Father in heaven, I pray that you please bless Pastor Mejia as he preaches your word and help us as children learn your word. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Amen. It's great to be here tonight. I'm thankful for the privilege to visit Faithful Word Baptist Church and be able to preach here.
I'm thankful for Pastor Anderson and you all for visiting tonight to hear the preaching of God's Word.
We're going to get right into it. The Bible says in Luke chapter 21 verse number 7,
And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be, and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived, for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ.
And the time draweth near, go ye not therefore after them.
And the time of my sermon this evening is end times antithesis. End times antithesis.
And antithesis is simply something that is in opposition. It's a contrast to something or someone.
And when you study end times Bible prophecy, you're going to notice fairly frequently that Satan and the Antichrist and the rulers of the darkness of this world will seek to contrast that which God does.
They'll seek to mimic and imitate and be imposters of that which God is going to do and has done.
It's something that's very frequently seen in end times Bible prophecy.
And it should come as no surprise to us because of the fact that one of the motives of Satan is that he wants to deceive the world, obviously.
He wants to trick the world. He wants to deceive the world. But in order for him to do so, he has to be as close to the truth as he possibly can without being the truth.
He needs to be as close to the truth as he possibly can in order to deceive the nations into believing his lie.
And that should come as no surprise. The Bible tells us for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
And it says in no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
It tells us that his workers, his ministers will transform themselves into ministers of righteousness whose ends shall be according to their works.
So obviously Satan will try to be an imposter. He'll put forth a fraudulent message.
He'll put forth a lie that is kind of wrapped in somewhat of the truth in order to deceive people.
Now turn with me if you would. We're going to come back to Luke in just a bit.
But go to Revelation chapter 6, if you would, Revelation chapter 6.
Luke 21 tells us Jesus said, take heed that you be not deceived.
For many shall come in my name saying, what? I am Christ.
And this is later also, or earlier should I say, stated in Matthew 24 where Jesus said this.
For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders in so much that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
It doesn't say they will be deceived. It says that that's how strong the deception could be.
Believers are not going to be deceived. Of course they have the spirit of truth dwelling within them.
Now tonight we're going to get into a lot of end times Bible prophecy, a lot of things that you probably already know.
But I'm going to show you something tonight that you probably don't know.
And so I'm going to need you to pay attention as much as possible.
And I'm going to give you a very practical application at the end of this sermon.
So that for those of you who may not be fans of end times Bible prophecy, you'll like the application at least.
Now you're in Revelation chapter 6. Obviously when you read the book of Revelation, when you study end times Bible prophecy, there's a lot of copying taking place with Satan as I mentioned.
And one of those is in regards to the Trinity for example.
You have the antithesis of the Trinity in the end times.
Now how is that? Well the Trinity is the Father, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Well the antithesis to that, the wicked antithesis, is the dragon representing Satan.
You have the antichrist and then you have the false prophet which would be the copycat of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Satan imitating God. Why? Because he wants to be like the Most High.
You know the Bible tells us in Isaiah 14 and verse 13,
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.
You know the Bible says that the God of this world, not referring to God the Father,
The God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Little g, not big g, referring to God the Father, this is referring to Satan being an imposter of God the Father.
But then you also have the antichrist imitating Jesus Christ, right?
Look what the Bible says in Revelation chapter 6 and verse number 1.
It says, And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
Verse 2, And I saw and behold a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer.
Now I want you to notice first and foremost that this is actually the first time the antichrist is being mentioned in the book of Revelation.
So the very first introduction of the antichrist places him as being an imitator of Jesus Christ.
He said, How do you know that?
Well, go to Revelation chapter 19, if you would.
Revelation chapter 19, we see that he comes, this is the first seal that's being opened.
This is what's known as the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
People often describe it as thus.
And the first horse that comes on the scene is a white horse.
It doesn't tell us the name of the person of the individual sitting on the horse.
It just says that, you know, he had a bow, he's given a crown, and he's going forth conquering and to conquer.
Well, you know, it doesn't take a rocket scientist or a theologian to know that this is him impersonating Jesus Christ in Revelation chapter 19.
Look at Revelation 19 verse 11.
It says, And I saw heaven open, and behold what? A white horse.
He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
So first and foremost, what does he do?
He impersonates his coming.
Not his second coming, but his third coming.
But he comes as the second coming of Christ.
But he comes in such a way that it's actually the third coming of Christ that he's imitating,
because Jesus Christ, the third time that he returns, comes on a white horse, indicating purity, holiness, the Son of God.
But not only that, we see in verse number 12, look what it says,
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns.
What do we see in Revelation chapter 6?
That there was a crown given unto him.
So it says his eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns, and he had a name written that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.
The armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
So he basically impersonates his coming, he impersonates his crowns, but then he also impersonates his conquests.
Look what the Bible says in verse 15.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations.
He shall rule them with a rod of iron, and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
So what is this actually talking about?
Well this is referring to the battle of Armageddon.
Revelation chapter 19 is when Jesus Christ comes on a white horse with his armies,
he comes to war against the anti-Christ and his armies, what's known as the battle of Armageddon.
He defeats the anti-Christ, he casts him and his false prophet into the lake of fire.
Revelation chapter 20, he establishes his millennial reign, thousand year reign, leading into the new heaven and the new earth.
Well this is exactly what the anti-Christ is going to seek to do.
He's going to seek to use Revelation 19 as a means or as excuse or pretext to establish his earthly reign as well.
Because he's going forth conquering and to conquer, conquering nations to set up a 1260 day reign instead of the millennial reign.
And not to establish a new heaven and a new earth, but to establish what? The new world order.
That's his motive, that's what he's trying to do, that's his goal.
And so he's impersonating Jesus Christ in his coming, with his crowns, and also in his conquest.
Well Jesus Christ when he comes in Revelation 19 is fighting against the enemies of God.
The anti-Christ when he comes, what is he going to do? He's going to make war with the saints and he's going to overcome them.
And I believe he's going to use all these portions of scriptures to basically show why he's doing the things that he's doing to kind of validate that he is the very Christ.
He's going to use these portions of scripture in order to deceive the nations.
Go to Revelation chapter 12 if you would, Revelation chapter 12. Does this belong to anybody? Or is this mine?
It's mine? Alright. Just checking. Check the name. Too late now.
So we see that he impersonates his coming, his crowns, his conquest, but I also believe he's going to impersonate his death.
We see in Revelation chapter 13 that the beast receives a deadly wound to the head and his deadly wound is healed.
And it isn't explicitly said in scripture, but based upon his pattern of impersonating Christ, I would basically say that he probably dies and he's dead for three days and three nights.
Why? Because he's seeking to impersonate Jesus Christ in that area as well. He's impersonating his death.
But I would also say that he's going to impersonate his resurrection as well. Now you're in Revelation chapter 12.
I'm going to read to you from Matthew 28. You guys remember when Jesus Christ resurrects from the dead, what happens right before that?
We have an angel that descends, right? And when he descends, he removes the rock and the disciples see him.
Let me read it to you. Matthew 20 verse 2, it says, And behold, there was a great earthquake, for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it.
Listen to this. Verse three, his countenance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow.
And for fear of him, the keepers did shake and became as dead men.
So notice the description there that when the angels descends, his countenance is like lightning.
He removes the stone. And of course, Jesus Christ at this point is already resurrected.
Look at Revelation chapter 12 and verse number nine. It says, And the great dragon, referring to Satan, was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.
He was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him.
Now, Revelation 12 is actually referring to 75 days prior to the rapture.
OK, now a lot of people think that Satan has already been cast out of heaven.
You know, have you ever heard that before? He's like, Oh, he's already cast out of heaven.
They'll often use Isaiah to say, Well, you know, how art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer?
And obviously he lost his position. He's no longer an angel of God.
He became a devil. He became a demon.
But, folks, when you study the Bible, you see that Satan still has access to portions of heaven.
He still can come before the presence of God.
How do we know that? Because he's accusing the brethren to God before them day and night.
OK, we see him appearing in Job chapter one, where the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord,
and Satan came also among them.
That is proof that Satan still has access to heaven.
I believe he's officially evicted from heaven.
He is kicked out of heaven here in Revelation chapter 12, 75 days prior to the second coming of Christ,
which is what Revelation 12 is actually talking about.
So what does that have to do with, you know, him being an imposter and all this, the Antichrist?
Well, in Matthew 28, you have the resurrection of Christ and you have the angel coming,
and it counts in his light as of lightning.
Well, in Luke chapter 10, when the disciples come to Jesus and say, Oh, man, the devils are subject unto us,
what does Jesus say?
He prophesies of the fall of Satan in Revelation 12.
He says, I beheld Satan as what? As lightning fall from heaven.
Well, when you study the chronology, when Satan falls from heaven in Revelation chapter 12, he comes to possess the Antichrist.
OK, because that's when the abomination of desolation is set up.
That's when he becomes the son of perdition, when he's possessed by Satan himself.
OK, he goes into the temple of God proclaiming himself to be God, etc.
So just as there was an angel present whose countenance was as of lightning prior to the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
in like manner prior to the resurrection of the Antichrist, Satan shall fall as lightning fall from heaven,
indicating that he's impersonating Jesus.
Go to Revelation chapter 13, if you would, Revelation chapter 13.
The sermon is called End Times Antithesis.
We're looking at the contrast of what Satan, the Antichrist, the false prophet,
different events in end times that, you know, they're basically impersonating the things that God is doing in order to deceive the nations.
So we have the dragon, also known as Satan, impersonating God.
We have the Antichrist impersonating Jesus Christ.
Of course, Antichrist doesn't necessarily mean in opposition to Christ, although he is in opposition to Christ.
It means coming in the place of Christ.
But we also have the false prophet imitating the Holy Spirit as well.
OK, look at Revelation chapter 13.
Look at verse number 11, it says,
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
So obviously he has some sort of persona, religious persona about him because it's talking about having two horns like a lamb,
the lamb of God who should take away the sins of the world.
But when he speaks, he speaks as a dragon.
In other words, he's a wicked person. He's a false prophet.
Verse 12,
So how is he impersonating the Holy Ghost?
Well, the Holy Ghost, although he is God, what does he do?
He bears witness of Jesus Christ.
He points people to Jesus Christ.
They that worship him must worship him in what? In spirit and in truth, the Bible says.
And in like manner, we see the Antichrist not necessarily talking about himself.
What is he doing? He's pointing the world to the Antichrist.
He is encouraging or really forcing the world to worship the Antichrist.
OK, not only that, look at verse 13.
And he doeth great wonders so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast,
saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast which had the wound by a sword and did live.
So what else do we see? We see him performing great miracles.
And more specifically, it talks about him calling fire down from heaven.
And what does that do? That confirms, quote unquote, that he has some sort of supernatural ability that the Antichrist is of God or whatever it may be.
So how does that represent the Holy Ghost? Well, if you remember Acts chapter 2, the Bible tells us in verse number 1,
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind,
and it filled the house where they were sitting, and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as a fire.
And it sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
So we see the parallels there between that. Look at verse 15 of Revelation 13. Here's a big one.
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak
and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Now I don't know if this is a technological thing or a supernatural thing. I don't think it really even matters.
Obviously it's going to happen no matter what.
But we see that the false prophet is given credit for giving life unto the beast so that it can both speak,
it can cause people to be put to death, and the parallel that we see there with him and the Holy Spirit is the fact that the Holy Spirit quickens.
It regenerates a sinner.
The Bible says, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing and regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
When we get saved, when you believed on Jesus Christ for salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within you.
And what does he do? He regenerates your dead spirit that was dead in trespasses and sin.
You hath he quickened, the Bible says, who were dead in trespasses and sin. He's able to bring you to life.
But even more specifically, when you die, what is he able to do? Quicken your mortal body at the resurrection.
The false prophet gives life unto the beast just as the Holy Ghost gives life unto mankind for those who trust and believe on Jesus Christ for salvation.
Look at verse 16, and he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads.
By the way, it says a mark, it doesn't say a vaccine.
I mean, that's important to say. There's a lot of kooks out there who believe the vaccine is the mark of the beast.
But the last time I checked, you don't take a vaccine in your right hand or in your forehead. Right?
And the last time I checked, you know, I haven't taken the vaccine and I've been able to buy and I don't sell anything, but I've been able to buy.
Folks, you've got to be careful what you see out there on the internet.
And don't be a child tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine, and slide them in by the cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to the sea.
Okay? You know, this mark is far different from the vaccine.
The vaccine can mess up your body, it can do some pretty bad stuff, but the mark of the beast will damn your soul to hell.
The vaccine cannot do that, folks, because all this is based upon what you're worshipping.
And look, I'll be honest with you, you know, I know Christians who've gotten the vaccine.
Maybe there's people in here who've gotten the vaccine, I don't know, you know, but I've known Christians who've gotten the vaccine, and you know what?
They're still worshipping God. They still worship the Lord.
They haven't lost their salvation, because obviously you can't lose your salvation.
He says in verse 17, that no man might buy or sell, save he that hath the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
So he seals mankind unto damnation, just as the Holy Spirit will seal you unto the day of redemption.
The Bible says, in whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation,
in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance,
unto the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
So the Holy Spirit seals you unto eternal life, unto the day of redemption, just as the false prophet will seal you unto damnation to hell.
Go to Revelation chapter 6, if you would, Revelation chapter 6.
And to be quite honest with you, there's a lot of parallels that we can pull from the book of Revelation, because of the fact that, you know, Satan is not original.
He's not, he's a biter.
He will copy God, he will copy Jesus Christ, the creator, in order to fulfill his own will and deceive the world into believing his lies.
So that is the antithesis of the Trinity in the end times, we can clearly see that.
But I also want to show you that there is an antithesis of the gospels as well, an antithesis of the gospels.
Now you're in Revelation chapter 6, let me read to you from Revelation chapter 4.
In Revelation chapter 4, we have the visual aid of these cherubims in heaven, okay?
And these cherubims are angels that have this anthropomorphic type of a look to them.
They look like animals, one of them looks like a man, but they're referred to as beasts, okay?
And this is something that's reiterated in Revelation chapter 4, but first stated in Ezekiel chapter 1.
Okay, let me read to you from Revelation 4 verse 7, it says,
And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
So the only difference is, you have the second beast as a calf, which Ezekiel chapter 1 verse 10 will define as an ox.
Okay, basically the same thing.
So these cherubims, we obviously understand, you know this, that they represent the gospels, the four gospels, right?
Because you have the lion, you have the ox, you have the man, and you have the eagle representing Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The lion, because he's the king of the jungle, represents Matthew, which is what basically depicts Jesus Christ as being the king.
That's the emphasis, that he is the king of the Jews.
You have the ox who is the beast of burden, and the book of Matthew really focuses in on the work of Christ and his ministry.
You have the beast that has the face of a man, and the book of Luke is the gospel that commonly refers to Jesus Christ as the son of man.
Okay, and of course the eagle, because it flies in the heavenlies, and the main emphasis of the book of John is everlasting life.
That's constantly what's being emphasized there.
Now we obviously see those comparisons, we see that parallel, we see how that can fit into the gospels there,
but we're talking tonight about the antithesis of the gospels.
So those are in one accord.
The beast, cherubims, and the gospels, we completely understand that. There's no perversion there. It makes total sense.
It adds to our understanding of what the gospels are talking about.
But what I want to show you tonight is that the four horsemen of the apocalypse, the first four seals that are open, are actually an antithesis of the gospels.
They actually represent the gospels, in a perverted way obviously.
You say, how is that?
Well look at Revelation chapter 6 and verse number 2.
I'm going to show you the first one, which is the book of Matthew.
The book of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the first one would be the book of Matthew, right?
Look at verse 2, it says,
The book of Matthew emphasizes the crown.
And I also want you to notice that as the seals are being opened, each consecutive beast are announcing it.
So you have the beast that's likened to a lion talking about the antichrist.
The beast that's likened to a lion that represents the book of Matthew is the one that's talking about what?
The antichrist having a crown upon his head. You understand?
Look at verse 3,
Now before I get into the actual parallels here, the antithesis of this, I want to explain obviously what this is.
This is referring to wars and rumors of wars.
The Bible talks about kingdom rising against kingdom, nation against nation, worldwide war.
It's warfare is what it's talking about.
And it's saying here that he's taking peace from the earth.
That they should kill one another and it was given to them a great sword and people are dying due to warfare.
You say, well how does that tie in to the book of Mark?
Well the book of Mark, although you have the ox representing the book of Mark, the book of Mark focuses a lot on the ministry of Jesus Christ.
And in fact, when you read the very first chapter of the book of Mark, it starts off with what?
Spiritual warfare.
Because in the first couple of verses, verses 9, 10, 11, you have Jesus Christ being driven by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil for 40 days.
You have the temptation, the spiritual warfare.
But even thereafter, he goes into a synagogue in Capernaum and he meets a man with a what?
Unclean spirit and he casts that spirit out.
After that, what does he do?
He goes to Simon Peter's house and Simon Peter's mother-in-law is sick of a fever and he casts that devil out as well.
Someone comes to him with leprosy and he casts that demon out as well.
The entire chapter highlights spiritual warfare.
Why? Because the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God through the pulling down of strongholds.
We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places.
So while the antichrist is making a physical war throughout the entire world where people are actually dying,
Jesus Christ in the book of Mark is actually fighting a spiritual battle, spiritual warfare, and he's giving peace rather than taking it.
That is the antithesis of the Gospel of Mark.
We're going to skip the third seal because we're going to come back to that.
That's what I'm mainly going to focus on tonight.
All this is introduction.
Look at verse number seven.
So you have Matthew being represented by or being the, excuse me, you have the antichrist, the first seal, being the antithesis of the book of Matthew.
You have the red horse, warfare, being the antithesis of the book of Mark.
And look at verse number seven.
When he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, come and see.
Of course, the fourth beast is what?
The book of John.
And I looked and behold, a pale horse in his name that sat on him was death, and hell followed with him.
So what is the main emphasis of the fourth seal?
Death and hell.
What is the main emphasis of the book of John?
Everlasting life.
To live forever.
And in fact, the Gospel of John is actually the only gospel that does not mention hell at all.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke mentioned hell a bunch of times.
The book of John does not mention hell because the main emphasis is everlasting life, eternal life.
Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
No man cometh unto the Father but by him.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The light shineth in the darkness, the darkness comprehended it not.
It emphasizes the fact that Jesus Christ is life.
He can give everlasting life.
That is the contrast to what we see here of death and hell following with him.
And it says, and power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beast of the earth.
Now go to verse number five.
And this is where we're going to be at for the remainder of the sermon.
So I'm showing you the antithesis of each of these seals.
Okay?
It's showing you, it's showing us that, you know, Satan is not original.
The antichrist is not original.
He is simply imitating what God has already done.
And in fact, you say, well what about the whole horses though?
You know, didn't he come up with the horses, you know?
Isn't that his thing, you know?
Well, here's the thing is that you'll actually read about the white, red, black, and pale horse, also known as grizzled and bay horse, in the book of Zechariah.
And these are actually of the Lord, sent forth, you know, to judge the world.
Okay?
The north country, you can read that in Zechariah chapter one.
And another portion of Zechariah, I can't think of the chapter right now.
But I believe that fulfillment of the white, red, black, and grizzled and bay horse, which is basically a pale horse, is actually fulfilled in Revelation chapter nine.
With the 200 million horsemen that are released after Apollyon and Abaddon send forth the locust.
Okay?
And what are they doing?
They're going to all the earth, they're judging people.
I mean, people are dying because of smoke and brimstone and fire.
They have tales of serpents.
So I believe these four horsemen of the apocalypse are simply an imitation of God's judgment in Revelation chapter nine.
Okay?
Now look at verse number five.
He says, and when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, of course, this is the ox or the calf,
come and see, and I beheld and lo, a black horse, and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, a measure of wheat for a penny and three measures of barley for a penny,
and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
Now, go to Revelation chapter 12, then hold your place there and go to Luke chapter four.
So go to Revelation 12, and then we're going to go to Luke chapter number four.
So let me explain what's going on here.
The third seal that's being opened, which is the black horse, is representing famine and pestilence.
Okay?
And the reason we know he's talking about famine is because you can actually parallel this with Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21,
and see the fact that after nation rises against nation and kingdom against kingdom, there are great earthquakes in diverse places,
famines and pestilences.
Okay?
And this is why he's talking about a measure of wheat for a penny, three measures of barley for a penny, and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
So you have the antichrist going forth conquering and to conquer, you have warfare, and then you have major inflation because of famine.
Okay?
People aren't able to buy, they can't sell, they're starving.
Famine begins to take place in the world.
This is what's taking place here.
Okay?
Now, let me read to you from Luke chapter two.
So what do we see here?
Well, the reason this parallels or is the antithesis of the book of Luke, don't let me miss you here.
The reason this parallels or is the antithesis of the book of Luke is because the book of Luke is actually the only gospel that references a famine in the land in the Old Testament that's actually a prophetic passage of end times Bible prophecy.
Don't make me repeat that again.
I just hope you got it, okay?
But not only that, the book of Luke is actually the only gospel that really talks about the taxing of Caesar Augustus.
Okay?
You say, what's the significance of that?
Well, if you remember Luke chapter two, you have the taxing of Caesar Augustus, the taxing goes throughout all the land, and it causes Joseph, Mary, and Jesus to leave Galilee to go into Judea, the city of David, which is Bethlehem where he is born.
Right?
He goes there, and of course, King Herod wants Jesus dead.
He's heard of the prophecy of the coming Messiah, the king, and what happens?
You have the three wise men or the wise men that come, and they speak unto King Herod, and Herod tells him, go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word again that I may worship him also.
Obviously, he's being deceitful.
He wants to know the exact location of the Lord so he can slay him as a little baby because he doesn't want him to take his place.
Too late, sucker.
It's not going to happen.
So what happens is you have the wise men, they see the Lord, and then they go back home.
Well then, an angel comes to Joseph in a dream and tells him, hey, Herod is seeking the young child's life.
So flee into Egypt, right?
So Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, they flee into Egypt until the death of Herod, okay?
And by the way, when you study Egypt in the Old Testament, a lot of times the believers were going to Egypt in a time of what?
Famine.
So it was meant for a place of sojourning during a famine, okay?
Now in Matthew, the parallel story to Herod and all these things that are taking place, he sees that he's mocked at the wise men, right?
He's pretty mad.
Let me read it to you.
He says in verse 15, it was there until the death of Herod that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, out of Egypt have I called my son.
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked at the wise men, I want you to notice this, was exceeding wrath.
What does wrath mean?
Angry.
He has wrath, right?
But it literally says he's exceeding wrath, and he sent forth and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.
So please get this.
You have Herod.
He's really mad.
He feels like they made a mockery of him.
The Bible says that he's wrath, and in light of that, he sends forth his soldiers to go and just kill all the children in hopes that Jesus would just be among them, okay?
Now look at Revelation chapter 12.
Revelation 12 is very enigmatic.
There's a lot of symbolism.
But when you look at it in light of other passages such as what we just read, you see that it's dealing with the great tribulation.
It's dealing with famine.
It's dealing with persecution.
And look what it says in Revelation 12, verse 14.
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time from the face of the serpent.
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
And the dragon, look what it says, was what?
Wrath with the woman.
Just like Herod was wroth because he felt he was mocked of the wise men and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, the Bible says.
So this is a parallel passage to Herod being wroth trying to kill Jesus and killing all the children instead.
But this is an end times prophetic statement about what's going to take place during the great tribulation.
You say, well, what's the point?
The point is this.
Look, you keep serving God, you're going to be okay.
It doesn't matter what happens, doesn't matter who's the governor, doesn't matter who's the mayor, doesn't matter if the antichrist begins to make war with you.
If you're serving God, if you're keeping the testimony of God, you're keeping the word of God, the commandments of God, God will deliver you into the wilderness.
He'll take you to Egypt if he has to where you can be nourished for a time, time and a half of times which is three and a half years.
The picture of the beginning of sorrows and great tribulation.
Go to Luke chapter 4 if you would, Luke chapter number 4.
Luke chapter number 4.
By the way, in Revelation chapter 12, we see that God is continuously protecting the woman and the child.
He's nourishing her for 1,260 days.
Notice that it doesn't say by the food that she stored up, right?
It doesn't say, hey, he nourished her because she kept a bunch of steaks and beans and corn in a can locked away in an attic somewhere
until that great tribulation or something.
And look, this isn't the sermon but when you read Revelation 12 and you actually compare it to the story of Elijah, for example,
they actually parallel perfectly because he flees into the wilderness and what is he fed by? A raven.
Who is he fleeing from? The woman who I believe represents the antichrist.
And then when he finally goes to meet with the Lord, what does he see?
He sees a cloud in a hand or a hand in a cloud in the sky, you know, because he cometh with clouds.
And then what happens thereafter, of course, he's taken up in a chariot of fire.
And by the way, previous to that, there's a child who dies and he brings them back to life showing that he should not prevent them which are asleep,
which is an entire picture of what we see.
Revelation 12, read Revelation 12 and read the story of Elijah, you'll see all those parallels there.
The Bible's powerful, folks.
It's not boring. You just got to read it over and over and over again.
Look at Luke chapter 4.
So the antithesis of the third seal, which is famine, is represented by the book of Luke because of the fact that it talks about the taxing
but it's also where we find this story of famine with Elijah or as the book of Luke puts it, Elias.
Look at verse 23.
And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me, This proverb, Physician, heal thyself.
Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also hear in thy country.
And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country, but I tell you of a truth.
Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias when the heaven was shut up three years and six months.
Sounds about, sounds very similar, does it? Three years and six months, three and a half years.
When great famine was throughout all the land. So we see famine there.
By the way, when you read Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, it always talks about famine and pestilence, right?
Pestilence being disease, correct?
Well, let's read verse 27.
And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisias the prophet, and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
Oh, man, what if I get, like, diseased in the end times?
Well, you better be like Naaman the Syrian and just do what God tells you to do.
Go to 1 Kings chapter 17. So this is the book of Luke, chapter 4, that mentions this famine during the time of Elias.
He mentions the woman of Sidon, which, by the way, it says Sarepta, but it's talking about Seraphath, okay?
And it's referring to this woman who's suffering of a famine.
Now, let's look at that famous story there in 1 Kings chapter 17.
By the way, it's interesting that Elijah, we see that he is a man of like passions.
The Bible tells us that he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and it rained not on the earth for the space of three years and six months.
Which, obviously, we're going to look at just a bit that it represents the tribulation, beginning of sorrows.
But, also, it's pretty interesting that he's going to be possibly in the end times as well.
He might be one of the two witnesses whose ministry lasts for forty and two months, which is three and a half years.
And he's going to cause it not to rain again.
So I believe in time travelers. Amen?
There's time travelers that exist.
Alright, look at 1 Kings 17 in verse number 8. Let's read this story here.
The Bible says in verse 8,
The word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth unto Zidon, and dwell there.
Behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
So he arose and went to Zarephath.
And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks.
And he called to her and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water and a vessel that I may drink.
And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
I like how he just, can I get a drink of water?
And by the way, can you make me some food too?
Morsel of bread in thine hand? It's like we're in a famine.
You're really going to ask for more?
He's a man of great faith. Amen?
He not only has faith that she has the food, he has faith that she can cook too.
Verse 12.
And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel and a little oil in a cruise.
And behold, I am gathering two sticks, and I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.
So it's like, this is all I have. We're going to eat this and just, this is the last food that we have.
We're going to eat it and then we're going to starve to death thereafter.
She basically lost hope.
And Elijah said unto her, Fear not. Fear not.
Go and do as thou hast said, but make me thereof a little cake first.
He's like, you can go and die if you want, but just, you got my order though, right?
I like Elijah.
He said, Go and do as thou hast said, but make me thereof a little cake first.
And bring it unto me.
And after make for thee and for thy son.
He's like, that's fine.
He's like, I get what you're saying, but just make it for me first and then you can give it for you and your son thereafter.
And then you guys can die kind of thing, you know.
For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruise of oil fail, until the day that the Lord senteth rain upon the earth.
And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah, and she and he and her and her house did eat many days.
So she obeys the prophet. She obeys the man of God. It doesn't make any sense.
But she's like, well, Elijah told me to do it. I guess I'll just do it.
And you know what? She reaped the benefits of being obedient to God's word.
She didn't lean unto her own understanding. She acknowledged God. And what did God do? He prospered her way.
They did eat many days.
But I want you to notice this one verse here in verse 16.
And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruise of what? Oil fail.
There's a pair of balances in his hand.
Measure of wheat for a penny, three measures of barley for a penny, and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
Why not hurt the oil and the wine? I'll tell you why. Because the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. That's why.
God says don't touch the oil and the wine. By the way, wine is a luxury.
Right? Wine is a luxury. Oil is actually a necessity.
Because you need it to cook. I mean, I don't know how to use it to cook, but I know my wife uses it.
They did do something with it. It's important for food and stuff, you know?
I know people use it.
It's a necessity. Right? It is a necessity. So what does this tell us?
It tells us that God will always provide for our necessities.
This is a worldwide famine. The third seal, people are starving. They're dying of starvation.
And you know what? Christians' natural tendency to be is afraid, especially during this time.
I mean, they're afraid when, you know, when things aren't going right now.
People go through tribulation right now. People lose hope right now.
And we're not even in the great tribulation. The Antichrist is not even on the scene.
People are losing their minds now. Imagine then.
But just remember this. Mark my words. See thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
The cruise of oil did not fail.
Why? Because God was willing to provide for her needs as long as she was willing to obey the word of the Lord.
Go to Luke chapter 12. It says the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruise of oil fail according to the word of the Lord which he spake by Elijah.
So they continued to eat. She survived the famine. She made it through on the necessities that God provided miraculously.
Say, are you trying to tell me that, you know, my oil will not fail?
I'm not saying that that miracle will be provided for you, but I guarantee you God will provide for you in some way or another.
Some way or another, God will provide for you during this time.
And I think this is important, especially in the day and age in which we live, because we live in uncertain times.
And the day and age in which we live, we're living like in a precursor to the end times.
Right? We're not in the end times. This is not the tribulation.
There's a lot of sorrow, but it's not the beginning of sorrows.
You know, there's always wars and rumors of wars, but it's not like the war where kingdom shall rise against kingdom, nation against nation.
There isn't famines and pestilences, you know, death on a massive scale, people being killed with a sword, with famine, and with the beast of the earth.
They're not rolling out the mark of the beast, that no man might buy or sell.
That hasn't happened yet, but that's not to say that we're not going through some tribulation today.
Every tribulation that we experience before the great tribulation is to prepare us for the great tribulation, if it so happens in our lifetime.
And the principle that we see here being applied to what we see in the third seal of the black horse still applies to us today.
Because when you go through financial woes, through financial difficulties, you can have a cruise of oil that will not fail as long as you just keep serving God.
No, no, no, I've got to make sure I get my bitcoin, and I've got to get my gold, and I've got to make sure I store up enough food.
You know, the horses are prepared against the day of battle, brother.
Yeah, but safety is of the Lord.
I'm not against prepping, but we should prepare to seek the Lord.
Because that's the only, that's the greatest insurance we could ever have.
Is serving God.
Because it's at that point that we know for a fact that, you know what, if God chooses for me to go, then I'll go, but based upon his promises, as long as I keep serving him, I'm in good hands.
We're not talking about Allstate here either.
He's the real, hey, he's the real Allstate, amen.
He's the I am that I am.
Look at Luke chapter 12.
Luke, now when we think about end times Bible prophecy and the gospels, Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 are the main chapters that we think about, obviously.
But end times Bible prophecy and statements are made throughout the gospels.
And chapter 12 is one of them.
So let's look at the context.
Verse 29.
And seek not, and seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of a doubtful mind.
Don't doubt.
Just believe it.
For all these things do the nations of the world seek after, won't that be really true during this time?
Everyone's going to be looking for food.
All these things do the nations of the world seek after, and your father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
Don't ever think that, oh man, you know, does God even know? Of course God knows.
But rather, seek ye the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.
Fear not, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Sell that ye have, and give on, provide yourselves bags which wax not old, the treasure in heaven,
and the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
For where your treasure is, there where your heart be also.
Let your loins be girt about, and your lights burning.
Still the same context, right?
And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord.
When he will return from the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching.
Verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meet, and will come forth and serve them.
So notice this, he says, let your loins be girt about. What does that mean?
Wait upon the Lord, serve God. Serve him.
And if you serve him, he'll make sure he serves you and takes care of you as well.
You serve the Lord, he's going to make sure you're taken care of.
Verse 38, and he shall come in the second watch, and if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
And this know, that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
Be therefore ready also for the son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
So what do we see? When it says be ready, it doesn't mean make sure you got your ammo.
It doesn't mean make sure you have your guns and your rifles, because they're coming to get you.
It doesn't mean pack the sausages and the rice and the beans.
Be ready means serve God.
Go preach to God.
Preach to the gospel is going to help me get fed?
Yeah, that doesn't make sense.
Well, but here's the thing, the Bible says it.
So, you know, God is not a man that he should lie, and if he says he'll provide for our needs as long as we work for him, we just need to believe it.
So here's the practical application if all the end time stuff bored you, okay?
The practical application is this, are you going through a tough time financially, or maybe you will go through a tough time financially in the future.
Do not get out of church.
Do not stop reading your Bible.
Do not miss your soul-wanting time.
Do not stop praying.
Do not stop serving God.
Why? Because those are the things that will guarantee you that God will provide for you.
That God will prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies.
And there's no time in history where we will be before our enemies like the end times.
All our enemies will surround us round about, and the Bible says that he will prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies.
All we have to do is keep serving God.
So if you get anything from this sermon, if you didn't understand anything, if you get anything,
nothing, then get this, just stay in church.
Let's pray.
Father we thank you so much for your word, and thank you so much for the deep things of God.
We're so thankful that the Bible is so deep.
And Lord help us never get to a point where we think we know everything there is to know about the Bible.
There's always something new to learn, always something to emphasize.
And Lord may you continue to reveal those things to us so that we may stand in awe of your word.
And we may appreciate the word of God for how beautiful it really is Lord, and thank you for these warnings.
Thank you for the fact that all we have to do is keep serving you and you'll provide for us no matter what happens.
No matter what laws they pass, no matter what happens, no matter what Biden does or doesn't do.
Lord we know that our life is in your hands, and our life does not consist of the abundance which we possess.
We just need to keep serving you, keep winning souls to Christ, keep serving our spouses, our children, keep reading the Bible.
Just loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, doing the best that we could, and leave the rest up to you.
In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Amen, take your hymnals please and turn to hymn number 472.
Hymn number 472, This is My Father's World, hymn number 472.
Let's sing it out together on this first verse, hymn number 472.
This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears.
All nature sings and proudly rings the music of this year.
This is my Father's world, I rest in the thought of rocks and trees, of skies and seas, where sin the wonders ride.
This is my Father's world, the birds their carols raise, the morning light, the lily white, with their hair made her strange.
This is my Father's world, he shines in all that's fair, in rustic grass I hear him pass, he speaks to me everywhere.
This is my Father's world, oh let me therefore care, that though the cross seems not so strong, there is no ruler yet.
This is my Father's world, love that old is not done, Jesus, who died, shall be satisfied with earth and everyone.
Amen, great singing tonight.
Thank you.