Imagine the chaos on earth when this takes place. Imagine the news outlets, reporting that millions have disappeared, seemingly vanished into thin air. Imagine the distress on the Christian man or woman who knew exactly what has just taken place. 

The horror on their faces as they come to the realization that they have been left behind. Yes, they heard about Jesus. They could recite the word of God, but they were not right with God. They lived a double life, a life where one foot was in the world and the other was in the church. 

They had one hand on the Bible and the other hand in the world. One pastor said that after the rapture, churches will be flooded with people who are distraught, people weeping and crying because they know what has happened. They know they have been left behind and they know what's coming. Now you may be wondering, what comes next after the rapture? Well, the Bible warns us of a time when the Antichrist will come to power and deceive the masses. People will be forced to take a mark on their hand or forehead in order to buy or sell anything. This mark will signify allegiance to the Antichrist, and those who refuse to take it will be unable to participate or function in society. Imagine a world where you cannot even buy a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk without the mark of the beast. 

Imagine being completely cut off from society and forced to live off the land just to survive. Furthermore, Christianity will be outlawed and believers will face persecution and even death for their faith. The pressure to bow down to the Antichrist will be intense. Families will be torn apart as loved ones choose to take the mark and turn away from God. 

Just listen to how the Bible describes the events of what will happen in that day and time. Revelation 13, verse 14 to 17 says, And with all the miracles, he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast. He deceived all the people who belonged to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die. He required everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. 

And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. Picture a world where you cannot openly pray or worship God without fear of being caught and punished. Imagine having to hide your faith and your beliefs, not knowing who you can trust. In addition to this fact that everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, everyone will need a mark to buy and sell, meaning that there will be some sort of one world's currency controlled by the Antichrist. All financial transactions will be monitored and controlled, and those who refuse to conform will be unable to participate in society. 

This world will be one of darkness, fear and despair. So, if you can hear my voice today, I encourage you to put Jesus first in your life. We must be diligent in studying the Word of God, so that we can recognize the signs of the times and be prepared for what is to come. We must remain vigilant and watchful, testing everything against the truth of God's Word. In conclusion, the world after the rapture will be a dark and terrifying place. 

I don't know about you, but I pray that the Holy Spirit will convict me daily, so that I may always be ready, waiting, watching, and anticipating the return of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ. There should be an urgency in our lives. There should be an urgency in terms of how we live, because there is certainly an urgency in the Word of God, about how soon Christ is to return. So, rather than waiting until the last minute, wouldn't it be better to be prepared now? Wouldn't it be better to be ready all the time? 

Wouldn't it be better to live in a constant state of preparation, so we will never be caught off guard? This is what the Scripture asks of us, and what Jesus commands us to do. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming, but know this, that if the Master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake, and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you must also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming out in the hour you do not expect. you "
"[Text 17]
Speaker 1: Of all the days of her life, there's one day that the evil queen Jezebel absolutely hated. She hated the day that the prophet Elijah embarrassed her. The day he absolutely mocked her and proved just how powerless she really was. Now for you to understand just how embarrassing this one event was for Jezebel, you need to understand that although Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab, she was also a princess of Sidon who worshipped the false Canaanite God, Baal. She was influential in her husband turning away from God to follow this false deity. 

She was cunning and ruthless, cutting down the prophets of the Lord in a bloodbath that she hoped would bring a swift end to the worship of the one true and living God. The scene on Mount Carmel came about after Elijah had confronted Ahab and Jezebel, proposing a challenge they had never expected. Each would prepare a bull as a sacrifice and then call on their God to send fire from heaven to consume it. On one side was Elijah, bold, secure and entirely confident that the true and living God would win this contest. On the other side were 450 prophets of Baal, 400 prophets of Asherah and everyone from Jerusalem standing by in spine-tingling anticipation of what was to come. Elijah was kind enough to allow the prophets of Baal to go first and watched as they drove themselves into a fevered frenzy. They cried, they shouted and jumped all over the altar from morning till noon. 

They even slashed themselves with knives and spears, all to no avail as their chosen God remained silent. After some not-so-good-natured mocking and ridiculing of these false prophets, Elijah took center stage and began his preparations. First he repaired the altar, which they had torn down, and then he arranged the wood, cut the sacrifices into pieces and carefully arranged them on the altar. But Elijah went a step further. 

He soaked down the sacrifice and the altar with water, but he went further and dug a trench around the altar, filling it with 12 barrels of water. The onlookers stood by silently, watching every move Elijah made, and curiosity began to rise higher and higher. After Elijah had reverently addressed the living God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he made it plain that he was doing all these things at his word. 

Then he asked God to hear his prayer so the people would know he was God and turn their backs to him. When the blaze of all-consuming fire broke through the heavens, it was far more than a simple bolt of lightning. This event was a supernatural one that engulfed first the sacrifice of flesh, but it went on to consume the wood, the stones that make up the altar, and the dust of the earth around it. And then as the false prophets and other onlookers watched, the fire licked up every drop of water that was used to fill the trench, leaving nothing behind but the assurance that the Lord God was indeed the true God of Israel. 

As a result, he commanded them to apprehend and slaughter every single prophet of Baal and Asherah, right there in the Qaishan Valley. What an embarrassing defeat for the evil Queen Jezebel. Her army of false prophets defeated by a single true man of God. This would have been a great victory for any average Christian in today's spiritual climate. Watching God work in ways that no one can question is fantastic. But just as what happened with us, spiritual warfare began to weigh heavy on Elijah as soon as God won this battle. You'd think after such a glorious display, Elijah's confidence would have been increased and smoothed out fear and doubt. Ahab and Jezebel should have repented and turned to God with whole hearts. 

But that is far from what happened. When Jezebel found out what Elijah had done, a furious and vengeful anger danced across her countenance. She brought in her messenger, and with a rough growl, she gave him this dark promise to deliver to Elijah. May the gods deal with me ever so severely if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them. You see, demonic powers still operate today as they did all those years ago. They wage warfare by digging in against God's people. Yes, even you. 

Working to spread fear, destruction and intimidation by any means possible. Elijah's reaction looked very similar to what ours might have looked like in a similar situation. When he received that cryptic message, he ran for his life. He hid deep in the wilderness, sat down and told God he wanted to die right there because he had had enough. And that's when the supernatural occurred. After a nap, Elijah woke to the touch of an angel who had baked a meal and brought fresh cold water for him to drink. 

He went back to sleep, but the angel woke him again, giving him more nourishment. Today the enemy's tactics are still the same. He will come against us like a raging flood, snarling, snapping, desiring to take our lives. But as Christians, we don't have to fear any evil that comes our way or threatens our existence. 

If we run to God, he will save us from all evil spirits. As a woman, Jezebel wasn't just unfriendly or mean. She was demonically driven to hunt and destroy God's prophets. Now, you don't go against the work of the Lord with such intensity and such ferocity unless you're driven by an evil spirit. A spirit that seeks to destroy the things of God. Something that works in opposition is only from the devil. And so it's clear that this was a woman used of the devil. 

Now my message to you is this. The Bible talks a lot about fighting. We're told to fight the good fight of faith. We're told God will fight for us and that the flesh wars against the spirit and that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world. In Psalms, we read things like, you have girded me with strength for the battle and the Lord is my strength and my shield. There is a clear message here that believers in Christ are required to fight in this world. You could be a missionary for Christ. 

A pastor, a Sunday school teacher are just a believer but regardless of who you are or where you are from. I believe that the Lord not only allows you to face certain battles but I also believe that has assigned each of us a fight. He's assigned us at least one battle in our lives and these battles are not there to destroy us but rather to test and strengthen and solidify our faith. 

Now for the believer who finds himself in a fight. If you're in a season where your faith is being tested, remember God's word. In Romans 8 verse 31 it says, What then shall we say to these things if God is for us who can be against us? Dear friends, also remember that Deuteronomy 31 verse 6 also says, Be strong and of good courage. 

Do not fear nor be afraid of them. For the Lord your God, He is the one who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. Remember what God's word says in Luke 10 verse 19. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy. 

Nothing will harm you. There are two types of women in the Bible. There is the godly woman, the Proverbs 31 woman, the ester, the Ruth, the Hannah kind of woman, prayerful, bold, wise, God fearing. This woman's worth is far above rubies and pearls according to the Bible. And then there's the ungodly woman. 

That's who I would like to talk about today. There are three ungodly women in the Bible that we should be aware of. But before we dive in, let me just say that the Bible gives us several warnings concerning the evil influence of ungodly women. Proverbs 9 verse 13 in the amplified translation, the Bible says, The foolish woman is restless and noisy. 

She is naive and easily misled and thoughtless and knows nothing at all of eternal value. Proverbs 21 verse 19 talks about an ungodly woman saying, It is better to dwell in a desert land than with a contentious and troublesome woman. The ungodly woman is the one the Bible speaks of in Proverbs 11 verse 22 and says, As a ring of gold and a swine's snout. So is a beautiful woman who is without discretion. 

Her lack of character mocks her beauty. The Bible is very clear when differentiating a godly woman and an ungodly woman. So let's take a look at the identities of some of these women. The first woman we'll look at is Herodias. Herod Antipas was married to a woman named Herodias. 

But both of them had been divorced. And this was something that John the Baptist objected to. John the Baptist publicly denounced their marriage and labeled it as adultery. In Matthew 14, we read about how John had previously rebuked Herod by reminding him that it was unlawful for him to be with Herodias. So Herod had him put into prison for her sake. Now Herodias must not have enjoyed being convicted of sin. In fact, she was angered by John the Baptist and his rebukes. 

So she decided to take matters into her own hands. Matthew chapter 14 verse 6 to 8 says, But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter. I want you to notice how bitterness and anger had so consumed Herodias. When her daughter danced in front of Herod, he promised to give her whatever she would request. Herodias took this as an opportunity to take revenge on John, persuading her daughter to ask for John's head on a platter. Her daughter did as she requested and, as a result, John was beheaded. Herodias was most certainly an ungodly woman, and her actions show her to be an immoral, bitter, manipulative woman. 

John was a servant of God, but that didn't matter to her. It's difficult to comprehend that a disagreement or a word of rebuke from someone else would motivate a person to murder, but this is how bitterness works. It causes that person's heart to grow cold, leading them to become irrational in how they think and behave. Herodias hated John so much that it clouded her mind and allowed her to take extreme measures in order to satisfy her pride and self-importance. She wanted the life of a man of God simply because he disapproved of her actions. And just look at the evil influence of Herodias, not only did she commit the sin of intending to murder John, she made her daughter participate in the evil act. She used her relationship with her daughter to her own advantage, influencing and manipulating her to make an atrocious request which would end the life of one of the greatest prophets. Herodias' actions are an example of how an ungodly woman can use her position or power to cause destruction. 

However, a godly woman influences those around her in a positive way, acting as peacemaker and leading people toward God and the way of righteousness. The second case we'll look at is Delilah. The story of Samson and Delilah is an interesting story. Samson was a man who had supernatural strength, but his downfall came at the hands of Delilah. Samson was a man of immense physical strength, however, his weakness was the beauty of Delilah. 

And before we take an even closer look at Delilah, I want you to understand just how unique of an individual Samson really was. He was uniquely gifted by God and did some incredible, incredible things. The Bible says he tore a lion apart with his bare hands. 

He defeated a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey as his only weapon. So what was so special about Delilah that she would bring down a man who was so mightily anointed? Well, my friends, let me tell you that Delilah was bad, yes, but she wasn't the real cause of Samson's downfall. The real cause of Samson's downfall was sin, disobedience, and lust. And so the devil simply took the opportunity that Samson gave him and the enemy used Samson's weakness to destroy him. Delilah was planted in Samson's life by the devil. And don't get me wrong, in this story, Samson is just as guilty as Delilah as they both participated in sin. 

However, I want to show you how the devil can bring people into your life who appear to care for you, to love you, but underneath the surface they are seeking to destroy you. Now the amplified translation of the Bible says in Judges 16 4 through 6, after this he fell in love with a Philistine woman living in the valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. So the five lords, governors of the Philistines came to her and said to her, persuade him and see where his great strength lies and find out how we may overpower him so that we may bind him to subdue him. 

And each of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver. So Delilah said to Samson, please tell me where your great strength lies and with what you may be bound and subdued. The first problem is that Samson was a judge who God appointed over Israel. God had often warned the Israelites against marrying or having a relationship with those outside the Israelite community. Often such women or men would lead entire families astray, chasing after idols or foreign gods. Now Samson did not guard his heart, he was led by his eyes instead of faith. And so he fell in love with someone he was never meant to fall in love with. He became yoked with someone he was never meant to. And from the very beginning Delilah was already looking to gain at the expense of Samson. She was offered a great amount of silver and because her heart wasn't pure, now judges 16 9 through 12 says, now she had men lying in ambush in an inner room and she said to him, the Philistines are upon you Samson. And he broke the cords as a string of toe breaks when it touches fire. 

So the secret of his strength was not discovered. Then Delilah said to Samson, see now you have mocked me and told me lies. Now please tell me truthfully how you may be bound. And he said to her, if they bind me tightly with new ropes that have not been used, then I will become weak and be like any other man. Samson was having sexual relations with Delilah. So he was clearly blinded by Delilah. 

He couldn't see red flags in front of him. Three times Delilah asked Samson about the source of his strength and tested him and three times. Samson failed to see the devil in front of him. Delilah was a temptress and she was persistent. And I want you to notice the manipulation from Delilah in this passage of scripture. Judges 16, 15 through 17 says, then she said to him, how can you say I love you when your heart is not with me? 

You have mocked me these three times and have not told me where your great strength lies. When she pressured him day after day with her words and pleaded with him, he was annoyed to death. Then finally he told her everything that was in his heart and said to her, a razor has never been used on my head, for I have been a Nazarite to God from my mother's womb. 

If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man. And ultimately, Samson gives in to Delilah and loses his anointing. Now a few lessons worth noting are, not everyone who says they are for you is actually for you, just as the Lord can send people into your life to encourage you, to uplift you and help you. The third case we'll look at is a woman who's notorious when it comes to being ungodly. This woman is Jezebel. And here's a quick run down of her background. She was married to King Ahab. She had an incredible wicked influence over her husband, Ahab. She was a pagan woman who worshipped multiple false gods, which include Baal and Azra. She once purposefully tried to kill the prophets of the God of Israel. Because of greed, she took the life of a man named Naboth because she wanted his land. She had close to 1,000 false prophets who ate at her table. 

But I want to highlight her characteristics. People often associate the spirit of Jezebel with sex and seduction and promiscuity. I believe these are just some of the fruits of this spirit. At the core of Jezebel, at the core of this wicked spirit is control. It's a controlling, manipulative spirit and it takes people captive. Jezebel's most obvious traits was her controlling nature. We can see this from the way that she controlled her husband and also her nation's religious views. 

She wanted to use her power to advance her own agendas and did so without any regard for those around her. A Jezebel spirit, a menacing spirit that seeks to dominate and control another person. Another characteristic of that Jezebel spirit is how it seeks to control or rule by fear. Jezebel instilled fear into the hearts of people, especially by murdering anyone who stood in her way. 

She threatened to murder Elijah and this caused him to be afraid and run away from her. Only Satan uses fear. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy, Chapter 1, Verse 7, For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. That's how you tell if a spirit is not God. 

Whenever a spirit tries to frighten us in order to control us, that spirit is not of God. The last important characteristic of Jezebel was her disregard for and her hatred of authority. In her mind, she had all the authority as queen and didn't care for Elijah, the prophet or any of God's people. She didn't listen to him or repent of her ways after he proved God's power and sovereignty. 

She also taunted Jehu, the military commander of Israel's army, right before he ordered her servants to throw her out. This spirit is also evident in our day as some people want to chase after their own selfish gain, having no regard for order or hierarchy. And so what are we to make of these three cases we've just looked at? Proverbs 31, Verse 30 says, Charm and grace are deceptive and superficial beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord reverently, worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting him with all field respect, she shall be praised. Those first five words should really hammer home. Charm and grace are deceptive. Being pretty, going to church every Sunday, does not make a godly woman. The photos you post in your Sunday best outfit, that's not what makes you a godly woman. 

The Bible says a woman who fears the Lord reverently, worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting him with all field respect, that's a godly woman. And when you look at what influence really means, it's the capacity or power to be a compelling force. Influence affects the actions, behavior, opinions of others. God used Esther and she became a powerful woman of wisdom and influence. She was used by the Lord to save his people. And on the opposite side of things, Jezebel was used by the devil to try and hinder God's work through reliance. She too was a woman of influence, but not the kind of influence that you should ever desire to have. 

Speaker 2: Have you ever felt surrounded by darkness and gripping fear, like an invisible enemy was attacking you? Did you feel as if you'd never find a way to escape the depression and dark, hopeless feelings? 

If so, then you certainly aren't alone. Many Christians today know all too well what it's like to face spiritual warfare, and many times they don't understand how to deal with it. But the good news is that there is hope. It's not impossible to overcome the enemy's schemes, to walk in the victory and peace that can only come from Jesus Christ. We might have much in common with a man from the Old Testament named Elijah. There is the familiar tale of Elijah standing boldly on Mount Carmel, and it was as if the mountains themselves represented the peaks of his faith. As the sun shone brightly down on him, and the gathering of more than 400 prophets of bond, he stared confidently into the heavens above them. On this day, he felt he was on the mountaintop, enjoying a solid walk with God. And it was during these times that he seemed like the pillar of faith and obedience that many knew him to be. 

But there was one in Elijah's life who brought him to nightmare-like episodes of internal struggle, driving to flee him into the wilderness with dark and depressing thoughts. That one's name was Jezebel, and she was the wife of King Aham. But she was also a princess of Sidon, who worshipped the false Canaanite God, Baal. She was influential in her husband turning away from God to follow this false deity. 

She was cunning and ruthless, cutting down the prophets of the Lord in a bloodbath that she hoped would bring a swift end to the worship of the one true and living God. The scene on Mount Carmel came about after Elijah had confronted Aham in Jezebel, proposing a challenge that they had never expected. Each would prepare a bull as a sacrifice, and then call their God to send fire from heaven to consume it. On one side was Elijah, bold, secure, and entirely confident that the true and living God would win this contest. On the other side were 450 prophets of Baal, 400 prophets of Asherah, and everyone from Jerusalem, standing by in spine-tingling anticipation of what was to come. Elijah was kind enough to allow the prophets of Baal to go first and watched as they drove themselves into a fevered frenzy. They cried, they shouted, and jumped all over the altar from morning until noon. 

They even slashed themselves with knives and spears, all to no avail, as their chosen God remained silent. After some not-so-good-natured mocking and ridiculing of these false prophets, Elijah took center stage and began his preparations. First, he repaired the altar, which had been torn down, and then he arranged the wood, cut the sacrifices into pieces, and carefully arranged them on the altar. But Elijah went a step further. 

He soaked down the sacrifice and the altar with water, but he went further and dug a trench around the altar, filling it with 12 barrels of water. The onlookers stood by silently, watching every move Elijah made, and curiosity began to rise higher and higher. After Elijah had reverently addressed the living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he made it plain that he was doing all of these things at his word. 

Then he asked God to hear his prayer so the people would know he was gone and turn their hearts back to him. When the blaze of the all-consuming fire broke through the heavens, it was far more than a simple bolt of lightning. This event was a supernatural one that engulfed first the sacrifice of flesh, but it went on to consume the wood, the stones that made up the altar, and the dust of the earth around it. Then, as the false prophets and other onlookers watched, the fire licked up every drop of water that had been used to fill the trench, leaving nothing behind but the assurance that the Lord God was indeed the true God of Israel. 

As a result, he commanded them to apprehend and slaughter every single prophet of Baal and Ashira there in Qishan Valley. This would have been a great victory for any average Christian in today's spiritual climate. Watching God work in ways that no one can question is fantastic, but just as would happen with us, spiritual warfare began to weigh heavy on Elijah as soon as God won this battle. 

You would think after such a glorious display, Elijah's confidence would have increased and smothered out fear and doubt. Ahab and Jezebel would have repented and turned to God with whole hearts, but this is far from what happened. When Jezebel found out what Elijah had done, a furious and vengeful anger danced across her countenance. 

She brought in her messenger and with a rough growl, she gave him the dark promise to deliver to Elijah. May the gods deal with me ever so severely if, by this time tomorrow, I do not make your life like that of one of them. You see, demonic powers still operate today as they did all those years ago. They wage warfare by digging in against God's people, yes, even you. 

Working to spread fear destruction and intimidation by any means possible. Elijah's reaction looked very similar to what ours might have looked like in a similar situation. When he received that cryptic message, he ran for his life. He hid deep in the wilderness, sat down and told God he wanted to die right there because he had had enough. That's when the supernatural occurred. After a nap, Elijah awoke to the touch of an angel who had baked a meal and brought fresh cold water for him to drink. 

He went back to sleep, but the angel woke him again, giving him more nourishment. Today, the enemy's tactics are still the same. He will come against us like a raging flood, snarling, snapping and desiring to take our lives. But as Christians, we don't have to fear any evil that comes our way or threatens our existence. 

If we run to God, he will save us from all evil spirits. As a woman, Jezebel wasn't just unfriendly or mean. She was demonically driven to hunt and destroy God's prophets. Now, you don't go against the work of the Lord with such intensity and such ferocity unless you are driven by an evil spirit, a spirit that seeks to destroy the things of God. Something that works in opposition is only from the devil. And so, it is clear that this was a woman used of the devil. Now, I would like to explain what the spirit of Jezebel is. Its main objective is to destroy, to destroy the work of God, to destroy the man of God and the woman of God. It's a spirit that is of a tempter, a seducer, one that lures people away from God with the intention of destroying their faith, their hope, joy and peace. Perhaps you've known a person like this in your life, someone who is always seducing and leading others into trouble. 

Now, be wise. Don't automatically think or relate seduction simply to sex. Money can seduce. People do crazy things for money. The thoughts of fame, the opportunity for fame, can be seductive to some. 

Lord knows people are willing to do crazy and unspeakable things, all to become famous. Evil can seduce too. Matthew 4 verse 1 says that then Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Now, when it comes to a person with the spirit of Jezebel on a person, this is beyond someone being a troublemaker. This is someone who specifically leads others into trouble, into sin and destruction. Jesus says it this way, woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble. Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come. This verse in Matthew, we must be guarded. 

We tempt her. God dealt severely with the historical Jezebel because of the way she seduced Aham and by extension, all Israel into idolatry. And we just heard what Jesus had to say about those who lead others into temptation in Matthew 18. This is not something that God takes lightly, and neither should we. So, how do we guard against the spirit of Jezebel? How can we keep ourselves from being a person that leads others into temptation and sin? First, we can commit to living righteous lives ourselves. When you strive for righteousness, it doesn't mean you're perfect, but it means you have your priorities in check. You are intentionally taking steps towards becoming a better Christian each day. You are intentionally building your faith through the Word of God each day. 

You are intentionally strengthening your relationship with Jesus through prayer each day. So, it becomes difficult for us to lead others or to be led into sin when we are striving to live according to God's Word. On the other hand, we, can we sincerely be trying to follow God's Word and still unwittingly lead people into temptation and sin? Sure, but I believe that Jesus in Matthew 18 was talking about people who intentionally lead people into temptation. People who are motivated to sin or to lead others into sin, falling into sin and deliberately leading others into sin are two different things. So, the first step is not embodying a Jezebel spirit or being falling for this spirit. It is to commit to righteousness. 

Be so focused on the things of God that the spirit of Jezebel will find no room to tempt you enough to fall. Secondly, we must be mindful of our influence. Some people are natural born leaders. 

They have a certain gravitas and magnetism about them. They are influencers, whether they know it or not. We must be very mindful of the influence we are having on people as well as the influence we allow others to have in our lives. If we are parents, we are influencing our children. If you are an older sibling, chances are you are influencing your younger siblings. If you are a pastor or a leader of any sort, you are influencing those beneath you. Even if you hold no official leadership positions, if you are an influential person in your circle, reflect on how you are using that influence. Are you using it to influence people towards righteousness or towards sin? Are you influencing people toward God or away from God? This is something we all must examine within ourselves. And on the opposite side of things, look at those closest to you. What is their influence to you? 

Are they leading you to the church or the club? To purity or unrighteousness? Second, Corinithian 6, verse 17 says, Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. Be careful who you allow to influence you in your life and the type of influence they have over you. 

Refuse to be influenced by evil. Now, finally, we should separate ourselves from those with the spirit of Jezebel, especially once we've identified this seductive and destructive spirit. Paul says in his first letter to the Corinithian Church, But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother who is sexually immoral or covetous or an idolater or a reveler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even to eat with such a person. Paul is clear that we should not associate with people that are staunchly committed to staying in their sin. If they are repentant and willing to change, that's another story. 

But if they are like Jezebel and fire raining down from heaven won't change their minds or hearts, we should not associate with them. This can get very complicated if that person is someone in your own family. In that scenario, pray to God for wisdom and ask your local pastor or counselor how best to handle it. At the end of the day, we should not allow anybody to lead us away from God. So commit yourself to righteousness. Be mindful of your own influence, whether it's godly or sinful in nature. 

Be mindful of the influence of those around you. Are they leading you to God or to the devil? And finally, separate ourselves from those with the spirit of Jezebel. We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. "
"[Text 18]
Speaker 1: When it comes to Judgment Day, there will be two groups of people. And I want you to notice this rule of two. There are the sheep and the goats. Matthew 25, verse 32 to 33 says, All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. The sheep will be on Jesus' right hand, and they are blessed by God, and will receive eternal life. But you see, the goats on Jesus' left hand are cursed with eternal hellfire. Another separation is to do with Judgment Day itself. 

Once again, we see this rule of two. There are two end-time judgments of which the Bible speaks. The Great White Throne Judgment and the Judgment Seat of Christ. For the Great White Throne Judgment, only lost people appear at that judgment. 

Everyone there is cast into the lake of fire. The judgment is to determine their degree of punishment. This judgment is detailed in Revelation 20. 

And then there is the Judgment Seat of Christ, which is detailed in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 10. Only Christians will appear at this judgment. It is a judgment to determine eternal rewards or the loss of them. It has nothing to do with determining salvation. 

Now, I could go on and give you more examples of this rule of two in the Bible. Those who are on the broad road, living however they like, versus those who walk on the narrow road and live their lives for the glory of Christ. There are those who will fulfill the prophecy given to us in 1 Timothy 3, verse 1-5, which details that in the last days, people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, and so forth. And then there are those who will fulfill the prophecy given to us in Acts 2, verse 17, which says, Now, in this video, I want to talk to you or rather warn you about the danger of falling into the wrong category. God wants everyone to be saved, but the reality presented to us in the Bible is that not everyone will be saved. 

And I want to warn you about the type of person, the type of character that will not be saved. The first group is the most obvious. These are the unbelievers, those who do not believe in the birth, death, burial, and a resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible explicitly states that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and there is no way through to the Father except through Him. On the cross, Jesus was there and there were two criminals on either side of Him. 

One of the criminals hanging beside Him scoffed. So you're the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself and us too while you're at it. But the other criminal protested. Don't you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 

We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn't done anything wrong. Then he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus replied, I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise. One criminal believed in Jesus and he went to heaven to be with the Lord. The other was an unbeliever and we can only assume based on the information we have that he was not saved. 

Nothing else can save a person, not intelligence, power, money, good looks, or even family or friends. We are saved only by the blood of Jesus and His death on the cross paid for our sins. The second group of people who will not be saved are those who commit the unpardonable sin, those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament, the Pharisees and Sadducees knew deep in their hearts, they knew Jesus was from God and that His miraculous power was from the Holy Spirit. Yet they accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub. In other words, they called the Holy Spirit a fraud. 

They consistently put Jesus' power to the test and questioned His authority, despite witnessing His amazing works. This is what blaspheming the Holy Spirit looks and sounds like. Jesus specifically mentioned this unforgivable sin in Matthew 12 verse 31 saying, Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. The definition of blasphemy when looked up in the dictionary is the action or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things, profane talk. 

So why does Jesus say blasphemy can be forgiven in any form except for when it is directed at the Holy Spirit? The next verse gives us some context and clarification. In verse 32 he says, That might be confusing to some. Why is blasphemy against the Spirit worse than blaspheming the Son? Jesus makes it clear that the unforgivable blasphemy he is referring to isn't just saying something mean about God. 

It's not simply mocking or talking disrespectfully about the Son. Although this is definitely still a sin, one can repent from it completely and God will forgive the sinner. The blasphemy against the Spirit isn't simply a bad thought or word. It is the active rejection of the Holy Spirit, His message. 

The third group is the people who have a form of godliness, the hypocrites. Envision a person who puts on an act while in public. They pray the loudest, they raise their hands the highest, they sing with so much passion but when in private they live a different life behind closed doors. In Matthew 23 Jesus confronted the religious leader's hypocrisy denouncing their outward righteousness while neglecting justice, mercy and humility. Just as the hypocrites' actions betray their true heart, God despises hypocrisy that contradicts genuine faith. Jesus told this parable about a Pharisee who was proud and had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else. Two men went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other was a despised tax collector. 

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer. I thank you God that I am not like other people. Cheaters, sinners, adulterers, I am certainly not like that tax collector. 

I fast twice a week and I give you a tenth of my income. But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead he beat his chest in sorrow saying, Oh God be merciful to me for I am a sinner. I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. 

For those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. I'd like to tell you today that Jesus Christ can see. He can see right through the facades. 

He can see beyond your actions and right into your intentions and motives. We may not be a Pharisee or a scribe, but here's what we all have in common. We are all private people and we all don't like to announce to the world what we really like inside. We have secrets. People have secrets. Secret thoughts. Secret intentions. 

Secret motives and most of the time, secrets and sins go together as a pair. Is your public life matching up to your private life? Or are you one person when there's an audience but someone else when you're alone? I believe that we all must be aware of becoming self-righteous. A self-righteous person will appear to be morally superior than others in order to hide their own struggles. 

A self-righteous person will strive to make others believe that they are a good Christian, a strong Christian, when in reality they are simply seeking the applause of man. The fourth and final group of people who cannot be saved are those with a hardened heart. What does it mean to have a hardened heart? It means spiritual blindness. It means insensitivity toward God's beauty and glory. 

It means chasing after our own desires instead of the things of God. What are some of the practical things that show when someone's heart has been hardened? Proverbs 6 verse 16 to 19 sums this up perfectly, saying, When someone's heart has become cold and hard, they will not turn away from such things. 

They will continue to be proud, to lie, to run to evil, and so on. One of the clearest and most powerful verses in the Bible can be found in 1 John 2 verse 6. The Word of God says, I don't think the Bible can be any clearer here. Anyone who claims to be a Christian must walk and conduct themselves as Christ. We ought to be imitators of Christ in every way possible. This means we need to strive to be as prayerful as Jesus was when He walked on this earth. We should strive to be as loving and merciful as Jesus was on this earth. We should fight to be about our Father's business. 

We should fight to do God's will. And so, dear friend, our hearts cry should be, Lord, I want to walk like you did. Teach me how to love like you did. Teach me how to be obedient just like you were. Teach me how to be forgiving just like you were. 

And of course, teach me how to pray like you did. You see, God couldn't care less about our outward appearance, whether it's clothing or public image. He is concerned with our heart, and He is the only one who can truly judge us. Proverbs 16 verse 2 says this, We see ourselves as pure, but God is the one who weighs the truth. We could never accurately judge ourselves. However, we can identify when someone else is not what they claim to be. 

In Matthew 7 verse 15, Jesus warns us to Beware of false prophets, Who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. In the next verse, He says, Recognizing someone else's fruits is not the same as judgment. We wrongfully cast judgment when we think we can determine someone else's heart. Recognizing fruits, however, is examining someone's actions and determining if they are godly or otherwise. This is not judgment. Rather, it is exercising caution in who we trust. 

Speaker 2: The Bible says in James 1 verse 22, But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. The Bible here is saying, Prove yourselves to be people who put the word of God in practice. Prove that you obey God's principles, His instructions and His precepts. Prove that you're not merely listeners who hear the word, but fail to internalize its meaning. Prove that you're not just listeners who hear the word, even know the word, but fail to do the word. 

And the last couple of words in this verse are interesting because the Bible is telling us that if you do this, if you hear the word, but fail to do the word, then you are actually deceiving yourself. You are deluding yourselves. It's not the devil deceiving you know, you deceive yourself, should you hear the word, but fail to act on it. We always think that deception comes from Satan, from the Antichrist, from some demonic false teacher. But something as simple as knowing God's word, but failing to do it, that is an act of deception towards yourself. Because how can you claim to love Christ, but fail to obey Him? How can you say you are a Christian, striving to be Christ-like, but yet fail to bow the knee? The Amplify translation for James 1, verses 22 through 24 says, But prove yourselves doers of the word, actively and continually obeying God's precepts, And not merely listeners who hear the word, but fail to internalize its meaning, Deluding yourselves by unsound reasoning, contrary to the truth. For if anyone only listens to the word, without obeying it, he is like a man who looks very carefully at his natural face in a mirror. 

For once he has looked at himself and gone away, he immediately forgets what he looked like. Are you using God's word as a lamp to your feet? Are you obeying God's word and putting it into practice? I do not believe that anyone can be a doer of God's word without being challenged by it. God's word has to challenge you, and it will challenge you when you really try and put it into action. 

Speaker 1: Some people are simply hard to trust in this world. I'm sure if you thought about it, you could think of a few people who you don't trust. Maybe it's a parent who hurt you in an unimaginable way. It could be a friend who manipulated and used you. 

Possibly it's a coworker who tends to lie to get their way. All of these people are hard to trust. However, what if I told you there was one person who was harder to trust than any of those people? 

Well, there is. And the truth is, this one person that's near enough impossible to trust is you. And that's my message today. Never trust yourself. 

Your heart cannot be trusted outside of the regeneration work of the Holy Spirit. God made everything good. This includes the human mind and heart. However, due to the fall, we all have a sinful nature. This makes it hard to trust your heart and mind, and it needs to be fixed. The Bible reminds us of this over and over again whenever it speaks of the state of our heart. Proverbs 28, verse 26 says, Also, Jeremiah 17, verse 9 states, The world will tell you to trust your heart, follow where your heart leads. However, that cannot be farther from the truth. You'd be a fool to trust your sinful nature. 

Allow me to give you an illustration that will help put my point across. There was a man who was fond of alcohol. He was a functioning alcoholic, meaning that you'd never know that he was an alcoholic. 

However, every time he walked into a bar, he knew he would get drunk. One morning after waking up extremely hungover after a drunken stupor, he was filled with shame and regret. He told himself he'd never do that again. A few nights later, he was sitting at home thinking about the promise he had made to himself. He then told himself if he went to the bar that night, he would not drink. 

He was just going to hang out with his friends. As soon as he walked in that night, he knew he was getting drunk. This cycle repeated itself over and over again. He would promise himself this is the last time. He'd be sober after this, but after a little while, he was back again. 

He was drinking again. This is a real situation that plays out time and time again in our wicked hearts. It may involve alcohol, lust, sexual sin, or anger. Whatever the sin may be, we tell ourselves we will never sin a certain way again. Due to that, we put ourselves back into the same situation because our heart tells us we will not give in. 

However, our hearts cannot be trusted, and we do end up giving in to the very sin we promised never to do again. Another way that we deceive ourselves is by making excuses and compromising. We'll tell ourselves something like it's a guilty pleasure or it's only a white lie. We tell a tiny lie to make our conscience feel at ease. 

However, a white lie is still a lie. Calling a sin a guilty pleasure doesn't hide the fact that it's still sin. Our wicked hearts can trek us over and over again. The heart will also say, God will forgive me, so it's okay to sin. While it is true that in Christ we have forgiveness, we should not try to take advantage of that forgiveness. The end goal of our hearts is to get us to sin. 

So does that leave us helpless without any help in the world? That is also a lie that the heart will tell. However, there is hope that our hearts can be changed. Ezekiel 36 verse 26 says, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel was an Old Testament prophet. 

In this scripture, he's telling the people of God that there will be a day when God will change their evil, wicked hearts under a new covenant. At that point, they had hearts of stone. When you squeeze a stone, it cannot be changed or molded. No matter how hard you try, you cannot change a stone with your bare hands. However, under the new covenant, the people of God will receive a heart of flesh. 

Try pinching your arm. Your flesh can be moved and changed. What God is telling his people is that there will be a new covenant in which God will give them new, clean hearts that are not evil and full of sin. Well, that new covenant came. It came through the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus came to earth even though he was God. He was born a man, but not with a heart of stone. He had a heart of flesh. Where we all fail and give in to evil desires, he never did. Though he never sinned, he was treated as if he did. He was hung on a cross and his blood dripped to the ground. He took the punishment for our sin and rose from the grave. 

He defeated death, sin and Satan. Now those who trust in the blood of Christ are purified. They receive a new heart of flesh that can be shaped into the image of God. This new heart is made of the very word of God. It is only God's word that we can trust. It is only Jesus that we can trust. 

Never should we try to trust in our own hearts. You may find yourself constantly giving in to the evil desires of your mind and heart. It may satisfy you for a while, but the truth is that satisfaction will run out. That satisfaction may run out on earth when you experience every earthly pleasure that you want. 

It may take a lifetime, but in the end, when you stand before God and take account of your life, that satisfaction will be gone. God is calling you to Him at this very moment. He is not telling you to trust your heart as others will do, but to trust Him. While your evil heart changes constantly, God never will. He is willing to change your heart, but you must come to Him. 

Speaker 2: Habitual sin is dangerous. Even the Apostle Paul seems to have been caught in a cycle something like this. In Romans, he almost cries out aloud in frustration. He says, the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing. I'm a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am. 

And that's Paul, who in the same chapter tells us that he delights in God's law. Resisting temptation is not easy. It's not a simple matter of willpower. We need more than willpower to resist temptation. And God provides us with exactly what we need to do. 

Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 13. He wrote, the temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure. So the question is, are you repeating a sin you desperately want to be rid of? Are you stuck in a cycle of sin? Only Jesus has the power to break you out from that cycle of sin. Only the blood of Jesus can set you free from the bondage of sin. 

Speaker 1: The devil has infiltrated and embedded himself into so many things in society. He's blended right into such an extent that people no longer see the sin in what many may consider to be normal. People no longer see the parading of sexual immorality in movies and music today. People no longer see the sin in how the world encourages and fosters the spirit of pride and the pursuit of things, of money and power. Sin has become accepted as the norm. 

It doesn't even shock us anymore to see sexual immorality on screen or to hear music that blasphemes. The devil has managed to embed himself and blend into society. He's normalized the things that lead us to sin. And the thing is, the devil cunningly presents these things before our eyes so frequently that it almost desensitizes us. It becomes normal to see sexual immorality on the screen and on social media. 

It's become normal to pursue money and material things. However, what is normal to the world tends to go hand in hand with what is sin. The amplified translation of Romans 12 verse 2 gives a detailed account of what we need as children of God. The Bible says, In other words, stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you. Don't allow this world to mold you in its own image. The key for us as believers is that we are to be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit. 

Speaker 3: Doing what's wrong can deceptively appear rewarding or pleasurable. After all, Satan is walking around like an angel of light. He makes sin attractive, but in the end, sin is deadly and rotten. David prayed that God would help him face this and say, No to sin. The apostle James also said, Resist the devil and he will flee from you. In other words, say no to the devil enough times and he will flee. Sin almost always begins in the mind and that is exactly where you should be saying no. 

So pray that God would give you the grace to say no when the tempter reminds us how delicious his offerings are. Of course, the apostle Paul says the same thing as King David. Listen to what he wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2 verse 21 and 22. Paul said, Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. So I encourage you to walk with God. Walk with well chosen friends. Don't ever take the first small step to sin. Say no when the devil tries to entice you with the pleasures of 

Speaker 2: sin. "
"[Text 19]
Speaker 1: Revelation 13, verse 16 to 17. It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. Five things you need to know about the mark of the beast. 1. Allegiance When the Antichrist is revealed to the world, he will enforce a system, a law, where you need to take some type of mark in order to participate in society. 

There is one school of thought that suggests the following. In order for us to really understand what the mark is and what it means, there is a need to look back in history. It is thought that at one time, Rome ordered all its citizens to pledge their allegiance to it. And this would be their political allegiance, and also religious allegiance. As you pledged allegiance, this meant you accepted and submitted to Roman law, including the religious laws of that time. 

For you to pledge allegiance, it meant you were pledging your loyalty to Rome. Now, with this thought, the mark of the beast will be a case of people pledging allegiance to the Antichrist. People will take the mark of the beast because at that time, it will most likely be enforced by law. Although the message will be that you need the mark to buy or sell, you will in fact be pledging your allegiance to the Antichrist. 

And here's the proof. Revelation 14, verse 9 to 10 says, A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice, If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they too will drink the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. Those who have the mark have submitted to the Antichrist and therefore rejected God, which in turn results in those individuals feeling the full force of God's wrath. Number 2, The Mark No one knows exactly what form the mark of the beast will be. However, many speculate that it could come in the form of a small digital chip or something called an RFID, Radio Frequency Identification Tag. 

Both of these options can quite easily be planted under the skin. Revelation 13, verse 16 to 17 says, He required everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. This scripture indicates that the Antichrist will establish some kind of world economic system and when you look at the advancing of technology, digital currencies, artificial intelligence and the increasing globalization of the world's markets, a one world monetary system or currency is the most likely way that we will see the Antichrist enforce his reign. 

Because after all, he cannot control the buying and selling of the entire world until there is a universal mechanism. Number 3, The Persecution. Christians are warned that difficult times will come. When the Antichrist comes into power, he will give you two choices. Worship him or lose your life. Revelation 13, verse 15 says, He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. If you do not worship the beast according to the Bible, you will lose your life. So effectively Christianity will be outlawed. Any believer or anyone who refuses to bow to the Antichrist will face persecution. Revelation 2, verse 10 says, Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison that you may be tested and you will have tribulation 10 days. 

Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life. The pressure to bow down to the Antichrist will be intense. Families will be torn apart as loved ones choose to take the mark and turn away from God. And think about it, if you take the mark, you lose your soul. You essentially reject God. 

But if you don't take the mark, you will be persecuted. You will be unable to buy or sell. Just imagine the difficult position that some believers will be in. For some, this will mean you can't put food on the table for your family. So now you have to contend with hunger and starvation. For others, you cannot work. 

You cannot receive an income and therefore unable to pay for your home and mortgage. And perhaps this forces you into hiding. These are just hypothetical scenarios, but I just want to paint a picture that shows just how difficult things will be for believers during the time of the Antichrist. 

4. Great Evil In those days, the world will see a great evil like never before. Here are some of the things you will see during the reign of the Antichrist. Matthew 24, verse 15 to 16 says, Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, whoever reads, let him understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. An abomination is something that causes disgust or hatred. It's a great sin, commonly worthy of death. 

And desolation is a state of complete emptiness or destruction. Now, when Jesus said this, he was in fact warning us that someone, or perhaps some event that people detested, would stand in the temple someday. When that horror occurred, residents of Judea should seek cover without delay. Furthermore, there will be widespread idolatry on the earth. There will be people in this world who will worship and idolize the Antichrist because he will suffer what the Bible calls a fatal wound, but miraculously recover. In addition to this, the Antichrist will openly blaspheme against God. He will openly speak against Jesus Christ and seek to insult the name of the Lord. And when it comes to the hearts of people, 2 Timothy 3 tells us that people will be corrupt and fall away from God. 

People that have a form of godliness, but they won't have the power of God working in their lives. When you read 2 Timothy 3 and go through the list of how people in society will be, the Bible tells you that people will be lovers of self, meaning that people will be narcissistic and self-focused. And so from this, you can see that there will be great evil in the last days, especially once the Antichrist is in power. The fifth and final thing you need to know is that, when the Antichrist is revealed, the end is near and the glorious second coming of Jesus Christ is closer than ever. The Antichrist will be revealed as the Tribulation period begins. The Tribulation period will be the final seven years of human history. This period in time will be split into two. 

The Tribulation period, which lasts three and a half years, and then the Great Tribulation period, which lasts three and a half years as well. This seven-year period will be the reign of the Antichrist. However, it all ends in the Battle of Armageddon. 

The Bible tells us, demonic spirits will gather all the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon. John then tells us the scenes he saw in Revelation 19. Then I saw heaven opened and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 

The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a wine press. 

On his robe and his thigh was written this title, King of all kings and Lord of all lords. This will be the triumphant return of Jesus Christ. And when he returns, he will bring judgment against all of the wickedness in the world. 

The white horse that Jesus rides on symbolically depicts the holy and pure power that Jesus has to overcome evil with good. When Jesus returns, He will not be alone. He will have the armies of heaven with Him. And this will be made up of angels led by Archangel Michael and the Saints. 

He first came to earth as the Lamb of God and sacrificed Himself on the cross so that we would be saved. But when He returns, He will return as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When Jesus returns, He will crush the Antichrist and all of His followers. 

He will crush every demonic spirit and thing that stands in opposition to Him. The Bible tells us in Revelation 19, verse 19 to 21, Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world, and their armies gathered together to fight against the ones sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast. Miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. 

And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies. Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. This call to vigilance and watchfulness is as relevant for us today as it was for the disciples when Jesus spoke these words. 

Just as a vigilant watchman remains attentive to potential threats, we must stay alert and watchful for the signs of Christ's imminent return. The fascinating thing about a watchman is that a watchman has many different roles which are all just as vitally important. In the olden days, a watchman was responsible for protecting towns and army camps from surprise enemy attacks as well as any other potential dangers. Watchmen on the walls would look out for approaching messengers, danger, armies or envoys. 

In 2 Samuel 18, we are told that David was sitting between the two gates. And the watchman went up to the roof over the gate to the wall, lifted his eyes and looked. And there was a man running alone. Then the watchman cried out and told the king. And the king said, if he is alone, there is news in his mouth. 

And he, the messenger, came rapidly and drew near. It's a watchman's job to always be on the lookout, to peer into the distance, to observe, to await, and certainly to be alert. The watchman stands as a sentinel guarding against any dangers. And in our own spiritual lives, every Christian has this role of acting as a watchman. We are to observe, evaluate and examine our lives against the word of God. We are to guard the gates of our eyes, ears and heart from the threat of sin, the threat of evil and the threat of the devil. 

We are to be watchmen over our hearts' desires and affections. Now, as children of God who live in a period of time where there is great uncertainty, one thing we have to guard against is the spirit of fear. People out there are fearful of so many things, the threat of emerging pandemics. For some, there is uncertainty when it comes to the current state of international affairs. The Bible warns us of wars and rumors of wars. And when we finally see Bible prophecy unfolding right before our eyes, it can leave us seeking clarity. And you can end up asking questions like, how will this affect the country I live in? 

How will this affect the world? And so, there is uncertainty there. For someone else, the fight they face is economic uncertainty, either personal finances or the wider economy of their country. For other people in certain parts of the world, Christians who face persecution for their faith in Christ, there may be some uncertainty as they think, how long can I endure this? Or how much more should I endure, Lord? And I personally believe that in these last days, in these days where we see Bible prophecy unfolding before our eyes, I believe the Bible gives us five commands that will help us all in these times. The first of these five commands is to keep watch because Christ is coming soon. Matthew 24, verse 42, the Bible says, therefore keep watch because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. When you are living in uncertain times, when you are living in fearful times, in times where biblical prophecy is happening and we are seeing an increase in the number of conflicts all around the world, we are seeing pestilences, we're seeing the love of many growing cold. When you are living in such times, it's important to keep watch, for you don't know what day your Lord is coming. 

We may not have the answers to everything. There may not be a detailed roadmap telling you what to do and how to do it whenever you see troubling things happening, but all in all, we must remember that ultimately our focus should be in one place, and that is on Jesus Christ. If you focus on the world, you will be worried, you will be burdened and anxious, but when you focus on Jesus, you will see the trouble in the world, but you will not be troubled in your heart. The second command is to watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. Matthew 26, verse 41 says, watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. 

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. We are encouraged to watch and pray so that we won't give in to temptation, and a lot of times people associate temptation to only be of a sexual nature. However, people can be tempted by sin in various ways. Some are tempted to lie and steal, all for their personal and selfish gain. Some are tempted to get drunk, others are tempted to gossip, but most of all, watch out against being tempted to follow a gospel that tickles your ears. In the last days, there will be deception, and this deception will be tempting to many, because you will be told a gospel that simply makes you feel good instead of leading you to repentance. 

Be careful not to be tempted. The third command is to watch and pray so that you can escape. Luke 21, verse 36 says, watch therefore and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man. When Jesus said this to his disciples, he was talking about the future, and he was warning them of the terrible things to come on the earth as we edge closer to the end of the age. 

Those who will be counted worthy to escape God's wrath on this earth are those who have put their trust and faith in Jesus Christ, but you can only do this if you watch and pray always. In other words, Jesus is telling us to be focused on him. The fourth command to believers in this day and age is to be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. The Bible in 1 Peter 4, verse 7 says, the end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 

In this context, sober means serious. In other words, as believers, we should be careful about how we live. Our choices impact our ability to think clearly. 

It is better to be self-controlled so that we can pray earnestly. I believe here that Peter is also speaking to those who suffer for Jesus' sake, the believers who are persecuted. Peter gives us a word of warning that is also encouraging as he says, it's almost over. 

The end of all things is near. And don't we see that today more so than ever? The fifth and final command to believers is to be clear in your mission. 2 Timothy 4, verse 5 gives us great advice when it comes to dealing with all that we hear and see in the world today. The Bible says, but you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. 

Work at telling others the good news and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. The world has many different voices, some godly, some ungodly. And these voices will tell you so many different things, things that will confuse you, things that will leave you perplexed, things that will pollute your mind and all of this leads you to live in a fearful state. But God's word is calling us to have a clear mind in every situation. 

And I believe that you can achieve this by doing one thing, focusing on Christ and doing everything for His glory. As more and more people ask questions like, are we living in the last days? Is this the end? I want to encourage you to do something. Rather than look at each and every event that is currently happening in the world, my message to you is that you should make sure that you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Yes, it's good for us to take note of the events happening in this world, but the focus for our lives should be to make sure that our individual relationships with God are in good standing. Whether these are the last days or not, whether this is the 11th hour or not, you and I, as believers, need to make sure that our focus is only on Jesus Christ. We should focus on the one who is the way, the truth, and the life. And that is Jesus Christ, who explicitly said, No one comes to the Father except through me. "
"[Text 20]
Speaker 1: Scientists have just discovered something that's truly interesting and shocking. When it comes to apocalyptic events, the Book of Revelation has everything you could think of and more. But what happens when one apocalyptic end times event, which is in the Book of Revelation, what happens when science validates it? Well, let's take a look and see if this is what NASA has just done. NASA plans for doomsday scenario of asteroid with 72% chance of hitting Earth in 14 years. The article goes on to say, What if a never before seen asteroid barreling in our direction was likely to strike Earth? 

That's the hypothetical scenario NASA astronomers tested with a recent simulation in which officials attempted to plan for an asteroid that has a 72% chance of hitting Earth in just 14 years. Now, the reason that this development by NASA is intriguing Christians is because of the Wormwood prophecy. This biblical Wormwood prophecy is described in Revelation 8 and it foreshadows a cataclysmic event, an event that will leave an untold amount of devastation upon the Earth and its inhabitants. The imagery painted by this prophecy is eerie and apocalyptic. According to the prophecy, a star falls from the heavens. Other Bible translations call it a Hugh Mountain and this mountain, this star, is blazing with intensity. When this star appears in the skies, it heralds a time of great tribulation. Its descent to the Earth signifies the beginning of a harrowing sequence of events that will fall upon the Earth. 

Upon impact, Wormwood unleashes a toxic effect from the Earth. The waters which sustain life are tainted and rendered bitter. In fact, one-third of the waters on Earth turn bitter. That means the water is literally undrinkable. It's not a matter of simply a bitter taste to the water. 

It'll be poisonous. And just imagine that that drinking water is unavailable to one-third of the Earth's population. Oh, how the chaos will ensue. The devastation to rivers, lakes, and oceans will affect millions of lives. Once crystal clear bodies of water will be transformed into murky pools of despair. Now this is just one prophecy that will come to the Earth during the tribulation period, but for you to understand the end of the world, you have to go look at the Book of Revelation as a whole, not just focus on one judgment. Revelation warns us that many supernatural and apocalyptic events will take place. God's wrath to come. Supernatural apocalyptic events. 

Extreme changes in the weather and so much more. Now, whether or not NASA's predictions will be accurate remains to be seen, but the message I'd like to give you today is that the Bible reads in 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 7, but the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. The first thing that stands out that Peter says, the end of all things, all things is at hand. Meaning that it's near. It's at the doorstep. 

We're on the brink, so to speak. Now that should immediately get your attention because Peter goes on to say, be serious and watchful in your prayer. Now, when the Bible is telling you to be serious, I believe it's saying be sound-minded and self-controlled. Be serious in your relationship with God. Be faithful to the Lord. 

And be serious about living a righteous life because the end of all things is at hand. Now, what's interesting is that Peter tells us to be serious and watchful in your prayers. This tells me that there has to be something to be gained from praying. There has to be something valuable that you can acquire in prayer if we're called to be serious and watchful in prayer. 

So let me ask you this. In these times that we're living in, how is your prayer life? In these times where we hear of wars and rumors of wars, how is your prayer life? In these times where God is being removed from society, from institutions, from schools, how is your prayer life? In a time where many are turning away from the faith, where many have itching ears for doctrines or demons, how is your prayer life? Is your prayer life still strong? Is your prayer life forceful and tenacious? Now, if you hadn't connected the dots, there's a link between these last days and your prayer life. 

First, Peter told us this link, but if you study the Bible further, you'll find that Jesus also made the same connection between prayer and the last days. Luke 21 verse 34 to 36 tells us, But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life. And that day come upon you suddenly like a trap, for it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man. Note how verse 36 says, Stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength. We need to pray for strength so that we can stand strong in the difficult end times. We need to pray for strength because Jesus warned us that our hearts can be weighed down with the anxieties of life. And so prayer is absolutely essential for every believer. 

Speaker 2: There is a flood coming, a wave. We're told in Revelation chapter 12 verse 12 that, Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them, But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short. The devil knows and he understands that his time is short. His days are numbered and so he is coming with an anger. He's coming for the believers, trying to get them to backslide. He's coming for those who are on fire for God and he's trying to get them to a state of being lukewarm. He's coming for the family and for the home, all so that he can steal, kill, and destroy. But the Bible says, when the enemy comes in like a flood, The spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him, Meaning that should the devil try to flood your life, Then in Jesus' name the gates of hell shall not prevail. Whatever the flood may be, God will raise a standard against him. You have a deliverer in Jesus. You are on higher ground when you stay in the presence of the Lord. 

You have a defense in Jesus, an impenetrable fortress, and no flood from the devil can harm you. At some point in life, most people will hear the term, the good old days. And in most instances, it's a reference to a time period that people remember fondly. Our grandparents always believed that the days they grew up and lived in were far better than this present day. 

Likewise, our parents talk about how things were when they were coming up, And how they were different and better than the things that exist today. Matthew 24, verse 37 to 38, the Bible reads, But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, Marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark. The days of Noah. From generation to generation, would you say that society as a whole has been improving morally and spiritually since the days of Noah? Or would you say that society has been declining morally since the time of Noah? During the days of Noah, the Bible says in Genesis 6, verse 5, The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, And that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 

How does this generation compare? If sin was prevalent in those days, what should we make of this present day? If the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the days of Noah, Then what does he think of today? We've had a boom in technology, the kind of technology that makes it easier to sin in many different ways. We've had society glamorize sin through celebrities and entertainment. So if the days of Noah were bad, what about today? 

Could this current generation be the most wicked known to man? At least since the flood? Jesus did not refer to the days of the past, the days of Noah as the good old days. But instead, he referred to them as a time that we could look at as a means to understanding his second coming. 

For Christians. This might inspire us to want to ask the question, Exactly how bad was the generation that existed in the final days before the flood? In speaking of his own return, Jesus said, In Matthew 24 verse 37 to 39, But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of man be. Jesus desired to let his followers know that if we could discern and understand the times leading up to the flood, then perhaps we could discern and understand the season in which he, Jesus, would return. 

It's all about having the awareness to know that when these things start happening, when people become comfortable and start pushing God out of their lives, when sin and wickedness is the norm, when you start to feel the birth pains, then you know, you know, that the return of Christ is near. So what was it like during the days of Noah? What was it like before the destruction of mankind? The book of Genesis tells us that the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth and he was grieved in his home. The Bible also teaches that all mankind was corrupt and that the earth was a wretched place. Genesis 6, verse 11 and 12 says, the earth also was corrupt before God and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth and indeed, it was corrupt. For all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth, so the earth was filled with violence. 

All flesh had corrupted their way, way up to those descriptions against the world today. However, in and amongst all that was going on, Noah found grace in the eyes of God. Noah was described as perfect and just in his generation. 

He was described as a man who walked with God and because of this, he was saved. In this day and age, ask yourself, as a man or woman of God, am I a Noah in this sinfield world? Am I walking with Jesus? Am I practicing righteousness? 

Or am I to be found sitting and dining on the same table as those who willingly sin against God? Though God's intent was to destroy the evil that controlled the hearts and minds of his creation, he did not intend to annihilate his greatest creation as a whole, which is why he saved Noah. God's heart has always been to reconcile sinners back to a state of righteousness. 

He wants us to spend all of eternity with him, but all too often we're not paying attention to his word which tells us how to live and what to watch out for in times like these. 

Speaker 3: Sure enough, if you take a look at this world through the lens of the Bible, you will notice a trend. What the Word of God stands for, the world is against. What Jesus Christ stands for and represents, the world is against. Those who have been blinded by Satan live under a delusion. They won't see that the love of money drives so many ungodly things. 

Instead, they will focus on the notion that everyone needs money, everyone needs to make a living. Of course, and the Bible never says money is evil, it says the love of money is evil. And when you love money so much that you're willing to do things that are unethical and immoral, then money has become an idol. When you're willing to steal or to overlook the detrimental effect you have on others all so that you can make money, then it has become an idol to you. 

When you love money so much that you're willing to stand in front of a camera and not only commit sexual sin, but lead others to commit sexual sin, then money has become an idol. Take a look at what the amplified version says in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 3-4. But even if our gospel is in some sense hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only to those who are perishing. Among them the God of this world, Satan, has blinded the minds of the unbelieving to prevent them from seeing the illuminating light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. The devil wants you as far away from Jesus Christ as possible. He wants you to be blind from the truth, even if it is right in front of you. The devil wants you to take God casually, not seriously, meaning you use God like a convenience store. You go to him when you need something, and if you don't need anything, then you put him away. 

That's blindness. Now, with this all being said, I want to be very clear about this next point. While the devil is described as the God of this world, he is limited. He is not all powerful. The devil rules the earth in a limited capacity, but he does not have ownership of the earth, nor is he all knowing omnipresent and omniscient. 

He is not. The devil has boundaries because God is still sovereign and holds the final say. Revelation 12 verse 12 says, Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them. But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in a great wrath because he knows that his time is short. The devil's time on this earth is short, and what I want you to understand is that Hebrews 12 verse 2 says, Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. When you look to Jesus, there is no devil, no demon that can blind you. When you look to Jesus, there can be no love for money in your heart because your love for Christ is greater. When you look to Jesus, you cannot be blinded, distracted, or whisked away by immorality, sin, greed, or pleasure. I encourage you to really focus, be fixated on the Lord. 

This way you can't go wrong. There are a lot of things happening in this world. There is a lot of evil. The Bible in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 4 says, In their case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 

Think about that for a moment. The God of this age, the God of this world, Satan, has prevented unbelievers from seeing the light of the gospel. Now, in case you didn't know, the devil is very influential on this earth. Whether you see it or not, whether you believe it or not, the devil can and has influence on the ideals, opinions, and standards in this world. That's why the Bible says the God of this world. The devil has his tentacles in the world's philosophies. They are in so many institutions. 

And you may think, well, how exactly does he do this? Well, look at the driving force of many, many major companies. It's money. 

Money has become a God, an idol to many people, including the bosses of many major corporations. They will track your movements, watch what you're watching, analyze what you click on. Some even take your personal information and sell it with the objective of what? Money. Money is the number one objective. 

Money is the only objective for so many institutions in this world. Yet the word of God says, the love of money is the root to all evil. But you see, the God of this world, the devil, he blinds unbelievers, and they don't see this. They don't see how money has become an idol to them. Another example to illustrate just how the God of this world, the devil, has blinded the minds of unbelievers is this. The Bible tells us to flee sexual immorality. 

The Bible tells us that fornicators and adulterers and the sexually impure will not inherit the kingdom of God. However, in this world, what type of content is searched for the most on the internet? It's all sexually explicit content that is related to opposing the word of God. One site by the name of Covenant Eyes reported that 30% of internet content is pornography. 30% of content online is geared to promoting sexual impurity. 

And the sad thing is the number of visitors to these sites are in the billions. This is the work of the God of this world. And the truth is, this world needs believers who are full of Christ. It needs spirit-filled believers who can be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. 

Be so filled with the word that the light of Jesus Christ will shine through you into this world. We are not commanded to hate anyone in this world. We are commanded to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. This love that the Bible speaks of is one that can only be shown to others when you yourself have received Jesus Christ. Unbelievers may be blinded by the God of this world, but as Christians, we need to ensure that we are overflowing with the love of Jesus Christ, so much so that they will have to see the truth. They will have to see the way to eternal life. 

Speaker 4: Now, the most important thing is that we should be spending our time and energy chasing after the Lord, because the more we know Him, the more we know truth, and the more we know truth, the more easily we can identify deception. "


Prompt: Create 6000+ words video content about angels and hierarchy