Escaping Israel (Part A)

The Bible prophecy is a massive subject. It is just you just be, and many are intimidated by many Christians don't want to touch it because there's so much cross-referencing, studying and digging into the culture. Just a lot and you shouldn't be intimidated by that, at least not to the point to shy away intimidated or frightened by a little bit but that's should spur you on. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville*is currently teaching through the gospel of Mark. Please stay with us after today's message here. More information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now, here's Pastor Rick in Mark chapter 13 as he begins his message called escaping Israel. We are in the gospel according to Mark chapter 13 beginning in verse 14. When you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not let the reader understand, then let those who are in Jerusalem flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house nor enter to take anything out of his house and let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. Woe to those who are pregnant and those who are nursing babies in those days and pray that your flight may not be in winter. For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be less Lord had shortened those days, no flesh wouldst be saved but for the elect's sake, whom he chose. He shortened the days. Then if anyone says to you, look, here is the Christ or look he is there do not believe it.

For false Christ's and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Take EC. I have told you all things beforehand. For those of you who may have missed last week's session. Jesus had told them an answer to that question when will the destruction of the temple being the last days, one of a coming and he highlighted for them in verse 14.

When you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not be in his referencing the temple of the Jews which at that time is that's going to be destroyed and we know by the context of everything.

It's going to be rebuilt the Jewish the Jews will be rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem will be the third Jewish temple, the first being that of Solomon. Then Zerubbabel which Gerard expanded significantly that one was destroyed to and the third one will have to be built.

There is a lot of evidence that the original the traditional location of that third Temple is going to be in a different place where a lot of people expected to be, but there's room for a lot of discussion on that, but I wanted now come back to what happens after that temple is defiled by antichrist, then what and I want to introduce or talk about Bible prophecy and what it has to do with how we approach this current culture we live in, and then will get to the verses, which are largely self-explanatory. At least they are to me now what they want, when I was first coming across them as a new believer, but Bible prophecy is a massive subject it.

It is just huge.

It's big and many are intimidated by many Christians don't want to touch it because there's so much cross-referencing, studying and digging into the culture. Just a lot and you shouldn't be intimidated by the at least not to the point to shy away you can be intimidated or frightened by a little bit but that's should spur you on. There are three quotes that I have found useful from far as I know, an unbeliever that really capture the spirit of prophecy, and in a surprising way, and I've quoted from this person before, guts and boredom.

He is the sculptor of Mount Rushmore. That was his project. He is the architect the sculpture he drove along and he says this is again applicable to Bible prophecy and its magnitude. Boredom says sheer mass is emotional and that is so true. You see something that is just enormous in its category and you like wow look at that it is emotional.

I once saw a pachyderm big as an elephant. It was emotional.

You can see an insect.

This large friendly look at that thing is huge is so such as Bible prophecy such as human nature. You come to Bible prophecy in the book of Revelation just for an example, and you go wow. There's so much here Mount Rushmore is loud said boredom, demanding attention, isn't that true with Bible prophecy.

It is loud when you hear just a few prophecies that of of the what's coming in the end times you remember them. You might not be memorized number when you hear them again you have heard that before. I remember that.

And then finally the third quote of gut son is the faces are in the mountain all I have to do is bring them out.

Well, the future is in Bible prophecy and God brings it out through his prophets into the Holy Spirit and he promises blessings for those students of the word students of end time prophecy, particularly the book of Revelation because you can't study the book of Revelation without a foundation in all of the other scriptures you coming you can but you won't get from it any of its profound teachings. Blessings that are available for lease, you will reduce them, but knowing Scripture before Revelation by the time you get to it is very beneficial because of its sheer magnitude. The grandeur of the future hold and controlled by God. That is significant. That's why we I live why get blessed when I read the Revelation God is telling me what's going to happen and I know he controls it, and that blesses me and I'm seeing it carried out as almost as though in many places, though it's already happened because of faith and that's what it doesn't build up our faith to face life more boldly and to do something with it. What good is courage in Christ, if you don't do anything with it. The whole parable of no one lights a lamp and sticks it under a bushel, and will not expecting Atlanta still shine so the time comes when God tells his people whom he brought into the promised land to escape, it seems counterintuitive.

I mean he is worked so hard over history lease from our perspective. Of course God doesn't break a sweat but just applying our characteristics to him to to get it for a moment, he is God work so hard to get the Jews into the promised land more than once, and yet in verse 14 Jesus says let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains God brought Israel in three times. There will be 1/4 time the first time in around all these numbers about 1500 years before the birth of Christ. Almost 4000 years ago, God brought them out of her out of Egypt through the wilderness and into the promised land.

And of course they endeared themselves to fake ideas about God and his punishment. God move them out of that land. And he did it in stages and they end up in Babylon, which becomes Persian and the Persian king Cyrus whom Isaiah prophesied by name 100 years before he was even born, brings them back into the prayer or lease it gives the edict to send them back to the promised land on this was about 540 years before Christ was born. So we have to instances of Christ, who is God the son, bringing the people, the chosen people from which Messiah would come into the promised land. Of course, by the time they get back in this land again. They reject their Messiah, they revolt against Rome more than once by the third time that they revolt against Rome Romans kick them out of Jerusalem and out of promised land and out. They stayed for almost 2000 years and we read in Isaiah 43 well before I get to that God brings them back into their land.

After that, after the Romans put them out so that the temple is up. The second Jewish Temple is up, and of the Romans destroyed because of the Jewish revolt.

The Jews revolt. Again, the Romans put that down Jews revolt again the Romans and send them out of the promised land. They stay out of the promised land to God brings them back in 1948 gives them control of the land again and then the Jews began bringing Jews from all over the world back into the promised land, especially when the Soviet Union collapsed Jews were given. If you are a Jew and you can prove you are a Jew you you free to come back to the promised land, and they have been coming and what I remember on our tour. Our tour guide was from New Jersey but he lived in is a total citizen in Israel.

Now he and his family wanted to live in the promised land. He he learned to speak to the Jewish language. The Hebrew an end and there they are. Isaiah 43 verse six. I will say to the north.

Give them up into the South do not keep them back, bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth, what ends of the earth part didn't happen when Cyrus sent them back from Persian. They were coming back from the Persian Empire, but not from the ends of the earth that happened in 1948. It happened in phases, but in parts and don't get too caught up in those details were giving you an overview Isaiah 11 he will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcast of Israel and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. So we are living in our lifetimes will watching these two prophecies of Isaiah be fulfilled in the Jews again are very serious about what they're going to get out of that land again and that's what I just read from verse 14. Those who are in Judea flee to the mountains and then he'll bring the pack again once he returns, but were not going to turn our attention that yet. That comes later in Matthew 13, before the final return. The day is coming when the Jewish people must escape the promised land. If they're going to survive as individuals because the race will survive, in spite of all of the efforts of Antichrist and his minion to wipe them off the face of the earth. With so many prophecies in the Bible, not only about the end times, but just about the nations you know you do you read through Isaiah, for example, and you get to the prophecies on Moab and Amazon is of what is boring reading. But God is saying these are prophecies that I have fulfilled not in your lifetime before your lifetime, but I've got many to be fulfilled in your lifetime and possibly after this should excited because with so many of them fulfilled, it would be unwise not to trust the remaining prophecies in detail what we don't understand we accept by faith because we know better. God bless his prophetic study. As I mentioned, because it's big and is big on purpose Revelation chapter 1 in the beginning of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus told John Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it for the time is near. Demonstrated this verse when he says Blessed are those who read and hear. This is demonstrated all the Christians who have expanded their knowledge of end times prophecy. They know that they are blessed by the proof of that is they don't want to go backwards with you Cedro do you have an end time understandings. I do would you like to lose it. Absolutely not, why not because it's a blessing as promised by the Lord and so there is great purpose in a basic and time study and ended if you don't have one, get one and it will enhance your ability to preach because there are those that think God can go out of style that the culture has somehow passed him. When they do it in different ways of denying even exist and stuff like that. God is never out of style. His hands are on everything, even after the end he is the Alpha and the Omega and the prophecies are telling us, God is totally in control. His hands are on this.

He has got it. Final pieces of end time prophecy are rapidly filling because they have been for years parts of prophecy.

For instance we talk about the Jews.Jesus. Thankfully, the promised land was along.

History almost 2000 years with a word in the promised land. But that's been now fulfilled and there are other things we just checking off the boxes and rapidly now in this age of technology.

Sin levels are too high to sustain man has learned how to sin so profoundly now that it cannot be sustained. This happen when God sent the flood during the days of no man was so wicked he had become so bad with his you know powerbrokers enslaving people the guts of this got to stop or else they won't make it received in a microcosm in Sodom and Gomorrah also. By the way, the Genesis 6 cartel ravaging the human race. It was global because everybody was sort of centered in one place he spoke one language and it was violent and it was bad. I'm God couldn't fix it or wash it away preserving Noah the and his wife and his children. The culture of Sodom and Gomorrah gave me nothing to humanity produce nothing worth preserving fact you can even find for sure where it was. That's how thoroughly they been washed away or burned away. You might say they were intolerant they were militant in their lifestyle. They were totally perverted, twisted to the point of view. Say what which is now becoming or attempts. Of course, to reverse it all to make decency vile and vile things decent come to that. Just a little bit in the moment will living through this, but Sodom and Gomorrah to God it was not sustainable. God said history going forward is better off without that city, and the behavior that presented in spite of Abraham's pleading with God to spare the city.

God says Abraham I have to overrule you here because this kind of wickedness must be arrested because of it is not arrested, not stopped, arrested, if it is not, it will spread to the point where humanity will not be able to sustain themselves. Wickedness schools that deep the sin was so brazen the people were so intractable that nothing short of divine judgment could halt the spread and that is what happened today. Now we totally talked about Genesis 6, which led to the flood of Noah. We talked about Sodom and Gomorrah which led to his being wiped off the first face of the earth again.

That lifestyle had nothing to give humanity, except short twisted pleasures and you say that today and you risk being persecuted in a very slow serious way, but the culture today is globally not every single person but globally becoming more and more Satan friendly and Christ intolerant and we see it happening and again it's not sustainable because with this rejection of Christ comes a morality and immorality is harmful to humans and immorality is defined by God, not by humanist secular humanists so we have the LGBT recruiters not enough that they live this lifestyle they going to get you and you young adults. You're the most, or you young Christians.

You are so susceptible to this move. Satan hates your guts so much he hates you just as much as he hates me and is not gonna come and stand in your face and say I hate you, what is going to do to take you out is to get you to move away from Christ. All the gas to do to make his hatred work against you did. Damn your soul, and now he is God. People in their sexual preferences out trying to recruit people to join them in their stampede towards destruction is heartbreaking.

When I hate them for this we see beyond the people we see what Satan is doing, but we also see that the people are serious opponents. Very dangerous transgender Frankenstein's. That's what they are Frankenstein's the whole thing Frankenstein was to create something from the dead that ended up being a monster that ultimately doesn't survive. Unfortunately, a transfer student from from fantasy into reality they give again nothing to mankind except malfunction and if you are ignorant and if you're gullible going to get you if you find that the world is more fun in Christ to the point where you begin to leave Christ gotcha and you'll have no one to blame but yourself as much as you want to blame your pastor, your parents, your church or whatever else it will be you. One of the awful things about Heller's you whoever is in hell will be there by their own choosing and it will be a lonely place. In spite of its multitudes.

Sin remains sin no matter how popular any culture wants to make sin see this has to do with the end times. It has to do with biblical prophecy.

It has to do with understanding how my going to face these things, going to reach people with the truth. While the prophecy is truth and the truth is convicting and convincing girls first convincing, then it's good well may be doing otherwise sorry about that.

Nowadays, we are stuck instead of keyboards and Giants giant keyboards giant powerbrokers in their cartel we have these tech monsters who suppose themselves to be godlike, but really the devils, not because of what they are have created with technology.

But what they are creating because of the technology, the culture that produces great characters is being abolished now.

This culture will create the antichrist is moving all in that direction and it's ramping up faster.

How much of human history lived at the speed of a horse that had a slide from oil lanterns and how much of history was with out what we call modern technology.

Most of it. It wasn't until the last 300 years or so before man begin to find out that in all I can can get more energy from steam and harness electricity and and now look what's happening. It's no surprise that God withheld technology from humanity because we are seeing what they do and what happens when I say this. What happens when I say we are in a culture that cannot produce great characters, but can produce the antichrist. What happens then they scoff they scoff at that yeah right. Because technology offers us some very wonderful benefits. It does not mean and that nothing won't technology in itself, of course, it's what you do with it. Second Peter chapter 3 knowing this first see that emphasis we miss that Dewey not read second Peter when he says scoffers will come. We misted he said first use of the unbelievers that will recruit you to their side. Knowing this first of scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts would just ask yourself that's a prophetic statement that Peter's making about the end times are they walking according to their own lusts, of course, whatever passions they may have see that is end time prophecy and it is helpful to us, but it is damning to those against Christ. Second Corinthians chapter 2 of Paul who had to him. You know decadent Corinth is just such an awful place when when Paul writes to the Romans that first chapter is living in Carmen and so all of that activity that he is dragging into the light is happening outside of his window. I like to think you know, maybe he just came back from the marketplace and he saw the debauchery and Isaac is writing to the Romans and he saying that all you know what these people are doing here in current doing in Rome and everywhere else so he writes this to the current later as to the one we are the aroma of death, leading to death see that one is the one that scoffs in Christ that rejects you to them.

You reek of death. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Mark cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry. Visit our website cross reference radio.com once you're there you'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio. You can search for cross reference radio on your favorite podcast app that's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time. As Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of Mark right here on cross reference radio