[01:00:01;14 - 01:00:02;10] Good evening. [01:00:05;46 - 01:00:09;59] I'm glad that you're here tonight for the second part [01:00:11;02 - 01:00:15;14] of our study on the beastly antichrist. [01:00:16;15 - 01:00:17;33] Now let me make a statement. [01:00:19;40 - 01:00:23;23] I hope everyone understand this. We're not to look for the antichrist. [01:00:24;42 - 01:00:26;25] We're to look for the coming of Christ. [01:00:28;19 - 01:00:31;19] We're studying about this because number one, it's in the Bible. [01:00:33;01 - 01:00:54;10] And number two, it helps us to do what the Bible says about being alert. We gotta be alert. We gotta look at the signs. We gotta look at what's happening in the world, what's happening around us, and make sure that we understand the nearness of the coming of Christ, okay? [01:00:55;39 - 01:00:59;28] All right, let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you so much [01:01:00;32 - 01:01:20;36] for every man and woman in this room, every man and woman who's on live stream. And I pray, Father, in the name of Jesus, that tonight you would open up the truth of this prophecy, help us to understand it and apply it to our lives. Lord, we love you and thank you. In Jesus' name, amen. [01:01:22;06 - 01:01:31;17] So one day, I don't know when, but one day the antichrist will rule the entire world. [01:01:32;40 - 01:01:33;43] The entire world. [01:01:34;55 - 01:01:38;29] Take your Bible, just flip over to Revelation 13 for just a moment. [01:01:40;29 - 01:01:41;20] Look at verse seven. [01:01:42;40 - 01:01:46;34] Revelation 13, verse seven. [01:01:51;00 - 01:01:58;36] The Bible says, "It was also given to him," that's the antichrist, "to make war with the saints [01:02:00;06 - 01:02:08;56] and to overcome them and authority," look at this, "and authority of every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him." [01:02:10;44 - 01:02:24;39] There's coming a day when the antichrist will rule the entire world. Now, that's not a fictional fairy tale assumption, it is a fact rooted in biblical prophecy. [01:02:26;14 - 01:02:27;42] I've got to be honest with you, [01:02:29;05 - 01:02:39;55] I am mystified that so many people in Bible-believing churches are so dismissive of Bible prophecy. [01:02:41;18 - 01:02:49;40] I'm mystified that people whose names are written in the last book of life, I have no doubt that they're saying, [01:02:50;53 - 01:02:57;23] but they don't have a desire to study scripture, they avoid it like the plague. [01:02:58;57 - 01:03:17;14] I'm gonna tell you what, you're doing the right thing, you are digging into scripture, you're digging into prophecy. Do you realize that biblical prophecy is just as authoritative and just as inspired as the book of John or Psalms or any other part of the Bible? [01:03:18;38 - 01:03:20;05] So we're doing the right thing, [01:03:21;11 - 01:03:24;13] we ought to study all of scripture [01:03:25;19 - 01:03:41;14] and not take out a chunk, about 20% of the Bible is prophecy. Prophecy, can you imagine just deciding on their own, well, I don't need that 20%, I'm just gonna focus on 80%. [01:03:43;38 - 01:03:44;40] That's not right, folks. [01:03:46;23 - 01:03:55;30] So I'm preaching to the choir here and I'm glad that you're here to study prophecy, but I am mystified that so many people [01:03:56;37 - 01:03:59;37] are so dismissive of the prophetic scriptures. [01:04:01;12 - 01:04:14;14] I was reading in my quiet time this week, something that really made that point drive home in my heart. In Acts chapter three, verses 11 to 26, [01:04:15;18 - 01:04:19;30] this is Peter's second sermon in the book of Acts. [01:04:20;36 - 01:04:25;55] His first sermon was on the day of Pentecost and this is a second sermon. [01:04:27;00 - 01:04:44;43] In verse 11, he's preaching and the Bible says, while he was clinging to Peter and John. Now remember what happened in chapter three, Peter and John met a man who had been lame from birth, he had never walked a day in his life. [01:04:46;37 - 01:04:50;39] And by the power of the resurrected Christ, [01:04:51;40 - 01:04:54;50] they healed this man, Jesus healed him. [01:04:56;07 - 01:05:12;55] And people were thronging around them. It was a miracle, they knew it was a miracle. Now the religious leaders tried to discount it, but they couldn't do a very good job because the people knew in their hearts, they had just witnessed a miracle. [01:05:14;33 - 01:05:26;26] And so the Bible says, while he was clinging to Peter and John, this is the guy that was healed. All the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement. [01:05:27;45 - 01:05:38;25] But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Or why do you gaze at us as if by our own power or piety, we made him walk? [01:05:39;53 - 01:06:05;40] The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers has glorified his servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate when he had decided to release him. But you disowned the holy and righteous one and asked for a murderer to be granted to you. But put to death the Prince of Life, [01:06:06;48 - 01:06:11;14] the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. [01:06:12;23 - 01:06:27;53] And on the basis of faith in his name, it is the name of Jesus by which has strengthened this man whom you see and know, and the faith which comes through him has given him perfect health in the presence of you all. [01:06:29;02 - 01:06:48;06] And now brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. Verse 18, now here's what I want you to do. Every time that you come across the word prophet, I want you to underline it or circle it in your notes, okay? [01:06:49;32 - 01:06:54;18] Look at verse 18. But the things which God announced beforehand [01:06:55;55 - 01:06:59;21] by the mouth of all the prophets, that's your first one, [01:07:00;37 - 01:07:05;09] that his Christ would suffer, he has thus fulfilled. [01:07:06;49 - 01:07:15;13] Verse 19, therefore repent and return so that your sins may be wiped away in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. [01:07:17;03 - 01:07:34;26] And that he may send Jesus the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, there's a second one, from ancient time. [01:07:35;29 - 01:08:15;44] Verse 22, Moses said, this is a quote from the Old Testament, "The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet," there's a third one, "Like me from your brethren, "to him you shall give heed to everything he says to you. "And it will be that every soul that does not heed "that prophet," and the prophet he's talking about is Jesus. Okay? Every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken from Samuel and his successors onward also announced these days. [01:08:16;46 - 01:08:29;45] It is you who are the sons of the prophets, there it is again, and of the covenant which God made with your father, saying to Abraham, and in your seat, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. [01:08:31;07 - 01:08:38;42] For you first, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways. [01:08:40;14 - 01:08:50;01] Now, here's a definition of the word prophet. What was a prophet? We know that Isaiah was a prophet. [01:08:51;02 - 01:09:02;46] We know that Daniel was a prophet. We know that Jeremiah was a prophet. We know that the Old Testament, and even in the New Testament, there were New Testament prophets, okay? [01:09:03;47 - 01:09:21;36] Now, here's a good definition. It is sometimes said that prophets are not foretellers, but forth tellers. In other words, it's been said, and I think this is true. There's a gift of prophecy in the New Testament, [01:09:22;41 - 01:09:34;21] and many times it refers to a teacher, a preacher who forth tells the word of God. He teaches the word of God. [01:09:35;36 - 01:10:00;59] And then foretellers are those who tell something that God has revealed to them that has not happened yet. It's a future event. As far as the Old Testament is concerned, however, the prophets, the prophets, Jeremiah, Isaiah, are forth tellers declaring the truth about God by being foretellers predicting what God would do. [01:10:02;15 - 01:10:09;58] The Old Testament prophets reveal precise details about the birth of Messiah. [01:10:11;43 - 01:10:17;25] We read, Isaiah's got a lot of that. Micah's got stuff about the birth of Messiah. [01:10:18;49 - 01:10:27;50] A simple survey of these Old Testament prophetic details about the coming of the Messiah, the birth of the Messiah [01:10:29;12 - 01:10:44;33] would have provided ample clues to the Jewish religious leaders and the Jewish people that their Messiah had come. And as you know, the Jewish people today are still looking for their Messiah. [01:10:45;34 - 01:10:47;43] Well, he came 2000 years ago. [01:10:48;56 - 01:11:07;57] And if their religious leaders had studied the prophetic scriptures, Isaiah, Micah and others, they could have known that Messiah had been born and they could have known where he was born. They could have known he was born of a virgin. They could have known all kinds of stuff, okay? [01:11:09;09 - 01:11:22;02] But they didn't take the time to study the prophetic scriptures. They were dismissive of those. Now, one reason is that the birth of Messiah did not fit their narrative. [01:11:24;01 - 01:11:33;43] They were looking for a revolutionary Messiah, a conquering Messiah who would deliver them from Roman affliction. [01:11:35;26 - 01:11:44;04] That's not when Jesus came. Jesus came according to Isaiah the prophet written 700 years before Jesus was born. [01:11:45;20 - 01:11:56;26] And the Bible says that Jesus would be born, where he would be born, how he would be born, what he would do. And it tells in Isaiah 53 that he came for one purpose. [01:11:57;31 - 01:12:08;33] And that is to offer himself as a sacrifice for our sins on the cross. You know that Isaiah 53 prophesies the cross [01:12:09;37 - 01:12:20;41] and it prophesies the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Written 700 years before Jesus was incarnated into the human race. [01:12:22;07 - 01:12:45;38] And it just amazes me that Caiaphas and Annan, the Jewish religious leaders, the high priest, the scribes and Pharisee, it amazes me they didn't take the time to study the scripture. Now, there was a group from the east [01:12:46;53 - 01:13:11;36] from around the area of Babylon or over in that area somewhere. And they came, wise men came from the east. They read the stars. God revealed to them from the stars that the Messiah had been born. A king of Israel had been born. And they took a long arduous journey across difficult terrain to come and worship the Messiah. [01:13:13;01 - 01:13:24;25] And you've got people five miles away from Bethlehem up in Jerusalem, religious leaders and they don't make the five mile trek down to worship the Messiah. Why? [01:13:25;40 - 01:13:34;06] It's because they rejected the prophetic scriptures. They were dismissive of the prophetic scriptures. [01:13:35;37 - 01:13:41;39] Now, as Peter indicated here, this flippant view of prophecy [01:13:42;40 - 01:13:44;41] was evident in the first century [01:13:45;47 - 01:13:48;42] and it remains so in the 21st century. [01:13:50;46 - 01:14:20;54] Now, it was also evident in the Old Testament era also. You got to remember that. Like Jeremiah for instance, Jeremiah prophesied, he foretold the future. God revealed to him that Babylon would come and would destroy Israel, destroy the temple and he prophesied this and the people didn't pay a bit of attention to what he said. [01:14:22;28 - 01:14:23;27] And it cost them dearly. [01:14:25;15 - 01:14:26;55] Now, why is this important for us? [01:14:29;30 - 01:14:34;31] The one reason I think it's so important that we study prophetic scriptures. [01:14:36;07 - 01:14:39;27] It's so that we could understand the times and know what to do. [01:14:40;45 - 01:14:57;22] We've got to understand the times and know what to do. When you pick up your phone and you go to the Fox app or whatever app you use for news or you turn on your TV and you watch the news and you see things happening in Iran, [01:14:58;43 - 01:15:01;29] you see things happening in the Middle East and Israel, [01:15:02;50 - 01:15:10;45] in Saudi Arabia, in Egypt, you got to know that some of this stuff has prophetic implications. [01:15:12;31 - 01:15:14;52] Now, that's why it's important [01:15:15;52 - 01:15:18;33] that we study Bible prophecy. [01:15:19;52 - 01:15:22;44] Now, maybe you're mulling over the question. [01:15:24;02 - 01:15:28;01] How is it possible that one man [01:15:29;08 - 01:15:30;44] can rule the entire world? [01:15:32;13 - 01:15:35;40] Well, if you go back to, I was born in 1954, [01:15:37;20 - 01:15:44;39] it would have been almost impossible for one man to rule the entire world in 1954. [01:15:46;14 - 01:15:49;44] But some things that happened since 1954, have you noticed that? [01:15:51;45 - 01:15:53;39] We have the internet today [01:15:54;40 - 01:15:57;24] and Al Gore invented it. He said he invented it. [01:16:00;10 - 01:16:01;41] That's a little tongue in cheek, okay? [01:16:04;55 - 01:16:06;54] We have the internet, we have AI. [01:16:08;17 - 01:16:09;46] We've got AI today. [01:16:11;06 - 01:16:28;44] We've got satellite systems, communication, rapid air travel, global communication networks. There's so much more today that makes it very conceivable that one man could rule the entire world. [01:16:30;04 - 01:16:32;11] Now, the pathway to his rise [01:16:33;35 - 01:16:47;34] involves other converging factors, such as widespread chaos. Would you agree with me that there's widespread chaos in the world today? Not just in America, it's all over the globe. [01:16:49;18 - 01:17:19;06] An economic meltdown. There's an economic, worldwide economic meltdown taking place in the world today. Intensifying conflict among nations, wars and rumors of wars that Jesus said. Natural disasters like famines, earthquakes, et cetera. And I believe that, I believe in the rapture. I believe that Christians are gonna be raptured before the tribulation period starts. [01:17:20;20 - 01:17:24;33] Now, can I be dogmatic about that? No, absolutely not. [01:17:25;33 - 01:17:27;23] I'm not on the planning committee. [01:17:28;47 - 01:18:16;38] Okay, I'm not on the planning committee. I'm on the welcoming committee. And if Jesus comes before and takes us home to be with him before the tribulation, I'll praise him all the way to heaven, okay? If he comes in the middle part of tribulation before the great tribulation starts the last three and a half years, I'll praise him all the way to heaven. If we go through the tribulation period, if Christians go through the tribulation period, I'll praise him all the way through and I'll be true to him, okay? I can't be dogmatic about that. I can be dogmatic about a lot of doctrinal things, okay? I can be dogmatic about the resurrection of Christ. I can be dogmatic about the blood atonement of Christ on the cross. [01:18:17;49 - 01:18:36;44] But now think about this. I want you to think about this. Can you imagine this world, this world set up about to be ruled by one man and suddenly, suddenly millions of people are gone. [01:18:38;11 - 01:18:40;37] Can you imagine what this world will go through? [01:18:42;42 - 01:18:48;21] And here's a man who supposedly has all the answers. He's got all the solutions. [01:18:49;42 - 01:18:58;31] And I believe that can play a big role in his ascendancy into ruling the entire world. [01:18:59;36 - 01:19:12;20] Now, into this vacuum will emerge a charismatic leader. We talked last week about the fact that the Antichrist will be a very charismatic person, okay? [01:19:13;32 - 01:19:17;28] He promises solutions to humanity's crises [01:19:18;40 - 01:19:26;55] offering peace and security while positioning himself as the answer to the global disorder. [01:19:29;10 - 01:19:35;16] Listen, there's a move afoot [01:19:37;00 - 01:19:46;51] to create a one world government. There's a move afoot to create a one world religion. There's a move afoot to create a one world economy. [01:19:48;20 - 01:19:52;00] I'm telling you, it's going on right now. [01:19:53;58 - 01:20:20;05] And we need to be aware of that. And we need to make sure that we keep our eyes open and we're very sensitive to what God's showing us about the times in which we live. Now, the prophet Daniel, the apostles, Paul and John describe this diabolical person called the Antichrist. I want you to look at Daniel chapter seven, verse eight. [01:20:21;39 - 01:20:26;05] Now, while I was, Daniel wrote, while I was contemplating the horns, [01:20:27;25 - 01:20:41;34] behold, another horn, a little one came up among them and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it. And behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boast. [01:20:43;10 - 01:21:01;56] Now that's a picture of the rise of Antichrist. Okay. And he's gonna be a big mouth. Okay, he's gonna be a boastful, blasphemous, charismatic leader. All right. Look at 2nd Thessalonians chapter two, verses three and four. [01:21:03;40 - 01:21:06;07] Let no one in any way deceive you [01:21:07;07 - 01:21:10;06] for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first [01:21:11;08 - 01:21:16;52] and the man of lawlessness is revealed. Now, the Antichrist is called the man of lawlessness [01:21:18;14 - 01:21:20;50] and he's called the son of destruction. [01:21:22;10 - 01:21:33;11] Now remember, the first three and a half years of him ruling the world, he's made a covenant with Israel, a covenant of peace. [01:21:34;36 - 01:21:40;06] The one thing that Israel wants more than anything in the world is our peace and security. [01:21:41;06 - 01:21:45;27] So he presents himself as the answer to their dreams. [01:21:46;33 - 01:21:50;41] He presents himself as their Christ. [01:21:51;55 - 01:21:52;07] Okay. [01:21:53;27 - 01:21:58;12] And halfway through, at the three and a half year mark, [01:21:59;21 - 01:22:04;45] he turns on a dime and he becomes a malevolent dictator, [01:22:06;33 - 01:22:09;16] a ruthless dictator. [01:22:11;18 - 01:22:14;53] And if you think anti-Semitism is bad today, [01:22:16;08 - 01:22:32;28] you haven't seen anything yet in the tribulation period, especially the last three and a half years of the tribulation period. Anti-Semitism is going to be off the charts. I told you last week that MacArthur said, studied the scriptures and he said, [01:22:33;53 - 01:22:38;25] two out of every three Jews will be killed during the tribulation period. [01:22:40;00 - 01:22:40;43] Think about that. [01:22:42;04 - 01:22:46;38] Two thirds of the Jewish people killed during the tribulation period. [01:22:47;43 - 01:22:50;00] So you take anti-Semitism today [01:22:51;22 - 01:23:04;36] and you multiply it by an infinite number and you come up with what's gonna happen in the tribulation period. Look at verse four of 2 Thessalonians two. [01:23:05;59 - 01:23:19;07] So he opposes and exalts himself above every so-called God or object of worship so that he takes his seat in the temple of God. He's the ultimate atheist, okay. [01:23:20;07 - 01:23:21;39] He worships himself. [01:23:22;58 - 01:23:24;32] He worships himself. [01:23:25;33 - 01:23:37;58] Revelation chapter 13, verse three, verse one and then verse three and four, look at it. And the dragon, remember in Revelation, the dragon refers to Satan, okay, the devil. [01:23:39;11 - 01:23:42;00] And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. [01:23:43;05 - 01:23:46;28] Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. That's the Antichrist. [01:23:47;45 - 01:23:56;57] That's the Antichrist and coming up out of the sea is a Jewish idiom for him being, coming out of the Gentile world, okay. [01:23:58;12 - 01:24:34;21] Having 10 horns and seven heads on his horns were 10 diadems on his heads were blasphemous names. I saw one of its heads as if it had been slain and his fatal wound was healed and the whole, look at this, and the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast. Remember the beast is the Antichrist. They worship the dragon, the devil, because he gave his authority to the beast, the Antichrist, and they worship the beast, the Antichrist, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war with him?" [01:24:36;49 - 01:24:42;34] The whole world will fawn all over the Antichrist. [01:24:44;26 - 01:24:49;03] Here's some facts that we went over last week about the Antichrist just as a review, okay. [01:24:51;02 - 01:24:59;39] When you do a part one and part two, you have to go back and review part one just to catch, how many of you, [01:25:01;07 - 01:25:18;41] this is not a trick or anything, how many of you were not here last week, raise your hand. This is why we're reviewing, okay, all right, look at it. Here's some facts about the Antichrist that we went over last week. This coming world ruler will be charismatic, cunning, and cruel. [01:25:19;48 - 01:25:21;24] He will be an anarchist. [01:25:22;46 - 01:25:31;47] Boy, we see a lot of anarchy today, don't we? Well, he's gonna be the poster boy for anarchy. [01:25:32;53 - 01:25:36;24] He will do as he please, he's the man of lawlessness. [01:25:38;50 - 01:25:43;48] We see his influence today, don't we? He will exercise political power [01:25:44;51 - 01:25:49;13] given to him by 10 kings out of the revived Roman Empire. [01:25:50;48 - 01:25:52;59] Revelation 17, 12 and 13. [01:25:54;09 - 01:25:58;33] He will exert power in the religious realm, [01:26:00;17 - 01:26:05;04] magnifying himself above all of God's and blaspheming the true God. [01:26:06;07 - 01:26:13;35] The world will be persuaded to worship him because of the miracles the false prophet will perform in his name. [01:26:14;39 - 01:26:23;34] You read about that in Revelation 13, 11 to 15. By the way, take your Bible, turn to Matthew 24 just a minute. [01:26:25;25 - 01:26:28;46] We just finished a verse by verse study [01:26:30;49 - 01:26:34;37] of the Olivet Discourse, Matthew 24 and 25. [01:26:37;15 - 01:26:40;34] Look at verse 24 of chapter 24. [01:26:42;39 - 01:26:55;02] And the one, oh, that's 25, oh, 24. 24, 24 for false Christ and false prophets will arise [01:26:56;04 - 01:27:06;29] and will show, notice it, will show great signs and wonders. So as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. [01:27:09;41 - 01:27:15;40] Now take your Bible, hold your finger right there. Take a Bible, turn to Deuteronomy chapter 13. Go back to Deuteronomy. [01:27:16;50 - 01:27:18;04] Deuteronomy 13. [01:27:26;53 - 01:27:28;03] Beginning with verse one. [01:27:30;05 - 01:27:36;11] Here's what Moses told the children of Israel before they went into the Promised Land. [01:27:37;29 - 01:27:51;51] If a prophet, there's that word prophet, if a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, that's what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 24, 24. [01:27:53;02 - 01:27:55;37] And the sign or the wonder comes true [01:27:57;10 - 01:28:08;19] concerning which he spoke to you saying, "Let us go after other gods whom you have not known and let us serve them." So get this now, here's what Moses said. If a prophet arises in Israel [01:28:09;34 - 01:28:12;41] and he's leading you to worship a false God [01:28:13;46 - 01:28:25;53] and he shows you a sign or wonder to convince you or mislead you into worshiping that false God and that sign or wonder comes true, here's what Moses said. [01:28:27;26 - 01:28:48;57] It comes true concerning which he spoke to you saying, "Let us go after other gods whom you've not known, let us serve them." Verse three, look at that. You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, [01:28:50;04 - 01:28:59;59] you shall follow the Lord your God and fear him and you shall keep his command, listen to his voice, serve him and cling to him. In the Old Testament and the New Testament, [01:29:01;31 - 01:29:08;42] there is a very clear warning against getting caught up into signs and wonders and miracles [01:29:09;46 - 01:29:18;57] and using those as a reason to turn away from God and worship false gods or to disobey God. [01:29:20;45 - 01:29:31;00] So don't be confused or led astray by someone who does supposedly miraculous things. [01:29:32;35 - 01:29:35;56] God may be testing us. That's what he said, right? [01:29:37;26 - 01:29:40;15] Testing us to see if we really believe the Bible, [01:29:41;47 - 01:29:46;42] if we really, let's say a prophet arises and he shows some kind of miracle, okay? [01:29:48;37 - 01:29:58;23] And he's teaching, here's his teaching. There are more ways to heaven than Jesus. You don't have to come through Jesus. Now, what are you gonna do? [01:29:59;31 - 01:30:03;58] Here's what you need to do. You need to reject that dude outright. [01:30:05;07 - 01:30:23;58] I don't care if he can levitate five feet off the ground and tell you some kind of false prophecy, you do not listen to him, you reject everything he says if it does not measure up with the word of God. Hey, in this church, we have a core value. [01:30:25;23 - 01:30:28;29] The Bible is our final source for faith in practice. [01:30:29;31 - 01:30:30;25] It's our final source. [01:30:33;19 - 01:30:36;37] There is no other source for us. [01:30:37;44 - 01:30:41;04] It's the word of the living God. [01:30:42;51 - 01:31:11;57] And I hope and pray that you and your kids and your grandkids, you gotta teach your kids and your grandkids this, I'm telling you, you gotta warn them because the enemy is gonna do everything, Antichrist is gonna do it and Antichrist is gonna do it and false prophets and false teachers before Antichrist shows up is going to do it, they're gonna do some fantastic things to get people to believe something that's not true. [01:31:15;08 - 01:31:17;37] The Bible says be steadfast, immovable, [01:31:18;58 - 01:31:32;01] always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that his toil is not in vain in the Lord. Well, I chased a rabbit, okay? That was a good rabbit, wasn't it? I bet you didn't know that was over in Deuteronomy, did you? [01:31:33;25 - 01:31:38;34] It's in the New Testament, it's in the Old Testament. So we need to pay attention to that. [01:31:40;03 - 01:31:53;43] Now, we're looking back to our list here. He will demand the whole world worship him alone. He shows no regard for the desire of women. Now, we talked about that last week. [01:31:54;51 - 01:32:05;44] I don't think it's meaning that he's a homosexual. I don't believe that's the meaning of it because the desire of a young Jewish virgin [01:32:07;13 - 01:32:25;12] was to grow up and give birth to the Messiah. It's connected to the Messiah. So I think what he's teaching here is that the Antichrist will totally reject the Messiah. I think that's what he's teaching. [01:32:26;13 - 01:32:44;58] Now, it could be proven wrong as I could on some stuff, but you know, this is what I believe it's teaching. He will succeed in spreading his influence around the world, both politically and religiously. Look at verses 38 and 39 in chapter 11. [01:32:46;48 - 01:33:05;52] "But instead he will honor a God of fortresses, "a God whom his father did not know. "He will honor him with gold, silver, "causly stones and treasures. "He will take action against the strongest of the fortresses "with the help of a foreign God. [01:33:07;24 - 01:33:15;14] "He will give great honor to those who acknowledge him "and he will cause them to rule over the many "and will parcel out land for a prize." [01:33:16;21 - 01:33:23;29] Now, I believe that what that's teaching is that the Antichrist is gonna be obsessed with military power. [01:33:24;59 - 01:33:44;24] He's gonna be obsessed by taking land and by taking people's lives. If they don't worship him, if they don't take the mark of the beast, they won't eat. They won't be able to get gasoline for the cars. They will be persecuted and they will be martyred for their faith. [01:33:45;25 - 01:33:59;22] So this king, this coming king will one day come to power and offer peace through a covenant with Israel. Chapter nine, verse 27 talks about that. [01:34:00;51 - 01:34:11;42] "And then he will honor those and enrich those "who submit to his authority." That's what it means here in verse 39. Let me get to it. Let me get to it. [01:34:12;54 - 01:34:29;47] Verse 39, look at it. It says in the last part of verse 39, "And will cause them to rule over the many "and will parcel out land for a prize." So here's what it's saying. If a person is living in the tribulation period [01:34:31;13 - 01:34:36;40] and they are following Antichrist, they're worshiping Antichrist, [01:34:37;49 - 01:34:40;37] if they fall in line with him, he's gonna reward them. [01:34:41;54 - 01:34:51;14] He's gonna reward them with money and prestige, with land. He's gonna make them rich, okay? That's what that's saying. [01:34:52;29 - 01:35:00;29] So there is a reward for a following the Antichrist. But can I tell you this? There's a far greater reward for following Jesus, amen? [01:35:01;41 - 01:35:02;06] Amen. [01:35:03;08 - 01:35:03;30] All right. [01:35:04;32 - 01:35:24;52] Now, let's turn our attention to what we haven't gone over and this is new stuff, okay? In chapter 11, the last part of the chapter, in verses 40 to 45, every occurrence of he, the pronoun he, it appears seven time. [01:35:25;56 - 01:35:45;56] Every time the pronoun him, four time, and the pronoun his, appear three time, it refers to the coming King, the Antichrist, the ruler of the world. I just wanna clarify that for you. And then when we come to verses 40 to 45, [01:35:47;18 - 01:35:57;12] there is a description. Daniel is prophesying about the wars that the Antichrist will experience in the last days. [01:35:58;24 - 01:35:59;12] Now think about this. [01:36:01;20 - 01:36:07;16] Daniel served the Lord around, let's say 500 BC, okay? [01:36:08;41 - 01:36:15;34] So 500 years and then 2,000, that's 2,500 years ago. [01:36:17;12 - 01:36:25;42] And he's still prophesying about something that has not come true for us yet, right? It's still out there in the future. We're not sure when it's going to happen. [01:36:27;08 - 01:36:36;04] But he's saying here that these wars that will take place during the last half of the tribulation period, [01:36:37;48 - 01:36:43;28] the Lord revealed those to him over 2,500 years ago. [01:36:46;03 - 01:36:46;58] And guess what? [01:36:48;30 - 01:36:53;47] Everything that Daniel has prophesied that's in the past has been fulfilled. [01:36:56;01 - 01:36:57;49] So why wouldn't these be fulfilled? [01:36:58;50 - 01:37:05;00] That's the question I have for people who get a little jittery when it comes to Bible prophecy. [01:37:06;40 - 01:37:10;17] Look, if I told you this, if I said, look, [01:37:11;41 - 01:37:15;59] there's a stock that I wanna encourage you to buy, [01:37:17;15 - 01:37:20;11] I'll guarantee you 100% for sure [01:37:21;13 - 01:37:25;31] that you will make money hand over fist if you buy this stock. [01:37:28;56 - 01:37:32;46] And let's say I've got background to prove it, okay? [01:37:35;17 - 01:37:37;04] Would you go buy it? [01:37:38;40 - 01:37:59;02] No, because I'm Chuck Herring. I don't know anything about money and finances and stocks and bonds and all that kind. I don't know anything about it. I'll tell you what. When God speaks about something in the future, you can go to the bank with it. [01:38:00;49 - 01:38:03;07] You can go to the bank with it. It's going to take place. [01:38:05;20 - 01:38:19;00] You look at those prophecies of Jesus, his birth, his ministry, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, his exaltation back to heaven, it's all in prophecy. [01:38:20;37 - 01:38:22;17] And if all those things came true, [01:38:23;18 - 01:38:32;40] I tell you these wars that the Antichrist is going to experience in the future will happen just as it says it's going to happen, all right? [01:38:33;41 - 01:38:34;55] Do I make myself plain? [01:38:37;07 - 01:38:38;33] I don't wanna have to reteach this. [01:38:39;46 - 01:38:45;11] (Congregation Laughing) Look at Daniel 11.40-43. [01:38:47;01 - 01:38:54;11] At the end time, now look, any time you get some kind of time reference when you're studying the Bible, [01:38:55;40 - 01:39:04;16] you ought to put it in parentheses, you ought to put a star by it because it's an important key to understanding and properly interpreting that scripture. [01:39:05;23 - 01:39:23;08] At the end time, not at the beginning of tribulation, it's sometime after the halfway mark of tribulation, the great tribulation is called, the time of Jacob's trouble. [01:39:24;18 - 01:39:45;59] At the end time, the king of the south will collide with him and the king of the north will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen, with many ships, and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through. He will also enter the beautiful land. The beautiful land refers to Israel. [01:39:47;28 - 01:39:49;05] And many countries will fall, [01:39:50;19 - 01:39:56;01] but these will be rescued out of his hand, Edom, Moab, and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. [01:39:57;07 - 01:39:59;07] Now, I ask myself this question. [01:40:00;52 - 01:40:04;23] Why are these countries singled out here? [01:40:06;26 - 01:40:08;43] I don't know. I don't have foggiest notes here. [01:40:10;28 - 01:40:17;34] But you know what? If it says that Edom, Moab, and the foremost of the sons of Ammon [01:40:18;50 - 01:40:24;54] will be rescued out of Antichrist's hand, I believe they're gonna be rescued out of his hand. Now, think about this. [01:40:26;04 - 01:40:28;36] What is Edom, Moab, and Ammon today? [01:40:30;05 - 01:40:31;26] It's the nation Jordan. [01:40:32;58 - 01:40:36;00] It's the nation Jordan, okay? [01:40:37;50 - 01:40:38;58] And for some reason, [01:40:40;00 - 01:40:45;28] God is gonna rescue the nation of Jordan out of the hand of the Antichrist. [01:40:46;51 - 01:40:54;49] Verse 42, "Then he will stretch out his hand "against other countries, "and the land of Egypt will not escape, [01:40:56;11 - 01:41:09;08] "but he will gain control over the hidden treasures "of gold and silver "and over all the precious things of Egypt, "and Libyans and Ethiopans will follow at his heels." All right, now let's think about this for just a moment. [01:41:10;41 - 01:41:13;05] During the latter part of the Great Tribulation, [01:41:14;13 - 01:41:17;49] the King of the South, who's the King of the South? It's Egypt. [01:41:19;15 - 01:41:25;27] It was Egypt earlier in our study of Daniel. It's Egypt in our study tonight. It's Egypt. [01:41:26;45 - 01:41:28;28] We'll attack Antichrist. Can you imagine? [01:41:29;45 - 01:41:33;04] Antichrist has got the whole world falling over him. [01:41:34;31 - 01:41:36;30] The whole world worships him, [01:41:38;02 - 01:41:44;15] and suddenly, Egypt attacks the Antichrist and his forces. [01:41:45;53 - 01:41:51;23] Now remember this, Antichrist is not kind of, some kind of supernatural demon. [01:41:52;23 - 01:41:55;19] He's a man that's demon-possessed, okay? [01:41:56;31 - 01:42:01;11] And so, Egypt comes against Antichrist and his forces, the King of the South. [01:42:02;32 - 01:42:06;53] He's mentioned twice in verses 42 and 43. [01:42:08;01 - 01:42:19;57] And this invasion, Libya and Ethiopia will join Egypt in this last day's attack on the Antichrist. [01:42:20;57 - 01:42:24;59] Now, where it says that Libya and Ethiopia are at their heels, [01:42:26;34 - 01:42:30;15] that means they're not really all in, okay? [01:42:31;50 - 01:42:35;19] Have you ever had somebody say, "You know, I got your back. [01:42:36;33 - 01:42:39;40] I got your back." But what they really say, "I'm way back there. [01:42:40;42 - 01:42:42;28] I'm way back there, okay? [01:42:44;04 - 01:42:54;13] I'm with you, but I'm not gonna put myself in jeopardy." And that's what Ethiopian Libya will do in the last of the last day. [01:42:55;19 - 01:42:58;28] And then he talks about the King of the North, [01:42:59;41 - 01:43:06;22] the King of the North. Look at it in verse 40. [01:43:07;35 - 01:43:13;29] The King of the North will also come against Antichrist at basically the same time. [01:43:14;42 - 01:43:23;09] Now, I can't say this with 100% confidence, but I believe it's talking about Syria. [01:43:24;32 - 01:43:33;37] Syria is an enemy of Israel. And remember, everything that we're studying about is in relation to Israel, okay? [01:43:34;59 - 01:43:39;04] And so Syria will attack from the North, [01:43:40;11 - 01:43:46;24] Egypt, with Libya and Ethiopia way behind, attack him from the South. [01:43:48;13 - 01:43:55;19] And John Phillips offered this explanation. I love Dr. Phillips. I love his commentary. [01:43:56;37 - 01:43:57;24] Here's what he said. [01:43:58;42 - 01:44:04;36] Daniel did not see the entire picture. God showed Daniel exactly what God wanted to show Daniel. [01:44:05;37 - 01:44:05;49] Okay? [01:44:07;01 - 01:44:26;49] Although this chapter of his prophecy has been concerned mainly with the now historic rivalries between North and South, between Syria and Egypt, in the end times, once they see their opportunity to break free from his rule, these two countries will join against Antichrist. [01:44:28;23 - 01:44:36;47] The country of Israel occupied by the Antichrist seems to be the vocal point of this joint military venture. [01:44:37;58 - 01:44:38;44] Now, remember this. [01:44:39;47 - 01:44:41;31] As you study Bible prophecy, [01:44:43;13 - 01:44:45;02] you keep your eye on Israel [01:44:46;47 - 01:44:53;22] because Israel is like the barometer that measures air pressure, okay? [01:44:54;47 - 01:45:04;26] I'm telling you, Israel is that barometer for Bible prophecy. You keep your eye on Jerusalem. You keep your eye on Israel. [01:45:05;35 - 01:45:11;42] Look how, I tell you what I constantly watch. I'm watching Iran. [01:45:13;35 - 01:45:14;29] I'm watching Russia. [01:45:15;55 - 01:45:16;48] I'm watching Turkey. [01:45:18;00 - 01:45:20;59] Because those are the three main nations [01:45:22;18 - 01:45:29;27] that will come against Israel in the war of Gog and Magog. Now there's some other little nations that's gonna be involved in that also. [01:45:31;18 - 01:45:45;50] But I'm watching how President Trump deals with Iran, how he puts them in their place or they gain some more power and superiority. I'm talking about Iran. [01:45:46;51 - 01:45:52;28] I'm telling you, that's gonna be a key for us to understand it's a Bible prophecy as it relates to Israel. [01:45:54;44 - 01:45:57;40] So listen, don't miss this. [01:45:59;17 - 01:46:06;43] When President Trump led our forces to go there and bomb their nuclear facilities, [01:46:08;14 - 01:46:10;56] I believe that God's hand was in there. [01:46:12;54 - 01:46:22;32] I believe his hand was in there. Do I believe that President Trump is a spirit-filled believer? No, I sure don't, not at all. I'm not sure he's a Christian. [01:46:24;08 - 01:46:29;36] I don't see how you can be a Christian and say that I'm gonna go to heaven because of good things I've done. [01:46:30;52 - 01:46:31;08] Okay? [01:46:32;30 - 01:46:54;02] Nobody's going to heaven because they've done good things. We go to heaven because we realize we're rotten sinners and we need a savior and we fall on our face before the Lord Jesus Christ and we repent of our sin and we put our faith and trust in Jesus and what he did for us on the cross and through the resurrection. [01:46:56;50 - 01:47:02;14] But listen, think about this, Cyrus in the Old Testament. [01:47:03;31 - 01:47:22;32] Do you realize that Cyrus was not a follower of Jehovah God? He was not, the Bible says he wasn't. Yet God used him in a powerful way to release the Jewish people from Babylonian captivity. [01:47:24;14 - 01:47:25;14] God used him. [01:47:26;47 - 01:47:30;30] God used him to send the people of Israel back [01:47:31;33 - 01:47:37;08] to the problem, he used, who was the king during, [01:47:38;08 - 01:47:40;15] not Nebuchadnezzar, gosh, [01:47:42;55 - 01:47:46;37] that went back and rebuilt the walls. Who was the king? The ruler. Huh? [01:47:50;32 - 01:47:52;46] Well, it don't matter, anyway, there was a king. [01:47:54;03 - 01:48:13;05] Once upon a time, there was a king of pagan king and he had a cup bearer, right? And this cup bearer was so burdened for the nation of Israel, for the city of Jerusalem [01:48:14;20 - 01:48:21;28] and God gave him the okay to go back and to ask the king if he could go back and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. [01:48:23;04 - 01:48:28;31] Our dessert seats, right, that's the king. I'm glad we finally got a name for that dude. [01:48:30;46 - 01:48:38;35] Now, was our dessert seats a follower of God? Do this. No, no. [01:48:39;58 - 01:48:47;30] But the sovereign God used a pagan king to accomplish his purposes. [01:48:49;27 - 01:48:52;33] Oh man, our God's sovereign. [01:48:53;45 - 01:49:02;20] He plants nations, he uproots nations, he puts rulers into power, he takes rulers out of power. [01:49:03;41 - 01:49:04;26] That's our God. [01:49:05;44 - 01:49:17;22] Now, once again, that's a rabbit, but it's a good one. All right, look at this next statement by John Phillips. [01:49:19;01 - 01:49:24;08] Now, when all of this begins to take place, they're in the last part of the tribulation, [01:49:25;20 - 01:49:30;42] the Antichrist mighty, monolithic worldwide empire is now rapidly falling apart. [01:49:31;54 - 01:49:44;28] It was built on treachery and war and held together by terror lies and every form of wickedness. It was energized by Satan, but now it is tumbling down around the Antichrist ears. [01:49:47;02 - 01:49:49;47] That said, as only John Phillips could say it. [01:49:51;05 - 01:49:52;12] Look at verse 44. [01:49:54;00 - 01:50:00;09] But rumors from the east and from the north will disturb him. It disturbed the Antichrist. [01:50:01;26 - 01:50:06;15] And he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many. [01:50:08;40 - 01:50:11;07] Listen, as all this begins to fall apart, [01:50:13;02 - 01:50:20;55] he does what evil dictators do. He just kills, that's what's happening in Iran today. [01:50:22;03 - 01:50:23;58] In the nation of Iran today, [01:50:25;44 - 01:50:33;19] I read something, thousands and thousands of Iranians have been murdered by this regime. [01:50:34;26 - 01:50:36;40] When they feel like it's falling apart, [01:50:37;54 - 01:50:39;33] they take people down with them, right? [01:50:41;09 - 01:50:53;14] So rumors from the east from the north will disturb him and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many. So an Eastern coalition of nations, [01:50:55;12 - 01:51:14;27] China, India, maybe Japan, Eastern nations, they will form a coalition. They will cross the Euphrates River that God will supernaturally dry up and they cross that river and deploy on the plains [01:51:15;34 - 01:51:16;49] of Armageddon, [01:51:21;03 - 01:51:22;38] the Mount of Megiddo. [01:51:25;06 - 01:51:31;22] And they will be joined by nations from the north. And here's the setup for the Battle of Armageddon. [01:51:33;54 - 01:51:37;38] And Daniel sees a partial picture of it. He doesn't have the whole picture, [01:51:38;41 - 01:51:41;05] but he sees a partial picture of it. [01:51:42;20 - 01:51:45;20] Look at Revelation 16 verses 12 to 16. [01:51:47;13 - 01:52:15;57] "The sixth angel poured out his bowl "on the great river of the Euphrates "and its water was dried up." Now, why was it dried up? Because the sovereign God told this angel to take this bowl during the bowl judgment and pour it out on the Euphrates River and the Euphrates River dries up so this army from the east can get to the plain of Armageddon. [01:52:17;36 - 01:52:18;15] Look at this. [01:52:19;38 - 01:52:22;59] So that the way would be prepared for the kings of the, verse 13. [01:52:24;07 - 01:52:37;02] "And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon "and out of the mouth of the beast "and out of the mouth of the false prophet, "three unclean spirit like frogs, demons, deceiving, [01:52:38;14 - 01:52:39;33] "deceiving the world." [01:52:41;19 - 01:52:45;58] Verse 14, "For they are spirits of demons performing," here it is, performing signs. [01:52:48;23 - 01:52:54;46] Hey, don't be fooled by somebody that can do things that look miraculous. [01:52:56;44 - 01:53:03;32] "Which go out to the kings of the whole world "to gather them together for the war, "the great day of God, the Almighty." [01:53:05;18 - 01:53:12;35] Verse 15, "Behold, I'm coming like a thief," this is Jesus, "Behold, I'm coming like a thief. [01:53:13;47 - 01:53:21;20] "Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes "so that he will not walk about naked "and men will not see his shame. [01:53:22;56 - 01:53:29;59] "And I can't tell you, you studied the New Testament "and look at all the times we're told to stay awake." [01:53:31;15 - 01:53:35;50] That's not talking about doing without sleep, that's not what it's talking about. [01:53:37;23 - 01:53:57;26] It's talking about stay awake to what's happening around us. Stay alert, Jesus said in Matthew 24 and 25. Look at verse 16, "And they gathered them together "to the place which in Hebrew is called Armageddon, "the Mount of Megiddo." [01:53:58;30 - 01:54:08;55] Look, Darlene and I have been to Israel three times and I know that some of you went with us and we, look, we stood right there [01:54:10;23 - 01:54:15;03] at the Mount of Megiddo and we looked at the Jezreel Valley. [01:54:16;22 - 01:54:17;35] The Valley of Armageddon. [01:54:19;07 - 01:54:22;36] Napoleon came to that valley [01:54:23;46 - 01:54:25;43] and he said it was a perfect battlefield, [01:54:26;45 - 01:54:28;05] the perfect battlefield. [01:54:29;46 - 01:54:33;43] And it is a gorgeous sight. [01:54:36;12 - 01:54:46;18] And it's surrounded by, like Nazareth is up and you get to the edge of the cliff where they may have tried to push Jesus off [01:54:47;23 - 01:54:50;14] and you look down and there's that valley. [01:54:51;21 - 01:54:58;11] You're on the other side of Megiddo and you look across that valley and it just takes your breath away [01:54:59;24 - 01:55:01;37] to think about what's gonna happen there one day. [01:55:03;17 - 01:55:05;19] And you say, "Pastor, you really believe "that's gonna happen?" [01:55:07;26 - 01:55:10;14] Absolutely, it's gonna happen. [01:55:11;26 - 01:55:19;03] I can't tell you when, but I'm telling you, it's gonna happen, the Battle of Armageddon. [01:55:20;06 - 01:55:20;49] Now look at this. [01:55:22;48 - 01:55:26;19] So Daniel is telling us, [01:55:28;41 - 01:55:34;45] 2,500 years after Daniel wrote this, he's telling us that the final war on this planet [01:55:36;15 - 01:55:38;00] would take place in Israel. [01:55:44;02 - 01:55:44;44] Do you believe that? [01:55:46;00 - 01:55:47;14] I believe it. [01:55:48;48 - 01:56:00;07] Now look at this, look at verse 45. "And he the Antichrist will pitch the tents "of his royal pavilion between the seas." That's between the Dead Sea [01:56:01;15 - 01:56:07;34] and between the Mediterranean Sea. That puts him in the vicinity right there of Jerusalem itself. [01:56:09;25 - 01:56:15;51] "So he'll pitch his tents of his royal pavilion "between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mount, Mount Zion." [01:56:17;17 - 01:56:21;28] I never will forget the first time, Darlene, I went to Israel. [01:56:22;31 - 01:56:30;34] We came up from the Dead Sea area and we were coming up and anytime you go to Jerusalem, you're going up, okay? [01:56:31;37 - 01:56:36;03] And I remember seeing Jerusalem for the first time in my life. [01:56:37;52 - 01:56:39;01] I cried like a baby. [01:56:42;01 - 01:56:45;29] I was so moved to Jerusalem [01:56:47;19 - 01:56:49;57] where Jesus did so much of his ministry, [01:56:52;00 - 01:56:53;54] where my Savior was crucified. [01:56:57;26 - 01:57:06;47] And outside the walls of Jerusalem where my Savior was resurrected from the dead, where he met with the apostles after his resurrection [01:57:07;58 - 01:57:16;48] and taught them and explained Old Testament scriptures to them, oh my goodness. I could go on and on. [01:57:18;22 - 01:57:23;19] Now notice, look at the last part of verse 45. [01:57:24;33 - 01:57:32;23] "Yet he will come to his end and no one will help him." And no one will help him. [01:57:34;08 - 01:57:36;25] The Antichrist, according to the book of Revelation, [01:57:38;06 - 01:57:45;42] the dragon, the false prophet, they're all gonna be thrown into hell itself. [01:57:49;47 - 01:57:53;53] Look, he was on a time clock. [01:57:55;19 - 01:58:01;03] It was constantly ticking. He had seven years, seven years. [01:58:03;48 - 01:58:07;49] And on this day, the alarm clock went off [01:58:09;49 - 01:58:13;49] and his life came to an end. His rule came to an end. [01:58:17;37 - 01:58:23;34] Let me read you something. (Pages Flipping) [01:58:27;01 - 01:58:33;31] General Douglas MacArthur stood tall on the deck of the USS Missouri and Tokyo Harbor. [01:58:35;16 - 01:58:38;09] It was September the 2nd, 1945. [01:58:39;44 - 01:58:52;14] And this man who had engineered America's hard-fought victory in the Pacific had just witnessed the signatures of Japan's leaders ending the bloody global struggle known as World War II. [01:58:53;22 - 01:59:04;48] On that day, this authentic American hero uttered a profound warning, which he later repeated in his famous farewell address before the United States Congress. [01:59:06;20 - 01:59:07;42] Here's what he said, I quote, [01:59:09;31 - 01:59:11;34] "We have had our last chance [01:59:13;42 - 01:59:17;26] "if we will not devise some greater "and more equitable system [01:59:18;51 - 01:59:20;19] "Armageddon will be at our door." [01:59:22;30 - 01:59:24;26] Shortly after he was inaugurated [01:59:25;32 - 01:59:34;03] as the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan was astounded by the complexities of the Middle East, Israel, on its thin strip of land, [01:59:35;05 - 01:59:38;08] how they were surrounded by well-armed Arab neighbors, [01:59:39;37 - 01:59:45;34] enemies who were splintered like broken glass into countless factions and divisions, impossible to reconcile. [01:59:48;16 - 01:59:52;01] On Friday, May the 15th, 1981, [01:59:53;36 - 01:59:54;59] scribbling in his diary, [01:59:56;46 - 02:00:02;57] Reagan noted the intractable problems involving Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Soviet Union, Israel. [02:00:04;05 - 02:00:06;34] And he wrote this, and I quote, "It's in a diary. [02:00:07;46 - 02:00:09;01] "Sometimes I wonder [02:00:10;34 - 02:00:14;07] "if we are destined to witness Armageddon." [02:00:23;29 - 02:00:27;00] All I know is this, [02:00:29;04 - 02:00:31;26] our King is Jesus, [02:00:34;17 - 02:00:34;59] and he wins. [02:00:37;26 - 02:00:37;52] Let's pray. [02:00:38;56 - 02:00:40;27] Heavenly Father, thank you so much [02:00:43;53 - 02:00:46;35] for the amazing prophecy of Daniel. [02:00:50;05 - 02:00:54;03] Lord Jesus, it just amazes us that 2,500 years ago, [02:00:56;21 - 02:00:58;40] this prophet, this old prophet [02:01:01;20 - 02:01:07;53] was seeing things from you and you were revealing truths to him about what would happen in the future. [02:01:09;21 - 02:01:13;26] And Lord, everything that's historical that he prophesied has come true. [02:01:14;31 - 02:01:20;05] Therefore, we believe, Lord Jesus, that everything that he prophesied that's not come true will come true. [02:01:21;17 - 02:01:22;01] Thank you, Lord. [02:01:23;05 - 02:01:31;10] Thank you for Bible prophecy, for not leaving us in the dark. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you.