A Church Without Walls

The judgments of the LORD during the Great Tribulation will affect every class of people… From the rich and powerful…to the poor and vulnerable…from kings, queens, presidents, and prime ministers…to the average person… No one…no matter who they are will be spared from the judgment of God. And because of that…God will remove His redeemed before the Great Tribulation… Only those who have not placed their trust in Him before the rapture of the church…will have to suffer under these judgments. Under which the whole face of the earth will change…earthquakes, will twist its surface… And the storms that will strike the earth will scatter its inhabitants. It will be a time when as Jesus said… “If the days were not shortened, no flesh would survive.” As a result of the Tribulation the earth will be left utterly emptied…as if it had been plundered. This is the Word of the Lord…He has spoken and it will be done just as He says it will.

The main players we will encounter this morning as we study this account of Jesus being taken to Pilate for sentencing are: Pontius Pilate who is the Roman Prefect (or governor) of Judea. Herod Antipas…ruler of Galilee…and the son of Herod the Great who is the vassal king of Judea, appointed by the Roman senate. Claudia…Pilates wife who has a dream and warns her husband to have nothing to do with Jesus and this trial. Barabbas…a thief, insurrectionist, and a murderer who is traded for Jesus. So, now that you know all the players…lets dig in.

The oracle concerning the valley of vision. Isaiah is given a vision of Jerusalem…many believe he sees it as the “valley of vision,” because of the seers and prophets… Whom God uses to give the people the revelations from God. Some believe this describes the invasion of Assyria against Judah…and some believe this is the Babylon invasion of Judah. I am in the Babylonian invasion camp…I believe what we will read about is when Babylon comes against Judah. But what we need to take note of is that Judah is included in the judgment of the pagan nations around them. The reason for that is because Judah is no different that the pagan nations…like them they have turned to idols for their protection. They have made alliances with other nations instead of seeking God’s protection… So, they will be judged just like the rest of the pagan nations. The reason that is significant for us is that this once Christian nation…has become a pagan nation… And we will be judged as such…I believe we are already under God’s judgment.

You all know that by 2030 the globalists want to see us all corralled in ‘Smart Cities.” For most of us in this room…these “Smart Cities,” aren’t aimed at us…but they will be very attractive to generation’s Y (the Millennials) Z and A. Pew Research Center decided to use 1996 as the last birth year for Millennials. Anyone born between 1981 and 1996 is considered a Millennial. So, the Millennials will be between 34 and 49 by the year 2030. Generation Z…born between 1997 and 2012 will be between 18 and 33 in 2030. Generation A…born between 2013 and 2025 will be between 5 and 17 years of age by 2030…all three generations have grown up with technology making their lives better. And for some they have only known computers and cell phones. So, when presented with this idea of living in a city that takes care of everything for you…that anyplace you need to be…you can be in 5 minutes. Where you live in a smart house, are driven around by a driverless electric car that you don’t own but for a fee can rent for as long as you need it (like a bike in the city).

Adam brought death to the world through sin…Jesus would bring life through His sacrifice for our sin. John records that from that day on they made plans to put him to death. They may have believed this was their plan…but it had been determined from before the foundation of the world that Jesus would die for the sins of man. So that sinful man could be made right with God. God loved us enough that before we ever took our first breath in this life… He had provided an answer for our salvation…and a solution to our eternal destiny.

God shows the prophet Isaiah that He is bringing judgment upon Egypt. God at one time had brought His people out of Egypt in the Exodus… In the process Egypt is devastated by the plagues and the loss of their army… God has used Egypt for a place of refuge for His people…Abraham fled there in time of famine, so did Isaac and Jacob. Joseph found himself in Egypt…and God used him to save the nation of Israel from a seven-year famine that came upon the land. Another Joseph with his bride named Mary and their infant son Jesus fled there after the angel warned them of impeding danger. But Egypt through all that…still doesn’t get that there is only one God…and He is a Sovereign God.

Listen…do you see what’s going on here the US is using Russia as an excuse to deplete our military strength. China is right…the longer this goes on…the weaker the US and Russia become…and China emerges as the world’s superpower. On the broader geopolitical scene: Iran is selling drones to Russia. Tehran expects a desperate Putin to sell it all the enriched uranium it needs…and to help prevent a preemptive strike on Tehran by Israel. India, like Turkey, likes newfound cheap Russian oil. Turkey suddenly is booming with cheap oil and a big arms appetite from Russia. North Korea sees only positives in Western distraction in Ukraine. It counts that its nuclear recklessness is seen as a valuable irritant by both Russia and China. The longer this proxy war goes on, the closer we get to the nightmarish main attraction. Add to all of this…a report in the Jerusalem post says that: Putin is paying Palestinians in Lebanon refugee camps to fight in Ukraine.

Judgment of the Nations

John tells us in chapter 18 of his gospel that after the Last Supper…Jesus and His disciples went out across the brook of Kidron…and entered a garden. We know from Matthew and Mark it is the Garden of Gethsemane…a place John tells that was well known to the disciples…especially Judas. Gethsemane means “olive press,” and the process of pressing olives requires that the olives are crushed first and made into a paste. The paste was then placed in baskets and pressed again squeezing the oil from the olives and separating the flesh of the olive. There was probably an olive press in the Garden of Gethsemane the night Jesus took His disciples there. The whole process of pressing olives involved crushing pressure…that squeezed every last drop from those olives. I should note that there were three pressings, the first was considered the purest so it was gathered and used in the temple. The second was used for food, medicine, and cosmetics. The third was used for lamps and soap. The reason the three pressings are significant is because Jesus prayed three times in the garden as He was being crushed, pressed, and squeezed…

Jesus had told Peter the night of the Last supper…the night when Jesus makes a New Covenant with His disciples…that he would be sifted like wheat. Jesus also tells him that He would pray that Peter’s faith would not fail…and overall, we know that it didn’t…because he went on to preach sermons and write two letters. He certainly strengthened his brothers when he turned back to Jesus…and his words still strengthen us today. But in the moment…that night in the courtyard…his faith did fail…and I would suggest that it had been weakening for some time before that night. Jesus knew Peter was struggling…He also knew that Peter needed a strong unshakeable faith for what lay ahead.

We are hearing of earthquakes (another in Turkey) train derailments, there was an explosion at a metals plant in Ohio the other day… And we wonder what is going on. What is going on is that the world is in upheaval…it is groaning… And we need to remember that the world is being prepared for the return of Jesus to rule and reign… But before that happens…the Antichrist will have his turn for seven years…and we are seeing his kingdom being set up before our eyes. One thing that stands in the way of world domination by the globalists which will usher in a world government and a world leader… Is America…we enjoy unique freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution in this country…that others do not have. Freedoms that most Americans would fight for…before they lose them completely. But our way of life and our freedoms are a threat to the globalists who want to bring everyone under their control. So, how do you take down a world superpower?

God judges the nations

Simon, Simon…when Jesus says your name twice you better believe He wants your attention. Behold…listen closely…Satan has demanded…some translations say asked…to have you. That word “you,” in the Greek is plural…Satan asked to sift all of them like wheat. There is a lot going on in this verse the first thing we should take note of is that Satan must ask for permission from God before he can attack a child of God.

Chapters 13 and 14 describe God’s judgment against Babylon…in fact the next eleven chapters in Isaiah will be about God’s judgment upon the nations of the world. This judgment against Babylon wasn’t meant to be a warning for them…they would never read it…it is in Hebrew… It was meant to show God’s people that it wasn’t only them that would experience the judgment of God… God will judge the wicked of this earth…Jew and Gentile alike. Because He is a God of justice. It is a warning for the nation we live in today and all the nations of the world…judgement is coming.

As I was praying about what world event to look at tonight for our Convergence of Prophecy study… Listening to the news I heard a report that a US General claimed he was not ruling out an alien origin of these balloons appearing in the skies. General Glen VanHerck said: "I'll let the intel community and the counterintelligence community figure that out. I haven't ruled out anything." "At this point, we continue to assess every threat or potential threat, unknown, that approaches North America with an attempt to identify it," Doing a little research into this I discovered a project I had never heard of…Project Blue Beam. What follows is some information on this project…I must warn you however that Project Blue Beam is so controversial that you really need to put on your tin foil hats tonight. This stuff makes even the most ardent conspiracy theorist cringe.

Jesus says this about Satan: “he is a liar, and the father of lies,” Satan is the originator of lies. So, it should come as no surprise to us when we hear of the lies, deception, and corruption in the world around us. We have even seen politicians and others invoke the name of God to justify their falsehoods and even their crimes. We are living in an age when we are witnessing the rise of the Antichrist… And we see it all around us.

God had used Assyria as an instrument of His judgment…now the one who boasted that it was the axe (meaning Assyria) that did all the work and not the One who wielded it… God was the One in control the whole time…God was wielding the axe. And now God will use His axe of judgment against Assyria. The proud will be brought low…and that is what the Bible tells us that “pride goes before the fall.” There will come a time when Israel and Judah will be laid waste as well… That will occur under Sennacherib the king of Assyria and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon. God shows Isaiah that He will lay waste to forest…a forest is so dense and thick that to look at it you would get the impression it will last forever. But God is able to lay it to waste…with just a word.

Jesus said in John’s gospel months before this night: “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” (John 6:70 ESV) He was referring to Judas Iscariot…Jesus knew who it was, but the disciples didn’t. Jesus had prayed all night before He choose the twelve. Judas was one of the names God gave Him as one of the twelve. God wasn’t setting Judas up to take the fall…God Who knows every thought in our mind…every word on our tongue before it is spoken…and every intent of our heart… Knew exactly what was already in the heart of Judas and He used it to accomplish His will. Judas wasn’t coerced, forced, or led in any way to do what he did…he did it out of what was already in his heart. Just as it was the will of Jesus to go to the cross.

God has created an order to things. And when we follow the structure that He has ordained…things go well for us. Take marriage and the family for instance…God has established an order: But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. (1 Corinthians 11:3 ESV) The head of every man is Jesus, the head of the wife is the husband…and over the whole family structure is God. Children come next in the order of things: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” (Ephesians 6:2-3 ESV) That is the order of the family as God has ordained it…God the Father, God the Son, the husband, the wife, and the children. And when that structure is followed in marriage there is peace and harmony. There is a structure to the marriage as far as who marriage was created for… Marriage is to be between a man and a woman. There is a structure within the church, Jesus is the head of the church, there is church leadership, and there are the members of the church…and all are called to be servants of one another.

God has shown Isaiah visions of the destruction to come upon Israel and Judah…it is bleak, it must seem to the prophet that there is no hope. Then God shows him a vision of the Messiah to come…and how He will be a light in the darkness. Beginning in verse three God shows him that there is hope…there will be rejoicing where there was sorrow… There will be light where there was darkness…there will be life, where there was death. We have that same promise…because this is a vison of the Messiah Jesus and His Kingdom to come. Whatever government we are under today…will not last. There are no longer any Romans, Babylonians, or Assyrians…those kingdoms are gone… But the Kingdom of our Messiah will last forever. And that is truly a reason to rejoice!

The feast of Unleavened Bread which would last seven days has arrived… But before that feast began on the 15th day…they would eat the Passover meal on the 14th. So, it is the 14th day of the month… as we begin our study here this morning. On the 14th…beginning at 3pm and lasting until 5:00pm they would be killing lambs in the temple. The lamb served as the centerpiece of Passover…and there were strict laws concerning the preparation of the lamb. Families who made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem would have to purchase their lamb by the tenth day of the month…four days before Passover. The lamb had to be unblemished and not more than one year old. The families would then…as they were instructed by the Law…remove all of the leaven from their home… That had to be completed on the night before the meal itself. So, around 3:00pm the head of the family would take the family's lamb to the temple.

We have reached the place in the gospel of Luke where he will record the last days of the life of Jesus. Everything we have read from the announcement of the birth of Jesus, to the healing of the sick, and the casting out of demons…has led to this point. This is the last Passover…that He will be part of…on this earth. It is no coincidence that the Passover is near…because the Passover has a lot of symbolic meaning that points to the sacrifice of Jesus. The feast is called the feast of Unleavened Bread...in your Bibles…it was one of three mandatory feasts that every Jewish male would have to go to the temple to celebrate. Passover itself isn’t the feast…it isn’t really even a day…it is a meal… Every year they were commanded on the 14th day of the month of Nisan (March/April) to celebrate this meal. The feast of Unleavened Bread began at sundown on the 15th day of Nisan and lasted for seven days. Since the Passover meal and the feast of Unleavened Bread happened so close together…they just called it Passover week. In order to see the symbolism in the Passover and the sacrifice of Jesus we must turn to Exodus 12.

Signs are to tell us something…like where to exit…what the speed limit is…where you can find lodging and food…where George Washington slept…or where you can see the world’s largest rubber band ball… The signs Jesus gives us are to tell us when His return is drawing near. There are certain signs that let us know the end has begun and certain signs will tell the world He is close to establishing His throne on the earth. Chuck Smith said: “When I am out in the stores in the fall and I see the Christmas decorations are already up, I know that Thanksgiving is near.” Jesus is telling us that when we see these signs…we can know that the rapture of the church…the tribulation…and His second coming are near. Just before He returns to the earth…there will be a global cosmic signs in the heavens...

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! (Isaiah 5:20-21 ESV) I am certain we would all agree that this is the state of the nation we live in today. The lines of morality have been blurred and they have been crossed. Judah and Israel had a covenant with God…if they obeyed the voice of God and worshiped Him alone, they would be blessed under the covenant. But if they rebelled and worshiped other gods…they would be cursed. Covenants in Scripture are viewed as the most sacred and binding of deals – an oath that's never to be broken.

God warns that Judah will fall…and the reason He tells them they will fall is because: Their speech and their deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence. They refuse to obey God and they provoke Him to His face! They have sinned in word and deed! As I read through these chapters I can’t help but think if God was speaking to Judah or to America. Both I would say…as He knows that both nations would refuse to obey Him and provoke Him to His face. So, God will take away their support…His provision. The grain for bread, water, their military might, and their military and spiritual leaders…will all be taken away. Because anything that we acquire through compromise or that is against the will of God…will be lost!