Countdown - Wars And Rumors Of Wars

Real Life presents the Jack Hibbs Podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints and impact our culture. A nation goes as a home goes, but a home doesn't know what to do unless the church steps up, it begins in the church. By the way, that's true in the Bible, it's true in sociology studies, and it's true in American history. Church has got to catch fire, that affects the family. Drunks stop drinking abusers, stop abusing, and womanizers and manizers, and Budwizers. Stop, doing that, and they make their homework, and then you know what happens? Then the community changes, and then the county changes, the state changes, and the nation changes. That's the only hope for America. You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to jackhibbs.com slash podcast. Today, if this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled life in Christ, then make sure you leave us one of those five star ratings. To us, that's like saying amen or yes, then that rating will encourage others to listen. Now, open your hearts to what God's word has to say to you. Here is jackhibbs. Sounds like Ezekiel 38. I see those people says, God, G-O-G, they dwell in safety. They're prospering. Look how stuck up they are. The word was confident they are. What drives hatred? Envy. When your heart's wicked, you're envious, and when you're envious, your heart's wicked, and people have killed over envy. The Bible says they crucified Jesus because they envied Him. Remarkable truth and power. The Bible tells us in Joel chapter 3, verse 1, behold, the days are coming, and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and I will enter into judgment with them on the count of my people, my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and they have also divided up my land. Are you kidding me? This is 2600-year-old prophecy, and it looks like we're talking about a UN decision last week in the news. Divide the land, divide the land, right there in the Bible. Zachariah chapter 12, verse 1, the word of the Lord concerning Israel, the Lord who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundation of the earth and who forms the human spirit within man declares this, I'm going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding nations reeling. Judah will be as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations, all who try to move her will injure themselves. The word in Hebrew injure themselves. It's a very sad thing. A lot of us can relate to this. The word means to go to something heavy, in this case it's a rock. Can you imagine? It means in Hebrew to pick up the rock, and you're so committed to picking up the rock that you pick up the rock, but you rip your guts. The word is to rip your insides. You tear yourself apart. Have you ever seen those Olympic weightlifting guys? Why? Can you imagine the world is going to have this mindset? We've got to deal with Jerusalem. We've got to do what's the fascination with Jerusalem? There's no oil there, there's no airport, there's no river, there's no really no nothing, but great food, great food. Think of it, it makes no sense. The world's going to go like this, try to move and get it out of sight. They just get it, push it into the Mediterranean, and they pick it up, and you can hear springs flying and gears popping, and rip yourself apart if you try to move it, God says. Don't mess with them. God's got a plan, a remarkable plan. So much so, watch this, so much. This part I get really excited. Up until now, I've been all right, right now I lose it over this. The only thing worse for me is to be in Israel when I teach this, what I'm about to say, I just lose control. It's amazing. Here it comes. On May 14, 1948, Israel became a nation because President Truman, an American president, went against all the deliberation and all the counsel of the nations of the world, and Truman said, no, we're going to recognize Israel as a nation. On May 14, 1948, Israel had a birthday. Listen, Saturday morning, on May 15, Zionist proclaimed new state of Israel, Truman recognizes it and hopes for peace, Tel Aviv is bombed, Egypt orders an invasion. Happy birthday, attack! Wow, think of it. Next slide. Tel Aviv is bombed, US recognizes Jewish state. Read the print below. Israel is proclaimed Arab's March. Truman action stuns closing session of UN, battle in Jerusalem, Egypt orders invasion. Sounds like you're reading Ezekiel, except thank God, but the time Ezekiel rolls around in his prophecy, Egypt will be a friend of Israel. As it is today, by the way, Saudi Arabia, a friend, Jordan, a friend, Egypt, a friend exactly as the prophets foretold. Not only are the right nations lined up to invade, the right nations for the first time in history are lined up that support Israel in the region. That's not a coincidence. Here's the punchline. This is 2,740,750 years old. Isaiah chapter 66. Before the birth pains even begin, Jerusalem gives birth to a son. Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Whoever heard of such a thing has a nation ever been born in a single day, has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem's birth pains begin, her children will be born. Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth and then not deliver it? Ask the Lord? No. I would never keep this nation from being born, says your God. Israel was first born by being called out of Egypt in the wilderness wanderings and then eventually brought into the Promised Land by Joshua. Israel's second birth prophesied in the prophet Isaiah not only happened in 1948, it happened exactly as Isaiah said it would in a mere moment in one day the nation would be brought forth and an instant Jews from around the world would have a nation. That verse alone should dispel any doubt about the veracity and the ability of the God of the Bible to keep his word and when he says to you, trust me and I'll take you to heaven. Trust me. I'll forgive you your sins. Look to me. I don't have the cross for your grief and give you eternal life. Follow me and I'll take you straight into heaven. I'll give you purpose in meaning. I'm the God that made you and it's time to come to the God that says that is the exact same God that keeps his word keeps his promises. Exact same God. He's the same one. The Bible tells us in Ezekiel 34 verse 13 and I will bring them out from the peoples or the nations and gather them from the countries and I will bring them to there. What is it? Own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. This is Israel. God says so and then finally we end here. The number four argument is this and it's a short one. It's all eyes to war. All eyes to war. Look I struggle with this just as you do and that is what's happening next. Biblically we keep our Bibles open. I would stay tuned to Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38 at the same time. I'll be reading both those. It could happen tomorrow. Regarding the nation of Israel, it's been written. We know what happened to them. We know what's happening to them and we know from the Bible what's going to happen to them. America is nowhere mentioned in the Bible. That brings me great pain and it brings me great hope. Number one, it pains me because our nation was very much used as a big brother to Israel's establishment the second time. This is a Judeo Christian nation in its roots. This nation has been blessed in every category over every nation on earth in all of human history including Israel itself. Freest people, freest constitutional government, greatest technologies, greatest military, greatest achievements. Did you know that you're sitting in the most compassionate nation on the face of the earth? No nation. No nation citizens give more to disaster relief in suffering than the United States year after year after year. God used this nation. Once our federal budget of the United States government annually was to produce Bibles and ship them to nations in the world where there was no Bible. When soldiers went off to war and World War One, World War Two and the Korean War, they were given Bibles. I have one. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Says the scripture. Where do we go from here? Watching what's happening. Is God waiting for his people to call out to him? Is God waiting? He's not waiting on any political party or some chest move by some political genius or some blunder to happen. He's not waiting for that. God is saying if my people, if my people, if my people, if my people, if my people will call out to me, if my people will repent, he's calling out to us. Why is everything in limbo the way that it is? He's calling out to us. What is so undetermined? What's so confusing? There's nothing but confusion. In light of this last year past, all the dynamic, how do you explain the most bizarre year ever and yet all around the world, record numbers of people coming to Christ? What's up? And what's up for America? Well, I'm not an Einstein, but I can tell you this based on God's word. There's no hope for America unless, no hope for America unless in this order. Number one, the church stops playing games, stops goofing off and starts teaching the Bible and living the life from the pulpit to the peel. Number two, number two, it affects the home. A nation goes as a home goes, but a home doesn't know what to do unless the church steps up. It begins in the church. By the way, that's true in the Bible. It's true in sociology studies and it's true in American history. The church has got to catch fire that affects the family. Drunks stop drinking abusers, stop abusing and womanizers and manizers and budwisers stop doing that and they make their homework and then you know what happens? Then the community changes and then the county changes, the state changes and the nation changes. That's the only hope for America. God is not going to sprinkle pixie dust over America without being true to his pattern. The church is the ground and pillar of all truths as the Bible. Why do you think churches are going through the struggles of their life right now? It's an attack on one side and it's a trial on the other. That's the only hope for America. If that doesn't happen, it's over and God's showing us a little bit of hints what it's like when it's over. When He's left the building, it's a very critical time and it's going to lead to war. Every guy in this room knows that when there's somebody weak on the playground, the bully takes advantage of the weak kid. Every single time. You want to stop bullying? Teach every kid how to defend themselves. Because bully is in the heart. You can legislate it all you want. It's never going to change the thing. You got to change the heart. Until heart should change, your kids got to be able to protect themselves. Because a bully will find the weak kid because bullies are cowards and there's a lot of coward nations out there right now. They're lunatics. They've got nuclear weapons and a match and they don't know what to do but they feel like they should do something. Nobody cares about them so they want, they want to make you care about them. Others have religious aspirations. It's going to be, listen, I'm not a prophet. In fact, Jesus said this way, in Matthew 24-6, and you will hear of wars, in rumors of wars, see that you're not troubled by this. For all these things must come to pass. The end is not yet. But the end of the world is not yet. That same chapter, by the way, read it later, chapter 24, Jesus said, oh, and yes, there's going to be pandemics. Pandemics there is called pestilence, global sicknesses. Jesus said, oh, and yes, and there's going to be lawlessness. He said, in fact, when the disciples came to Jesus and said, tell us, when will these things be? What will be the sign of your coming? Three part question. And the end of the world. And listen, Jesus did not say this. He did not say this first. He did not say there's going to be wars and rumors of wars. He didn't say that first. Jesus did not say first. There's going to be earthquakes. Big ones all over the world. He didn't say that first. He did not say volcanoes. Keep your eye on volcanoes. He didn't say that first. He said that a couple of verses later. Volcanoes, earthquakes, pandemics. He said this too, but not first. Men will hate one another so much. Their love will grow cold for humanity. And because of that, lawlessness will rule. Lawlessness will prevail. Nobody fears the law. People do what's right in their own eyes. He didn't say that first. You when he said first, when they asked them, when are you coming back and what about the end of the world? Jesus said the most important thing first. He said, let nobody deceive you. Many false Christ and many false prophets are going to come and seek to deceive you. Listen to this. I love it. He says, and if it were possible to deceive even the very elect, he said, if one little word, he didn't say the elect are going to be deceived. He said the opposite. If it were possible, that means it's impossible. You ever look freshman logic course. First grade, first grade logic course. I'm not first grade, but maybe third grade. If it's not possible, then it's impossible. How could Jesus say that? It's easy. Because when this word is in you, this thing keeps you from being deceived by that invisible dark world. This is what does it. And God is so gracious with you and your journey because when you start out or if you have old season saint, they've been with Jesus for a long time. His grace sustains you through them. But to whom much is given, much is required. As you grow older in Jesus, much less feelings, much more faith, because you're growing up. But when you're a new believer, it's all feelings and a little bit of faith, but faith comes by hearing. And hearing by the word of God, Romans 10, 17 says, so watch this. You love being around new believers. They're awesome. You know somebody who gets saved and says, well, I just love the Lord. That's great. That's awesome. Praise the Lord. Yes, praise the Lord. And they're so fine because they go, you know what? I'm going to pray. I'm going to pray because I don't have a job. You know, yeah, you pray. Lord, I need a job. I'd like to have a good one. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. And then you go, that's nice. And then they call you the next day. Hey, I got a phone call. Some company called me up. They asked me what my name was. Hey, who is this on the other end of the phone? It's Bill. Bill, we're going to give you a job. I'm going to pay you double. Okay. He hangs up. Praise the Lord. Have you noticed a new believer wherever they go? It's just like, they just, they pray. It's not, God just goes, there you go. Hang out with new believers. And they, I just sensed the Lord. In an old season, St. goes, well, sense, I don't sense anything. What are you sensing? What do you? God is working in the journey in different levels with his grace, but with there's more of the word. And he gives you time to know the word. So in the day of your visitation, you'll know it. You recognize the times and the seasons to build faith, to be strong. Because God keeps his word. And so the new believers covered the old season saints covered. Because God's faithful. This Jack Hibbs podcast, as well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities, are listener supported. Will you consider partnering with us through a special gift? Go to jackhibbs.com to learn more and stay connected.