(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.) So you're there in Isaiah chapter 33, and we're continuing our study through the book of Isaiah, and we're coming to a passage here which is more kind of a general, you know, woe unto certain people, and also getting into the idea of where the righteous are going to be or where the righteous are going to dwell. So it's really kind of showing you what's going to happen to the wicked and what's going to happen to the righteous. So it's just showing you that dichotomy there. Obviously you can see how this would apply in the near future with Hezekiah and the wicked people of Assyria, or even with Israel or with those that were wicked in Zion. I mean you think of Ahaz, Hezekiah's father, and just how he was wicked, and there was definitely wicked people that were there, and how that applies. But let's just go into it in verse 1 there, it says, "'Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou was not spoiled, and deals treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee. When thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled, and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.'" And what I see here is you reap what you sow, and that's exactly what this verse is saying, is that basically you spoil these people that didn't spoil you, and you dealt treacherously with these people that didn't deal treacherously with you, then you know what? It's gonna come back on you. You know, if you dig a pit, you're gonna fall into it, right? And go to Galatians chapter 6, Galatians chapter 6, and I just want you to be reminded of this, is that you know what? The world's gonna reap what it sows, and those wicked people that are in our country today, and those wicked people that are in the world today, they will reap what they sow. And you know what? You may not see that immediately, you may not see that judgment come immediately, and you may wonder, you know, how long will it be until they reap what they sow? But it's going to come, okay? And in Galatians chapter 6 and verse 7 here, and what you have to understand is that for them not to reap what they sow, then God would be mocked, okay? So in Galatians 6, verse 7, it says, "'Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. But he that soweth to his flesh shall have the flesh to reap corruption, but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.'" So this obviously is showing you the good side and the bad side. So reaping what you sow isn't always bad. Now we usually, when we say you're gonna reap what you sow, you're talking about bad light, which in a lot of cases it is, okay? And in this case, in Isaiah 33 and verse 1, it's talking about them reaping bad things, because they sowed bad things. Go to Matthew chapter 7. You're in Galatians 6. Go to Matthew chapter 7. And the idea is is that with how you deal, you basically notice how it's the same thing, right? That you spoil them, you're going to be spoiled. You dealt treacherously with them, they're gonna deal treacherously with you, right? And so it's kind of like the same thing that you do is gonna come back right on you, okay? And in verse 1 of Matthew 7, it says, judge not that you be not judged, for with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged, and with what measure you meet, it shall be measured to you again. So not only, and this is basically talking about a hypocritical judgment, right? Basically that you're judging somebody on something that you're worse than them on, okay? It'd be kind of like, you know, judging somebody on their diet and you're over here being a drunkard or, you know, you're like, you're not dieting well enough, you're not doing keto well enough, and you're over here just pounding down donuts. It'd be like, alright, you just need to stop talking about how you should diet, you know, or whatever the case may be, right? That's kind of a silly example, but at the same time, it's basically saying, hey, don't judge somebody if you're guilty of that same sin, because, you know, you're gonna be judged on the same thing that you're judging that person on. And not only that, but with what judgment you judge, with what measure you meet, it's gonna be met back to you. Go to Hosea chapter 8, Hosea chapter 8, and you know what? In some cases, it can come back even harder, okay? You think of the woman, the great whore. The great whore, if you read Revelation chapter 17, it talks about how she had filled up her cup, you know, of her fornication, and it says, deal unto her double. You know, she drank the blood of the saints, it says, deal unto her double. And notice what it says in Hosea chapter 8 and verse 7, it says, for they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. It hath no stock, and it's going into the fact they were worshiping idols, the bud shall yield no meal, if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up. Now, it's basically saying that hey, you know, you sowed the wind, but you're gonna reap the whirlwind. It's kind of like the wind, you know, you just think about the wind blowing out there. A whirlwind is like a tornado, or a cyclone, or a hurricane, or something of that magnitude, right? Something that's just really intense, okay? So we need to be careful on how we deal with other people, you know. It talks about the fact that we should do unto others as we have them do unto us, and this idea of you do good unto others and then good's gonna be done back unto you. You reap what you sow. And you know what? A lot of times you give, and it shall be given unto you, and it even talks about it. I know we kind of already hit that, but if you give, and it shall be given unto you, and it says it shall be, you know, basically overflowing. So the idea is that you end up getting more back than what you put out. And the same can apply when it comes to wickedness, meaning that you hurt somebody, or deal badly with somebody, or you're evil towards somebody, then that's gonna come back on you, and it could end up coming back even twofold, tenfold, you know, and just come back to bite you, okay? And so that's what we see here is that, you know, he's basically saying woe unto you that do all these things, and the two examples he gives is spoiling them and dealing treacherously with them, and it's gonna come back on their own head, whereas the Bible says another place on their own pate, which is just an old way of saying their head. So go to Isaiah chapter 33 in verse 2. Isaiah chapter 33 in verse 2. So he's basically saying woe unto them, woe unto thee that does this. So notice that it says thee, so it's basically just kind of personalizing it. It's not saying necessarily, you know, woe unto this certain group of people. He's basically saying woe unto thee, woe unto you personally that would spoil somebody that hasn't spoiled you, that you would deal treacherously with somebody that hasn't dealt treacherously with you, right? Because you know what's gonna happen? You're gonna be spoiled, and you're gonna be dealt with treacherously because you did that. And so it's a warning to all of us that we need to remember that we'll reap what we sow. Now in verse 2 there it says, O Lord be gracious unto us. We have waited for thee. Be thou their arm every morning our salvation also in the time of trouble. And so this idea of waiting for God and asking Him to be gracious to us, right? And in a time of trouble, it makes me think of Hebrews chapter 4 where it says, Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, then we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And that idea of, you know, coming boldly unto Him but waiting for the salvation of the Lord. I go to Habakkuk chapter 2. Habakkuk chapter 2, and this idea of waiting, okay? Because right now we are waiting for the Lord. We're waiting ultimately for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And, you know, you know, come quickly, Lord. You know, even so, come Lord Jesus as it says in Revelation, because we live in just a crazy world that's full of wickedness and stupidity and folly. And, you know, we need the King of Kings to come and set things right. And that's how this chapter ends, honestly, is where the good news is, is that, listen, all this garbage where we're dealing with right now with elections and wicked people getting into government and worried about what laws they're gonna pass and how they're gonna screw up whatever, you know, when it comes to our lives. You know what? One day we're not going to worry about that at all, okay? And Habakkuk chapter 2 in verse 2, it says, And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him, but the just shall live by his faith. Yea, also because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people. Okay, so we're talking about the coming of the Lord. Hebrews chapter 10 will kind of show you that same thing. Go to Hebrews chapter 10, is that we're waiting for the salvation of the Lord. Now, obviously we have the salvation of his first coming, right? When he died on the cross, and it says he was made to be sin for us, but we're also waiting for when he appears the second time, when he shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation, it says in Hebrews. Okay, so at the end of Hebrews chapter 9, it talks about how we're waiting for that second coming without sin unto salvation, meaning that we're not talking about him taking away our sins, we're talking about him coming to save us from this wicked world, save us from the Great Tribulation to physically save us, and obviously the resurrection, okay, and that salvation that's there. But notice what it says in verse 35, and we need to remember this, you know, because we're basically saying we want grace to help in time of need, right? We're waiting for the salvation of the Lord in time of trouble, and you know what? Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. And you know what? If things get worse in our country than it already is, you know what? We need the Lord's help, and we need to just patiently wait for him and just trust in his arm of salvation, and he will help us. You know, I'm not worried about anything that's going on because the Lord will help those that love him. He will be here for his children. The whole world may be in, you know, desperate situations, but you know what? He'll take care of his own. Now in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 35, it says, cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come and will not tarry. Sound familiar? What it says in Habakkuk? So it's basically saying, you know, it will come, wait for it. Wait for it, but it says you have need of patience. So you need to wait patiently, and it says it will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. And a dichotomy here is reprobate, you know, child of the devil, child of God. You know, we are not of them that draw back unto perdition, that fall away, that cannot be renewed again unto repentance. We are of those that believe to the saving of the soul. And you know what? We also look at this in the physical aspect that we commit the keeping of ourselves, of our souls unto Him as unto a faithful Creator, okay? When it comes to tribulations, trials, troubles, you know, that we need to just patiently wait for Him, just have patience, and not be worried that you don't have any time, you know, I don't have it written down, I don't have it off the top of my head how many times, but Jesus says, be not afraid, fret not, you know, it's basically be not afraid, be of good cheer. Be of good cheer, I've overcome the world. Because He says, you know, in the world you should have tribulation, you know, I give unto you peace, but in the world you should have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I've overcome the world. And the idea is that you're gonna have tribulation, but that doesn't mean you have to be sad or worried or afraid or fret or anything like that. And today, listen, people are worried on both sides, you know, and people just worry about that type of stuff. And listen, we lived through eight years of Obama, so, and you know what, if this happens, it is what it is, you know what, our country deserves it. Our country deserves wicked leaders. And you know what, Isaiah chapter 3 talks about how the judgment is that a woman would rule over you, well Kamala Harris, you know, that would just be a judgment of God. You'd be like, well she's vice president, come on now, come on man, he's gonna be put in a nursing home as soon as they get elected. But the idea is, is that we should not be afraid or worried or anything like that, we should just patiently wait for the Lord. You know what, we should be just praying, hey Lord, let your will be done. And you know what, if our country is gonna turn around, if we're gonna have good leaders, then we have to have some good people. We need to have a righteous people before we're gonna start sprouting up good leaders. Because the wicked people are the ones that are always gonna try to sprout up into leadership. Those are the psychopaths, right, the people that want that power, that want to be in that position. Good people don't want to be in that position. But you know what, if you have a lot of good people and got a lot of righteous people, then you know what, you can turn the tides and you can turn the country around. Now I don't personally believe that it's going to turn around, you know, but you know what, maybe it could. You know, back in the dark ages they probably didn't think it was gonna turn around either. Because we just don't know when the Lord's gonna come. But we just need to patiently wait for it. And you know what, do what we have to do. Preach from the housetops. And you know what, the Bible says this also. It says, "...and to wait for his Son from heaven whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." So there's a lot of verses, that's in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, of just waiting for the Lord, waiting for his mercy, his grace. And you know what, ultimately we have heaven. We have eternal life. And you know what, this world is nothing. And I was just thinking about the fact of just how short our life is. I think about my grandparents and my parents and me and just thinking about how I'm already 35 years old. And you know what, if you think about it, I could be like at halfway point. Not to depress anybody, you know, on age or anything like that. But you know what, I could die at 70. And you know what, 70 years, three score in ten years or four score years, that's a full wage, the Bible says. And so you know what, halfway done. But it doesn't feel like that long. So the idea is that we don't have that much time. So you know, we should not spend the time worrying about the things of this life. We should just get busy doing what we need to do for the Lord. And you know what, a lot of times we worry about things that we shouldn't be worried about. And you lose like spans of your life because you're just worried about things. And things that may not even turn out to be bad, you know, or they turn out to be better than you think. But here's the thing, the things you got to worry about are things that you can actually control. And things that are going on right now that everybody's worried about, we can't control it. By and large, the people that are worried about it can't control it. Let them worry about it. Let them lose sleep over that. Let them fight it out. You know, just get a bag of popcorn and watch the show. You know what, if it's gonna burn down, just watch it burn down. You know, and just watch the show. Now I'm not saying that we shouldn't pray obviously that that God would see people saved and that God could do something with this country and that we can still see the gospel preached out. And I'm not saying that you couldn't pray for those that are in authority because there are still people in authority that aren't wicked reprobates that you could pray for. Or you just pray for them that their days be few and another man take their office. You know, that's also a prayer. So, but you know what, get busy doing the work of the Lord, whatever that may be. Now go to Isaiah chapter 33 and verse 3. So we see here that God's not mocked. You're gonna reap what you sow. But also that, you know what, we are waiting for the grace of God. We're waiting for the salvation of God. And you know what, in a time of trouble. And as Christians we are waiting for that. And when He comes, the world will flee. The world will be afraid. And when He comes, He's gonna set down the law. He's gonna set things right. And verse 3 here, it says, At the noise of the tumult the people fled. At the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered. So we're talking about God, okay. We're talking about the grace of God and His salvation, His arm of salvation, the day of trouble. And you know what, how much more would it be in a time of trouble which the world has never seen. You know, which we're waiting for is the idea that, hey, you know what, at the noise of the tumult the people fled. At the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered. And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpillar. As the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them. That sounds familiar because I think that's one of the judgments is the locusts from hell that are gonna be running all over them and biting them and tormenting them for five months. The Lord is exalted for He dwelleth on high. He has filled Zion with judgment and righteousness and wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times and strength of salvation. The fear of the Lord is His treasure. Notice this, that wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times. You know what, if you want stability you need wisdom and knowledge. You know what wisdom and knowledge will tell you? Don't worry about things that you cannot control. You know what wisdom and knowledge will teach you? It's trust in the Lord and it says, you know, it says, perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. And I'm kind of going backwards but there is no fear in love, right? He has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. We are not to be afraid in this world. We're not to worry or fret about any of this stuff that's going on. I'm not saying that we don't tackle it. I'm not saying that we don't fight it. I'm not saying that we don't go out and, you know, basically just tell people how it is, tell them what the Bible says and, you know, tell them to put that in their pipe and smoke it when it comes to what the truth is. I'm not saying we don't fight. I'm not saying that we don't get busy and work. I'm not saying to just lay down, okay? But not to worry, okay? We're on the winning side. If God be for us who can be against us and you say, well, there's so, there's just so few of us, that's how God likes to work. You want to tell me about Gideon? You want to tell me about Jephthah? You want to tell me, you know, time would fail me, right? As I was saying in Hebrews chapter 11, you know, is the fact that just all the prophets and all the people and all the small amount of people that He used to do great things for God and, and you know what? We need to have that type of spirit. We need to have the Spirit of God upon us. We need to be filled with the Spirit. You know what? Instead of, you know, just getting on the news or worrying about things, and listen, I'm not saying that you can't be up to date with things that are going on. I'm not saying you're wicked for like looking online at things, but you know what you should be getting into is this right here. You know when the election was going on last night and, and all that, you know, I, I peeked into it. I was just curious, you know. You know curiosity killed the cat, but I'm not a cat, so you know what? Because cats are the devil, but honestly though, you know, obviously I peeked at it and all that stuff, but you know what I did? I turned it off and I started reading my Bible, and I started doing some Greek or something like that, you know, doing something constructive, you know, and it was like at 11 o'clock at night or whatever it was, but you know what? I don't want to go to bed just looking at garbage and listening to blowhards talk about something or just, just be thinking about that when I go to bed. I'd rather be thinking about the Word of God. I'd rather be thinking about the, the comfort, the, the, the consolation and wisdom of God and the comfort that comes with that. That's how I want to go to bed, and so we need to just get, get into the idea that hey, you know what? God, you know, the fear of the Lord is his treasure. Fear God, not man, not the things of this world, not things that are going on, not the economy, not outside forces, whether foreign or domestic. We are not the fear, what man can do unto us. We are fear God, and you know what? If we fear God, then you're gonna have rest. If you take his yoke upon you, his yoke is easy and his burden is light, meaning that you can have, you can live just at a peace of mind by just living for him and worrying about the things of God. You know what? All that stuff just kind of fades away. You know, just go soul winning, go to church, read your Bible, and you know all that other stuff? It doesn't really matter, and you just be adaptable. You know, if things happen, well, we'll just be adaptable. We'll just go on from there. You know what? You think, well, things are gonna get hard. Things are gonna get worse. Well, then so be it. Maybe God will do great things when they get hard, because you know what? It's not like right now this is gonna be like the Great Tribulation, okay? The way things are right now, you're like, man, we're really suffering for Christ. This is the tribulation such as the world has never seen. Like, yeah, right. So, you know, it's got to get worse before, if you want to be at that time where Jesus is coming in the clouds, you got to know that it's gonna get worse, okay? And, but keep reading there. It says, Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without. I'm sorry, in verse 7 there. Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without. The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly. The highways lie waste. The wayfaring man ceaseth. He had broken the Covenant. He had despised the cities. He regardeth no man. The earth mourneth and languisheth. Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down. Sharon is like a wilderness, and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits. Now will I rise, said the Lord. Now will I be exalted. Now I lift up myself. See, God's going to get up one day. You know, Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father, but one day He's gonna get up. He's gonna rise up, and everybody's gonna be afraid. Go to Revelation chapter 6. Let me just show you a little peek at that, of what's gonna happen when God stands up. Because right now they're saying, where's the God of judgment? We have a whole, a lot of people in our nation that are just like, who's God? And they just, they, you know, just mock God, ridicule God, and just make fun of anybody that believes in God, or that's a Christian, that's a Bible-believing, fundamental Baptist. We're just country bumpkins that don't know anything. But you know what? One day our Savior is gonna stand up, and they're gonna flee from the face of our Savior. In Revelation chapter 6 and verse 12 here, it says, it says, I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake. And the sun became black, a sackcloth of hair, and the moon became His blood. And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And heaven departed as a scroll, when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And if you remember Matthew chapter 24, it says, when the coming of the Son of Man comes, there's gonna be lightning going from the east to the west. So imagine everything's dark, and then lightning starts flashing from the east and the west, and then you see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with power and great glory. That's how He's gonna enter. And what's gonna be the reaction of the world, right? Because when it says He cometh with clouds, it says, all the tribes of the earth shall mourn. That's how Revelation starts off, by the way. Talking about the coming of the Lord, all the tribes of the earth shall mourn. And you know what? They also which pierced Him. And so notice what it says. Keep reading there in Revelation chapter 6 and verse 15. It says, And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of His wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand. You know what? That's a rhetorical question, because no one's going to be able to stand in that day when He comes in His power and great glory to throw them into the wine press of the wrath of God, and that's going to come one day. You just need to wait for it. You know what? You know, even when we're in heaven, we're gonna be waiting for it. Just like those souls that are underneath the altar saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not avenge our blood? And they're still waiting, and they're going to be waiting, and you know what? Whenever that day comes, we're willing, but it says, Listen, lo, it will come. And you know, it's not going to tarry. It's going to come. You know what? They think that, you know, the mockers and the scoffers out there, they're saying, Where is the promise of His coming? But since the Father fell asleep, all things continue as they are from the beginning of the creation. Like, it's been 2,000 years, and you know what? By the days with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years is one day, to the Lord, it hasn't even been two days yet, right? Because He rose again, you know, on, you know, let's say He was 33 years old when He died, you know, zero AD, and then you go to 33 AD, well, we're at 2020. So for it to be 2,000 years from when He rose from the dead, it'd be 2,033. And this is not a prediction on when He's coming back, okay? He's setting dates over here. All I'm saying is that it hasn't even been two days to the Lord, technically, you know, in that logic of a thousand years is one day, and one day is a thousand years. So, and anyway, so that being said, to God, you know what? It could be happening here soon. And anyway, so that being said, He's going to come, and they're gonna be afraid, and they're gonna flee, because you know what? The wicked flee when no man pursue it, but how about when a man is pursuing? You ever think about that? That verse where it says the wicked man flee when no man pursue it, but how about when someone's coming at him? How much more afraid will they be when there's someone actually chasing them? Because that's what's gonna happen. If someone's actually going to be coming after them, and it's gonna be God. It's gonna be all of His terrible wonders as it, you know, He did in Egypt and more. It's gonna be a culmination of all the wrath of God that's been poured out from the beginning of the world to the end of the world, and the end of the world, it's gonna be a culmination. So the day is gonna be, and the days of, you know, as Sodom and Gomorrah, or as in the days of Lot, I'm sorry, in the days of Lot or in the days of Noah, you know what? If it's gonna be a time of trouble such as the world has never seen, it's gonna be a time of wrath that the world has never seen, and they're all gonna flee away from that. So go to verse 11 there, verse 11, dealing with those people. Notice what it says in verse 11. It says, Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble, your breath as fire shall devour you, and the people shall be as burnings of lime, as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire. You know what's interesting about this is it talks about the fact that their breath as fire shall devour them. Do you notice that? It's like they're destroying themselves, you know, and you think about these cities being burned on fire and all this stuff, basically you think about how Babylon is gonna be destroyed, it says that he's gonna put it into the heart of the those kings to destroy her, right? To fulfill his will. And he's basically using them to, they're basically eating themselves, is what that's basically stating there. But it's interesting because of what the choice of words it's using as far as what it's describing these people as, as chaff, stubble, and thorns. That's interesting. Go to Isaiah chapter 5 because I just want you to see that this was already mentioned in our Isaiah study dealing with this, but notice what it says in Isaiah 5 verse 24. Isaiah 5 verse 24. It says, Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust. Because they have, now this is the reasoning, this is what I want you to see here. Why is this happening? Because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. That sounds familiar. You know what? I don't have this in my notes, but it sounds familiar to something. Go to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. It just sounds very familiar to something in the New Testament here. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, and obviously this is talking about the coming of the Lord. Very famous passage on that, and debunks the pre-trib rapture, by the way. But it says, it says in verse, let's just start in verse 8 there. It says, And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming, even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. So we're talking about the Antichrist. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness and them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie. That they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness. So it's kind of like the same thing where here in Isaiah chapter 5, it's saying they despised the Holy One of Israel. You know what? They didn't want to get saved. They didn't want the knowledge of the truth. He's gonna send them strong delusion, and then he's gonna destroy them. And obviously you can think about the strong delusion is where they're taking the mark of the beast, and the reprobate. They're ever learning and ever able to come into the knowledge of the truth. And go to Luke chapter 3. Luke chapter 3, dealing with the chaff, and just what the Bible says about that. And so in Luke chapter 3 and verse 16, Luke 3 and verse 16, you also see this in Matthew 3 as well. But I just figured I'd change it up. I'm always going to Matthew. You always want to, every once in a while, you just want to go to Luke and see what Luke had to say about it. But a lot of times it says the exact same thing, but sometimes it words it a little differently. In Luke chapter 3 and verse 16, it says, John answered, saying unto them, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water, but one mightier than I cometh, the lash of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Now I don't believe he's saying that he's gonna baptize believers with the Holy Ghost and fire, but he's gonna baptize believers with the Holy Ghost and he's gonna baptize unbelievers with fire. Okay, that's, I believe there's a split there. Because in the next verse, that's what it says in verse 17, whose fan is in his hand and he will thoroughly purge his floor and will gather the wheat into his garner, but the chaff he shall burn with fire unquenchable. So that's what he's talking about when he's talking about the chaff. The chaff is like the tears that are being bound to be burned. The chaff is like the thorns that are gonna be burned. And in 2 Samuel chapter 23, you don't necessarily have to turn there, but just seeing that same thing, actually you can go ahead and turn there to 2 Samuel chapter 23 just to show you that the chaff, when he's talking about the wheat and the chaff, he's obviously talking about saved and unsaved, right? Or children of God, children of the devil. And the same thing with the wheat and the tares, right? In the parable of the wheat and the tares, the tares are called the children of the wicked one. The wheat are the children of God, the children of the kingdom, right? And the tares are gonna be bound and prepared to be burned. And the wheat are gonna be gathered into his barn, right? And so the idea here is the dichotomy between the believer and the unbeliever. And in 2 Samuel chapter 23, in verse 6 here, it says, But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands. But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron in the staff of the spear, and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place. It's interesting because, you know, the Battle of Armageddon, when you have all the sons of Belial there with the Antichrist and false prophet, you know how they're destroyed? They're destroyed without hand, right? Because how are they destroyed? From the sword that proceedeth out of his mouth. And it's interesting because it says you must have an iron, fenced with iron in the staff of the spear, and he's gonna come with a rod of iron and a two-edged sword that proceeds out of his mouth, and that's how. And we're gonna be coming on white horses with two-edged swords in our hands, okay? And so it's very interesting how all that stuff works, but also just to show you another place where thorns is talking about the unsaved, or in particular you're talking about children of the devil, okay? And the chaff also dealing with the unsaved there, and to be burned. The chaff, thorns, stubble, all that stuff, right? Good Isaiah chapter 3 again, and verse 13. And I want you to see this too, because this passage right here is really showing you that, hey listen, hell is eternal, and it's not only eternal, it is burning, okay? We don't believe in a cold hell, or we don't believe in a hell that's just separation from God, okay? Actually it's gonna be in the presence of the Lamb and of his holy angel. That's where people are gonna be suffering. Actually it's because of the presence of the Lord that fuels the fire. So it's so backwards to this whole, you know, well they're just longing for God, and this is torture because they're longing for God for all eternity. No, they're in a fire, okay? Now obviously we're dealing with spiritual things, right? We're dealing with souls and stuff like that, but it's still fire, okay? So in Isaiah chapter 33 and verse 13 it says, here, ye that are afar off, what I have done, and ye that are near acknowledge my might. So I love this because he's basically stating, you know, just see what I've done. Ye that are far and ye that are near, see my might. Sounds familiar when he did that to Egypt, and when he parted the Red Sea, what happened? Those that were near and those that were far saw his might, and a lot of people got saved because of it. Actually there's a place in Revelation where people are getting saved when, you know, nations are being leveled and things are just going down like the second woe. At the end of the second woe, people are being affrighted and they're giving glory to God. And you can see how God would be saying that and be like, see my might, right? And acknowledge my might, right? But in verse 14 it says, the sinners in Zion are afraid. Fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with a devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? That's an interesting phrase there. Everlasting burnings, right? Because a lot of times you see everlasting fire. Go to Matthew chapter 24. Matthew chapter 24. And the thing that I see here is that hypocrites, okay? Hypocrites and everlasting burnings. But I love how the Bible says here, everlasting burnings because, you know, people just try to over spiritualize fire, right? They do that in Luke 3 and Matthew 3 and they're like, well fire, that's talking about being on fire for God, right? And I've heard people preach that, right? I think that's the whole Methodist thing, right? Is the fire of the Holy Ghost or something like that. And it's like that whole like, if you see their cross, they have like this red kind of thing that goes up. That's supposed to be like a symbol of like the fire of the Holy Ghost or something like that. I think. Don't quote me on that. I could be wrong. That's either that or it's Pentecostal. One of the two. But we know the Pentecostals are all about the, you know, should run the Honda, you know, like speaking in tongues, like weird stuff that's not in the Bible. But all that to say is that they try to over spiritualize, you know, the fires of hell or everlasting fire. Be like, well that's like the fire in the bosom, right? It's just like this burning, you know, desire and, you know, offense and they just spiritualize it. Well, how do you spiritualize the fact that it says that it's everlasting burnings, right? It's burnings. And so how many different ways does it have to say before you finally acknowledge, listen, they're in fire. They are burning. You know, it's everlasting burnings, everlasting fire. Fire that shall not be quenched. Like what else has to be said before you're like, alright, we're talking about a fire. I mean the rich man said, you know, I'm tormented in this flame. Flame, unquenchable fire, everlasting fire, everlasting burnings, devouring fire. Like what do you, what needs to be said? Like I want to know sometimes when people, when they have these weird doctrines, what would it need to say? Like what would you need it to say before you'd be like, alright, I concede it's actually fire, right? And so anyway, Matthew chapter 24 and verse 51, it says, it's talking about this unprofitable or this servant that's not watching and waiting. And I believe this person is obviously unsaved, okay? I do not believe this person's saved. I've proved this before. Go back to my Matthew 24, 25 series where I believe I proved this unequivocally that not only is this person unsaved, but the foolish virgins are unsaved and also the wicked, slothful servant is unsaved, okay? That they're all Judases. They're all basically unsaved, foolish people. They were never saved to begin with and all that. Now notice what it says here in verse 51. It says, it shall cut him asunder and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. So what are we talking about when we're talking about weeping and gnashing of teeth? Because this phrase comes up a lot, weeping and gnashing of teeth. We'll go to Matthew 25 and verse 30. Matthew 25 and verse 30, it says, and cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. So what are we talking about? We're talking about outer darkness. In Matthew 25, 41, it says, then shall he say unto them on the left hand, depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. And at the very end of the chapter there, it says, and these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal, okay? So how many times does it need to say it? Everlasting punishment, everlasting fire, everlasting burnings, outer darkness, weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth, being tormented in this flame. We're talking about hell that is a literal fire where people are being tormented day and night forever and ever. And their smoke of their torment is centered up forever and ever. It's not a pleasant subject, but that's what the Bible teaches. And over and over and over and over again it says it. And here even in Isaiah 33, this isn't usually the passage I would go to to prove this, but what does it say here in Matthew 33 and verse 14? It says, the sinners in Zion are afraid, fearfulness hath surprised, the hypocrites, sounds familiar, but the fearful and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and whoremirs and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death. But these people will be afraid, they'll be fearful, and you know what? They can stand up and boast and basically boast themselves to be something today, but they're nothing and they will all die and burn in hell as the hypocrites that they are. Those wicked people that are in high places today that are devils, that are trying to, you know, do nefarious things, that can't sleep unless they do evil, those people will have their end and everlasting burnings and everlasting contempt and a devouring fire, but it's gonna be like the burning bush. It's gonna be burning, but it's not gonna be consumed, right? They don't go out of existence, okay? So go on to Isaiah chapter 33 and verse 15. Let's see what the righteous inherit here. So that's what I love about this chapter is that it's kind of showing you, you know, the bad, then it's like, okay, let's talk about the righteous a little bit here. We're waiting on the Lord and then it's talking about how the unsaved, the unbelievers are gonna be judged, they're gonna be tormented, but then it switches gears. Verse 15, it says, Now what's interesting about this is that people say, well, see, you need to live a good life, you need to be righteous and do all these things to be in that group, but go to Romans chapter 5 because something that people do not understand when it comes to salvation is that Christ's righteousness is imputed unto us. So you know what? All those things that Christ, you know, all those things that are mentioned there, Christ did. Does that make sense? Christ did it all. He fulfilled all those things when it comes to that. So when it says, you know, He that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly, you know what? That can be said about me spiritually because I have the righteousness of Christ imputed on me. He did not just take away my sins, but he imputed his righteousness on me. So when God sees me, he sees Christ's righteousness. And so it's something important that we need to understand because people will take these passages and be like, see, you know, if you don't want to be in hell, then you need to do all these things. And obviously there's the secondary meaning where you're talking about physically, right? If you want to be physically safe from trouble and all this stuff, then you do right. If you don't want to reap all the, you know, the fruit of wickedness, then you need to do right. And then you do right, you're going to have the fruits of righteousness that are going to come from that, okay? But when we're talking about being saved and or being a believer and being an unbeliever, we have to understand this. Romans chapter 5 verse 19. Romans 5 verse 19, it says, For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made, what? Righteous. We're being made righteous. We didn't get righteous by doing righteousness. We were made righteousness. By what? Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto light, unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Why? How do we have that righteousness? By grace. By grace that we have the gift of eternal life and righteousness has been imputed unto us. It says, and being found in Him not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but the righteousness which is, I'm sorry, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. And the idea is that it's been imputed unto us. His righteousness, so every good thing that he did, every good deed that he did, listen, that's imputed on us. His righteousness is imputed on us. And so we need to understand that when it comes to salvation. You have the idea that we're, we receive the remission of sins, but not only did we receive the remission of sins, meaning that all our sins have been paid for, but his righteousness has been imputed on us. Okay, we are declared righteous because of what Jesus did. Okay, now I'll go to Isaiah chapter 33 and verse 17. And the last part of the chapter here is really just seeing the kingdom of God and how glorious it's gonna be. So you could see how this would tie into the thousand-year reign, but you know what, I see this more going into the idea of forever, the new heaven, new earth, and the new Jerusalem. Okay, so in verse 17 here, so it switches gears, or it's basically still talking about the righteous, but notice what it says here in verse 17. Thine eyes shall see the king and his beauty. They shall behold the land that is far, far off. And just to kind of add to this too, you know, we're talking about those that are righteous, right? That's how it starts off as saying the righteous and those that speak up rightly, right? Well, think about this. Who shall inherit all things? In Revelation 21, when it says, you know, he shall inherit all things I'll be to him a God and he shall be to me a son, who does it say? Him that overcometh. Now who overcame? Who overcame the world? Was it us, like physically that overcame the world, or was it Jesus? But Jesus says, as I overcame, even so shall ye also overcome. And how do we overcome? Who is he that overcometh but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? That's how we overcome, okay? But who is the overcomer? Who's the one that was victorious, has the keys of hell and of death, that overcame the world? That's Jesus. But if you be in Christ, and our ye bear the name of the seed and the letters according to the promise, and if we're in Christ, his righteousness is imputed unto us, and because he overcomes, we overcome, because we have faith in him. That's how it works, okay? But notice that it says, Thine eyes shall see the King and his beauty. They shall behold the land that is very far off. Now notice what it says in Hebrew chapter 11, just that thought of it saying, you shall see the King and his beauty, okay? But it says, ye shall behold the land that is very far off. And so what's interesting about that is that terminology is used actually. Talking about this is that right now that land seems, it's far off, right? Heaven is far off. New Jerusalem is far off. There's a great golf fix between heaven and hell right now, and the idea is that it's a far-off country to us, and that's how we view heaven. You know, when someone dies, that's the way you think about your loved one that dies, right, in Christ, is that they went on a, you know, they're basically in a far-off country. You just think about it that way. They're not dead. They're just, you know, they're in a country that's far away, and there's not gonna be able to see them for a long time, right? But they're alive in a far-off country. And notice what it says in Hebrew chapter 11 verse 13 there. It says, These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them, notice this, a far off. Notice that same terminology. They saw it a far off. Now I don't believe they literally saw it a far off, right? So they're just like, this is obviously, you know, kind of a figure of speech, like they saw it a far off, meaning they could spiritually think about it, see it, and, you know, reading through the Bible, reading the Word of God, hearing the Word of God. So they seen them a far off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth, okay? So they saw it a far off, and they're saying, hey, we're strangers and pilgrims here. This isn't our home. Verse 14, For they that say such things desire plainly that they seek a country. That's interesting. So they're looking a far off, looking for this what? Country. They're seeking this country. This isn't truly if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out. They might have had opportunity to have returned. So they're basically talking about physically speaking, but they were spiritually minded, right? So they're not thinking about physical earth, physical place, a physical country. They're saying they saw this a far off. It says in verse 16, But now they desire a better country that is in heavenly, wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city. And we know what city that is. That's New Jerusalem, okay? That's gonna be adorned like a bride. That's gonna come out of heaven. And that is what the Bible says, you shall see the King in his beauty, and you're gonna behold the land that is very far off. We're gonna see it. You know, one day we will see it, okay? And keep reading there in Isaiah chapter 33 in verse, but keep your hand there in Hebrews. We're gonna go back to Hebrews 12, and I'm ending with this, but it's basically stating here what it's gonna be like when we see that. See, we're gonna finally see that that New Jerusalem. We're gonna finally see the King in his beauty. And notice what it says in verse 18. This is a very interesting thought here. It says, Thine heart shall meditate terror. Now, what's interesting about this, it says, Where is the scribe? Where is the receiver? Where is he that counteth the towers? Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive, of a stammering tongue that thou canst not understand. So it's basically saying you're not gonna see any of this stuff, and what I believe it's stating is that it's gonna be hard to even remember what it was like back then, right? So you're gonna have to even, you're gonna have to like meditate to even think about what it was like, the terror, right? Does that make sense? Like, it's gonna be so far removed, you know, from your mind that you're just gonna be like, I'm gonna have to meditate. I'm gonna have to really think about this and just get like in like a solitary place and think about like what it was like back then when we lived on the earth and there was terror and there was sorrow and there was pain and death, right? That's quite a thought. So it's not saying like you're not gonna remember anything, right? But it's basically stating that it's gonna, you're gonna have to work at it. Like, you're gonna have to really think about it, to think about, you know, what it was like to be back then. That's what I personally believe that verse is saying, because everything else is, I mean, for this to be weird, it'd be weird to be like, you're gonna see the king, you're gonna see the far-off country, you're not gonna, you're not gonna see a fierce people. That's a good thing, right? You're not gonna work, you're not gonna have like languages you can't understand. Does that make sense? They're not gonna be languages where they're like, I don't know what they're saying, right? And it's, I don't think it's necessarily saying there's not gonna be other languages, but I believe we're all gonna understand it. But at the same time, I believe it's basically gonna be the fact that you're gonna have to meditate terror. Like, you're gonna have to really think about what that was like, you know, meditating on like what it was, even in the Great Tribulation, you know, what was that about? Because it's just gonna be so great, you're gonna be so far removed from it, okay? Now keep reading there, in verse 20 it says, Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities. Thine eyes shall see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down. Not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed. Neither shall any of the courts thereof be broken, but there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams, wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallantship pass thereby, for the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our King, He will save us. Thy cacklings are loosed. They could not well strengthen their mass, they could not spread the sail. Then is the prey of a great spoil divided. The lame take the prey, and the inhabitants shall not say, I am sick. The people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity. That's the land we're looking for. That's the land afar off that we're looking for. Go to Hebrews chapter 12, Hebrews chapter 12, where God is our judge, God is our lawgiver, and God is our king. You know, that's the three branches of government, isn't it? Judicial, legislative, and executive. There's your three branches of government. God! That's the three branches I want, not the three branches that we have today. Now, obviously, it was set up on a good premise, right, that you need those three branches or that that's the three aspects of government that should be there, but obviously there's a lot of wickedness when it comes to just sinful people and trying to get good laws passed and all that. The Bible talks about that, you know, that God, there's one lawgiver who's able to save and destroy, right? And it says in James chapter 4, but I don't want to go into that point there. Hebrews chapter 12, Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 12 here, dealing with that city, right? It says that Zion, right? It says, it says look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities. Thine eyes shall see Jerusalem. So Jerusalem, Zion, we know those are the same place. This one says in verse 22 here, But ye are come unto Mount Zion, unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. Sound familiar? And what we're dealing with in Isaiah chapter 33? And to Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel, see that you refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escape not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth, but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word yet once more signified the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. That's what I want you to kind of notice here is that we're talking about this kingdom, this heavenly Jerusalem, and it's saying listen, those things which cannot be shaken are gonna remain. And it says, Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire. And there is so much in here that I could go into about how this chapter is just encapsulating this thought right here. But just the idea, just the point that I want to get here is that this kingdom is unmovable. You cannot move this kingdom. And what does it say in Isaiah 33 and verse 20? It's talking about Jerusalem Zion. It says, A tabernacle that shall not be taken down, not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. So it's just going on and saying, hey it's not gonna be moved. You're not gonna be able to take the stakes out. You're not gonna be able to mess with the cords or break the cords. It's an unmovable kingdom and it's gonna last forever. It's an everlasting kingdom. And that's what we're waiting for. You know, that country that's a far off, that city that's a far off. You know what? So you know what? America is not my home. I was born here. I'm born American, right? America. And you know what? We have more freedoms than most countries. And you know what? We're blessed to have that. But at the same time, this is not my home. I'm not here to preserve America for all time. I am waiting for a kingdom that is not movable. I'm waiting for a kingdom where God is my judge, where the Lord is my judge, the Lord is my lawgiver, and the Lord is my king. And listen, he's already my judge, my lawmaker, and my king. Why I'm here on the earth. But one day, he's gonna be that over the whole world. And no one's gonna be voted in. You're not gonna be like, oh who's gonna be president next? No. He's gonna be a benevolent dictatorship and we're gonna rule and reign with him forever and ever. And it's gonna be glorious. The glorious Lord, right? What does it say? But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. And he's gonna be the judge, he's gonna be the lawgiver, he's gonna going to be the king. You know what? Even so, come Lord Jesus. Because I'm ready for that kingdom. I don't know about you. And listen, there's a lot of things I want to do in this world and there's a lot of people I want to get saved. There's a lot of things I want to accomplish in this, you know, as I'm here in this life. But ultimately, let it come. Let his will be done and his kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And you know what? I'm ready for it. I'm tired of this this this, you know, dog-and-pony show garbage when it comes to elections, when it comes to people that are supposedly supposed to be righteous rulers and just dealing with wickedness in high places. And one day it's gonna be set right. And it's just interesting that this is the chapter that comes up, you know, when we're going through this. And I'm not saying like, I'm not superstitious or anything like that, but it's interesting that this is the passage that comes up right after an election where we're talking about God being the king. You know, God being the lawgiver, the king. When there's an election for justice, you know, the justice just got appointed. There's a legislative election and an executive presidential election. So it just kind of just fell right there. But anyway, I love the book of Isaiah. And like I said, you know, there's a lot of this stuff that's repetitive. We see this over and over again. So if you ever think that the new heaven, new earth, or even the thousand year reign is not mentioned a lot, then you haven't read Isaiah, okay? Because it is all over the place. It may not be as blunt or in your face as you think, but there's a lot of those places where all this stuff is just being repeated over and over again and it's said in a little different manner. And so I love that. And let's end with a word of prayer today. Heavenly Father, we thank you today and just pray that you be with us throughout the rest of this week. And Lord, just pray that you help us to just not worry about anything that's going on today with any election or anything like that, to not fret about it. But Lord, to just get busy into your word, to read it, memorize it, and Lord, just get ready to do great things for you. And Lord, I pray that you would do great things through us here at Mount Baptist Church. Help us to preach the Word of God boldly, to see many saved, to change the hearts and minds of those in our area, but yea, in the world. And Lord, just help us to bring glory to your name. And Lord, we love you and pray all this in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.