No. 85 - THE TEMPEST By: John J. Blanchard Saturday, May 13, 2006 It was a great tempest! A huge storm rose upon the sea. Dark, ominous clouds began to fill the sky. As the storm built in power and fury, the wind began to drive the waves. The waves grew into swells and eventually into a massive storm surge, and the coastlands braced for the inevitable. Floods and devastation were surely headed their way. The surf began to pound, and the trees began to bend. Foliage and branches yielded to the force of the wind. The howling wind sent great branches crashing down. Many trees could no longer cling to the soil and with thunderous crashes, lay down to die. The mightiest of the trees lay prostrate with roots turned skyward. Beneath them, many a house lay crushed to pieces. Survivors later said that wherever you turned it seemed the wind was in your face. They told how the combined fury of wind, rain and waves left the strongest men shaking and terrified. Sadly, many of the weak and frail simply died of fright! People prayed for divine intervention and asked, “Where is the love of God? We need God!” The eye of the storm brought some temporary relief. Little groups of survivors gathered around those who were natural leaders. They began to search for food, drinking water and first aid materials. They were desperate for news from the outside world. Huddled around battery-powered radios, they turned to the news. The news was filled with other disasters! Earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, droughts, forest fires, terrorist attacks, and it seemed from every corner of the earth there was dire news. Yet smiles broke out upon the faces of those in the eye of the tempest. They began to cheer. They pumped their fists in the air, and they cried out, “Yeah, sock it to ‘em God! Kill them all! They deserve that and more!” Their voices blended with other voices from around the world crying out to bring on the tribulation! Bring on Armageddon! The end of the age is at hand! Confused voices, once in opposition to one another, yet strangely similar, cried out phrases like, “Don’t be left behind, death to the infidels, kill the Zionists! The rapture is our only hope. We are God’s favored people. Follow us!” The world seemed to be coming unglued. Survivors of the great tempest reassured one another that soon all would be well for them. As they told themselves these things, they said that surely very quickly they would be in the place of safety. They would be okay. Yet as they reassured one another with these words, the sky once again began to darken, the wind began to howl and the waves began to pound. The eye of the storm had passed. It remains yet to be seen how many will ultimately survive. By now you may have figured that the tempest we are talking about here is raging over the end time Church of God. In God’s eyes it has been far more devastating than any physical hurricane, cyclone, tsunami or earthquake! The storm of the ages is upon us and has overwhelmed God’s house. Listen to some familiar scriptures this morning and pray that we will gain discernment and wisdom, for we are, indeed, God’s house. Let us prove it from scripture by starting in Ephesians chapter 2. THE HOUSE OF GOD Read Ephesians 2:19-22. In the same vein, turn to Hebrews chapter 3 and read verses 1-6. Indeed, the Church of God is God’s house. God did not leave us without warning as to what would happen to this house. Turn back to Matthew chapter 7. We are going to look at some familiar scriptures, brethren, but we are going to look at them with eyes that have gained wisdom from God. We now have understanding that will help us to see what is going on in this day and age. We will see how we can be helped in great ways by God’s word if we understand what has happened here in the last days. Read Matthew 7:24-27. Turn back to Matthew chapter 24, verse 36 where Christ is speaking once again. “‘But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.’” He is speaking of the end of the age and the sign of Jesus Christ coming. Continue reading Matthew 24:37-44. We are the house of God. Individually we can be broken into by God’s arch enemy, Satan and his demons. As a Church, the entire house of God has been torn apart, a house divided by Satan in the last days. Why and how was this done? It was done by a flood. We need to look at that flood. We need to look at that storm that has knocked the house down to understand what has happened and what we can do to help repair the damage. God did not leave us without warning, as we have said. In Matthew 7 we are the house on the rock if we built our lives on Jesus Christ’s words and heeded those warnings of God. SIX ERAS OF THE CHURCH The flood could not overwhelm the first six eras of the Church. Though the flood beat against the walls of the house, though the flood eventually took a few of them away, it did not wash away or overcome the Church of God. Turn, if you would now, to Revelation chapter 12. Revelation 12, verse 13: “Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child.” This is the Church. Continue reading Revelation 12:14-17. The Church was protected for six eras without becoming overwhelmed by Satan. Although surrounded and buffeted by the flood, the earth helped, for the earth kept producing people who could be called by God and be part of the firstfruits. The earth kept providing good ground for God to work in. It was ground in which people would covenant with Him to be part of the firstfruits. For six long eras (almost two thousand years), the Church worked against this horrible power of evil as it spewed its flood and its tempest against the walls. It has been storming now for two thousand years, but by far the largest, biggest and most devastating tempest was left for the last era of God’s Church to contend with. We want to cross reference that understanding with other places in the Bible, to get a glimpse of what happened to the Church when this tempest beat with enormous fury against the house of God. Revelation 13:5 is the continuation of what we were just reading. “And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.” Those are the two thousand years that the Church went through already. SATAN OVERCAME THE CHURCH Verse 6: “Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” We must stop denying what the scriptures have told us. Satan and his demons have overcome the Church which means “to gain the victory over”, but it is temporary. Continuing in verse 8: “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience…” (the endurance) “…and the faith of the saints.” We are enduring a harsh trial, and we need ears to hear the Savior. We need two ears to hear the Great Shepherd as He tries to tell us what has happened to us and what has become of the Church. Then we can put ourselves in His hands and once again turn the tide of the battle. We can then turn the storm away from the Church. For a cross reference of this point in time of how the saints became overcome, turn to Daniel chapter 7. Daniel 7, verse 25: “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.” It is speaking of this very time that we live in. If you were to read the King James Version, it would say “wear out the saints”. That term “persecute” would be “wear out”. If you were to look up that word in the Hebrew it is bela. “To wear out” is bela, which means to afflict, to wear out, to delay and consume, devour and consume. But it is only used in a mental sense. That is what it means. The word “bal” comes from bela, and it means anxiety of the heart. Brethren, the Church has been overcome spiritually. Satan can only truly overcome God’s house that way. Guns and bullets are ineffective. Bows, arrows and knives are not effective. We have seen that. For two thousand years he has killed the saints, and the earth keeps producing more people for God to call to give the Holy Spirit and bear fruit. Satan wants to get the household of God to turn on itself. He must get the household of God to stop repenting, to be hard-hearted, to become selfish and to become exceedingly fearful. Like a deer or a kangaroo caught in the headlights of an approaching car or truck, they are paralyzed with fear, unable or unwilling to do anything. False signs and wonders and hard hearts have done tremendous damage to God’s Church. The storm has brought this to us. We have been weak because, as we pointed out in the past, the Church has been vomited out of God’s mouth. (Revelation 3) The Laodicean era does not have the same kind of protection that the previous six eras of the Church enjoyed. But that protection is coming back to those who would become wise and trim their wicks and those who would listen to the shepherd’s voice. Let’s look at more of Christ’s warning regarding this by going to Matthew chapter 24. This is often quoted. It is probably the most often quoted chapter of the Bible concerning the end times. Let’s really hear what the shepherd says to the Church in Matthew 24. We will read just parts of it. Matthew 24, verse 21: “‘For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.’” Brethren, people in the Church have been murdered by Satan for a long, long time. The apostles were killed by Satan except for John. The prophets who preceded them were murdered by Satan through his human instruments. Brethren, we are in a different type of a tribulation. It is one that is tearing the gut out of the Church. It is one that is tearing our hearts apart. Continuing in verse 22: “‘And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.’” There would be no flesh of God’s body (the body of Christ) saved if God did not cut those days short. He is speaking to the Church here. Verse 23 of Matthew 24: “‘Then if anyone says to you, “Look, here is the Christ!” or “There!” do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.’” FALSE SIGNS AND WONDERS We have been reading these words for two thousand years. Let’s not plead ignorance. Jesus Christ told us beforehand. And what would be these false signs and wonders that are so dangerous to the health of the Church? Back up to verse 3 of the same chapter. Read Matthew 24-3-8. This means the beginning of birth pangs. The world has been trying to put forth a new age through the Church. The Church as it comes to fruition, born again when Jesus Christ returns is what will end all the wars, the famines and the disasters. But until that takes place, there will be wars and rumors of wars. Jesus Christ said do not be troubled by those things, for those are not the signs of My coming. He said these deceptions are very dangerous to God’s elect, and if time were not cut short, those deceptions would deceive and cause the Church to fall down flat. It would be so weakened, it would be overcome by Satan. Study some of the other sermons and literature we have on this subject. We have Digest No. 8 by the title “Signs and Wonders”. We have a series of sermons entitled “Seasons of the Church” that will help you understand what the true signs are and what the false signs are. I want to look at a secular source now, so that we can see that even in the world many people say we have always had hurricanes. We have always had earthquakes. We have always had wars. I am going to read to you from a book. It is called The 20th Century Timeline, and it is written by George Beal. I am not going to turn to the first section I would like to go over. It is too involved. There is just too much here! There are seven pages of wars in the 20th century! That is one century of human existence. There are seven pages of war, and they are by no means exhaustive. You could go to The World Book Encyclopedia or Encyclopedia Britannica and read war after war. But right in this book they mention the Algerian war, the Balkan Wars, the Boar War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnamese Wars, the Arab-Israeli Wars, the Spanish Civil War, and hundreds more of wars in one century alone! But I will turn to and read to you from seven pages of great disasters from the 20th century, and it only goes up to the mid 80’s. There is too much for me to read here today. I am going to read some selected disasters so that you can see that we have always had these. They go back into antiquity. Starting in 1902, from the 13th to the 18th of February in Russia an earthquake in Transcaucasia kills and injures 2,000 people. April 18th of the same year in Guatemala, Central America, an earthquake destroys eight towns and kills 900 people. On May 8th in Martinique in the Caribbean, the town of St. Pierre is destroyed by the eruption of a volcano called Mount Pelee, with the loss of 30,000 lives. Also in May in St. Vincent in the Caribbean, the volcano called Soufriere is active and kills 2,000 more people. The years closes out on December 16th with an earthquake in Turkestan that kills 10,000 people. Skipping over 1903 and 1094, which had their own disasters, we come to 1905. In April of 1905 a severe earthquake in northern India destroys many villages and kills over 19,000 people in Amritsar, Dharmsala, and Kangra. On September 8th of the same year in Italy, 2,000 people are killed by another earthquake outside of Calabria, followed by another earthquake at Monterosso on the 14th of September with the loss of 3,000 lives. We do not even remember these disasters, brethren. We focus on what is current and what is now. We focus on what is on the television news at night and what is the headlines of the newspaper, but these are real people who died. In 1906, of course, there was the San Francisco earthquake that has been in the news so much because 2006, this year, is the anniversary of that great disaster. In 1908 on the 28th of December in Italy a disastrous earthquake hits South Calabria and Sicily, with widespread damage, and over 150,000 people perish! In 1912, April 15th, the White Star liner Titanic hits an iceberg and sinks on her maiden voyage with a loss of 1,513 people. In 1923, September 1st, an earthquake in Japan virtually destroys the city of Yokohama, and Tokyo lies in ruins. Could you imagine Tokyo lying in ruins today? It would be all over the television sets. Over 140,000 people lost their lives. We don’t even think about that! In 1931, February 3rd, in New Zealand the cities of Napier and Hastings are almost totally destroyed in an earthquake. Two-hundred and twelve people are killed, 950 are injured, and 10,000 are left homeless. In 1934, January 15th in India, a violent earthquake strikes northern Bihar and Nepal. This is one of the greatest earthquakes in history, affecting 120,000 square miles of the earth’s surface, (300,000 sq. km.), 10,000 people are killed and over a half million are left homeless! In 1935, May 31st, in Quetta, India another huge earthquake strikes killing 20,000 people. In 1939, January 26th, an earthquake in Southern Chile devastates 80,000 sq. km. (50,000 sq. m.) and 30,000 people are killed, mostly in Concepcion and Chillon. On the 26th to the 29th of December in an earthquake in Anatolia, Turkey, over 45,000 more people lose their lives in the same year of 1939. Skipping all of the years that contain World War II and the Korean War, let’s jump all the way up to 1960. On February 29th in Morocco a violent earthquake strikes Agadir, Morocco with a loss of 12,500 people. On October 10, 1960 in the Ganges delta of Pakistan, 3,000 people die after a cyclone strikes. On January 10, 1962, in Peru after snow, ice and rock break away from Mount Huascaran, a huge avalanche sweeps down into a valley, destroying the village of Ranrahirca, and killing over 3,000 people. September 1st of the same year in Iran an earthquake centered north of Hamadan destroys 300 villages, killing an estimated 12,000 people. Jumping to 1968, April 10th, the New Zealand ferry Wahine sinks at Wellington, with the loss of 104 lives. In August of the same year an earthquake in Iran results in the loss of 20,000 more people! In 1970 on May 31st, an earthquake in Peru an estimated 70,000 people lose their lives! November 13th of the same year, East Pakistan is struck by a cyclone and a tidal wave which kills more than 500,000! In 1972, December 23rd in Managua, Nicaragua more than 10,000 people die in an earthquake. On April 4, 1974, in the USA tornadoes sweep across the country resulting in 330 deaths. Skipping nearly a page of disasters and coming to 1976, February 4th, in Guatemala an earthquake devastates the country and over 22,000 people are killed. May 6th of the same year in Italy, an earthquake strikes the northeast, and the town of Gemona is almost totally destroyed with the loss of 900 lives. July 31st in the USA torrential rains flood a canyon in Colorado, with the loss of 100 lives. August 17th of the same year in the Philippines, a severe earthquake followed by tidal waves results in the loss of more than 3,000 lives. October 1st of the same year in Lower California, Mexico a hurricane devastates LaPaz and other areas nearby, with the loss of more than 600 lives. October 20th, the same month, in the USA a Mississippi ferry is struck by a Norwegian tanker, with the loss of 80 lives. November 24th in Turkey the province of Van is devastated by a severe earthquake and 3,700 people lose their lives. Nearing the end of this list now for today’s purposes, January 1, 1980, in Northern Quebec, after a prank when a young man sets fire to party decorations 45 people were burned to death. It is not a natural disaster, but it was the news in that country. May 18th in Washington State in the United States Mount St. Helens volcano erupts after being dormant for more than 100 years, 85 people die. October 10th in Algeria, the city of Asnam is devastated by a severe earthquake with the loss of 2,000 people. On November 23rd in Southern Italy a violent earthquake devastates large areas with the loss of more than 4,000 people. In October 1984, a continuing famine in Ethiopia and surrounding countries is probably the greatest disaster in history as millions starve to death. That is as far as we need to go in 1984, and we know many more that have occurred in the late 80’s and 90’s and in the beginning of this century. Which natural disaster do you want to point to as a sign of Christ’s coming? Brethren, we need to have spiritual vision to understand that the Church is what is spoken of in Revelation in the Bible, and it is the Church that faces an end time disaster. We need to understand that the Church is a spiritual organism (the household of God). Looking at false signs and wonders which in Matthew 24 and II Thessalonians chapter 2 (where we will read in just a moment) are the two words semaino and teras (false signs and wonders). This simply means false way markers, false physical way markers and omens to take people’s eyes off the true devastation. It is to take people’s eyes off what was really being done to God’s Church. We need to have help from God to understand what we really need to be watching for. A SPIRITUAL MARKER Turn, if you would, for one more scripture on false signs and wonders in II Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 2: “…not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed the son of perdition…” We have done a sermon on that. You will notice the sign here in II Thessalonians chapter 2 is a spiritual marker, and there is an apostasy (a falling away from the truth). It is not a physical war, earthquake or some kind of hurricane or cyclone. No, it is something that happens to the Church. What is it that happens to the Church? Verse 4: “…who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” That is the abomination of desolation! Study that subject. We have aids to help you study that subject and realize these are far more serious devastations within the body of Christ than in the world. Drop down to verse 8 of II Thessalonians. “And then the [wicked] will be revealed…” That should read “wicked”. “…whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the [wicked] is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie…” The devastation within the Church has to do with lies, brethren! It is things that are said and things that are taught. It is things that destroy the Church by gutting the body, hardening the heart and by turning us selfish and mean spirited toward one another. This is the devastation that gives Satan a chance to overcome the Church. Let’s take note of some of the spiritual signs and wonders. We will have a follow-up sermon that will go into these things more deeply, but let’s just touch base here so we can see where the real storm came from. Turn back to Daniel chapter 7 once again. There is a long prophecy in chapter 7, and there is another related prophecy in Daniel 8, which we will not have time to go into entirely today. We will look at some key parts that have to do with the great tempest. THE PEOPLE OF THE SEA Read Daniel 7:1-3. Four great beasts were stirred up by the winds over the sea. What is this sea? What are these winds? We need to know. Turn, if you would, to Isaiah chapter 60. We will let the Bible interpret the Bible so that we can understand what is being revealed here to Daniel, so that we would know in our time what is happening to us. In Isaiah 60:1 it starts talking about the resurrection. Read Isaiah 60:1-3. In other words, the Gentiles and the kings of the earth will come to the brightness of the Church’s rising, when they are radiant like Jesus Christ. Verse 4: “Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant…” (for the Church will be like Jesus Christ) “…and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you…” In the King James Version that is “converted” to you. The Church will see the conversion of the earth, and the people of the earth are called the sea. We could look into that subject more deeply, but we do not have time. Let’s look at a couple of scriptures. The fish of the sea are the people of the earth. The sea is simply what we dwell in. It is the atmosphere that Satan has around the earth. We dwell in his attitudes. We dwell in his powerful impulses that he sends through the air waves into our minds to tempt us. We all live in that sea. For confirmation of that fact, turn to Matthew chapter 4. Matthew 4, verse 18: “And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’” I will make you fishers of men! Turn to Matthew 13, flipping over just a few pages. Read Matthew 13:47-52. We are householders of the treasures of God, and we are dragging a dragnet with Jesus Christ working in the Church. That dragnet picks up the fish in the sea, and that is what the kingdom of heaven is all about at this time. It will be done until the entire contents of the sea, as Isaiah 60 said, is converted. As promised in the Book of Revelation, you will have an innumerable multitude standing on a sea of glass, praising God the Father and Jesus Christ. The Church should be an oasis in this sea. The Church should be solid land that the fish can come up on and get sorted out. The Church should be a place where the world feels comfortable to come with their cares, their concerns, their worries and their fears, just as the world and the people of it were comfortable coming before Jesus Christ and bringing their needs to Him. Indeed, eventually the world will be converted and dandled on the Church’s knees, so to speak, and fed, nourished and cared for. Right now the world is tossed by the storm by those winds that we saw in Daniel 7, but the Church should not be. The winds should not buffet the house of God and bring it crashing down. The fact that they have is indicative that we are in the end times, and we are very close to Jesus Christ’s return. I John chapter 4. Read verses 17-19. In this world we should be bold and rock solid with our houses founded on the Rock of Jesus Christ, on the good foundation. We should be filled with love and without fear. We should not fear Satan. We should not fear physical things, for we have the love of Jesus Christ dwelling within us if we have been called and chosen by God to receive the Holy Spirit. Read II Timothy chapter 1, verses 6-7 where Paul speaks to Timothy. Power, love and a sound mind are what we should have and not fear, not being tossed by every wind of doctrine, not selfish, not hard-hearted. We should be full of love, kindness and solid like a rock. THE FOUR WINDS Now let’s turn back to Daniel chapter 7 and look at those four winds again. Read Daniel 7:2-4. These are demons, brethren, influencing the nations of mankind to form kingdoms and powers that could, of course, destroy and conquer human beings in the world. His main purpose, really is to destroy the Church of God. Continue reading Daniel 7:5-8. It is true that these four beasts represent four kingdoms going from Babylon through to Rome, and there was a false church that arose from the Roman Empire. But it is too simplistic to say to this very day that the Church of God is threatened by these four kingdoms (these four beasts). It is not in the way we think. Guns, bullets and bombs cannot destroy God’s people. You are going to find that these pompous words do the damage when they get within the Church of God. Read Daniel 7:8-10. Obviously this is speaking of the time of Jesus Christ’s return. We just read in Revelation chapter 12 and 13 how Satan overcame the Church. We read in II Thessalonians 2 how Satan sits in the temple of God showing himself that He is God. In Daniel 7:25 we saw that he wears out the saints mentally, destroying their heart by causing anxiety. It was with these pompous words that this was done from within, brethren! Verse 11 of Daniel 7: “‘I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.’” The empires went down. If you look for the Babylonian Empire, the Roman Empire, the Greek Empire, the Medes and the Persians, they are gone. There are nations that have followed suit, but the empires are gone. They are no longer a threat. So what happens here when these beasts lose their power? Verse 12: “‘As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.’” They lost their empire, but those winds that cause the beast to rise upon the sea are still there. They lost their empires. There were physical nations that they controlled, but they were set aside for another time, another season. Where can you find this season that they were set aside for? Brethren, it is spoken of in the Bible, but we have to have a different mindset. We have to let the Shepherd talk to us so we can see what He meant by putting together “here a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept.” Turn now to Revelation chapter 7. “After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.” We understand what trees are and what grass is. We have been learning these things. Trees are teachers for God. They are the pillars that God is using (the firstfruits). You can study the literature that we have and the sermons that we have to show these things. They are simple to see once God opens our eyes. These four winds are held and bound so that they could not harm them for a certain amount of time. These are the four winds that we read about in Daniel 7. Now let’s turn to Revelation chapter 9 where once again they are spoken of. Read Revelation 9:13-15. These are the four winds released at the correct season (the correct time) to be allowed to do the damage that they were set to do for a long time. THE DEMON ARMY Verse 16: “Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.” These are not people from Asia or anywhere else. These are non-human. Look at verse 17. Verse 17: “And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails…” It is what they say and what they preach. It is what they get us to follow! That is where their power comes from. “…for their tails are like serpents…” We know what serpents represent. “…having heads; and with them they do harm. But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries, or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” There is a lot in that, brethren. We saw in Revelation chapter 13 that Satan overcomes the saints. How did he do it? Killing the saints does not help anything. Did it help that he killed Christ? No! Did it help that he killed eleven of twelve apostles? No! Did it help that he killed the prophets before them? No! This is a spiritual conquering of the Church by getting into the hearts and minds of God’s people. It is a conquering by turning us selfish, turning us on one another, giving us false doctrines (the lie that was spoken of in II Thessalonians 2). ONE-THIRD OF THE CHURCH DIES What does it mean that a third of mankind are killed? It is because the only people spiritually alive on the earth in God’s eyes are those who have the Holy Spirit. Once we are given the Holy Spirit, the life of God (God’s breath), we have spiritual life within. In God’s mind, those are the people who are truly alive on the earth. It is an amazing thing to understand. Let’s read some of God’s words on this subject. If you would, turn to Matthew chapter 8. Christ is speaking in verse 21: “Then another of His disciples said to him, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’” We know dead people cannot bury dead people. Living people bury dead people. But in God’s view when we are under Satan’s influence and we have not had sin washed away, we are like the walking dead. We are still physical breathing human beings, but we are like the walking dead because we do not have the source of eternal life within us. That is what Christ kept harping on to people. Christ says if you eat the bread that I have and drink the water I have, you will have eternal life within you. You will have the opportunity to be a firstfruit and gain eternal life. Those that were walking about without the Holy Spirit were literally the walking dead, but God has a way to help them eventually. We know that. We are not going to talk about the resurrections and their order right now, but God has not abandoned even those people who do not have the Holy Spirit. It is critical for us to understand that the living on the earth are those who have the Holy Spirit in God’s eyes. When a third of them go into captivity and a third of them die, we are talking about the conquering of the Church. We are talking about the overcoming of the Church with the false use of the sword as in Revelation chapter 13. Those who lead into captivity must go into captivity. Those who kill with the sword must be killed with the sword, and the sword is the word of God. TOSSED BY WIND AND WAVES Turn now to Jude verse 4. We do not want to be among those who are constantly tossed by the waves that the winds have driven within the Church. We were warned that this could happen. Read Jude 4-7. Verse 8: “Likewise also these dreamers…” (speaking once again about the Church where people have come in unaware) “…defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’ But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.” We will expound on this more in the following sermon. Jude 12: “These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame…” Brethren, that is why we started with the story of the tempest and the trees with the roots upturned. We read about winds driving the trees to the ground and winds driving false doctrine through the Church. These are winds that have helped Satan overcome God’s people at the end of the age. SPIRITUAL POWERS OF OBSERVATION Stop looking at physical signs and wonders! Stop looking at the false signs! We need spiritual eyesight. We need help from God, for what has happened in the Church cannot be observed physically except that brethren are dying left and right and suffering! They are waiting for an elusive place of safety which never seems to come while Satan has a free reign within the Church destroying the people of God. For a couple of final scriptures, turn to Luke chapter 21:25. “‘And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’” When we see these things, brethren, let’s see what it says in verses 27 and 28. Luke 21, verse 27: “‘Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near’” You don’t lift up your hands and rejoice when you see cyclones pounding people, earthquakes killing people and nuclear bombs going off. But when you see the devastation in the Church, you realize our redemption is at hand. Realize God has found a way to spare this earth and have a beautiful Millennium with an innumerable multitude to share that Millennium with. We indeed have great reason to rejoice! Our final scripture is Luke 17:20. “Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God does not come with observation..’” Because the kingdom of God does not come by things you can see! That term “observation” means ocular evidence in the Greek. You are not going to see an earthquake, a physical war, a volcano or a famine that marks as an omen or a sign of the coming of Jesus Christ, but you will see wars and devastation. You will see devastation from the flood, from the tempest and from the four winds within the Church of God. Then you will know you have seen a true sign of the end of the age.