We return again this morning to Mark's gospel. So if you will take your Bibles and turn there to Mark chapter 13. In a few minutes, we will be examining verses nine through 13 as we continue to understand Jesus prophetic discourse on the end of the age. This is actually part three of that series.

Of course, we're all aware of what's going on in the Middle East-- Iran's attack upon Israel, which is, frankly, evidence of liberal buffoonery that we see in our country and other places around the world. The idea that you can appease Islamic terrorists is insane. To think that you can somehow warm fuzzy these kinds of people into the civilized world is insane. And frankly, they have a faulty anthropology. They believe that man is more deprived than depraved. And if you just give him what he needs, then he will be a good person. Nothing could be further from the truth. And of course, this all points to the fact that the world is inexorably heading toward unprecedented conflict. Conflict consistent with the battle of Gog and Magog as we read in Ezekiel 38 and 39, where there will be an alliance of nations that will come upon Israel, and ultimately God will destroy them. Boy don't you get weary of all the evil in the world, every time you turn on the news, you just want to shake your head and turn it off and watch cartoons or something right? I mean, I long to see the name of the Lord vindicated. I am so tired of seeing him mocked and ridiculed. I long for that day, when true, social justice will be meted out by the only infinitely just and righteous God.

And we've been examining the signs that Jesus has given, predicting what will happen on the earth at the end of the age, just prior to his physical return to the earth. And you know, Jesus commanded us to pray in Matthew 16 "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." A technical point here, but it is significant--the Greek text is very revealing, in that in each of these petitions, the verb is not only in the emphatic position, but it is also what we call an aorist active imperative, noting that this will be a single instantaneous action. This is something that is going to explode upon the earth, something dramatic and glorious. This is not merely some spiritualized kingdom that already exists upon the earth. It's not something that's gradually going to appear over time. So we pray for that day when the glory of God will explode upon this earth and his kingdom will come, it will instantaneously burst forth; I long for that day. In fact, the godly and learned 19th century Hungarian Jewish convert to Christianity, and Presbyterian minister missionary by the name of Adolph Saphir, longed for this day to come as I do, and you do. And he stated that the kingdom of God must come quote "on Earth, where God has been denied and forgotten. Where his honor has been disregarded and His commandments have been transgressed; where nations and kingdoms instead of seeking His glory, and showing forth His praise, have not bowed to His authority and referenced His name. It is on earth, that the Lord shall reign, injustice, cruelty and war shall be banished, and instead of idolatry, selfishness and sin, the fear and love and beauty of God will be manifest."

And of course, the Old Testament prophets foretold of this day of Messianic glory, his rule upon the earth; a day when the historical theocracy of Israel would be restored to a perfect theocratic kingdom. A day when the coming King will, according to Isaiah nine, seven, "sit on the throne of David," and execute according to Jeremiah 33:15 "judgment and righteousness in the land." Can you imagine that? And this is consistent with God's covenant promises that cannot be broken, nor can they be transferred. As God declared in Jeremiah 33, beginning in verse 20, "Thus says the LORD, 'If you can break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne." The prophet Amos said as well, in Amos nine and verse 11, "In that day, I will raise up the fallen booth of David and wall up its breaches. And I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old." And folks, this is why Satan and his minions are so hell bent on the genocide of Jewish people around the world, especially in Israel. This is why they're trying to take back the land from them. Of course, it's an embarrassment to them that somehow Yahweh is more powerful than Allah, right? That's a huge humiliation.

But we know biblically that the capital city of the Messianic Kingdom will be the city of Jerusalem. And according to Isaiah 24 in verse 23, the divine king "shall reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem." And there according to Isaiah 33 and verse 17, the people of the kingdom will, quote, "see the King in His beauty." And as the prophet Habakkuk said, in Habakkuk, two and verse 14, that will be the day when "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." And eventually regenerated and restored Israel will enjoy the divine promises that were given to them, for example, the one in Ezekiel 37, beginning in verse 25, "'They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons' sons, forever; and David, My servant, will be their prince forever." A reference to the Lord Jesus - "I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be with them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forever.'" Aren't you glad you know the end of the story, right?

Most Jewish people today are practical atheists. I have many friends in that camp. I grew up with many Jewish people. And those who are religious, do not worship the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah. We understand this from Scripture; they are currently, what we could say, as God's beloved enemy. The Apostle Paul understood this, and he wrote in Romans 11, beginning in verse 25, that a "partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, 'THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB. THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.'" From the standpoint of the gospel, they are enemies, for your sake..." speaking to Gentiles, "but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved, for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." And Satan is frantically and brilliantly, trying to thwart the purposes of God, to these ends, and naturally, the New Testament underscores the same promise of a mediatorial kingdom - an intermediate Kingdom - between the end of human history and the eternal state, which will be the millennial kingdom, the kingdom on earth where Christ will reign.

We see this for example, in the witness of the angel, announcing Jesus’ birth to Mary, remember Luke 1:31. This is what he said, "'And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.'" Now let me pause there. That was fulfilled literally, we know that. And when interpreted in its natural, normal sense, the rest of the statement should also be interpreted literally as well. He goes on to say, "'and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father, David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.'" Only some form of theological prejudice would justify a spiritualized interpretation of that passage of scripture. The promise to Mary cannot be limited to some kind of a spiritual kingdom that only exists in the hearts of men; even though there is an element of that that is very true; but rather it reflects the political connotations of the historic theocracy of Israel that the prophets described at length in the Old Testament.

And this, of course, is also consistent with Jesus' promise to his disciples, remember, in Matthew 19 and verse 28, this is what he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." No wonder the very well instructed followers of Jesus persistently questioned Him after His resurrection. As we read in Acts one six, saying, "'Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom?'" And while he went on to make it clear that it wasn't for them to know the time, he did not correct their assumption that the restoration of the kingdom of Israel would be certain. And later Peter understood this, as recorded in Acts three and verse 21, that Christ must remain in heaven. He says, quote, "until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time."

So therefore, like the early apostles whom Jesus sent out to proclaim the kingdom of God, Luke nine and verse two, we do the same, we do the same. Now to be sure, the kingdom of God is the all-encompassing and unifying theme of Scripture. And this will be ultimately the outworking of God's unilateral, unconditional, irreversible, irrevocable covenants through which his kingdom will come that God made to his people. That would include the Noahic Covenant of Genesis six and nine, the Abrahamic covenant of Genesis 12, and 17, as well as the priestly covenant that we read about in Numbers 25, the Davidic Covenant that we read about in First Samuel, or Second Samuel chapter seven, and of course, the New Covenant that we read about in Jeremiah 31. And therefore, the very last chapter of the Bible, in Revelation 22, verses three and verses five, we read the final rule of God, and the Lamb and God's people ruling upon a new earth. And there the text says, "There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it and His bondservants will serve Him...and they will reign forever and ever."

But, prior to all of this, great judgment is coming upon the earth, as the scriptures make very clear. Judgments that will come upon Israel, as well as the nations of the world consistent with, for example, Daniel's 70th week promises. And beginning here in Mark's gospel, few weeks ago, we started here in Mark 13 and verse five, Jesus describes certain signs that will appear upon the earth before he returns. Six specific signs, which he calls "birth pangs," according to Mark 13 and verse eight. And these are going to occur just before his appearing. You will recall they include false messiahs, nations at war, natural disasters of epic proportions, and we've already covered those three. And now today we will look at the last three: persecution of tribulation saints, mass evangelism and defection of, and betrayal by, false believers.

Now bear in mind while all of these things have existed throughout the course of redemptive history in various ways; they merely foreshadow what will come upon the earth during the time of the tribulation. These will be events of far greater severity, and frequency and scope. So let's look at now the fourth sign of his coming that Jesus gives: persecution of tribulation saints. And we read about this in verse nine of Mark 13. "'But be on your guard;'" Jesus says, "'For they will deliver you to the courts.'" By the way, courts is literally "sanhedrins" which would describe local Jewish courts attached to synagogues. "'They will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.'" Now, we know that Jesus has warned in other places about this kind of persecution against Christians. We can read about it, for example, in Matthew 10, verses 16 and 17. And we know in the upper room when Jesus was with his disciples, in John 16, beginning in verse two, he said this, "'They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.'" And of course, we've seen elements of this again down through history, some of them are recorded in the New Testament. We think of the story of John the Baptist and Stephen and the Apostle Paul, and of course, the Lord Jesus Himself. In fact, Paul said in Second Corinthians 11, beginning in verse 24, "Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods." If you could have seen the Apostle Paul's chest and back, it would look like spaghetti. We know of the governors that are recorded in the New Testament, Pontius Pilate, Felix, Festus, and kings like Herod Agrippa the First in Acts 12, Herod Agrippa the Second in Acts 25, and even Herod Antipas that beheaded John the Baptist; all examples of wicked rulers who hated Christ and all who belong to Him.

But folks think about this, what will it be like when the Antichrist helps the Jews build their next temple in Jerusalem? After making a covenant with them. The Islamic rule in the world will have been defeated in the battle of Gog and Magog. The Jewish people will be ecstatic, they will think that now the kingdom has arrived. This will be a season of national revival, a regathering of Jewish people from among the nations. And at that point, they will have zero tolerance for any kind of a Christian witness. Despite the many Jews and Gentiles that will come to faith in Christ during that period. And no doubt, the world will rejoice at the removal of the church and the rapture--the snatching away. And yet, now, they will say my goodness, here they are, again. People following after this Jesus of Nazareth. One can only imagine the bit bizarre explanations that will be given to explain that supernatural event; explanations that will somehow tickle the ears of those who are confused in that godless world. And remember, the end of the age is going to be characterized by unparallel deception. Paul describes the Antichrist in Second Thessalonians two beginning in verse nine, as "the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason, God will send upon them a deluding influence, so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness."

We see elements of that today, do we not? People that are completely deluded. Many things are tantamount to two plus two is five. And no matter what you say, that's what they see. And for this reason, every man, woman and child who will profess the Lord Jesus Christ during the Tribulation will be hated by all, especially those in the unbelieving Jewish community. In Revelation six, beginning in verse nine, we are given a little glimpse of the fate, and the mournful prayer of the saints who will be martyred in that day. There we read, "When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?' And that was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also." And folks, we shouldn't be surprised if much of the same treatment comes upon us, before these days arrive. In fact, suffering and mistreatment have always been the experience of the redeemed. And Paul told Timothy about this, remember in Second Timothy, chapter three and verse 12, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

So, Jesus gives these signs in answer to his disciples who are questioning him; there's going to be false messiahs, nations that war, natural disasters of epic proportions, persecution of tribulation saints. And then he says in verse 10, "'the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.'" And this brings us to our fifth sign, the fifth birth pang--that of mass evangelism. Now, this is absolutely astounding. If you understand the context, let me give you a few thoughts in that regard. We know that the final world system will be ruled by a demon possessed man, the Antichrist. He will be according to Scripture, a brilliant man with captivating charisma that is able to deceive the world. And we're told that he will blaspheme God and lead others to do the same. In fact, the whole drama of the apocalypse is the vicious beast trying to destroy the Lamb. But we also know biblically that during the time of the tribulation, unparalleled wickedness and death will appear upon the earth. And in that time, we read that God is going to raise up 144,000 gospel preachers from every tribe of the sons of Israel, Revelation seven and verse four. Now, why is he going to do this? To fulfill what Jesus promised in Mark 13 and verse 10, "the gospel must be preached to all the nations." We also know that God is going to raise up two supernaturally empowered gospel preachers, the two witnesses, we read about this in Revelation 11 and verse three says, "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy." It doesn't mean foretell, it means to forth tell, "'they will preach the gospel for 1260 days, clothed and sackcloth.'" Now, there's much speculation regarding the identity of these two witnesses. We can't be dogmatic, but the most compelling evidence points to the actual Moses and Elijah, as I have preached before, in other passages, verse five of Revelation 11. "And if anyone desires to harm them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies and if anyone would desire to harm them in this manner, he must be killed." So by implication, many are going to want to harm them. And later we know that the beast, the Antichrist, is going to overcome them, and their dead bodies, the text says, will "lie in the street of the great city.... for three and a half days." The world is going to celebrate their demise; these gospel preachers, these morons, these idiots are finally gone. And then verse 11, of Revelation 11, we read, and "after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came unto them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were beholding them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, 'Come up here.' Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them." Now, why would God allow all of this to happen? The answer is simple. Because the Gospel must first be preached to all the nations, as Jesus promised.

And according to Revelation 13, we know that soon after this, the Antichrist is going to fake his death and resurrection to further deceive the world into following him. Revelation 13, beginning of verse seven, "It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world, in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain." And we know that it is in that context, that another character will arise that is called the False Prophet. He comes on the scene, he is called "the second beast," "the one out of the earth" in Revelation 13. Now bear in mind, the Antichrist is going to be a political and military leader, but the False Prophet is going to be a religious leader, and he too will be controlled by a powerful demon. Think about it, even as the rulers of Rome once to control the masses politically, they also did so religiously, and Satan is going to continue to use the strategy as he has down through recorded history. And this will be manifested in the rule of the Antichrist and the False Prophet. And as we study the various passages, we see that the False Prophet is going to assist the Antichrist by forming the final false church; a great amalgam, religious amalgam called "the great horror" of Revelation 17. And we know that the False Prophet will basically be a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit, he will be able to perform mighty wonders and point unceasingly at the beast, even as the Holy Spirit points unceasingly to Christ. And frankly, the False Prophet will make up the third person in the unholy trinity. Satan is always creating counterfeits, and the unholy trinity will consist of Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. And according to Revelation 13 and verse 11 and following, we read how he is going to deceive the inhabitants of the earth with signs that he has given to perform in the presence of the beast. And of course, the unregenerate are already easily deceived. If you're here today, and you've never come to saving faith in Christ, you are easily deceived. You not only believe your own lies, but the lies of the world and the Word of God is foolishness to you. And this will be even more so in that day; they will be easily deceived. We read about the unregenerate, those apart from Christ, their foolish heart is darkened, right? Satan blinds the minds of the unbelieving, and so forth. And we read about this in Revelation 13, beginning in verse 14, "and he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image of the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life."

So, you have a fake resurrection from the dead. "And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the freemen and the slaves, to be given a mark on the right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name." Now think about this, notwithstanding all this militant unbelief, all of this deception, many converted Jews and Gentiles are going to stand defiantly against the Antichrist, and refuse to take the mark of the beast. And in so doing, their testimony will once again fulfill what Jesus has promised in our text here, in Mark 13 and verse 10, "The gospel must first be preached to all the nations."

So, think about the context, God will provide 144,000 Jewish missionaries, he will provide two witnesses, new converts, and if that isn't enough, he is going to dispatch angelic evangelists. We see this for example, in Revelation 14, beginning in verse six, "And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, 'Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.' And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine, of the passion of her immorality. Then another angel, a third one, followed them saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger, and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.'" Now, why all of this witness? Why all of this proclamation? The answer is simple. Because "the Gospel must first be preached to all the nations," as Jesus promised.

So, on the earth, there will be unimaginable chaos and deception and suffering and death. Again, think of the unfolding judgments in the Apocalypse, that will cause even man, all of mankind to cry out for the mountains and rocks, according to Revelation six, verse 16, to "'Fall on us, hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'" In this context, we read how there will be demonic hordes that are released to torment the inhabitants of the earth causing men according to Revelation nine, six, "to seek death, but will not find it, they will long to die, but death will elude to them." So despite all of the horror, the deception, the group think, the threat of death, the gospel is going to be preached to all the nations.

I might also add that here we see God's covenant people beginning to fulfill the role for which they were intended. Genesis 22:18, God said, "'In your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.'" Exodus 19 verse six, "'You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.'" You see, Israel was to be a witness nation of the Lord our God. They were to be the custodians of divine truth. And during Daniel's 70th judgment, many are going to finally join in that mission. We read a little of this in Isaiah 43, beginning in verse nine, "All the nations have gathered together so that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them can declare this, and proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified, or let them hear and say 'It is true.' 'You are My witnesses,' declares the Lord, 'And My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.'"

And do you realize that this kind of praise is even going to continue into the millennium, according to Joel two and verse 28, "'It will come about that after this I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind, and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams and your young men will see visions.'" But even during the time of the tribulation, the gospel is going to go forth for. Why? Because this is God's sovereign plan. Because as Jesus said, "the gospel must first be preached to all the nations." And to think that it will be preached in that kind of chaos and horror. O Child of God, never be ashamed of the gospel. Never underestimate the power of the gospel. Many of your family members and your friends, and the majority of the world will laugh at you. But you continue to preach it because the word of God will either harden or soften hearts. And God will absolutely save those that he has set his love upon. And in this we can rejoice. Never forget that Christ promised "I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it." And although the world may will overpower us, it will not overpower his church.

And for this reason, Jesus warns the saints during the time of the tribulation, in Mark 13, verse nine, "'But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.'" And then he goes on to offer a marvelous word of encouragement that we would all do well to remember notice in verse 11, he says, "'When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say, whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.'" Perhaps you're like me, there's been times when I've thought that a day may come when I face death, because of my love for Christ. And I'm comforted to know that I don't have to worry about what I'm going to say because the Spirit of God is going to help me say what needs to be said. Isn't that a marvelous thought? And that's what we're saying here. And certainly, down through redemptive history, we've witnessed the power of the Spirit of God in his people as they face martyrdom. I mean, think of Peter and John who proclaim the truth of the gospel to the Sanhedrin, when they were arrested in Acts four. Think of the courage of Stephen, who gave a bold testimony before the Jewish Council, and even as he was being stoned as we read about in Acts seven. I think of the apostle Paul, who gave unflinching proclamations before governors and kings. In fact, he told Timothy in Second Timothy four beginning in verse 17, "But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me. So that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear, and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth. "Then he says this, "The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

I wish to draw your attention to another example of how the Spirit of God empowered various men and women for that matter, in the face of martyrdom. And here I use an example of which I've written about in my book Warrior Preachers, regarding Spirit empowered, warrior field preachers of Scotland. I was fascinated with this because my ancestry hails from that area. So, I've written this, "Redemptive history records many such men, including the young" quote, "field preachers. Who under the threat of fine and imprisonment, of torture or death, preach the gospel in Scotland during the dreadful years of persecution between 1663 and 1688. Because of the edicts of King Charles Second of England, they were forbidden to proclaim a decidedly Calvinistic soteriology that extolled the doctrines of grace. Though thoroughly biblical, their teachings were considered to be hostile to the doctrines of Pelagianism and Arminianism that ultimately developed into Deism and indifferentism. Doctrinal errors that dominate American evangelicalism today. During that dreadful season of persecution--that also may be our fate in the coming years of American tyranny--the 19th century historian and theologian William Blakey wrote this in his monumental work "The preachers of Scotland, from the sixth to the 19th century." Here's what he said, 'The wildest efforts were made by the bishops and their friends to put down conventicle.'" Conventicle was an unlawful religious assembly. "'Grievous fines were imposed on men of property who might attend to them. To harbor a preacher or to help them in any way exposed one either to a heavy fine or to imprisonment; perchance with the boot and thumbscrew.'" The boot and thumbscrew were instruments of torture, possibly even to death. "'The preacher with a great price on his head had no certain dwelling place, and where there was no friendly cottage to shelter him, had to wonder about in wild lonely places, sleeping in woods and caves, often cold and wet and hungry, wracked by rheumatism or prostrated by dysentery. Glad if he could succeed in keeping his pocket Bible dry. And not so much as dreaming of the luxury of books or of a quiet room for study. These were considered the warrior preachers of Scotland. Men like,'" and this is my example to you, ''James Renwick, who was captured, tortured and hung at the Grassmarket of Edinburgh on 17 February 1688. He was a man like many who refuse to bow to the demonic edicts of a Stuart King, and the apostate Christianity he forced upon his subjects through his own tyranny, and that of the phony religionists that served him. In his timeless work, "Fair sunshine: character studies of the Scottish Covenanters" Jock Purves records, the final minutes of this warrior preacher, who was strong and courageous to the end.'" Now what I'm about to read is an example of the Spirit of God empowering one of his own, in the face of certain death. "'By the side of the scaffold, a curate said, 'Own our King and we shall pray for you. 'He answered, 'I will have none of your prayers. I have come to bear my testimony against you and such as you are.' The curate persisted, 'Own our King and pray for him, whatever you say against us.' And Renwick replied, 'I will discourse no more with you. I am within a little to appear before him who is King of Kings and Lord of lords, who shall pour shame, contempt and confusion upon all the kings of the earth who have not ruled for him.' While the drums beat out their wild disharmony, he magnified and blessed the Lord in singing from the 103 Psalm, and in reading his last chapter, Revelation 19. Amid all the din, his manly voice thrilled with rapturous faith, as he read the words, quote, 'He hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.' To prayer he went, again, while the drums continued their deafening, earthbound thunder, and was heard of him in heaven, his dwelling place. The harsh order was given to him to go to the death ladder. He climbed up and prayed again, being heard to say, quote, 'Lord, I die in the faith that thou wilt not leave Scotland, but that thou will to make the blood of thy witness the seed of thy church, and return again to be glorious in our land. And now, Lord, I am ready. The bride, the Lamb's wife, hath made herself ready.' The blinding napkin was tied about his face. And he spoke to his friend close by his side saying, quote, 'Farewell. Be diligent and duty, make your peace with God through Christ. There is a great trial coming. As to the remnant I leave, I have committed them to God. Tell them for me not to weary nor be discouraged and maintaining the testimony of the Lord will provide you teachers and ministers. And when He comes, He will make these despised truths glorious in the earth.' His last words were, 'Lord into the hands I commend my spirit. For thou hast redeemed me, Lord God of truth.' And at that the hangman turned him over.'" Oh, dear Christian, never underestimate the power of the Spirit, even in the face of death should it come your way.

The sixth sign that we will close with this morning is defection of and betrayal by, false believers. And here Jesus warns about the unparalleled persecution of the tribulation saints. He says in verse 12, "'Brother will betray brother to death and the father, his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.'" Amazing, isn't it, even those who should love us the most will turn against us. And many of you have and are experiencing that right now. Verse 13, '"You will be hated by all because of My name.'" Matthew records it this way in Matthew 24, beginning in verse nine, "'Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.'" Jesus said in John seven, seven, that "'the world hates me because I testify of it, that it's deeds are evil.'" See, people don't want to hear that they don't want to hear the gospel. Matthew went on to record what Jesus said at that time, "'many will fall away,'" literally to disbelieve permanently or finally. In other words, these will be phony Christians in that day. "They went out from us, because they were never a part of us," as we read in First John 2:19. And he says, "'they will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and mislead many because lawlessness is increased.'" Meaning that it's going to grow great in amount. You think it's bad now, it'd be far worse then. And he said, "'most people's love will grow cold.'" Foremost commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. And then secondly, to love our neighbor as ourself. And as that love for God and neighbor is extinguished, betrayal of loved ones will be much easier. Even as Judas betrayed the family of the 12 in the Lord Jesus Christ.

But then the Lord says this at the end of verse 13, "'but the one who endures to the end he will be saved.'" Now this isn't a works righteousness statement, but rather perseverance is the fruit, not the root of genuine salvation. Jesus said in John 8:31, "'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.'" And this of course, is the work of the Holy Spirit in the redeemed. And for this reason, James would say in James one beginning of verse to "Consider it all joy, my brethren when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces," not apostasy, but "endurance. And let endurance have its perfect results so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." Dear friends, remember that God uses the fires of testing, to burn off the impurities that draw us that is a part of our faith, and to temper the steel of our faith that we might be useful for the sake of the kingdom. And like Job, those whom God saves will stay saved, come what may, because of the power of God that is within them.

For this reason, Paul said in Second Timothy 4:18, "The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever, amen." And because of this, the Apostle Paul could say in Romans eight beginning in verse 30, "These whom He predestined, He also called; and these He called He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified." And he went on to say, "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" He went on to add, "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

And when we understand these great doctrinal truths, and we embrace them wholeheartedly, by the power of the Spirit, no matter what the trial, we will be able to sing the lyrics of the hymn that was written in the days of the warrior preachers in Scotland. The words of a hymn "What God ordains is always Good” written by Samuel Rodigast in 1675. I'm just going to close with the last three stanzas. "What God ordains is always good; He is my Friend and Father. His hand protects from every harm, though many storms may gather. Now I may know both joy and woe; someday I shall see clearly that He has loved me dearly. What God ordains is always good. This truth remains unshaken. Tho' sorrow, need or death be mine, I shall not be forsaken. I fear no harm, for with His arm, He shall embrace and shield me; so to my God, I yield me."

Oh, dear friend, I hope you know Christ as Savior. If you don't, I plead with you as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that you come to him this day in repented faith, and trust in Him as your only hope of salvation, lest you perish in your sins. And for those of us who know and love Christ, may we celebrate him all the more as we contemplate not only what he has done for us, and what he is currently doing for us, but what will happen when he returns and fulfills all of his promises. Oh, what a day that will be, amen? Let's pray together.

Father, thank you for the eternal truths of your word. May they penetrate our hearts in such a way as to cause us to bow before your presence in abject humility and thanksgiving because of the hope that is ours in Christ, may we all rejoice. So, we commit your word and all that you will do with it, to you, for the sake of Jesus, Amen.We return again this morning to Mark's gospel. So if you will take your Bibles and turn there to Mark chapter 13. In a few minutes, we will be examining verses nine through 13 as we continue to understand Jesus prophetic discourse on the end of the age. This is actually part three of that series.

Of course, we're all aware of what's going on in the Middle East-- Iran's attack upon Israel, which is, frankly, evidence of liberal buffoonery that we see in our country and other places around the world. The idea that you can appease Islamic terrorists is insane. To think that you can somehow warm fuzzy these kinds of people into the civilized world is insane. And frankly, they have a faulty anthropology. They believe that man is more deprived than depraved. And if you just give him what he needs, then he will be a good person. Nothing could be further from the truth. And of course, this all points to the fact that the world is inexorably heading toward unprecedented conflict. Conflict consistent with the battle of Gog and Magog as we read in Ezekiel 38 and 39, where there will be an alliance of nations that will come upon Israel, and ultimately God will destroy them. Boy don't you get weary of all the evil in the world, every time you turn on the news, you just want to shake your head and turn it off and watch cartoons or something right? I mean, I long to see the name of the Lord vindicated. I am so tired of seeing him mocked and ridiculed. I long for that day, when true, social justice will be meted out by the only infinitely just and righteous God.

And we've been examining the signs that Jesus has given, predicting what will happen on the earth at the end of the age, just prior to his physical return to the earth. And you know, Jesus commanded us to pray in Matthew 16 "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." A technical point here, but it is significant--the Greek text is very revealing, in that in each of these petitions, the verb is not only in the emphatic position, but it is also what we call an aorist active imperative, noting that this will be a single instantaneous action. This is something that is going to explode upon the earth, something dramatic and glorious. This is not merely some spiritualized kingdom that already exists upon the earth. It's not something that's gradually going to appear over time. So we pray for that day when the glory of God will explode upon this earth and his kingdom will come, it will instantaneously burst forth; I long for that day. In fact, the godly and learned 19th century Hungarian Jewish convert to Christianity, and Presbyterian minister missionary by the name of Adolph Saphir, longed for this day to come as I do, and you do. And he stated that the kingdom of God must come quote "on Earth, where God has been denied and forgotten. Where his honor has been disregarded and His commandments have been transgressed; where nations and kingdoms instead of seeking His glory, and showing forth His praise, have not bowed to His authority and referenced His name. It is on earth, that the Lord shall reign, injustice, cruelty and war shall be banished, and instead of idolatry, selfishness and sin, the fear and love and beauty of God will be manifest."

And of course, the Old Testament prophets foretold of this day of Messianic glory, his rule upon the earth; a day when the historical theocracy of Israel would be restored to a perfect theocratic kingdom. A day when the coming King will, according to Isaiah nine, seven, "sit on the throne of David," and execute according to Jeremiah 33:15 "judgment and righteousness in the land." Can you imagine that? And this is consistent with God's covenant promises that cannot be broken, nor can they be transferred. As God declared in Jeremiah 33, beginning in verse 20, "Thus says the LORD, 'If you can break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne." The prophet Amos said as well, in Amos nine and verse 11, "In that day, I will raise up the fallen booth of David and wall up its breaches. And I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old." And folks, this is why Satan and his minions are so hell bent on the genocide of Jewish people around the world, especially in Israel. This is why they're trying to take back the land from them. Of course, it's an embarrassment to them that somehow Yahweh is more powerful than Allah, right? That's a huge humiliation.

But we know biblically that the capital city of the Messianic Kingdom will be the city of Jerusalem. And according to Isaiah 24 in verse 23, the divine king "shall reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem." And there according to Isaiah 33 and verse 17, the people of the kingdom will, quote, "see the King in His beauty." And as the prophet Habakkuk said, in Habakkuk, two and verse 14, that will be the day when "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." And eventually regenerated and restored Israel will enjoy the divine promises that were given to them, for example, the one in Ezekiel 37, beginning in verse 25, "'They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons' sons, forever; and David, My servant, will be their prince forever." A reference to the Lord Jesus - "I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be with them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forever.'" Aren't you glad you know the end of the story, right?

Most Jewish people today are practical atheists. I have many friends in that camp. I grew up with many Jewish people. And those who are religious, do not worship the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah. We understand this from Scripture; they are currently, what we could say, as God's beloved enemy. The Apostle Paul understood this, and he wrote in Romans 11, beginning in verse 25, that a "partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, 'THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB. THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.'" From the standpoint of the gospel, they are enemies, for your sake..." speaking to Gentiles, "but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved, for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." And Satan is frantically and brilliantly, trying to thwart the purposes of God, to these ends, and naturally, the New Testament underscores the same promise of a mediatorial kingdom - an intermediate Kingdom - between the end of human history and the eternal state, which will be the millennial kingdom, the kingdom on earth where Christ will reign.

We see this for example, in the witness of the angel, announcing Jesus’ birth to Mary, remember Luke 1:31. This is what he said, "'And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.'" Now let me pause there. That was fulfilled literally, we know that. And when interpreted in its natural, normal sense, the rest of the statement should also be interpreted literally as well. He goes on to say, "'and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father, David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.'" Only some form of theological prejudice would justify a spiritualized interpretation of that passage of scripture. The promise to Mary cannot be limited to some kind of a spiritual kingdom that only exists in the hearts of men; even though there is an element of that that is very true; but rather it reflects the political connotations of the historic theocracy of Israel that the prophets described at length in the Old Testament.

And this, of course, is also consistent with Jesus' promise to his disciples, remember, in Matthew 19 and verse 28, this is what he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." No wonder the very well instructed followers of Jesus persistently questioned Him after His resurrection. As we read in Acts one six, saying, "'Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom?'" And while he went on to make it clear that it wasn't for them to know the time, he did not correct their assumption that the restoration of the kingdom of Israel would be certain. And later Peter understood this, as recorded in Acts three and verse 21, that Christ must remain in heaven. He says, quote, "until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time."

So therefore, like the early apostles whom Jesus sent out to proclaim the kingdom of God, Luke nine and verse two, we do the same, we do the same. Now to be sure, the kingdom of God is the all-encompassing and unifying theme of Scripture. And this will be ultimately the outworking of God's unilateral, unconditional, irreversible, irrevocable covenants through which his kingdom will come that God made to his people. That would include the Noahic Covenant of Genesis six and nine, the Abrahamic covenant of Genesis 12, and 17, as well as the priestly covenant that we read about in Numbers 25, the Davidic Covenant that we read about in First Samuel, or Second Samuel chapter seven, and of course, the New Covenant that we read about in Jeremiah 31. And therefore, the very last chapter of the Bible, in Revelation 22, verses three and verses five, we read the final rule of God, and the Lamb and God's people ruling upon a new earth. And there the text says, "There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it and His bondservants will serve Him...and they will reign forever and ever."

But, prior to all of this, great judgment is coming upon the earth, as the scriptures make very clear. Judgments that will come upon Israel, as well as the nations of the world consistent with, for example, Daniel's 70th week promises. And beginning here in Mark's gospel, few weeks ago, we started here in Mark 13 and verse five, Jesus describes certain signs that will appear upon the earth before he returns. Six specific signs, which he calls "birth pangs," according to Mark 13 and verse eight. And these are going to occur just before his appearing. You will recall they include false messiahs, nations at war, natural disasters of epic proportions, and we've already covered those three. And now today we will look at the last three: persecution of tribulation saints, mass evangelism and defection of, and betrayal by, false believers.

Now bear in mind while all of these things have existed throughout the course of redemptive history in various ways; they merely foreshadow what will come upon the earth during the time of the tribulation. These will be events of far greater severity, and frequency and scope. So let's look at now the fourth sign of his coming that Jesus gives: persecution of tribulation saints. And we read about this in verse nine of Mark 13. "'But be on your guard;'" Jesus says, "'For they will deliver you to the courts.'" By the way, courts is literally "sanhedrins" which would describe local Jewish courts attached to synagogues. "'They will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.'" Now, we know that Jesus has warned in other places about this kind of persecution against Christians. We can read about it, for example, in Matthew 10, verses 16 and 17. And we know in the upper room when Jesus was with his disciples, in John 16, beginning in verse two, he said this, "'They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.'" And of course, we've seen elements of this again down through history, some of them are recorded in the New Testament. We think of the story of John the Baptist and Stephen and the Apostle Paul, and of course, the Lord Jesus Himself. In fact, Paul said in Second Corinthians 11, beginning in verse 24, "Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods." If you could have seen the Apostle Paul's chest and back, it would look like spaghetti. We know of the governors that are recorded in the New Testament, Pontius Pilate, Felix, Festus, and kings like Herod Agrippa the First in Acts 12, Herod Agrippa the Second in Acts 25, and even Herod Antipas that beheaded John the Baptist; all examples of wicked rulers who hated Christ and all who belong to Him.

But folks think about this, what will it be like when the Antichrist helps the Jews build their next temple in Jerusalem? After making a covenant with them. The Islamic rule in the world will have been defeated in the battle of Gog and Magog. The Jewish people will be ecstatic, they will think that now the kingdom has arrived. This will be a season of national revival, a regathering of Jewish people from among the nations. And at that point, they will have zero tolerance for any kind of a Christian witness. Despite the many Jews and Gentiles that will come to faith in Christ during that period. And no doubt, the world will rejoice at the removal of the church and the rapture--the snatching away. And yet, now, they will say my goodness, here they are, again. People following after this Jesus of Nazareth. One can only imagine the bit bizarre explanations that will be given to explain that supernatural event; explanations that will somehow tickle the ears of those who are confused in that godless world. And remember, the end of the age is going to be characterized by unparallel deception. Paul describes the Antichrist in Second Thessalonians two beginning in verse nine, as "the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason, God will send upon them a deluding influence, so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness."

We see elements of that today, do we not? People that are completely deluded. Many things are tantamount to two plus two is five. And no matter what you say, that's what they see. And for this reason, every man, woman and child who will profess the Lord Jesus Christ during the Tribulation will be hated by all, especially those in the unbelieving Jewish community. In Revelation six, beginning in verse nine, we are given a little glimpse of the fate, and the mournful prayer of the saints who will be martyred in that day. There we read, "When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?' And that was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also." And folks, we shouldn't be surprised if much of the same treatment comes upon us, before these days arrive. In fact, suffering and mistreatment have always been the experience of the redeemed. And Paul told Timothy about this, remember in Second Timothy, chapter three and verse 12, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

So, Jesus gives these signs in answer to his disciples who are questioning him; there's going to be false messiahs, nations that war, natural disasters of epic proportions, persecution of tribulation saints. And then he says in verse 10, "'the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.'" And this brings us to our fifth sign, the fifth birth pang--that of mass evangelism. Now, this is absolutely astounding. If you understand the context, let me give you a few thoughts in that regard. We know that the final world system will be ruled by a demon possessed man, the Antichrist. He will be according to Scripture, a brilliant man with captivating charisma that is able to deceive the world. And we're told that he will blaspheme God and lead others to do the same. In fact, the whole drama of the apocalypse is the vicious beast trying to destroy the Lamb. But we also know biblically that during the time of the tribulation, unparalleled wickedness and death will appear upon the earth. And in that time, we read that God is going to raise up 144,000 gospel preachers from every tribe of the sons of Israel, Revelation seven and verse four. Now, why is he going to do this? To fulfill what Jesus promised in Mark 13 and verse 10, "the gospel must be preached to all the nations." We also know that God is going to raise up two supernaturally empowered gospel preachers, the two witnesses, we read about this in Revelation 11 and verse three says, "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy." It doesn't mean foretell, it means to forth tell, "'they will preach the gospel for 1260 days, clothed and sackcloth.'" Now, there's much speculation regarding the identity of these two witnesses. We can't be dogmatic, but the most compelling evidence points to the actual Moses and Elijah, as I have preached before, in other passages, verse five of Revelation 11. "And if anyone desires to harm them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies and if anyone would desire to harm them in this manner, he must be killed." So by implication, many are going to want to harm them. And later we know that the beast, the Antichrist, is going to overcome them, and their dead bodies, the text says, will "lie in the street of the great city.... for three and a half days." The world is going to celebrate their demise; these gospel preachers, these morons, these idiots are finally gone. And then verse 11, of Revelation 11, we read, and "after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came unto them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were beholding them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, 'Come up here.' Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them." Now, why would God allow all of this to happen? The answer is simple. Because the Gospel must first be preached to all the nations, as Jesus promised.

And according to Revelation 13, we know that soon after this, the Antichrist is going to fake his death and resurrection to further deceive the world into following him. Revelation 13, beginning of verse seven, "It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world, in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain." And we know that it is in that context, that another character will arise that is called the False Prophet. He comes on the scene, he is called "the second beast," "the one out of the earth" in Revelation 13. Now bear in mind, the Antichrist is going to be a political and military leader, but the False Prophet is going to be a religious leader, and he too will be controlled by a powerful demon. Think about it, even as the rulers of Rome once to control the masses politically, they also did so religiously, and Satan is going to continue to use the strategy as he has down through recorded history. And this will be manifested in the rule of the Antichrist and the False Prophet. And as we study the various passages, we see that the False Prophet is going to assist the Antichrist by forming the final false church; a great amalgam, religious amalgam called "the great horror" of Revelation 17. And we know that the False Prophet will basically be a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit, he will be able to perform mighty wonders and point unceasingly at the beast, even as the Holy Spirit points unceasingly to Christ. And frankly, the False Prophet will make up the third person in the unholy trinity. Satan is always creating counterfeits, and the unholy trinity will consist of Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. And according to Revelation 13 and verse 11 and following, we read how he is going to deceive the inhabitants of the earth with signs that he has given to perform in the presence of the beast. And of course, the unregenerate are already easily deceived. If you're here today, and you've never come to saving faith in Christ, you are easily deceived. You not only believe your own lies, but the lies of the world and the Word of God is foolishness to you. And this will be even more so in that day; they will be easily deceived. We read about the unregenerate, those apart from Christ, their foolish heart is darkened, right? Satan blinds the minds of the unbelieving, and so forth. And we read about this in Revelation 13, beginning in verse 14, "and he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image of the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life."

So, you have a fake resurrection from the dead. "And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the freemen and the slaves, to be given a mark on the right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name." Now think about this, notwithstanding all this militant unbelief, all of this deception, many converted Jews and Gentiles are going to stand defiantly against the Antichrist, and refuse to take the mark of the beast. And in so doing, their testimony will once again fulfill what Jesus has promised in our text here, in Mark 13 and verse 10, "The gospel must first be preached to all the nations."

So, think about the context, God will provide 144,000 Jewish missionaries, he will provide two witnesses, new converts, and if that isn't enough, he is going to dispatch angelic evangelists. We see this for example, in Revelation 14, beginning in verse six, "And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, 'Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.' And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine, of the passion of her immorality. Then another angel, a third one, followed them saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger, and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.'" Now, why all of this witness? Why all of this proclamation? The answer is simple. Because "the Gospel must first be preached to all the nations," as Jesus promised.

So, on the earth, there will be unimaginable chaos and deception and suffering and death. Again, think of the unfolding judgments in the Apocalypse, that will cause even man, all of mankind to cry out for the mountains and rocks, according to Revelation six, verse 16, to "'Fall on us, hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'" In this context, we read how there will be demonic hordes that are released to torment the inhabitants of the earth causing men according to Revelation nine, six, "to seek death, but will not find it, they will long to die, but death will elude to them." So despite all of the horror, the deception, the group think, the threat of death, the gospel is going to be preached to all the nations.

I might also add that here we see God's covenant people beginning to fulfill the role for which they were intended. Genesis 22:18, God said, "'In your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.'" Exodus 19 verse six, "'You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.'" You see, Israel was to be a witness nation of the Lord our God. They were to be the custodians of divine truth. And during Daniel's 70th judgment, many are going to finally join in that mission. We read a little of this in Isaiah 43, beginning in verse nine, "All the nations have gathered together so that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them can declare this, and proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified, or let them hear and say 'It is true.' 'You are My witnesses,' declares the Lord, 'And My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.'"

And do you realize that this kind of praise is even going to continue into the millennium, according to Joel two and verse 28, "'It will come about that after this I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind, and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams and your young men will see visions.'" But even during the time of the tribulation, the gospel is going to go forth for. Why? Because this is God's sovereign plan. Because as Jesus said, "the gospel must first be preached to all the nations." And to think that it will be preached in that kind of chaos and horror. O Child of God, never be ashamed of the gospel. Never underestimate the power of the gospel. Many of your family members and your friends, and the majority of the world will laugh at you. But you continue to preach it because the word of God will either harden or soften hearts. And God will absolutely save those that he has set his love upon. And in this we can rejoice. Never forget that Christ promised "I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it." And although the world may will overpower us, it will not overpower his church.

And for this reason, Jesus warns the saints during the time of the tribulation, in Mark 13, verse nine, "'But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.'" And then he goes on to offer a marvelous word of encouragement that we would all do well to remember notice in verse 11, he says, "'When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say, whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.'" Perhaps you're like me, there's been times when I've thought that a day may come when I face death, because of my love for Christ. And I'm comforted to know that I don't have to worry about what I'm going to say because the Spirit of God is going to help me say what needs to be said. Isn't that a marvelous thought? And that's what we're saying here. And certainly, down through redemptive history, we've witnessed the power of the Spirit of God in his people as they face martyrdom. I mean, think of Peter and John who proclaim the truth of the gospel to the Sanhedrin, when they were arrested in Acts four. Think of the courage of Stephen, who gave a bold testimony before the Jewish Council, and even as he was being stoned as we read about in Acts seven. I think of the apostle Paul, who gave unflinching proclamations before governors and kings. In fact, he told Timothy in Second Timothy four beginning in verse 17, "But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me. So that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear, and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth. "Then he says this, "The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

I wish to draw your attention to another example of how the Spirit of God empowered various men and women for that matter, in the face of martyrdom. And here I use an example of which I've written about in my book Warrior Preachers, regarding Spirit empowered, warrior field preachers of Scotland. I was fascinated with this because my ancestry hails from that area. So, I've written this, "Redemptive history records many such men, including the young" quote, "field preachers. Who under the threat of fine and imprisonment, of torture or death, preach the gospel in Scotland during the dreadful years of persecution between 1663 and 1688. Because of the edicts of King Charles Second of England, they were forbidden to proclaim a decidedly Calvinistic soteriology that extolled the doctrines of grace. Though thoroughly biblical, their teachings were considered to be hostile to the doctrines of Pelagianism and Arminianism that ultimately developed into Deism and indifferentism. Doctrinal errors that dominate American evangelicalism today. During that dreadful season of persecution--that also may be our fate in the coming years of American tyranny--the 19th century historian and theologian William Blakey wrote this in his monumental work "The preachers of Scotland, from the sixth to the 19th century." Here's what he said, 'The wildest efforts were made by the bishops and their friends to put down conventicle.'" Conventicle was an unlawful religious assembly. "'Grievous fines were imposed on men of property who might attend to them. To harbor a preacher or to help them in any way exposed one either to a heavy fine or to imprisonment; perchance with the boot and thumbscrew.'" The boot and thumbscrew were instruments of torture, possibly even to death. "'The preacher with a great price on his head had no certain dwelling place, and where there was no friendly cottage to shelter him, had to wonder about in wild lonely places, sleeping in woods and caves, often cold and wet and hungry, wracked by rheumatism or prostrated by dysentery. Glad if he could succeed in keeping his pocket Bible dry. And not so much as dreaming of the luxury of books or of a quiet room for study. These were considered the warrior preachers of Scotland. Men like,'" and this is my example to you, ''James Renwick, who was captured, tortured and hung at the Grassmarket of Edinburgh on 17 February 1688. He was a man like many who refuse to bow to the demonic edicts of a Stuart King, and the apostate Christianity he forced upon his subjects through his own tyranny, and that of the phony religionists that served him. In his timeless work, "Fair sunshine: character studies of the Scottish Covenanters" Jock Purves records, the final minutes of this warrior preacher, who was strong and courageous to the end.'" Now what I'm about to read is an example of the Spirit of God empowering one of his own, in the face of certain death. "'By the side of the scaffold, a curate said, 'Own our King and we shall pray for you. 'He answered, 'I will have none of your prayers. I have come to bear my testimony against you and such as you are.' The curate persisted, 'Own our King and pray for him, whatever you say against us.' And Renwick replied, 'I will discourse no more with you. I am within a little to appear before him who is King of Kings and Lord of lords, who shall pour shame, contempt and confusion upon all the kings of the earth who have not ruled for him.' While the drums beat out their wild disharmony, he magnified and blessed the Lord in singing from the 103 Psalm, and in reading his last chapter, Revelation 19. Amid all the din, his manly voice thrilled with rapturous faith, as he read the words, quote, 'He hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.' To prayer he went, again, while the drums continued their deafening, earthbound thunder, and was heard of him in heaven, his dwelling place. The harsh order was given to him to go to the death ladder. He climbed up and prayed again, being heard to say, quote, 'Lord, I die in the faith that thou wilt not leave Scotland, but that thou will to make the blood of thy witness the seed of thy church, and return again to be glorious in our land. And now, Lord, I am ready. The bride, the Lamb's wife, hath made herself ready.' The blinding napkin was tied about his face. And he spoke to his friend close by his side saying, quote, 'Farewell. Be diligent and duty, make your peace with God through Christ. There is a great trial coming. As to the remnant I leave, I have committed them to God. Tell them for me not to weary nor be discouraged and maintaining the testimony of the Lord will provide you teachers and ministers. And when He comes, He will make these despised truths glorious in the earth.' His last words were, 'Lord into the hands I commend my spirit. For thou hast redeemed me, Lord God of truth.' And at that the hangman turned him over.'" Oh, dear Christian, never underestimate the power of the Spirit, even in the face of death should it come your way.

The sixth sign that we will close with this morning is defection of and betrayal by, false believers. And here Jesus warns about the unparalleled persecution of the tribulation saints. He says in verse 12, "'Brother will betray brother to death and the father, his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.'" Amazing, isn't it, even those who should love us the most will turn against us. And many of you have and are experiencing that right now. Verse 13, '"You will be hated by all because of My name.'" Matthew records it this way in Matthew 24, beginning in verse nine, "'Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.'" Jesus said in John seven, seven, that "'the world hates me because I testify of it, that it's deeds are evil.'" See, people don't want to hear that they don't want to hear the gospel. Matthew went on to record what Jesus said at that time, "'many will fall away,'" literally to disbelieve permanently or finally. In other words, these will be phony Christians in that day. "They went out from us, because they were never a part of us," as we read in First John 2:19. And he says, "'they will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and mislead many because lawlessness is increased.'" Meaning that it's going to grow great in amount. You think it's bad now, it'd be far worse then. And he said, "'most people's love will grow cold.'" Foremost commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. And then secondly, to love our neighbor as ourself. And as that love for God and neighbor is extinguished, betrayal of loved ones will be much easier. Even as Judas betrayed the family of the 12 in the Lord Jesus Christ.

But then the Lord says this at the end of verse 13, "'but the one who endures to the end he will be saved.'" Now this isn't a works righteousness statement, but rather perseverance is the fruit, not the root of genuine salvation. Jesus said in John 8:31, "'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.'" And this of course, is the work of the Holy Spirit in the redeemed. And for this reason, James would say in James one beginning of verse to "Consider it all joy, my brethren when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces," not apostasy, but "endurance. And let endurance have its perfect results so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." Dear friends, remember that God uses the fires of testing, to burn off the impurities that draw us that is a part of our faith, and to temper the steel of our faith that we might be useful for the sake of the kingdom. And like Job, those whom God saves will stay saved, come what may, because of the power of God that is within them.

For this reason, Paul said in Second Timothy 4:18, "The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever, amen." And because of this, the Apostle Paul could say in Romans eight beginning in verse 30, "These whom He predestined, He also called; and these He called He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified." And he went on to say, "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" He went on to add, "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

And when we understand these great doctrinal truths, and we embrace them wholeheartedly, by the power of the Spirit, no matter what the trial, we will be able to sing the lyrics of the hymn that was written in the days of the warrior preachers in Scotland. The words of a hymn "What God ordains is always Good” written by Samuel Rodigast in 1675. I'm just going to close with the last three stanzas. "What God ordains is always good; He is my Friend and Father. His hand protects from every harm, though many storms may gather. Now I may know both joy and woe; someday I shall see clearly that He has loved me dearly. What God ordains is always good. This truth remains unshaken. Tho' sorrow, need or death be mine, I shall not be forsaken. I fear no harm, for with His arm, He shall embrace and shield me; so to my God, I yield me."

Oh, dear friend, I hope you know Christ as Savior. If you don't, I plead with you as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that you come to him this day in repented faith, and trust in Him as your only hope of salvation, lest you perish in your sins. And for those of us who know and love Christ, may we celebrate him all the more as we contemplate not only what he has done for us, and what he is currently doing for us, but what will happen when he returns and fulfills all of his promises. Oh, what a day that will be, amen? Let's pray together.

Father, thank you for the eternal truths of your word. May they penetrate our hearts in such a way as to cause us to bow before your presence in abject humility and thanksgiving because of the hope that is ours in Christ, may we all rejoice. So, we commit your word and all that you will do with it, to you, for the sake of Jesus, Amen.