Blessed Assurance Part 2 RDS20B

God has an encouraging word for you and me today through the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton and this message on Blessed Assurance. We made great headway yesterday starting on this message from Dr. Wilton, Blessed Assurance, but the conclusion comes today in just a few moments as we open God's encouraging word together. We also want you to know that our hearts are open to spend some time praying with you right where you are. No matter what's going on in your life, it's our joy to connect with you at 866-899-WORD and pray you through the next. What's it going to be? Is it something that maybe God's been stirring in your heart the last couple of days in this message?

Maybe it's totally unrelated. Just know we'd be happy to pray with you and for you at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673 or meet us online at www.tewonline.org. Now today's message, Blessed Assurance with Dr. Don Wilton. Now how long is the tribulation going to go on for? We know that from the book of Revelation, seven years. Divided into two equal parts, three and a half and three and a half years.

We know that the scriptures teach us. Here, Daniel exasperated, hurt by what he sees and I'm going to outline that for you in a minute to show you exactly what Antiochus Epiphanes did. He says, how long is this going to go on? When's it going to end? And so he said to me, it will take 2,300 evenings.

I'm going to talk to you about that in a minute. Evenings and mornings, that's about 1,550 days. Guess what folks? That's exactly how long Antiochus Epiphanes ruled for and that is exactly how long his persecution of the Jews took.

2,300 mornings and evenings or 1,550 days on the button. I just, by the way, in case any of you are wondering about this, this vision came 500 years before the fact. Now look what happens. While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. And I heard a man's voice from the Eulite calling, Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision. By the way, just as a matter of interest, Gabriel, the angel Gabriel is mentioned four times in the Bible.

Did you know that? He's mentioned in Daniel 8.15, this passage. Then he's mentioned again over the page in Daniel 9.21. And then the angel Gabriel is mentioned twice in the New Testament. He's mentioned in Luke chapter 1 and verse 18, and then again in Luke chapter 1 and verse 26. And did you know that the only other angel who is mentioned by name is the angel Michael?

So you got Michael and Gabriel. Verse 17, as he came near the place where he was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. Son of man, he said to me, understand that the vision concerns the time of the end. While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground.

Then he touched me and raised me to my feet. He said, I'm going to tell you what will happen later in the time of the wrath because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. That's pretty self explanatory, isn't it? The two horned ram that you saw. By the way, any of you wondering how I worked out what the two horned ram was? This is going to show you what an incredible genius I really am. I wish I could take credit for it. The two horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Medes and the Persians.

The shaggy goat is the king of Greece. Any more questions? Somebody came to me the other day and they said to me, pastor, it was just a good question, said, how do you know? They said to me, how do you know that that's the Medo-Persian Empire? I said, just because I'm brilliant, that's why.

It's quite easy. You know, it's hard to be humble when you're really brilliant, you know? And then I opened my Bible and I turned to this verse.

I said, it's right there. The shaggy goat is the king of Greece and the large horn between his eyes is the first king, Alexander the Great. The four horns that replace the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power. In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern faced king, a master of intrigue will arise. This is not talking about the Antichrist. This is talking about a prototype of the Antichrist, a forerunner, if you please. This is evidence that God is giving to us, that God is capable of doing anything that God wants to do.

Verse 24, he will become very strong but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper. What is the number one thing that the Antichrist is going to do, friends? He's going to cause deceit to prosper.

He's going to get up and say, listen folks, don't worry about it. I know that several million people suddenly disappeared. You know, I know that they just suddenly, I know there were buses that were left and planes without pilots in them. And I know there was a mother giving birth to a child and on and on and on, all the things related to the rapture. But so powerful is going to be the deceit of the Antichrist that he is going to succeed in duping and deceiving those who are left behind.

Now you and I sit here as believers and we say, no way. But friend, we see evidence of that kind of deceit even today. Sometimes I will look at things that go on in the world. I'll be honest with you, even in our beloved nation of the United States of America, some of the things that happen on the political front, some of the behavior of political leaders, some of the messages that are sent to this nation by those who are in positions of authority.

And yet when the polls come back, the popularity of those in authority is much higher than it was before the immoral behavior. And some of us look at that and say, how in the world can this be? Well, a nation and a people who are void of the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives are living in complete blindness. The Bible says that outside of Jesus Christ and His Spirit, we are rendered useless. We are rendered completely incapable of being able to see or deal with the truth. And even then it exasperates me to think how much and to what extent the deceit of the Antichrist is going to be.

Well, let's read about it. Verse 25, he will cause deceit to prosper and he will consider himself superior. What is the Antichrist? What's he going to consider himself to be? God. He's going to consider himself to take the place of God. He's going to consider himself superior. When they feel secure, when are people going to feel secure in the tribulation? The halfway mark. After three and a half years, what does the Bible say about the Antichrist?

The Antichrist for the first three and a half years is going to speak peace, security. Don't worry. Got it all under control. Please don't panic.

No problem here, ladies and gentlemen. Everyone be calm. I've got it all under control. Our government is doing well. We've got everything in place. I want you to know stocks are up. In fact, I'll guarantee you the one way in which he's going to get control of this nation.

Want me to tell you? Unprecedented prosperity. You make sure that the economy is good and people don't care what kind of morality comes out of those who lead us. Listen to me, brother. You make sure I got enough money in my back pocket. I don't care what you do or how you live.

You make sure that my business is booming and I don't care what I have to sell in order to get it. You want me to tell you how they're going to put a lottery into South Carolina? Same verse. Second verse, same as the first.

Just think what we can do for education. You know what happens? Half the population are like a bunch of dead fish they cannot distinguish. They just walk down. They just begin to bumble down the highway.

They begin to drink and eat whatever comes their way. And when they take that hook and that bait, they don't understand that there's a hook under it. I always feel sorry for fish. My wife says she doesn't like to fish because she hates seeing things hang from their lips. I've always tried to work that out.

I know she's here somewhere tonight. But you know, you just think about fish. Here they are. They are beautiful.

Many of them got colors on them. I love to fish. Man, there's nothing better in the whole world. And here they are swimming around, minding their own business, hungry. I know what it's like to be hungry.

They're not hurting anybody, harming anybody. And suddenly here they come by and a meal comes floating by. And they say, look at that.

That is unbelievable. I can't believe it's just like manna from heaven. Here comes the meal. And boy, like a bullet, here they go. What they don't realize when they take a bite of the meal that there's a hook hidden under it.

And when they bite it, they bite into a sentence of death. Forgive the interruption. It's true. But you know, we're called to be light in a dark world. And our prayer is that we can put resources and things in your hands that will help you shine that light brightly. If you're not receiving the daily encouraging word email from Dr. Don, I would challenge you. You can always stop getting it.

You can always sign out, so to speak, or delete yourself from our mailing list. But if you go on our website, TEWonline.org, you can sign up for a daily email, seven days a week. And it comes from Dr. Wilton with just a moment of God's word, a verse or two that's important to Dr. Don.

And he explains that and expands on that, maybe shares an illustration or an application. And then moves on to a day of launching your day in God's encouraging word. Again, it jumpstarts my quiet time. I pray you would consider using it. You can also text the word daily to 30500 and we'll send you a quick link to sign up for it.

That's texting the word daily to 30500 and we'll sign you up that way or you can sign up online at TEWonline.org. Now let's dive back into today's message, Blessed Assurance with Dr. Don Wilton. The Antichrist is going to get up to things that you and I may struggle.

I certainly struggle with it. That little phrase there, he will cause deceit to prosper and he will consider himself superior when they feel secure. Revelation teaches us that at the halfway mark, three and a half year point in the seven year tribulation, the world is just going to be wonderful. The Antichrist is going to be, as it were, in the seat of authority and power.

He's got everything. People believe in him. They're going to marvel at him. They're going to be saying, Hail the Antichrist, whatever his name might be. People are going to be having the number 666 written on their foreheads. And all of a sudden at the height of peace and security, the Bible says the Antichrist is going to reveal himself for who he is.

And the last three and a half years of the tribulation are unmitigated terror, hurt, hardship and pain. Well, let's see what he says. Verse 25, he will cause deceit to prosper. He will conquer, consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the prince of princes.

Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. Boy, I love that part, don't you? You see, that's when Jesus Christ comes again. You can just right there put the mound of olives and you can just see the Lord Jesus Christ coming back to earth the same way that he left.

He's going to land right there. God has spoken to me and refresh my heart and written so many more things in my heart. I want to stand there on the mound of olives. I want to stand there and look and I want to sing and thank God. And I want to look up and I want to read these passages and understand that at that moment, Jesus Christ is going to come riding on a white horse and that you and I are going to be with him.

Why? Because we know that we've been taken up to meet him in the air and so shall we forever be with the Lord. And together with the armies of God, we're going to march against Satan and his foes and they are going to be defeated once and for all.

And guess what? I don't think we're going to even have to fire a bullet. I don't like shooting anyway. Do you know why we're not going to have to fire a bullet? Because the Bible says so. It says he is going to be defeated, but not by human power. One lady came up to me one time and she said, you know, Pastor, I'm so glad I'm going to heaven. If the rapture occurs first, I'm going to be with the Lord forever. But you know that second coming when we come in the battle of Armageddon and I've been doing so much more study in this area.

I've been trying to visualize and imagine, see where these armies come from. Since I've been here in the Book of Daniel and how God describes the east from the west and the south and the north and the whole configuration of the armies of the Antichrist and of Satan and how this is all going to come by. And this lady said to me, Pastor, the only thing that makes me nervous is that I don't know about this coming back and marching through the Golden Gate and going to Armageddon and fighting this war and killing all these people.

I don't know that I want to get involved in that. And I said, guess what? You're not going to lift a finger because the Bible says he's going to be defeated, not by human power, but simply by the very voice of God. The same voice that spoke the heavens and the earth into place. God speaks and even the winds and the waves obey his voice. I believe on that day at Armageddon, as we gather together, I believe that God in all of his radiant glory, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords is just going to stand there and he's going to speak victory.

Kaboom! Just like that. Well, let's see what happens. Verse 26, the vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given to you is true, but seal up the vision for it concerns the distant future. I, Daniel, was exhausted and so I lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king's business.

I was appalled by the vision and it was beyond understanding. So here we are, here we are looking at the great epochs of history. One of the preachers that I listened to had some very interesting thoughts that each epoch in history has been highlighted by certain significant events and turning points.

I call them turning points. The spiritual turning point in the ages was the reformation. The cultural turning point was the Renaissance. The intellectual turning point in the epoch of history was the age of enlightenment and reason. And so we began to move into the age of reason or the age of modernity, the modern era which has lasted depending on what side of historical sequence you find yourself seated upon. The modern era really has transpired now for some 300 years and it is based upon a foundation which gives to us the following five thoughts or basic hypotheses or basic presuppositions upon which the age of reason is founded. Number one, that human reason has replaced God as the center of life. You want to put a little phraseology there in a bracket behind the foundation of the age of reason, you could put there the preparation for the arrival of the Antichrist.

This is what's been happening, this is why the soil is so fertile. Number one, human reason has replaced God as the center of life. Number two, truth today is only true only when it can be proved scientifically. That's the age of reason, that's modern age. Truth is only true only when it can be proved scientifically, no other way.

We can never take God at his word, faith is a non-expression. Number three, the world is actually getting better and is going to culminate in the age of utopia. That's what the age of reason says, don't worry about a thing, everything's going to be wonderful.

Number four, that man is basically good. He has your humanism in its ultimate expression, man is basically good. You don't have to worry about it, you want to find something, look to yourself. Folks, that's why new age has gripped America. New age has gripped America and everybody from movie stars to politicians to famous people and particularly intellectuals are just flocking after new age, do you know why? Because new age at its very heartbeat says, listen, I want you to know that man is essentially good by nature. You want to find the answer to life, look into your own heart. Well, God tells us exactly the opposite, doesn't he?

And number five, all values are relative. Well, that's a fine how do you do because that means that there are no absolutes. If there are no absolutes, it means that God is up for grabs.

It means that Jesus is a maybe, the Holy Spirit is a potential. Happiness is something that can never be attained. Truth is non-existent.

Only the pursuit of truth is existent, but you can never achieve or attain truth because there's no such thing as an absolute, but have a jolly good time trying to find it anyway. And so the question comes down to this. Daniel is being confronted by the most important question and that is this, can mankind survive? Going way back to his time and God is going to say to him way back there in Daniel's time, no Daniel, you cannot survive, you cannot survive without me. A world without God is destined for absolute unmitigated disaster.

The only reason you have for existence is found in the heart of a God who loves you. And so he has this extraordinary vision. I want to just then focus just for these closing thoughts on the little horn of chapter 8, Antiochus Epiphanes. Bible tells us in verses 9, 10, 11 and 12, the Bible says that the little horn that came out of the Greek empire, that he started small, just like the Antichrist. He grew in power, just like the Antichrist.

He achieved greatness, just like the Antichrist. Verse 11 says he is anti-God, just like the Antichrist. Verse 11 says the place of worship is destroyed, just like the Antichrist. Verse 12 says he prospered, just like the Antichrist. And verse 12 also says that truth is destroyed. That is exactly the pattern of behavior and the results of that pattern of behavior by virtue of the Antichrist. Verse 13 culminates with the work of God in that God speaks loudly and clearly and boldly.

I heard the Holy One speak, the explanation of the vision. Well, what about Antiochus Epiphanes who came out of the Seleucid dynasty? He was anti-Semitic, verse 9 tells us that and history confirms that. He ruled for 1,150 days. Verse 14 tells us that is exactly what 2,300 evenings and mornings are.

It fits exactly. And he was also a prototype of the Antichrist. Every activity and every characteristic action of Antiochus Epiphanes is a blueprint of the activity of the Antichrist.

Now just let me give you a few historical facts to support this. What did he actually do to the Jews? Well, we do know from history that he marched against Jerusalem. And that's in verse 9, the beautiful land.

That's exactly what he did. Second of all, verse 11, the Bible says that it took away the daily sacrifice from him and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. God is using this broadcast to let you know he is ready to take his rightful place as the Lord of your life. Many years in my own life I knew about God.

God was a part of my life, but he was not the Lord of my life. Would you like to make him Lord of your life today? I pray you'd open your heart right now to perhaps the most important words coming out of our pastor's mouth.

They are next. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now? Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross. Today I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my heart. In Jesus' name. My friend, I welcome you today into the family of God.

This is exciting news. If the Lord has stirred your heart and you're ready to make a decision, let us share that decision with you. Let us put some resources in your hands that will help you grow. You can call us right now at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673. We're available 24 hours a day to pray with you, to maybe to connect you with some resources like this wonderful book from Anne Graham Lott's Jesus and Me.

Here are the details. In the midst of life's changes and losses, we each need a friend, a confidant, someone who will come alongside us and share every step of our journey, someone who will listen to us, advocate for us and comfort us, someone we can trust. This month, for your gift of support to the encouraging Word, we will send you the inspiring book Jesus and Me by Anne Graham Lott. In Jesus and Me, Lott draws on biblical knowledge and personal stories, including her recent cancer diagnosis to help us understand the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Call us at 866-899-9673 to request your copy of Jesus and Me today.

The encouraging Word is a viewer and listener supported ministry sharing God's truth around the world. Thank you for your support. Thank you for listening today. Our time's gone for today, but we're connecting 24 hours a day on our website at www.tewonline.org.

That's www.tewonline.org, or on this phone number, 866-899-WORD. Jot it down, store it in your cell, 866-899-9673. 24 hours a day, we'd love to pray with you and for you, and watch God work as we see the power of prayer in both of our lives. Again, don't forget, we'll be back tomorrow. Dr. Don's diving into another message here on The Encouraging Word that we believe is going to challenge us, continuing the thought of blessed assurance. That's tomorrow on the next edition of The Encouraging Word with Dr. Don Wilton. The Encouraging Word broadcast continues to be a blessing in my life. God has truly blessed me through your sermons. Each day I read my Encouraging Word Bible Guide or watch your program on Sundays. I desire to be closer and closer to God, closer than I've ever been. I have been disabled and homebound since 2006 and unable to attend my church. I have been deeply blessed by The Encouraging Word broadcast and your ministry. I desire to be a part of your ministry.